SCM
Sedona Conscious Magazine
w i n t e r Iss u e www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
2014 1
poetry
by Chris Roe
Love Love We meet again. The moment, Kind and generous, The beauty, Peaceful and serene. The spirit alive In all that is And not what could be. And all of this Born of love, In a moment That is timeless And always Enough.
Please feel free to share this poem with whom ever you wish.You can see more of my work on my website at www.silentflightpublications.co.uk
2
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
PUBLISHERS Brad and Holly Luky CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Shawn Anderson
Sedona Conscious Magazine
Jim Carrey
Winter 2014
Soniq Choquette Dr. Shawna Eichens Maureen Dawn Healy Julie Tallard Johnson Tara Mideaker Henry Seltzer Susun Weed Lynn Woodland
Graphic design Pickled Pixels Graphic Design Sedona Conscious Magazine does not endorse or guarantee information incudined in either written material or advertisments. All rights are reserved. ©2014 No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written permission by the publisher.
Sedona Conscious Magazine is owned by: Four Corners Magazine llc. P.O. Box 3910 Sedona AZ 86340 928.282.7755 fcm@esedona.net www.sedonaconsciousmagazine.com Cover: Brins Mesa Trail, Sedona, AZ by Yvonne Stepanow
Articles 02 Poetry by Chris Roe 04 Overdue for a New Point of View by Dr. Shawna Eischens 06 Transformational Astrology by Henry Seltzer 11 How Roland Rolls A look at Jim Carrey’s new children’s book 13 Winter- The Healing Power of Darkness by Lynn Woodland 16 Indigo Kids- An excerpt from chapter 1 by Maureen Dawn Healy 21 Creating your Personal Altar - Excerpt by Sonia Choquette 24 Crystals for 2014 - Putting the Pieces Together by Tara Mideaker 26 Headaches & Migraines by Susun Weed 29 The Zero Point Agreement - How to be who we already are by Julie Tallard Johnson 30 Seven Senseless Habits to Drop by Shawn Anderson
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
3
overdue for a
New Point of View By Dr. Shawna Eischens
Welcome to the cozy season of Winter - the beginning of holidays, snow and keeping warm by the fireplace. It's also the season of the dreaded flu.
The 2013/2014 season of influenza has officially started and is expected to be in full force by January/February. Before you run out and get your flu shot, read on to educate yourself so you can make the best choices for you and your family.
4
It is estimated that 5-20% of the United States population gets the flu each year and may experience a fever, cough, sore throat, aches, fatigue, and/or nasal symptoms. Complications may include pulmonary or cardiac issues and are of greater
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
natural health concern for people with asthma or those whose immune system is compromised. Prevention For sports fans, this can be thought of as your “defensive line” preventing illness from temporarily defeating your body. Hand washing, proper nutrition (eating whole foods, vegetables, and fresh garlic, avoiding sugar, alcohol, and processed foods), sleep, and stress management are just a few ways to keep your body in prime shape to fight off lurking microbes that we encounter on a daily basis. Infection Even though we come in contact with many viruses and bacteria every day, we aren’t always sick thanks to our powerful internal defensive line. Contrary to what many may believe, it is not unhealthy to come down with the occasional cold or flu that passes quickly. The duration and frequency of illness is a great indicator of how our body’s immune system is functioning. By fasting or nourishing your body with anti microbial foods and herbs and allowing your body to rest to focus on healing, you will be able to overcome illnesses more quickly. Knowing that the influenza virus is prevalent, is the flu vaccine your best option? Reliable statistics on the efficacy of the flu vaccine are difficult to find for various reasons, but it has been estimated that vaccines are 19-89% effective at preventing the flu. Published research from June 2013 states that for those immunized against the flu in any given year, only about 1 person out of 100 received any benefit. It was also found that the immunization did not reduce complications or days lost from work due to illness. Vaccines in children aged two years or younger are not significantly more efficacious than placebo. Since the flu vaccine is developed based on previously circulating strains and geographical region, it is difficult to know how protected you will be from this year’s influenza virus. What’s in a flu shot? Although ingredients vary based on the form and name of a vaccine, the following ingredients are most commonly used in influenza vaccinations. •C hicken embryo and egg protein are used to culture the
virus and may create issues for people allergic to eggs. • Formaldehyde is a chemical used to inactivate the virus and is neurotoxic and carcinogenic. • Thimerosal/mercury is a preservative used in multi-dose vials. This is also a neurotoxin. • Neomycin is an antibiotic that can damage the kidneys when given intravenously. • Various other additives and stabilizers such as MSG, sucrose, gelatin, etc. are often used as well. Just like many decisions in life and medicine, a risk vs. benefit ratio must be considered whether you want to inject these chemicals into your body to possibly avoid contracting the flu. What other options are there besides the flu vaccine? Foregoing a traditional flu vaccination does not mean that you should choose to do nothing to protect yourself and others against the flu. In addition to the suggestions mentioned in the “prevention” paragraph above, there are various immune boosting and anti-viral options for you to take advantage of. • Nutrient IV’s, homeopathic remedies or injections, herbal tinctures, and specific supplements are all safe and effective options to keep you healthy this flu season and beyond. • Colostrum supplementation has been shown to be at least 3 times more effective than vaccination to prevent flu in both healthy subjects and patients with high-risk cardiovascular concerns. • Homeopathic injections don’t contain eggs, viral particles or preservatives and have been shown to prevent viruses, allergies, sinusitis, and asthma. However you decide to defend yourself against this year’s flu, know that there are various safe and effective options besides the traditional flu vaccine. To discuss options on how to protect you and your family from potential or current illness, call Dr. Shawna Eischens at Pingel Progressive Medicine (602-845-8949) and visit www.pingelprogressivemedicine.com
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
5
T r a n s f o r m at i o n a l
Astrology
January 2014
by Henry Seltzer
J
anuary’s astrology is also in relationship to the New Year’s since both start at midnight on the 31st of December. This year, as well, the planets conspire, since the Capricorn New Moon also takes place directly on January 1st. This New Moon is very dramatic, since it closely conjuncts Pluto, and is accompanied by a Grand Cross in cardinal signs, involving, along with transformative Pluto, the trickster energy of Uranus opposed by feisty Mars, with the additional amplification of Jupiter. There is thus a very active lineup of extremely powerful astrological indicators for the year of 2014. Venus is now retrograde, so that relationships of all kinds are on our minds as we meditate on the changes that 2014 will bring. One keyword for this particularly important period of time is transformation. The idea of beneficial change is in any case subtly on our minds as we roll over the calendar year, a cycle that we take in on more than one level. The underground of our dreams and schemes involves among other things continual and profound change. This is the breath of life – without which we are virtually non-existent. Profound change is, after all, a normal part of that continual process of metabolism and metamorphosis that is vitally necessary at the cellular level and as well in terms of psyche, as we come into closer and closer alignment with our deepest intentions. Then, with Mars in square with Pluto as the month begins, and opposite Uranus, we have not only an extra push toward necessary transformational change but also the potential for hasty action that we might in time come to regret. Reactivity is always lurking, and with Mars and Pluto combining in this way over a number of days leading up to the January 1st event, we have a real potential over this period for hidden anger suddenly
6
coming to the surface, a danger that is also an opportunity. Being forewarned, we have the chance to rise above knee-jerk outburst and the temptation of hasty moves by taking the time to reflect on ourselves, contemplating from where the reactivity is stemming, and based on what underlying simmering energy, perhaps going back to core issues. Regarding the storied Uranus-Pluto interaction, we have seen, in recent times, their square increase in intensity with each succeeding year, representing a corresponding urgency within each of us for personal transformation as is symbolically implied by this important collision of outer planet archetypes. We can observe, over the past few months and years, the increasing intensity of revolutionary societal change coming around on a collective as well as a personal level, since the vibration of collective is in essence nothing more than the sum total of every individual contribution. It is as though every one of us is a holographic integral component of the whole; when we are able to change ourselves, the world around us changes. Now, with the advent of 2014, this process is even further intensified. This shows up in the increasing frequency of the exact hits of UranusPluto, coming up again on April 21st of the new year; and we can also see this exemplified in the extremely energized grand cross of this New Year’s chart and the January 1st New Moon. There is also the highlighted presence of Chiron, the Wounded Healer, emphasized last month, and very prominent in these January skies. Transformation implies leaving something behind that is not working; that is the difficult part. This is one place where the painful process indicated by Chiron is appropriate symbolically. We might note as well, that it is by the recognition of where we have in the past been wounded, and where we might yet move beyond that early trauma, that our most important and healing transformations begin to take place.
