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A Holistic Journal Celebrating & Supporting LIFE! Aug/Sept 2009
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Movement
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Volume 8, No. 2
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Tapestry Rated X
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Matter Of Trust
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Healing or Stealing?
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Let Dance Move You!
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Movement In The Stillness
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Maintaining Our Innate Resilience
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Modern Shamanic Living ~ United States of Reality
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Wandering Sage Wisdom ~ Combating Laze
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Awareness and The Art of Seeing ~ Finding Her Way Home
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Destination Healing NNE ~ Improving Movement Through Massage
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A Breath Of Healing ~ The Yoga Movement
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Northeast TRAGERÂŽ Neuromuscular Re-education and Mentastics/Mindful Movement Freedom of Movement is the Foundation of a Healthy Body
www.trager-northeast.org Marlena O'Hagan-Buzzell kmbuzzell@roadrunner.com 207 212-7721
Gail Edgerly gail@movementashealer.com 207 781-4488
Liz Berks lizland@roadrunner.com 207 839-2333
Virginia Reidy vr45traveler@hotmail.com 207 734-8132 / 904-874-4896
Trager touch and movement integrate the different parts of the body, and they integrate mind and body through feeling. 2 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2009
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Inner TAPESTRY
This Issue's Theme Movement O c to ber / N ovem b er 2 0 09: L iving Visio ns D e ce m ber / J a nu a r y 2 0 0 9/2010: E m b ra cem ent Feb r u a r y / M a rc h 2 0 10: At te n d ing To O u r Physic a l Ves s el Ap r il / M ay 2 0 1 0 Li v ing Wit ho u t D ef initio n
Contents
A Holistic Journal Celebrating & Supporting LIFE!
Features
AUG/SEPT 2009
Matter of Trust
Page
6
by Scott Cronenweth
Healing or Stealing?
Page 8
by Paul Hawken
Movement in the Stillness
Page 9
by Cara Forte, RYT
Maintaining Our Innate Resilience
Page 11
by Noreen Owens M.Ed.
Let Dance Move You!
Page 18
by Charese Mathews
Rated X
Page 19
by Carlene Sullivan
August 25th
An Introduction to Homeopathy
Page 20
by Stephen Kottler, HMC
Herbology Today ~ Capsule, Tea, Tincture... Oh My!
Page 21
by Christopher J. Bashaw
How Does Your Pet Move With You?
Page 23
by Donald and Sara Hassler
Departments A Breath of Healing ~ The Yoga Movement
Page 10
by Donna Amrita Davidge
Awareness and the Art of Seeing ~ Finding Her Way Home
Page 11
by Jen Deraspe
Loving Earth ~ Dancing Life: A Conversation With Caroline Loupe
Page 14
by Pat Foley
21st Century Boheman ~ Granite: Rock Solid and Fluid
Page 15
by Teresa Piccari
Modern Shamanic Living ~ United States of Reality
Page 16
by Evelyn C. Rysdyk
Wandering Sage Wisdom ~ Combating Laze
Page 17
by Aaron Hoopes
Welcome Home ~ Ask Asrianna
Page 26
by Asrianna Dameron
Destination Healing SNE ~ Moving Energy, Healing Spirit...
Page 28
by Karen M. Rider
Destination Healing NNE ~ Improving Movement by Kevin Pennell Through Massage
Page 29
Exploring the World Religions ~ There Is No Vatican by James Bean Of The Spirit
Page 30
The Way of Life-Itself ~ Movement of Life: Living Organisms Evolve
Page 31
by Norm Hirst
Mixed Media ~ Book, Website & Music Reviews
Pages 46- 47
Directory of Resources Yoga, T'ai Chi, & Meditation Directory Heart Visions, Calendar of Events, Classifieds
Pages 32-40 Page 41 Pages 42-44
Directories
Aug/Sept 2009 Inner Tapestry 3
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Ar ticle Submissio n Date For O c to ber/N ovembe r Issu e L iving Visions
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A H olistic Journal
Subscriptions $20.00/year, 6 issues Inner Tapestry can be picked up for free in over 500 locations, but to insure you don’t miss a copy, subscriptions are available.
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Celebrating & Supporting LIFE!
Joan Emmons Ron Damico Betty Close Publishers All inquiries call:
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Life As Love in Motion Cyan Magenta Yellow Black
Welcome to Inner Tapestry OUR EXPRESSION OF INTENTION: As we weave from within, we begin the
creation of the outward expression and celebration of our own unique tapestry. Our intention is to provide a pathway of support for all seeking the awareness of living a conscious life by creating and supporting a network of connection within the holistic community and its practitioners. The journal is advertiser-supported. It can be found in businesses and services that promote complementary healing, and who support cultural, environmental and educational needs, where ideas of conscious living and integrative wholeness are welcomed and nourished. In our eighth year as a Holistic Journal celebrating and supporting the exploration of life, we have become a leading voice for people in their discovery of holistic health, natural living and spiritual wisdom and insight.
AVAILABLE IN MORE THAN 500 LOCATIONS Distributed bimonthly (six times a year) this free publication is filled with carefully selected inspiring and informative articles promoting conscious life choices that lead to a higher quality of life, unity within one's self and community and a greater experience of spirit! Our distribution area spans throughout Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Massachusetts with over 500 locations. If you would like copies placed at your business or location please contact us. Inner Tapestry is a great resource for your family, friends, clients and customers.
SEE YOUR ADVERTISEMENT IN INNER TAPESTRY SIX WAYS TO ADVERTISE Throughout Inner Tapestry's pages are the Display Ads. Toward the back of the journal you will find the Directory of Resources, a comprehensive listing of practitioners and descriptions of their services. Immediately following you will find our Calendar of Events and the Classified section. The fifth method is the Yoga, T'ai Chi, Aikido & Meditation Practitioners Directory, with a listing of styles and forms available for study. Our online website is the sixth way to advertise, with a side banner Display Ad or an online Directory of Resource Ad. For ad size and pricing information visit www.innertapestry.org or call 207-799-7995. For those who need ad design, we offer a service to create a distinct way for you to present your business. To our readers, we would like to ask everyone to take the opportunity to email our columnists, feature writers, artists and advertisers with comments, suggestions and information inquiries. They all are extremely wonderful and dedicated individuals who look forward to hearing from you. We also look forward to receiving your comments and suggestions as we all continue to evolve and grow together. Articles are for information only and do not constitute medical advice. Please obtain written permission before reproducing any part of this publication. All rights reserved. ÂŽ 2009.
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INNER WORKINGS New this Issue: Movement is not new to us, though within movement we can always find something new. Welcome all to this "new" but not so new issue and theme. During preparation of this issue I was speaking with some friends and the topic of movement came up in relationship to healing and release of old patterns and stuck energy. They commented on "not liking the way it felt..." That they were just going to release it. What if you were going to release a fly or any other insect from your house, I asked? What would you do? First you would have to find it, then you would have to have some kind of interaction with it, you would have to "be" with it before you released it. "Yes, of course" was their response. Well how would you expect to release an old pattern or stuck energy in "your house." You would have to locate it, have a relationship by "being" with it to create the movement to release it. The liking or disliking is a personality choice. So are we ready to locate and be in relationship with all that is stagnant and stuck in our "homes" to create the necessary movement to release that which does not serve us any longer? Imagine if everyone was to create that movement within.. consider the affect that would have in our world.
We also have some great and wonderful trips, retreats and with summer in our midst many will have some time to take advantage of the wonderful offerings with many of the talented teachers and healers found in the journal. Aaron and Sue Singleton of Way To Balance in Amesbury, MA are doing their yearly pilgrimage, Sacred Journey to Egypt, September 26th to October 7th. www.TheWayToBalance.com. Spirit Passages will be starting their eighth Two-Year Apprenticeship program for Shamanism and Shamanic Healing in October. www.spiritpassages.org. Shivashakti School of Yoga in Rockland, Maine is offering a New Year 24-Day Immersion on the Mayan Riviera from December 30th through January 22nd, that must be like training in Heaven! www.ShivShaktiYogaSchool.com or see their ad to the left. Jen Deraspe of Nurture Through Nature will be faciliating the Women's Yoga Meditation Eco-Retreat in the U.S. Virgin Island's March 14th-21st. www.ntnretreats.com. There are weekends facilitated by Debra Rainbow Heart on Munay-Ki traditions; writing retreat with Philip Osgood; a women's retreat in Tenants Harbor with Pamela Swing; women's canoe retreat with Jen Deraspe on Penobscott River and Lobster Lake; an Allagash wilderness waterway trip with Jamal Lee Elkin of Mountain Spirit Journeys and that's just in August! In September there is the Twentieth Annual Council of Men 2009 in Union, Maine. It is for men, their sons, brothers, nephews, grandsons, cousins and friends for a time of connection and healing. FMI: birdsongmusic@earthlink.net. In Boston's Back Bay Events Center, through www.hayhouse.com; October 17th, Cheryl Richardson and Christiane Northrup, October 24th, Gregg Braden, Bruce Lipton, Ph.D. and Alberto Villoldo, Ph.D. and November 16th Dr. Wayne Dyer. Information is available on their website for each event.
COME AND SEE OUR NEW LINE OF Organic Clothing And Recycled Leather Bags!
These are wonderful opportunities for us to support our healing and awakening. Check out the calendar of events to see the details for these events and what's coming up for fall. The fall fairs will be approaching again and of course the MOFGA, Common Ground Fair will be on September 25th, 26th and 27th. But before then Garden's of Atlantis will be having their Mid-Summers Dream Fair August 9th and Leapin' Lizards will be having their psychic fair September 19th. We are always happy to share and connect everyone with the events and happenings that our community offers, whether it be a day, weekend, week or in some cases also a month to participate in the opportunities available to everyone. Have a wonderful summer, enjoy every precious moment within movement, remembering that we are all a part of the largest movement our world has seen, we knew it and saw it coming! Aug/Sept 2009 Inner Tapestry 5
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In this issue we have some wonderful articles, thank you all for sending in your expressions of movement. There are two articles that I would like to bring to your attention, the first is about an organization called "Matter of Trust." Ron had received an email and forwarded this to me and I felt very compelled to do my part in getting everyone I knew to help spread the word of this project. Their focus is to gather all of the hair clippings from hairdressers, barber shops (are there any left, I don't get out much), dog groomers etc. to weave and compress this hair into mats for clean-up of oil spills, how cool is that! Scott agreed to do a story that you will find on page 6. The other article is a re-print of Paul Hawken's address to the University of Portland OR class of 2009. I'm hoping that the parents, friends and guests listened carefully to the words that were gifted to these graduates, we all will connect with the sincerity and truth of Paul's address on page 9.
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Matter of Trust by Scott Cronenweth
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nyone who can turn trimmed hair and discarded hosiery into an ecologically beneficial cottage industry must be onto something. That’s just one of many amazing alchemical efforts brought forth by Matter of Trust, an “ecological public charity” whose mission is to “Link ideas, spark action and materialize sustainable systems. This often involves connecting, and in some cases jumpstarting, people and ideas to create new systems that run on “surplus” – stuff nobody else wants. There’s also a strong eco-educational component to the mission. Our reason for writing about Matter of Trust (MofT) in Inner Tapestry’s “Movement” issue is simple: MofT is all about taking action to put the “stuck energy” of unprocessed waste into motion for the benefit of All Beings. And the more people who know about it, the more momentum it can build. All MofT’s programs are grassroots efforts that rely on peoples’ motivation to live harmoniously and sustainably. “Every little bit helps” could well be MofT’s motto; it’s certainly a guiding operating principle.
Now Hair This
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A perfect example of the synergy behind this principle is MofT’s program to create and deploy oil spill hairmats. Thousands of salons, pet groomers and sheep shearers throughout the US and abroad mail MofT the hair clippings they sweep up off their floors. The fibers are woven into funky mats that are wonderfully efficient for cleaning up oil spills. (Hair is adsorbent so the oil clings to it, as opposed to being absorbed.) The waste hair can also be stuffed into long “booms” of recycled nylon stockings to surround and contain an oil spill. Over 2,500 oil spills occur worldwide each year from ships, pipelines and illegal dumping. Most don’t make the nightly news, but they still have a major impact on the local environment where they occur. These hairmats – and some mat-wielding volunteers to do the mopping-up – can make a big difference in such scenarios. They’re also useful at car repair shops and other such places. The mats are the invention of Alabama hairstylist Phil McCrory, who figured out that we need to shampoo our hair because, hey, it collects oil like magic. Manufacturing the mats has created a number of green collar jobs. Another beneficial property of the hairmats, their slow protein release during decomposition, has spawned the small eco-business SmartGrow (www.smartgrow.us), which sells hairmats to gardeners and nurseries as “an environmentally sustainable herbicide replacement.” The mats prevent weed growth and snail infestation, and reduce water evaporation by up to 50%, saving nursery operation many thousands of dollars annually. Check out www.matteroftrust.org to learn more about MofT’s hairmat program. If you’re affiliated with a salon, barber shop, pet groomer, wig maker, sheep farm or other “hair-intensive” business you can join MofT’s donor database and begin mailing MofT your discarded hair. You can even order posters to let your customers know you’re supporting a worthy cause, and that their unwanted hair has value after all.
Oil’s Well That Ends Well MofT volunteers and local surfers used hundreds of hairmats to clean up San Francisco Bay after a cargo ship hit the Bay Bridge and spilled 58,000 gallons of Bunker C fuel in 2007. What happens to those hairmats after they’ve been deployed on an oiled beach or the garage bays at Jiffy Lube? Turns out they can be composted using worms and greenwaste. Thomas Azwell, an environmental science PhD student at the University of California at Berkeley, is currently using worms to digest and detoxify the organic material in the mats and turn it into rich fertilizer. MofT is the fiscal sponsor of Azwell’s hands-on study. But MofT wasn’t putting all its waste in one basket. It also orchestrated a treatability study, along with mycologist Paul Stamets of Fungi.com, to test how well oyster mushrooms could devour oily hairmats and detoxify the waste to create landscape-grade compost. This technique didn’t work as well as the worms with the heavy spilled fuel, but may have other applications for detoxifying organic material. But why stop at cleaning up oil – why not try making some, too? To that end, MofT is coordinating a “long-term project” to research the benefits and feasibility of collecting large, suffocating algal blooms from the surface of the ocean and using the lipids in the algae to create biodiesel fuel. 6 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2009
And if you’re hoping to make biodiesel, you might as well help popularize it as a fuel. MofT has funded a number of alternative fuels awareness and utilization projects: • At its inception MofT sponsored Veggie Van.org, which raises awareness about how turning used vegetable oil from restaurants into biodiesel can reduce fossil fuel dependence. VeggieVan.org founder Josh Tickell, author of biodiesel bible From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank, drives his greasepowered van across the US, filling up at McDonalds and other eateries. • MofT is also the official sponsor of Tickell’s documentary Fuel, based on his recent book Biodiesel America. Fuel won the Audience Award at the 2008 Sundance Documentary Film Festival and is now widely available on DVD after a successful run of theater showings. • MofT is involved in getting several fleets of San Francisco area municipal and school busses running on biodiesel blends. What goes around comes around… and around, and around, as one MofT effort begets another.
Reuse Of Society’s Abundance Turing organic waste into useful products utilizes what MofT calls “natural surplus.” The non-profit also works with “manmade surplus” – used or discarded furniture, equipment, clothing, appliances, building materials and supplies. The challenge is to match the donors with the people who need what they’re donating. MofT’s first and largest grassroots program, Reuse of Society’s Abundance (ROSA), has addressed this problem since 1998. Since 1999 MofT’s Excess Access website and database has helped to automate the process of “Linking surplus with needs.” Now ROSA concentrates on developing a “critical mass” of donors and recipients to make the logistics work. When unusual items or large quantities of items are needed or donated ROSA helps coordinate successful matchups. ROSA also scouts out new opportunities for MofT to catalyze new grassroots programs and partnerships among eco-centric organizations. Maybe your organization, or someone you know, would benefit from connecting with this program? To find out, visit Excess Access, LLC at www.excessaccess.com. This free database service automatically matches business and household item donations with the wish lists of nonprofits that can accept drop-offs or provide pickups. Thousands of dollars worth of secondhand goods are finding new homes daily, and staying out of landfills, thanks to this service.
Eco-education MofT’s eco-education projects seem to be almost numberless. They start, morph and transition in response to the needs of the moment, whether it be oil spill remediation, disaster recovery, low-tech “green living” or environmental awareness. Their most high-profile eco-education program is Earth From Above-USA, of which MofT is the fiscal sponsor. This stunning outdoor public art exhibit of large-scale aerial photography by world-renowned environmentalist Yann Arthus-Bertrand is intended to serve as a record for future generations. It presents awe-inspiring portraits of our planet and offers a new perspective on the need for sustainable living. Since its Paris premiere in 2000, more than 130 million people in over 120 cities including Berlin, Beirut, Moscow, Tokyo, Sidney and Montreal have seen Earth From Above. Its US debut in New York City, originally scheduled for 2008, has been postponed until Spring 2010, when Earth From Above-USA will be open to the public day and night, free of charge, for eight weeks. This exhibit, the largest to date, will feature 150 images from around the world, along with a walkable world map, exhibit for the blind, and inspiration center. Financial assistance is required to make this happen. For more information visit www.earthfromaboveusa.com. MofT also sponsors the Green Energy Millions (GEMs) campaign “to create the tipping point” towards sustainability. You participate by visiting MofT’s website and clicking the GEMs link on the home page. From there, you check boxes for the GEM commitments you want to keep to incorporate easy, green choices into your lifestyle, such as “I will drink tap water instead of buying bottled water.” You can also add your own commitments in addition to the ones on the list. Click on the associated link to see the impact of your choice. The goal is to get 100 million commitments – just for starters. It’s fun to make your commitments and see the new total reflected on the home page. Classrooms and other groups can make group commitments, too.
