2023 December

Happiness is a habit

B Y the EDITOR

In progress…

The last issue of the year is here, and it wouldn’t have been possible without your support! We want to express our gratitude to our readers, partners, and every collaborator who contributed to delivering authentic stories, relevant topics, and incredible products throughout the year. Thank you all!

We can achieve so much more when we embrace the changes in our industry instead of judging or avoiding what is evolving. In this Universe, we come as learners rather than experts. Let’s keep collaborating and supporting local businesses and individuals in our community.

Our work is not complete, it is essential and relevant in this niche, and it is important that we continue sharing values and resources to a new generation of talented minds and leaders in progress. In this edition, you will delve into fresh topics on management, leadership, and spiritual tools and practices that will empower you to become a trailblazer.

Have an insightful reading,

Roberta G. Editor-in-Chief

EDITORIAl

Retailing Insight Magazine is a bimonthly trade magazine specializing in the conscious living retail market. The magazine is published exclusively for qualified retailers and small independent businesses in the United States. Our mission is to share one on business advice, product reviews, advertisement from top sellers and makers in the industry, and exclusive topics to help business continue to thrive.

Editor-in-Chief

Roberta Gazzarolle

Copyeditor

Sean Ruck

Designer

Gisely Fernandes

Digital Media & Sales adsales@retailinginsight.com

Contributing Writers

Noa Belling

Tracee Dunblazier

Dudley Evenson

Dyan Garris

Megy Karydes

Margaret Ann Lembo

Linda Mackenzie

Dawn McLaughlin

Jacki Smith

Karen Stuth

©2023 New Way Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. ISSN 2372-7977. Volume 37/ Issue 6/ November-December 2023. The magazine is published bimonthly/ six times a year (January, March, May, July, September, November) by New Way Publishing, LLC. 4117 Park Road, 12252, Charlotte, NC 28220. Periodicals postage paid at Charlotte, NC and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER send address changes to Retailing Insight Magazine, P.O. Box 12252, Charlotte, NC 28220.

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Retailing Insight Magazine is published by New Way Publishing, LLC. P.O. Box 12252 Charlotte, NC 28220 circ@retailinginsight.com

CONTENTS Leadership In This Issue

6

Four Pillars of a Successful Business, Part 4 – CASH How to create a cash flow that helps you grow

Achieving Business Goals: Accomplishing Realistic Goals

Sharing Peace Through Music by Soundings of the Planet How video can help spread the word

How to Focus on Things That Matter… To Get Things Done!

33

Develop Your Leadership Skills Through the Chakras Awakening the authentic leader within

41

46

Help Customers Renew Energy with Essential Oils and Gemstones Explore key ways to help your customers this holiday season

Your Crystal Allies Series

Ignite Your Sacred Wealth Vibration

Cover Image: Darina Belonogova

FINE PRINT A Curated Selection of Titles in Body-Mind-Spirit

PLAYLIST Reviews of Great Music to Sell and Enjoy ADVERTISER INDEX

Four Pillars of a Successful Business PART 4

CASH

The Magic of Cash Flow: Fueling Business Growth through Effective Management is the fi nal article in a four-part series that explores the four pillars of a successful business. These pillars helped me increase my revenue and profits tenfold. With the business roller coaster ride of the past three years combined with the unsteady retail economy, this is the perfect time to get back to basics, and I am bringing you with me.

The books Scaling Up by Verne Harnish and Traction by Gino Wickman became my how-to guides over the past 12 years on building a business that is sustainable and scalable. The things that I have learned allowed my business to weather the Covid shutdowns and the wild swings in sales that followed. I am revisiting these guides this year again to inspect my business’s foundational pillars.

About the Author: Jacki Smith is the co-owner of Coventry Creations. Her passion for personal empowerment and small business has been the driving force in her success and her journey of lifelong learning. Jacki is a regular contributor to the magazine and loves sharing her experience, successes, and cautionary tales.

Manifest Your Best Magic WITH LLEWELLYN

STRATEGY

Creating a business growth strategy that you can live every day.

PEOPLE

Leading is about letting go and building a team.

EXECUTION

The plan is only as good as the execution.

CASH

Manage your cash flow, manage your growth.

When you are in a cycle of scaling up, managing your cash flow is critical so you don’t scale yourself into a negative cash situation. Growth burns through your cash at an accelerated rate and is the fourth pillar to creating a business that can grow and sustain. There is a philosophy of keeping three month’s to a year’s worth of operating capital on hand that successful large businesses, like Microsoft, adhere to. That’s a wonderful sentiment when you are a giant, but what about us smaller bootstrap businesses? How do we manage cash past the daily struggle of keeping products on the shelves and the lights on?

The first step is understanding what the cash flow challenge of your business is.

Your cash flow is the oxygen of your business – the income and expenses are like breathing in and out, they keep you alive. The longer the cycle between your outgoing expenses and your incoming cash, the larger the inhale of cash needs to be to sustain the between time.

The first cash lesson is the cash acceleration strategyor CASh. Harnish shows you how to measure your cash conversion cycle (CCC) – the time it takes you to convert your sales into cash. For the retailer, it feels like your conversion is immediate. The customer comes in, chooses their items, and then pays you. However, if you take into account the time it takes from when you purchase the product you predict will sell until the time you actually make the sale, there is a much slower cash cycle than it appears.

This is not a matter of falling into the false perception of “that’s just the way it is in retail.” You can start challenging your own business’ cash conversion cycle by getting together with your management team asking some hard questions and uncovering the hidden opportunities. Start with the following and allow yourself to break out of old perceptions:

F Report daily on your cash on hand and question why it has changed day to day. Look at what factors affect it and outline the pitfalls you are experiencing. Look at your accounts payable (bills) and accounts receivable (sales). Your receivables are the deposits from your merchant account, online sales sources, and any custom items you attain for your customers.

F How can you shorten the time between purchasing inventory to when it is sold?

F Require any special orders or services to be paid for in advance.

F Give a higher value to your customers who pay in advance.

F Identify where you can add subscriptions, memberships, or other types of repeatable income models.

F Pay as many expenses with a credit card to leverage the additional payment time. Make sure to pay off your balance monthly to avoid interest.

F Identify all the sales mistakes that cost you money.

Brainstorming the interruptions in your cash flow and potential improvements gets you into a cash flow mindset and establishes a solid cash flow foundation.

Training your key management team in the cash flow mindset is about getting clarity on your numbers. Starting with a simple understanding of what your weekly, monthly, and quarterly financial needs are set the foundation that everyone can work from. These are the things to figure out to get that understanding:

F Identifying your target profit margin.

F Tracking your overhead and breaking it down to a weekly schedule of payment or savings.

F Tracking your cost of sales and marketing and making sure you budget for it.

F Knowing what your cost of goods is and what your percentage of margin is to accurately price them.

F Tracking your sales to identify the rhythm to capitalize on with marketing and promotions.

These basic numbers that you can track daily and weekly will take you from ugly suprises into powerful decisions that can grow your business. In standard business terms, you are building your forecasting and budget.

Budgets do not have to be the complicated 10-page presentations that you see large companies do. This can be a one-page spreadsheet that predicts when your cash will be flush and when it will be tight based on your standard business cycle.

For instance, you can set a simple spreadsheet for a month that predicts where your money will be:

Expanding this to a quarterly plan will allow you to predict events, large purchases or inventory stick up and watch for dips in sales. You can add details as sales and purchases

happen and then start to look for cash leaks, how discounts will affect your bottom line and ways to leverage your cash.

Harnish has a powerful worksheet called The Power of One. This worksheet challenges you to use your predicted cash flow and change one number at a time to see how it will affect your bottom line.

F Increase your prices

F Increase your sales volume

F Reduce your cost of goods (Inventory cost)

F Reduce your overhead

You can use this to see what would happen if your rent goes up, you add an employee, you bring in a new service, or you add a marketing cost. You can add to your predicted income and add the resulting cost increase to watch what happens to your profit and loss.

Extending this out many months can show you what your bottom line will be in slower months so you can save cash in your busier months. You can target large trade shows and save the cash you will need to take advantage of better prices on inventory.

This base cash flow can also help you leverage fi nancing options and manage their payback.

With the enticing new fi nancing options that merchant accounts offer, you can add them to your predicted cash flow to see how they will affect your cash flow long term. PayPal, Square Space, Shopify, and Amazon have money they want to give you, but it comes at a price. That price is an automatic deduction from their payouts to you. I have talked to many business owners who have used those fi nancing options and have taken too big of a hit on their daily income. The

businesses that have used this to their advantage, have tested their impact on their cash flow before signing on the dotted line.

Banks, on the other hand, want to see a cash flow before they lend you money that has a lower interest rate and a payback that you have better control of. Even SBA loans will require the same information. When you have a history of cash flow predictions that you use, and update with your actuals, it puts your business in a more lendable light.

