Personal Transformational Stories Transformation Magazine

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Section Title

TRANSFORMATION 4 Taking Flight 6 The Awakening of Inanna 11 Cancer’s Gift 14 Is Your Reality Boxed In? 18 A Second Chance at Life SPIRITUALITY 7 Gaining My Emotional Independence 20 Spiritually Speaking: Trust Your Intuition 23 Understanding the Shift to Spirit Form 26 Angels & Inspirations: Inspiring Others 29 One Size Doesn’t Always Fit All 29 Holy Mole Cartoon INSPIRATION 8 The Power of ARKs 16 ALLOWING Success: The Power of Love 19 Reflections... You Are Valued 22 Angel in the Mall 24 Transformation by Opera 27 Thank You for Eating the Cake TOOLS & TIPS 10 Ask Dr. ZZ HEALTHY LIVING 17 Pearls for Pennies 20 Captain’s Compass: Healthy for the Season

© Copyright 2012 Transformation Magazine. All rights reserved.

Cover Artist

Carole Stevens Bibisi

Artist, Author, Illustrator, Poet, Musician, Teacher.

‘She creates art and music in rainbow colors’. Carole followed her dream of becoming an artist in every sense of the word, as a gifted singer and natural artist, from an early age.

Carole was born and raised in Invercargill, the southernmost city in New Zealand. Her Art college studies focused on Illustration, lettering and design. Carole is an accomplished musician; a singer, teacher and pianist, who graduated to the highest level in theory of Music and Pianoforte, passing final examinations with Merit and Honors, through London’s Trinity and Royal Schools of Music. Her Album, a CD entitled ‘Sophisticated Lady’ was recorded in Australia and can be heard on her site. One notable highlight was being chosen to sing with an American Choral group at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Since moving to America in 2002 Carole’s musical and artistic career has blossomed. Her art has appeared on the cover of Natural Awakenings and The Pepper Tree magazine and been featured in Cat Fancy, The Cat Writers Association, Evolution Ezine, WQ and Hawaii’s Kauai Family Magazine. Carole’s children’s books ‘Tails’ of American Bronte is about her magical black cat Miss Bronte and they are advocates for animal adoption. Her love of vibrant rainbow colors shows in everything she creates.

“It’s our choice to live in the bright rainbow of our hopes, and not the dark clouds of our fears.” artharmonycreations.com

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Transformation

Awakening

An Apple Spiritually Enlightened Relationships Speaking Dr. with the Editor aZZ Day Ask

withD.Rev. Marla Sanderson Natalie Amsden With Carol Roberts, M.D. with MarciaBender Natalie, Publisher of Transformation Magazine, has worked with thousands of people seeking to live a life of purpose and genuine relationship with their true selves, others, and their world. She is the former Director of a counseling center for teenagers and their parents. She is also a public speaker and leads workshops and retreats on Practical Spirituality, Finding Joy, Discovering Your Purpose, and Enlightened Relationships. www.transformationservices.org

•••••••••••••••••• Taking Flight

When a caterpillar approaches its time of transformation, it begins to eat ravenously, consuming everything in sight. The caterpillar outgrows its own skin many times, until it is too bloated to move. It turns its world on its head as it attaches itself upside-down to a branch and forms a chrysalis. This gentle encasing limits its freedom and protects it during the duration of the metamorphosis.

I can totally relate to this process. At one point in my life, I began ravenously consuming every inspirational book in sight.

I felt heavy and as if I’d outgrown my life, yet I couldn’t move. My world turned upside down. I felt like I was in a prison. Unbeknown to me, I was preparing for a period of personal transformation.

I had been living a stagnant life for a decade, dwelling in my comfort zone of detachment and security.

Everything was as I had always known it. Life was relatively easy. Simple. No drama. I’d been tolerating what was labeled as “chronic fatigue syndrome” for more than 10 years, so low energy was my norm. If you had asked me at the time I would have said I was happy, but isolation within my family, selfsheltering, and denial can create that effect.

Don’t get me wrong, I had some amazing times, a fantastic best friend who kept me sane, and I spent a lot of time with family. Yet I woke up every morning to my alarm clock and contemplated all the evil things I would be willing to do if I would NEVER have to hear that damn thing again.

Even though I liked my coworkers and didn’t mind my job, I loathed the whole working process. I felt like a voluntary slave. I had always told myself it was what I HAD to do—everyone else had to work too, after all. I had an empty, almost non-existent marriage, yet I was totally oblivious to it. I had convinced myself that feeling unfulfilled, lonely, and unloved was pretty “normal” and that having no conflict meant I was doing better than average.

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My conscious mind had submitted to a life of servitude and mediocrity, but my unconscious mind and my Soul knew deeply that I was so much more.

My true self was conspiring to shift my reality. I didn’t know what would come of me, but I stopped resisting and followed my internal guidance, letting go and embraced my impending chrysalis and my fate. Little did I know just how quickly metamorphosis takes place.

Once inside the cocoon, the caterpillar does not reorganize its parts and sprout wings. It disintegrates into a puddle of ooze. If we were to open the cocoon halfway through the process, we would not find a caterpillarbutterfly hybrid, instead there would be a blob of goo. A common misperception is that the cells of the caterpillar rearrange into the butterfly; however, recent discoveries have unveiled the mind-boggling truth. Within this ooze, a new type of cells that scientists refer to as “imaginal cells” begin to form, as if from thin air. They resonate at a different frequency and are so totally different from the caterpillar cells that its immune system thinks they are enemies and gobbles them up!

Eventually the imaginal cells become so numerous that the caterpillar’s immune system cannot destroy them fast enough. Like attracts like, and so the imaginal cells are drawn together and begin forming clumps that then cluster together and feed off the caterpillar soup in which they are developing. As if by magic, one day the imaginal cells collectively become conscious of the what they are creating—an entirely new organism—and so they begin taking on different roles and creating the intricate workings of a butterfly.

During my metamorphosis, my life disintegrated completely. Everything that no longer served me (which was nearly everything) began to fall away, rapidly. It was sticky and messy and at times I felt like I was being torn apart, but at the same time I felt as if evolution had taken me over and I knew with every fiber of my being that I was on the right path. Within six months there was no trace of anything that had been in my life before. I walked away from my job. I sold my house. I ended my marriage. I disconnected from people who drained me of life. I sold my belongings. I found a new home for my dog. I was unrecognizable and identity-less. I was neither bloated caterpillar nor emerging butterfly, just a blob of primordial ooze, ripe with infinite possibilities!

Each new spark of imagination, inspiration, and divine guidance ignited a flame of knowing within me, an awareness that I was changing. As my vibration continued to increase, nonserving circumstances shifted away with greater speed, and I was drawn to live in alignment with my true self, my passions, my talents, and my longings with greater intensity.

When the butterfly has matured, the chrysalis becomes transparent. The need for restriction has been out-

grown. The butterfly emerges upside down and holds onto the empty shell with such reverence, as if to say “thank you” to where it came from.

Suddenly things became clear to me. I was ready, and so I immerged back into the world, totally transformed. For a while I dangled uncomfortably, in shock at what had happened and who I had become. I felt vulnerable, crinkled, and damp after breaking free from my womb of change.

I clung to the remnants for a little while as I took deep breaths and learned to stretch my wings.

I was in awe and appreciation for all that I’d been through—the emptiness, the depression, the numbness, the inspiration, the transmutation, and the reemerging.

I didn’t know what to do next but trusted that when it was time, the wind would gently nudge me to let go and ride the currents of my new life. I was not afraid—nothing had ever felt so right.

I was authentically, totally, and emphatically ME for the first time in my life.

I took one last look back at all that I had been and then released it completely. I was blown away at how effortless it is to fly when you allow yourself to be who you truly are. Instantaneously everything I needed for my new life was drawn to me, one after another. A relationship that fulfilled my longing for true love and acted as a catalyst for my expansion entered my life, as did living environments within which I could get acquainted with my new self. As I came into alignment with ME, I became aware that there was a larger transformation taking place. There were countless others experiencing similar episodes of metamorphosis, and somehow I “knew” that we were all part of something much greater.

The awakening of consciousness happens first in individuals.

I became aware that I was like an imaginal cell within the chrysalis of our transforming world. I felt myself drawn to other imaginal cells who vibrate at the same frequency. I found that many of us had felt alone and isolated after experiencing our Great Change. Yes, as those of like mind unite they are strengthened, empowered, and vibrate at an even higher frequency. As we organize and come together, we become centers of awakening for a human society that is evolving into a new existence.

As an imaginal cell you have a job to do—to follow what it is you feel most drawn to do and encourage others to do the same. Help yourself and others by practicing and sharing spiritual practices and insights that inspire, such as yoga, meditation, counseling, workshops, information about our changing world, or any of the many pathways that lead us away from our trance of consumption towards a new reality, ripe with meaning and purpose and in alignment with All That Is.

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Transformation or dealt with. It seemed that it was the right time in my life to be taking a look at situations that caused me to become numb. It was the right time for me to do some inner healing.

By Karen Castle

The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious…He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead.

—Albert Einstein Something shifted for me in the new millennia and the year 2000. It was subtle at the time, but I would now call it my spiritual quest. It seems strange even to call it that. I didn’t know what I was searching for, but I knew that I felt a deep inner stir.

I obviously already had a spiritual thirst. I went to church every week, sometimes everyday, but what I was searching for was beyond this religious environment. I remember being in church and having some confusion with guilty feelings. I often left feeling full of fear instead of being filled with God’s presence.

I trusted my inner guidance to lead me to what I was searching for, although I had no clue what I would find. In the fall of 2003, I took a trip to Richmond, VAand experienced a powerful workshop that gave me insight toward what I was seeking. I will never forget that weekend. It was November, late autumn, and the leaves were falling from the trees. There was still a vast array of reds and yellows but the foliage had passed and winter was settling in.

I was there to meet my cousin for the weekend and to celebrate our birthdays. We decided it would be good to do some inner exploration together. I thought it would be good for me to learn more about myself. Little did I know at the time I had a lot to learn. I had been divorced a few years but never dealt with any of my emotions around splitting up with my ex-husband. It was like I stuffed them down inside my body. As time went by, I realized there were many other circumstances that I hadn’t worked through

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The Gift of Holotropic Breathing This workshop was held in an expanded hotel conference room and was packed with at least a hundred people. As the participants laid down their blankets and pillows, we began the preparation for Holotropic Breathing. When it was my turn to breathe, I got right into it. I was lying on my back and started the deep continuous breathing. The idea was to let go into a deep process, an altered state of consciousness or a deep meditation.

The first thing I experienced was an inner vision of rainbow-like colors. The colors were mostly blue and purple.

Then something suddenly shifted, and I felt like I was some place underground. It felt damp. It was dark and cold as if I was deep beneath the earth. I have to admit, I was scared but I stayed with it because I was curious.

The next thing I sensed was a box near me. Someone spoke to me from the tomb-like box saying “Open the box.”

I thought, “What, I don’t think so.”

She said, “Don’t be afraid.”

I thought to myself, “Easy for you to say.”

Finally, I surrendered and I opened the box. As I did, this huge purple cloud seeped out of the opening and enveloped me. I was instantly relaxed and felt calm and supported.