7 Who are these people? MofT was conceived in 1998 by Lisa Craig Gautier and her husband, Patrice Olivier Gautier, and received 501(c)3 public charity status in 1999. An experienced business manager as well as the mother of three young daughters, Lisa is a strong advocate for working environments that offer flexible schedules, home offices and a close-knit, dedicated and hard-working team. Patrice is the Senior Director of the Apple iTunes Music Store and holds advanced degrees in both engineering and computer science – handy for keeping the Excess Access database up-and-running. Says Lisa: “When my husband and I planned for our kids, we were delighted to be given the responsibility for bringing them into the world; and we were eager to join in taking responsibility for the world we are passing on to everybody’s kids. Happily, all of us here (at MofT) get to meet others daily who feel the same way. “Nonprofits would seem perfectly suited for networking, but often they are so busy with their specific missions they don’t have the time and staff to do the necessary research, outreach and follow up. Great ideas remain only ideas unless they are presented to the right people at the right time. And, to really take off, they need to get matched with complimentary great ideas. That’s where we thought we could come in, so we started first by matching nonprofit needs with in-kind donations through our ROSA program and its online component, Excess Access. “The ROSA/Excess Access system introduced us to thousands of grassroots organizations, recyclers, green businesses, and other exciting new projects. Naturally, the linking of ideas began to flow as easily as the linking of donations. “Our work requires constant research, maintenance, encouragement and knowledge from many different sources. We are comprised of our Board, contractors and volunteers. Our dedicated follow-up teams consist of loyal workfrom-home moms, wise senior-citizen advisors and dynamic student interns. “MofT is continually evolving and we welcome new ideas and contributions. We hold a very optimistic view of the future, thanks to all of the ecological progress that we see. We’re very fond of this lovely planet and respectfully consider Her to be Matter Of Trust.”
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Scott Cronenweth is a freelance writer, shamanic/alternative healer and naturalist based in South Portland, Maine. To learn about Scott’s nature-based healing practice please visit www.gotbuddhanature.com. For information about his birdwatching and nature tours visit www.naturalpathwalks.com.
NEW CD RELEASE Contact: jonf@jonfernans.com * 207-729-6759
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Healing or Stealing? The Commencement Address by Paul Hawken
to the Class of 2009, University of Portland, OR May 3, 2009 As graduations have passed, summer allows a time of integration to those who will be experiencing themselves within the world in new ways. Though we may not have been at commencement many of us will live the experience this expansion. As Ron was exploring on the internet he came upon Paul Hawken's website. Paul an environmentalist, enterprenuer, journalist and author was asked to give the commencement address to the graduating class of 2009. I was called to Ron's desk to hear something I immediately knew was to be shared. What a blessing! Our graduating children have the opportunity to begin the next phase of life's journey on the wings of these words. I would like to thank Paul for giving this class, our community and the world an opportunity to share with him, his feelings and the gift of these words. To read more of Paul Hawken's life and work please visit his website www.paulhawken.com.
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When I was invited to give this speech, I was asked if I could give a simple short talk that was “direct, naked, taut, honest, passionate, lean, shivering, startling, and graceful.” No pressure there. Let’s begin with the startling part. Class of 2009: you are going to have to figure out what it means to be a human being on earth at a time when every living system is declining, and the rate of decline is accelerating. Kind of a mind-boggling situation... but not one peer-reviewed paper published in the last thirty years can refute that statement. Basically, civilization needs a new operating system, you are the programmers, and we need it within a few decades. This planet came with a set of instructions, but we seem to have misplaced them. Important rules like don’t poison the water, soil, or air, don’t let the earth get overcrowded, and don’t touch the thermostat have been broken. Buckminster Fuller said that spaceship earth was so ingeniously designed that no one has a clue that we are on one, flying through the universe at a million miles per hour, with no need for seatbelts, lots of room in coach, and really good food—but all that is changing. There is invisible writing on the back of the diploma you will receive, and in case you didn’t bring lemon juice to decode it, I can tell you what it says: You are Brilliant, and the Earth is Hiring. The earth couldn’t afford to send recruiters or limos to your school. It sent you rain, sunsets, ripe cherries, night blooming jasmine, and that unbelievably cute person you are dating. Take the hint. And here’s the deal: Forget that this task of planet-saving is not possible in the time required. Don’t be put off by people who know what is not possible. Do what needs to be done, and check to see if it was impossible only after you are done. When asked if I am pessimistic or optimistic about the future, my answer is always the same: If you look at the science about what is happening on earth and aren’t pessimistic, you don’t understand the data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth and the lives of the poor, and you aren’t optimistic, you haven’t got a pulse. What I see everywhere in the world are ordinary people willing to confront despair, power, and incalculable odds in order to restore some semblance of grace, justice, and beauty to this world. The poet Adrienne Rich wrote, “So much has been destroyed I have cast my lot with those who, age after age, perversely, with no extraordinary power, reconstitute the world.” There could be no better description. Humanity is coalescing. It is reconstituting the world, and the action is taking place in schoolrooms, farms, jungles, villages, campuses, companies, refuge camps, deserts, fisheries, and slums. You join a multitude of caring people. No one knows how many groups and organizations are working on the most salient issues of our day: climate change, poverty, deforestation, peace, water, hunger, conservation, human rights, and more. This is the largest movement the world has ever seen. Rather than control, it seeks connection. Rather than dominance, it strives to disperse concentrations of power. Like Mercy Corps, it works behind the scenes and gets the job done. Large as it is, no one knows the true size of this movement. It provides hope, support, and meaning to billions of people in the world. Its clout resides in idea, not in force. It is made up of teachers, children, peasants, businesspeople, rappers, organic farmers, nuns, artists, government workers, fisherfolk, engineers, students, incorrigible
writers, weeping Muslims, concerned mothers, poets, doctors without borders, grieving Christians, street musicians, the President of the United States of America, and as the writer David James Duncan would say, the Creator, the One who loves us all in such a huge way. There is a rabbinical teaching that says if the world is ending and the Messiah arrives, first plant a tree, and then see if the story is true. Inspiration is not garnered from the litanies of what may befall us; it resides in humanity’s willingness to restore, redress, reform, rebuild, recover, reimagine, and reconsider. “One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began, though the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice,” is Mary Oliver’s description of moving away from the profane toward a deep sense of connectedness to the living world. Millions of people are working on behalf of strangers, even if the evening news is usually about the death of strangers. This kindness of strangers has religious, even mythic origins, and very specific eighteenthcentury roots. Abolitionists were the first people to create a national and global movement to defend the rights of those they did not know. Until that time, no group had filed a grievance except on behalf of itself. The founders of this movement were largely unknown—Granville Clark, Thomas Clarkson, Josiah Wedgwood—and their goal was ridiculous on the face of it: at that time three out of four people in the world were enslaved. Enslaving each other was what human beings had done for ages. And the abolitionist movement was greeted with incredulity. Conservative spokesmen ridiculed the abolitionists as liberals, progressives, do-gooders, meddlers, and activists. They were told they would ruin the economy and drive England into poverty. But for the first time in history a group of people organized themselves to help people they would never know, from whom they would never receive direct or indirect benefit. And today tens of millions of people do this every day. It is called the world of non-profits, civil society, schools, social entrepreneurship, non-governmental organizations, and companies who place social and environmental justice at the top of their strategic goals. The scope and scale of this effort is unparalleled in history. The living world is not “out there” somewhere, but in your heart. What do we know about life? In the words of biologist Janine Benyus, life creates the conditions that are conducive to life. I can think of no better motto for a future economy. We have tens of thousands of abandoned homes without people and tens of thousands of abandoned people without homes. We have failed bankers advising failed regulators on how to save failed assets. We are the only species on the planet without full employment. Brilliant. We have an economy that tells us that it is cheaper to destroy earth in real time rather than renew, restore, and sustain it. You can print money to bail out a bank but you can’t print life to bail out a planet. At present we are stealing the future, selling it in the present, and calling it gross domestic product. We can just as easily have an economy that is based on healing the future instead of stealing it. We can either create assets for the future or take the assets of the future. One is called restoration and the other exploitation. And whenever we exploit the earth we exploit people and cause untold suffering. Working for the earth is not a way to get rich, it is a way to be rich. The first living cell came into being nearly 40 million centuries ago, and its direct descendants are in all of our bloodstreams. Literally you are breathing molecules this very second that were inhaled by Moses, Mother Teresa, and Bono. We are vastly interconnected. Our fates are inseparable. We are here because the dream of every cell is to become two cells. And dreams come true. In each of you are one quadrillion cells, 90 percent of which are not human cells. Your body is a community, and without those other microorganisms you would perish in hours. Each human cell has 400 billion molecules conducting millions of processes between trillions of atoms. The total cellular activity in one human body is staggering: one septillion actions at any one moment, a one with twenty-four zeros after it. In a millisecond, our body has undergone ten times more processes than there are stars in the universe, which is exactly what Charles Darwin foretold when he said science would discover that each
There is invisible writing on the back of the diploma you will receive, and in case you didn't bring lemon juice to decode it, I can tell you what it says...
8 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2009
9 living creature was a “little universe, formed of a host of self-propagating organisms, inconceivably minute and as numerous as the stars of heaven.” So I have two questions for you all: First, can you feel your body? Stop for a moment. Feel your body. One septillion activities going on simultaneously, and your body does this so well you are free to ignore it, and wonder instead when this speech will end. You can feel it. It is called life. This is who you are. Second question: who is in charge of your body? Who is managing those molecules? Hopefully not a political party. Life is creating the conditions that are conducive to life inside you, just as in all of nature. Our innate nature is to create the conditions that are conducive to life. What I want you to imagine is that collectively humanity is evincing a deep innate wisdom in coming together to heal the wounds and insults of the past. Ralph Waldo Emerson once asked what we would do if the stars only came out once every thousand years. No one would sleep that night, of course. The world would create new religions overnight. We would be ecstatic, delirious, made rapturous by the glory of God. Instead, the stars come out every night and we watch television. This extraordinary time when we are globally aware of each other and the multiple dangers that threaten civilization has never happened, not in a thousand years, not
in ten thousand years. Each of us is as complex and beautiful as all the stars in the universe. We have done great things and we have gone way off course in terms of honoring creation. You are graduating to the most amazing, stupefying challenge ever bequested to any generation. The generations before you failed. They didn’t stay up all night. They got distracted and lost sight of the fact that life is a miracle every moment of your existence. Nature beckons you to be on her side. You couldn’t ask for a better boss. The most unrealistic person in the world is the cynic, not the dreamer. Hope only makes sense when it doesn’t make sense to be hopeful. This is your century. Take it and run as if your life depends on it. Paul Hawken is a renowned entrepreneur, visionary environmental activist, and author of many books, most recently Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming. He was presented with an honorary doctorate of humane letters by University president Father Bill Beauchamp, C.S.C., in May, when he delivered this superb speech. Our thanks especially to Erica Linson for her help making that moment possible. www.paulhawken.com
Movement In The Stillness I close my eyes as I walk into the forest. The air is crisp and clean tonight as my feet walk the well known path with ease. It is almost total darkness in the woods, but I know if I keep my eyes closed for just a few more seconds, they’ll adjust. It’s those last moments that get me. I’m with the dog, but suddenly I’m scared. What if I trip on a root or walk into a tree? What if someone comes up from behind me? Unknown fears creep up too, from a dark place deep inside. What if I stay lost here forever?
When we can live from this stillness, we can be present. And when we are present, we are connected, we are free.
Meditation used to scare me in the same way. The stillness was so foreign, the emptiness, the void. It was as if my eyes were closed in the dark forest of my own mind. What if I got lost there, or worse, what if I never came back out? So I would immediately stop. I’d regain “control” of my thoughts and forbid the mind to go back to that dangerous place. Little did I know that my thoughts were actually controlling me.
Being able to move from this stillness, from the gap between our thoughts, is what propels the world’s greatest athletes, performers, artists, scientists, leaders. I am talking about this with a Life Coaching client of mine. I ask him, when does he feel most alive, most “himself”? He says it’s when he is moving, like downhill skiing, when he is fully present but not thinking, but most especially with dancing. It’s both this connection with another human being and with himself, he says, when he’s leading and she’s following, but he’s not thinking about the next step, because he’s not thinking at all. There’s only the music, his heartbeat, the smell of her skin, the shadows of the other dancers, and there he is in the middle of it all, completely whole, completely connected. Present. Free.
And then one day my eyes opened. I was at the Ashram in the Bahamas. I can’t remember if it was day or night but I was sitting in one of our twice daily hour-long meditations, and something happened: I wasn’t scared anymore. Waves of peace washed through me. I wasn’t thinking. I was just breathing. It was more like the breath was breathing me. My body was there, my mind was there, but I was not the body, I was not the mind. I was so much more. And in that moment, I found what I had been frantically looking for, running for, working so hard to achieve: oneness. This concept of oneness is what yoga is all about. The asanas (or poses) were created to help us sit for long periods of meditation. So we work hard in class, moving and stretching to the rhythm of the music or the rhythm of our hearts. And then it’s time to rest, integrating the effects of our practice and refilling the oxygen debt so our muscles don’t hurt. We can feel the prana, life-force energy, moving through our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual bodies healing everything it touches. And then comes the stillness: Sivasana, the corpse pose. With eyes closed in deep conscious relaxation, it's the easiest of all poses, yet the hardest to achieve. And I lie here with eyes closed, watching my body twitch like before I fall asleep. And now my body breathes itself and my mind is free. Movement in the stillness… That’s when the magic happens.
Deepak Chopra talks about this in his book Creating Affluence. “The Vedic seer says, ‘I do not worry about the past and I am not fearful of the future because my life is supremely concentrated in the present, and the right response comes to me, to every situation as it occurs.’” And he goes on to say, “This is also the state of bliss. The self is not in the realm of thought. It’s in the gap between our thoughts.”
I’m walking in the forest tonight, in the dark, with my eyes closed. And the moment I open them, I can clearly see. I feel so present, so alive, as my body walks the well known path, tingling now with the energy of the woods. My mind is quiet, my thoughts still, and I am suddenly reminded of my last dramatic pause, a two month sickness I’m slowly recovering from. It strikes a cord within me. With eyes closed on the couch for so long, that pause was like an unaccustomed act of meditation. It was, perhaps, a preparation for this moment, to walk a trail in the dark, fully present, fully alive, unafraid and able to see.
Cara Forte, RYT is professional Life Coach and a registered Yoga Instructor. She received her Yoga certification from the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre and her Life Coaching certification from The University of Southern Maine. Her eclectic style is derived from almost 15 years of study with international spiritual leaders, including three years at the Omega Institute, the largest holistic retreat center in the US. She lives from a deep spiritual connection and believes that we all possess an inner wisdom that can bring us optimum wellness and joy. For yoga class schedules or for a free Life Coaching consultation, Cara can be reached at cara.forte1@gmail.com or (207) 553-0303. Aug/Sept 2009 Inner Tapestry 9
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by Cara Forte, RYT
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a b rea th o f he al i n g
The Yoga M ovement by Donna Amrita Davidge
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any people think of yoga as movement, especially in the more into their lives more or becoming teachers themselves in some capacity. There popularized forms of yoga in the West. The more athletic “work-out” are expensive yoga clothes and “in” teachers who become the models for those yoga classes tend to have people flock to them. Recently a student, clothes, yoga mats or other yoga-related products. The yoga movement has who was from India(!), said “I know yoga is more than exercise but I really prefer morphed into a huge commercial endeavor, with franchises like Yogaworks a class that feels like a work-out”. Ah, the type A driven “gotta get a work out in” spreading through the country. mentality. This same student had also recently pulled her back out. Where will this movement all lead? Who knows? At the same time as our world People also often ask me why I think yoga has become so popular in the United speeds forward with constantly changing technology and we race to try to save the States (and all over the world). Yoga in itself has become and is called the yoga environment and our planet has the yoga movement taken us to a calmer, more movement. And it really has moved! Even if the people doing yoga view yoga as balanced place where we can learn to “cease the fluctuations of the mind,” or has it nothing more than a good work-out, maybe the reason it is so popular is that, for a also just become a part of our manic type-A competitive judgmental society? small part of their busy and/or stressed out day, their body and mind and breath get A guest at our retreat recounted a story of a large group of students at a well to be the focus. They feel better, and even if they don’t know exactly why or do not know large retreat center that she has loved to go to. The group had just finished view yoga as more than exercise, they are receiving the benefits to some degree and their course with the famous teacher, well known for his “killer warrior classes.” ultimately in these moments away from Whereupon they literally stomped into the their “ real” life moving toward what the dining room, which had closed after lunch, yoga sutras (scriptures) say is the purpose of demanding their lunch, which was not even yoga – “To cease or still the fluctuations of a part of their “package” as their course was the mind”. officially completed. They were so rude, In my yoga practice I have noticed, intimidating and mean to the volunteer that she and in the practice of students who seem decided she would never again volunteer when to have a need to more very quickly, the this person had a group there. element of being in the moment, truly The question I ponder, and address in this experiencing the pose only happens article is... is it possible for all the “ambitious when you don’t rush and instead fully yogis” to take a step back, somehow be concentrate your mind, body and breath humbled, and realize that manners, kindness on what you are doing, whether it be and compassion are more important in yoga moving or holding. Without this, the practice than what postures we can attain posture becomes messy and unfocused, and what “in” teacher we study with? Or is it even if it does not lead to (and it simply to accept what my teacher Yoga Bhajan can) injury. In the Ashtanga practice, said: “We are spiritual beings having a human developed by the late Pattabhis Jois (who experience” and leave it at that?” passed away just this past May, 2009 at Donna Amrita Davidge owns and operates Sewall age 94) the order of the poses (there are House Yoga Retreat in Island Falls, Maine in her great 6 Series in total) is the same each time. grandfather William Sewall’s homestead, which has This gives the opportunity to deepen a history of healing, beginning with college student your practice, develop patience, and Theodore Roosevelt, from May to November. “ We are spiritual beings having a human experience!” make your practice richer and stronger This fall they have their second yoga and walking with time. Even as it appears you are just trip to Tuscany, Itlay October 27th-November 3rd with doing the same thing over and over day in and day out (you are!) for years, there Lucia Reardon from southern Maine and their first (small!) teacher training starting in October IS movement in your yoga practice, movement forward in strength, flexibility (starting Columbus day weekend for 9 days and also for 9 days in February and May to complete and all the other gifts yoga practice can give you (clearer mind, healthier living a 200 Hour Yoga Alliance training. Information for retreats, Italy and the training can be found habits and body, better breathing). You might even possibly move on to the next at www.sewallhouse.com or by calling toll free 888-235-2395. Sewall House was chosen one of series though rushing does not lead to proficiency. Even if you don’t progress to the Top Ten Yoga Retreats worldwide (#3) by Gayot online this year. the next series (I have been working on Series One for ten years) you are moving forward in your yoga practice. Yoga practice , in it subtlety, helps us learn how to move through life with its joys, challenges and disappointments. In the few times I had the honor and privilege to take a class with Pattabhis Jois in NYC (along with at least 200 other students) he led the class in a kind commanding fashion, clearly communicating in the way he counted that we were to do this all at the same pace. If some rushed ahead (the subtext, I felt was Ego and eagerness) he stopped the count or repeated over and over again that same count till everyone moved back or waited to ultimately be together and in the moment. Inspiring in the yoga movement is the number of people practicing yoga who have made major movement in their own lives- our from under the veil of addiction (there are tons of these stories among both teachers and students). People have come into a stronger more centered place in their lives simply by practicing yoga. The yoga movement itself has swollen into something commercialized and advertised. When I first started there was barely a teacher training to be found. Kundalini Yoga, my first yoga, did not even have a formal teacher training yet. Now there are almost too many choices in teacher trainings. Students are flocking to teacher trainings in hopes of furthering their practice, integrating the work 10 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2009
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Awareness and the Art of Seeing: Contemplations on the environment and interconnection by Jen Deraspe
Finding Her Way Home
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little girl with her father’s brown puppy dog eyes and curly brown hair plays and moves freely in the woods with a lightness about her. She wears translucent dragon fly wings. Hovering over the landscape, she explores with a wild and independent sense of imagination. She likes to climb trees, watching the world pass by from a different, higher perspective. Shimmying up thin trunk, she rests on a branch fit to hold her. Climbing as high as possible, she thrusts her feet and legs out, hanging by her strong hands, tree bending from the weight of her. She slowly touches down softly to the earth, leaving a wake of arched striped maples telling of her travels. I strive to return to that little girl's mind. The freedom to just be in the excitement of the moment as is. Each moment is a new opportunity for me to embrace what is and find that lightness in my step again. I find the mind wants to tell me that all these "adult" things are more important than sitting in the woods, but I am discovering the mind is not accurate. The only thing that does truly matter is just being. Gentle and light the path. I keep finding peace when I am present.
