The Owl Magazine | Spring 2017 by The Owl Magazine

Spr ing 20 17

The Wildf lower ing Way

As She Is

A Sacr ed St or ies M edia M agazin e

Sacr ed Robes Sacr ed Ar t Let Your Spir it Guides Speak

Coming t o t he Table

WELCOME A blend of religious and spiritual wisdom from traditional and non-traditional teachings.

Welcom e Spr in g! Beautiful Spring! The birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming, the sun is shining ... our natural world is celebrating the next cycle of life. Let us celebrate this thing we call life too! This beautiful, crazy, chaotic, funny, inspirational, breathtaking, heartbreaking, wondrous life. And as a spiritual community let's celebrate together! We are happy you are here, and we hope the stories and wisdom shared within these pages provide you love, support, guidance, laughter, and peace. For as Ram Dass tells us "We're all just walking each other home." Happy Spring!

MEET US

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Pat r icia Caggan ello Editor Patricia is an interfaith interspiritual minister and CEO and Founder of Sacred Stories Media, which includes book publishing, a telesummit, podcasting, The Owl, and an online learning division Sacred U.

Fr an n e Dem et r ician Associate Editor and Creative Coordinator Franne is an interfaith interspiritual minister, spiritual counselor and relationship mentor, holistic health practitioner, teacher, writer, photographer, and artist.

M egan Br ook s Assistant Editor Megan is a junior at the University of Tampa majoring in Advertising and Public Relations. She shares her editorial and design skills across many of the Sacred Stories Media platforms.

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A Sacr ed St or y There are varying degrees of sexual trauma and all of them, regardless of the scenario, rob a person of their personal power and dignity. It can leave unseen wounds and scars on the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual bodies of a person. There is an underlying current of emotions tied to this type of trauma including shame, blame, hurt, rage, sadness, and humiliation that can unconsciously impact your life in ways you didn?t know were possible. Around age 3 or 4, someone close in age and connected through family began touching me inappropriately. He called it playing doctor. Because I was equally curious and we were both innocent kids, it didn?t seem wrong; as strange as it is to say it felt good. At the age of six a switch went off, and it became uncomfortable. I no longer wanted to participate in that kind of ?play,? but no was not an acceptable answer. This was when the coercion and manipulation began; it changed from child curiosity to molestation, occurring until the age of 11. Finally, I threatened to tell someone if it did not stop. Oddly, it didn?t affect my life in the conventional kind of way. I didn?t harbor any resentment, or anger

towards the person who did it. I didn?t become jaded or bitter towards men, I didn?t have trust issues, and I thought I had a healthy sex life. I assumed I was fine, unscathed. There was a resilience of some kind that masked it all. About three years ago when my spiritual journey began, I discovered that it had, in fact, had an impact on me, but not in obvious ways. I assumed that being a prude, not trusting men, and getting turned off by physical intimacy were the only ways sexual trauma could affect a woman; yet I was wrong. As a child, those experiences had caused me to lose my voice and trained me to disregard my instincts and intuition. The ability to speak up for myself in moments that I felt uncomfortable had been silenced. The events of my sexual trauma had conditioned me to believe that what I wanted or felt didn?t matter. I wasn?t capable of speaking up when men disrespected me. I was fearful of making them feel uncomfortable, and instead, I?d bear those feelings. Because my trauma was not properly processed, I was playing out the victim role again and again until I

finally understood what was happening and why. My spiritual walk is what opened the door to this unresolved hurt. When I finally started to make all of these connections I slowly began healing my subconscious mind, which is where these unhealthy patterns and cycles reside. I read books, meditated, did yoga, leaned on my relationship with God, and sought out a variety of holistic healing modalities. As I began to heal, I received a lot of clarity. It was easy to see how the theme of being taken advantage of had made appearances throughout my life. I?ve been sexually assaulted and harassed on many occasions, and most of them were not strangers. I?ve been physically taken advantage of by a boss, a masseuse, an agent, a personal trainer and that?s just to name a few. When you are violated, you can?t help but feel ashamed, humiliated and wonder if you are the one to blame. Unfortunately, these unresolved emotions played out in my intimate relationships. I ended up marrying a man who stonewalled and had an avoidance attachment style. These were the perfect ingredients to stir up my old emotional wounds. He had no desire to work on himself or understand me on a deeper level, and I made the choice to leave him.

I continue to heal my trauma and heal from the heartache of my divorce. I have no self-pity over this because I now have the opportunity to share my trials and tribulations with others who have gone through similar pain. It surprises me how these tragedies never really impacted my overall spirit. The trauma caused me to take on some unhealthy behaviors, but I never lost my optimistic, cheerful attitude, or my kind, open heart. I don?t know how, but I?m grateful for that. As I heal I take back my power, so I am feeling stronger and more alive than ever. I believe all ?tragedies? can be used to help us grow and used to help others. We have the choice to remain victims or become VICTORS. I know all of this has shaped me and helped me grow into the strong, confident, loving woman I am today. If you have suffered from abuse, love yourself enough to get help. Self-love is the act of nurturing yourself, and it is essential to overcoming trauma. I now have a happier, healthier relationship with myself, and I trust that my future is going to be brighter than ever. Mindfulness Coach Janie Terrazas is on a mission to inspire and empower others to live a more balanced, mindful, love-filled life.

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Coming t o t he Table by Thomas Nor man DeWolf

Susan Hutchinson, a direct descendant of President Thomas Jefferson, knew her family?s long, deep connection to slavery. In 2003, she attended a gathering of descendants of Jefferson and the woman he enslaved, Sally Hemings, and others like herself, descendants of Jefferson and his wife, Martha. In her quest to meet other descendants of families who had enslaved people, she met Will Hairston, a descendant of one of the largest enslaving empires in the Old South.

people who were enslavers gathering with descendants of people their ancestors had enslaved; that as people built relationships with those on the ?other side,? deep, historic, wounds engendered by the legacy of slavery could be confronted and potentially healed. Susan and Will invited black and white cousins, Jeffersons and Hairstons, to join them in planning a radical, new approach to support and guide people in our struggle with racism. Coming to the Table was born when two dozen descendants from both sides of the system of enslavement gathered together in January 2006. On that day, we shared stories and established friendships; some of the deepest, most important relationships many of us have in our lives. We began to envision a more connected and truthful world that would address the unresolved and persistent effects of the historic institution of slavery and the racism it spawned.