This feminine presence lifted me up. We swirled up and out of the darkness to be revealed in the light. We were above ground and floating in the air.

I said, “Who are you?”

I heard the voice say, “Aynanya.”

I thought, “Wow! That’s interesting; I will have to remember that.”

As the experience continued, she and I danced together in the sky, we were free and joyous. There was nothing holding us back.

When this energetic presence emerged from the box, like a puffy, purple hue, I felt as though I was participating in an awakening. It was as if this energy had been dormant for thousands of years and I helped lift the veil. This feeling was an amazing correlation of lifting the veil and breaking free.

The experience that day was so powerful that it transformed my life. It was no longer about that experience, it evolved into a much deeper meaning. This experience of a feminine presence was always on my mind. Yet it was a slow process for me to find out more about her. The experience stayed with me for a very long time and it continued to nag at me.

Meeting the Goddess A year went by before I finally had a breakthrough. I met a woman who was a Native American wise woman. I told her about my experience and she knew who I was referring to.

She printed some material for me to look up. This information spelled the name as Inanna. The flood gates opened! I found all kinds of information about a Goddess Inanna from 5,000 years ago simply by changing the spelling. I was delighted and intrigued. Right away I ordered two books that focused on

Inanna’s story and myth.

Several months went by before I was able to fully grasp the content of these books. When I did, I was in awe. The synchronicity of the symbolism correlated to my life and I had uncountable “aha” moments. I resonated with Inanna’s story on many levels but mostly it empowered me to become the woman I am today.

The growth and transformation I have experienced since connecting with her story is insurmountable. This all happened because I was guided by my own inner wisdom to try something new. I faced my fears in the dark depths of my psyche and emerged free of constraints or blocks that hold me back. I

have learned so much about myself through this deep connection with her legend that I am forever grateful.

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Karen Castle is an author, teacher, and healer. To honor Inanna, she wrote the book titled Unveiling the Modern Goddess: Thru Symbolism, Chakras & Myth. Karen is an acupuncturist and has an Master’s Degree in Transpersonal Psychology. Her focus is on the mind, body, spirit approach to health and wholeness. She offers a coaching program to help people realize their greatest potential.

For more information email info@karencastle.com or visit www.

KarenCastle.com.

Spirituality me to the Living Love System (from the Handbook to Higher Consciousness). It has changed my life many times.

It was so effective in our own lives, we taught workshops to help others find more happiness and love. Of course, nobody benefited more than we did.

I discovered a web of belief that kept me bound to a life without luster.

Marla Sanderson has been a student of spiritual practice for more than 35 years. She began as Assistant Director of The Next Step, a psychic and spiritual community in a New Mexico ghost town.

As workshop leader, teacher, practitioner, and minister, she has led relationship and personal growth workshops, taught psychic development and meditation, Living Love, and the Science of Mind.

Marla is available for workshops and speaking engagements. She recently founded the New Thought Center for Creative Living. www. newthoughtctr.org

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Gaining My Emotional Independence

I must have I come into this life with some worthiness issues because I always have been a little emotionally insecure.

Not unstable—just unsure of myself. Childhood incidents combined to reinforce the idea that I wasn’t good enough and didn’t fit in. I felt like I didn’t have much of value to contribute or anything worth saying. I had no self-confidence, was overly sensitive, and easily hurt.

One time the neighborhood kids were playing outside, and my brother asked why I didn’t join them. Though they were my friends, I replied that they hadn’t asked me. He tried to convince me to approach them, but I was uncomfortable and couldn’t explain my hesitation.

I always waited to be invited. It had become my strategy for avoiding rejection.

Years passed, and though I got more confident as I grew up, I still avoided anything that brought attention to me. I would never speak up in a group or offer an opposing opinion. All that has changed, but it didn’t happen overnight.

In my early 30s, I met Gregg (Sanderson) at a meeting.

He told me later that he thought I was cute but a little mousy.

Regardless, the relationship was an instant hit and he introduced

As I learned to change my old “fear” programming to “love” programming, I found I didn’t need to live up to anyone else’s expectations.

It became my purpose in life to be me and to Be Love.

Not only was it OK to express myself, it was essential, and I was getting better at it.

I also discovered other deep and powerful unconscious beliefs that had caused pain and problems my whole life. There was a need to control, to be included, to be important, and plenty of others, but none worse than the need to be RIGHT. Each of these main emotional structures had an elaborate network of lesser needs that caused emotional reactions ranging from annoyance and irritation to fear, terror, and despair.

Each time I “reprogrammed” one of them, I experienced a huge transformation. Things that bothered me in the past had no effect on me. When that happens, there’s nothing to feel insecure about, is there?

I learned to feel OK about myself no matter what others thought and no matter what mistakes I made. I saw humor in situations that had previously upset me and I felt more compassion for other people as well as for myself.

I eventually got away from teaching the methods I’d learned, but there is nothing I’d rather do than witness the happy faces of people as they make the internal changes that have done so much for me.

So we have scheduled a whole series of workshops over the coming year to share this wonderful experience. For a preview, go to our website www.newthoughtctr.org/lifework.zip to download a pdf copy of a simple, easy-to-read cartoon book, “How To Make Your Life Work,” from our site. It is a gift to you and it is absolutely free.

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Inspiration modern day Washington, DC. Of course this is a crazy idea, and Evan resists, but eventually he builds this giant Ark. The climax to the movie is that the big Ark is not the point,

It is what the acronym A.R.K. stands for that matters—Acts of Random Kindness.

I came to the conclusion that would be my path. I would be open to spirit and look for “ARK” opportunities. So the last few years I have been keeping my eyes open for “ARKs.” But in the back of my mind, I wished for some vehicle for a Higher Purpose to be able to manifest through me during my time on the planet.

Then I realized the answer stemmed from my past rather than some time in my future.

By Scott Allen Now that I am in my 50’s, I have been giving some thought to the fact that there are probably more years behind me than ahead. As a result, I have been focused on the concept of a Higher Purpose and how having such a directive can transform people’s lives.

Pondering this objective several years ago brought me back a full decade, to a time when I attended the eulogy of a close friend. He had lived a full and good life. The church for his funeral service was full to overflowing. Person after person stood up to speak in glowing terms how he “gave back” to the community through volunteerism that benefited a local hospital and little league. He held high-profile chairmanships and spent countless hours in these non-profit positions.

It got me thinking what people might say at my funeral.

Sure, I would get a few people to say I was a good father, husband, and friend, etc, etc…the things that get said at funerals for those of us who do not change the world like Gandhi, alter the consciousness of a nation like Martin Luther King, or positively affect an entire community like my friend.

But you know, not everyone has the temperament, or the circumstances or, dare I use the excuse, the time to make that kind of impact in the world. Ultimately, I decided to do what I am sure all of the people I just mentioned did—I started small.

Then a movie came out that you might remember, Evan Almighty. It was the sequel to the Jim Carry movie, Bruce Almighty. In Evan Almighty, Steve Carrell plays a Noah character, and he is tasked by God (Morgan Freemen) to build an Ark in

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The Perfect Shell When I was a boy growing up on the Gulf beaches, I would go for long walks with my grandmother. We collected shells and learned the common names of many of them, from Alphabet Cones to Lightning Welks. Shells were plentiful back then, and we would only pick up the perfect specimens. We would see the tourists pick up broken shells, and think how silly that was. Why collect a broken shell, why collect a broken anything? In retrospect, how wrong we were.

I still collect shells, and just over a year ago my girlfriend Donna and I were visiting friends on the east coast of Florida. I was excited about that chance to find some east coast shells, but when I got to the beach I was disappointed to see piles and piles of broken shell pieces and virtually no whole shells. The larger waves on the east coast break up the shells into small, coin-sized pieces.

One thing I quickly noticed, however, is that these broken shells pieces were not sharp on the bottom of my feet as I walked along the beach. In fact, they were all very smooth and shiny. And interestingly, many of these shell pieces also had colors and a luster more like a gemstone than a broken piece of shell.

We ended up collecting a pocket full, not sure what we would do with them, but just thinking that they looked and felt pretty darn cool. I put them in a bowl on the coffee table at home, and soon I would find myself picking up the bowl and running the shell pieces through my fingers back into the bowl. Call me crazy, but I found myself feeling connected to the ocean from doing this, and it had a soothing effect on my inner beach bum…I mean Higher Spirit.

I decided I had to do something with these fragments, and I ended up making them into a necklace for Donna’s birthday. At about this same time, I was a volunteer for a local nonprofit called Ready for Life. It is a wonderful organization, recently profiled in the Tampa Bay Times, that helps foster care kids make the transition from foster homes to being on their own once they turn 18.

I was on the fundraising committee that was in charge of getting items for the silent auction. A couple days before the auction, as we were bundling up the donated items, someone said they wished we had some jewelry donations. Before I knew it, I found myself saying that I would make up some necklaces to contribute.

That evening I was telling Donna about the necklaces, and it took all of about 90 seconds to come up with a name we thought was perfect—Washed Up Designs. We created five necklaces and put them in the donation pile. Wouldn’t you know it, all the pieces sold at auction and we thought, “We might be on to something here” .

Small Gesture, Big Impact Over the past year, we have given away bunches of them outright and tithed many to other charity silent auctions.

We have even sold a few at the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary gift shop, which benefits that worthy cause.

My favorite story of how tithing a necklace helped to transform thinking came from an encounter with a Mental Health Counselor who deals with many people struggling through broken lives caused by addictions or divorce. In the shell piece jewelry, she saw an analogy of beautiful shells broken into pieces, with hard, sharp edges that through time, get transformed into something beautiful again in the form of jewelry made and given with kind intent.

As another example, last Christmas and Valentine’s Day I took my jewelry making supplies to a local retirement home and made jewelry with the lovely ladies there. On Valentine’s Day, one lady who was in a wheelchair came late and said, “Oh my, did I miss the jewelry making?”

I said I was sorry, but yes she had. I remembered that I had one necklace I had made in my bag. I took it out and put it on her and said it was her Valentine’s Day present. She teared up a bit, and said she didn’t have anybody. I said, “You do now”, as I bent over to give her a hug. It transformed her day through an expression of caring and love!

The point of ARKs is that you don’t have to make a big splash in the world to help transform people’s lives one individual at a time.

Those small acts may not seem like much at the time, but they add up to a big impact in our communities and our world. Every person we touch in a positive way sets in motion a chain reaction that keeps the goodwill flowing forward for many years to come.

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Scott Allen attends services and is a volunteer and contributor at First Unity of St Petersburg. He has a degree from Florida Southern College (FSC), with training in social sciences. Scott is an avid reader and practitioner of New Thought, and has had articles published in various magazines. He is the proud father of three sons, and is blessed with a beautiful partner in Donna on his spiritual journey. Contact Scott, and check out some photographs through his facebook page at washedupdesigns@gmail.com

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Raising Human Consciousness

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with some aspects of our relationship, but of course she has been happy with all the financial support I have given her. I know there are always two sides to every story, and I have many faults too. There are so many good things about her it would take me hours to mention them, but it is the bad things that scare me.

Maybe I am scared that no one else would have me.

Dr. ZZ’s bold, upfront, directive style plays an inspirational role in the lives of people she touches. Drawing on a non-traditional Ph.D. in counseling and natural healing, ZZ works with shaman elder Jack Alexander (“Golden Feather”), who offers land blessings, shamanic training, Life Purpose readings, and all-faith spiritual guidance. This forum proposes potential solutions on health, emotional, and personal matters.