Let Us Guide You Home...
Jen Deraspe, owner of Nurture Through Nature, is a holistic retreat facilitator and facilitator of The Work of Byron Katie. She lives off the grid on Pleasant Mountain in Denmark, Maine. www.ntnretreats.com, (207) 452-2929.
Pleasant Mountain, Denmark, ME
MAINTAINING OUR INNATE RESILIENCE by Noreen Owens, M.Ed.
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ollectively, we have been overlooking our innate ability to reduce the long-term effects of stress, anxiety, trauma, and injury. Dayto-day stress, worry, fear, and emotional or physical trauma, all cause involuntary muscular contractions to occur. Ideally, these muscular contractions relax after the circumstances pass. However, if the stress or anxiety is long-term, or the trauma or injury is deeply embedded in the brain, muscular tension will become habitual unless we intentionally release it. Our bodies are naturally self-sensing, self-regulating and self-adjusting. Yet, self-sensing gradually diminishes over our lifetime because our attention is primarily focused on what is going on around us, rather than within us. As sensory self-awareness diminishes, our innate resilience to prevent and release the accumulation of muscular tension is compromised. As muscular tension accumulates, we develop stiffness, aches, and chronic pain in the spine and joints. Breathing becomes shallow. Ease of movement is lost. We even lose height. We associate these changes and loss of comfort with aging, but teenagers and younger children are now commonly experiencing back, neck, and joint pain as well as distorted postures. We have the innate ability to prevent and regain this loss of comfort and ease of movement. The sensory motor self-awareness that infants develop as they gain control over their muscles is always available to us. It is not accessed through strength training, stretching, endurance workouts or force. Rather, regaining sensory motor self-awareness and control requires focusing attention inward on the internal sensation of movement. Although the value of movement with awareness is not a new concept, breakthroughs in neuroscience are demonstrating the plasticity of the brain to make changes
throughout life through focused attention. This new understanding of the value of focused attention makes us ripe for recognizing the necessity to reinforce and maintain sensory motor self-awareness. Day-to-day stress specifically causes the muscles of the back of the body to contract. The lumbar spine is especially vulnerable to this involuntary contraction, which explains why lower back pain is near epidemic levels. Anxiety causes the muscles of the front of the body to contract. The abdominal muscle is especially vulnerable to this involuntary contraction, which is one reason that shallow breathing is so common. When the muscles of the trunk become chronically contracted, the loss of comfort and movement that begins in the lower back, neck, shoulders and hips, extends down into the limbs, hands and feet. Overriding unconscious, involuntary chronic muscular contractions requires a conscious, voluntary contraction of the muscles. By taking a few minutes a day to intentionally contract the neuromuscular patterns of day-to-day stress and anxiety, children can retain – and adults can regain – the body’s innate ability to prevent and release the daily accumulation of muscular tension that restricts the spine and joints. As the importance of reinforcing sensory motor self-awareness to maintain muscle resilience becomes common knowledge and common practice, our ability to release the muscular tension of stress and anxiety and maintain full, healthy breathing will surely reduce the incidence of stress and shallow breathing-related conditions. Maintaining the efficiency of the body’s selfsensing, self-regulating, self-adjusting nature may be the simplest, most cost effective preventative healthcare measure that we can take.
Noreen Owens, M.Ed., Hanna Somatic Educator and author of Where Comfort Hides. This practical book, by Noreen Owens, provides three easy lessons and a brief, clearly illustrated movement routine that specifically targets stress and anxiety. Where Comfort Hides is available through your local bookstore or can be ordered online through www.xlibris.com/wherecomforthides or www.owensomatics.com.
Aug/Sept 2009 Inner Tapestry 11
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Nurture Through N atu re
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ON THE COVER
Apsara Hands by Francene Hart
Welcome to Movement... There are so many ways of connecting to movement, in a movement practice for our bodies, in thought process within our minds' creations, in our feelings manifesting our communication with our higher self or soul. The one thing that spoke to me in this wonderful piece titled Apsara Hands by Francene Hart was just that, our hands. Hands in constant motion, used for every aspect of supporting our well-being, our life our healing. Is there a place within our lives that we don't use our hands. We use them to nourish, to touch, to pray. They symbolize all that we are. This painting was inspired by a visit to fabulous sacred city of Angkor and its most famous temple Angkor Watt in Cambodia. Francene was enthralled with the many dancing Apsara figures and the pink water lilies that fill the ponds in front of the great temple. The beautiful exaggerated hand movements "felt" like dance to her. Francene Hart is an internationally recognized visionary artist whose work has been widely published in books and magazines and hangs in the homes of art collectors and the offices of healers and seekers around the planet.
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"Reverence for the natural environment, and experiencing the interconnectedness between all things has long guided me to create watercolor paintings of beauty and spirit. Life's continuing adventure has led me into an exciting exploration into the wisdom and symbolic imagery of Sacred Geometry. These paintings act as a bridge between this reality and a metaphorical world of healing, continuity, and transformation. I use
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multiple transparent watercolor glazes coupled with image overlapping techniques, and sacred geometry to produce visions of a multi-dimensional reality. It is my intention to create art that embodies the vibration of Universal Love and expresses the joy and gratitude I feel for the honor of being part of this earthwalk." In 2001 Francene took a leap of faith, following her inner guidance to the Big Island of Hawaii and found home. She considered herself to be a nonswimmer when she arrived and since has become in her words a "born again mermaid," swimming with the sea turtles and spinner dolphins. She also expresses her gratitude in realization that "our ocean is the planetary superconductor and that as we "pray peace" and offer the vibration of universal love into the ocean it is quickly transmited around the world. Imagine the possibilities!" "It is with great humility from an ever opening heart space that I embrace this sacred journey. My intention remains to follow my passion and life path as an artist and to continue to create paintings that bring forth healing and transformation for myself and for the planet. Francene is artist and author of the Sacred Geometry Oracle Deck published by Inner Traditions/Bear & Co. and the recently released Sacred Geometry Cards for the Visionary Path. Please enjoy and order from her exquisite website www. francenehart.com, email her at hartart@hawaiiantel.net, or call (808) 328-7344.
13 Self Awakening Healing Groups
with Ron and Joan
Unwind... Body & Mind
269 Church St. (Rte 85), Hebron, CT
Tuesdays 6:30pm - 8:00pm July 21st, August 4th, 18th September 1st, 22nd
$20
FMI: Call Ron and Joan at 860-655-5500 or visit: www.ronandjoan.com Cyan Magenta Yellow Black
Space is limited so call first and come as often as you choose!
Aug/Sept 2009 Inner Tapestry 13
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lov ing e ar th
Dancing Life A conversation with Caroline Loupe by Pat Foley Everything moves. The planets spin. Mountains rise up only to wear down again, filling valleys as they do. The winds blow. Sitting still, we breathe in and then we breathe out, in again and out. Everything moves. All things have a special dance and although sometimes we don’t quite remember our own dance, we each have one.
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In celebration of our myriad dances and the aliveness they bring to us, I met with Caroline Loupe, a licensed psychotherapist (LCPC) specializing in Dance/Movement Therapy to find out more about her work. We met at her New Gloucester, Maine studio nestled among the trees in a quiet and peaceful feeling place, scarcely visible from the road.
presence, without any attempt to fix or do something to them, but instead just sitting with them, establishing presence with them. So to go back to what I do, I try to do in the world what I do in Dance/ Movement Therapy, which is to be present, to the world and to the environment and to myself. As I go over the notes from our conversation, I am struck with the simplicity, the importance and the difficulty of Being Present. How often am I fully present to myself? Our ordinary reality world rushes along with its plans and obligations, both real and imagined, and does not encourage this way of being, yet it is so powerful. I know when I am keeping company with this Presence either within myself or with others. For me the feel of it has nothing to do with agreement or like thinking. It is deeper. It is about essence. To me there is a suchness to it that touches the soul.
The American Dance Therapy Association defines Dance/Movement Therapy as the psychotherapeutic use of movement to foster integration of the mind, body and spirit of an individual. But how does that unfold? What changes for us? I asked Caroline to talk a little about what she does. CL: If I’m on the elevator and someone says, “What do you do?” I say that I’m a licensed clinical counselor specializing in Dance/ Movement Therapy. That’s about the most dry uninteresting thing in the whole world… but sometimes people say “Oh, Dance/ Movement Therapy, oh that’s interesting, what is that?” Well, there isn’t time in that elevator speech to talk about more. But that is basically what I do. My training at Antioch/NE in DMT and early work has been with the most disturbed of populations. My first job as a Dance Movement Therapist was working with violent sexual offenders. I stepped into the deep water and found that it was a modality I could use for working with the boys; it was all boys, to the extent that I was allowed to use it. I think that I was just unusual enough that when I was interviewing for the job, the administration thought “Well this is different, let’s see what she does.” I remember that one of the questions I was asked by the administration at the Maine Youth Center was “If a boy were cowering in the corner, what would you do?” I said that I didn’t know, but I probably would do something that would attune to what he was doing. I would non-verbally move my body in a way that would give him a signal that would allow us to meet just there, where he was. I would attune as I am attuning to you, with gesture and body. It’s as meeting of hearts. PF: Like matching breath with someone. CL: One of the most profound exercises we did in training was just sitting with another person, being present for that person with the palm of our hands on their back, asking them to breathe into that place. For that person it was a profound experience, our 14 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2009
teach the humans how to recognize habitual behavior patterns, emotional blocks and how to be present in the moment, develop confidence, trust and mindful leadership skills.
In her present day work, Caroline has chosen a focus on wellness (mental, emotional and spiritual). She describes this change from her earlier practice and training by saying that when you learn to drive through the busiest intersection in the city, you pay attention one way… then when you move down a country lane, it’s quite different. As many others have also done, Caroline has chosen to drive on the country lane and include slower time and beauty with her clients. When she is with clients, she notices her own kinesthetic responses/empathy to what is being said in word or movement. From this place of intuition and assessment, she suggests structures to clients that will help them use movement to express and clarify their Truth—at whatever level is comfortable and safe for them. Her practice rests on a deep belief that therapy is always a journey of the spirit between the therapist and the client. Also fundamental to her work is the importance of establishing an interested, compassionate and forgiving presence to all living beings, including the self.
Horses as Healers and Teachers This summer Gena McGrath, who is the founder of Naturally Speaking a process of teaching natural horsemanship, Caroline and her daughter, artist and teacher, Kerry Loupe are offering workshops working with horses as an avenue to greater self-awareness. Horses as Healers and Teachers requires no previous horse experience. Through demonstrations and experiential work with the horses a participant will discover ways to build clearer relationships. Through acceptance, patience and respect, the horses will
CL: Horses as healers and teachers, what an amazing adventure, something others might be interested in learning to do… being with and seeing yourself in the mirror of the horse. We all know how to do this. We think we don’t and are fearful. The horses are huge and it’s interesting to experience ourselves in their presence. The three of us, Kerry, Gena and I are moving with this work in a way that feels organic. We are getting used to working together. As we proceed, we are paying attention to ways we can attune with and complement one another. I had a horse as a child so that is helping me be more responsive to the horse. And there is fear! All the time I think they are going to kick me! So there is a teeter-totter between my fear and the centered part of me! PF: How might this work be applied to increasing health and potential? CL: My clinical understanding is always present, but the application of that varies, sometimes working with horses or not, with drums, with art work or simply the body moving, all of which is a way of mentally, spiritually, physically stretching ourselves. There are many ways of improving ourselves but the movements we do to prepare ourselves are not the ”dance”. They are part of the dance, but I notice over and over again that “where you put your foot” or “how far you go” or “this is the muscle you use”… that is not sufficient in the work that I do which is to invite the inner and outer dance. When there is dance there is joy and aliveness, creativity and spontaneity.
Coming Out CL: We have are so many qualifiers about seeking aliveness; I have responsibilities, I don’t have time… That is sad because there is so much waiting for people, whenever they wish to step into the circle. But they are “busy tending to things’ and, indeed, people are under such pressure these days. However, when
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t h e 2 1 st c e n tur y b oh em i a n
Granite: Rock Solid and Fluid by Teresa Piccari
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differences, this is what makes the colors different and stone that is soft and hard,” he explained. Red is the heaviest because of the iron ore content and green, the softest granite, he noted. “When people come in my yard they have different taste. They might see green and say wow. They gravitate, they identify. They like movement or some people like flat, some like traditional, some like modern. It’s interesting to see their reactions and how they are able to make a firm decision,” he said. While Vargas said he could not speak directly to the healing qualities of the stone, he explained that, “They feel alive with life movement, colors and patterns the energy is transferred to you. In your kitchen they can have a positive effect. That’s what’s nice you know?” Buying trends change but at the moment, Vargas said his Maine clientele like exotics and “a lot of gold and green are selling now.” Granite and other stone has become a tremendously popular material used primarily for kitchen and bath applications and serves to enhance home value. “It has mass appeal,” said Vargas of his product, “If you own and home and you have a kitchen,” he sees a potential customer. In the United States, Vargas said 80 percent of the imported granite is derived from Brazil. Ten percent comes from India, which he said is limited to about five colors. Granite from Italy, Greece, Israel, Africa and China comprise the remaining 10 percent of the American granite market. Asked about any concern of radon emitted by the stone, Vargas said the earth naturally produces radon but that studies, including a recent one by the Marble Institute of America, have shown the levels are low and do not affect human health.
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Consultation, Exam & X-Rays
$25.00
Includes x-rays if clinically indicated. Due to OIS regulations, individuals with certain insurance companies and Medicare are excluded from this offer.
Aug/Sept 2009 Inner Tapestry 15
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early 30 years ago my late father, a builder, wrote me at college in Maine to share an architectural rendering of the new home he planned to build for our family 400 miles away in suburban Philadelphia – a house that would feature wonderful New Hampshire stone. The native stone and granite found in Maine and New Hampshire are resources of great pride for New Englanders and have become metaphors for the solid nature of its residents and the enduring geography of the land and rugged coastline. Brazilian native and Belfast resident Julio Vargas is importing very different granite from his country into New England, one that challenges our perception of what granite is. This is not the uniform gray stone that graces our buildings, cemeteries and is used generously as curbing in some areas. The good-natured Vargas has expanded beyond the traditional “flat and gray” granite, he noted “to introduce for Maine new possibilities for granite.” He acknowledges that some of the native granite producers along with distributors in Boston "are mad at me." Life can be funny that way – just when we are "certain" we know something, it shows us something new that changes our perspective. He imports “first quality granite (on a scale including first, second and commercial grades) and we make it affordable,” explained Vargas. His inventory features basic, exotic and hard-to-find, rare exotic stones. After the stunning color, the most distinguishing characteristic of Brazilian granite is the amazing range of movement present in the stone. Walking into the midcoast warehouse of JV Cornerstone, Inc., where 55-square foot granite slabs weighing 1,000 pounds each are displayed is like a trip to an art museum featuring lush Italian paintings and abstract and nature-mimicking murals. The first slab I come upon is Blue Fantasy, which I immediately translate to stormy sea – a tumult stirring the surface of an angry, blue green ocean. Black Marinace looks like the bottom of a crystal-clear streambed strewn with the traditional gray and black stones typical of New England. In others such as Yellow Bamboo, I see maps of ancient civilizations, a whimsical duck swimming across another piece, elegant Rorschach images. The longer one gazes, the more appears. Vargas himself mostly sees “faces, birds, movement, Italian paintings.” And once, a “crystal-clear” colorful talking bird, a parrot. In fact, the Brazilian transplant refers to his inventory as both a museum in a store” and a “gallery in stone.” Stunning for sure, the stones become breathtaking when one considers the artist – Mother Nature. The most creative installations he has seen, Vargas said occur, “When you put together two slabs from the same stone and the pattern matches. The movement is unbelievable. Like two eyes with a mouth or say on a floor, it looks like someone is looking at you.” No stranger to quarries, the granite importer said the most amazing stone in its natural state he has seen was in Bahia, Brazil where “you see the earth is blue” with blue granite containing sodalite. Vargas sees the most movement in Green Peace, Iron Red, Moulin Rouge, Yellow Bamboo, Gaya Dream and Juparano Wave. “Each color stone has its own life and movement,” he explained. Earlier in the day, he related how a customer came in and they matched a gold counter with beige tile and it worked well. They could see how beige and green did not have enough contrast. “You feel how the colors work together. You compose the environment,” he said. “There are over 100 colors of granite in Brazil. I have 50 colors in my yard,” said Vargas, adding he plans to add even more color offerings over time. Color variances are attributed to the soil. “In Brazil the soil is so rich and there are so many geographic
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United States of Reality by Evelyn Rysdyk
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shaman walks not only between the worlds of physical and nonphysical existence, she or he also walks outside of ordinary time/space. During a journey, while in the shamanic state of awareness, a shaman’s consciousness/spirit “travels” beyond the immediate moment—encompassing the past, present and future simultaneously. One can “see” a native settlement and gas lit streets and virgin woods and futuristic buildings and the time even before there was dry land—all overlaid upon a familiar city scape. Through this experience, a shaman understands that real time has a depth of possible streams—possible pasts, presents and futures. In addition, the shaman learns that real time also has a concurrent quality as well in that all of those pasts, presents and futures are happening now.