Susan and Will dreamed of a ?family reunion? of descendants of

The Coming to the Table ?Approach? grew out of the STAR

The present-day consequences of the historical legacy of slavery are described by Dr. Kofi Anyidoho, Professor of Literature at the University of Ghana as ?Slavery is a tragic accident in which people today are still bleeding to death. Slavery is a living wound, under a patchwork of scars. The only hope of healing is to be willing to break through the scars to finally clean the wound properly and begin the healing.?

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program (Strategies for Trauma Awareness & Resilience) at the Center for Justice & Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) in Virginia, which brings together theory and practices from neurobiology, conflict transformation, human security, spirituality, and restorative justice. The four interrelated pillars of the CTTT Approach invite us to, first, research, acknowledge, and share personal, family, community, and national histories of race ? with openness and honesty; to listen deeply to each other ?s stories to learn and understand from each other ?s lived experiences. Second, to connect with others within and across racial lines; to build authentic and accountable relationships. We can only truly understand the legacy of slavery and its present-day consequences, ?break through the scars? and transform, in community with others. Third, explore how we can heal together using a variety of methods, such as dialogue, ritual, creative arts, meditation, prayer, apology, reparation, and forgiveness. Fourth, actively champion systemic and structural change throughout our society, in education, criminal justice, politics, churches, healthcare, business; all aspects of life in ways that support equality, justice, and healing for all. What began with two dozen people in 2006 has grown into a community of

thousands across the United States and around the world. There are eighteen local affiliate groups across the U.S., with more to come. Susan Hutchinson passed on recently, but she leaves us with a powerful legacy ? and responsibility. In these challenging times, efforts like CTTT are needed now more than ever. Tom DeWolf is related to the most successful slave-trading dynasty in U.S. history. He is the author of Inheriting the Trade and Gather at the Table and is featured in the Emmy-nominated, PBS/POV documentary Traces of the Trade (an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival).

?We don't come t o t he t able t o f ight or t o defend. We don't come t o pr ove or t o conquer, t o dr aw lines in t he sand or t o st ir up t r ouble. We come t o t he t able because our hunger br ings us t her e. We come w it h a need, w it h f r agilit y, w it h an admission of our humanit y. The t able is t he gr eat equalizer, t he level playing f ield many of us have been look ing ever ywher e for." Shauna Niequist , Br ead and Wine: A Love Let t er t o Life Ar ound t he Table w it h Recipes

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Daily Dir ect ion: Communicat ing w it h Your Spir it Guides By Debr a Engle Communicating with your spirit guides is one of the most natural things in the world. Everyone can do it, and it takes just a few minutes a day. Often, though, you may forget this vast resource, which is like forgetting that you have a million dollars in the bank or a villa in Italy.

Your guides are with you 24/7? when you?re driving the kids to school, standing in the supermarket checkout line and folding laundry. All of these are perfect times to do a quick check-in, express your gratitude, and ask if there?s anything you need to know right now.

In fact, the value of a relationship with your spirit guides is priceless, because they can see the big picture of your life in ways that no one (especially you!) can. They?ll always give you direction based on your best interests, they?ll gently redirect you when you take unnecessary detours, and they?ll help you find the love or house or pet or job that?s perfect for you by putting it directly in your path.

No matter how you receive information? through a feeling, a sense of presence, sign in nature, or thought that floats into your mind? it won?t take long to make your communication with your guides as second-nature as talking with your friends or loved ones. Here are ideas for ways to make contact throughout your day.

So how do you access all that valuable intelligence? How do you communicate with your guides daily? How can you make that communication a natural part of your day? First, know that communication with your guides can take place in a moment. It?s not reserved for people with special abilities. You don?t have to set aside large chunks of your day, light candles, burn incense or sit in a certain position.

Before you get out of bed, acknowledge your guidance and give thanks for it. Reflect on the kind of day you?d like to have. Detach from anything that might induce anxiety, and ask for a day of peace and purpose. ? Ask what you can do for the guides today. ? Ask them to remind you of anything you need to remember throughout the day, and to give you the words to say that will serve the highest good in any situation. ?

in the first 10 minutes that you?re up, look for three beautiful things in your environment and the other people in your household. With each one, take at least 20 seconds to notice, admire and give thanks. ? As you get everyone in your household up and out the door for the morning, add a few mindfulness rituals to your routine. While you?re brushing your teeth, ask your guides a question. As you?re drying your hair, ask for your fear-based thoughts to be healed. As you?re packing the kids?lunches, give thanks once again. ? When you get in the car, thank the guides for safe travels. ? Sometime during your morning, spend five minutes in prayer or meditation. Ask your guides a specific question that?s on your mind. ? Whenever you need to make a decision, ask your guides what will serve the highest good of all. When your ego resists their answer, ask for your fear-based thoughts to be healed. ? During your lunch hour, spend five minutes noting or writing about the abundance you experience in your life. Document something different each day: an abundance of joy, creativity, fun, love, family, money, freedom, adventure, etc. ? Whenever a challenge or something worrisome comes up, turn first to your ?

guides and ask for their help so you can feel an immediate comfort. This process will help prevent your ego from ramping up and making the situation worse out of fear. ? All day long, notice serendipitous events and thank your guides for orchestrating your life with so much creativity and loving attention to detail. ? Before you go to bed, look back over your day and notice or write about three things that gave you special joy or satisfaction. Thank the guides for their role in making those things possible. ? Before you go to sleep, pose a question to your guides and ask for them to communicate with you in your dreams. If you want to wake up with an answer to a specific question, let them know. Keep a piece of paper and pen near the bed so you can jot down notes in the morning. These kinds of communications can happen with no disruption to your routine and without any special preparation. Over time, you?ll find yourself conversing with your guides constantly through the day, until drawing on their direction becomes as natural as breathing. Debra Engle is the author of Let Your Spirit Guides Speak and The Only Little Prayer You Need. She offers coaching on spiritual growth and writing. Enjoy Deb's podcast Let Your Spirit Guides Speak.