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Question: I have been going out with the same girl for several years now. We have rarely lived in the same city for any length of time so I only see her on weekends. The problem is that, starting about a year after we had been going out, she has been playing around behind my back. She says the reason for doing it is that we aren’t “together” and blames the long distance relationship for going on too long. I agree it has been too long. I plan to finish work soon so I can move to the same city where she is and be with her full-time. The only problem is that there are still many things I am not happy with.

Often when we are together she plays flirting, touchy-feely games with other men right in front of me. Usually I find out that she had in fact been playing around with these guys behind my back. When that happens, I feel humiliated and pathetic.

I have mentioned to her how degrading that behavior is for me, but she laughs and says that I am too sensitive. I know she often tells these guys that she doesn’t have a boyfriend; this also hurts me. Another annoying habit is that, when I give her money or help her in other ways, she tells people it is her money, or that she did all herself.

There is also the issue of photos of guys she keeps and refuses to destroy. I am getting tired of the “secret emails” and phone calls from men I have never heard of. I can tell by the change in the tone of her voice into a sexy seductive tone when these guys call her that something may have happened between them. We have split up many times because of these issues, but I keep begging her to take me back. During some of the breaks, I have also done some stupid things. I don’t know if it was revenge or just because I was angry. When we are together, we seem to get along well, but now all my pent up anger is starting to show. I feel so stupid for helping her all this time when it seems as if I was just an asset to be used at will and then put away until required again.

The good news is that it appears she is starting to grow up, and I see some positive changes. She has clearly been very unhappy

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I am very confused; my self-esteem is nonexistent, and I don’t want to walk away now just when she seems to be settling down. Should we “take time off” and wait until I finish work so I can be with her full-time? Or should we battle on, knowing that while we aren’t actually together she could be playing around?

Signed, very screwed up.

Dr. ZZ: Instead of thinking of yourself as being in a relation “ship,” you may want to come to the realization that you are in a relation “dinghy.” Unlike a ship, a dinghy is not built for deepwater navigation. Rather, it is a small open boat, like rowboat, that you work your butt off to keep afloat without getting much of anywhere. The motto in struggling to row a relation dinghy is, “I will not let go of something that doesn’t work, and it feels as if I can’t let go because it might work.” Write it down, tack it to your wall, pin it to your T-shirt and memorize it. This is also the working definition of codependency.

Tomorrow is not just another day with this girl. She is signaling you as blatantly as she can (without being direct and speaking her truth) that either she is pathologically afraid of commitment, or else she wants to split; the relationship has been going on for too long. Either way, the dinghy has sprung leaks, and it is sinking. Your low self-esteem is fueling her abuse; and her abuse is fueling your low self-esteem. There’s no way out but to leave. To maintain any modicum of self-respect, you have to abandon the empty dream that things may change and swim away as fast as you can. Don’t worry about what you “should have,” “could have,” “would have” done differently. Tell her it’s over, walk away and keep your dignity intact.

Please do not think that you are undeserving of more than this girl’s cruelty to enjoy, desire, discover, encounter, and learn from in life. Allowing yourself to be mistreated is not loving behavior. Rather than hope to find love in the depths of despair you feel when in conflict with another person, aim instead for finding it in happiness. When you do, it will not hurt; and you’re not going to find it with this girl. So get a move on and stop trying to make something happen that’s not happening. You deserve better. Believe me.

Disclaimer: All information provided in this article is intended as general information only and is not to be misconstrued as medical or psychological advice, diagnosis, treatment or cure for any condition or ailment. Send queries or comments to askDrZZ@yahoo. com. All identifying information is kept strictly confidential.

Transformation sider my life. Each morning, I woke and thought, “I can live. I can die. I do not care”.

I viewed death by cancer as a legitimate form of suicide.

Contrary to all my previously held beliefs, an incredible thing happened. I had a “waking dream” and was instructed to “CHOOSE LIFE.” I argued. The life that I had known was not working for me and I did not want to continue. Suicide by cancer was an appealing option. Again I was commanded to “CHOOSE LIFE.” I argued, “Only if I have joy in my life and could live a life of abundant energy with full mobility.”

By Joy Ellyn Ryan The annoying radio blared, “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning.” Who cared? I certainly did not. I was so sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Some 60 months earlier, my first born, Daniel—age 32, a father with two preschool children—was diagnosed with environmentally induced leukemia from exposure to the formaldehyde in his workplace. His only hope was a bone marrow transplant. His kid sister, Mary Ellen, was his bone marrow transplant donor. The bone marrow transplant was a success, but the hospital overdosed him on morphine. After nearly a month in a coma, Dan died.

Ever since Dan’s diagnosis, I had been feeling poorly. With so many unrelated symptoms, I was frequently referred to specialist after specialist who treated the symptoms without identifying the cause. I was told that I had acid reflux disease and irritable bowel syndrome. To explain the itching oozing sores on my body, the dermatologist determined it to be contact dermatitis, probably poison ivy. In the middle of a sub-zero, snowy Wisconsin winter I had poison ivy?

More than once, I was told that I was psychosomatic due to the traumatic death of my son. I accepted that grief can cause physical illness, so I opted for grief counseling. Emotionally, I gained strength, but physically, I continued to decline. Although I lived only a few blocks from work, I no longer had the strength to walk that short distance.

While picking up my prescription for prednisone, free fecal blood kits were being distributed to determine if there was undetected blood in the stools. I followed the instructions and mailed my three samples the next day.

Within a couple of weeks, I got a letter stating that I had tested positive for blood in my stool. The letter recommended that I contact my doctor and arrange to have a colonoscopy. Shortly after, I was informed that indeed I had tumor growth and that it was malignant—COLON CANCER! Whoa! I needed a second opinion. The second consultant agreed I had advanced colon cancer. A minimum of 18 inches of my colon would be removed. A colostomy, a bag hanging on my body to create an artificial anal opening to collect fecal matter possibly for the rest of my life, was a strong possibility. Because of the aggressive nature of the tumor, my prognosis was poor. Surgery had already been scheduled for the next week. After years of being told I was psychosomatic, suddenly time was of the essence.

Yes, I was sick and tired of being sick and tired, but surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and a colostomy did not guarantee any quality to my life.

Was I only interested in prolonging my life? Why? I needed time to recon-

Finding Faith in Psychic Surgery Being a lifelong learner, I turned to books.

Serendipity became my guide. In Going Within by Shirley Maclaine, she told how she had benefited from a Filipino healer named Alex Orbito. Instantly, I knew that was my answer. I would go to the Philippines for psychic surgery and healing.

With this announcement, my family’s shock and response was nearly as devastating as when they learned I had colon cancer. They pleaded with me to have surgery and therapy first and then go to the Philippines if I insisted on acting insanely. I agreed to have the colon cancer surgery when I returned, but absolutely no radiation or chemotherapy.

Since I was too ill to travel alone, my 81-year-old father agreed to be my companion and caregiver. We traveled to Manila during Easter in 1990 and met with a small group of other world travelers seeking psychic healing.

Rev. Alex Orbito introduced himself by stating that only God has the power to heal and that “I am only an instrument of Divine Power.” Healing requires an open mind and a loving heart. Cancer is negative energy.

Psychic healing is about changing the negative energy of the body and spirit to positive energy, he added.

Without any discussion Alex scanned each individual. His hands were drawn to the diseased area like a magnet. As I lay on a narrow bed, Alex massaged the area around my liver. Without anesthesia or medical instruments, Alex pressed his hand into my abdominal cavity for bare-handed surgery.

Seconds later, a small bloody mass was excised.

This psychic healing experience fulfilled the legitimacy and credibility of faith healing for me. During the week I spent in psychic healing, I chose to create a new positive reality for myself. I started by adding Joy to my name.

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My father, Gib, had never been to a third-world country.

The poverty, tropical heat, and strange foods were appalling to him. Beer was the only item he would consume. Since Gib was frail and failing quickly, I elected to abort the planned two-week trip after seven days to return to the United States. Although Rev. Orbito objected saying that I was not yet cancer free, I left Manila with my father.

Back in Wisconsin, I had the cancer surgery where 18 inches of my colon was removed. Amazing! In just a short time between the colonoscopy and the surgery, the tumor was reduced in size to a nubbin and scar tissue.

My surgeon and doctor were amazed. Never had they seen a tumor diminish in size without radiation or chemotherapy!

The surgeon felt that the original reading must have been wrong, but Dr. Jim Lacey, MD, listened to my explanation of psychic healing. He shared my story with many of his colleagues and a son going to medical school. He suggested that his staff visit me in the hospital.

In hindsight, I think the surgery was not necessary for me, but a divine gift provided for the medical field to see the possibilities of alternative healing.

In the Philippines, I heard about an Asian form of eating to prolong life called Macrobiotics. After recovering from surgery, I flew to Boston for a workshop on healthy eating, vegetarian

style. I embraced what I had been taught. Back in Wisconsin, I cleansed my kitchen and cupboards of all food products except for organic and fresh food. Becoming a vegan was not easy, but a necessary way of life. I learned, “You are what you eat!”

Unfortunately, cancer is a death sentence for many. For me, however, cancer was a gift. It forced me to rethink my life and change. I have been cancer free for more than 20 years. I live an abundant life of joy, energy, health, and mobility in a warm and loving relationship. I am grateful for my cancer experience. It transformed me. Rather than fight the disease, I embraced cancer. I asked, “What is it that I need to learn?”

The answers did not come easy, but they were profound: Life is about living and loving one another.

Maintain an attitude of gratitude.

Trust your instincts.

Trust the universe.

Live in the moment.

Be nonjudgmental.

•••••••••••••••••

Joy Ellyn Ryan, Ph.D., is a retired educational consultant and teacher who resides in Fort Myers, FL. She has a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a world traveler who has visited Asia, Europe, New Zealand, China, the former U.S.S.R., among other countries. She also was named the Del Tura Citizen of the Year in 2012. Joy Ellyn can be reached by email at joyellyntim@comcast.net.

•••••••••••••••••

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Transformation of the groups had assumed that their family environment was everyone’s reality, but the activity revealed that some relationships are filled with chaos and conflicts while others revolve around harmony and support. This is important because

Whatever we believe is reality becomes what we will seek and find.

Joeel A. Rivera, M.Ed., Ph.D. (ABD) holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling and is currently completing his dissertation for his Ph.D. in Psychology. Joeel’s extensive career as a relationship coach includes certifications in P.R.E.P, a 30-year research-based program for couples, Nurturing Father’s curriculum, and Parenting 21st Century. Contact Joeel at joeel@transformationservices.org

•••••••••••••••••• Is Your Reality

Boxed In? There have been moments of great change and transformation throughout my life, to the extent that I feel as if I have lived many lives within one.

As we grow up, we develop ideas about relationships, roles, life, and the world and how it works. I want you to imagine that you have a personal assistant, or secretary, that lives in your mind. We will call her “Mindy.” Every time that you have a new experience, Mindy takes it and puts it in a storage unit were you have nice little boxes filled with mental concepts that fit together like legos. As you have a new experience she helps you assimilate it: Mindy sees where it fits best and places it there.