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Concurrent to that rather mind blowing experience, shamans also live the constant paradox of real time and the linear time that the body experiences. While I am writing this on what we have collectively agreed to assign as Sunday, the 7th of June 2009, I am also aware of real time. When I journey into the past or future, I am also aware of the urgency of living my life richly in the present since my body is aware that this moment disappears far too quickly. (I was reminded of this paradox recently as the little infant godson I held so brief a time ago is getting ready for college!) So how does one hold these two completely different experiences of time without going mad? Through years of discipline, the shaman expands her or his mind’s ability to tolerate this strange perception of time/space. The shaman’s mind has to develop so that it doesn’t respond with fear to an experience of the unknown or when it has no familiar “landmarks.” As I have explained in this column before, our minds are the product of our previous experiences. (Please read the June/July 2009 column, Coming Home on the Inner Tapestry web site.) We are only able to fully perceive those experiences for which we have developed a niche in our psyche. As soon as we are born, we begin to build a catalog of sensory input. We take all the input—most of which is not understood—and begin to synthesize and process it in our brain. It is sorted and eventually our picture about what the world is like is created. As we continue to develop we add more and more input, the sorting and storage of which is determined and shaded by previous experience, family enculturation and society’s definitions. This shapes our ideas of reality. For most people, this reality becomes fixed and doesn’t allow for experiences that don’t fit within it to be processed. It is as though we don’t have a circuit for the experience, which doesn’t fit the picture of reality we have created. My spirit teacher, Grandma used post office imagery to explain this phenomenon. She told me to think of the mind as if it was a person sorting mail into an array of letter boxes. When new input in the form of experience happens, the mind scans it. It is comparing this new experience to all previous experiences—in essence, looking for what box it belongs in. Once the mind determines the proper “letter box” the input is filed away. The flaw in this system arises when there isn’t a suitable box for the new input/experience. The mind reacts by either tearing the experience into 16 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2009
smaller pieces to file or tossing it aside to the “dead letter” box. This mechanism is certainly seen when a person blanks out during a traumatic event. In that circumstance, fear causes the mind to shut down the filing process. However even in non-threatening situation, the mind can be unable to sort input correctly. In fact, this kind of lapse is also far more common than one might imagine. For instance, consider the phenomenon of “inattentional blindness.” Inattentional blindness is an inability to perceive something that is within one’s direct perceptual field because one is attending to something else. The term was coined by psychologists Arien Mack and Irvin Rock, who identified the phenomenon while studying the relationship of attention to perception. They were able to show that, under a number of different conditions, if subjects were not attending to a visual stimulus but were attending to something else in the visual field, a significant percentage of the subjects were “blind” to something that was right before their eyes.
she told me to think of the mind as if it was a person sorting mail into an array of letter boxes. The most famous example is test subjects watching a video in which they were told to concentrate on a moving group of people wearing either black or white shirts who were passing several basketballs back and forth. The test subjects were told to count the number of passes that they saw. During the video, a person in a gorilla suit enters the frame from the right crosses thru the people passing balls and exits on the left. Astonishingly enough, very few of the subjects ever noticed the gorilla. Since their minds were focused on one specific visual task, three quarters of the test subjects never saw the intrusive element even though it was “right in front of their eyes!” Here is a link to the video in which you will clearly see the event. Because you know to look for it, you will see the gorilla but will most likely be unable to count the passes. (http://viscog.beckman.illinois.edu/ flashmovie/15.php) I would argue that our mind's attention on its own definition of reality prevents us from fully being able to assimilate something that challenges our current perception of reality—at least at first. Once the new stimulus is repeated, the mind builds a new letter box! For the shaman to be able to transverse the fabric of time/space where the familiar landmarks of realty break down or fail to exist at all, the shaman must be willing to continually re-experience new sensations until they are able to process the meanings they may contain. This involves intentionally broadening her or his perceptual context through journeying. This is accomplished by making journeys with the intention of stretching the mind’s capacity—setting it free from the limitations of ordinary reality.
Just as people who have extensively traveled the globe are far more able to adapt to an unusual situation such as being presented with unfamiliar food, so too the traveler to non-ordinary reality who has had extensive experiences that defy ordinary ideas of time/space can more easily adapt to a new situation. While traversing the realms beyond ordinary perception, the shaman has built her or himself a broader wall of “letter boxes.” Since a well-disciplined shaman’s mind is able to respond without either fear or “blindness” to unusual events, she or he is uniquely prepared for new and rapidly shifting situations—more easily capturing their inherent meanings. To accomplish this, a shaman must have done extensive journeying with the intent of broadening the mind’s capacity and fully embodied the wisdom each venture has provided. This reality stretching can be risky business for the psyche and so the shaman doesn’t go alone, but relies upon trusted spiritual protectors and guides to accompany her or him. The spiritual helpers assist the shaman to move through complex and disorienting states of reality and guide her back to ordinary reality. Once returned, the shaman takes the time to process and assimilate the experience. A shaman notices how and in what manner her perceptions have shifted— what gifts have been gained. In becoming aware of changes within and around her or himself, the shaman begins to get a deeper and deeper sense of what remains constant. For many shamans, the constant is the energy of love and the connection one feels in the heart. In some ways, the shaman’s heart becomes a magnificent room in which they can safely dwell. At this point, the shaman’s heart offers them a kind of springboard into even farther and greater experiences. This happens because the still point of the shaman’s heart-center becomes a certainty that the mind holds onto—a central hub around which everything turns. This frees the mind enabling the shaman to engage in even more fearless exploration of reality, which produces a growing adaptability and flexibility. It is as if the shaman attains a kind of spiritual and mental nimbleness though her or his work. This fluidity is critical to one’s success as a shaman since it is often the case that she or he is called upon to solve problems for which no ordinary reality solution has been found. It is that skill that has allowed shamanism to endure for between sixty to one hundred thousand years. I can think of no better preparation for the unexpected circumstances that life provides than the practice of shamanism. Instead of a shaman’s extensive movement between the realms having the effect of taking her or him away from the “real world,” the opposite is true. A disciplined shamanic practitioner who does the journeying and processes the experiences is much more “present.” She or he is able to interact with all the richness life provides and is able to hold or quickly regain equilibrium in the face of turmoil. Given the current state of our society, shamanism ancient practices may indeed hold the keys for us being able to move thru all of it with more grace and joy! © 2009 Evelyn C. Rysdyk
Nationally recognized shaman teacher/healer, speaker, and author of Modern Shamanic Living: New Explorations of an Ancient Path, Evelyn C. Rysdyk delights in supporting people to remember their sacred place in All That Is. Whether though face-to-face contact with individual patients, groups and conference participants, or through the printed word in books, columns and articles— Evelyn uses her loving humor and passion to open people’s hearts and inspire them to live more joyful, fulfilling and purposeful lives. In joint practice with Allie Knowlton as Spirit Passages since 1991, she offers workshops in advanced experiential shamanism across the USA and Canada and offers shamanic healing at True North in Falmouth, Maine. Her web site is www.spiritpassages.com.
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wa ndering s age w i s d om
Combati n g L a ze by Aaron Hoopes
Aya Itagaki
F
Laze is upon us.
Many of us feel as if life has gotten faster while we have become slower in dealing with it. School, job and other interests often keep us sitting still for much of the day. We drive short distances in our cars to buy fast food. We spend hours in front of the TV or computer screen filling our mind with all sorts of distractions. We can do almost anything with a few clicks of the mouse and a hand on the remote. We spend all that effort to make things easier, so we don’t have to exert ourselves, only to find that the easier we make things, the harder it is to generate the motivation to actually do things. Eventually it can start to feel as if we are dragging our bodies around as parts begin to ache or malfunction. We enter a downward spiral that makes life more and more difficult. Obviously Laze is not healthy. The only answer is to find something that can combat the Laze. It must be simple and easy to put into practice. It must be something that doesn’t take much time or effort. or it will be the first thing jettisoned when life intrudes.
The answer to Laze is Movement.
Let’s first be clear about movement. Movement is not exercise. It is not something you do twenty minutes a day, three days a week. Movement is much more important. It is an essential building block to good human health. If we are able to understand that movement is life and something that should be consciously incorporated into our daily life, we give ourselves the opportunity to keep our bodies happy, healthy and alive. The body is an amazing construct. We take food, water and oxygen into it and convert them to energy. This conversion process is called metabolism. The more active our metabolism, the more effective the conversion process and the more energy our bodies have. In order for the body to combat Laze we need an active metabolism. Since metabolism generates energy, the better it works and the more energy we have, the better we feel. A slow, sluggish metabolism is the perfect breeding ground for Laze. However if can make the metabolism more active we can banish Laze. In order to increase our metabolism and keep Laze at bay, there are a couple of very simple things we need to do. If you have read any of my other articles or books, you will know that proper breathing is the first thing I always recommend. While there are many different breathing methods, the simplest and most beneficial is basic abdominal breathing. In basic abdominal breathing the abdominal muscles are expanded on inhalation (pushing the belly out) and contracted on exhalation (pulling the belly in). This deep, rhythmic breathing brings balance to the bodily systems and allows the metabolism to rise naturally as more energy is created. Once you are breathing properly, in order to effectively deal with Laze you must embrace the concept of movement. Movement is the best method for keeping Laze at bay because it stimulates the circulatory system which pumps blood to all areas allowing the musculoskeletal system to maintain itself. While proper eating habits are a major factor in keeping the body healthy, movement is what enables it to effectively process the food. Movement creates an active metabolism. The energy produced from
More Wandering Sage Wisdom is available at: http://wanderingsagewisdom.blogspot. com. Aaron Hoopes teaches an Online Personal Development Course for Spiritual Deepening. He is the author of 5 books including Zen Yoga: A Path to Enlightenment through Breathing, Movement and Meditation. His best-selling Daily Warm-Up DVD is a simple method for integrating breath and movement into daily life. Please feel free to contact Aaron: breathe@artofzenyoga.com. Visit the Zen Yoga Website: www.artofzenyoga.com
Community Spiritual Cinema Will Be Returning To Leapin'
Lizards This Fall!
Check In At ~ www.leapinlizards.com For The Upcoming Schedule!
Twentieth Annual Council of Men Dragonfly Fire on the Red Road
Friday September 11th- Sunday September 13th 715 Sennebec Road, Union, Maine The 20th Council will invoke passion and the light of hearth fire to awaken our original dragon spirit within. We will sharpen the art of shifting the shape of consciousness. $95 Adults $75 / Young Men 13-17 years / $45 Children 12 years and under For More Information contact Richard Norton 9 Harrison Rd., Windham, ME 04062
(207) 892-4675 or email: birdsongmusic@earthlink.net
Water ~ Air ~ Earth in Constant Motion Aug/Sept 2009 Inner Tapestry 17
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or thousands of years the human body was used in many various physically demanding ways. Hunting, gathering, and manual labor were all a major part of life in the past. But modern life has changed everything. We live in a predominantly sedentary society in which the basic needs of life are met with as little effort as possible. The average lifestyle consists of driving in the car to go to a job where we sit in front of a computer all day. Exercise is something to be avoided as we become numb to what is happening within our bodies. This state of being is something I call Laze. Laze can be mild, moderate or advanced and is a reflection of the sedentary lifestyle, the over-indulgence in eating and the avoidance of proper exercise which characterize the present era. Science and technology have introduced a vast array of labor saving devices, drugs and medical procedures to help us thrive in our Laze. The cell phone has replaced face-to-face meetings, GPS navigation has replaced the cognitive exercise of using a map, we can spend hours on the computer filling our brains with more and more information, and a numbing advertising onslaught from television takes constant energy to deflect. Sometimes even going to the gym can begin to feel like work after a busy day of stressfilled events. The diet craze seems hotter than ever, yet obesity threatens to overtake smoking as the number-one cause of death.
the oxygen and food is dispersed through the body by moving. This movement gets the blood flowing and raises the metabolism. As the metabolism becomes more active the body wants to move more. The most beneficial types of movements to facilitate this process are rotations of the joints and shaking of the extremities. Shrugging the shoulders, circling the arms, elbows, knees and hips are all excellent exercises as are shaking out the hands and feet. These types of exercise encourage the smooth flow of energy through the meridians of the body. In this way, the metabolic process enables a flow of energy through the body so that fluids and nutrients get to the cells, allowing the systems of the body to work the way they are supposed to, without additional stress. This energy lubricates the joints and assists in releasing toxins from the body. Laze is something that everyone struggles with at some point. But it doesn’t have to have influence in your life. By engaging in a regular schedule of simple movement activities, we can keep the bodily systems active and healthy without a lot of effort.
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e c n a D Let Move Y ou!
Movement Dance Healing Personal Practice Trance Dance
by Cherese Mathews
throws out there for us is the “I’m not a dancer” argument. It is important to understand that to use dance/movement as a practice does not require any particular skill or knowledge of dancing. All we really need to do is show up as the feeling, moving creatures we are to initiate the growth we seek. When we show up and move from our feeling body we create new ways of being. Two other common challenges are time and space. And, again, we work with what we have. Dancing, or moving honestly for five minutes a day in even a small space can make a substantial impact on our lives. So how do you create your own movement practice? One thing you can do is to explore different styles further on the internet, or in a workshop setting. You could also trust your own body wisdom and begin your practice there. It really is okay to start where you are and explore. Let’s look at some of the components of a movement practice.
I invite you to begin a Healing Movement practice. With this introduction to movement and dance for healing anyone can begin. Start where you are and go where the dance leads you!
Dance Movement is Healing
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I invite you to begin a Healing Movement practice. Let’s begin by defining “movement”. We are talking here about dance/movement for healing, examining ourselves through movement. At first glance this can look like dancing, and often it really is dancing in the physical sense. But there is a difference between what might be called recreational dancing and intentional dance movement. When we talk about movement as a process we look deep within and let the movement come from there. It is not always pretty or graceful when we move from this place, though it can be that too. Sometimes it looks and feels awkward or discordant. We use the dance to work with what is real for us in the moment. We leave thought and judgment behind to dance with our emotions and our bodies. Thought, or mind, can be our biggest barrier to healing. The mind has stories of what we can and cannot do, or be, or express. When we engage in awareness through movement we learn volumes about the stories we have been living with. Martha Graham once said, “The body reveals what words cannot”. I might add that the body, in motion, can often heal what words cannot. Our emotional and physical pain often drives us from our bodies into our heads. Our anger, distortions, hurts and fears can get stuck. We hold them in our aching backs, our tense necks and our sick stomachs. This is our energy, our life force. We block its flow and hold it in the tight corners of our bodies. We don’t have to do this. By allowing ourselves to get lost in movement we can break through the blocks and connect to the creative flow. Many ancient traditions are now emerging into common culture with teachings about dance for healing. Sometimes there is a trance component that is designed to get us to altered states. Trance states are the shift from a normal waking beta wave state to an alpha wave, which is relaxed, focused and aware. In this state we may be more able to see what is really true, or seek wisdom, or vision. It is important to see that in this dynamic dance there is intent to connect with our authentic selves. We also have an intention to connect to spirit, to call in our own personal connection to the universal powers for support. There are many teachers showing us how to tap into this transformational space. Gabrielle Roth, creator of the 5 Rhythms, is committed to teaching healing and transformation through movement and music. She says that if we “put our psyche in motion it will heal itself ”. And she means physical motion, not intellectual motion. Calling on musicians as modern day shamans of the soul she creates an auditory, musical path for us to follow. As the music leads us through the emotional body we feel our way along to our core. “Imagine a darkness which allows you to draw deeply into yourself, which makes you see with your heart instead of your eyes”. The work of Wilbert Alix is also dancing with the shamanic tradition. In his work we learn to use sensory manipulation in another way. He adds the elimination of visual stimulus, by using of a blindfold, to discover another language of movement. In this work we are entirely internal. We cannot see what we look like so it is easier to let go of our need to perform…even if the performance is for ourselves! We are drawn into a deeper place inside of ourselves. As with any practice we have potential challenges. One challenge the mind often
Space.
Create some space that feels good to you. It does not need to be large, you can move in anything probably six feet square or larger. Remove distractions like phones. If you want to decorate or honor the sacredness of the space with colors, candles or soft lighting that can be fun too.
Music.
Music opens the door to the soul. Experiment with it. Try moving with no music at all to see what you body does. Try music you would not normally listen to, something discordant or something you don’t even like. Again, just to see how you respond to it. Try different styles of music. It might be good, at least to start, to avoid what you personally would use as regular social dance music. This way you get to push some edges instead of just falling into your regular dance groove.
Personal Preparation.
Thought, or mind, can be the biggest barrier to healing.
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Wear comfortable clothes and bare feet if you can. It might be a good idea to set aside a specific amount of time, especially to start. Try half an hour as a time that you will move without breaking out of that setting. It is easy to step away to answer calls, let the cat in or wash that mug from breakfast. These are avoidance techniques! Make a commitment to your practice and stick with it.
The Dance.
Now it is time to turn on the music and put ourselves in the middle of the space. It is important to remember that there is no right way to do this practice. We just show up. If we have a feeling we move into it. One fun way to begin moving is to allow (not tell!) our bodies to offer up a simple gesture. Perhaps we get a sweep of the arm, or a nod of the head. We follow this movement with curiosity. Not with our mind, but with our emotional body. Sometimes we continue this movement for some time before it reveals some feeling or information. Sometimes it will flow into a new movement. The trick is to not judge and not direct. Follow the body with open hearted curiosity. How does our body move when it is moving sad; or happy; or lonely? Follow the lead of any feeling you have and just see where it takes you. Some great words to describe how we can move are: shift, shuffle, twist, turn, refocus, rearrange, and transfer. How do you refocus your body? What does shuffle bring up for you? This is play time with an agenda. We want to create an opportunity to be real, to know ourselves better, even change or redirect old habits. Movement opens up the energy channels, allowing flow and healing. The possibilities are endless. So, again, I invite you to create a Healing Movement practice for yourself. You can explore, experiment, learn and have fun. Be prepared for deep feelings. Be prepared for your life to change. Cherese Mathews weaves through the web of life with Movement/Dance, Ritual, Reiki/Energy, Breath and Creative Processes. She lives, works and plays in Northeast Connecticut. Cherese created “earthcounsel” to bring community together honoring Sacred Space, celebrating Life, kinship and our connection to the Earth in circles, around fires, with song, tears, laughter and love. She is a Reiki Master/ Teacher and Transformational Breath facilitator with a private practice holding the healing process; Artist, Art Educator, Master Gardener, Kripalu YogaDance facilitator, TranceDance facilitator, Fire Priestess and Justice of the Peace. She can be reached for private sessions or group work at: (860)942-3799 or earthcounsel@hotmail.com. Check out my new web site at www.anearthcounsel.com.