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By Fr anne Demet r ician I?ve been thinking about fun lately. Yes, you read that right, F U N. The atmosphere in the world has been rife with so much focused negativity, fear, anxiety and a host of non-fun emotions for so long; it seems as if we?ve lost our fun mojo. I?m here to say we need to add fun into the mix, and now. ?How do I go about doing that?? you ask. I?ve been wondering the same thing and here are a few ideas I?ve come up with. 1. Use your TV to your advantage. Find some funny shows to watch. I think it?s safe to say most of us watch TV at some time during the day. I?ve been looking for reruns of shows that make me laugh. I love Seinfeld and Friends. I love The Office and Key and Peele. Find something that allows you to feel lighter by laughing. It?s a great way to balance the news or the ?heavy? shows that many people like to watch these days.

2. Do you have favorite movies that make you laugh? I sure do. Young Frankenstein comes to mind immediately. In my family, we love Arthur with Dudley Moore. We know it line for line and some of us can recite it from beginning to end. Best In Show is another guaranteed funfest for me, along with a list too long to include here. Can you think of any funny movies that left you feeling wrung out from laughing? How about The Producers? Make a list and see how many you can think of, then start watching them. 3. Are there any funny people in your life? You know them, the ones that always say just the right thing to get you to giggle or laugh out loud. Can you get together for dinner or spend some time hanging out and enjoying each other ?s company? 4. Do you like to skate or swim? Do you like to run around the yard with your dog? Do you like the zoo or going to art museums? Do you love parties and celebrations? Concerts or dancing? All of these things are ways to tap into your sense of fun. 5. Don?t forget comedians. That?s their job, to make us laugh. Go to a comedy club if you can, or find a video of one of your favorite?s performances. I have so many favorites old and new. I love Robin Williams (who doesn?t), Eddie Murphy, Eddie Izzard, Jimmy Fallon, and a list of many others who

get me rolling. Like so many things this requires some effort and conscious decision-making. Making a choice to add fun into your life in a deliberate way is empowering. It says you are in control of what you take into your energy field. We all want to be informed and active in the happenings of the day, and we can balance that energy by deciding to add other kinds of energy into our days. Certainly adding a sense of fun and laughter is a wonderful antidote to pressing things in our daily lives. According to an article by Debbie McGauran at activebeat.com, laughter effects our body in the following ways: 1. Promotes relaxation 2. Boosts the immune system 3. Improves your mood 4. Prevents heart disease 5. Shifts your perspective These days a sense of humor, fun, and laughter seem essential to our well-being. I for one am going to take my advice and seek out more and more ways to have fun and laugh. We have a ?family game night? planned. That gathering always results in tons of laughter and silliness. More, please. Care to share? How do you manage the challenges in your life? Meditation, calling a friend, rest, tuning in, turning off, yoga, sports, walking in nature? We?d love to hear from you at t h eow lpu blicat ion @gm ail.com

"[Humanit y] has unquest ionably one r eally ef fect ive weapon? laught er. Power, money, per suasion, supplicat ion, per secut ion? t hese can lif t at a colossal humbug? push it a lit t le? weaken it a lit t le, cent ur y by cent ur y, but only laught er can blow it t o r ags and at oms at a blast . Against t he assault of laught er not hing can st and." ? Mar k Twain

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As She Is

a f ilm by Megan McFeely

Impet us for t he f ilm For years there was this deep sense of insecurity inside? or rather a wrongness about my existence that I did not know how to describe. I tried to live the values of the culture, follow the roadmap to success imparted to me through community, family and school. I was determined to be an ?acceptable? kind of woman, even though I was obviously not. So I got educated, went into business, wore suits, thought rationally, competed against others and was successful for a time, but then my life fell apart.

valued and reconnect to my inner knowing. I now know this unknown inner dimension of myself as the feminine? . so I started with a simple question that guided my

I had been looking outside? in what I did, what I had, who I knew? for who I was, but it didn?t work. The best way to say it was the outside was not connected to the inside so I was living someone else?s idea of me (who I wonder?) I was not free and did not know how to live what I valued. I had no idea if there was a more natural way for me to be.

I ask some remarkable people who embody these traits to find out how they would describe the feminine, to get a sense of how being connected to this part of themselves informs their lives and how it is lived in balance with their masculine aspect.

It became clear that the only way I could understand was to explore from the inside? to renounce what the culture

journey.

What is the feminine?

This is my personal inquiry, but I have a sense that this film is also about our collective journey towards wholeness because I am simply a microcosm of the macrocosm...and so are you.~Megan McFeely

Megan McFeely, Director/ Producer, AS SHE IS, follows the inner path of Sufism and has been on a journey towards what is natural, essential, and authentic for most of her life. The question, "Who are we as human beings from the inside of ourselves?" has been at the center of her inquiry. In her working life she spent more than 25 years providing strategic communications counsel for media and technology companies, authors and non-profit organizations to create voice and visibility for what might come next.... www.as-she-is.org

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THE WILDFLOWERING WAY Lear ning t o bloom in t he dist ur bed soil of our lives By Tor ia Pr ice The summer after I turned 22, I drove cross country for the first time. More than a road trip, that summer was an awakening. Why? Because of the wildflowers. Everywhere I went, I saw them. Beautiful, multi-colored and gorgeous. But there was one problem. The wildflowers bloomed not off in some photo-worthy field. Oh, no! They came up by the side of the road where the asphalt met the dirt, surrounded by old pop cans and cigarette butts. Mile after mile those wildflowers brought me joy, even as I was annoyed with the tarmac and litter for ruining their perfection. One day, chatting with a park ranger, I shared my mock dismay at the wildflowers' unaesthetic roadside location. My sense of humor was lost on Ranger Rick, who earnestly replied, "Wildflowers grow best where the soil is disturbed." His quiet observation proved to be the gift of a lifetime. Over the years, I have come to recognize the messy soil ? where the asphalt meets the