“

KPIs bring transparency to your business and when you track them weekly and monthly, you can make changes and improvements before it is too late to recover.

to spend more. When you know how much each staff member needs to sell in a shift, you can tell whether they are an asset or a drain.

KPIs bring transparency to your business and when you track them weekly and monthly, you can make changes and improvements before it is too late to recover. You can see sudden trends, cash leaks, and heaven forbid, theft.

Cash flow forecasts, KPI’s, and experimenting with how simple shifts can change your bottom line prepare you for managing risks and contingency planning. No one can predict when disaster may strike, but using your cash flow to create a cushion for emergencies may be the difference between surviving an emergency and shuttering your doors.

Cash Flow isn’t just about the cash on hand, it’s also about your inventory levels, debt level, assets, and liabilities. Key performance indicators (KPIs) are ways to track them and how they will affect your daily cash flow.

KPIs are the secret sauce for scaling your business up. When you know how much inventory you need to have on hand to make the sales numbers you need, you measure it to make sure it doesn’t get too low or too high. When you know your average sale, you can make sure you buy products or price your products in a way to maintain that or raise it. When you know the return on investment you want from a marketing or ad campaign, you know where

One business coach shared the wisdom of saving 2-5% every day. Saving 2-5% isn’t a big number from your income, and yet saving in a rainy day fund is a powerful way to protect your future and get started on your three-month operating expense fund. It’s like your own insurance in the future. Combine that with a robust insurance policy and your risk management plan has begun.

The chapter on cash flow has many more formulas and worksheets to explore to master your cash flow. Cash is king, and more importantly, cash is oxygen. Take a deep breath and a day or two to dive into your cash flow plan and you will understand where your first steps are to scale your business.

Business & mar KeT ing

2024 BUSINESS TRENDS FOR BUSINESS OWNERS

While economic predictions for the coming year vary widely according to the source, certain trends that emerged during 2023 will become larger and more important. Small business owners, in particular, should consider incorporating a way to capitalize on some or all of these trends in their business model to keep pace with the competition. Integrating some or all of today’s business trends also offers customers a dynamic of relevancy and currency and can offer distinction in today’s highly competitive business world.

About the Author: Karen Stuth is the co-founder and co-owner of Satiama LLC, which includes Satiama Publishing, Satiama Writers Resources, and Magical Plant Publishing. She is a prolific writer and award-winning author of The Wisdom of Tula Cards, a co-creator of Quintangled: A Game of Strategy, Choice & Destiny, award-winning author of A Speckled Stone, the former president of The Coalition of Visionary Resources, and a licensed attorney and professional musician. She contributes regularly to periodicals and magazines, including a regular column in Marketing Insights Magazine, a publication of the American Marketing Association.

1. Longevity

Over the past decade, an increasing paradigm shift surrounding aging has occurred. People of all generations are strongly interested in increasing their life expectancy. Books abound about living in blue zones or adopting a blue zone lifestyle, and the internet is replete with supplements, nutritional advice, beauty and other kinds of products, body improvement programs, and more, all focused on increasing your life expectancy.

We are investing in the idea that we can impact our life expectancy and live a vital and robust life for more years than our parents and certainly our grandparents did. Boutique medical practices focused on healthy aging are springing up everywhere. We see people we would formerly have considered “too old” appearing in films – Jane Fonda, Robert Redford, Anthony Hopkins –and performing strenuous concert tours – Mick Jagger, Elton John, Rod Stewart, and even going into space – William Shatner at age 90. At a much younger age, a greater percent of today’s population focuses on planning and shaping their physical, mental, and emotional health to ensure a robust and meaningful quality of life for their later years.

The Baby Boomer generation, born between 1944 and 1964, are the oldest of the estimated 73 million Boomers in the U.S. and are in their late 70s. The annual death rate of the generation is 5,300 per 100,000, demonstrating they as well are likely living longer than their parents. Census data shows that Boomers hold a whopping 70 percent of the nation’s disposable income. Products aimed at this generation will find a potential buyer with money to spend, particularly if it improves their quality of life.

How Can You Bring Consumer Interest in Longevity Into Your Own Business?

If you are a bookstore, consider creating a section on healthy aging. You might offer author-led seminars on some of the fundamentals, such as movement and nutrition. Don’t be surprised if your customers include persons in their 30s and 40s.

Create a meetup walking group sponsored by your business for seniors, which also provides many an opportunity to meet peers at a time of life when many have lost friends, family, and spouses and welcome the opportunity to make new friends. But it also demonstrates your interest in and support of this generation.

If you own a spa, offer special senior skin and hair care treatments, offer seminars about caring for aging hair and skin, and carry a line of products intended for that demographic.

Have a yoga studio? Why not offer yoga or chair yoga classes only for seniors who might feel shy or alienated working out next to an ultra-fit Spandexclad person in their 20s?

Coffee shops could offer a non-exclusive seating section where seniors could meet and chat with others of their age, encouraging them to come again and again to spend time with new friends.

Ensure your employees are trained to be culturally and generationally appropriate when serving senior customers by being polite and patient, listening meaningfully to their requests, and recognizing their economic viewpoint – think coupons. Some store owners should consider offering training about how to treat senior customers with respect, compassion,

kindness, and without condescension. This change alone can quickly reflect in your bottom line.

A bit of creative thinking will produce ways for any business to tap into the general market interest in longevity. Remember: longevity-focused products and services are not just for seniors but also finding interest and acceptance in those already planning for their senior years at a relatively young age.

2. Sustainability

There is no longer any denying that the Earth is getting warmer. According to scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York, July 2023 was hotter than any other month in the global temperature record. Climate change is impacting people, economies, and ecosystems and changing life on Earth at a faster than anticipated rate. Climate change has fueled interest in

sustainability in business, which cuts across nearly every sector and is a global rather than merely a firstworld trend. Forbes Magazine stated, “A desire to help the environment was found to be the primary reason consumers purchase sustainable products and brands. Almost 30% say they want to improve the environment, 23% wish to reduce production waste, 22% wish to reduce their carbon footprint, and 17% are concerned with animal welfare.”

“

Sustainability helps everyone, and your customers will thank you.

This trend will continue to feel ‘up close and personal’ for many if not most of us. When it comes to sustainability and sustainable shopping, the Gen Z consumer in particular has an outsized influence on not only their Gen X parents but even their Boomer grandparents when it comes to sustainable shopping. Gen Z members are born between 1997 and 2012 and are currently between 9 and 24 years old (nearly 68 million in the U.S.) We’ll talk more about Gen Z consumers below.

How Should Your Small Businesses Respond to The Trend Toward Sustainability?

Offer at least some sustainably made, sustainably sourced, and fair trade produced items and advertise that fact at your point of sale or product displays. This means strong ethical, social, and environmental performance standards that are employed wherever possible for your line of products.

Focus on sustainability as a marketing message in your customer newsletters, social media, and other marketing and advertising forms.

Be transparent with your customer base and in your store regarding the sustainable business practices you employ, e.g., reducing the use of paper, recycling paper and other products, offering a bike rack to reduce driving to your business, offering eco-friendly packaging, using solar power if possible and encouraging a responsible use of water. Use a ‘green’ host for your website, such as GreenGeeks.com, which also offers a seal you can put right on your site.

Sustainability helps everyone, and your customers will thank you.

3. HyperPersonalization

According to an analysis by Deloitte, 80% of consumers are more likely to get their product from a company that offers them a hyperpersonalized customer experience. zBut what is hyper-personalization? This is the marketing approach to customer interaction in every form and in every channel that taps into their most basic human needs. This is the 2024 version of relationship or database marketing, which began to gain ground in the 80s. This often involves a company’s ability to manage its marketing to tap into the needs

of an individual at a deeply personal level.

In very large businesses, AI is often used to accomplish this. AI engines can gather your internet searches and recent purchases, record your affinity for brand or generic purchasing, coupons, and more. The location feature on your phone can sometimes track your movements. How often have you searched for something through a Google browser only to see an ad for that thing pop up on a different site a short time later? Amazon is both a pioneer and a master at hyperpersonalization. It is foundational to their business model. You might think it’s unnerving and it certainly can be, but it is a ‘today’ dynamic that will likely grow even stronger in 2024.

How Can Small Businesses Without AI or the Desire for AI Capability Still Provide a Hyper-Personalized Experience for Their Customers?

Start a database-supported customer loyalty program that records and tracks customer purchases at the individual level. Make your loyalty program easy to benefit from through the easy earning of dollars off future purchases. But don’t stop there. Use your sales and customer database to find customers with a propensity to purchase certain types of products and offer them private sales, notices of related events, and more. A key component of this is your desire to build an individual relationship with your customers and offer them more of what they like and want.

Ensure your employees learn to recognize and greet your reoccurring customers by name, perhaps remembering (or quickly looking up) their most recent purchases and asking them how they enjoyed what they had purchased. Customer service of this type ‘sews’ your brand into the customer’s awareness with a visceral remembrance of having their needs met at a deeper level. Customers who

have received this kind of personal service and attention are most likely to return often, giving your business the customer loyalty – you have earned.