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RATED X by Carlene Sullivan
I
had a dream last night that I laid underneath a chestnut grand piano, submersed in water, knowing and surrendering to the fact that I was dying, as my heartbeat slowly danced its way to a complete stop, until I was surrounded by light. The dying part of dream was actually quite beautiful, being submersed in water was therapeutic and the awareness of my heartbeat slowing down with each breath was as welcoming as a sunrise after a long stretch of rainy days. There was however a disturbing aspect of the dream. I was O.K. with the dying part, O.K. with the fact that my body lay in a pool of water and I was O.K. with the knowing that I no longer would exist in this world, as I knew it. What bothered me in this lucid dream is that as I lay slowly dying, I was surrounded by many friends and family members that were completely sidetracked and oblivious to my deconstructing still being. They were distracted by talking on the phone, text messaging one another, sending out endless emails and surfing the net. Not one of my friends or family members noticed or cared about my last moments of existence as I prepared for my unknown journey into the spirit world. In the end, the white glowing light blanketed my friends, family and the chestnut grand piano and I awoke.
Did you know that the nurturing touch of another human being is as healing as a wild animal licking a wound clean? Did you know that a loving gesture or a positive affirmation is as nurturing as a mother holding a newborn underneath a starlit sky? Did you know that a hug, a gentle kiss and a gaze into a one’s eyes could ward off stresses and tensions that had been endured that day? Did you know that none of these things could happen through text messaging, emails, cell phones and the Internet? I can’t say that I’m completely an All Natural Girl…. I am guilty of text messaging a few selective people I have emailed before and I sometimes can be a cell phone slut however, I do know that as a child I fantasized about having a loving husband. My childhood fantasy included solitude and comfort in hanging out linens to dry on the clothesline as warm breeze flowed through the air and my little girl with long brown ringlet hair danced her way through childhood laughing the whole way. What I did not see in my childhood fantasy was the cell phone ringing on the picnic table drowning out the sounds of the birds and the crackling of the branches as they rubbed against one another. What I did not see, is that I would be barraged by numerous amounts of junk emails only to find out that I have no time for a husband, no time for children and no time to hang the laundry out, so I throw the clothes in the dryer as my imaginary child hypnotizes herself into her DS. What I did not see is that I would be amongst the thousands of individuals stuck in a world of connected disconnect.
We are so connected with one another digitally that we forgot how to communicate amongst one another on a one-to-one basis.
“I am a generation X baby,” I yelled at the top of my lungs in distress. According to the Wikipedia, Encyclopedia, Generation X babies are those who were born from the mid 1960’s through the late 1970’s. The Generation X’s are the technology guru’s of the world. According to the National Institute of Health, records show that 57.7 million adults suffer from depression, anxiety, and stress disorders. That is a whopping one out of four adults. The Generation X babies of America also have record numbers of premature deaths due to heart failure, have low conception rates, divorce and are the leading single people of the world. Like David Gilmour of Pink Floyd would say, “Is anybody out there?” Oh, that’s right, our new global mantra by Verizon is “Can you hear me now? Can you hear me now?” No wonder everybody is depressed and anxious and mind you, according to the January 2007 10-Q tax form for telephone & data, Verizon the No. 2 mobile phone service of the U.S. exceeded $10.1 billion dollars in six months, while the leading monster AT&T added 2.4 million customers in the same time period. The Generation X babies have been caught in the change of technology where simple living is defined by ease in communicating with one another with digital devices and high speed internet. It’s an epidemic! We are so connected with one another digitally that we forgot how to communicate amongst one another on a one-to-one basis. I mean think about it… Thousands of people are evolving into robots as they communicate through match.com, eharmony.com, Facebook, MySpace, YourSpace, EverybodysSpace; What about normal communication? Does it exist anymore? Does anyone attribute these health concerns that we endure to the fact that we as a nation believe that we are so connected with one another digitally that we are completely disconnected spiritually? WHAT ABOUT LOVE? I heard on the news that President Obama gave Queen Elizabeth an iPod as a gift. I almost threw up when I heard that. What does a high-end iPod cost, filled with tunes, around $700.00? I’d rather have a lifetime supply of Charmin Toilet paper to wipe myself clean of all the crap that’s going around. For a moment, just imagine that there is a major circuit breaker that if you pulled the plug all the cell phones, all the computers, satellite radio, DS’s, GPS’s, iPods, Digital TV, everything down. I know, I know…what you’re thinking, that’s impossible, the stock market would crash. Well it already did, so just imagine. Whatever happened to John Lennon? He imagined; oh that’s right, he got shot for that. Anyway, back to pulling the technology plug. Do you think people would immerse from their homes only to meet their neighbors for the first time? Most of us do
This brings me back to my dream of my death as I laid underneath a chestnut grand piano, submersed in water as my heartbeat slowly laid down to rest. A piano in a dream indicates that some aspect in your life is in discord and that you are in need of devoting time towards relationships and family to create harmony in your life. Being submersed in water signifies purification, as death in a dream ignites a powerful spiritual awareness that you are about to endure. I am not aware what the cell phones and Internet signified, for the dream dictionary does not include modern technology. However I do know that in my dream I was disturbed by the actions that my loved ones chose as I entered the forgiving white light. So the next time you are thinking about texting a friend, shooting an email over or posting a picture on facebook, maybe you should try the old-fashioned way of writing a letter, reaching out and hold one’s hand or offer a friend or family member in need a warm embrace. For the healing touch of another human being can heal old wounds, release stress, anxiety, depression and the loneliness the generation that has been Rated X endures.
Carlene (freelance writer) enjoys writing non-fiction stories that open the mind and inspire the soul. All writings come from real life happenings. She hopes to reach out to others to encourage inner strength, balance and harmony. Carlene is the founder of Symmetree Yoga, which specializes in teaching yoga and health. If you would like more information about Symmetree Yoga you are welcome log on to www.symmetreeyoga.com or call Carlene at (603) 662-8664.
INNER TAPESTRY 5 Laurel Ridge Road, Scarborough, ME 04074 207-799-7995 info@innertapestry.org ~ www.innertapestry.org Aug/Sept 2009 Inner Tapestry 19
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My sweetness of a chocolate lab lay still by my bedside and my overweight loving tabby cat purred his tune, as he laid cloaked in bedcovers. I slipped out of bed and prepared myself an extra dark cup of java to ward off my dreams of death. Something is different, I thought to myself. Things are just not right. I ran myself a warm shower hoping to cleanse my body and mind from my disturbing thoughts and found myself in a complete, utterly full-fledged argument with absolutely no one besides, me, myself and I.
have neighbors you know. Do you think people as they sat in the dark would see that shooting star that screamed across the sky that they would not have seen if they were looking for their perfect match online? Do you think people would reach out and lend a hand to an elderly person as they struggled with their groceries bags? I do. We spend so much time feeding the horse of technology that the horse is growing so large that its hoofs are stomping on our humanity and feeding off our souls. Technology is dehumanizing humanity.
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An Introduction to Homeopathy by Stephen Kottler, HMC
Homeopathic Medicine: What is it? How does it work? What conditions can it help or cure? Homeopathic medicine is a holistic discipline that recognizes and makes use of the body’s own power, called the Vital Force, which animates all living things. This article will provide Inner Tapestry readers with an introduction to homeopathy. What exactly is homeopathy, and how does it cause improvement? Many people think it’s vitamins or herbs, and most know that it’s natural medicine. Everyone’s heard of it, but it’s a far more precise complete system of medicine than most people know. It is a form of holistic medicine that can facilitate the process of not only healing the mind and body but of returning a person to overall wellness, strength, function and happiness.
Allopathy is the name given to conventional medicine. Allopathy is the method of treating diseases by using agents that produce effects different from the effects of the disease. For example, an anti-inflammatory drug is often prescribed to fight inflammation in the body. We are all accustomed to the practice of allopathy. One person typically has a number of allopathic physicians and several prescription medications, each to deal with just one disease or dysfunction. Homeopathy, unlike allopathy, is an energy medicine. The definition of homeopathy derives from the Greek word homoios meaning similar and pathos meaning suffering. That is, a substance that causes a constellation of symptoms in a healthy person will cure a person who suffers from those same symptoms. The making of a homeopathic remedy adds to and liberates energy from the single substance that is the basis of the remedy.
A homeopath can use the wisdom of homeopathy to improve both acute symptoms and the overall health of a person with a chronic condition. For example, let’s consider a case of migraine headaches. Allison B. had for years been plagued with migraines. They got worse over several years, until when one occurred, it could put her out of commission for several days. She had already seen her medical doctor, and a specialist, but the medicines they had prescribed didn’t always work and had side effects that left her exhausted and “washed out.” She was losing time from her job and feeling like an ineffective parent. By the time Allison decided on homeopathy, she was “at the end of my rope.”
The aim is for the Vital Force to work with the remedy to ensure a rapid and gentle cure.
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Homeopathy was not entirely new for Allison. She had once, on the recommendation of a friend, used Arnica Montana to help relieve pain in her head and neck after she slipped and fell while hiking. Aware of homeopathy but not knowing much about it, she went to her local health food store and spent $5.95 for a homeopathic remedy (Iris versicolor) recommended by a clerk there. She found that if she took the remedy at the start of a migraine, the headache would be noticeably milder and would pass more quickly than usual. She was pleased with the result, and wondered if a homeopathic practitioner could do even better. Traditionally trained medical practitioners use medications to remove or change symptoms, while a homeopath wants to understand both the person and the symptoms in order to find a single curative natural substance. Allison’s main symptoms were “bursting” headaches in her right temple, nausea, and a visual aura. With an extensive history of her illness, plus a deep understanding of her general functioning, her homeopathic practitioner prescribed Natrum muriaticum, homeopathically prepared table salt. When Natrum muriaticum is taken in a large dose, it will produce precisely the symptoms which had plagued Allison. After Allison took the remedy, she rarely had another migraine, and when she did, it was mild and brief. The remedy also made her more happy, calm, focused and energetic. “Everyone notices that I’m more relaxed,” she reported. Many conditions are amenable to homeopathic treatment. Acute care, or first aid, includes effective treatment of colds, flu, coughs, bronchitis, broken bones, tendonitis, concussions, hemorrhoids, burns, surgical trauma and many other conditions. These changes in health respond rapidly to the well-chosen remedy. People new to homeopathy, like Allison B., are surprised at how quickly they feel better. What’s amazing about homeopathy is its ability to cure the second category of problems, the chronic conditions that people live with, medicate and only dream can be cured. The list is long: anxiety, depression, digestive disorders, respiratory problems, skin conditions, long-held grief, IBS, ADD, PMS and more conditions and diseases than can be listed. While acute and first-aid care can be safely dealt with at home, professional homeopaths take on chronic illnesses. The well-chosen remedy will do more than cure common symptoms. Over weeks or months, the remedy keeps acting, and the Vital Force gently reestablishes a healthy balance. The person treated with homeopathy is likely to feel very good: energetic, happy, and improved physically, mentally, and emotionally. The goal of the trained homeopath is to restore to the person a sense of relaxed well-being and confidence, so that he or she feels and functions better. Said one patient, “It’s as if my entire being got a jump start!” 20 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2009
A homeopathic remedy is made in a very particular fashion. Plants, minerals, animals and chemicals are the starting point for a remedy. The chosen substance is ground for a full hour, then diluted a number of times, then shaken (“succussed”) vigorously. These dilutions and succussions continue until nothing material is left of the original substance of the remedy; only the spectrum of energy of the underlying substance remains. In this way, some powerful substances can be safely employed as remedies.
An important principle of homeopathy is use of a minimum dose. Thus only one remedy is used at a time, and it is a remedy made from only one substance. The homeopath recommends the fewest administrations of the remedy that will be useful, and in the lowest potency that is matched to the person’s needs. The aim is for the Vital Force to work with the remedy to ensure a rapid and gentle cure. The practitioner can then follow changes related to each remedy separately. Homeopathic remedies are tested (“proven”) on a number of healthy people to ascertain the remedy’s true effects. Careful routinized observation is carried out by provers and observers so that practitioners know the full range of physical, mental and emotional effects from each remedy. “Proving” remedies on healthy people limits the observed effects to those of the remedy itself, eliminating the interaction of illness and the remedy. By contrast, an allopathic medicine is tested on sick people with a certain defined disease, which means that the full range of effects of those medicines is never learned. Homeopathic provings are supplemented by records of clinical experience over time. All effects of the energy in the remedy are thus learned and harnessed. Homeopathy operates very differently from allopathy. A remedy helps stimulate the body’s innate healing mechanism, with improvements felt in the physical, mental and emotional spheres. The remedy is carefully chosen to match all the symptoms the person exhibits. By contrast, allopathic drugs generally suppress symptoms and often do not treat underlying conditions, that is, the disease process remains even if the symptoms are improved. For example, symptoms of gastritis can be controlled through allopathy, but the disease is likely to flare up at some point without medication. Remedies do not have side effects, while allopathic drugs can cause side-effects in many people. Where did this amazing system of medicine originate? Homeopathy was developed over the course of a long, productive life by a brilliant and tireless German physician named Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843). Dr. Hahnemann was a physician for years, then became disillusioned with the crude and brutal medicine of the day, including purgatives, bleeding, and blistering plasters. He turned to medical translating, and in the course of his work, read about a new treatment for malaria, Cinchona (Peruvian) bark. He experimented by taking the bark himself, and found that he developed the symptoms of malaria! Hahnemann concluded that an effective drug must produce symptoms in a healthy person that are similar to the disease the drug will treat. This principle became known as the “Law of Similars.” Homeopathy was a popular form of medicine in the 1800s and 1900s. Homeopaths even had their own medical schools in this country. Although homeopathy fell out of favor later in the 1900s, it is now enjoying a bit of a renaissance among people seeking a gentle yet effective natural form of medicine.
Stephen Kottler, HMC practices updated classical homeopathy at Androscoggin Homeopathics, Inc., 471Main St., Lewiston, ME 04240. He can be reached at 207-576-6722. www.MeHomeopath.com. Steve@MeHomeopath.com.
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HerbologyToday Capsule, Tea, Tincture... Oh My! Part Four by Christopher J. Bashaw, RN Version #2: Simmer herbs in lanolin or lard for several hours, strain, then let cool. If it doesn’t thicken, reheat mixture and add grated or melted beeswax to mixture and sample as above. Add 1-drop tincture of benzoin/ oz lard used to preserve it.
sprains and swellings.
Salves
Version #3: Mix herbs into Vaseline or petroleum jelly in pot and bring to boil. Strain, cool and put in jar.
Compresses
Salves are generally created using oil (infused or aromatherapy) and beeswax. Salves are very similar to ointments.
Version #4: Make as salve. Heat infused oil over medium-low heat. Add grated beeswax, sampling as above. Cool and jar.
NEED: Infused or aromatherapy oil or olive oil, stainless steel or cast iron pot, wooden spoon, jar or jars with lids, grated beeswax, essential oils (optional), and vitamin E (optional). Make Sure that there is NO water on the pots, pans, jars, etc. that you will be using, moisture will cause the salves to go bad!
USE: Topically, as needed for various external problems. STORAGE: Store your ointments in a cool, dry, dark place. They should keep from 6 months to 1 year.
DISCLAIMER Do not treat the information contained here as a prescription, it is intended as a resource of knowledge for you. Do not use any herb that you cannot positively identify, be it from the wild or your garden. When in doubt you should purchase your dried herbs from a reputable herbalist and seek treatment from a qualified practitioner.
USE: Topically, as needed for various external problems. STORAGE: Store your salves in a cool, dry, dark place. They should keep from 6 months to 1 year. Some salves which contain a lot of protein (like comfrey salves) will probably go bad more quickly.
Ointments Ointments are very similar to salves, and they can be used, for the most part, interchangeably. **Note: some people are allergic to lanolin. ** NEED: As pure lanolin as you can find or pork lard (refine by simmering and straining) or good quality oil or Vaseline or petroleum jelly or water, benzoin tincture, herbs, beeswax, non-aluminum pot, stove, strainer and jar. PREPARE: Version #1: Make a decoction. Add the decoction to a good quality oil and simmer the water away. Keep the oil on the stove on medium-low heat and slowly add grated beeswax to it. Periodically cool a sample in the freezer for 5 minutes to check constancy. When the sample is the hardness you desire, stop adding beeswax and pour ointment into jars to cool. Cover loosely with cap. Tighten lid 30 minutes later.
Liniments are used externally, most often for sore muscles, sprains and joint pain. *Do not ingest any herbal preparation made from rubbing alcohol. * NEED: Oil or alcohol or rubbing alcohol or vinegar, herbs, strainer, and jar. PREPARE: Pour liquid into jar; add herbs, cover and let sit in cool, dark environment for: Powdered herbs: 3-7 days. Other dried herbs: 2-6 weeks. Fresh herbs: 2-6 weeks. Strain and recap. (Vinegar may be diluted to 50% strength prior to steeping). USE: Liniments are for external use only and are used to relieve the pain from arthritis, sprains, muscles and gout, as well as to stimulate circulation. Oil is most often used for massages. Vinegar is an astringent. Alcohol creates a cooling sensation as it evaporates. STORAGE: Store in airtight container out of direct light in cool, dry place. Oil liniments last up to six months, alcohol last up to 5-10 years.
Poultices Poultices are usually a water-based preparation, though can, in a pinch, be made with nothing but the herb. NEED: Herbs, cloth, and water, tea, infusion, decoction, or juice. PREPARE: Poultices are very easy to make anywhere. There are at least four methods. Chew up (if it’s non-toxic) or bruise the plant in your hand and apply directly to the skin. (Great for ‘field’ herbalism, just make sure it’s not a poisonous plant!!) Pour water (cold, room temperature or hot) over the crushed fresh or dry herbs to moisten them. Place the wet herbs directly on the skin OR between two pieces of cloth then put the cloth (with herbs inside) on the skin.