dirt and the litter of life accumulates ? as the most beautifully contradictory yet fundamentally hopeful place there is! In fact, this fertile liminal space is the Crucible of Change, the fundamental place where we must all risk sowing the seeds of our deepest selves and greatest hopes. We are brought up to believe that dualities define our world. We build walls to divide us (whoever we are) from them (the ones who scare us). But what if we had the courage to see that precisely this disturbed soil between two conflicting ideologies, where our differences push up against one another, gives us the opportunity to seed a new inter-reality where we can bloom together? What if we changed the paradigm that saw our side as right and someone else?s side as wrong, to one that saw both sides as equal and necessary participants in the creation of a transformative third space ? one nurtured, in fact, by our

seeming opposition. A space where my ?right? and your ?wrong? disturb the impacted dirt between us, thus actually alchemizing that hard ground into the best possible soil to plant the seeds which allow a whole new way of being to germinate? This is exactly what I have learned during a

lifetime of working, teaching and practicing in liminal interdisciplinary, interfaith, interspiritual, interpolitical spaces. To be sure, the threshold between known and unknown, fear and love, between hope and horror, comfort and change, is often wildly unpleasant at first. Because it asks us to

throw away the safety of the familiar. But when we do, we learn to wildflower. Which is to say, we blossom into a whole new way of living. Wildflowers dare so many of the things we are told never to risk. They resist cultivation by always seeding themselves to the winds of change. They let themselves be

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taken wherever they can grow ? in any field alongside any other flowers that will have them. The wildflowers we love most are precisely the ones that grow in riotous, multicolored abundance in the places where we least expect them to flourish. Right there with the weeds and the trash. Sometimes we don?t even know which is a weed and which a wildflower, and it doesn?t matter. Because wildflowers do the one thing that most of us spend our lifetimes resisting. They surrender to anything that will allow them to

grow and bloom, no matter what or where or with whom that might be. The Sufi mystic Rumi has been exhorting us to wildflower for centuries. He wrote: Be crumbled. So wildflowers will come up where you are. You?ve been stony for too many years. Try something different. Surrender. When we are willing to crumble our deeply-entrenched dualities ? to depart from a stony binary world of separation, to enter a new triune world of reconciliation ? we surrender to the

ultimate healing. We wildflower in the field that Rumi knew existed beyond all our learned ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing: The Unified Field of Love where we all will blossom whole together! Victoria Price is an inspirational speaker, a joy blogger, an interfaith/interspiritual minister, a writer, artist, and designer. You can read more about The Wildflowering Way in Victoria's new book, The Way of Being Lost: A Road Map to Your Truest Self, due out in February 2018. Victoria is also the author of Vincent Price: A Daughter?s Biography.

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"I am going t I am going t o loo at t he hect ic t r ee

t o t r y t o pay at t ent ion t o t he spr ing. ok ar ound at all t he f lower s, and look up es. I am going t o close my eyes and list en." ~ Anne Lamot t

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The Sacr ed Pipe By Fr ank Menusan Sacr ed Pipe Car r ier Approximately five thousand years ago Nicotiana Rustica tobacco was cultivated by tribes in the Peruvian, Brazilian and Venezuelan Amazon areas. It has always been considered a sacred plant with many spiritual properties. Today this sacred plant is cultivated in the same way and with the same extreme care as it was long ago. It was originally smoked as a thick cigar. Another form was a very long, thin cigarette wrapped in tobacco leaves or corn husk. Later, bamboo stems, clay, stone and even hardwoods

were used to create pipes like the ones used today. As the tobacco culture traveled north, clay pipes became more ornate and in Mexico were decorated with paintings. Over a period of a thousand years, the pipe culture moved to North America, through California and the Southwest, toward the Great Lakes peoples and the Northeastern nations. Stories about tobacco?s sacred spiritual nature and healing properties were carried with it. Today the stones used in making traditional pipes are black steatite or red catlinite from sacred quarries in areas where no blood was spilled in war. The wood used in the pipe stem is also a very special powerful medicine and usually crafted from the sumac,

WisdomKeeper s A r ecur r ing visit w it h one of t he wor ld's w isdom t r adit ions. Explor e w isdom f r om t he Nat ive Amer icans. white pine, or cedar tree. The stem represents the Tree of Life and the male principle. The stone bowl represents the feminine principal or Mother Earth. When they are joined the act of creation begins. The Big Bang takes place, so to speak. We are transported to that moment just before all infinite potentialities manifest. From that place of power, we begin our prayers to manifest positive forces for all things.

in deeply sacred spirit space. That circle of prayer with the pipe was the beginning a new life for me and prepared me to become what is known as a Sacred Pipe Carrier. The circumstances of my life led me to my first pipe, a personal pipe gifted to me by a dear friend. Years later after working with my pipe on my own, a ceremonial pipe was gifted to me by Tali Two Feathers, a Cherokee pipe carver.

At that moment of connection, the Pipe becomes the living presence of The Creator.

For many years I have sat with my pipes, bringing them into ceremonial circles, praying with them for everyone and everything in this world and the next. I have learned about gratitude. I have learned to let go of doubt in Spirit?s ways and let go of fear and anger so that I could fill my heart with unconditional love.

When the pipe called me into the circle of ceremony, it began with an invitation to pray with a gentleman named Chief Arvol Lookinghorse. I felt the gentle, humble strength of his prayers and learned that he was the 19th Generation Bundle Carrier for the original White Buffalo Calf Woman Pipe. It was an honor which changed my life forever. Though we did not speak the Lakota language, we felt the great peace descend upon us all. A profound silence engulfed us as the pipe was moved gently around the circle several times. It was clear that we were

The Pipe, the elders who were my mentors, teachers, and friends all encouraged me to walk humbly behind the Pipe. The Pipe has a message for all those who embrace it. The relationship with the Living Presence of the Pipe is both intimate and cosmic, rooting us to our deepest core place, allowing us

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to develop awareness of the connection of all life everywhere through the life breath. When I pray, I fill my mouth with the essence of ceremonial tobacco and sacred herb. I add my prayers for healing, love, protection, abundance and many blessings into that smoke and send it out as clouds to rain the blessings and healing down on all my sacred relatives around Mother Earth. I feel the ancestors smiling for the prayers of gratitude I send them. I think of how beautiful, fragile, balanced, and resilient our world and our life are. I am thankful every day to be part of it all. Everything is connected - time, space, matter, spirit, even our destinies are interwoven together like the strands of a spider ?s web. Perhaps that is why I have been asked to share this with you. As it is said it the Muskogee language,?CVFEKET CEFEKEN HVMKUSET OMES? which means,?May your heart and my heart be as one heart.? Blessings on your Journeys! Frank Menusan is a special education teacher, musician, flute maker, artist and writer of Muskogee, French Metis, and Spanish heritage. He has served as a professor of Native American Arts and Traditions at New York University?s Gallatin School, and frequently offers workshops on Native American Culture at the New York Open Center.