Brainstorm other ways to provide your customers with an individual and personal experience according to your business type. Some studies demonstrate that adding this dynamic to your business model can increase sales by an average of 22%.

4. Gen Z Customer

Segment

The Gen Z population segment is powerfully influential. Their spending power is on the rise, commanding, according to Bloomberg, an estimated $360 billion in disposable income. But their purchasing and spending habits are quite different than generations before them. I referenced above their strong interest in products, services, and businesses that transparently offer sustainable products and a sustainable business model – they will quickly boycott businesses that don’t ‘check any of the boxes’ regarding sustainability. But there is more to know about Gen Z consumers.

They are highly influenced by social media, often deciding to purchase from that channel alone. This includes individual posts and especially advertising that appears within the context of a channel, targeted by AI to the individual. Therefore, advertising to this generation at the place where they ‘live’ is crucial. Social media also spawns influencers and brand ambassadors who have the ear of their followers and substantially impact their purchasing preferences.

Members are highly aware and selfaware, socially and/or environmentally responsible, value diversity and equality, family, and success, and worry about terrorism, gun violence, and the economy. As such, they tend

to gravitate toward brands that align with similar beliefs and will offer their loyalty as consumers to those with which they resonate.

Members of Gen Z are less likely to fall for clickbait, having emerged from the world of online pandemic shopping into more careful and thoughtful spenders. They are also highly adept online shoppers more conversant with newer payment methods such as Venmo and Apple Pay.

What Does This Mean for Small Businesses?

First, don’t discount Gen Z consumers if they don’t currently make up a large percentage of your customer base. They are there, and they are already an important economic segment. They will be coming, and sooner than you might think.

To earn the business of a Gen Z consumer, be highly transparent about offering sustainable business practices and products at an individual product ad level.

Sales and coupons hold less appeal for Gen Z consumers. Instead, offer them the personal and ethical experience of your products and services. Offer inclusivity in your marketing language and explain your brand promise and what it offers in terms of authenticity. Think of Nike, which advertises shoes named after elite sports stars, as shoes being worn by the common man rather than a product line for a few.

Maintaining a robust and active social media presence includes many of the above elements. To earn the Gen Z dollar, you will need to meet them where they live.

If you are a business owner, consider choosing at least one of these trends to add to your business model and marketing mix for 2024. This will help your business be fresh, relevant, cross-generational, and caring in a rapidly changing world.

K e e p m o v i n g f o r w a r d , & y o u ' l l n e v e r h a v e a r e a s o n t o l o o k b a c k .

PART 2

Achieving Business Goals: ACCOMPLISHING REALISTIC GOALS

To ascertain achievable goals and accomplish them, you’ll have to do a little pre-analysis. If you don’t know where you’ve been, and where you actually are, then planning and implementing achievable goals for the future will be harder than it has to be.

To start, we have do an analysis. Ask yourself, “What are the current trends in my marketplace? Who is my competition? What am I doing better than my competitors and what are they doing better than me? What are my business’ strengths and weakness? What is my monthly capital outlay and profit? How much extra capital do I have? What does my business need? What do I want for my business? What do I need for my business? What are the obstacles in my way?“ This analysis gives you insight into the opportunities you can use to build and attain realistic goals.

About the Author: Linda Mackenzie has a 50-year track record in the world of paranormal phenomena. As a psychic, bio-energectic healer, lecturer, and award-winning author who appeared on many television programs and in several award-winning documentaries, Linda is considered one of the world’s most profound and respected psychics. She is also a multibusiness entrepreneur and founder of HealthyLife.net—Positive Talk Radio Network. Her latest book Symbols of You: A Self-Discovery Reference Guide is now available on New Leaf, Ingram or your favorite supplier.

What is a Realistic Goal

Realistic goals help you not only get what you want, but increases what you can achieve. So what exactly is a realistic goal? It is specific, relevant, achievable, able to be measured and set for a specific time frame.

There is NO Emotion in Business

Relevant: Remember to align your goals with your business’s mission statement while making sure that the goal helps your business grow and succeed.

HINT: When doing the analysis, make sure you remember there are no emotions in evaluating your business. Don’t come from your ego. Your business is its own entity. So go beyond just yourself, as well as your wants and needs. Evaluate everything from the business’ own perspective to survive and thrive.

Specific: You are identifying your business intention here so you must be as specific as possible by clearly and concisely defi ning what you want to accomplish and what the desired outcome will be.

Achievable: Make sure you have the resources, time and capability to achieve your goals while stretching your limits in a new way.

Measurable: Establish measurements and benchmarks to track your progress which allows you

to measure your performance against your goals.

Time Specific: Set a deadline to achieve your goal and the tasks of your goal which helps you quantify results, stay focused and makes you accountable.

Here’s a realistic goal example using a weight loss plan: “I want to lose five pounds (specific and achievable) so I can look good in that swim suit for the beach party (relevant) in two weeks (time specific) and I will weigh myself every day (measurable) to make sure I am on track.”

Now here’s an example of an unrealistic goal using the weight loss scenario... “I want to lose lots of weight (unspecific), maybe 100 pounds in one week (unachievable, time specific) so I can look good all the time (not relevant) and not have to do anything to accomplish that

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(not measurable).” It would be nice if that could happen, but the reality is it most likely won’t. So don’t waste your time and energy on unrealistic goals.

Setting & Planning Goals

Setting goals is not only good for your personal life, but almost mandatory to breathe new life and direction into your business. When you set a new goal it helps you focus, produces new directed energy towards your business, triggers new learning and new behaviors. It also helps guides your focus and sustain momentum in life.

Setting business goals requires a conscious and subconscious process. At the very least, setting goals increases productivity and motivation to enhance your business for both you and your employees.

If you’re an entrepreneur or own a retail store and your goal is to build a profitable business, then your goal system should include the sales and marketing processes. If you don’t know about sales and marketing basics then do your research. You can even look for someone, or a likeminded community, who has already achieved similar goals and ask them for advice. Nevertheless, to do realize goal setting requires consideration of what is around you, the resources you have and the resources you need. Many times we set the right

goals, but don’t have the backend system to support it or we don’t take action. For example, you run an ad and you’re overrun with customers, but don’t have enough inventory on hand or enough cashiers to process all the orders. So a bit of preplanning beforehand helps you set achievable goals and assists you to make consistent progress towards accomplishing them – without impediments getting in your way.

Your specific goal plan is actually helping you execute your intentions. They include the what, where, when and how you intend to accomplish each goal. Then you’ll create a specific, realistic schedule with tasks needed to accomplish each of your goals. Remember to prioritize and put those tasks in a specific order.

Research has shown that you are more likely to stick to your goals if you make a specific task detailed plan. Let’s go back to the weight loss scenario as a task example...” I will do aerobic exercise for at least 20 minutes on Tuesday at 7 a.m. at the gym.”

When you have set your goals and have your detailed task plan remember you want to push hard enough towards the goal, however not so hard so that you can’t continue the momentum of your overall plan.

Implementing & Supervising Goals

Using ‘strategy’ is actually the process of turning your goal and task plan into action. It’s the way you get stuff done. It’s also the way to communicate your plan and expectations for yourself and/or your team so there is no confusion and so everyone is on the same page. You can ask

for your team’s collaboration before implementing your task plan.

Before implementing your plan determine the roles and responsibilities, then delegate the tasks of your goal plan to the appropriate individual. Set milestones and a timeline for each step. If you have a team, this is

Use the

Hose Theory

Now it’s time to execute your goal plan. Remember to focus on one goal at a time. Here’s a story to illustrate why this principle works. I call it the hose theory. Imagine you’re trying to move a small stone on the sidewalk with water from a hose. The water’s force coming from the hose is strong, so the stone moves quickly. Now imagine that the hose is attached to a sprinkler and you’re trying to move that same stone -- it moves more slowly, if at all, since the water’s force is divided into separate weaker streams. Just replace the ‘stone’ with your goal and the hose and/or sprinkler as your focused thoughts. Focusing on one goal at a time gets the goal accomplished faster.

where you effectively communicate your plan to them and make sure you include accountability for each task.

Distributor of quality body, mind and spirit products

One fi nal thought, make sure you align your effort or your team’s effort, resources and performance to relate to your business goals so you create a shared sense of purpose.

Now it’s time to monitor and supervise your progress and performance. This gives you the opportunity to adjust or revise your tasks or take corrective action if necessary.

Don’t fall into the Mind Paradox

I myself, a former engineer, make my plan in the utmost detail, including action details and all possible outcome step by step. When I’m done I put the plan aside and do the actions items while tracking my milestones. I feel, know and trust that my goals are energetically happening no matter what — and they are — and they always happen exactly the right way for me. Feel, know and trust that yours will too.

Constantly check your progress. If you have a team, check in with them often and listen to the results of your team’s progress. Don’t forget to ask for, and listen to, their feedback. Remember to provide continued support for yourself and/or your team and it is important to acknowledge every victory no matter how big or small.