Compresses are external preparations and are sometimes called fomentations, though they are generally smaller and used more on the extremities. NEED: Absorbent cloth, tea, decoction or infusion, plastic wrap (or plastic bag). PREPARE: Cold Compress: Soak a cloth in cold decoction, tea, or infusion. Wring it out, and then place on wound, joint, or wherever you want it. Cover with plastic to retain moisture. Keep on 10-20 minutes (until warmed by body heat), then remove and replace. Other Compresses: Soak a cloth in very hot (but tolerable to touch) tea, infusion or decoction, wring it out slightly, and then place it on the wound, joint, etc. Cover with plastic, then wrap with dry cloth to hold it in place. Re-soak bottom cloth when it cools. USE: Compresses can be large or small and can be used for the chest for chest colds and congestions, or can be used for other parts of the body to reduce inflammation and swelling, encourage healing of wounds, eliminate rashes or other skin problems and more. STORAGE: Immediate use only. Making herbal preparations is like cooking, you can’t expect a chef to teach you how to cook straight from a book. A lot of it is ‘feel’ and experience, is required by the individual making the product and though some wonderful results can still be attained by following the instructions laid out within actually working with the materials is what will lead to ‘perfection’. Through trial and error you can get them right, but keep in mind that different herbs and plant parts require slightly different handling. Also remember that no two herbalists use the same herbs the same way or the same recipe. If herbololgy strikes your interest then continue your education by taking an herbal apprenticeship program locally.
Christopher Bashaw, RN is an independent herbalist and healing arts practitioner in the NH Seacoast region and can be contacted at master_ tenbu@yahoo.com, http://1karate.webs.com.
The Thirteenth Moon
Make a tea, infusion or decoction, soak cloth in it, wring cloth out, and then place the damp cloth on the skin. Soak a cloth in the juice of the plant, wring out the cloth, and then place it on the skin USE: Poultices can be used for 15 -30 minutes several times daily, or some herbalists put them on and don’t take them off for a week or more, depending on the problem. I would recommend that a poultice be changed at least daily, if at all possible! They are used for anything from bug-bites and minor wounds to
Susan Bakaley Marshall ATR-BC, LCPC board-certified art therapist, licensed clinical counselor, Shamanic practitioner
ART from the heART
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Aug/Sept 2009 Inner Tapestry 21
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PREPARE: Heat most of the oil in a pot over low heat, stirring slowly and often (almost constantly). Add grated beeswax slowly, letting it melt and a few drops of essential oil (if you are using herbs 1-2 oz of herb for 1-cup oil. Mix the herbs and oil, and place them in an open oven at 140 degrees for 3 hours. Allow to cool, and strain oil thru muslin) and/or your vitamin E. Some say that the ratio of beeswax to oil should wind up being about 3 parts beeswax to 4 parts oil, but remember to add the wax slowly. Once the wax is melted in, pour some of the warm oil and wax mixture into a jar and place in the freezer for about five minutes. Pull it out and test it, if it’s a good consistency for you, then your salve is perfect. If it’s too hard, add some more oil (that’s why we didn’t put it all in!), or if it’s too soft, add more beeswax. If you live in a warm climate, remember that the heat will cause your salve to be softer, so you might want to add more beeswax. Once your salve’s the way you want it, pour it out into jars and tighten the lids. Wait 15 minutes and retighten the lids (the cooling may have caused the caps to loosen).
Liniments
STORAGE: Since these are usually made on an ‘as needed’ basis, they aren’t usually stored, but if they must be, It is suggested to place them in a plastic bag in the fridge for no more than a week at a time.
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How Does Your Pet Move Within You? by Donald and Sara Hassler
W
hen we think of the word movement, many of us automatically consider some type of physical activity. The dictionary terms movement to be the activity of changing place, position, posture as well as, a manner of physically moving. Movement is also defined as multiple activities that work toward a specific objective that promotes a trend. Moving mechanical parts that create a definite motion is another definition. In the arts, movement can be thought of a rhythmic theme that has a particular style of composition that creates a language all its own, like a musical movement by a symphony. In literature, the term movement is used when a book, paper, article or other publication holds the attention of an audience. All these definitions suggest some type of either physical action, or thought provoking non-physical action. Here’s where we come to realize that movement isn’t just physical. By our last definition, it can also be of the non-physical. Consider how we interact with others including our faithful companions. Do you know how your pet moves—within you? A greater sense of connection can be had with our pets if we stop to question how they move within us, their style, their speed and even their pace. To wonder, some say, is to behold and that’s what we can do to make our relationships with our pets stronger and healthier. Our companions move within us in all sorts of ways. By taking some time to wonder, we have the glorious chance to behold the value they bring to our lives. Take a moment and ask yourself or a friend…
Do you wonder how they are doing or what they are doing? Do you whisper silent thoughts to your pet, like “I hope you're ok until I get home tonight”? Do you wish you could stuff your animal friend in your pocket and carry them everywhere? Then your companion moves within the framework of your mind. Do you ever look at your pet and wish you could understand what they were thinking or saying? Have you ever thought to yourself, I wish I spoke their language? Was there ever a time you thought to yourself, if I had one wish, it would be that you, my sweet little pet, would live with me and be with me forever, never to be separated by anything or anyone? Did you ever wish for their health in sickness? Then your pet moves within the wishing stars of your night skies. Did a day go by when you might have looked at your pet and thought; I am—Truly am, so lucky to have you in my life. Was there a day that you thought to yourself, if only I had your wonderful life, someone to take care of me like I take care of you? Do you share your pet’s life with your friends and family? Do you share funny pet stories, what they did during the day or at night? Have you ever expressed the love you have for your pets with another person, who might not have understood the deep passion you have for your pet?
There’s always time to wonder, contemplate and realize. Opening our thoughts to new ideas and ways of seeing our lives and how we interact with others and on what level, brings more meaning into our world. Animals have a magnificent beauty about them. They share that gift with us when they connect and move within us. When we take the time to connect back to them, we fill their lives with our ability to move within them. It’s the sharing of movement within each other that makes for a lasting and loving relationship. How much more beautiful can life be than to move within another being? Enjoy the wonderment, capture it and behold the beauty— then share it and pass it along to another pet lover!
Natural Flea & Tick Control Update & Health Reminder! We have an update for everyone! Last issue we wrote an informative article about natural flea and tick control. We have found another useful product that can help keep pesky pests away from your pets! •
Garlic Oil Premise Sprays have been reported to be helpful in keeping mosquitoes at a distance and has also been found to repel fleas and ticks. This is an all natural garden and yard spray and is approved and often used for organic farming. It’s applied with a sprayer directly to the grass. The smell of garlic in the yard disappears in about 30 minutes for humans but remains pungent to many insects. Garlic Oil Premise Sprays also repel Nematodes which are another natural outdoor flea control. Using both products at the same time to repel fleas is not suggested. Resource - Garlic Barrier http://www.garlicbarrier.com/index.html
In the event of serious illness or unexplained health issues it’s highly suggested to remove all chemicals that your pet might be exposed to. Check their food sources, home cleaning agents, flea and tick controls and all medications for side effects and toxicity issues. It’s also a good idea to test for all pest related diseases including the Tick Borne Diseases. Pet owners can request to have a 4 Panel Tick Test done. This is a completely different test than the regular Lyme disease test. Many pets that suffer from a Tick Borne Disease test negative for Lyme disease. Other tests that can detect parasitic diseases are, the SNAP® 4DX® Test, a complete blood count (CBC), chemistry profile and urinalysis. Depending on the findings of these initial tests, other tests are available through your trusted vet to make a final diagnosis.
Donald and Sara Hassler are co-authors of the award-winning childrens' book, Loving Marley, and reside in Connecticut with Marley and Belle the real-life inspiration for the PugTale Adventures storybooks www.lovingmarley.com. The Hasslers are active members of the press and write exclusive feature articles for several publications. Their columns are also published in Pug Talk Magazine. Visit them online at www.responsiblepetowner.com.
Then they move within the social network of your world. Was there ever a day that you looked at your pet and thought to yourself, I heard that, and I agree with you. Have you ever felt your pet’s energy rise when you enter the room and fall when you leave? Did you ever notice that when you fall asleep with your beloved companion, you’re more at peace? When you spend quiet time with your pet, have you ever thought that the only people that existed in the world were you and them—no one else? Have you ever looked into your pet’s eyes, and been mystified as to what the world must look like through their eyes? Then they move within the vast space of your spirit. Was there a time when you thought your world would end at the loss of a beloved companion? Have you ever feared the day and pushed the thought out of your mind? Is there a time that you can recall ever being comfortable with losing your pet?
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Do you think about your pet when you are away from them, at work, on a trip, or just out for the day?
Then they move within the landscape of your heart. Our pets move within all of us. Some movements are common to all pet owners. Other movements are very personal and unique based on the private relationship we have with our pets. If there are multiple animals in a household then those pet’s movements may be similar, but each animal will move within us in their own individual way.
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Washington, ME 04574 Aug/Sept 2009 Inner Tapestry 25
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welcom e ho m e
ask asrianna Questions and Answers on Relationships, Spirituality and Conscious Living
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Dear Asrianna, It took me a long time to finish reading your last column about the woman with the sister who was out-of-control when it came to her spending habits. Although I’m not the sister in question, I could be. I’m sick to my stomach even writing this because I just can’t seem to control myself around money. I feel ashamed and worthless. Every time I read the news, watch TV or hear a radio report on the economy I feel as if I’m the lowest of the low because there are people who are truly financially destitute through no fault of their own and I’m on the verge of personal bankruptcy because of my own lack of discipline. For as long as I can remember there were money problems in my family when I was growing up. My dad owned his own business and there were more times when we didn’t have money than when we did. It was especially hard for my mom because my dad traveled for his work and when he needed money for his business trips it was her job to find it even when there was none. It didn’t help that my mom grew up in an alcoholic family where money was non-existent and then she married my father, another alcoholic. When you combine all this with her lack of budgeting knowledge, it made her a poor choice for being the one in charge paying the bills in the first place. Whenever the stress got too much for her we’d go shopping. “Now don’t tell your dad,” she’d say. Or we’d hide our purchases behind the bushes at the front of our house so we could bring them in when he was sleeping. Some of my earliest memories are of being sent into grocery stores with a handful of cash so I could redeem my mother’s bounced checks. As young as I was, I felt filled with shame. I can’t believe I’m repeating so many of my mother’s mistakes. I don’t involve my daughter and never have, but I’ve certainly hidden things so that my husband doesn’t see how much I’ve purchased. I have my own banking account as we’ll as a parttime business I own but I’ve reached the point where I can’t pay my bills and as of today when I finally checked my bank balance I found out I’m overdrawn. It’s been weeks since I’ve been able to make myself balance my checkbook. I’ve been diagnosed with ADD and although I don’t tell anyone about it because I keep hearing how “everyone” has ADD and it’s no excuse for stupid behavior. Even so, I still can’t help but think it just makes things worse. When I get overwhelmed something clicks in me and I want to buy something although I never admit that’s what I plan to do. I just say I’m going to go out and window shop, but of course it never ends up that way and when I’m done spending I feel nauseous and embarrassed by how stupid and irresponsible I am. Right now I feel as if I am the most horrible, worthless person in the world. I’ve tried to be more financially in control but I keep spending and failing. How can I stop this and get my life back in order? Signed, Broke and Worthless Dear Broke, Begin by ceasing to call yourself worthless and stupid. Might there be others who feel that in saying this I’m condoning spending behaviors that are irresponsible or worse? Yes and so be it. Your addiction to spending is far more complex than just a desire to buy things for materialist pleasure. When you’re overwhelmed and in emotional distress, you’ve learned a way of running from the pain. Unfortunately, your current path is detrimental 26 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2009
to your happiness and increases the urge to escape through the only path familiar to you. The dynamics in your childhood, and before that in your mother’s, formed a cycle of cause and effect. Stressful events—both those in and out of your control—create in you a desire to avoid the discomfort of the subsequently painful feelings. Addictions typically arise when we’re trying to ease an uncomfortable emotion. In addition there are often biological components behind many impulsive, addictive and, ultimately, damaging behaviors. We could cover your family history in many pages, of course, and still not change your spending issues. One of the things I highly recommend is that you find a counselor in your area specializing in addiction, and Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in adults. As you’ve noticed yourself, a point validated in numerous studies, addictive behaviors are one of the symptoms of ADD and ADHD. I understand that it can be hard to afford counseling when you’ve spent the very money you need in order to pay for therapy. If you lack insurance, make the effort to find a licensed mental health professional who works on a sliding fee scale. While you’ve acknowledged a diagnosis of ADD, you immediately turn around and discount it by your recounting other people’s possible negative reactions. No one else can live your life nor can you limit your own healing by worrying that other individuals are judging you for having a different way of processing and acting on information. Fear of what others think only adds to the perception you have of being shameful and breeds secrecy. You may, in fact, have acted in ways causing those around you to view you as irresponsible. We’re always in charge of the consequences of our choices, however it’s detrimental to limit your path of healing on what others might think. Start where you are and move forward. If you haven’t already, it would be beneficial for you to do some research on ADD and ADHD in order to see for yourself what the definitions are and how they might pertain to your life and situation. I can’t, nor would I, tell you what your personal path of diagnosis and improvement should look like, nor what resources will ultimately be of most help to you. That being said, I can confidently offer that WebMD is a well-respected online site. A link to their page answering some basic questions on ADD and ADHD is at http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/adhd-adults. Another online site of possible interest and information is the Attention Deficit Disorder Association. Again, I can only offer that these sites are potentially beneficial and informative, not that they will be the answer to every one of your questions. All of this is a moot point if you feel so worthless that you’ve completely given up. You’re caught in a cycle. One of feeling emotional discomfort and unhappiness, followed by a desperate impulse to escape the pain, the temporary high and fix of spending, and then the subsequent painful emotions that starts the process all over again. The key is that
you can step out of the repetitive pattern at any point and one of the quickest is to short-circuit the process at the emotional starting point. You’ve made poor choices, there’s no doubt about it and your financial crisis is an unavoidable sign of that. What’s done is done and the best you can do about the actual monetary issues is to come clean to yourself, your family and your creditors. It’s a humbling, difficult process and you know as well as I do that it will be hard. When you’ve damaged trust the only way to gain it back is by proving each day, with every decision, that you’re honestly trying to address your behaviors while working on ways to change them. You may have spent so much, and your financial situation is dire enough that you choose to declare personal bankruptcy. Only you as a debtor, a respected attorney, and your creditors can make that ultimate decision. While credit counseling agencies may help, please be cautious as to which you might consult. There are truly non-profit agencies whose work it is to help those in financial distress work out a payment plan. Just be wary of those who promise compassionate help but nonetheless charge fees for doing so. Stop and take a look at your life. See where the many blessings reside. If you and your loved ones are healthy and safe, feel gratitude. If you’re sheltered, fed, clothed, employed, able to work and make that next paycheck, one that can go toward financial wellness, offer a thank you to the Universe. Look around you and see the successes of others and realize you can walk that same path. Use your humbling learning experiences as an avenue of growth and compassion as you interact with others. Nothing creates more compassion than realizing our own humanity. Now is the only reality we have and in this moment, the instant in which you read these words, know you have within you not only the possibility of change, but the certainty of it. Where do you want that change to be? Which direction will you choose? We all walk, stumble, fall and rise again. It’s the rising that elevates you, that moves you forward, wiser and move loving toward yourself and others. You can heal the hurt that caused you to seek solace in outside avenues. I have every faith that you will. Many blessings, Asrianna Asrianna Dameron is a Psychic, a Spiritual Medium, a Certified Hypnotherapist, and a Certified Past Life Regressionist in private practice. She offers individual and group sessions as well as seminars and speaking engagements on the topics of Psychic Development, Mediumship, Hypnosis and Shamanic healing. Asrianna can be reached at asrianna@shamansheart.com, by visiting her websites at www.shamansheart.com or www.nhshamanandpsychicmedium.com, or by calling 603-892-1268.