At times new things enter our lives that don’t fit as neatly, and our personal Mindy rearranges and restacks some of the boxes to make that new experience fit into the storage unit. In other words, we accommodate it. So, what happens when we have an experience that does not fit into any box? One that actually makes us question the contents of our storage unit?

For example, I was once working with a group of teenagers conducting an exercise called “Cross the Line,” in which different scenarios were called out to the group, and those who had experienced it in their past walked across the line in front of them, stood and reflected, and then walked back to where they started. The ones who had never experienced the scenario just stood in silence and watched the others cross.

One of the statements was, “Did you grow up in a household where there was a lot of fighting, arguing, and yelling?” Half of the students walked across the line, and as they turned around you could see the emotions on both sides of the line. Those who grew up with conflict realized they were not alone, while the others felt empathy for those who crossed. Both

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Any information, such as this new insight for the teenagers, that contradicts the information in a box in our storage units creates disequilibrium, or imbalance, in our life. Imagine Mindy opening the storage unit, confused, thinking, “What am I suppose to do with this? If I put it in I have to rearrange many of these boxes that fit so tightly.” It can be daunting, exhausting, confusing, and frustrating. At the same time, it can be rewarding, adventurous, and joyful, if we become more open. If we experience something contrary to our belief system we often try to ignore it, force it into a box, and stuff it in the corner of the storage unit. Yet, with time additional, similar experiences arrive that support the information and strengthen the new belief, and it forces us to reconstruct our storage unit, and our reality, no matter how hard the task may be.

Some people like change to move slow, but often the experiences arrive all at once. Like the saying goes, “When it rains it pours.” However, we don’t realize at the time that rain brings new life and growth. In our society, we have been taught that when we experience a state of imbalance because of life changes we should fear and repress it. This is the farthest thing from the truth; we should embrace that imbalance because it is in that state of disequilibrium that we find complete transformation.

The longer we fight the transformation and hold onto belief systems that no longer serve us, the more challenging the transition will be.

Have no doubt, though, that the transition and transformation will occur. Once we plant a seed that speaks truth and resonates with our being, it will grow, no matter how much we try to deprive of it of water and sunlight.

In my life, I have grown to embrace and look forward to these periods of transformation. They come as tides in the ocean. When one rises and creates rapid growth, I devour all information, expose myself to the experience, and allow it to help me grow. When the tide goes out, I take the time to create that space to reflect and slow the pace down so that my mind, body, and soul can fully integrate the information.

I remember in high school and during my first year in college, which I failed, I surrounded myself with individuals who had little aspiration. In fact, many of my friends were on the fast track to ending up dead or in prison. For a while I saw this as reality—that life was a battle and that you always had to be prepared to fight for respect. When I was 19 my brother passed away, and I started to question my reality. I

realized that life can be short and that some actions can lead to a lifetime of scaring, just as his death had left scars in me.

I decided that I wanted to be the person that would help heal scars instead of creating them.

I owed it to my self and my family to accept and embrace transformation. How could I not when my mother had spent part of her childhood in an orphanage and experienced many struggles, yet she embraced her own transformation to become the loving, powerful women that she is today. She would continuously seek change and transformation, and even during the most challenging ones she always kept a positive attitude.

At the same time, my father grew up with limited resources, with 13 brothers, living in a two- bedroom home without electricity or running water. However, all of his siblings grew up to be very successful contributors to society.

There were no if, buts, or doubts. Failure was not an option. When I fell, I would get up and learn. I embraced that every experience was there to teach me, and every little accomplishment made me throw away some of the legos that I had built up.

For example, shortly after I started college my car was hit by a semi truck that severely injured my spinal cord and left me and my mother without a vehicle. I was in intensive therapy and was told that I would have severe back problems for the rest of my life and that after age 30 I would have to use a waking aid. I could not even carry my books because of the severe pain.

I saw it as a test of my commitment, and I took busses and walked several miles a day to go to work and therapy during the day and school at night. I also cut off those who did not serve my highest good and took more time to myself to reflect and refine my dreams and desires, even though I spent many of those days in debilitating pain. I kept my pain to myself because I did not want to burden my family anymore. I told myself, “If you can make it through this semester you will know that nothing will stop you.� I finished the semester getting As in all my classes, but most importantly it began a transformation process that I have continued to embrace throughout my life.

Transformation can be instantaneous, but other times it slowly creeps on us and when we look back we realize that we are a completely different person.

All you have to do is take the next step and trust that even if that next step is off a cliff, the parachute will always open.

You deserve to follow your truth and to embrace the light and beauty that you are. Live your adventure.

P.S. The doctors where wrong.

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Inspiration

Terez Hartmann is the President/CEO of ALLOWING Your Success & BEYOND!, LLC, author of the book ALLOWING Your Success!, a professional Keynote Speaker, Retreat and Workshop Facilitator, Coach, Recording Artist, Show Host and Singer-Songwriter. For more about Terez, access to FREE Allowing resources and “Words, Music, Adventures & BEYOND for LETTING Good Happen and ENJOYING the Journey!” visit www.AllowingYourSuccess.com To order her book, ALLOWING Your Success! visit www.Transformation-Publishing.com

•••••••••••••••••• The Power of

!

LOVE Changes EVERYTHING We each have the ultimate formula for health, prosperity, and experiencing joy-filled relationships: Feel, allow, and express LOVE more than worry, guilt, anger, or fear.

Once the scales weigh heavier on the side of LOVE, we experience the stuff that “miracles” are made of.

We have all seen and experienced myriad examples of how pain and adversity can be catalysts for life transformation, but what if instead of finally surrendering to change after a long, hard road, we chose to ENJOY the journey and allow the awesome Power of LOVE to work its magic?

Let’s face it, drama and trauma has been done—and overdone. Unlike “change through pain,” the path of “transformation through LOVE” is one filled with sweetness, beauty, serenity, and JOY! Proof positive that amazing things CAN happen when following the trail of LOVE! is the fact that I am writing this article from a magnificent home surrounded by majestic red rocks in Sedona, AZ, where I will soon be hosting my 3rd Allowing Adventures! retreat and celebrating 10 magnificent years of magic, music, friendship, love, and passion with my prince-charming.

I know that some readers may be thinking “Terez, it’s easy for you to say this while you’re zooming around all blissedout in Sedona!” However, I have only been able to be where I am (both figuratively and literally) because I chose to shift from living from a place of fear and lack to predominantly inhabiting a place of LOVE. ANY time I have been down-in-the-dumps, the longer I hated and resisted being where I was while seeing things as “bad” or “wrong,” the longer I would stay firmly planted in Ickyville! When I realized that the distance between despair and bliss was based solely upon my ability to let go of resistance and embrace LOVE, I decided to bypass the middleman whenever possible and go straight to LOVE. And friends, I’ve got to say

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that once we discover that all paths ultimately lead to LOVE and we start going willingly, we begin to tap into a magic beyond anything we’ve ever dreamed possible.

When we feel LOVE, we lack for nothing AND allow transformation. Think about it: Have you noticed that any time you’re truly loving life in those moments you are simply enjoying feeling and being right where you are?

The reason we seek any kind of success or positive change in our lives is so that we can get to feel JUST LIKE THIS, so the more LOVE we find in our NOW, the more we get to go straight to the finish line! An added bonus: Because we no longer need anything to change for us to be able to feel good—we are now in a place where things CAN change! And the health, relationships, money, opportunities, etc., that’d we’ve been seeking start flowing into our life like a waterfall of fabulousity!

Ready to feel the LOVE, baby? Use these Allowing Power Tools™ to connect with the Transformational Power of LOVE! 1.

DO WHAT YOU LOVE NOW The more love you find NOW, the more love comes later! Instead of waiting for the planets to align or to figure out how to attach cash flow to your passion, decide that once and for all, you will give yourself the gift of spending your time doing something you love NOW—no matter what. Even if you can only dedicate five minutes a day to doing something you truly love, you give yourself five more minutes of fully LIVING and open the door for MORE! All that I do now began by deciding to give myself the gift of following my bliss!

2.

COMMIT TO LOVE Commit to THE very thing that makes life worth living! People commit to many things for many different reasons, but when it all comes down to it, everything they do and every promise they keep is linked in some way to an end result of feeling good (AKA LOVE).

Integrity is indeed a fabulous thing, no doubt, but just imagine how your life could change if you stayed in integrity with following your inner guidance and only said yes to the things that made your heart sing? We’ve all seen the results of what happens when others begrudgingly keep their promises or agreements out of guilt. I don’t know about you, but when I have been on the receiving end of this kind of exchange, excellence, quality, and fun were NOT a part of the package. On the other hand, every time someone said “yes!” to me from a place of personal alignment, true appreciation, focus, and love, it was a high-fivin’-I-love-you-man kind of fiesta that benefitted absolutely everyone!

NOTE: If anyone ever asks you to ignore your inner guidance or to suffer on their behalf, this is something that is coming from a place of anything BUT love.

The Bottom Line on The Power of LOVE Love IS who we are and what we came here to experience and express, so it’s no wonder that when we feel love, we feel physically energized and fully alive! Misery and suffering does not—nor did it ever—lead to ease, success or LOVE. Only LOVE leads to LOVE, and when you feel LOVE and allow IT to become both your compass and your aim, in this very moment, you get to stand in the glow of the end of your rainbow! From where I sit as I write this tonight, I know that LOVE can and WILL change your life!

Healthy Living worked every time without fail, and it didn’t have a single side effect. Based on this success, I also have used homeopathic remedies for the flu, and in less than 24 hours all of the virus’ full-blown symptoms (chills, fever, and exhaustion), were gone! Other people I knew who had gotten that same virus languished in bed for days, sick and suffering.

By Ellen Denton I’ve had arthritis for years, but I have never taken a single pharmaceutical medication for the condition. To this day, I can easily hike five miles, and I rarely have pain. How, you may wonder, is this possible.

The simple answer is homeopathics.

I was first diagnosed with arthritis by a medical doctor who had been practicing for more than 30 years. He was an honest fellow who told me that the Western medical handlings for arthritis weren’t very good, and if my condition persists, I would do better looking into homeopathic remedies.

I was living in sunny California at the time and the arthritis was mild, but when my father became ill and required emergency surgery I made a trip to cold, rainy New York for a week to be with him. The drastic climate change triggered the most sudden and severe arthritic symptoms I had ever experienced. My hands became stiff, unbending claws of pain. Since I couldn’t even pull on my socks, I wore pants with legs that covered the tops of my shoes so that my father wouldn’t notice my bare ankles. It was so bad that when I went to leave his apartment to visit him in the hospital, I couldn’t get the door open. I couldn’t close my hands around the door knob and finally got out by maneuvering it with my wrists.

My biggest concern was my father seeing this. I didn’t want him to worry about me or become alarmed when he saw that I couldn’t bend my fingers. However, I knew it would soon become obvious because he would want me to play cards with him at the hospital, and I wouldn’t be able to do it. I needed a solution and I needed it fast, so I found a nearby store that sold homeopathic items. I had never used them before, but I remembered what the doctor told me. The condition was so severe at the time I seriously doubted anything would help, but I had nothing to lose. I did not want to take pharmaceutical drugs, with their often potentially dangerous side effects.