Stay passionate and persevere –no matter what.

Working with the Universe

Be careful when you put your realistic goals to work. Go through your planning stage in minute detail. However, after you are done planning and are taking action to put those goals into the Universe for actualization, try not to set expectations, significance, attitudes or feelings on the outcome because that makes even realistic goals rigid and can actually prevent them from happening. This is because it actually creates a paradox or contradiction in the brain that affects you and the energy around you which will stop your realistic goals from happening before they begin. Don’t focus on the results, focus on the supportive action steps you need to accomplish your goal. Don’t try to control the outcome - just know it will happen. If things go wrong or not exactly as you planned, don’t get negative - look for what it is trying to teach you and adjust your actions. Don’t let your ego get involved in the process thinking you can make it happen -- just feel it will happen. Finally just trust in the process and it will happen.

Now I am going to say something that will seem to make no sense, but it will if you are spiritual or seeking spirituality. There’s an odd balance to success and also in setting realistic goals.

sharing peace THROUGH MUSIC

by Soundings of the Planet

HOW VIDEO CAN HELP SPREAD THE WORD

Our peace through music journey actually began long before we released our fi rst albums back in 1979. Most people know us for our music, but few may realize how our original creative expression came from making videos, starting in 1970, with an early black and white video camera. When Dean and I met 1968, he had just completed his master’s degree in Molecular Biology, and I had returned from learning photography in Japan and traveling around the world. Dean became a recording engineer in Manhattan, and we wanted to get into fi lmmaking, so we began to search for a 16 mm

fi lm camera. When we discovered the Sony half-inch video portapack it literally changed our lives. Follow the music must have been our motto back then because the fi rst video we ever made was a live concert of the Jefferson Airplane at the Fillmore East. No one questioned our bringing in the 35-pound video deck attached by a long cable to an eight-pound camera. That video format obviously pre-dated video cassettes, VCRs, and smart phones, but needless to say was very difficult to distribute

Those rockers from the ‘60s were among the early peace activists and

About the Author: Dudley and her husband Dean Evenson are sound healing pioneers. Their motto of Peace Through Music is reflected in their music, videos, and books. A Year of Guided Meditation: 52 Weekly Affirmations is now available. Find more information at www.soundings.com.

later when Dean had the opportunity to perform with John Denver during a birthday pow wow on the Pine Ridge Reservation, the music continued with our Native American friends. As our sub-culture evolved and people became more interested in alternative healing modalities, yoga, and meditation, our video camera was there, and we captured the emerging consciousness on camera. Many of those early videos stayed in boxes and never saw public viewings as there was no convenient way to share them. That all changed with the advent of YouTube and the internet. Now, after years of being hidden, the archival videos of Native American wisdom keepers, Tibetan lamas, gurus, gardeners, and sound healers are being made available on our Soundings Mindful Media YouTube Channel.

Since our videos are so diverse, we have had to divide our work into three channels. Our fi rst and primary channel is called Soundings of the Planet and features the nature videos Dean has created over the years of the beautiful environment where we live in the Pacific Northwest or during our travels, along with the soundtrack of our relaxation music. People use these kinds of videos as a peaceful background to support their life’s many activities. These videos are popular with people in need of a quiet environment for healing and self-care. Teachers also use them to create calm in the classroom and students use them to study with. We include a lot of meditation timers so people can use them in their meditation, visualization, or yoga practice. Natural childbirth and long sleep playlists are also popular.

In addition to the previously mentioned channels, we have added a

new channel called Dean & Dudley Living Dreams. These videos are more personal, and we share many of the philosophical concepts and spiritual inspiration we have gleaned over our half-century of exploring this new consciousness. When we had an online book club for A Year of Guided Meditations: 52 Weekly Affirmations, we captured much of the wisdom from those Zoom conversations. After we went to France, we made a documentary: In Monet’s Footsteps with Dean & Dudley Evenson. This channel has more spoken word and interviews, so it is for people who want to dig deeper and learn more about us, our lifestyle, and how they can use music to bring more peace into their own lives.

As the music industry has transformed over the years, we have tried to keep up with the changes. From cassettes to CDs to digital downloads

to streaming, the music has evolved forms for distribution. Now that everyone can make a recording on their computer, extending the reach of music flows naturally toward video. Our experience with the archival videos taught us the importance of having a distribution system. In the early days, the technology was limited, but now that we live in such high-tech times, we might as well take advantage of the opportunities that exist for sharing our media and our music. As Dean and I approach our 80s, we are fortunate to have younger people working with us who can keep up with all the technilogical advances. We are multi-dimensional beings and with all that competes for our attention, we know how important it is to use all possible means to reach out.

How to Focus on Things that Matter… TO GET THINGS DONE

As an entrepreneur, motivation usually isn’t a problem. Getting everything done is a different story. Until I figured out I needed a better system to help me stay focused.

When I was writing my book, 50 Ways to More Calm Less Stress, I rarely had fewer than a dozen tabs open on my computer. I had books stacked alongside my desk and magazine articles littered throughout my house after I ripped them out for reference. Ironically, I was stressing out writing a book about how to be less stressed.

Lack of Focus and Stress

Journaling every morning has been part of my life for years as my form of meditation. It’s intentional. It’s focused. It’s effective.

It also reminded me that multitasking doesn’t work. Cal Newport’s book Deep Work reminds us that the

rise of technology has destroyed our ability to concentrate deeply on tasks that matter or require more of our brain power and energy.

I realized lack of focus was causing the stress but how could I focus when I felt so many things needed my attention?

Newport’s book offers four rules: work deeply, embrace the boredom, quit social media and drain the shallows. I was drowning in the shallows so I started there first.

Drain the Shallows

Shallow work is work that is a time suck and doesn’t require a lot of brain power. Responding to emails, scheduling a doctor’s appointment, wiping down shelves, scrolling through social media for “inspiration” – these are shallow tasks because they take time but don’t need to be done right now.

Prioritize

Deep Work

So how does one focus on things that matter and get everything they need done? Prioritizing what matters

most requires our brain power first and setting aside the shallow tasks for a time during the day when we don’t need our brain power to be at 100%. What does this mean exactly?

Here’s an example: my most productive time during the day is my morning hours. If anything needs to get done, it will need to happen between 8 a.m. until 11 a.m. I blocked those three hours for my deep work. As I write this column, it’s 9:45 a.m. During that time, I will not check email, visit my social media accounts, respond to texts or check any websites.

In the afternoon, I’ll respond to emails, schedule social media posts, read the news of the day and plan my work for tomorrow.

Find Out What Works For You

While my morning hours are my most productive, my friend is a night owl so she exercises in the morning, responds to email and finishes her routine work throughout the day. She prefers a clean slate before starting her deep work which normally begins after dinner ends. She loves the calm of the evening, she says, when it’s dark outside, her email isn’t growing, texts from customers or clients aren’t coming in to distract her.

We all know when we’re at our peak. Once you figure out your best time for deep work, honor it by setting aside an hour or two and commit to not allowing yourself to get distracted until the work is done. This includes not giving in to boredom.

Being Bored Is Good For You

Turns out boredom could be sabotaging your focus game. Boredom starts to set in when you’re trying to work through something, it gets uncomfortable, and you want to fill that boredom so you’re no longer uncomfortable. Rather than work through the issue, you pick up your phone, start doom scrolling or you go grab a snack. What you think will be only a few minutes becomes 10 or 30 minutes and by then you’re distracted so when you return to your work, you have to remember where you left off, try to figure out the challenge and then get frustrated when the answer doesn’t come easily.

Being bored isn’t a bad thing. In fact, according to scientific research, being bored can stimulate creativity and problem-solving while giving your brain time to recharge. Distracting yourself by filling the time isn’t doing your body and mind any favors.

Bottom line. If you want to get things done and focus on things that matter, carve out that time and honor it. Try it for one week and see how it works for you.

DEVELOP YOUR LEADERSHIP SKILLS THROUGH THE CHAKRAS

“Know Thyself” is an inscription carved on the ancient Greek temple of Apollo located at Delphi. Awareness of our talents, abilities, strengths, and opportunities for growth is a critical component of authentic leadership. Whether you are (or aspire to be) a business leader, a community activist, an entrepreneur, or simply looking to take charge of your own life, everyone can benefit from selfexploration and the development of leadership qualities such as passion, dedication, determination, drive, courage, imagination, and effective communication skills. When we increase our self-awareness, we can easily identify our values, determine our goals, and have the fortitude and courage to achieve them.

Exploring leadership through the lens of the chakra system is a powerful tool that enables us to know ourselves better. The chakra system is a map of the energy body through which subtle energy flows. This subtle energy is called by a variety of names in different cultures, such as prana, ki, chi, and life force energy. The seven main chakras are located along the central channel, called the Shushumna Nadi, which is located along the spinal column, beginning at your tailbone and extending up to the crown of your head. By examining and working with the chakras, we have the tools to create powerful and effective changes by enhancing our strengths and transforming areas needing improvement.