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
astrology ARIES (March 20-April 19) The cosmic tide is running, Aries, with the turning of the year, and you are the active surfer of the wild energy that it contains. You have to keep moving just to keep up, and to allow your head to remain above these swirling forces with a modicum of control. This is so, although, in another way, your task right now is to admit that you are not the sole pilot of your craft. You may yet find that letting go is an underrated art form that is truly necessary now. Partnership with others around you is key, and also respect for the winds of change blowing through you. What is no longer useful, nor even in any way functional as an element of your continued growth, might need to be discarded unmercifully. TAURUS (April 20-May 19) This is an exciting and vitally important year and month for you, Taurus, as life-changing information keeps flowing through you. A catalytic effect seems to be taking place whereby what is interesting in your immediate circumstance triggers a storm of meaning. While fully applying your mind and heart to the task, it takes days to sort out. Meanwhile the pace does not let up. You are entering into the crux of what you have really been up to all along, these past few years, and that is a cosmic learning curve of massive proportions that challenges you and transforms you. It is not too much to say that the knowledge coming your way this month will change forever the way you look at and manage your life; provided that you can allow it in. GEMINI (May 20-June 20) This new year and month represents for you a significant leap forward, Gemini, which as luck would have it is also a leap down and in. You are moving toward realities within your soul that you had only partially glimpsed before this time. You win by asking no questions and simply allowing. This journey of inner exploration involves others as well as yourself, and brings dedication to your task of assessing where you are truly headed as you take on your normal duties with an extra sense of cosmic responsibility. If you are not able to fully submerge and explore, you will have yet further and more profound chances later on. This secondary world of your inner process informs this one and does not in any way invalidate it. CANCER (June 21-July 20) This is an amazing month for you, Cancer, as you begin a new year ready to purge away some of the baggage from the old. Your ongoing transformation continues, and has huge implications for the way that you show up in the world, and also for the way that you do relationship. Your public presence is morphing along the fault lines generated by recent seismic shifts to your sense of identity, and the inner meaning of partnership. Outer accomplishment transforms inner recognition, and vise-versa. As the month progresses into a more graceful amalgam of self and other, you are left breathless, and yet, somehow, at least partially in control. Based on deep changes you are also seeing things rather differently on the home front, in a subtle distinction that actually changes everything. LEO (July 21-Aug. 21) It’s an amazing month for you, Leo, presaging an eventful year of inner exploration. Like Magellan you are making cosmic history these days, by proving that your world is not round but deep. The insights keep arriving in multi-dimensional groupings that defy rational ordering and yet somehow coalesce into appropriate meanings. In the midst of rapid-fire learning experiences, you find yourself re-dedicated to your life path. You may note that while ego is useful as a starting position, and in forming an important backdrop for all that you do and say, it fares badly as an end point. In the course of the rather intense journey of these times, you are discovering by faith a grounding that is paradoxically not of this physical world; it nonetheless succeeds in holding you afloat.
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
7
VIRGO (Aug. 21-Sept. 21) This is an intensely interesting month for you, Virgo, presaging an amazing year of 2014. Transformational vision is available to you now, even more profoundly than in prior weeks and months, and it has the potential to completely change your life. That sounds scary, but in the event might not really be so. You are operating in a reflective mode as the month begins, meditating on your sense of who you are, and how your resulting creative output and artistic style is undergoing an important and even a massive shift. While simply keeping on keeping on with some parts of your life, you are awakening to a new authenticity with others. The reality is that this involves a massive restructuring, involving facets of how your path merges with an emerging and powerful sense of soul purpose.
LIBRA (Sept. 22-Oct. 22) It is a complex and transformative month that is in the offing for you, Libra. This constitutes a very private period when you are yet also involved and even fortunate in the affairs of the world. You are quite intent on progress of a material kind, and a spiritual one as well. All that you are, and all that you intend to be, is coming to a singular focus and intention. Somehow though, your clock is running backward, and with good cause. Rather than blindly forging ahead with outer world plans, you are pausing to sort out core-level issues that could potentially be holding you back. This is ultimately something to be encouraged. All your future dealings will be enhanced and freed up by what you can learn this month and next by a deceptively simple process of deep reflection. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) This is an amazing and intense period for you, Scorpio. Over the course of this month and, actually, throughout the year ahead. What is at hand is a rather significant time of profound learning curve. You are forging higher mind correlations leading to a revitalized set of values and goals. Inner work leads to outer solution plus communicative contact with siblings and peers. You are deep dreaming, both while waking and asleep, in a way that further refines and enables all your contacts. This includes partnership with important persons and connections that are strictly within your own mind and soul. Digging through the internal motivation of your relationship dynamic provides rich rewards for you right now, and could lead you almost anywhere. With the only caveat that you must open to it, an unimaginable future awaits. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 20) This is an important time for you, Sagittarius, with major progress ahead on your issues, provided that you are willing to let go of what no longer serves you. Transformation is still alive and well in your life, with an even bigger push for that in this new month and year, involving your values and the resources that you command, as well as your connections with significant partners and your very self-definition. You are seeking the best possible alignment with soul purpose. If there is something that is not quite right with the way that you do finance or depend on others, then it is very likely to come to the fore for necessary course correction. You might forever benefit, if and when you decide to take up the requests that the universe is thereby making of you. CAPRICORN (Dec. 21-Jan. 19) You are delving more deeply into yourself, Capricorn, as another amazingly transformative month and year begins. In the midst of a darkly gleaming and yet nevertheless promising time, the energy is mightily available for proving out your outer world intention with deeds, as well as in the form of thoughtful realignments at the deepest levels of your being. Your future plans remain your focus, together with the efforts that you still make to align these goals with your own soul-purpose as you are coming to understand it. Partners continue to provide beneficial perspectives. Your career and your self-expression are the subject of extended interior meditation. It is exciting what you bring to the table: new vision that can move mountains, along with a renewed determination to be of true service to the world around you. to quietly watch and wait.