I found a homeopathic remedy for arthritis with no known side effects, which cost me all of $6.

It involved taking the liquid remedy with an eyedropper every 20 minutes over a two-hour period, and then once every two hours after that if needed. After the first two doses I could again move my fingers well enough to shuffle a deck of cards. I took a few more doses, but didn’t even need to do it for the full two hours because the pain had completely vanished. By the time I finished visiting my father and left for the day to return to his apartment, I was completely back to normal.

I continued to use the homeopathic remedy whenever I had an arthritis problem, and that one $6-bottle lasted almost two months. It

The Alternatives I recently read about a multimillion dollar lawsuit against a pharmaceutical company concerning a well-known and heavily advertised arthritis medication that was settled a few years ago. The drug offered no better pain relief than many far less expensive, non-prescription alternatives and actually increased users’ risk of death from a heart attack or stroke, a side effect the company had reportedly already known about for years but failed to disclose. I later looked the drug up on Drugs. com and it listed about 60 possible side effects from the medication followed by the statement, “This is not a complete list of all side effects that may occur.” If this wasn’t so disturbing, it would be laughable. I found similar information when randomly looking up other frequently advertised pharmaceutical arthritis medications.

Not long ago when I was at a doctor’s office for an appointment with my husband, in chit-chatting with the doctor, I mentioned that the only physical condition I had was arthritis. He asked what I took for it, and I told him nothing but homeopathics, or other natural drug-free remedies, when needed. He didn’t believe that such things worked and nonsensically said, “You can’t believe everything you read on the Internet.” It was as if he had been preprogrammed by the pharmaceutical companies to deny the possible effectiveness of anything not given via expensive prescriptions.I beg to differ.

If you are faced with cost-prohibitive medications, especially ones that are potentially dangerous, look further. You may find pearls for pennies.

It’s true you can’t believe everything you read on the Internet, and there are many scam-based “cures” around, but you certainly can’t believe every ad you read in a medical journal either.

•Ellen• Denton • • •is a•freelance • • •writer• •living• in•the•Rocky • •Moun•• tains with her husband and two demonic cats who wreak havoc on a regular basis (the cats, not the husband). She has been published in You and Me, Fed Caps Words about Work, Greenprints, and Animal Wellness magazines, and a Spruce Mountain Press anthology. Ellen also took 4th place in the “Echoes of the Right to God” international essay contest, and twice was a finalist in a Scinti’s creative nonfiction story contest.

(If you check prominent Internet homeopathic remedy providers you can find similar products such as Liddell Laboratories AR Arthritis with Cartilage.)

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Transformation

By Rena Greenberg At the age of 26 I found myself in a hospital facing death.

“You can’t admit me,” I exclaimed, “I have an exam tomorrow!”

I’ll always remember the eyes of the kind emergency room doctor as he leaned in really close to me and said,

“The only thing keeping you alive is your age.”

His words rang in my ear as I was transferred to the intensive care unit. After lying in a hospital bed for seven days, a team of doctors whisked me off to an examining room, where the chief cardiologist announced that I had the heart of an 80 year old and abruptly left the room. A permanent pacemaker was implanted shortly thereafter.

I left the hospital with a whole lot of questions. The questions about why my heart rate had dropped down into the 30s and the beating was irregular would never be answered.

However, the more important answers to the questions of how to turn my life around were revealed to me.

Getting sick at a young age forced me to do some serious self-reflection. I could no longer take my life for granted. I began to question the very way that I had been living. I moved to New York City by myself when I was 17 years old to attend college in Manhattan. My lifestyle was very fast paced, and quite self-destructive by my standards today. My sleeping patterns were erratic, my eating and exercise habits were compulsive, and deep rest was not something I thought about. I did not know anything about meditation or yoga, nor was I even slightly interested. My life was about having fun, living on the edge, traveling, dining out, and mingling with celebrities in the world of fashion and entertainment. I loved the exciting 24-hour on-the-go lifestyle that I had become accustomed to.

Finding Balance About a year prior to discovering the defect in my heart, I began to lose all my energy. Because my heart condition was not diagnosed, I spent those 12 months researching health. At

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first, I thought my poor health was a result of what I was putting into my body. I stopped smoking cigarettes, drinking alcoholic or caffeinated beverages, and I also stopped eating sugar in the form of cakes, cookies, candy, or ice cream. During that period of time, I went on some very strict eating regimes, such as the macrobiotic diet and then on the other extreme to the Atkins diet.

After a lot of trial and error, I came to realize that what my body really needed was balance—a balance among healthy, waterrich, unprocessed foods. I discovered that although exercise was important, I had been overdoing it as a way to compensate or cover over mental and emotional pain. I also discovered the incredible benefit of the deep relaxation that comes with meditation and hypnosis.

I began to meditate regularly and fell in love with the benefits! I became passionate about self-hypnosis and meditation, and the incredible power for good that had been locked away inside my self. My stamina started to come back, but this time it was in a balanced way, without the huge swings in energy level and mood. I was now eating a diet of lots of salad with some animal protein, healthy fat, and a limited amount of complex carbohydrates. Instead of forcing myself to run for miles, I was enjoying long walks while listening to my favorite music. And I was practicing self-hypnosis daily. I went back to school and earned my degree in biopsychology and certification as a biofeedback therapist and hypnotherapist. My whole attitude about food, exercise, and myself had changed and I wanted to share the positive benefits with the world.

Soon I was conducting seminars at hospitals to teach people to lose weight and stop smoking. I loved hearing people’s success stories about their own triumphs with food and cigarettes. The solution to addictive and compulsive behavior was now so clear to me.

The best method to change deep-seated habits and pleasurable associations with the wrong food is heart-centered hypnosis.

When we change the way we thing about food subconsciously, we no longer desire the harmful substances. We naturally become more attracted to healthy living and the foods that support our health and sustain us. It can truly be effortless when the subconscious part of the mind is in alignment with the deep desire of the heart and soul to be healthy, to live a better life, and be free from compulsion and suffering. We only have to use willpower when we are forcing ourselves to do something that we don’t want to do, and that only works in the short run.

For long- term success, it is essential that we change our deep-seated perceptions about our self and our relationship to food.

I am so grateful that I was given a second chance at life. When I look at my two daughters, ages 16 and 18, I hope that they will grow into women who will always honor and care for their bodies. My prayer is that all women and men will not have to face death prematurely in order to recognize the beauty, strength, compassion, and love that is available to each of us when we go behind any doubts and fears about ourselves. Beyond these negative voices lie vast resources that are available

when we learn to go deeper within and tap into the Universal power of love that lies inside our hearts and souls.

Even when it feels like there is no compassion, peace, or goodness available to us, by taking time to explore the power within the deeper mind and heart, we can find it and use it to reprogram the subconscious beliefs that are keeping us stuck.

Every moment of life is precious, and when we truly experience life that way, we only feel compelled to make choices that honor and support ourselves at the levels of mind, body, and spirit.

••••••••••••••••••

Rena Greenberg is the Director of Wellness Seminars, Inc, which has brought smoking cessation and weight control programs to over 100,000 people in over 75 hospitals throughout the country in Florida, Michigan, Ohio, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. She is the author of The Right Weigh: Six Steps to Permanent Weight Loss (Hay House Publishing) and The Craving Cure: Break the Hold Carbs and Sweets Have On Your Life (McGraw-Hill)and has a private hypnosis practice in Sarasota. She can be reached through her web-site: http://www.EasyWillpower.com

Inspiration lenged them to see how they themselves can be empowered and how it doesn’t mean to control someone else, or be better than, but to feel the power of choice they have in actualizing their fullest potential, no matter what circumstances they may face. We went onto have an inspiring talk about their dreams, choices they can make to reach them and things that may hold them back and healthy ways to work through them.

Ricky Roberts III is the author of three books, an internet-radio host, youth advocate, inspirational speaker, and founder of YOU ARE VALUED, an organization devoted to promoting the value of the individual. His volunteer work includes Life Rolls On – a surfing program for individuals with spinal cord injuries and Surfing for Autism – a surfing program for individuals and families affected by autism. www.rickyrobertsiii.com

•••••••••••••••••• You are Valued

Although I have many stories of empowerment and transformation, some of the most inspiring stories come from my work with young people.

My efforts to inspire others to realize their fullest potential and see the greatness in who they are has manifested itself into an organization, YOU ARE VALUED (www.youarevalued. org), to embrace the value of every man, women, boy, and girl through community involvement, outreach, discussion, and inspiration. One of the workshop topics that I am given the wonderful opportunity to present through a wide range of outlets, with the majority being youth-based programs, is on empowerment.

I recently had the pleasure of working with a group of young people at the Home Builders Institute in Tampa, FL. It’s a wonderful program that gives young people an opportunity to learn applicable job skills such as: electrical work, building, and plumbing, as well as the ability to finish their high school education or obtain their GED. The program director, staff, and teachers clearly had a deep passion for the great work they do!

I asked the group what empowerment meant to them.

They responded with, “being in control of someone.” “It is being like the president or a boss over people.” Their first thought is how others are the ones in power and empowerment only means to be in power over others. Through our discussion, I eventually chal-

The truth is: there are many people who do not feel empowered as individuals because of adversities, criticism or simply because they are told they are not good enough, time and time again.

Whatever the case may be, this becomes their reality, which leads to the belief they are not worthy and it is only “people like our president” who are empowered. However, when that same person is given a chance to be heard, and are reminded of the value in who they are, there is a light that radiates from them. It is the natural occurrence stimulated from another person letting them know they matter.

Even if it is for a moment, the magic of seeing someone connect with the value in who they are is beyond words.

The more people see the value in who they are the more likely they are to not only treat themselves with more love and respect, and realize their fullest potential, but will want others to feel the same.

YOU ARE A GIFT TO THE WORLD. There is only one like you in the whole universe. I invite you to take a moment to acknowledge the greatness in who you are and what you have to offer the world around you.

YOU ARE VALUED -Ricky Roberts III

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Healthy Living

Christina Captain, DOM, AP, SLP, FSC is a board certified acupuncture physician and the founder of The Family Healing Center. She earned her degree in Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine from the East West College of Natural Medicine, Sarasota, Florida, where she is now a senior faculty member and advisory board chairperson. Christina received additional training in acupuncture injection therapy and earned a Masters degree in Speech Language Pathology and Communication Disorders and is an expert Feng Shui practitioner and teacher.

•••••••••••••••••• Be Healthy for the Season!

Season is here again in Sarasota, FL, as well as in many other warm-weather retreats around the United States. I wish I could say it was just the holidays, but what I’m talking about is the tourist and part-time resident season that starts in October and ends in April with sometimes as many as three events in one day. I personally know individuals who attend as many as 20 events in one week during season. Of course with these events come food, especially sweets and drink—mostly the spirit kind. So how do people who are striving for balance in their health and lifestyle manage “the season?” Here are a few ways that have been known to help the social butterflies.

Detox. The balanced socialite should complete a purification program before embarking on and after the end of their busy season. This could be anything from a 30-day program of sauna and foot baths, to a complete digestive tract cleansing and rebalancing. Once a 30-day program is completed the next part isn’t so difficult, and that is returning to a limited clean nutritional plan between events. This break, where all sugar and alcohol is eliminated, is essential for getting though a season without losing your healthy edge. This may only be a 24-hour break; longer

is better but not essential. Other ways to detox are acupuncture, massage, and chiropractic work.