About the Author: Dawn McLaughlin is a writer, Reiki masterteacher, vibrational sound healer, astrologer, and teacher of both yoga and meditation. Based in Rhode Island, Dawn enjoys nothing more than sharing Reiki with others. Visit her at www.IntuitiveHearts.com.

Crystals: Surround yourself with crystals known to strengthen the energy of the root chakra, such as red jasper, smokey quartz, and black tourmaline.

Root Chakra

The root chakra, located at the base of your spine, is your foundation chakra. The energy associated with the root chakra is the densest of all the chakras since it’s aligned with the energies of the Earth, our physical world. Topics related to the root chakra are stability, groundedness, security, and financial health.

Below are examples of ways a balanced root chakra enhances leadership qualities:

Decisions are made from a place of stability and security – not fear.

Your inner vision is easily manifested in the material world.

Personal and professional boundaries are established and maintained.

Financial stability is achieved.

If you need to strengthen your root chakra , numerous options are available:

Meditation: Take 10 to 15 minutes out of your day to meditate, focusing on strengthening your root chakra. A simple meditation practice would be to visualize inhaling a red mist (red is the color associated with the root chakra). Allow this red mist to permeate your being, infusing you with the root chakra’s energy.

Affirmations: Design an affirmation associated with your specific intention, such as “I effortlessly manifest my inner vision into the physical world” or “Every day, I easily attract financial abundance.”

Sacral Chakra

The sacral chakra is located approximately two inches below your navel. It is the vortex of energy focused on creativity and the emotional body. Associated with the water element, the sacral chakra assists us with thriving in the ever-changing nature of the world. It enables us to go with the flow of life effortlessly. Below are instances of how a balanced sacral chakra enriches leadership qualities:

Creativity is unlocked and permeates all aspects of life — including problem-solving.

Passion exists, encouraging a zest for life and sparking enthusiasm in others.

Flexibility of mind allows for changing directions, if needed, to produce desired outcomes.

Connection to the emotional body assists with positively processing emotions, fostering an effective means of coping with challenges.

If you wish to enhance the function of your sacral chakra, many choices are available:

Meditation: Dedicate 10 to 15 minutes for daily meditation with the intention of strengthening your sacral chakra. A simple meditation practice would be to visualize inhaling an orange mist (orange is the color associated with the sacral chakra). Allow this orange mist to permeate your being, infusing you with the energy of the sacral chakra.

Affirmations: Create a personal affirmation associated with your specific intention, such as “I go with the flow of life” or “I enthusiastically follow my passions.”

Connection to the emotional body assists with positively processing emotions, fostering an effective means of coping with challenges.

Crystals: Consider placing crystals known to balance and strengthen the energy of the sacral chakra, such as moonstone, carnelian, and amber, in your home or office.

Solar Plexus Chakra

The solar plexus chakra, located approximately two inches above your navel, is the energy center related to

the fire element and is focused on your personal power, vitality, selfconfidence, courage, and willpower. By engaging with the energies of the solar plexus, we can enhance our determination and drive, optimizing our ability to take action in the physical world.

There are limitless ways the solar plexus chakra can elevate leadership qualities, including:

Self-confidence assists with accomplishing goals, taking risks, and making decisions.

Vitality provides the necessary energy to reach goals, continue your personal evolution, and live a meaningful life.

Determination, drive, and willpower are critical for completing objectives and projects.

If you want to focus on improving the function of your solar plexus chakra, numerous options are available:

Meditation: Commit to 10 to 15 minutes of daily meditation to enhance the function of your solar plexus chakra. A suggested meditation would be to visualize inhaling a vibrant yellow mist (yellow is the color associated with the solar plexus chakra). Imagine this yellow mist filling your body and revitalizing your solar plexus chakra.

Affirmations: Craft a personal affirmation connected to your specific intention, such as “I stand confidently in my personal power” or “I have the vitality and strength to achieve my goals.”

Crystals: Crystals, such as citrine, golden calcite, and sunstone, are known to have properties that strengthen the solar plexus chakra. Consider placing them around your personal space or wearing jewelry containing these stones.

Heart Chakra

The heart chakra, located at your heart center, is focused on love, compassion, acceptance, forgiveness, and empathy. Associated with the air element, this energy center is also connected to a sense of freedom and openness. There are many ways that the heart chakra can assist with developing leadership qualities, including:

The openness of a balanced heart chakra reduces biases and judgments as well as facilitates an open exchange of ideas.

Self-care practices, an act of love, are essential for leaders to maintain their physical, emotional, and mental health.

Having compassion for others assists with establishing meaningful relationships.

The openness of a balanced heart chakra reduces biases and judgments as well as facilitates an open exchange of ideas.

Many options are available if you want to connect to your heart chakra.

Meditation: Dedicate 10 to 15 minutes to a heart-focused meditation. A recommended meditation would be to imagine inhaling a vibrant green mist (green is the color associated with the heart chakra). Visualize this green mist permeating your body and strengthening your heart chakra.

Affi rmations: Develop a personal affi rmation associated with your specific intention, such as “I am open to diverse viewpoints and welcome different opinions ” or “my compassionate nature allows me to easily connect with others on a meaningful level.”

Crystals: Crystals, such as rose quartz, kunzite, and malachite, can promote a strong connection to your heart chakra. Arranging these crystals around your personal space or wearing them as jewelry enhances your connection to your heart chakra.

Throat Chakra

The throat chakra, located at your throat, is responsible for self-expression, communication, and your ability to speak authentically. With the help of a balanced throat chakra, we can also effectively listen to others.

There is a balance between your ability to speak and listen.

A strong throat chakra can assist with honing your leadership skills in multiple ways.

The ability to express yourself clearly and effectively.

Effective listening skills provide opportunities for learning, understanding, and creating meaningful relationships.

Public speaking becomes easier and less stressful.

If you want to strengthen your throat chakra, consider the options provided below.

Meditation: Commit to meditating daily for 10 to 15 minutes, focused on your throat center. A suggested meditation would be to imagine inhaling

a bright blue mist (blue is the color associated with the throat chakra). Imagine this bright blue mist infusing your body and strengthening your throat chakra.

Affirmations: Craft a personal affirmation connected to your specific intention, such as “I effortlessly express myself clearly and confidently ” or “I am an effective communicator.”

Crystals: Surround yourself with crystals known to balance and strengthen the energy of the throat chakra, such as turquoise, lapis lazuli, and aquamarine.

Brow Chakra

The brow chakra, also called the third eye chakra, is located slightly above the space between your eyebrows. Its focus is on inner vision, imagination, and intuition. Additionally, the brow chakra is responsible for the important balance between the rational mind of the brain’s left hemisphere and the creative mind of the brain’s right hemisphere.

There are multiple ways the brow chakra can strengthen leadership qualities, including:

Critical thinking skills, such as seeing the big picture, are strengthened.

Imagination is expanded, which may lead to creative solutions and innovative approaches to problem-solving.

The connection to your inner guidance and intuition may be strengthened, stopping the cycle of secondguessing your choices and decisions.

There is clarity of thought and the reduction of overthinking or overanalyzing situations.

Many options are available if you want to connect to your brow chakra.

Meditation: Devote 10 to 15 minutes to daily meditation focused on your brow chakra. A suggested meditation would be to visualize inhaling a rich indigo mist (indigo is the color associated with the brow chakra). Imagine this indigo mist filling your body and revitalizing your brow chakra.

Affirmations: Design a personal affirmation connected to your specific intention, such as “I trust my insights and inner guidance” or “I easily see the big picture in every situation.”

Crystals: Crystals, such as sodalite, labradorite, and sapphire, are known to have properties that strengthen the brow chakra. Consider placing them around your personal space or wearing jewelry containing these stones.

Crown Chakra

The crown chakra, located at the top of your head, governs our higher consciousness, connection to the divine, understanding, and wisdom. When connected to our crown chakra, we operate from a place of inner peace and tranquility rooted in the knowledge that we are in a state of unity with all that exists. We approach life (and business) ethically and with a powerful sense of purpose.

There are many ways that the crown chakra can assist with developing leadership qualities, including: All aspects of life are approached from a place of inner peace.

There is an understanding of your place as a part of a larger whole.

Ethical practices and behaviors are part of daily life.

Many options are available if you wish to develop a stronger connection to your crown chakra.

Meditation: Dedicate 10 to 15 minutes for daily meditation to strengthen your crown chakra. A recommended meditation would be to imagine inhaling a vibrant violet mist (violet is the color associated with the crown chakra). Visualize this vibrant violet mist permeating your body and strengthening your crown chakra.

Affirmations: Develop a personal affirmation associated with your specific intention, such as “I am in a perfect state of unity with all that exists” or “I approach each day in a state of inner peace and tranquility.”

Crystals: Crystals,

such as amethyst, purple fluorite, and selenite, can promote a strong connection to your crown chakra. Arranging these crystals around your personal space or wearing them as jewelry enhances your connection to this powerful energy center.