"Out of t he Indian appr oach t o life t her e came a gr eat f r eedom, an int ense and absor bing r espect for life, enr iching fait h in a Supr eme Power, and pr inciples of t r ut h, honest y, gener osit y, equit y, and br ot her hood as a guide t o mundane r elat ions." Lut her St anding Bear, Oglala Sioux Chief

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Sacr ed Robes, Sacr ed Ar t By Rev. Dr. Megan Wagner The Grand Council are a bandwidth of energies in the universe, representing the traditions, mythologies, and knowledge known to and believed in by humans throughout the ages. Much of The Grand Council?s wisdom has been channeled through 33 Spiritual Guides, and they are here to bring Personal Mastery teachings to humanity to assist us in awakening. They have vital information to impart to us so that we can live together in joy, create peace, cultivate diversity, heal the planet, and find solutions to our current challenges.

compassion. These spiritual qualities are already inside; you just need to turn the key and open the door, unlocking this wisdom within. These Robes, through the Guides, help to activate our 33 Keys to Personal Mastery and to connect deeply with ourselves, others, the earth and all creation, and celebrate the gifts of life. As we awaken the 33 Keys, we attune to our truth and live a more conscious, joyful life.

On the Summer Solstice in June 2012, I received a vision to create a set of 33 Sacred Robes depicting the 33 Spiritual Guides. Each figure on the Sacred Robe is hand-painted onto silk and is imbued with colors, symbols, and images to facilitate personal and planetary healing.

The 33 Sacred Robes are: Source, Renewal, Nurturing, Play, Passion, Peace, Joy, Guidance, Imagination, Balance, Truth, Breakthrough, Awareness, Determination, Strength, Compassion, Power, Inspiration, Acceptance, Courage, Love, Knowledge, Understanding, Wisdom, Trust, Creativity, Transformation, Mastery, Liberation, Healing, Vision, Manifestation, and Integration.

The 33 Guides painted on the Sacred Robes activate different qualities, such as Love, Peace, Play, Joy, or Wisdom to name a few. When you look at the image, you meet a Sacred Guide who invites you to embrace love, self-nurturing, creativity, strength or

The following are affirmations for the 33 Keys and offer the ?golden nugget? of wisdom from the elder on each Sacred Robe. Saying them aloud activates the deep wisdom within you and helps you become more masterful in life.

#1 SOURCE I connect to my source of infinite energy. #2 RENEWAL I renew and evolve through the cycles of life. #3 NURTURING I receive nurturing from the abundance of life. #4 PLAY I play and interact with the dance of life. #5 PASSION I live a passionate life. #6 PEACE I hold peace and serenity in my being. #7 JOY

#13 AWARENESS

#23 UNDERSTANDING

I am aware and alert to all that is around me.

I understand the meaning of my life.

#14 DETERM INATION

#24 WISDOM

I find fearless determination to reach my goal.

I illuminate my journey with my inner wisdom.

#15 STRENGTH

I trust the higher purpose for my life.

I feel my strength and confidence to hold my own. #16 COM PASSION I open my compassion for self, others and the world. #17 POWER I claim and stand in my power. #18 INSPIRATION

#25 TRUST

#26 CREATIVITY I express my creativity. #27 TRANSFORM ATION I transform into the best version of myself. #28 M ASTERY I step in to my Personal Mastery.

I experience the joy and I find inspiration within vibrancy of life all around me. myself. #8 GUIDANCE #19 ACCEPTANCE I trust my inner guidance. I accept what is with #9 IM AGINATION serenity and clarity. I imagine new possibilities for #20 COURAGE my life. I live the adventure of my #10 BALANCE life with courage. I balance and attune all parts #21 LOVE of myself. I flood my system with #11 TRUTH unconditional love. I express my authentic truth. #22 KNOWLEDGE

#29 LIBERATION

#12 BREAKTHROUGH

I integrate and embrace my whole being.

I breakthrough blocks to discover something new.

I awaken and embody my inner knowledge.

I liberate myself from limitations. #30 HEALING I seek healing for body, mind and spirit. #31 VISION I envision my best life. #32 M ANIFESTATION I manifest my dream and make it real #33 INTEGRATION

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You have so much wisdom within you. The key is to unlock it, trust it and apply your wisdom to real life situations each day. The 33 Spiritual Guides on the 33 Sacred Robes activate the innate wisdom from your higher self, so you can make wise choices and face life?s challenges with strength and creativity. We are living in a time of great change and these Wise Elders are imparting very important information to help us through these changes.

Rev. Dr. Megan Wagner is a Therapist, Kabbalah Teacher, Author, Artist, Ritual Leader, and Interfaith Minister. For 35 years she has been guiding people on the path of inner transformation. She travels the world doing ritual, ceremony and healing with her 33 Sacred Robes.

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The Fun Diet By Ryan Andr ews FUN DIET: Th er e is a Cor r elat ion Bet w een Tr apped Fat & Tr apped Em ot ion s Diet is a 4-letter-word for: torture yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally. It?s synonymous with ?I?m admitting to all my friends, family, and coworkers that I know that I?m overweight and I will ?try?one more time to prove that it?s not possible for me to be thin.? It has become an annual torture test by way of the New Year ?s resolution and is almost as touchy a subject as politics. I?ve lost over 80 pounds and kept it off for years, and it all started with one night of bliss followed by shame, guilt, fear, and self-hatred. I was sitting on the couch staring down at an empty box of cinnamon buns with fear running through my head from how I was going to explain what I had just done to my family. It started with an innocent trip to the store to find a treat for the night and ended with a shame-filled night of debauchery. No, I hadn?t done anything heinous, sinful, or despicable but for the umpteenth time,

"My st or y began w it h shame but ends w it h hope." I had consumed more sugar in one sitting than my whole family did all month. My story began with shame but ends with hope. The next morning, after hiding the empty box at the bottom of the trash, I decided to share with my wife what I had done and ask for help. I planned on seeing a shrink or going to a fat camp or whatever it took. My wife though lovingly chuckled and said, ?If you need help then we can get you help, but I believe in you and know you have what it takes to figure this out.? I knew she was right. I didn?t need a program; I had been on programs before, it was time to find out WHY I was eating. After researching studies, white papers, articles, weight loss programs, and looking into every cutting edge technology I could find,

I found the answer in a very unlikely source; my soul.