Weekly treatments during a busy season will keep your mind sharp, your body healthy, and your spirit soaring.

Sleep. Adequate restful sleep is required to rejuvenate the body.

Without it there is no chance of making it though a party season without an episode of illness and or a decline in skin health. If you have trouble sleeping during season try these simple rules: no alcohol or large meals before bed, don’t go to bed starving, and do not drink a large amount of fluid before bed. Additionally, as a supplement try melatonin in a control-release formula to help you fall and stay asleep. For those with more difficult sleep issues, try acupuncture, which has wonderful sleep enhancement properties and can significantly change the way you live.

Supplements. If stomach upset is your challenge, try using digestive enzymes with your meals. Make sure the product is a broad spectrum formula that covers both protein and carbohydrates, and take one capsule or tablet with every meal. If alcohol is your indulgence, try a liver support supplement like milk thistle, which is excellent for helping the liver clear various toxins and can be found in almost any health food or supplement store. If you get muscle cramps after you go to bed, especially in the calves, use a magnesium supplement.

Food and Water. During events make good food choices—stay with veggies and proteins. For drinks order club soda with lime so you can look the part of a partier even though you are truthfully making a wise choice. When you are not out in the scene eat fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins. Whole grains like millet and barley will assist your digestive system in removing the toxins accumulated while partying. Small meals and eliminating sugar during these rest times will surely be a winning combination. Increasing filtered spring water intake will also keep your body functioning and help you clear additional toxins.

Keeping in line with these simple rules will get you through any season with a healthy and happy body. One great side effect is an increased immune system, which will enhance your cold and flu prevention abilities. People will wonder how you attended all the events looking fabulous and never getting sick.

Don’t worry it’s our secret.

Spirituality to “read” the Tarot for the purpose of self-guidance and to use the powerful symbolism of the Tarot to reach higher levels of spirituality.

Her column, Spiritually Speaking, originally ran for 8 years in Attitudes Magazine in the Sarasota area. Email marlou2000@aol.com

•••••••••••••••••• Trust Your Intuition

Marcia began her career as a school teacher, working with preschool through inner city high school students. She has worked with all aspects of Metaphysics for over 40 years and specializes in Tarot and Numerology. Marcia’s clients and students are in every state and throughout Europe. Marcia has taught over 400 students

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All humans reincarnate with the ability to use intuitive powers to enrich life and to guide in decision making.

I am often asked if everyone is intuitive, and the answer is a resounding yes.

It is true that some people are more intuitive than others, but we can all develop our intuitions and learn to be more trusting of the messages we get from our “inner selves.”

I have had students of the Tarot who are surprised when the “Higher Forces” inform me that they would make good readers. I have had clients that look at me in disbelief when I work with numerology and tell them that they have very psychic, intuitive characteristics.

What must be understood is that if one does not “use” and “develop” intuitions and psychic powers, they lie dormant within— often for entire lifetimes.

Webster’s defines intuition as: “the immediate knowing or learning of something without the conscious use of reasoning.” Think about that definition for a moment. Yes, your intuitive powers CAN be developed and used consciously, but there are ways to find out how intuitive you are BEFORE beginning conscious development and study.

There have been numerous studies on testing your own intuitions. I have always been interested in these little “quizzes” that measure one’s character. In the mid-80s, Dr. Vermon Coleman of England put out a book of quizzes that address different areas of personality to help one to better know self. One of the studies is on intuition, as in “how intuitive are you?” It is a simple test of 20 questions that are answered yes or no. Once the questions have been answered, by the adding up of the number of yes versus no answers, the level of innate intuitions can be measured.

I thought Transformation’s readers would enjoy this little test. Remember to answer the questions BEFORE you check your personal level of intuitive ability, and ENJOY.

How Intuitive Are You? 1. Do you do well in guessing games?

2. Have you ever had a run of good luck when gambling?

3. Have you ever felt that a house was “right” or “happy” as soon as you saw it?

4. Have you ever felt that you wanted to know someone better after seeing him/her for the first time?

5. Have you ever “known” who was on the other end before picking up a ringing telephone?

6. Have you ever heard voices telling you what to do?

7. Do you believe in fate?

8. Do you ever know what people are going to say before they say it?

9. Have you ever had a dream that turned out to be true?

10. Have you ever known what was in a letter before opening it?

11. Do you ever complete people’s sentences for them?

12. Have you ever thought about someone who you

haven’t heard from in a long time and then had a letter, email, or phone call from him/her?

13. Do you find yourself distrusting some people upon first meeting them?

14. Do you pride yourself on being able to judge people fairly accurately on first meetings?

15. Have you ever experienced the phenomenon known as déjà vu?

16. Have you ever refused to get on an airplane or take a road trip because you “felt” there might be an accident?

17. Have you ever woken in the middle of the night worrying about the health or safety of a friend or relative?

18. Do you dislike some people for no good reason?

19. Do you ever see an item of clothing or object and feel that you must have it?

20. Do you believe that there is any truth in the saying “love at first sight?“ To score: Give yourself one point for every yes answer and 0 points for each no answer. The following is a prognosis of your intuitive powers, according to Dr. Coleman’s study.

If you scored between 10 and 20: You have an extremely powerful sense of intuition. You have unusual skills, and you aren’t afraid to follow your instincts.

If you scored between 1 and 9: You do have a strong sense of intuition, but you may not always make the most of your natural skills. You should get into the habit of allowing your sense of intuition to make decisions for you. With minor decisions, learn to follow whatever first springs into your mind (or use your Tarot Cards)! You will be surprised at the number of possible solutions and answers that will come into your mind. Try writing down the things that come into your mind and then look over your list carefully. It may be that the best solutions will jump out at you.

If you scored 0: This does not mean that you don’t have a sense of intuition hidden deep down inside of you. It means that you have not allowed your intuition to develop at all. Try to get into the habit of allowing your instincts to take over from time to time.

When you begin to realize that your intuitions have led you to the correct decisions you will find yourself enjoying the advantages of a strong sense of insight.

In the event that you are interested, I scored an 18 on this quiz but, I have been working with and improving upon my intuitive powers for over 40 years!

And remember, Knowledge is the Greatest Power, so Walk in the Light

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Inspiration

By Noelle Sterne, Ph.D. On a sunny Sunday afternoon, my husband and I headed for the busy fashionable mall outside of town. I dressed up—trendy earrings, understated sexy blouse, tailored slacks, matching bag and shoes. We visited a few shops together, then agreed to browse separately and meet at the front entrance in two hours.

I’d been to every shop but the European baby boutique and had spent a lot of money without guilt. In both hands, I gripped multiple entwined handles of shiny, smart-logoed, overflowing shopping bags.

I should have felt wonderful. But my purchases barely veiled my heaviness.

At the imported pen shop, my husband and I had had yet another fight.

I didn’t want to admit it, but they were becoming too frequent. Each time, they’d been passionate and unbridled, the anger on both sides surprisingly intense.

The cliché about marital arguments is true: I couldn’t even remember the subjects of the last few.

Re-living my outbursts, I felt ashamed and helpless. Now, despite the new acquisitions and plush surroundings, I fell deeper into depression.

As I walked to our meeting place, noticing each flawlessly coifed woman passing by, I imagined she had a perfect life, even though rationally I knew better.

I thought of asking one to sit down with me on an inviting wooden bench in the mall center strip, surrounded by luxuriant greenery and overlooking the koi pond. Encouraged by my slightest sympathetic smile, I saw her twisting the diamond and emerald rings on her left hand and pouring out a saga of troubles.

I also knew that whatever she might confess would make me feel no better. My mind kept returning to the furious shouting and endless litany in my head of my husband’s faults.

As we had icily agreed before parting outside the pen shop, exactly on time I waited for him at the mall entrance near the taxi stand so we could get a cab home. We’d supposedly “made up,” each saying what we thought we should, as if this would make us feel differently. But our empty declarations couldn’t erase the

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lingering anger and hurt. And worse, I already knew from past repetitions that what we’d thought was resolved would only reappear a few days later, sparked by the next most trivial thing.

I dreaded the stony ride home, then unpacking everything that was supposed to have brought joy, and serving an uninviting cold supper of leftovers. We’d eat without speaking, except for requests to pass the salt, and then disappear into separate rooms, each blaring a TV to cover resentful thoughts.

I shifted from one foot to the other, looking both ways from the entrance. Where was he? He’d promised to meet me promptly.

Now it was much later. My bags heavy, I set them down and propped them against each other. I grew angrier by the minute.

Pacing back and forth, I wondered irritably whether any cabs would be left, and to check I glanced to my left toward the area where they usually parked. Suddenly a man appeared on my right side.

Startled, I looked full at him. He was tall and stout, towering over me. He wore black slacks and a black shirt open at the collar. In his mid-fifties, he had a large head, somewhat sagging jowls, and lank dark brown hair. Around his neck, standing out dramatically against the black shirt, on a thin gold chain hung a huge gold cross.

He was already peering hard at me.

I thought he was going to fight me for a cab or make a pass. Instead, with a small smile, he reached into a little black pouch in his hand and held out an object. “This is for you.”

Automatically, I extended my hand, unafraid. Something small dropped into my palm, and without looking I closed my fist.

Then he bent closer, his eyes piercing.

“God loves you and so do I.” He leaned down and kissed my cheek.

I stood wide-eyed, and no words came. Then, regaining a little composure, I said, “And God loves you. What denomination are you?”

He smiled broader. “I’m a Christian.” Without waiting for acknowledgment, he turned and strode to the parking lot. He unlocked the door of a black car, got in, and started the engine.

I opened my hand. On a tie tack back, a tiny angel shone up at me. Its gold halo spar-

kled, and its diamond-cut glass skirt billowed with promise.

I stared after the car pulling away, and my eyes teared.

How did he know to choose me, a stylish woman looking like she had it all?

How did he know that beneath the façade, I felt so lonely and depressed I hardly knew what to do?

The man had sounded so sure in his declaration of God’s love for me. Could I believe him? I cradled the delicate angel. Was it really possible? Her wings, like welcoming arms, opened in unlimited love.

How did He know that this was exactly the reminder I needed? All heaviness lifted and anger dissolved. I couldn’t wait to invite my husband to dinner at our favorite restaurant and knew we’d really be able to talk.

He appeared from around the corner. I waved and smiled. “Hi, sweetheart. You’re just in time for the next cab.”

••••••••••••••••••

Noelle Sterne is an author, editor, ghostwriter, writing coach, and spiritual counselor. She has published over 250 nonfiction and fiction pieces in print and online venues. Noelle’s major interests are spiritual and writing craft subjects. She has a Ph.D. from Columbia University and for over 28 years has helped doctoral candidates complete their dissertations (finally). Stemming from her experience, Noelle is working on a book of guidance that incorporates spiritual principles to ease the long trek toward completion of the dissertation process. In her new book, Trust Your Life: Forgive Yourself and Go After Your Dreams (Unity Books), she draws examples from her practice and other aspects of life to help readers let go of regrets, re-label their past, and reach their lifelong yearnings. For more information visit www.trustyourlifenow.com or email ywilldone@yahoo.com.