In addition to meditations, affirmations, and crystals, there are other ways to enhance your leadership skills through the chakra system. Consider reading books on the chakra system, such as Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Chakras by Cyndi Dale and Wheels of Life by Anodea Judith, Ph.D. Explore energy healing modalities, like Reiki, which is a gentle, non-invasive way to balance your entire energy body and remove energetic blocks preventing you from reaching your full potential in all aspects of your life – including your role as a leader. By engaging with the chakras as a means of personal growth, we can explore our fullest potential and develop effective leadership skills.

HELP CUSTOMERS RENEW ENERGY WITH ESSENTIAL OILS AND GEMSTONES

Aromatherapy is a huge part of a litany of gifts from the earth. Extracting the essential oil from the flower, plant, bark, and roots is another level of receiving the garden’s magic and nature. Take a journey toward mental, emotional, and physical health with the power of the treasures from the earth. Add a vibrationally matching gemstone with the aromatics of flowers to renew the spirit.

Essential oils have a true effect on activating memory and healing for inner peace and restoration. You can use an essential oil on many levels—for example, to relieve physical ailments such as respiratory challenges, to enhance your mental acuity, to heal emotional issues such as sadness or embarrassment, and to deepen spiritual practice.

About the Author: Margaret Ann Lembo is an author, gemstone expert, and aromatherapist. She has authored nine books and seven Oracle decks. Some of her titles are Chakra Awakening, The Essential Guide to Aromatherapy and Vibrational Healing, The Essential Guide to Crystals, Minerals and Stones, Essential Oils and Gemstone Guardians Cards, Archangels and Gemstone Guardians Cards, and many more titles. Margaret Ann is an award-winning aromatherapist, the creator of Smudge in Spray, and the owner of The Crystal Garden–the conscious living store of the Palm Beaches established in 1988. Find out more at www.MargaretAnnLembo. com and www.TheCrystalGarden.com

This Holiday Season

Now Available!

A il bl !

Accessing your memory bank and stored belief systems through aromatherapy and its gemstone allies is important for self-awareness. It can help you uncover pent-up emotions and feelings stored in your body, mind, or spirit at a time in your life when you are feeling blocked or heavy but don’t know why. Recalling the memory of an emotional incident from childhood can be triggered by the scent of birch, vanilla, or cinnamon, for example. One scent may flood your consciousness with warmth and comfort, while another might call up anxiety and fear. The key is to remember the source, exact incident, or series of events involved in that trigger to release it, heal it, and move on free of the cords binding you.

an inviting and cozy atmosphere while encouraging feelings of nostalgia and warm serenity.

SEASONAL SPICY AROMAS

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Aromas and scents are invisible but perceptible. They play an important role in our spiritual practices, religious ceremonies, connection with the Divine, and the part of us that often remains hidden. Fragrance and scent add varying levels and dimensions to our spiritual states of consciousness. The scent of flowers, fragrance, anointing oils, resins, and incense helps to bring about transcendent experiences by way of the olfactory nerve (which carries the sensory information for our sense of smell) and the brain’s limbic system (which supports various functions, including our emotions). Sacred spiritual scents align us with greater potential for self-actualization and alignment with the Divine.

THE SCENTS OF THE SEASON

During the holiday season, combined with less sunlight during the fall and winter seasons, it is beneficial to take the time for self-renewal and realignment.

Cardamom, cinnamon, clove, coriander, grapefruit, orange, patchouli, pine, sage, and spruce unite to create

Allspice, cardamom, cinnamon, and clove essential oils are useful when you need support dealing with the minutiae of your life. Cardamom helps move you out of depressed states and boosts your spirits. Use cinnamon essential oil to wake you up and revitalize your energy. Clove oil protects from ill wishes and negative energy from your own thought patterns. It helps deflect jealousy from others. Add it to a protective synergistic blend to strengthen your internal faith and help you remember that you are divinely protected. Clove uplifts the mind, as its warm energy is mentally stimulating, improving your ability to think clearly, capture ideas, and establish clear steps for bringing your ideas to fruition. Clove essential oil is good for setting healthy boundaries, sometimes necessary when attending holiday and family gatherings.

“ Combine the benefits of cinnamon with its gemstone counterpart, sunstone, to promote passionate action toward your plan.

Allspice, a strong and spicy mix of clove, cinnamon, and cardamom, is an antidepressant, aphrodisiac, relaxant, and sedative. This comforting

scent offers warmth and vitality to spark ease and joyful relationships. It is grounding and often brings back pleasant memories. Couple these essential oils with danburite to maintain a cooperative attitude with people and situations. It helps you focus on all that is good and connects you with being thankful for everything. These essential oils and gemstones bring gratitude to your consciousness daily and often.

Combine the benefits of cinnamon with its gemstone counterpart, sunstone, to promote passionate action toward your plan. Operating in the physical world requires money and vitality, so with this stone in hand, follow the light and align yourself with the vibration of the resources you need to move forward with a project.

Coriander’s cleansing and refreshing vibration helps you stay focused on what you need to do while maintaining motivation. Coriander has been used as a culinary herb and for medicinal purposes since ancient times (dating back to 5000 BC) in Babylon, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Coriander helps you concentrate on what you need to do in the moment rather than on everything you need to do later. Pair coriander essential oil with fluorite or clear quartz to amplify focus and clarity. Apophyllite and optical calcite can help you center yourself and quickly quiet your thoughts. The result is clarity of consciousness.

JOYFUL CITRUS SCENTS

The sweeter fragrance of grapefruit and orange citrus essential oils helps you open your heart to blessings, joy,

and happiness. Wear your carnelian and citrine jewelry or carry a little stone in your pocket to amplify the effects.

“ Orange essential oil brings you spiritual fortitude and selfconfidence.

Grapefruit and the stone apatite support understanding and integrating past relationship challenges, helping you improve your interaction in present and future relationships. In addition, inhaling grapefruit is helpful to return to joy after periods of grief. This is very helpful during the holiday season as we reminisce and are sometimes saddened by people

of our past who are no longer with us—the sweet, sunny scent of orange essential oil ushers in optimism, joy, and prosperity. Rhodonite and Apache tears (black obsidian) are supportive crystals during grieving. The cleansing effect of grapefruit essential oil is beneficial for weight loss as it assists in digesting fats, which we tend to eat more of during the holidays. An apatite gemstone is a good tool for becoming conscious of emotional eating.

Orange essential oil brings you spiritual fortitude and self-confidence. When used in conjunction with carnelian, the orange-red variety of chalcedony is a perfect duo to manifest your creative ideas into actuality—carnelian is an ideal stone for improving visualization skills, and the addition of the scent of orange brings a joyful vibration to all you do. Orange is enlivening and brings joy, but it also provides the energy of relaxation and calmness.

GROUNDING AND EVERGREEN FRAGRANCES

The grounding qualities of patchouli, pine, and sage promote focus and action. They are helpful to increase your objectivity and see the bigger picture.

Patchouli assists you in raising your consciousness to be more aware and present in the moment. Use it in spiritual practices to evoke sudden flashes of enlightenment or awakening of consciousness. When partnered with patchouli essential oil, ruby is an ally for confident action and innovative success on all levels. The olfactory nerve signals the brain to allow your innate intuitive nature to shine a light on your path, revealing fertile ideas with an innovative approach. Ruby is your ally to move forward with courage and energetic passion enthusiastically. Patchouli

partnered with ruby gives you the energetic jumpstart to begin any task or project. Ruby’s hardness and red energy align you with your core inner strength. It encourages you to take steps to improve your endurance and overall health. Get your energy centers recharged and renew your passion for living a vibrant life. This gemstone and essential oil combination provides the fuel required to live life fully.

Pine and amber, the fossilized pine resin stone, help protect you from absorbing other people’s emotions, which is especially important for empaths and highly sensitive people. Pine essential oil and the amber stone can help you differentiate between your feelings and the feelings of others. Use it with the inward knowledge that you are deflecting energy that doesn’t belong to you. Pine, a cone-producing evergreen, has protective energy that helps create a filter for and barrier from negative psychic energy and unwanted influences.

Spruce inspires getting in touch with feelings through clarity and vibrations of strength and safety. It aligns you with comfort and joy energetically. Use spruce as a heart and mind connector, contributing to balanced emotions. The rich green vibrations of spruce and the brilliant green stone emerald help you understand that everything is whole and well at the deepest level. Emerald is a stone of abundance and healing. It is the stone of extreme wealth. With your health and vitality intact, use this stone to attract financial success through your focused actions. Gaze into this gemstone, inhale the forest-fresh scent of spruce, and imagine Divine love enveloping you. Embrace your emotions and allow the green rays of the spruce

and emerald duo to open your heart fully to love. Allow the love to flow through you to recalibrate your emotions and return them to balance.