8
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 17) This is a deeply reflective time for you, Aquarius. You are forging ahead in outer world pursuits, but still more quietly involved with the inner. The subject of your meditation involves both relationship with significant partners and concepts of service to the larger community that surrounds you; thus you create a new sense of your own identity, plus better acceptance for the cosmic forces helping to shape your life. You are beginning to recognize that everything that you do and feel stems from what you believe at core level, and that an enhanced comprehension of yourself in your more unconscious places might yet become the path for finding your way forward. Greater and more empowered communication with others around you in both written and spoken form is one natural consequence. PISCES (Feb. 18-March 19) This darkly beautiful month is for you, Pisces, a paradox and a wonder. On the one hand lies the possibility of a much richer life – as soon as you can manage to let go of certain behaviors that you have come to recognize as no longer in your best interest to maintain – while on the other there is the pain of that loss and the uncertainty of your next steps into an unknown future. As your own intuition is telling you more and more urgently, and as significant persons in your life also convey, you have the world at your fingertips and it is only a gesture away. The next few months represent the process of your exploration of the very nearly infinite potential for you that begins with this current moment.
Henry Seltzer, transformational astrologer and creator of the TimePassages astrology software, is based in Santa Cruz, California. An extended look at this month’s star signs and a variety of astrology reports are available on his website. Henry also offers life enhancing private astrological counseling. Call him at 831-425-3686, or visit his website at www.astrograph.com.
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
9
“Through the loving attention of parents, children gain self-worth. Through the innocence of children, parents rediscover the wonders of life.� Jim Carrey
10
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
spirituality
Jim Carrey’s new children’s book Interview
ENCHANTS
entertains
INSPIRES! by Carolyn Myss
“It’s a story about a wave named Roland who’s afraid that, one day, when he hits the beach, his life will be over. But when he gets deep, he’s struck by the notion that he’s not just a wave — he’s the whole big, wide ocean! LOS ANGELES, CA – Award-winning actor/artist Jim Carrey is breaking new ground, for himself and his audience. The winner of two Golden Globe awards -- Best Actor for Man on the Moon and The Truman Show – he was also nominated for a Best Actor Golden Globe for his critically acclaimed performance in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Carrey will self-publish his first children’s book, How Roland
Rolls (Some Kind of Garden Media, 2013) on September 24th. An enhanced e-book will be released at the same time, along with a four-song EP. They’re available wherever books and e-books are sold, as well as the How Roland Rolls website, www.howrolandrolls. com. The EP is also available through iTunes. All the major booksellers are enthusiastically embracing the book. According to Carrey, “It’s a story
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
about a wave named Roland who’s afraid that, one day, when he hits the beach, his life will be over. But when he gets deep, he’s struck by the notion that he’s not just a wave — he’s the whole big, wide ocean! It shows humanity’s interconnectedness through the metaphor of a wave in the ocean.” There’s a personal story behind the book …
11
W Jim Carey has appeared in 33 feature length films, is one of the most successful actors in Hollywood and known for his humanitarian efforts. For more information on How Roland Rolls, and to order the book, visit www.howrolandrolls.com.
12
hen I was a child,” Carrey shares, “my parents were smokers and I had a deep fear that they would pass … and then what would happen to me? I think that’s a common fear for children – the fear of loss. It’s an early existential crisis, if you will. But when we realize that beneath the surface of things – the activities of our lives -- we are all connected, all one energy, that fear of loss gets softened. At times, it disappears entirely. At least that’s been true for me.” How did Roland the Wave emerge as a character for Carrey? “Years ago,” he recalls, “when I first arrived in Los Angeles, I spent a lot of time on the beach in Malibu, watching the waves. I started to think of them as people, all moving in the same direction, and contemplated about where they go once they hit the beach and lose their form. Each wave travels all around the world. The first drop of water ever is still here now! That’s pretty profound stuff. I found that fascinating and comforting, and thought children could find that same comfort.” As a parent, and now a grandparent, Carrey reflects on the time he spent reading to his daughter, Jane. “I believe the closest we get to heaven in this world is when we get completely involved in something we love. One of those moments is when we read to our children. It’s total freedom from self, from our worries and problems. We always feel terrific afterwards, and so do the kids. For them, it’s an experience of focused, enveloping love.” Carrey believes that “everything we do that’s hurtful stems from a feeling
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
of not being worthwhile, not feeling loved. Parents help their children feel worthwhile by being completely involved, spending moments together that are only about them. Through the loving attention of parents, children gain self-worth. Through the innocence of children, parents rediscover the wonders of life.” Why write a story for children? “First,” Carrey notes, “I’ve always been drawn to work geared for children. That’s what attracted me to the Grinch, Horton Hears a Who, and Mr. Popper’s Penguins. Story is important to all of us. It’s how we order life the way we’d like it to be. Stories stimulate faith and hope. “Through stories we make our children feel secure, and that good conquers evil. All the characters in a story are parts of ourselves, of course, so through stories we gain self-knowledge. We are inspired to embody heroic archetypes. We learn how to not let worries ruin our lives -how to make that brave move into the unknown, then find that we’re usually pleasantly surprised by the outcome.” Just like Roland, Carrey had big dreams and goals as a child. At a very young age, he wrote poetry and even tried to get his poetry books published. “I learned pretty quickly that, in the publishing business, there was virtually no market for poetry written by an eight-year old. But, hey, I kept ‘rollin’! “I’m just telling a story,” says Jim. “Kids don’t get credit for their deeper thoughts, beyond simple play… for their efforts to figure out life. I hope Roland will help guide them along their way.”
wellness
Winter
t h e
h e a l i n g
p o w e r
o f
Darkness by Lynn Woodland
In this holiday-packed time of year one could almost overlook the deepening darkness and the inclination to hibernate that are natural to the season.
P
eople of not so many generations back used to sleep more in these long nights. Not us. We turn on the lights, indoors and out, fight nature’s pull to cozy in, and schedule the splashiest late-night parties of the year. Instead of becoming quiet and introspective, we’re more likely than ever to lose ourselves in a frenetic social whirl. There is, of course, something miraculous and hopeful happening this time every year, something truly worth celebrating: the simple, wondrous rebirth of light where the ever-increasing darkness of fall gives way to the lengthening days of winter and spring. The many spiritual holidays celebrated within days or weeks of the winter solstice all echo our instinctive understanding of light’s importance to our physical survival and spiritual renewal. Light is an often-used metaphor for all things wise and wonderful. We “see the light,” find “light at the end of a tunnel” and a “silver lining around every dark cloud.” It’s easy to
give credit for all things good to the light and simply ignore the power of dark; darkness, with its opposite connotations of fearfulness, depression, ignorance and death. Yet, here we are in a time of year when it’s difficult to deny the presence of darkness, as hard as we may try. What’s more, whatever we ignore inevitably has a way of sneaking up from behind and tripping us when we’re not looking. This is certainly true of those aspects of self we don’t like. The ones we keep hidden in the dark nether regions of our being because they’re too painful, too shameful, or too imperfect to admit to ourselves, let alone to other people. So, here’s a different kind of winter solstice ritual, one that honors the moment of deepest darkness that has to happen before we can give ourselves over to the jubilant celebration of light. After all, this is the perfect time of year to give darkness its due and, for once, stop trying to ignore or artificially light it out of existence. And even though it may not inspire the cheerful exuberance of spring or summer, see if this exercise doesn’t leave you clearer, cleaner, and more ready to
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
13
“Imagine darkness around you like sheltering earth around a seed. Instead of imagining light pouring into the wounded places of your soul, imagine darkness, like a mother, drawing out of you the pain, doubt, worry, resentment, confusion and fear that interfere with peace.”