Spirituality

By Susan L. Schoenbeck I have been conscious of my spirit form for as long as I can remember. As an infant, I had polio. When my body experienced excruciating pain, my spirit moved out of it to a place where I was conscious that I had both a body form and a spirit form. I believe my body form let go of its spirit willingly and for good cause. The reason was my spirit form did not experience pain. Was some part of my brain conscious of the business of releasing my spirit? Maybe so.

Before my out-of-body experiences (OBEs), I would hear an aura. An aura is a sensory warning that something is coming. I heard a ringing sound much like a pleasant, resonating vibration. Then I did not know, as now I do, that people with other disorders, such as migraines and seizures, also report sensory auras such as ringing in their ears, nausea, and vision disturbances. Each person has their own individual sensory warning. There is logic to this warning system. If something earth-shattering is going to happen, the body warns itself to get ready because trouble is coming.

My aura of sweet vibration comforts me. As a child when I heard the aura, I knew I would be leaving my body and pain. The movement of my consciousness—its changing places from the body to the spirit—came instantaneously after my experience

of the aura. I am not able to consciously choose to go out of my body. I have tried.

I could be experiencing intractable pain of long-standing, such as for days, and still be unable to consciously choose to exit.

Even though at these times I knew leaving my body would bring welcomed pain relief, this is not how the system works in my case.

The sympathetic nervous system responds to threatening situations with either a fight or a flight reaction. Extreme pain would be such a situation. The business of consciousness is manned by the sympathetic nervous system. No decision needs to be made by the mind. The sympathetic nervous system has the spark and the fuel that makes consciousness move from body form to spirit form.

Realizing Body and Spirit I realize I have been fortunate to understand I am both a body and a spirit.

So let me tell you how this has affected my nursing practice and serendipitously, my counseling of those who grieve. My nursing practice started in a cardiovascular surgical ICU (intensive care unit). We took care of patients who had heart surgery. Many times their hearts, irritated by all the poking and prodding surgery entails, stopped.

We did cardiopulmonary resuscitation and brought the patients “back to life.” One particular time, a patient told me she had been out of her body watching me do the CPR. She said at this time she was

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pain-free and floating above the scene. She reported that she could hear everything said as others joined in the resuscitation effort. Same as me, this patient did not try to go out of her body.

It just happened, perhaps as a flight or fight reaction engineered by the sympathetic nervous system.

Other nurses poked fun at me for believing the patient.

Some said that the patient was probably having a dream made up by her mind to make her feel okay during this life-threatening event. Several thought that at the time of CPR, the patient was not getting enough blood to her brain causing a phantom belief that she separated from her body.

But modern medical practice—bringing the clinical dead back to life—brought me in contact with many patients voicing similar experiences. Could so many be wrong? I began to collect stories from patients, nurses, doctors, and paramedics.

Much research has been done that shows that during a time of extreme physical danger, we have the ability to go out of our life form into our spirit form.

Additionally, those who had both out-of-body and also near-death experiences (NDEs) added knowledge to what we know about what happens when we die. (There is a scientific organization that collects data about NDEs, the International Association of Near-Death Studies at iands.org.)

Patients who have NDEs tell of travel through a tunnel at the end of which was a bright light that enveloped them in love. Some called this light a “light-being” that accepted them with unconditional love. Travelers also spoke of meeting family and friends, watching a playback of key events in their lives and being in a place where no language was needed. The neardeath experiencers said that every thought was, without words,

immediately understood.

Now, I use the facts I personally experienced together with what was reality for patients who had near-death events to console those who grieve. When families come to the emergency room and find out someone they loved has died, they have questions. The most frequent question they ask is, “Did my (loved one) have pain at the end?” I can answer that one with certainty.

Reports from motor vehicle accident victims, from people fleeing dangerous situations, and from those on the battlefield all concur that when a person goes from life form to spirit form all pain ceases.

This truth comforts. When people leave their bodies, they are often met by loved ones on the other side. This truth consoles families who can guess which family member probably met the loved one they just lost.

In this manner of relating to those who face the death of loved ones, the voices of those who have gone out of their bodies soothes the living. The unconscious business of body and spirit forms makes conscious what happens when we experience grave circumstances. We learn we can move from body form to spirit form and back.

•••••••••••••••••

Susan L. Schoenbeck is on the nursing faculty of Carrington College in Portland, OR. Susan holds a Master’s Degree in Nursing from the University of Wisconsin. Learn more in her books Good Grief: Daily Meditations and Near-Death Experiences: Visits to the Other Side, which are available on amazon.com in soft cover and e-book formats. For more information, visit www.susanschoenbeck.com.

Inspiration to avoid being picked on and pushed around.

It was something you learned pretty quickly on the streets, without ever realizing how or why it was happening. However, my “one of the boys” attitude was just a front. Deep down I was an intellectual, a philomath, and a lover of the arts.

I just didn’t realize it at the time.

Ah, to be free, young, and 21, singing, “Hey, Good Lookin, Whacha Got Cookin”

by Hank Williams. Just as I crooned, “I gotta hotrod Ford and a two-dollar bill,” we passed

By Richard Goscicki by the old Metropolitan Opera House on 39th and Broadway. Suzanne said, “Let’s not do the movies today. I’d love to see an opera.

It’s amazing how one day can transform your life—in one C’mon, you’ll love it.” second, through one quick decision in the blink of an eye.

I responded not with abject contempt; I prefer to remember it as resolute disI certainly proved that when my girlfriend, Suzanne, and I were strolling up approval.

“Moi, opera, you kiddin’ me?” It was Broadway in the early ‘60s when JFK was president. A kid growing up in a tough like she was trying to kiss me on the cheek in neighborhood in New York City in those days had to be pretty macho and street smart

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front of the guys.

“No, really, you’ll love it. Look at this.” She pointed to an old-fashioned, outside marquee printed in gigantic block letters: January 17, 1963, TOSCA, with Renata Tebaldi, as Tosca; Robert Merrill as Scarpia; and Sandor Konya as Mario Cavarodossi.

“You expect me to watch a show, starring a guy named Sandor?!”

“C’mon, silly. It’s not just ‘a show.’ It’s a beautiful story.

Great singing, wonderful chorus music. Puccini was a genius.

You’ll love it. Just give it a chance.”

“Geez. What am I gonna tell the gang if they ask what movie we saw? I dunno.”

So Suzanne added the zinger. “All right, tell you what.

I’ll pay.”

Now the truth was, I really didn’t have a two-dollar bill in the pocket —only a few coins, a couple of subway tokens, not much else. In those days, the movies were only fifty cents and the subway fifteen. Ice began to melt, and I still remember her pulling my arm toward the ticket booth.

“Two tickets for the Family Circle, please.”

“Now I’m in for it,” I said to myself, like some shoplifter in Tiffany’s who just got nabbed sticking a diamond necklace in his inner coat pocket.

“Follow me,” said Suzanne, and we started scaling the most stairs I’d seen since I was inside the Statue of Liberty when I was in grammar school.

We finally reached the top floor and sat in our upper balcony seats, just a couple of rows before the standing room area.

I must admit I was amazed at the grandeur of the place—immense but elegant, with row after row of enthusiastic opera lovers chatting amiably in their seats before the performance.

The first thing to hit your eyes was the splendiferous, regal-looking red curtain—almost as high in the sky as the Family Circle.

The conductor, Francesco Molinari-Pradelli, stepped onto the podium, faced the packed house, tapped his thin baton a couple of times, then turned toward the orchestra. He patted down the air at his chest and held his finger to his lips, as if he were shushing some brat kindergarten kid.

Then, (this blew my mind), the chandeliers hanging from tastefully opulent, resplendent brass chains suspended over the seats, began to ascend to the ceiling, gradually dimming as they sailed aloft. It was some sort of transcendence to heaven. The curtain opened to a gasp of joy from the audience that drowned out a feeble cough of an old woman deep in the balcony.

On display was one of the most beautiful sets I had ever seen. No movie, no sporting event, no Broadway show could compare to it. It was a grand cathedral in Rome, with engrossing statuary, fascinating objects d’art, and somber but colorful paintings. A sacristan in a dark monk’s robe came wobbling out, mumbled some words in Italian and started attending

to his daily chores.

Oh, miracle of technology, YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQR2T-E6g2o) actually has a video of precisely what I experienced that day, 50 years ago, even the same Napoleonic-Era attire, exactly what an early 19th-century artist would wear. I can still hear the fascinating introduction, “Dammi i colori.” (Hand me my palette.)

“Recondita armonia…” (Concealed harmony of contrasting beauty… Floria (Tosca) my ardent lover is dark haired.)

Konya then sang the most beautiful melodic line I had ever heard, ending the magnificent aria with an emphatic crescendo, “Tosca, sie tu” (My thoughts are only of you!).” No song

by Elvis, Fats Domino, nor the great Dion and the Belmonts, was even in the same league. In a display of great writing, later in the same act, after the ardent and resounding declaration of love that Mario had just made, Tosca goes into a jealous pout and Mario sings “Folia.” In one of the most beautiful duets in all opera, Mario calls her, “mia sirena” (My siren). It sounded beautiful, because I understood the Italian. What could be more appropriate than calling the most famous singer in Roma, “my siren?”

By the time Scarpia pointedly got his just deserts, I was hooked and have been going to operas every year since then. I attended a few more operas at the Old Met, Aida, Un Ballo, Faust. I saw great stars like Tito Gobbi, Anna Moffo, Carlo Bergonzi, and the spritely, vivacious Roberta Peters as Oscar the page. When big shots decided to tear down the magnificent building in 1965 to turn it into a warehouse, I was more heartbroken than when I was 13 years old and told the Dodgers were leaving Brooklyn.

But like the phoenix arising from the ashes, the new Met is beautiful also. Since then I’ve gone to the opera at least a couple of time per year for 50 years. I often stun friends with such tantalizing tidbits as, “Did you know Franz Shubert was reading The Last of the Mohicans when he died?” Or, “Verdi ended his magnificent career with a dectet. Nobody’s ever tried to write a dectet.” (What can I say, I’m a philomath!)

Last March, I took in Lucia and sat in back of Jerry Springer. At the intermission I caught his attention and told him, “Hey, Jerry, you have the honor of being the only real person in my novel, Mirror Reversal.”

In a sally of imagination, he replied, “No kiddin’” (No joke. I couldn’t make this up!)

“What luck,” I said to myself. “What serendipity! And all because 50 years ago, Suzie Casatelli pulled my sleeve and said, ‘Try it, you’ll like it. C’mon. I’ll pay.”

•••••••••••••••••

Richard Goscicki is the author of the novel Mirror Reversal, which was published in 2008 and is available through amazon.com. Currently retired, Rich has much in common with former New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani. Both were born in the summer of 1944 within a few miles of each other in Brooklyn, NY, they attended the same high school, and both are lovers of classical music. They also have the same favorite operatic diva: the fabulous Renate Tebaldi. Contact Rich at Richgoss44@verizon.net.

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Spirituality a space of love: a place of pure Divine recognition for another.

It can appear through inanimate objects, [such as] a book, a rock, a sound [as I felt and heard the movement of wind].

In these too you can hear the voice of loved ones no longer in form.