Reflect on where you’ve been and where you are going. Employ aromatic scents as treasures provided to you by Mother Earth to support you on your journey. Focus on your heart center and allow love in all aspects of your life. And have a wonderful holiday season!

"To tell a woman everything she cannot do is to tell her what she can "

Spanish Proverb

YOUR CRYSTAL ALLIES SERIES:

IGNITE YOUR SACRED WEALTH VIBRATION

Gems and minerals can harness, refi ne, embellish, or amplify your ability to create and manage all your resources on every level. Some are absolutely perfect for the job. But before we dig into the best money-making stones, I’d like to defi ne the levels on which we cultivate our fi nancial patterns. Spiritually, our relationship to wealth or lack thereof begins from our pastlife experiences. Mentally, it stems from how we interpret those spiritual patterns and how we are exposed to the wealth and lack patterns of others. On the emotional side, we fi nd it in our feelings of safety. And fi nally, as a holistic view, we witness our wealth vibration from our reactions to all those layers of patterning and the habits they inspire.

About the Author: Tracee Dunblazier, GC-C is a Los Angelesbased empath, shaman, and 32-time award-winning author. Tracee has spent decades working with crystals and was born multi-spirited which created a profound innate awareness of the multi-dimensional world and deep compassion for all who hurt. Her national and international award-winning GoTracee Publishing creates spiritual tools that have become game-changers for those who suffer. Tracee is a charismatic keynote speaker and enjoys podcasting from her CHAT-Cast and Be A Slayer Podcast platforms, and currently serves as president of COVR.org. Contact GTP at www. GoTraceePublishing.com, and Tracee at www. TraceeDunblazier.com.

In business and in life, we receive inspiration every day to create our fi nancial foundation and alliance with money. But how do you think gems and minerals impact our connection to making and managing money? If the word “powerfully” came to mind, you’d be right. Each of us was born with a specific relationship to currency that we have developed and nurtured over time. Some people are empowered by, or fearful of money, and others are conservative spenders or fi nancial risk takers. Whatever understanding of money you begin with will

“

be influenced by the many people, places, and things you come across that affect your monetary lens.

I am certainly in the “fi nancial risk taker” category, with a lens that says, “you can’t take it with you.”

For me, the most impactful experience in business and life has been bringing together my spiritual purpose and my work

ness about what my fi nancial choices look like over time. For this dynamic

A product “making good business sense” has never been a qualification for me in bringing to life my creative decisions. It lends me to being a good generator of prosperity; however, crystals have been my temperance and ally, helping to reign in my focus and advocating mindfulness about what my fi nancial choices look like over time. For this dynamic I use fluorite.

I use moss agate for connecting with the true purpose of each endeavor. In my early years as an entrepreneur, I struggled with the natural ebbs and flows of making money in my small business; It required me to take a good look at my history and spiritual relationship to money. To do this, I used a time link quartz. Finally, for me, the most impactful experience in business and life has been bringing together my spiritual purpose and my work; they came together around the same time I met Tibetan quartz.

Here is a little bit about each stone:

Changing Your Mind about Money

This beautiful stone carries the vibration of the isometric cuboid formation and helps to bring higher vibrational information into the

standing. It helps you to recognize the real value

merce, things like connection, unity, growth,

orite has an elevating, ing effect on your

energy body and can promote healing of all kinds.

Delving into How the Natural World Works

Moss agate: Each stone is a world unto itself. The manganese and iron oxide inclusions often resemble ferns or other organic matter. The stone’s vibration is elevating, nurturing, and expanding; helping you to think outside the box and open your heart to the core foundations of your profound spiritual entitlement. Moss agate supports your confidence in your ideas.

Discovering Pastlife Patterns

wards for past history; or it can be a perfect diamond for seeing into any dimension you desire. Most of all, this quartz helps you to align with your deepest self and purpose while helping you to reveal the next steps in your wealth journey.

When Intent, Work, Magic, and the Power of the Cosmos Come Together

of Lack or

Tibetan quartz: This magical stone is by far one of my favorites, its manganese is a strong drawing mineral and supports you in accessing all you need to effortlessly manifest your goals and desires. It is a powerful protection stone, helping you to see things as they are and accept them, and a solid force for guidance to the outcome you wish to have. Tibetan quartz is an all-purpose stone for elevating one’s mood, balancing one’s thoughts, and offering the right information at the perfect time.

stone formation contains a four-sided

window or parallelogram. This time

access future information, or it can

The powerful vibrations of quartz can intervene on any frequency to shift the subtle nuances of our desires and how we go about bringing them to life—essentially our relationship to money. Your Crystal Allies: the 12 Best Gems and Minerals for Making Money and Managing Resources, book three in the series, and Your Crystal Allies: 44 Sacred Altar Cards & Oracle , offers a stone for working on every level of your prosperity.

TaKeFive

TOP TIPS TO STRESS LESS OVER THE HOLIDAYS

Stress is part of life, and the holiday season can amplify it with changes in routine, additional events and for some, loneliness too. Psychotherapist and bestselling author, Noa Belling, offers you six of her top tips to boost your stress resilience and mental health through the holidays and beyond.

On-The-Spot Stress Relief

Tip #1: Centre in Yourself with Five Slow Deep Breaths

During busy times, your mind can feel scattered as attention is pulled in various directions. To center yourself, whenever you remember, pause, and take five slow deep breaths all through your nose (if possible) and as slowly as you can. Breathe in for a mental count of five and breathe out for the same, repeating five times. Then take a moment to notice how you feel. Balancing and deepening

your breathing in this way can soothe stress and anxiety, subtly energize your body, and focus your mind.

Tip #2: Anxiety Quick Turn-Around

At the heart of anxiety is feeling unsafe and uncertain about what to do about it. This tip can help in an instant. It works by turning attention away from fearful thinking that feeds anxiety and into the present moment. Only in your thoughts can you dwell

About the Author: Noa Belling holds a master’s degree in Somatic (or bodymind) psychology through Naropa University, which is the birthplace of the modern mindfulness movement. Her background includes over a decade of teaching applied somatic psychology skills as well as running a private psychotherapy practice. She is the best-selling author of The Yoga Handbook, Yoga: A union of mind and body (Struik); and Yoga for Ideal Weight and Shape (New Holland Publishing and Juta Publishers). Her books have sold hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide and are translated into many languages. To read more about her new book Stress Less: Managing Anxiety in a Modern World published by Rockpool, visit: www.rockpoolpublishing.com

on the past, worry about the future, get stuck in analysis paralysis or swirl in loops of ‘what if’ scenarios. When in the present moment, there is nothing but what is actually going on and how you choose to respond.

To go about it, as soon as you notice you are feeling anxious, deliberately turn your attention outwards to focus on your surroundings and what is going on around you. To help, take a few moments to notice through each of your five senses in turn. What can you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch? With touch, maybe notice what you are holding at the time or the feel of your clothes on your ski). How long can you maintain this outward focus of attention?

Challenge yourself to keep it up for 20–30 seconds at a time — or more if you can — and notice how it leads you to feel. Perhaps your body relaxes a little and your mind clears so that you are in a better headspace to choose what to do next. Anxiety is held in place through inaction, so the minute any course of action is chosen, even if it is a choice to do nothing about what has been on your mind, then a sense of control can resume. The more often you pause to carry out this practice, the more your calmer, clearer presence can grow and buffer you against anxiety.

Tip #3: Pandiculate!

Picture waking up in the morning with a good yawn and a stretch. Pandiculation is the instinctive stretching that happens when you yawn. It is nature’s way of getting your body

moving again after rest. Animals do it more thoroughly from head to tail than humans tend to do. Studies, such as those conducted by the Somatic Movement Center, show that making more of this simple practice can relieve stress and pain too, by keeping tension hotspots at bay as well as improving ease of movement.

To go about it, on waking, first yawn, stretch and twist organically into your upper body and arms as you might already do. Then, take a minute or two to continue stretching and releasing your body and with or without actual yawning once you get going. As you do so, encourage stretching and twisting further down your spine all the way to your lower back and then on down your legs too, always following what feels good. This can also be a great practice to get your body moving again after a period of sitting at your desk.

Longer Term Mental Health Benefit

Tip #4: Reflect Back on the Year with a Positive Spin

This is an exercise that you can talk through with a friend or carve out time to write your thoughts down. It is an invitation to reflect on what made you stronger or what helped you through challenges (as opposed to what went wrong) in the year that has been. Doing so can bolster self-esteem and sense of wellbeing more so than simply reflecting on what happened. It also encourages a growth mindset, one of learning from experience and paying attention to what supports you and makes you stronger.

To go about it, reflect on what happened through the year and reframe each event to focus on how you overcame the challenges you faced and what made you stronger. It could be anything, such as personal practices like exercise or yoga or a better sleep routine. It could be friendships you turned to or

a supportive community you joined. It could be a sense of achievement for a big positive risk you took, no matter how it worked out and what you learned from the experience. Or it could be a really tough time that you made it through with consideration of what helped you along the way.