14
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
Lynn Woodland is creator of The Miracles Course, and author of Making Miracles—Create New Realities for Your Life and Our World, from Namaste Publishing. www.LynnWoodland.com.
fully embrace the deep quiet miracle of light that is the season’s truest offering. As a starting place, take a moment to reflect on the year that’s been, the one that’s following its natural course and ending in darkness. What are the stand-out “points of darkness” you experienced this year? The very worst of times, the biggest catastrophes, the deepest despair, the times you most want to forget ever happened? As you recall these moments, notice the feelings these memories evoke. We tend to suppress, ignore or medicate pain out of existence in much the same way we artificially cover darkness with light. Unfortunately, all these pain-coping methods don’t make pain go away, just underground until it eventually grows too big to ignore. So instead of sending one more bit of pain to the dark, crowded storage locker of your psyche, this time simply be with it. Notice how it feels in your body. Is it a sinking feeling in your gut? An empty place in your heart? A cloud of confusion around your head? A lump in your throat? A tense, armored feeling in your muscles? A clenched feeling in your jaw or fists? A fearfulness in your bowels? Instead of turning away from these raw places, this time give them your full attention. Notice the sensation of the feeling in your body and relax into it. Stop struggling. Stop thinking, stop trying to move on or make it go away. Also let go of familiar interpretations and judgments you have around these feelings: “My sadness is bottomless. If I truly feel it, I’ll just fall deeper and deeper until I drown.” Or “My anger is wrong. I shouldn’t have it. It will hurt someone.” Tell yourself instead that as you stop resisting feeling, pain stops being pain and becomes something usable, something healing. Go deeply enough into these dark parts of yourself until you feel your resistance letting go, struggle being replaced by surrender, tension turning into relaxation, fear giving way to an awareness that there is nothing to fear. Now, imagine yourself in total darkness. (Try doing this at night.) Most of us can recall middle of the night anxieties where we lay awake in bed, in the dark, and our whole world
looked dismal and dangerous in a way it seldom does during the day. The darkness to imagine now is a different one altogether (or perhaps the same, but we are different). This darkness is healing. So many of us on a spiritual path have invoked the healing power of light, but what about that of dark? Imagine darkness around you like sheltering earth around a seed. Instead of imagining light pouring into the wounded places of your soul, imagine darkness, like a mother, drawing out of you the pain, doubt, worry, resentment, confusion and fear that interfere with peace. Feel it absorbing into itself the thoughts, memories and patterns that keep you from being your true self. Let the dark take back to itself all the darkness in you so there’s nothing left but light. The light that needs no artificial or external inducement. The Inner Light that has always been there. Feel yourself in this dark like a caterpillar in its chrysalis, safe and sheltered while a miraculous flurry of transformation is quietly underway. Last, but not least, reflect again on those moments of darkness that have occurred in your life this year and now, instead of feeling the pain, ask them to show you their hidden blessings. How have you deepened, strengthened, changed direction, reached out to others or cared more deeply for yourself? How have you learned compassion, acceptance or forgiveness? Or gained clarity, broken down barriers, found your tenderness, released stubbornness and ego, or allowed others to help you? How has your very definition of who you are changed? Give thanks for the power of darkness to polish, facet and bring out the natural brilliance of your heart. Consider sharing with another person the story of finding great blessing in this year’s points of darkness. Let the power of your spoken word change your personal mythology, transforming defeats and losses into powerful stories of resurrection.
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
15
I n d i g o t p r e c x E 1
hapter
From C
By Maureen Dawn Healy
kids
Indigos are “highly sensitive with a warrior personality,” explained Doreen Virtue, author of The Care and Feeding of Indigo Children, in the documentary The Indigo Evolution. I wholeheartedly agree.
I
ndigos are “highly sensitive with a warrior personality,” explained Doreen Virtue, author of The Care and Feeding of Indigo Children, in the documentary The Indigo Evolution. I wholeheartedly agree. Indigo kids are unique in the fact that they hold two opposing qualities simultaneously: high sensitivity and fierceness. So they are extremely sensitive like the “highly sensitive children,” as defined by Elaine Aron in her book, The Highly Sensitive Child, but what differentiates them is their personality. I prefer to use the concept of “the indigo personality” to capture their shared characteristics, such as: • Are highly creative. • Are extremely energetic. • Are gifted in certain areas (for example, mathematical genius, poor reading skills). • Have a need for fairness. • Prize honesty (almost above all else).
16
• Feel equal to authority. • Hate rules. • Refuse to do certain things. • Want special treatment. • Are strong-willed. • Waver between grandiosity and low self-esteem. • May be prone to depression. • Have high sensitivity (sounds, smells, touch, sights). • Have sharpened intuition. • Don’t respond to authoritative parenting. • Have built-in BS detector (immediately know dishonesty). • Tend to leave things incomplete. • Cannot be rushed. • May have fetish (for example, only wants to wear princess dresses). • Like playing alone (unless with other indigos). • Get “hooked” on things and can’t let go. • Are independent at times, clingy at other times. • Seek meaningful friendships.
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
feature Understanding the core characteristics of the indigo personality is very empowering. You no longer feel alone. Having worked with thousands of indigos, I can say that these attributes animate themselves differently in children but the indigo short summary is this: • High sensitivity. • Giftedness (in one area). • Incredible creativity. • Strong energy of defiance. • Inner motivation. • Intuitive intelligence (very high!). When I was told early on that I beat to my own drummer I took it in stride. Now, I realize that I was merely beating to an
indigo drum—which is unique, unusual to the mainstream, and deeply powerful as a force for change. Indigos see, feel, and experience life differently than their more mainstream counterparts. They tend to have an unusually high level of creativity, sensitivity, giftedness, and angry energy to channel. This angry or warrior energy that defines many indigos isn’t a bad thing. It is the energy that breaks down broken systems (think: public school systems) and creates better ways of doing things. Of course, the challenge is to raise indigo kids to use their incredibly sensitive, highly responsive, and fierce energy as force for good. Parenting indigos, especially if you aren’t “indigo-like,” can be a real
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
challenge. Over the years, I have had countless clients come to me because one parent was indigo-ish and the other thought his or her child was just given to them by Martians. They just didn’t get it. Usually it started out like: “What is going on with my child? She’s as sweet as pie one moment, and then next it’s a full-blown tantrum.” So I usually had parents detail the itty-bitty things of their parent-child interaction, and I served as the bridge to translate from indigo to adult. Then, they’d have an “a-ha” and say, “Oh my—that’s what was going on.” As soon as you know the energetic triggers of indigos you can stop bumping into them unknowingly and experiencing such upset all around.