Emily Rivera Andrews is a certified Angel Healing Practitioner, Reiki Practitioner, and an Angel Manifesting Master Practitioner. Emily shares techniques that have helped her become a Gifted Intuitive, Intuitive Channeler, Healer, Manifester, and Angel Communicator. To ask your Angels a question, email emily@LivingtoInspire.com or visit www.

LivingToInspire.com.

•••••••••••••••••• Inspiring Others

In life we are greeted with many presences that offer us mentoring. Some easily embody the credentials, the stature, or the wisdom that clearly help us to identify how and why they bring us inspiration. But unexpected sources also can offer us mentoring, and often they catch us off guard. For example, it may come in a young child’s words of truth, from a pet in its expression of love through its presence alone, through a homeless man at the light with his smile, or even from an individual we may view as a hindrance in our path. No doubt, mentoring can embody many forms.

The Angels recently explored this topic at Wings Bookstore in St. Petersburg, FL, and I have been guided to share the notes from the presentation with my readers at Transformation.

I trust it will remind you to be open to the many forms of mentoring, expected and unexpected, that have appeared and have yet to materialize for you. It is witnessing this form of presence that can inspire you to serve in the same capacity for others.

Much love and Namaste Angels’ message: We encourage you all in seeing the truth that mentoring is synonymous with inspiration. It’s a form of clarity expressed in a variety of ways, uniquely to each form and individual.

The embodiment of this truth can arrive in many ways.

Be receptive to the voice that speaks within you all, and how it can offer an understanding birthed from Divine truth, regardless if the vessel of its message is skewed in his/her approach to living.

Divine love is translucent in how it chooses to express, and its power to illuminate can appear in many forms. Decide to be open to the likely and unlikely possibilities.

Mentors appear not always as individuals, but also as manifestations of the natural kingdom.

Many forms, many faces, from expected and unexpected places.

You too are being inspired daily to be the vehicles of love and truth, through which others can be blessed. The areas of mentoring that can be offered through you do not need to come from a place of conscious knowledge, but can arise from

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Mentoring can present itself through our thoughts and emotions if we choose to bear witness of what they offer.

Other words of wisdom we share: Be available to removing the thoughts and ideas that sacrifice growth. It’s something that needs to be reprogrammed within your psyche [because these thoughts and ideas are] not in alignment with truth.

Teaching through chaos is not what we prescribe or what is encouraged. [It is a] needless vehicle for growth. Patterns within thoughts can bring forth chaos that isn’t necessarily always present [in your life.] Step back, breathe, and pause for moment of introspection to determine truth. Created and guided perceptions can give color to what’s unfolding that is not in pure alignment to what is Divinely being inspired. Yes it can inspire change, this is true, but there are other vehicles for change and transformation. Seeking growth through harmonious channels, rather than through those of pain, is what we inspire.

It’s seeing endings as new beginnings. Seeing pain as a reminder that there is healing and aligning needed within your mind, body, and thoughts. Seeing sadness as inspiration to become open to [experiencing] more good. Seeing loss as a form to grow to new realities and possibilities.

Transition is normal; it’s part of human evolution.

Without it you decay, you grow weak, and at times miserable. Growth involves change and stepping more into your true self. It’s a process, a journey, always ongoing. It is driven by the soul. Change is unique for each individual, but a form of it appears within all your lives. What changes are unfolding within you or outside yourself that are the process of commencement into [an expression of] your true potential? Where is fear holding you back from taking the next step into your evolution?

Know that we are here. Know that we are able to offer all that is needed in love and in illumination.

Love, The Angels I also want to include a Chinese parable that was shared during the presentation. The Angels are inspiring us to re-empower ourselves by putting down that which is no longer needed, the hurts and things that are a representation of the past—not a reflection of what is possible within our future. Enjoy!

“The River” Two Zen monks, Tanzan and Ekido, traveling on pilgrimage came to a muddy river crossing. There they saw a lovely young woman dressed in her kimono and finery, obviously not knowing how to cross the river without ruining her clothes.

Without further ado, Tanzan graciously picked her up, held her close to him, and carried her across the muddy river, placing her onto the dry ground. Then he and Ekido continued on their way. Hours later they found themselves at a lodging temple. And here Ekido could no longer restrain himself and gushed forth his

complaints: “Surely, it is against the rules, what you did back there…. Touching a woman is simply not allowed…. How could you have done that? … And to have such close contact with her! … This is a violation of all monastic protocol…” Thus he went on with his verbiage. Tanzan listened patiently to the accusations.

Finally, during a pause, he said, “Look, I set that girl down back at the crossing. Are you still carrying her?”

(Based on an autobiographical story by Japanese master Tanzan, 1819-1892)

Inspiration “Thank you for eating that cake. Because you took that step that generated the life that followed, you have helped me and so many other people.”

Ray’s poignant comment took me by surprise. I hadn’t thought about that act in such a broad context. I realized that one small act can change not just your life, but the lives of many whom you touch. Never underestimate the power of any act of courage or kindness. When you live in alignment with your true self, you send out ripples that affect the entire universe.

A Course in Miracles tells us,

By Alan Cohen

“A miracle is never lost. It may touch many people you have not even met, and produce undreamed of changes in situations of which you are not even aware.”

One of the great defining moments of my life came when I was in college. I had been practicing Orthodox Judaism for about seven years, a very meaningful path for me. I came to a point, however, when the rituals had become rote and dry for me. On one holiday, a fast day, I was very hungry. But I feared to eat because I You see but the tip of the iceberg of how you affect might go to hell for violating the religion’s rules. After struggling with the world. You must trust that what you are doing with joy and the choice, I came to a striking realization: inspiration is serving the planet, even if you do not observe immediate results. Some of the greatest contributors to huFear is not a good enough reason to do a manity were not acknowledged in their own time. Van Gogh sold but one of his paintings for a pittance, yet more recently religious act, and certainly no foundation one of his works sold for $150 million, the highest price ever for a life. paid for a piece of art. The divinely gifted Mozart was buried in a pauper’s grave. Nikola Tesla, the genius who gave the world So I ate a piece of cake, which signaled a turning point alternating current electricity, wireless communication, and xfor me. Soon I let go of my religious practices and entered onto the rays, has been little known or acknowledged until recently. spiritual path, in which I explored the world, studied with masters in I am not suggesting that you need to be overlooked many traditions, and enjoyed an explosion of higher consciousness. or unrewarded by the world; indeed those who give gifts deThe cake eating heralded the beginning of one of the most spiritu- serve to be well cared for by life. I am suggesting that someally productive periods of my life. Ultimately it led to me writing my times the good you do is not obvious at the moment you do first book, The Dragon Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, which became it, and its ramifications are held in trust until the time is ripe. very popular and set the stage for all the years that have passed When or how you see the result of your service is less imporsince that time. tant than the fulfillment you experience in delivering it. Van At a recent seminar I told the above story. After the Gogh, Mozart, and Tesla did not paint, compose, or invent for program a fellow named Ray shook my hand and told me social glory. Their art, music, and science were totally rewardquite sincerely, ing for their own sake.

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Spirituality You can magnify your awareness of your significant acTrue love requires not a response from the world. The tions by acknowledging others for theirs. You get more of what satisfaction of love is in loving. you focus on and what you appreciate. When you thank someone for doing something that has helped you, your expression Every moment is a defining moment if you of gratitude deepens your awareness of the effects of your own make it so. actions. Even if you are not able to be generous with money, you always have the wherewithal to be generous with gratitude.

In the film Tin Cup, Kevin Costner’s character states Whenever I receive a word, email, or greeting card of thanks, the that when the defining moment comes, either you define it or it expression makes a big difference in my day. The next person defines you. If you let the world define you, you will feel separate, I speak to receives the ripple effect of the good feelings I have lost, alone, and wonder what you are doing here. If you define gained. Every act counts. your life according to your true values and intentions, you will The next time you stand at the crossroads of fear and find meaning, service, success, and inner peace. If you have faith, consider that thousands or millions of people might be inner peace, you have everything. Without it, you have nothing. helped by the choice you make. You do not walk alone.

Quantum physics describes “The Butterfly Effect,” or “the sensitive dependence on initial conditions, where a small change at one place in a nonlinear system can result in large Alan Cohen is the author of many inspirational books, including the differences to a later state. The name of the effect…is derived new popular Enough Already: The Power of Radical Contentment. from the theoretical example of a hurricane’s formation being For more information about Alan’s Hawaii retreats, Life Coach contingent on whether or not a distant butterfly had flapped its Training, free daily inspirational quotes via email, and other books and programs, visit www.alancohen.com, email info@alancohen. wings several weeks before.” (Source: Wikipedia.)

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com, or phone 1-808-572-0001

You are the butterfly, and the world is the effect.

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Spirituality

Gregg Sanderson has a rare view of the metaphysical universe. He traveled the road from Christian Science through Judaism, Agnosticism, Atheism, Living Love, Psychic Development, Spiritualism, Teaching of the Inner Christ, all the way to the International Centers for Spiritual Living where he is a licensed practitioner. He is the author of What Ever Happened To Happily Ever After? and Split Happens – Easing the Pain of Divorce. Gregg’s latest book is Spirit With A Smile — The World According to BOB (www.Transformation-Publishing).

Email to gregg@spiritwithasmile.com.

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One Size Doesn’t Always Fit All If you don’t think BOB has a sense of humor, just look in the mirror. –Gregg Sanderson There are many paths up the mountain, says the wise man, but sometime it’s not always a good idea for them to cross.

A case in point: It was toward the latter part of the 20th century when the touchy-feely aspects of the human potential movement were at their peak. A group of novice workshop leaders from a community called “The Next Step” accepted an invitation to lead a workshop at a conference of the 3HO Foundation. They loaded up their VW Camper and off they went into the New Mexico hills.

“3HO” stands for Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization.

They’re gentle people, who follow the Sikh teachings of Yogi Bhajan. They were friendly, helpful, and oh-so-impressive—dressed in white from turban to toe. That should have been the first clue, dutifully ignored by the enthusiastic little group, dressed for comfort in shorts and T-shirts.

They didn’t notice that the men pretty much hung out with the men and the women with the women—another missed clue. And who would have guessed their teaching eschewed physical contact to the point that even married couples were allowed to have sex only once a month? Certainly not this little band of Spiritual neophytes, eagerly preparing for their first big event. Like all their workshops, it had intermingling, hugging, touching and warm inter-gender communication.

It was a perfect setup for a Spiritual train wreck.

Enter the Divine Comedian. With the workshop scheduled for 2:00 p.m, it was noon when one of the group realized they had forgotten an essential prop, and had to run to the nearby town to pick it up.

While still a few miles from town along the dirt road, the camper developed—not one—not two —but THREE flat tires.

With but a single spare, the first tire had to be changed, rolled into town, repaired, then rolled back and mounted. The same with the second tire, then they drove the third one in for repair.

The “Next Steppers” arrived back at the conference in time to apologize profusely, but with no time remaining to reschedule their workshop.

Wow! What appeared to be a disaster, actually turned out to have prevented one.

It’s worth remembering that BOB always has a different perspective than we do, so the best response to anything that happens is never to doubt Divine Wisdom.

When the members of the group later learned more about the 3HO teachings, they performed the ritual smack on the forehead, recited the mantra, “Oy Vey!” and gave thanks for the three flat blessings.

Then we went home.

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