To have your questions answered, please email your letters or comments to Asrianna at Asrianna@shamansheart.com
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d estina tio n h e ali n g ~ s ou t h e r n n ew en g l a n d
Moving Energy, Healing Spirit At Hartford Family Institute's Center for Healing Arts by Karen M. Rider
Griswold, Connecticut
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nergy implies movement, action, friction, interaction. Its meaning has been extended from science, particularly physics, to medicine and human biology, emotions and consciousness, to selling sports drinks and even cars (‘The Vital Force in Automobiles…. Guaranteed to engage your chi!’) We hear people talk about “energy vampires” in their personal relationships and often express how we are “full of energy!” or “zapped.” We live and breathe energy—in all its forms. Life is energy and energy is life—but how do we harness it for optimum human well-being? Just as important, how do we release it when it’s blocked and causing harm to our inner lives, our relationships and life experiences? To answer this question, I had the incredible experience of connecting with Naomi Lubin-Alpert, Psy.D. LMFT and her husband Stuart Alpert, Psy.D, LCSW founding partners of Hartford Family Institute’s Center for Healing Arts (HFI/CHA/The Center). The Center, which just celebrated its 4oth Anniversary, is internationally recognized for innovative, comprehensive psychotherapy services and alternative healing modalities. HFI is well known for the creation and application of In-Depth Body Psychotherapy and Subtle Energy Healing and offers an array of integrative healing modalities. (See side bar)
frequency of subtle energy.” So, how do you deal with energy that has created a negative experience for a person or within a relationship? “Our therapists [l]ook at how the body organizes itself based on the nature of the energy we bonded with as children. We learn how emotional states are created, whether early life experiences supported [or blocked] the flow (movement) of subtle energy.” Naomi gave the example of love, which contains the energies of warmth, softness and flow. Negative emotions possess energies of harshness and destructiveness. This energy can be expressed, consciously or unconsciously in one’s actions toward self, others and environment. It can manifest in defensive forms that help a person survive harsh experiences (adversity, abuse, trauma) and tend to block the flow of energy necessary for good health and relationships. Spirit and Healing
Quantum Leaps and Healing Energy
“Subtle energy is at the center of all life. It is also known as chi, prana, spirit, vital force, or the Akashic Field. One of Einstein’s greatest discoveries is that matter and energy are interchangeable. Even something that appears solid is made up of Subtle Energy,” explained Stuart. “Quantum physics is leading us to understand that subtle energy is the medium that holds consciousness and connects everything in the universe—connects all of us to one another. Mind, body and spirit are not distinct and separate, but are a [network] of pulsating energies constantly interacting in a vast sea of energy.” Quantum physics deals with energy on sub-atomic levels. Thought, emotion, action, reaction… biology, physiology, and psychology – it’s all energy interacting at a subatomic level within the environment and ourselves. Naomi and Stuart have developed their theories of energy and consciousness in their practice and teachings over the last forty years. Eminent brain biochemist, Dr. Candace Pert, described similar phenomena in her book, Molecules of Emotion. The Dark and Light Energy of Emotion
The practitioners at HFI understand that “emotions are molecules of energy that come together, forming a response to internal or external stimuli. For example, in an exchange between parent and child, there is the visible interaction and invisible or subtle (subatomic) interaction,” Stuart continues, “Emotions form these exchanges communicate through subtle energy frequencies, as well as through our cells and even our DNA.” This is how we feel “tension in the air” or “sense a strain” between two people sitting together, expressionless. To sense the emotional quality between two people does not imply a psychic ability. Rather, Naomi says, “this is the experience of the vibration or 28 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2009
Hartford Family Institute's Center for Healing Arts David Gilroy, Donna Baker-Gilroy, Sylvia Gingras-Baker, and founding partners Naomi Lubin-Alpert and Stuart Alpert
Stuart went on to point out that therapists at The Center embrace and work directly with an aspect of healing that is often disregarded by traditional psychotherapy and medical models, “We consider clinical issues to be messages from spirit, as opposed to problems to be eradicated. We believe it is subtle energy, or spirit, that enables us to form blocks (disturbance) as a means to defend ourself against emotional or physical force (abuse, humiliation, trauma, etc.). Defenses can take various forms in the body. It is essential to undo the negative energy that formed the block or created the defense in order for healing and wholeness to occur.” Naomi emphasized, “It is at the energetic level, through spirit, that deep transformation takes place in all emotional and physical symptoms.” In-Depth Healing for Body Mind and Spirit
In-Depth Body Psychotherapy (IDBP) and Subtle Energy Healing (SEH) have been applied to a myriad of physical diseases as well as emotional and relational issues. The therapists apply the information gathered from quantum physics, neuroscience, psychotherapy, mindfulness and spirituality to help clients release the block, or compression, that may manifest in any of the body systems (digestive, lymphatic, nervous, cardiovascular, etc.). They have had success with a wide variety of emotional issues and physical conditions, including breast masses. As Naomi explained,
“Using imagery, we are able to help our clients encompass and absorb a higher vibration of light and love into the mass. Ninety percent of the women we have worked with have had their masses convert back to flowing energy: The masses have disappeared.” Anxiety, which is so common in the general population, is viewed as a call to integrate a disowned aspect of the person that was not experienced as acceptable, typically in childhood. The person gets to know this part of him/herself and experiences a reunion of energies and capabilities that can bring vitality and satisfaction to living. Stuart noted that the therapy team uses the same set of principles to work with depression, sexual abuse, eating disorders, all trauma, as well as with non-clinical issues. The key components of this unique therapy include giving clients a connection for their feelings in a nonjudgmental, non-problem focused approach. The aim is to help clients appreciate that they are living the best way they know how, given the quality and level of their internal supports. The therapists help clients recognize and take responsibility for their darkness and their light, embrace compassion and the need for attachment, and ground their experiences in their bodies. Ultimately, the clients learn how to embrace transformation. “A person without a clinical issue can benefit from the same process, experiencing growth by taking responsibility for all of who they are and bringing acceptance to all of what it means to be human. This therapeutic approach works with relationship counseling, as well, “We see the energy movement and blockage within each person as well as within a couple in the interpersonal field of relationship.” The quality and characteristics of IDBP and SEH were born of an appreciation for and study of Western and Eastern psychology, Native American philosophy, and a variety of spiritual and wisdom traditions. This knowledge, combined with valid scientific research from fields such as physics, neurobiology, physiology and other health sciences certainly keeps the partners on their toes, as Stuart pointed out: “The five partner-practitioners, including myself and Naomi, David Gilroy, Psy.D, LPC, Donna Baker-Gilroy, Psy. D. LPC and Sylvia Gingras-Baker, LMFT continually refine this unique and important approach to healing. Spirit has incredible powers to heal each person—and the world.” HFI’s Center for Healing Arts Services
HFI/CHA serves individuals and groups from all walksof-life for a variety of concerns: stress, career change, life transition, parenting, divorce, trauma, mental health and illness, chronic and terminal illness, relationship issues. A person need not experience a medical crisis to obtain services. Custom service packages are available as well as preventive wellness services. • In-Depth Body Psychotherapy (IDBP) and Subtle Energy Healing (SEH) • Professional Training in IDBP and SEH for mental health, medical, and social workers
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d estinat io n he alin g ~ n o r t h e r n n ew e n g l a n d
Improving Movement Through Massage by Kevin Pennell Bethel, Maine
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hether through exercise, yoga, tai chi, or just walking to a destination, our bodies move. Some move about unrestricted with fluid motion while others experience limitations resulting from various causes like injuries, lack of regular exercise, or limiting physical conditions since birth. Despite their physical status, many can benefit from massage therapy to help improve their movement. In order to function well as a massage therapist, massage therapy schools have risen to the challenge of producing well-balanced trained professionals in their field.
Dr. Cowan’s quest for personal growth and good health led him to the field of natural therapeutics from a background as a civil engineer. His diverse training in disciplines associated with natural therapeutics such as counseling, nutrition, botanical medicine, homeopathy, and massage therapy equips Dr. Cowan with the necessary skills as an administrator for a therapeutic school involved in a holistic approach to healthcare. Dr Cowan’s scope of practice in massage therapy with specific conditions includes spinal cord injuries, scoliosis, and spina bifida and disc compression with specialization in structural reintegration. As Executive Director, Patrick Cowan wholeheartedly believes “in an inclusive, compassionate and ethical approach to education for all.” His diverse background in administration, health care, and education afford the school an individual able to oversee student affairs, faculty coordination, and curriculum development to communication with the school’s regulatory and licensing agencies.
Massage can be traced back over 5000 years to China. Initially viewed as a therapy in medicine, massage techniques identified points on the human body that responded to diverse movements including pressing, skilled body manipulations, and rubbing. Massage has evolved over the centuries with therapists employing various techniques to benefit their clients. Robert Berube, MEd, DSc, DC and Patrick Ian Cowan, PhD founded NHITA. The institute has its roots in the Merrimack Valley Integral Health Center, in Hudson NH, where the founders recognized the need for thorough and professional training in Massage Therapy. The clinical experience of the health care facility figured prominently in the content and philosophy of the school’s Massage Therapy training program, emphasizing natural approaches to health care. Efforts have been made in recent years to regulate Massage Therapy for the benefit of clients. The New Hampshire Institute for Therapeutic Arts supports that effort through striving to train Massage Therapists who will be effective professionals in the Healing Arts. To do that, according to Dr. Cowan, “the staff and faculty seek to provide professional preparation in Massage Therapy. As in any profession, it is essential to develop skills, discipline, and structure. Our goal is to produce graduates who are health professionals in every sense.” As an independently functioning educational facility the therapeutic school gained recognition by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) in 1983. In 1992 NHITA was recognized by American Massage Therapy Association Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (AMTA/COMTA), and in 1999 was fully accredited by the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA). The Hudson, New Hampshire facility, at 153 Lowell Road, has remained in continuous operation since
Director Janet Alexis’ entire professional career has involved her in the field of health care. She began as office manager for the Merrimack Valley Integral Health Center, a natural therapeutics clinic that provided comprehensive health care through chiropractic, counseling, nutrition, physical therapy, and massage therapy. Ms. Alexis’ role of office manager, working with Drs. Berube and Cowan, positioned her to serve as administrator for NHITA at its inception. Dr. Cowan commented that, “her role has grown with the school and she is now Director at the Hudson campus. Janet participates in strategic planning for the institute as well as overseeing day-to-day operations of the Hudson campus with an emphasis on student affairs and faculty coordination.” Karen Schilling has been Associate Director of the school since 1999. She’s been instrumental in curriculum development, policy and procedure, and strategic planning. Ms. Schilling brings a business perspective to the school from her past career as a CPA. Dr. Cowan explained, “She has a passion for natural therapeutics and strives to keep NHITA on the cutting edge of massage therapy education by continually observing new trends, networking, and involvement in the massage therapy community.” With the many modalities offered for potential
clients these days, what’s a person to do in deciding about which massage therapist to choose? A potential massage client should have the confidence that they could ask their massage therapist some basic questions for the assurance of a good, professional, and beneficial massage. To begin with, what techniques do they offer; Swedish, Sports, Shiatsu, Neuromuscular, or some other technique? This way the client can decide what is best for their particular needs. A qualified massage therapist should also be able to counsel the client if they are unsure of or need further guidance on the proper technique for them. A reputable massage therapist will not be offended by the simple inquiry, “That sounds fascinating. Where did you learn that technique?” If necessary, a professional therapist will also be happy to refer you to another therapist for a suitable or specialized treatment if they cannot help. Proper training through a qualified therapeutic school like NHITA prepares professional massage therapists. NHITA offers two comprehensive programs for massage therapy, a ten month and a twelve month program. The ten month begins in September and ends the following June with classes meeting Tuesday and Thursday evenings and plus Saturday and/or Sunday during the day. The twelve month program meets on Mondays and Wednesdays during the day. It begins in January and finishes the following December. The New Hampshire Institute for Therapeutic Arts trains students in academics as well as a diversity of massage therapy techniques including Swedish Massage, which has become the basis for many massage therapies. It stimulates circulation in the body, increases muscle flexibility, and fosters general balance in the structure and function of the muscular and skeletal systems. A technique in massage called Neuromuscular “relieves muscle tension, promotes structural integration, reduces mental and emotional stress, and improves organ and glandular balance.” Sports Massage speaks for itself. It addresses “conditioning, preparation, and treatment of strain or injury.” Lymphatic Drainage Massage, Circulatory Massage, and Trigger Point Therapy are some additional techniques also applied to massage. The New Hampshire Institute of Therapeutic Arts offers instruction in these techniques as part of its standard program along with other core courses required for massage therapists to be fully qualified upon graduation.
Many states require licensure giving potential clients some confidence about a therapist’s training. Licensure requirements vary from one state to another. Besides
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A massage school that accepted that challenge in 1983 is the New Hampshire Institute for Therapeutic Arts (NHITA). While it may be considered a Destination for Healing because it offers massage therapy at both of its campuses in Bridgton, Maine and in Hudson, New Hampshire, it’s primarily viewed as a Destination for Healers, for those that choose a career to help others through Therapeutic Massage.
1983 and the Bridgton, Maine campus opened in 1994, at 27 Sandy Creek Road in Bridgton. NHITA continued under the direction of Dr. Berube and Dr. Cowan until 1998 with the passing of Dr. Berube. In 1999 the school restructured its administration and educational directorship under the guidance of Dr. Cowan, Janet Alexis, and Karen Schilling.
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ex p lori ng the wo r l d r el i g i o n s
There is No Vatican of the Spirit AReflectionontheImpermanenceofSpiritualMovements in a World of Samsara (Changes) by James Bean The Savior said, "And there shall be others of those who are outside our number who name themselves bishops and also deacons, as if they have received their authority from God. They bend themselves under the judgment of the leaders. Those people are dry canals." (Apocalypse of Peter, The Nag Hammadi Library in English, online at Gnosis.org)
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As a friend Neil Tessler from Vancouver says: "There is no Vatican of the Spirit." He specializes in writing about the politics of Guru-succession in India, suggesting that all spiritual movements decline and turn to dust sooner or later. It's just a matter of time. Try as they might, spirituality can not be institionualised. Groups usually undergo a process of gradual decline, dispensing with a crucial mystical principals or techniques every so often. Living in a world of forgetfulness and spiritual slumber, how soon we forget. The decline is so gradual, that sadly, most in a group over the decades of their short human lifespan do not even notice, or would rather not be mindful about such matters. Only looking back years or decades later, the lucky ones not completely intoxicated by social status or "group-think" might perhaps come to see the occasional wrong turn after wrong turn a spiritual group has made, all in the name of progress and good intentions of course: building bigger buildings with less meditating going on in the, noisier, bigger buildings; getting busier without, yet not getting as far within; an overall reduction in the percentage of the population having inner mystical experiences, and all in the name of what... saving the world by becoming less spiritual? less true to the ideals of the Path? Life-changing, transformative, inner experience, a close encounter of the Godkind, is what the "world" really needs, not yet more branding, photo ops and marketing campaigns. With any spiritual movement, sooner or later, we are eventually left with bones, statues, dust from the past, apostles and prophets that are no more, the shoes and spectacles of the guru who lived many decades ago, and on a few occasions scrolls that are worshipped as holy books, even though these very same scrolls might instruct us to not worship books. Rather, these Holy Scriptures are advising us to be healed of our blindness, go within, develop sight, see Divine Light, and to be healed from our deafness, with ears opened to hearing inner Music. All of these great teachers of days gone-by have generally reaffirmed for their generation, the same basic truths and inner experiences. I do like my friend's
phrase: "There is no Vatican of the Spirit." I find that to be a useful if not ironic way of putting it. Spiritual movements come and go. Schools of Spirituality and mystics are replaced by polyester prophets parasitically interpreting the past inspiration once breathed by others. Living Saints are sometimes eventually replaced by CEO's of religious companies riding around in very expensive rickshaws of the rich and famous who seemingly are incapable of composing their own inspired poetry or prose like their predecessors. Ghost-writers don't count! All of the organizations associated with mystic-paths at present, rest assured, will meet the same fate as those of past generations, eventually being replaced with vibrant gatherings in diverse locations (if they haven't been already), new budding branches of the Living Mystical Tree of Life to replace the old, same as always – thank God. A famous Saint from Hathras, India by the name of Tulsi Sahib used to sleep in the trunk of a tree at night. Read that somewhere. I find that to be absolutely charming as it reveals that Tulsi did not live in a mansion of opulent decadency with four or five Porsche's in the driveway (back then it would have been elephants I would imagine), an image that would have suggested a contradiction between the teacher's lifestyle and his teachings. If I ever travel to Hathras, it will not be to visit the samadh containing Tulsi's ashes, but to that tree that Tulsi once slept in, or one like it, and to the places where he spent much time in meditation. There is no permanent Institution or University of Mysticism, but a declinerenewal process, a continuous pattern of Masters leaving older groups, movements, ashrams or real estate, and emerging in new locations to begin again, to reboot, to reset, to renew the mystic-path on Planet Earth, to keep the torch of spirituality burning bright for another generation or two. Spirituality is the Impulse of Life from the Great Life, the Universal Soul – God – that we as soul are intertwined with, not golden temples, or idols made of wood and stone. The history of Essenes leaving Jerusalem, John the Baptist leaving Qumran, Thomas heading East, Valentinians moving out of Roman cities to create Egyptian spiritual communities in the desert, Tulsi Sahib moving from Poona to Hathras, and so it goes and always has been, an observable pattern of breaking with the past, a time-honored tradition of crisis and renewal, reaffirming one's mystic-path, making a fresh start in new locations, remaining free to exist in genuineness and authenticity without a hierarchy of scribes and an ever-growing caste of Pharisees running the show, surrounding the Master, blocking him from our view. There has never been an Institution of Gnosis. There is no Vatican of the Spirit. Seneca said: "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." Viva the Revolution.
James Bean reviews books and music for the Wisdom Radio Network and other stations via a syndicated radio program called Spiritual Awakening, and teaches Sant Mat Meditation and Surat Shabd Yoga in the Bangor, Waterville, & Portland areas. Address questions or comments to PO Box 7, Newport, Maine 04953, or email: james@spiritualawakeningradio.com.
Ron and Joan Are You Listening?
Through the challenges of our lives we are being asked to release what no longer serve us, to expand, living with an open mind and heart.
Are You Willing? To embody the Truth of living your life as love in action.
Ron and Joan support people to live the highest/greatest vision of themselves. Living Visions is a method of support that deepens levels of calm and joy, releasing the causes of emotional and physical trauma, which increases awareness of your true center and grounding.
Living Visions is a way of realizing perfect union of one's self. Self Awakening Healing Groups ~ Leapin' Lizards, 123 Main St., Freeport, ME 207-865-0900 Thursdays ~ 6:30-8:30 PM ~ August 20th & 27th, September 3rd, 10th & 24th, October 1st, 22nd & 29th
For Sessions in person (ME & CT) or by phone Call 207-799-7998 or 860-655-5500
www.RonandJoan.com 30 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2009
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t he w ay o f lif e - itse l f
Movement of Life: Living Organisms Evolve by Norm Hirst
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Left with the old paradigm, these characteristics would be sufficient to obfuscate the existence of such a movement. However, he points out that this movement… “is dispersed, inchoate, and fiercely independent. It has no manifesto or doctrine, no overriding authority to check with. It is taking shape in schoolroom, farms, jungles, villages, companies; deserts, fisheries, slums and yes, even fancy New York hotels. One of its distinctive features is that it is tentatively emerging as a global humanitarian movement arising from the bottom up. Historically social movements have arisen primarily in response to injustice, inequities, and corruption.” He points out that the causes are more subtle than blatant. “Could it be an instinctive, collective response to threat? Is it atomized for reasons that are innate to its purpose? How does it function? How fast is it growing? How is it connected? Why is it largely ignored? Does it have a history? Can it successfully address the issues that governments are failing to: energy, jobs, conservation, poverty, and global warming? Will it become centralized, or will it continue to be dispersed and cede its power to ideologies and fundamentalism?” He sought to… “name it, but none exists. I met people who wanted to structure… this is the largest social movement in all of human history. No one knows its scope, and how it functions is more mysterious than meets the eye. What does meet the eye is compelling: coherent, organic, self-organized congregation involving tens of millions of people dedicated to change... What I see are ordinary and some notso-ordinary individuals willing to confront despair, power, and incalculable odds in an attempt to restore some semblance of grace, justice, and beauty to this world.” And he summarizes with a poem from Adrienne Rich; “My heart is moved by all I cannot save: / So much has been destroyed / I have cast my lot with those / who, age after age, perversely, with no extraordinary power, / reconstitute the world.” A NEW VIEW Today looking at life as creative organism, we find a very different view of reality than that of materialism. The variables we refer to here are pointing to universal organizing principles found throughout life and in living entities. One such principle is that life creates societies of creative organisms, and organisms follow their own unique laws and operating principles. Now this kind of reality does, in and of itself, supply what Hawken says is missing to define this new kind of movement. How this works, we will continue next time. Stay tuned and in the meantime check out our website www.autognomics.org/organisms characteristics and follow our conversations on Twitter@autognomics Norm and Skye Hirst, PhD – co-founders of The Autonomics Institute. Together they are combining their work as consultants, researchers and educators to bring this emerging view of life as organism into focus. As the shift of consciousness occurs, Skye works as coach and educator to individual progressive leaders worldwide, helping business owners, policy makers, and community organizers process the difficult challenges facing us at this time. Beginning at MIT studying physics, mathematics and values, Norm chose as his life work the study of where and how values show up in science. 50 years later he’s bringing out his findings of a whole new reality, philosophy and science for understanding life-itself dynamics. Contact them at hirst@autognomics.org or shirst@autognomics.org.