17
“Indigos are all already aware they are different.” —Nancy Tappe
Jamal’s Journey One of my first Los Angeles child clients was a 5-yearold named Jamal. His mom, Lisa, contacted me because she discovered Jamal was actually highly sensitive. One instance stood out for her. Jamal was attending a private kindergarten in Los Angeles, and he was the only African American in his grade. One school project was to bring in a baby photo and post it on the wall, where all the kids got to guess “who’s who.” Jamal [BEGIN ITAL]knew[END ITAL] this wasn’t going to work out for him. Jamal is very observant and aware of life, including his ethnicity, and that this was an unfair game. He told his teachers. Mrs. Smith, his main teacher, said she would work on making it fair. So she printed out famous baby photos of African Americans and decided to add them to the game. On the day of this game, all Jamal’s peers picked him out first and he got really upset. Jamal began crying and left the classroom, refusing to return. He said, “Mom, tell everyone it’s not fair and that’s why I am so upset.” Jamal was clear from the beginning he disliked this game, felt unheard, and had a sense that it wasn’t going to work for him. His teacher, from her “older perspective,” couldn’t really understand how to create an effective solution. Ultimately, Jamal got triggered by the unfairness of this situation and couldn’t contain his emotions. Indigos as a whole cannot ignore their emotions but must learn effective outlets for them. Jamal fits the indigo profile to a “T,” with his high sensitivity, strong emotions, and warrior energy standing up for what he saw as an injustice. He refused to go back into that classroom and Lisa picked him up. Unique to Indigos Unique to indigos are their mindset and nuanced way of being in the world. Some of these characteristics are minor, and, well, others—they are big ones. I am going to share some of them here, and we’ll continue to unwrap them throughout the chapters. I begin with the one that impacted
18
Jamal: Indigos cannot ignore their emotions. Indigos cannot suppress their feelings. Other generations and types of children can easily ignore someone’s comments, push down their hurt feelings, and learn how to move throughout the world without feeling a thing. This isn’t possible for an indigo (exception: if they are medicated). Indigo kids are divinely designed to feel their feelings and let them out. This is where most parents struggle the most. They are unsure of what emotionally is occurring with their children and especially in the early years when crying seems to be an everyday occurrence. Indigos will always let you know how they feel. They may cry, scream, and talk back to you until they learn better ways of channeling their energy—but one thing is for sure: Your indigo child isn’t burying his or her emotions. One other thing that Jamal highlights for me is this: Indigos primary intelligence is intuitive. Indigos trust themselves. They know when something is right and will stand up for what they believe in time and time again. It’s this indigo energy that will change many of our broken systems of government, education, and healthcare, for example, into something better. It’s not to say that indigos aren’t highly intelligent in the traditional sense, but they do follow their intuitive urges primarily. Intuitive intelligence is information gained through insight. It is that “feeling” to turn right and then you bump into your best friend. Indigos have a sharpened sense of intuition and reliance upon it. Actually, everyone is intuitive when they are born, but indigos aren’t able to easily “shut it off” the way many other people can. It is their primary mode of information gathering and what they trust the most. Jamal was governed by his intuitive intelligence when he walked out of his classroom. He trusted his inner knowingness. It was this inner wisdom coupled with his need for honesty that upset him so much. Said simply:Indigos need integrity. Indigo kids have a built in dishonesty detector. They know if someone isn’t honest and cannot bear it. It doesn’t matter if
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
the “dishonest party” is their principal or parents; it just simply goes against the grain of who they are. So they stand their ground and “call out” whoever is being dishonest—like what Jamal did regarding that game. Collectively indigos have come to shift the consciousness on the planet from dishonesty to honesty. They are Truth teachers. Sometimes this means challenging authorities and doing things differently. Jamal just couldn’t pretend the game was okay and “fit in” with the other children he needed to stand up for Truth. Sensitive Sam One sunny afternoon in December, I got a call from a distressed dad. Glenn said to me, “I just realized my son, Sam, is a highly sensitive boy. I read your article on Psychology Today, and he fits the profile to a T. He also has been bullied in school and is hurt beyond words. Sam’s upset not only by his bully, but all his supposed ‘friends’ that stood by and did nothing. He refuses to return to school and has made the scariest statement to us. Sam said, ‘I will kill myself if you take me back to that school,’ and that’s why I am calling you. What do I do?” Sam’s story isn’t a unique one. Over the years, I have gotten countless calls from parents whose children have mentioned suicide. I take every call seriously. With that said, I calmed Glenn down to realize his son was safe and we needed to keep him safe. That was priority number one, as well as getting him proper assistance with his incredibly deep emotions and learning new skills for how to handle them. Glenn was quiet and realized that his son was safe. I supported his and his wife, Meg’s, decision to take Sam out of school. He never fit into his new school and had been struggling socially from the very start. Academically, Sam is actually quite gifted, scoring at a 12th-grade reading level in fifth grade and slightly below grade level in mathematics. This giftedness in one area and deficiency in another is also common among indigos; they are patterned for a unique purpose that isn’t represented by traditional schooling systems. It was fortunate that Glenn and Meg could take Sam out of his school and provide him a personalized educational program. Obviously, this isn’t what every family could do, but there are always answers; sometimes we just need to get really creative to surface them. Then I also helped Sam personally as Meg and Sam came to visit me for a three-day intensive program where I taught Sam to:
• Manage his emotions. • Think differently. • Speak respectfully. • Connect healthfully with others. • Make “smart” choices. One more compliant that Glenn and Meg had was that Sam sassed them. Indigos have no problem standing up for themselves, speaking their Truth, and letting their emotions out. As I mentioned earlier: Indigos must express their emotions. One of our big roles as parents and guides to indigos is to help them express their emotions (energy in motion) in ways that are skillful versus damaging. Over the following few months, I continued to provide support to Sam on Skype as he learned how to manage his high sensitivity better. I also helped Meg and Glenn see Sam’s perspective on a number of common indigo challenges, such as: Why does my son play alone most of the time? Do we force him to play baseball? Is a gifted program good for him; he already walks around like royalty? Do we just let him refuse to do certain things? Are we enabling him? Punishment doesn’t seem to work; what is going on?
Maureen Dawn Healy is a well-known author, speaker and healer working directly with parents and children. She specializes in helping highly sensitive and intuitive kids thrive. You may have seen her work at Psychology Today, PBS or her books: Growing Happy Kids (HCI Books, 2012) and The Energetic Keys to Indigo Kids (New Page, 2013).
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
19
20
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
Creating your
guiding light
p e r s o n a l Excerpt
altar
By Sonia Choquette
To genuinely tune in to your Spirit and feel its guiding force, it’s important to make it a central part of your life—something you want to turn to automatically without pause or hesitation.