Tip #5: New Year’s Resolutions with Longer Term Vision

Have you ever found that your new year’s resolutions are based more on activities than on a bigger vision for your life? So, you might want to exercise more or eat more healthily. But why? Contextualizing goals in an inspiring vision for your life, can be key to unlocking your motivation to follow through.

To go about it, you can talk the process through with someone close to you or write in a journal or you can use your favorite artistic method to express your ideas. Set aside at least 15 minutes to get your thinking started and you can then return to reflect more as time goes by.

10-YEAR VISION:

Visualize your best future life 10 years from now. Imagine this in as much detail as you can and as it pertains to different aspects of your life personally and professionally, materially, and spiritually. You might easily connect with this vision, or you might need to reconnect with forgotten dreams that still feel true and

be open to any new ideas that might come to mind.

5 YEARS, 2 YEARS AND 1 YEAR FROM NOW:

Work backwards in stages, picturing in detail how your life is progressing towards the 10 year vision and what fills and surrounds you.

PRESENT TIME:

Identify accessible choices you could make from now and into the start of the new year, that are in line with your longer term vision. It is recommended to treat what is identified as aspirational, not inflexible. It is important as life unfolds to return now and again to refresh your shorterand longer-term goals. This allows for keeping up with conscious choice in line with inspiring future vision.

Tip #6: Depression Support Connecting with Meaning and Purpose

Depression is often accompanied with self-talk like ‘why bother?’ ‘nothing works,’ or ‘I’m too tired.’ Motivation and energy are low and there is usually a reason for it, such as burn-out, stress beyond your ability to cope, and lost connection with a sense of meaning or purpose. This tip focuses on meaning and purpose as one way to spark new motivation and give you a reason to get out of bed in the morning, no matter what has happened.

You can create heartwarming moments of meaning and purpose in many ways, such as from a random act of kindness towards someone in need, or from a deliberate act you decide to do and follow through on. That feeling of ‘I did it’ is what you are after, with small wins in mind in the case of depression. Remember that the hardest step with depression is the first one. So, choose something as small as you need to get you going on a path that feels good.

Questions to Guide You

What can you do for yourself and/or others today? What achievable goal can you set today even if really small? Maybe it is to clean your home or even just one room or complete some DIY. It could be going for a walk, or cooking a good meal, or taking out some art materials to get creative in some way.

What support could you ask for, perhaps from a friend, a community member or a professional so as to begin to talk through challenging feelings? At times, deeper soul searching can be helpful too. Is there a lost dream or a new one that you can connect with that could make life feel worth living? From there, plan for baby steps towards it even if it is a long-term vision.

Books F ine P rinT

A CURATED SELECTION OF TITLES IN BODY-MIND-SPIRIT

By the editor

THE THREE CONDITIONS: HOW INTENTION, JOY, AND CERTAINTY WILL SUPERCHARGE YOUR LIFE

by Moshe Gersht

Published by Sounds True

ISBN 9781649631374

208 Pages

$18.99

Why can’t positive thinking lead us all to more fulfilling lives? Because thinking is only part of the equation, according to spiritual teacher and bestselling author Moshe Gersht. The other part, the crucial part that can actually shape the life you want, is how you apply your beliefs. “Knowledge is just a seed in your

mind,” writes Gersht. “What makes it grow is your inspired action.” This is the power he shares with his simple and accessible formula for actively pursuing the joy and fulfillment you’ve been longing for. With lucid insight and practices for reflection and growth, Gersht shows you how to embody these conditions more deeply each day and tap into your full power and potential. “There are two things that matter most: what you believe about your Self and what you believe about the Universe,” says Gersht. “This guide is a reminder of the incredible power you have to choose what you believe and how you are going to live.”

REAL TALK: LESSONS FROM THERAPY ON HEALING & SELFLOVE

by Tasha Bailey

Published by Octopus Books

ISBN 9781804190913

272 Pages

$22.99

Qualified psychotherapist and awardwinning content creator, Tasha Bailey, closes the gap between the therapy room and the wider world. Real Talk: Lessons from Therapy for Healing & Living makes a therapist›s tool kit available to everyone. Filled with techniques and wisdom from a therapist’s toolkit this is a must-have

handbook for optimizing your mental health. Drawing on her experience as a qualified psychotherapist and applying her intersectional perspective Tasha Bailey shares the knowledge and skills you need to change your life. It contains a collection of lessons which the reader might typically learn in therapy. Tasha teaches readers modern language and ideas about mental health, exploring self-love and self-understanding. Connecting psychological theory, lived experience, references from modern day media and case studies from Tasha’s work to create a more current, creative, and inclusive perspective of mental health.

MAKE YOUR OWN MAGIC: A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO SELFEMPOWERING WITCHCRAFT

by Amanda Lovelace

Published by Running Press Book

Publishers

ISBN 9780762484140

224 Pages

$20

As witchcraft grows ever more popular, there are countless introductions and paths into magical practice to choose from—so many that you might not know where to begin. When you’re just getting started, it’s easy to be intimidated or discouraged or to feel that there’s no place for you in the craft.

With make your own magic, Amanda aims to change that. This interactive beginner’s guide shows that magic doesn’t have to be fancy, timeconsuming, or one-size-fits-all. It introduces the tenets of witchcraft so that you can develop your own practice and relationship with magic in whatever way works for you. With simple explanations, twenty all-new inspiring poems, words of encouragement, magical journaling prompts, and more, this book sweeps away the gatekeeping and offers you the tools needed to begin building a strong, long-lasting practice focused on selflove.

COFFEE MAGIC FOR THE MODERN WITCH: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO COFFEE RITUALS, DIVINATION READINGS, MAGICAL BREWS, LATTE SIGIL WRITING, AND MORE

by Elsie Wild

Published by Ulysses Press

ISBN 9781646045501

192 Pages

$17.95

Discover the simple yet powerful magic that lies in every cup of coffee with this guidebook filled with caffeine-packed spells, rituals, divination practices, and more. Coffee has its own kind of magic—the kind that wakes you up and gets you moving, even when you’d rather stay snug in bed. The kind that helps you reconnect with old friends or spark a new romance. It’s the kind of magic that

makes you wait in line for hours for a certain latte or mocha that feels both original and familiar. In Coffee Magic for the Modern Witch, we’ll be spilling the coffee beans on the magical properties of coffee and all its many forms, from the protective power of espresso to the loving quality of mocha. Inside you’ll also find original recipes, spells, and rituals that will add a bit of coffee magic to your life. This book is perfect for novice witches, coffee snobs, and herbalists who want to uncover the magic deep within each coffee bean.

ESTONIA

Richard Theisen, Nrzen

www.richardtheisen.com

Richard Theisen is a Grammy winning composer and keyboardist known for his emotionally evocative music. “Estonia,” a New Age contemporary instrumental collection, transports listeners to an otherworldly realm — the land of Estonia and times gone by. The melodic, instrumental music on his third album release in this genre, is over eight tracks, about 27 minutes, and overflowing with rich shades and hues of Norse mythology. Here, lush soundscapes, ancient mythology, and the mystical abound. From flowing rivers to luxurious forests, the listener is invited to take some deep breaths and immerse themselves in the love and beauty that surrounds us all.

Playlist

REVIEWS OF GREAT MUSIC TO SELL & ENJOY

ACOUSTIC OASIS

Shambhu, Neil Vineberg

www.shambhumusic.com

Shambhu is an award-winning musician and guitarist known for creating music that seamlessly blends various genres, primarily focusing on contemporary instrumental, jazz, and New Age music. His unique style and artistic approach have earned him a dedicated following in the world of instrumental music. At the core of Shambhu’s music is his exceptional guitar playing. “Acoustic Oasis,” Shambhu’s seventh release, is 10 tracks, 33 minutes of complete acoustic guitar serenity, mixed and mastered in Dolby Atmos by Todd Boston. Listeners finds themselves in an easy place of calm and introspection, making the album ideal for relaxation, yoga, massage, and meditation.

THROUGH IT ALL

Lisa Swerdlow, Independent

www.lisaswerdlow.com

Lisa Swerdlow is a pianist and composer of classical crossover, neo-classical, and New Age music. This album is eight tracks of poignant solo piano leading us through Lisa’s journey of growth and resilience, and a lifetime of love with her wife of more than 27 years. Inspired by her wife’s struggle to overcome a rare and aggressive cancer, their abiding love can be felt throughout the album. This is a great solo piano album resonating for many under any circumstance, but particularly for those who are grieving and/or going “through it.” It’s a love-filled tribute to a lifetime full of love.

About the Author: Dyan Garris is an award-winning New Age recording artist, award-winning author, and music reviewer, who has recorded and produced 14 albums. Garris’ recordings include a series of independently tested music and meditation CDs that earned The National Health & Wellness Stamp of Approval. Her music is found on Pandora, Spotify, iTunes, SiriusXM, Muzak, Music Choice, airlines, website, and more. To know more, visit www.dyangarrismusic.com

STEP OUTSIDE

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