3 Cor e Belief s Th at Cau sed M y St r u ggle:

Tr apped Fat & Tr apped Em ot ion s

Food Means Comfort Avoid Stress at All Costs Don?t Let Anyone Know You Are Scared

?Your outside world is a reflection of your inside world.?? ?? Bob Proctor My breakthrough weight loss journey began with a simple juicing fast and ended with some heavy soul searching. I juiced breakfast and lunch, then would eat a healthy dinner. After a week, it felt so good that I continued for 30 days. I discovered that even though it?s easy to lose weight when not consuming extra calories and exercise appropriately, keeping it off is a completely different story. Digging into my soul was the final piece of the puzzle that unlocked over five years of healthy weight. The soul is made up of our mind, will, and emotions, and is the spiritual center of who we are. It makes up our identity and guides us. As a pastor of over 17 years, I?ve noticed that our soul protects us from emotional pain at the cost of physical discomfort. The soul is a warrior that fights for us and takes direction from our core beliefs. If those beliefs are false, then our soul will be fighting the wrong battle.

My soul took direction well, and whenever I was stressed or scared, the answer was to eat junk food. The emotional pain of sharing my fears, failures, and inadequacies with my wife was so great that I hid behind cinnamon buns, cookies, and massive midnight eating. My breakthrough came from using my warrior spirit to attack the lies that I believed instead of the emotion that I was feeling. Lie: I have a fat gene, and I can?t be thin Em ot ion : Shame that I was born wrong Tr u t h : There is no such thing as a fat gene, only a predisposition to gain muscle mass. Lie: Don?t let your wife know that you?re terrified, she will reject you. Em ot ion : Fear, shame, anxiety, rejection Tr u t h : My wife wants to be a part of my life and emotions, and loves me no matter what.

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Lie: You deserve that food, you?ve worked hard and need to relax. Em ot ion : Stress, stress, stress, eat something quick Tr u t h : There is no stress relief with food, go outside or do something physical. If you are stuck and feel like you can never be a normal healthy weight, then you believe lies. Tap into your soul, and take on the painful emotions. Your spirit is strong, and your soul is on your side. Find out what lies and emotions you are hiding from and get past them. Once you have released the emotions, the fat will melt away on its own.

I helped a woman lose close to 80 lbs just by facing her emotions and discovering her truths. Similarly, I helped a man lose a stubborn 10 lbs that had been stuck for 15 years by stepping into his destiny as a music teacher instead of a corporate guy. The solution will be different for everyone, but the process is the same. Search your soul for the emotions it's been avoiding. Set up good core beliefs, and let the warrior inside lead you to the healthy weight you've always wanted. For OWL readers, get a FREE copy of FUN DIET?at ? ryan8.com/ fundiet

Jour ney Int o Our Shar ed Consciousness Subscribe to our Sacr ed St or ies shared podcast stream and enjoy our variety of shows hosted by passionate experts in their fields! Subscribe to one feed and receive ALL of the shows!

Subscr ibe

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Security camera footage capturing a Syrian refugee?s random act of kindness in Dallas h ten million views in just over a week. The heartwarming video shows a visibly distraugh children inside a jewelry store, attempting to sell a gold ring. When asked by the shop e to sell it, the woman explained: ?I?m totally broke, and I won?t get paid until next month transcriptions in the video. ?Is the only reason you?re selling it because you?re broke?? th examining the trinket. Actually, it?s a gift from my mom,? the woman told him. ?But I ha get it done.? The man swiftly reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. ?He the woman his money. ?And this is your ring,? he added, returning the astonished moth jewelry. With tears in her eyes, she hugged the jeweler tightly and thanked him for his k number, if you need anything,? the jeweler said, adding: ?Don?t go anywhere else, I will again.? Identified only as ?Noah? the jeweler revealed that he is a refugee from war-torn

currently live in Texas. ?It doesn?t matter what religion you are, it doesn?t matter where CBS. ?This is our humanity, everybody should do that.?

Random Ac AWESOM

It is possible to become discouraged injustice we see everywhere. But Go promise us that the world would be and just. He gives us the gift of life a to choose the way we will use our lim on earth. It is an awesome opportun ~ Cesar Chavez Photo Credit: Joe George

has gone viral, with some ht woman and two young employee why she wanted ,? according to English he jeweler asked, while ave a problem and I had to ere you go,? he said, handing her ?s cherished piece of kindness. "Write down my buy it if you want to sell it n Syria. He and his family

e you?re from,? Noah told

ct s of ME

d about the d did not humane and allows us mited time nity.

A restaurant in Washington state has honored a fallen soldier with one sweet gesture followed by a second. A servicewoman came into Buffalo Wild Wings in Tacoma and ordered a Corona and a Blue Moon from bartender Brian Avey, reports Mashable. Avey informed the woman that customers can buy only one beer at a time, so she explained the reason for the second drink: "She said the Corona was for her brother who died in Iraq and I won't be drinking it," he writes on Facebook. The restaurant paid for her Corona that day, and the customer left a thank-you note, saying the "act of kindness" moved her. Avey says he couldn?t bring himself to pour out the Corona when the woman left, so he put it on display at the bar, next to an American flag. When he told his boss the reason, his boss not only approved, he asked that it get a fresh lime every day. The story has received over 100,000 likes on Facebook and has been shared nearly 45,000 times. And the Corona is still there. ?We?re not getting rid of that beer,? Avey tells Q13 Fox. ?That beer is for a fallen soldier who protected our country.? newser.com