O
ne way to help you achieve this is by creating a personal altar in your home and sitting quietly in front of it every day for a few minutes (preferably during peaceful moments in the morning). There is no right or wrong way to set up an altar—just follow your intuition. What you create should reflect your deepest, most genuine Self. An altar is meant to be a visual reminder for you to go within through prayer, meditation, contemplation, song, or intuitive listening. Set up your altar as a place where you can anchor your attention inward, detach from the outer
world for a moment, and instead tune in to the subtle forces of love and guidance arising in your heart. Your altar serves as a place that helps center your awareness on your inner voice and the guiding flow of love and support flowing from Divine Source to your Higher Self and on to you. An altar is far more than a beautiful “thing” to look at. It is an active doorway to your beautiful guiding Spirit in many profound ways. Sitting at your altar trains your conscious and subconscious mind to let go of familiar mental patterns (which have habitually controlled you) and tune you in to the subtler, more loving, au- thentic frequency of Spirit. When you sit in prayer or meditation in front of your altar, you’re teaching your mind to relax and surrender to the higher power of the Spirit within. Altars also serve as energetic portals, or openings, to the realm of Spirit. When you enter the sacred energy surround-
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
21
“An altar is far more than a beautiful “thing” to look at. It is an active doorway to your beautiful guiding Spirit in many profound ways.”
ing an active altar, the veil between the worlds thins and the heavens open up. If you consistently hold the intention of connecting with your Spirit as you sit at your altar, you’ll be “spirited away” into a beautiful higher realm. At first, the shift may be so subtle that you hardly notice the changes through your senses, but with repeated visits, your perception of this heightened vibrational frequency will become stronger. And no matter what you may be thinking about when approaching your altar, your mind will quickly be- come calm, quiet, and clear as you settle before it; and your heart will open as your vibration shifts to one of pure loving-kindness. With daily practice, you’ll actually feel yourself entering this sacred opening to the spirit realm the moment you approach your altar; it feels very similar to what you might experience when you approach an altar in a church, temple, or other holy place. If you haven’t felt this or don’t think you’re energetically sensitive enough to feel it, be patient. Sitting for a few minutes each day in the energy of your personal altar will heighten your awareness, and you’ll start to feel this higher vibration. Also, the more you sit in prayer or meditation before your personal altar, the more the energy itself builds. The shift in vibration around your altar is strengthened by regular, intentional acts of meditation, prayer, song, chant, and contemplation. If there’s no holy inner work going on, the vibration of Spirit won’t be present and the portal won’t open. It will simply be something pretty to look at, but it won’t possess Divinelife force. Therefore, I encourage you to create your altar with holy intention, reverence, and enthusiasm. Where to Place Your Altar Making room in your home for an altar might not seem like the easiest thing to do, especially if you live in tight quarters, but with a little creativity, it’s not difficult. Ideally, you may want to set up your altar in a room that’s not used every day, such as a spare bedroom or dining room, or simply clear a
22
small area in any room. A personal altar doesn’t require a lot of space—that’s not the point. It can be one square foot in size and still open up a tremendous portal if it was created by your heartfelt devotion, love, and intention to connect to your Spirit. I know one woman who shared a two-bedroom apartment with six people, so space was at a premium. She created a small altar on a Kleenex tissue, and no one touched it. If the Spirit is willing, the way is made easy. My personal altar is in my bedroom. I set it up on a small table in front of the window, and it’s one of the first things I see every morning. I love it and always start my day there. It emotes a powerful healing force, enabling me to become grounded and centered on what is important. As I sit at my altar I feel God’s love surrounding me. My husband, Patrick, created his own altar in his office on a tall, slim stand. His altar is very different from mine and reflects who he is, which is exactly what it should do. So know that you can certainly have more than one altar in your home. Each family member can set up his or her own unique space—and I believe that everyone should! It’s an easy and meaningful way to create a private, sacred portal between you and your Divine Spirit. What to Place on Your Altar What you put on your altar is of great importance, as each item must speak directly to a significant part of your inner being and Spirit. Choose whatever energetically resonates with you and touches your heart. For a lot of people, this may mean including a picture of a spiritual figure, such as Mother Mary, Jesus, an Ascended Master Teacher, the Buddha, Krishna, Vishnu, Kali, or the Dalai Lama. Select images or things that really move you in some inner way—those that you feel hold meaning for you at this time. From time to time you may want to change what is on your altar— replacing old items with new ones as your outward life and inner landscape change. The key to creating a powerful altar is feeling. So in
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
addition to using images of holy or inspirational figures, also include photos of the people you love, such as your family, friends, and even your pets. You may also feel inspired to place images and totems from nature, such as seashells, stones, animal bones, or feathers on your altar, as these may carry meaning for your Spirit. You might be drawn to placing beautiful living things on your altar, such as fresh-cut flowers, fresh herbs and spices, or a bowl of clean water that’s changed daily to symbolize the holy waters of our loving Mother-Father God, the Source of All Life. Your options are limit- less. Be creative, use your imagination, tune in to your intuition, and know that anything goes, as long as it holds meaning for you. Another way to enhance your altar and make it an ever more powerful one is by adding some natural crystals, especially quartz. Often dismissed by energetically insensitive people as “silly New Age trinkets,” crystals are, in fact, extremely powerful living energy tools that can cut negative cords, remove unhealthy energetic attachments, clear energy fields, and amplify your personal intentions. They’re essential in many fields today, including technology and medicine; valued for their power and precision; and work with subtle realms of energy in profound ways as well. Other wonderful objects to place on your altar are bird feathers, which also seem to somehow suddenly find their way to you once you decide to procure one. Feathers are universal symbols of Spirit and represent the Divine Self in flight.
All living things, particularly birds, sense when you’re in the process of transformation or elevating your personal vibration as you return to personal power and will show support by offering up their feathers. So pay attention as you move through the day, and don’t be surprised if a feather finds you. Bells, chimes, and rattles are other powerful tools to place on your altar, as they serve to call out to the Divine for guidance and support. Sacred hand drums are also potent tools for connecting with your Spirit and can be placed near your altar for use in connecting with your guiding light. Using these items actually calls your powerful Spirit forward, which is why they’ve been incorporated into almost all spiritual ceremonies throughout the ages.
Sonia Choquette is a world-renowned author, storyteller, vibrational healer, and six-sensory spiritual teacher in international demand for her guidance, wisdom, and capacity to heal the soul. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Answer Is Simple ... among other books; as well as numerous audio programs and card decks and published in over 30 countries. Sonia was educated at the University of Denver and the Sorbonne in Paris, and holds a Ph.D. in metaphysics from the American Institute of Holistic Theology. She resides with her family in Chicago. www.soniachoquette.com
The preceding excerpt is adapted from the new book Tune In: Let Your Intuition Guide You To Fulfillment and Flow by Sonia Choquette. Published by Hay House ©2013 (Available Sept. 9, 2013) and available at all bookstores or online at: www.hayhouse.com.
“When you enter the sacred energy surrounding an active altar, the veil between the worlds thins and the heavens open up. If you consistently hold the intention of connecting with your Spirit as you sit at your altar, you’ll be “spirited away” into a beautiful higher realm.” www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
23
Crystals
for 2014
Putting the pieces together
By Tara Mideaker
Since 2012 we have experienced some extraordinary cosmic energy. While many of these transits and shifts have been challenging, they are meant to leave us in a much better place than where we started.
T
Think of it as a puzzle. You have found some of the most challenging pieces and eliminated the ones that just don’t fit. While you have gathered your pieces you have noticed their place in the overall framework. Now it’s time to begin to fit those pieces and watch as the picture takes shape. Sometimes that can be the most challenging part and, make no mistake, there are still many pieces to be found and discarded. 2014 will be another year that will challenge you to live your best life! It is time to find and utilize resources and support. It’s also a time to be a resource and support for others. It is time to come together, work with each other and work with the energies of the Universe. It is time to start putting things together. Here is a quick look at 2014:
24
JANUARY, FEBRUARY, MARCH This is your best opportunity for introspection and reflection. Water energy has been prevalent through 2013 and it continues in 2014, so you can feel more deeply and develop a truer understanding of your inner self. Earth energy will also be strong in 2014 and this will enable you to apply your inner self into the outer world and make a real difference. The first months of 2014 could guide you towards rebirth, so follow the energy and commit to a new you. A New Moon on 1/1/14 will inspire you and a Pisces/ Aquarius Mercury Retrograde in February gives you time for contemplation. Best Crystals: Fluorite, Moonstone, Amethyst APRIL, MAY, JUNE Spring is always a busy time as the days grow brighter and stronger and it is time for you to build your physical, spiritual and mental strength so that you are prepared for the opportunities ahead. Expect a Solar Eclipse to shake things up and the final Saturn/Jupiter Trine until 2026 to give your efforts to evolve a positive shot of energy. Another Mercury Retrograde gives you time to pause and
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
inspiration re-consider. A Cardinal Grand Cross will be a major turning point where your past choices and resolve towards the future unite in an amazing epiphany. What will you do with it? Best Crystals: Red Jasper, Green Tourmaline, Black Onyx JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER Relax and have some fun! You need to give yourself a break from the intensity of the first part of 2014. By backing off you will be able to come back stronger. Remember that we are still experiencing the effects of the Pluto/Uranus Squares and this is furious and wild energy. It will allow you to get to the heart of the most challenging of situations so that you can deal with it effectively and move on. It is key to your journey of growth and evolution, but it can produce a rough ride. Jupiter moves into fun-loving Leo, making this the perfect time to expand your play time. Best Crystals: Orange Calcite, Emerald, Sunstone
OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, DECEMBER It is time to know where you stand and where you are headed. A Solar Eclipse in Scorpio will infuse your confidence and faith in the abundance that surrounds your present and future. The last Mercury Retrograde of the year will allow you to let go of any lingering things that just need to be gone for good. The big news: Scorpio releases its hold on Saturn. This has not been an easy transit, but it is a major influence towards finding your personal truth and living it! Saturn in Sagittarius will be a lighter, more optimistic influence so enjoy the energy. And, in case you still haven’t gotten what you needed from Saturn in Scorpio, fear not, because it will slip backwards to give us one final push in June 2015. Best Crystals: Lapis Lazuli, Charoite, Imperial Topaz
Tara Mideaker is a Crystal Expert and Astrologer at Healingcrystals.com, a metaphysical crystal shop with a huge array of free educational resources. Tara is also an accomplished Tarot Reader and can be contacted through Healingcrystals.com.
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
25
&
headaches
migraine
by Susun Weed
“Oh, how densely packed your head is, my sweet,” sighs Grandmother Growth. “I'm afraid there's no room for new growth. If you could empty your mind, leave off worrying and planning for a while, and give in to the chaos and its random pleasures, just for a short time, I think you'd feel less pressure and your head would hurt less.” 26
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
wellness “The energy of your womb now circulates inside you and throbs in your head. Sit quietly; breathe out through the top of your head and imagine the breath falling gently down to earth. Rest your forehead against the earth. Place this cool stone on your third eye. Your Crone's Crowning comes closer. This is the work of your body; let your mind rest.”
Step 0. Do nothing • Follow your natural instinct: Lie in total silence, in complete darkness, and sleep, if possible, until the headache is gone. • Like fatigue, a headache, especially a migraine, is a way to get some time alone. Is finding time for yourself usually a headache? Step 1. Collect information Menopause often brings relief to the woman who has had migraine headaches since adolescence. Other women experience headaches for the first time during menopause, usually the result of fatigue, stress, rapidly changing hormone levels racing through the liver, and rushes of kundalini moving into the crown area. Menopausal headaches may also be triggered by sudden (and usually shortlived) allergies to certain foods. Headaches and migraines are a common side effect of ERT/HRT. Step 2. Engage the energy • Rub a drop of lavender or chamomile oil briskly between your hands. When palms are warm and tingly,
place them on the part of your head that aches. (It's also wonderful to have someone do this for you.) • If it's tolerable for someone to hold your head, try this: Sit in a chair or lie down. Lean your head back into your friend's hands and allow them to support your head in their palms (fingers pointing down, thumbs above the ears) for up to five minutes. Breathe fully. • Blinking red lights can relieve extreme or severe migraines, within an hour, 72 percent of the time. Wear goggles that restrict side vision for maximum effect. • Women with chronic migraines often benefit greatly from the help of a skilled feminist therapist. Step 3. Nourish and tonify • Tea, infusion, or tincture of garden sage leaves offers immediate relief from a headache and helps prevent future ones. • Black cohosh root tincture or a vinegar of fresh willow leaves will ease a headache with pain- killing methyl salicylate. Ten drops of the tincture or one teaspoon/15 ml of the vinegar is equivalent to two aspirin.
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
• Vervain (Verbena officinalis) was a sacred herb in the ancient matriarchies. Menopausal women use the tincture of fresh vervain flowers, 20-40 drops in water, before bed and as needed, to strengthen the nerves, relieve insomnia, dispel depression, treat nervous exhaustion, and moderate headaches, including migraines. (Vervain was a favored plant for the Maiden's altar and the moon lodge, where she was used to promote the onset of the menstrual flow, ease cramps, reduce flooding, and quicken desire.) • Lady's mantle, another ancient sacred plant, has many magical attributes, including an ability to aid women who are taking on or leaving the role of mother. What a wonderful friend for an emerging crone! Try 10-25 drops of the tincture of the fresh herb several times a day to relieve headaches. • The beautiful spring primrose (Primula veris) offers relief from menopausal headaches if taken regularly. The golden carpet of Schlesselblume on Bavarian pastures and roadsides is one of my favorite memories of Germany. If you don't visit or live in Bavaria, you can grow and gather the blossoms
27
The beautiful spring primrose (Primula veris) offers relief from menopausal headaches if taken regularly.
of Primula officinalis instead; they're also a good source of pain-killing salicyn. Make a tea of the dried flowers and drink several cups a day for some months. CAUTION: Sip your first cup mindfully and slowly, as some folks are allergic to primrose. NOTE: The roots of most primroses contain oil-soluble estrogenic factors and cell-softening saponins, suggesting use as an ointment for tender, dry vaginal tissue. • Connections between foods and headaches are sketchy. There is little evidence that plants indigenous to the Americas, such as chocolate and nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers, tobacco) contribute to headaches. I do suspect that chemicals in processed foods (such as aspartame, MSG, and nitrates) and in some natural ones (aged cheeses, miso, red wine) can trigger headaches. With other foods, you're the best judge. Step 4. Stimulate/Sedate • Avoid alcohol. It is a known headache trigger. • Keep cool. Being hot, from hot baths, saunas, hot flashs, exertion, or air temperature, is the second most common headache trigger. Stay cool. Stay in the shade. And just say “no” to hot tubs.