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An excer pt f r om

Gr anit e and Gr avit y By: Vivian Elani Ar ia (Earth names, Anna and Olivia) Soul World: Anticipation ARIA LOOKED DOWN FROM THE SKY. This was the pivotal moment for her soul group. Their future lives together would be determined by how Flora proceeded from this particular point in her life. Flora was lying in her darkened bedroom, staring into space. She had suffered a long, painful childbirth, ending with the death of her son. Her seamstress and friend, Olivia, was on her way up the stairs to speak to Flora. Nathan, her husband, told Olivia that Flora would not

speak to anyone, wouldn?t even look into his eyes. So Olivia took it upon herself to see Flora. Maybe she could help. Olivia took each step tentatively; hand on the banister, looking down at her feet. She stopped periodically and sighed, shaking her head. At one point, she stopped and turned her head to look down the stairs, causing Aria?s energy to come to a standstill. Being a soul, Aria had the ability to peek into the future, but the future was uncertain. If the outcome of the meeting with Olivia and Flora was positive, Aria knew that Flora would be on the correct life path. But

predicting the future was difficult. She had been through all the combinations of actions that Flora would execute as a result of this conversation. However, there were too many variables to perform an accurate forecast, so Aria just gave up. I was naĂŻve to think that this would be easy. When the Council of Souls asked Aria to orchestrate her soul group?s next life, she readily agreed. However, this task proved to be more difficult than expected. As Flora muttered, ?What am I to do?? Aria?s light-blue energy swirled around in anticipation and suspense.

"I was naive t o t hink t hat t his would be easy."

Flor a June 1878: Lost Again WHAT SHALL I DO? FLORA ASKED HERSELF over and over again as she rocked her frail, battered body back and forth in bed. She tossed the heavy blankets aside and kicked them away until they dropped onto the hardwood floor of her stuffy and unkempt bedroom. She looked at the items cluttered on her vanity: the used handkerchiefs that littered the floor and the wide-open armoire that revealed the chaos of dresses, parasols, and boots inside. Dust motes swirled in the slivers of sunlight that escaped through the cracks of her

drawn curtains. Every painting that hung on the walls seemed menacing in the dim light. The farm scenes of cows, sheep, and chickens that she had once regarded with a sense of comfort now seemed unnatural and eerie. Flora struggled to get out of bed, tentatively walked over to the vanity, and sat down. The pain throughout her body felt as if she had been tossed from a carriage and trampled by horses. She had never given the process of childbirth much thought before her labor started. But once it did, she was terrified and confused. The pain and

hallucinations she had both during and afterwards would not soon be forgotten. Slowly and quietly, she opened the top drawer of the vanity and found it: the necklace that she had hidden. The necklace that her mother gave to Flora when she was a little girl. The mother who supposedly died giving birth to Flora. ?Oh,? Flora said. ?I almost followed in her footsteps.? But her mother couldn?t have died during childbirth. What really happened to her? and why? She studied the white and purple beads of the necklace carefully

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before putting it back in its hiding place. For the second time in her life, she just didn?t know what to do next. The first was when her father passed away some ten years ago. She felt as lost now as she did then. ?I?ve come back to where I started,? she said aloud in the darkness. ?Lost again.? She sighed as her eyes rested on her favorite painting? two ships sailing through the Hudson River Valley with a vibrant sunset about to burst upon the sky over the mountains. It used to hang in the dining room in her father ?s house across from Washington Square Park. She sold that house several years ago and moved to the top floor of the building she owned on 23rd Street. Now, she had her reservations about the move. Her choice to marry Nathan, who purchased that

painting for her, was also called into question. Every swift and confident decision that she had ever made now seemed incorrect. She gazed upon the art-work. Each one of those decisions had led her to today. Flora heard a soft knock on the door and slowly turned her head away from the painting in time to see it crack open. One of the seam-stresses that worked in her hat shop, Olivia, opened the door wider and stepped into the room. She looked paler and even thinner than usual. Her brown hair was drawn into a tight bun behind her head. The light-weight, cotton-gray dress, which Flora fitted to her petite body several weeks ago, seemed loose. Olivia?s face changed to one of concern as soon as her eyes adjusted to the poor lighting in Flora?s bedroom. ?Flora, you shouldn?t be out of bed,? Olivia

gasped as she rushed over. She gently assisted Flora back into bed, picked up the blankets from the floor, and arranged and smoothed them out. She retrieved a hairbrush from the vanity and gently brushed and braided Flora?s long, brown hair. Olivia?s calming presence quieted Flora?s mind, giving it a needed respite. When satisfied, Olivia finally settled into the chair next to Flora?s bed and placed her hand in Flora?s. After a few more moments of silence, Olivia said, ?Flora, why won?t you talk to anyone? You?re scaring all of us. Nathan. . . .? With the mention of Nathan?s name, Flora?s grip tightened onto Olivia?s hand. She turned her head away from Olivia and attempted to stop the tears that inevitably started their course down her face and onto her already damp pillow. Her mind

spun out of control, thinking about her son? lost just hours after a delivery that almost killed her. Thoughts of her husband, Nathan, abandoning her kept running through her brain. The intense chatter in her mind was nonstop. Nightmares invaded her usual peaceful slumber and were too much to bear. Each dream worse than the next? her father, evicting a poor woman and children from his deplorable tenement housing? standing at her father ?s side in some dark alley to meet with the managers of his drug ring? waiting in the cab as he stopped off to see how his prostitutes were fairing. Each dream ended with her father shaking her, telling her to ?stop, stop, stop!? But these dreams couldn?t be true. She never witnessed these events; however, she couldn?t discount the kernel of truth in each one.

?Flora,? said Olivia. ?Please, tell me what pains you so. I mean . . . you?re suffering from something more than your physical ailments. Flora, look at me.? Flora turned to Olivia, looked into her soft brown eyes, and said, ?I don?t have the strength, Olivia. This is too much to handle.? That was all Flora could say before sobbing once again. Olivia took a cool cloth and did her best to calm Flora down before gently saying, ?Flora, you?ll not be able to pretend that you?re unaffected by this like you?ve done during other crises in your life. You?ll have to feel and face this pain. You?ll need to rely on and trust the people that love you. Tell me? what can I do to help?? ?Nothing,? Flora replied in a small voice. ?Flora, please tell me something. When you were feverish and

hallucinating, you spoke of your father. Is that the source of your pain?? Olivia questioned. ?I don?t know,? replied Flora, shaking her head from side to side slightly. ?No, I do know. He left me, Olivia. He left me with this terrible guilt and anger. He left me a fortune that leaves me feeling dirty, and no matter how many good deeds I try to do with it, I continue to feel stained. His unrelenting greed caused many people misery. It was just so easy to not think about it. But now . . . now, it?s all I can think of. Now, I know. I know that I ...I...? ?Hate him?? Olivia said, finishing the sentence that Flora couldn?t. As she said the words, Flora nodded in agreement. ?Then you must feel that hatred. Admit that you hated him. Then, find your peace with him. You shouldn?t feel guilty for his deeds. You have

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to start talking again. Keeping it all within yourself will end up killing you. Everyone is worried sick.? ?I?m afraid of what I?ll say to him,? Flora whispered. ?Him? You mean say to Nathan?? ?Yes,? Flora replied, looking down at the pattern on her blanket. ?Tell me: what are you afraid to tell him?? ?Olivia,? said Flora with fresh tears in her eyes. ?It?s my fault that I lost the baby. During the whole pregnancy, I thought that it wasn?t meant to be. A premonition.? Flora paused and wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. ?You feel guilty about that?? Olivia asked. ?Yes, guilt that I may not have wanted this child at all. And now I see my guilt reflected back to me in Nathan?s eyes.? "Flora, I?ve known many women who have

lost their babies. They all believe that they?re at fault, that they deserved this as punishment for something. Most women question whether or not they wanted the child they are, or were, carrying, for many different reasons. What you?re feeling is normal.? ?Really, Olivia? Are you telling me the truth?? Olivia leaned forwards and grasped Flora?s hand again. ?Of course I am. Most women know when their pregnancy isn?t right. They have a ?premonition?that something?s wrong.? They sat in silence for several minutes while Flora digested what Olivia had said. ?Olivia, let me be alone now. I understand now what I must do.? Ar ia (Earth names, Anna and Olivia) Soul World: Splitting Energy

ARIA EMPATHIZED WITH FLORA?S PAIN AND MISERY. Aria felt badly for having to put Flora through such an ordeal. It was needed, and even the Council of Souls had agreed with her. But it didn?t really make Aria feel better. Aria thought back to when the Council had given her this task of orchestrating her soul group?s lives. At the time, it seemed so easy, but now, she realized how difficult it was to balance the soul?s energy within a human form. She studied how soul energy influences human life. How it?s an undercurrent of their emotions, sitting deep within them. But all of that studying was worthless when attempting to oversee lives without the practical experience that someone like her teacher had. Flora?s intuition was correct. She wasn?t meant to have a child at all. The only reason she was pregnant was so that she would lose the

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baby. This was purposely done in order to disrupt her life, set off this emotional crisis, and force her to face all of which she had denied for so long. It was up to her now to overcome this impediment. If not, her soul would remain stagnant. If she succeeded, her soul would elevate to a higher understanding. This process of graduating from one level of enlightenment to another required dedication, patience, and many, many lives of trial and error.

Before getting this assignment, most of Aria?s soul mates were living their lives in Boston or Provincetown, Massachusetts. Her human form was quietly working as a seamstress in London. She wasn?t paying much attention to the life she was living on Earth but was, instead, concentrating on her studies in the Soul World. She was proficiently splitting her energy between the Sky and the Earth. While living a human life, part of the soul energy is always left behind to hibernate. But

when souls become more advanced, the part that was left behind during an incarnation can actually stay awake and converse with other souls. Part of them can study their lessons while the other part of them is on Earth. Their energy is efficiently split between two realms. She was deeply absorbed in what she was reading when Teacher interrupted. Th at ?s w h en it all st ar t ed. ?Aria, the Council would like to see you.?

This historical fiction novel is set against the backdrop of the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. Aria gazes upon the earth and locates her soul group. With several past lives shared between them, their presence is familiar and instantly recognizable. As she and her soul mates embark on this new joint life, Aria feels something different; the true weight and energy of her soul group was now on her shoulders. It was a foreign sensation, something she had never experienced before this latest journey... Granite and Gravity is available Through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and booksellers worldwide or direct through Sacred Stories Publishing!

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Join Jim Phillips as he explains the ? simplexitiesof LIFE over the course of your current, unique -souljourn-. The Key to LIFE: Living In Full Expression reveals ancient wisdom within the context of modern day living that unlocks the vault of Divine wisdom within you. Jim?s insights and experiences offer an opportunity to gain clarity and answer your questions concerning your soul, your purpose, and your active role as the creator of your own life. Your song is the grandest expression and experience of Self that patiently awaits your willingness to sing it loud and clear. The Key to LIFE is the songbook for singing that song.

Emmy Harris was to embark on a humanitarian venture, when an unexpected appearance of an angelic woman brings back memories of the mysterious events surrounding her mother ?s death. The celestial emissary delivers a disturbing message from Emmy?s past and reveals a bitter betrayal that sends her to Kazakhstan to start her life over. Just as Emmy?s life begins to come together, she is thrown into the center of an international crisis that threatens her life and humanity?s survival. Emmy?s misfortune becomes a long-awaited opportunity for a covert spiritual group called HELP, to prove to the Pentagon that there is another way to overcome the dark forces...

All major religions and societies agree that forgiveness is a good idea. We are better when we let things go. But both have left out the how. Rev. Misty?s The Forgiveness Solution gives you the how and puts it into a proven step-by-step formula. This book teaches us how to shift our perspective and adjust our expectations so we can move past the pain of u n -f or given ess. With a dash of humorous and touching stories Rev. Misty will help you walk through your forgiveness journey.

Come join us, as we meet Albert the Peace Tree! Open your heart. Listen deeply to the life around you. A charming book for all ages, ready to inspire a love for the beautiful world we live in.

Andrew and his grandmother are best friends and spend their time together telling stories of conquering imaginary dragons (fear) by being brave (looking fear in the eye). As Gram ages and her life ends, Andrew is left to battle the dragons alone until he discovers that Gram has been with him all along.

"Between the pages of a book is a lovely place to be."

Available f r om Sacr ed St or ies Publishing and all major book seller s!