28
• Sedate headache pain with tinctures of skullcap, 3-5 drops, and St. Joan's wort, 25-30 drops. I take them together, as frequently as needed, up to half a dozen times a day. Migraine sufferers take them as soon as the aura begins, before there is pain, and repeat every ten minutes for 3-6 doses. • Anti-inflammatory, hormone-rich wild yam eases the aching heads of menopausal women. A dose of wild yam root tincture is 10-30 drops up to 6 times a day, or infused, 1-2 teacupsful a day. The lower dose, taken daily, relieves chronic headaches. In acute situations, use the higher dose. • Soak your feet in cool water scented with a few drops of rosemary oil. Breathe deeply. • Migraines are most frequent between 6 a.m. and noon. Take head-ache remedies before bed and on awakening to insure maximum effect. • To banish simple headaches, soak a handful of fresh lemon balm (Melissa) leaves in a glass of wine for an hour, or drink a tea of dried leaves. If you want sleep as part of your headache cure, substitute catnip (Nepeta cataria) for the melissa. • Feverfew (Chrysanthemum parthenium) is a much publicized remedy for migraine. It is most effective as a pre-
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
ventative measure: eat a sprig of the fresh plant daily. For acute headache, 2-4 fresh leaves or a cup of strong tea may help. CAUTION: May irritate mouth. Step 5. Use drugs • Painkillers are many women's first thought for a headache remedy. But habitual use increases the duration and frequency of headaches. • Taking ERT/HRT? Ease off and see if your headaches ease up. Step 6. Break and enter • Some women say their headaches are so bad that they want to blow their brains out. Perhaps menopausal headaches, like sleeplessness, are part of the physical “mind-altering” process of becoming a crone.
If you liked this excerpt by Susun S. Weed, you will want NEW Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way: Alternative Approaches for Women 30 - 90 by Susun S. Weed
inspiration
the zero p oint
u o Y o h W e b o t w Ho re A y d a e Alr
Agreement
by Julie Tallard Johnson
Everyone wants to experience purpose and inspiration in their lives, but the search for meaning often leaves a seeker in the hands of fate.
O
ffering a different approach to selfdiscovery, one where we create our meaning from within rather than seek it from the outside world, Julie Tallard Johnson shows there is a science behind personal spiritual experiences and creativity. She reveals simple evidence-based methods that can be applied to any situation to generate enthusiasm, inspiration, and direct spiritual experience and transform the inner and outer landscapes of your life. Drawing from the Heart Sutra, the I Ching, indigenous wisdom, and the teachings of the Dalai Lama, Joseph Campbell, and the Kadampa master Atisha, Johnson outlines a practice centered on what she calls the Zero Point Agreement--the realization that you are the zero point of your life, that life’s purpose comes from within. She explains how to discover who you truly are by naming what you want to be and taking steps to make it a reality. Providing 11 core principles for the Zero Point Agreement as well as thought exercises, meditations, and journaling practices, Johnson shows how to break free
from negative habitual states, liberate yourself from your attachment to the behaviors of others, take full responsibility for motivation and effort, express gratitude, focus your intention, and learn to co-create with the natural world. She also explores how to transform repressed material and how to apply the Zero Point Agreement to heal both personal and global relationships. Revealing how we can tap in to the creative, creational power that lies within and around each of us, Johnson offers a spiritual technology for self-illumination, creative restructuring of your life, and manifestation of your life’s purpose. This is what bestselling author Parker J. Palmer had to say about The Zero Point Agreement, “In this beautiful book, Julie Tallard Johnson--a gifted teacher and writer--brings fresh insight to an ancient truth: each of us must live from the inside out. This book--full of resources that range from heart-deep insight to helpful, practical exercises--can help us reclaim the treasuretrove of our own experience and being”.
You can puchase this book at www.innertraditions.com
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
29
seven
Senseless Habits to Drop Motivational speaker and author Shawn Anderson takes the idea of "living a life you love" seriously. With a mission of empowering one million people to lead a more positive and purposeful life, Anderson shares seven senseless habits to let go of in 2014.
habit
#1
Quit hanging out on Facebook. “Facebook is a fun way to kill time,” Anderson says. “But that’s what it does: it kills time. Time that could be used to create, inspire and build.”
Quit Keeping Up With the Kardashians. “Filling our heads with unedifying TV doesn’t do a lot to help us achieve a better life,” Anderson comments. “Instead, exchange an hour of TV time to build your own dream rather than a celebrity’s dream.”
30
habit
#2
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
habit
#3 Quit staying up late. “The surest way to be unmotivated on a Monday is to stay up late on a Sunday. Want to feel energized? Watch a few more sunrises.”
inspiration habit
#4
Quit spending money you don't have.
habit
#5
“Having the freedom to do what you want in life starts with not being chained down by financial obligations. Give your credit card a rest.”
Quit hanging out with negative people.
h a bit
#6
"If you have people in your life who drain you of all that is positive, ask yourself 'Why in the world are they even in my life?'"
Quit working at a job you hate. “Nothing saps the life out of you more than working at a job you hate. Find something else.”
habit
“Why would we ever want to live a life that makes us unhappy?" Anderson says. "We read everywhere about what we need to do to be successful. But I believe if we just change a few of our habits, we'd be much closer to leading a life we love." Anderson continues, "Sure some of the seven items on the list may sound harsh, but if we don't stop doing them, the lousy results we will produce later will feel a lot harsher."
#7 Quit pointing fingers. "Take a massive leap forward and take responsibility for where you are in your life. It's not your boss's fault... or your spouse's... or the government's that you're not where you want to be. It's your own cause-and-effect decisions that have you sitting where you are."
The author of six books, including A Better Life: An Inspiring Story About Starting Over and Extra Mile America: Stories of Inspiration, Possibility and Purpose, Anderson is also the Founder of “Extra Mile Day.” On November 1, 2013, 444 cities in all 50 states made the declaration to recognize the capacity we each have to create positive change for ourselves, families, organizations and communities when we “go the extra mile.” For more information about Shawn Anderson, go to www.ShawnAnderson.com. To contact Anderson directly, email Shawn@ShawnAnderson.com.
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
31
dotcom SedonaConsciousMagazine
. Also Enjoy
SCM PRINT
Magazine get yours now at
Visit the SCM
MagCloud.com
Online Community Join our weekly Events Calendar to learn about all the conscious events that are held throughout Sedona and the surrounding areas. • Advertise in the Events Calendar to reach a worldwide audience of conscious individuals who would be interested in supporting your work! • Our content-rich website includes monthly feature articles, and an intensive astrology section. • Print meets Digital in our new online eMagazine! Enjoy all the features of a print publication, available online for your tablet/iPad or purchase a hard copy and have it shipped directly to you via MagCloud. • Monthly eZine provides small articles right to your inbox to keep you in touch with the latest information from our featured writers.
Contribute • Advertise • Enjoy
SCM
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com