Enjoy reading this issue of Inner Tapestry! Aug/Sept 2009 Inner Tapestry 31
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e think of movement as meaning change. There are many kinds of change: physical, spiritual, intellectual and social. There are movements in the sense of organizations trying to cause change. Today it seems change is pervasive. Everything is changing. Even common sense beliefs are being abandoned. For example, can a living entity (you and me, cells, molecules etc.) burn water? Well, of course it has been thought not to be possible. But it is now known that they can and do; so routinely that they don’t even know it. Just about every day I see another long held belief come into question. Confusion reigns! Towards the end of the 60’s some experiences taught me that that there was going to be the most profound paradigm change and development of a new consciousness. I was working in a computer lab on artificial intelligence. The most exciting ideas were programmed for testing. They became known as solving “toy problems”. When the programs were applied to real problems they crashed. That convinced me that we needed a new paradigm. Now at Autognomics Institute our research approach is to look for the most fundamental ideas that can validate the change occurring towards a consciousness changing new paradigm. Unfortunately such fundamental ideas are not part of normal discourse. What is being discovered cannot be read as a self-help book, but interpreted and applied to the right context it can offer relief in answering questions about what one can believe and trust in a changing world. For example, in 1965 a popular song had the memorable words… “What the world needs now is love, sweet love It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of…” I remember thinking it is a nice idea but it will never happen in my lifetime. Reviewing now the fundamental ideas of materialism, it can be shown that the worldview based on materialism has kept us from seeing and knowing love and its non-local energy and connecting, creative character. But now new kinds of fundamental principles are being discovered showing us life as creative organism and that it forms and connects through non-local loving energy to bring about these changes and evolution occurring. In 2007 environmentalist Paul Hawken came out with a new book, Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming. The book is the result of his thousands of lectures on environmental and social issues over a period of fifteen years. He began to sense organizations of volunteers working on important issues. He wondered how many such organizations there are. Thus he began searching. He now sees the total of between one and two million such organizations worldwide working for change. This is the largest movement in the world. Why did it escape notice? Hawken wrote Movements Require … “This is the largest movement the world has ever seen. Rather than control, it seeks connection. Rather than dominance, it strives to disperse concentrations of power. Like Mercy Corps, it works behind the scenes and gets the job done. Large as it is, no one knows the true size of this movement. It provides hope, support, and meaning to billions of people in the world. Its clout resides in idea, not in force. It is made up of teachers, children, peasants, businesspeople, rappers, organic farmers, nuns, artists, government workers, fisherfolk, engineers, students, incorrigible writers, weeping Muslims, concerned mothers, poets, doctors without borders, grieving Christians, street musicians, the President of the United States of America, and as the writer David James Duncan would say, the Creator, the One who loves us all in such a huge way.” He points out that by conventional definition this cannot be a movement: • Movements have leaders and ideologies. • People join movements, study their tracts, and identify themselves with a group. • They read or listen to the biographies of founder(s) or listen to them.
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INNER TAPESTRY's Directory of Resources Holistic Practitioners, Products and Resources Each category contains practitioners from various states. a l t e r n a t i ve livin g
counseling & the rapy- cont.
Maine Greensward Hamlet
Alternative Living .................................................. page 32 Counseling & Therapy ................................... pages 32-33 Creative Healing Arts ............................................ page 33 Evolutionary Consciousness................................. page 34 Health Publications .............................................. page 34 Holistic Healing Centers ...................................... page 34 Hypnotherapy ............................................... pages 34-35 Integrative Healing ........................................ pages 35-36 Life Mastery ................................................... pages 36-37 Meditation ............................................................ page 37 Psychic & Spiritual Mediumship .......................... page 37 Reflexology & Healing Massage .......................... page 37 Retreats ......................................................... pages 37-38 Sacred Space .......................................................page 38 Salons & Spas ............................................... pages 38-39 Schools & Trainings .............................................. page 39 Shamanic Healing ......................................... pages 39-40 Writing Services..................................................... page 40 Yoga, Tai Chi, Aikido ............................................. page 41
Patricia A. Burke, MSW, LCSW
Greensward Hamlet A Co-housing Community In Buxton, Maine Drawing on the Strength of Community To Live Sustainably. Maine’s first Green,
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fossil free, co - housing community is nestled on 30 private country acres. Your 1, 2, or 3 bedroom home (& 1 or 2 car garage) will include the amenities of a spacious Common House for weekly community meals & gatherings; organic community gardens and nature trails. Access to the Saco River and hundreds of acres of pristine park land is within walking distance. Train and international airport services are just a 15 minute drive. Ready to begin construction in 2009. Visit www.greenswardhamlet.com or www.cohousing.org. Or contact: Françoise Paradis, Ed.D. PO Box 1325, Saco, Me 04072 (207) 227-3678.
Holistic Psychotherapy & Spiritual Development Work "When we are fully present to ourselves the light of who we are shines through and like a slow deep breath, fills the world with love." -PB
In over twenty-five years of experience I have merged a variety of psychological, sensate awareness, spiritual and creative practices into a process of deep awakening that can help you heal trauma, addictions and depression, rediscover meaning and purpose in life, build mutually empowering relationships, enhance creativity and embrace the deep stillness of being from within which all experience arises. I have been deeply engaged in my own inner work for over twenty years and call upon my extensive training in spiritual and transformational practices to guide my work with others. I offer individual, group and couples consultation, personal intensives, workshops, supervision and training. Offices in West Baldwin & Yarmouth, ME, (207) 625-7012, pab@patriciaburke.com, www.patriciaburke.com.
co u n s e l i ng & t h e rapy Maine I am a clinical counselor and practitioner of Somatic Experiencing© with a private psychotherapy practice in Portland, Maine. My work integrates traditional talk therapy, somatic therapy and mindfulness in work with individual clients. The emphasis is on helping people learn to access the innate healing ability of the human body. The end goal is to heal trauma, stress, compulsions Douglas Smith and other challenges in order to enjoy an open, embodied flow of experience. I also teach workshops in somatics and sensory awareness for clinicians and others interested in mind-body integration. Most insurance accepted. For an appointment or more information please call, email or visit me on the web at www.mindmeetsbody.com. Douglas Smith, LCPC, SEP. 205 Ocean Avenue, Portland, ME 04103, (207) 773-7993 x19. smith@mindmeetsbody.com
Paul K. Matteson MS. Ed., L.C.P.C. Humanistic Psychotherapy
Grief and Loss Issues Adult survivors of all forms of childhood abuse " Moving Through Grief, Trauma and Loss Workshops " Office hours by appointment in Portland and Lewiston Accepting most insurances 207 753-0135 paul@edgebrook.org www.edgebrook.org
In our darkness, there is light. In our stillness there is movement. Within nothing there is everything. 32 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2009
33 cou ns e l i ng & t h e r apy- co n t .
creative healing arts
Gestalt Your Life
Maine
Angela Hassenpflug Personal Development/Gestalt Work
Surry Music Therapy Center: Alan Wittenberg M.A., CMT
Do you live your best life? Do you live up to your full potential? Where do you express your true self?
I work with you to: - articulate your vision of what your Best Life will look like - refocus on your strengths and talents - get back in touch with your authentic self, your core beliefs and values - define your goals and strategies to achieve them - stay focused so that you do not give up or lose momentum I integrate life/personal coaching tools and Gestalt Therapy elements in my work. We can meet in person or over the phone, I offer individual and group settings. Call 207-592-7888 or email me, at angela@gestaltyourlife.com for more information and to set up a free introductory call. www.gestaltyourlife.com.
Judith C. Mignogna MSW, LCSW I enjoy helping individuals, couples, and families bring a renewed sense of peace and hope into their lives. Understanding differences in communication
www.truenorthhealthcenter.org/judith_mignogna.asp or call (207) 781-4488.
Music therapy opens new channels of communication and contact through the creative and interactive use of music towards self-expression and self-discovery. It goes beyond
words and emotionally, physically, and intellectually touches those with psychological issues and special needs. Music Therapy is a dynamic clinical, educational, developmental, and rehabilitative treatment approach. Alan specializes in autism spectrum disorders, emotional and behavioral issues, speech and sensory integrative delays; as well as work with the elderly and Alzheimer’s.The Surry Music Therapy Center is a unique facility in Maine offering individual and small group sessions, seminars, conferences, in-service training, and workshop programs throughout Maine. Contact Alan Wittenberg at (207) 667-1308, alan@surrymusictherapy.com. Visit www.surrymusictherapy.com for seminar and conference information.
Art Therapy & Shamanism
Susan Bakaley Marshall, ATR-BC, LCPC Art therapy is a dynamic combination—powerful artistic creation with the insight of psychotherapy. Art therapy
and shamanic counselling will help you cultivate your strengths like a gardener tending plants. Together we can use imagination to design the garden. We can learn to tell flowers from weeds when your spirit is overgrown. Then we can plant seeds, nurture and water them and reap a new harvest. Everyone has an artist within. Our spirit and soul speak through the artwork. The art never lies; it gently reflects back those areas of life that need our attention, promoting positive change and healing on all levels. The best way to walk into your future is to create it! Board Certified Art Therapist, Licensed Clinical Counselor, Shamanic Practitioner with over thirty years experience. The Thirteenth Moon Center, "ART from the heART," (207) 589-3063. moonarts@gmail.com.
Vermont
Mark Nakell, LCPC Live From Your Center
Awareness-based Psychotherapy Growth and Self-Realization Individual & Couples Counseling
All of life happens in the present moment: Our natural condition is an
open awareness of each moment as it occurs. Increased awareness of this moment—now—and of yourself in the moment, provides an increased experience of life, more joy, and greater fulfillment. Developing the capacity of your own center enables a deeper, more immediate experience of your aliveness and presence now. The result is increased freedom—freedom of choice, freedom of action, freedom of purpose—and deepened participation in the events of your own life. For a FREE introductory session, call (207) 773-4413 or email mnakell@openawareness.com, 25 Middle Street, Portland, ME 04101. Further information can be found at www.openawareness.com.
Directo ry of R es our ce s $375 for 1 year Print & Online Listing with An Active Link to your website! Includes 2.8 inch ad space, (approximately 130 words) Initial set-up fee $20
Zen Yoga is a journey of spiritual deepening that begins with the breath. Zen Yoga begins
with deep breathing to gather energy and then introduces soft, flowing movement and stretches to facilitate the smooth flow of that energy throughout the body. Based on the fundamental principles of yoga, tai chi and qigong, Zen Yoga is like nothing you have tried before. Prepare to feel wonderful! Our instructors create programs specifically designed to meet the needs of your group. We are available to teach workshops and stress relief programs throughout New England. We hold special retreats in the mountains of Vermont in September. Our Online Correspondence Course is a 12-week email program that provides tools to assist you on your journey of self-discovery. For more information: Phone: (860) 805-6551, Email: breathe@artofzenyoga.com, Website: www.artofzenyoga.com.
Online listing (without print copy) with an active link to your website. $100 plus an Initial set-up fee $20
Call 207-799-7995 or email: info@innertapestry.org Aug/Sept 2009 Inner Tapestry 33
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styles and learning new problem-solving skills can be key to unraveling many family system difficulties. I am also committed to working with breast cancer survivors, adults with ADHD, individuals with PTSD and those who feel unaccepted for "who they are." When clients accept and love themselves for their uniqueness, they become empowered to access new possibilities. I use a "strengths-based," "staying in the moment" approach to assist others on their journey to self-discovery. When validated and encouraged, my clients begin to master their own "destiny" while eradicating self-defeating obstacles and fears. They come to understand themselves in a gratifying, non-judgmental way. To learn more about me, please visit at
Certified Music Therapist, (AMTA) American Music Therapy Association
34 evolutionary consciousness
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M a i ne The Autognomics Institute since 1992 Norm and Skye Hirst co-founders Transcendental Autognomics (TA); going beyond scientific materialism to discover the emergent epi-principles within lifeitself... doing science the old fashion way.
TA; New Field of Life-Energy and Transcendental Science/Philosophy is based on emergent epi-energy principles now being discovered throughout the Autognomics Research Community and Alliance. The mystery/the miraculous/ the wisdom of life-itself is revealing herself. To receive our email newsletter on how latest revelations are impacting us all, visit us at www.autognomics.org or join us on Twitter @autognomics for frequent tips and insights plus see who we are following. Co-founders – Norm and Skye Hirst, PhD.
Gardens of Atlantis Healing Arts Center Gardens of Atlantis is home to every person who enters.
What moves you? A sincere smile on a friendly face, a group of like-minded folks gathering in community, a voice of wisdom sharing a message, the beauty of nature that always has a surprise in store just for you? We strive to offer all these things and much more. Our practitioners have knowledge, skills and wisdom to move you into a better place within yourself and the life you want to live. Massage Therapy relieves your physical pain so you can move easily, EFT, Shamanic & DNA Healing helps remove emotional blocks so you can move through trauma. Join us August 9th for our Mid-Summers Dream Fair, or spend a weekend retreat with Peruvian Shaman, Pierre Garreaud, August 22nd and 23rd for "Return to the Sacred Garden." We invite you to explore what moves you with us. (207) 929-5088, www.gardensofatlantis.org.
health publications
M a i ne The Maine Directory of Complementary & Alternative Health Practitioners Cyan Magenta Yellow Black
By LeCain Smith, Windrose Productions Good health is something that we often don’t appreciate until something goes wrong. But wellness
can be achieved through non-invasive bodywork that recognizes the body’s innate intelligence and brings it to bear on the root cause of dysfunctions, strengthening the recipient’s ability to prevent a problem from occurring or progressing into disease, as well as restoring the body, mind, emotions and spirit to healthy functioning. To make it easier for people to access these methods of complementary holistic health care, Smith has compiled a directory of 421 practitioners working in 192 different therapeutic bodywork modalities (from Acupressure to Zero Balancing) in 131 towns in Maine. Descriptions of each modality are provided, along with information on energy medicine, other types of therapies available, massage and bodywork schools, and related associations or organizations. Windrose Productions hopes that this book will become an ongoing resource for Maine people by periodically updating and expanding it with new editions. For information, to be listed as a practitioner in future editions or to order: (207) 326-4279 or www.WindroseAway.com. Also available at bookstores around the state.
The area's premier location for the most comprehensive selection of holistic health treatments and integrative medicine, meditation, yoga & movement classes offered by a dynamic community of professionals...
Holistic Medicines
Reiki~Polarity~Life Coaching~ Nutritional Counseling Massage Therapies: Hot Stone, Integrative, Deep Tissue Ener - genetics: Healing Through The Energy Of DNA Acupuncture ~ Homeopathy & Naturopathic Medicine Sanctuary Studio: Classes & Private Lessons ! Yoga: Vinyasa, Kripalu, Hatha For Women Meditation ~ Power Pilates ~ Relaxation ~ Core Conditioning Gift Certificate available! This season, give the gift of well-being at Sanctuary. For more information, contact director Erinn Cayehal at (207) 846-1162 ext.2 50 Forest Falls Drive, 2nd flr, Yarmouth, ME 04096 or visit the website: www.sanctuaryhhyc.com.
hypnotherapy
Main e
holistic healing centers
M a i ne Meadow Wind Center for Holistic Arts is a beautiful place for people to gather, to learn, to teach and to be a part of a community interested in conscious living. We offer the individual services of a holistic
center through our community of practitioners, as well as a wide spectrum of wonderful workshops and classes. The practitioners at Meadow Wind offer services from massage, polarity, spiritual healing and life coaching to art, yoga, hair, skin & beauty. To contact any of our practitioners call Meadow Wind or go to www.meadowwind.org for a list of practitioners and their personal contact information. We have a beautiful workshop/class space available to teachers who want to share what they have with others. To explore teaching at Meadow Wind contact Andrea Ferrante at (207) 878-3899. Our workshops and classes are also listed on our website, www.meadowwind.org. We are conveniently located at 100 Gray Rd., Falmouth, ME.
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HypnoWave Hypnosis Training Center Ernest VanDenBossche, BCH, CI - Director Is it time for a change? Let hypnosis work for you in so
many ways. Become a Consulting Hypnotist. Training with Ernest VanDenBossche, Board Certified Hypnotherapist and Certified Instructor with the National Guild of Hypnotists (ngh.net), President Maine Guild of Hypnotists. Take the NGH “Consulting Hypnotist” Certification Training, 100-hour course. Be a Certified Hypnotist. Learn – What is Hypnosis, Trance Depth Testing, Hypnotizability and Suggestibility, Rapid Inductions, Mind/Body Relaxation, Self-Hypnosis, Goal Development, Smoking Cessation, Weight Management, Stress Management, Pain Management, Age Regression, Reframing Trauma, Ethics for Professional Hypnotists, create customized scripts, and CDs for your clients. You get: NGH Manuals, One Year NGH Membership, Local and International support by other professional hypnotists, supervised in-class practice time to master your techniques quickly, informational Hypnosis CD ROM, and CDs and DVDs for your business. Call: (207) 453-6133, www.hypnotraining.us. Private consulting and other trainings available.
35 hypnotherapy-cont. ELISSAGARDE-JOIA
Harness the power of the mind-body connection. As a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, I have
the tools and skills you need. Hypnotherapy eliminates fear and stress and creates a blueprint for health and healing that your mind can read and follow. Medical experts acknowledge that Hypnotherapy complements all medical procedures, maximizing their effectiveness and minimizing negative side effects. Pre/post surgical patients experience reduced anxiety, blood loss, and anesthesia need, and rapid healing. Hypnotherapy is extremely effective in treating many physical challenges such as chronic pain and disorders of the stomach and digestive system. Hypnosis for Childbirth removes the fear and pain of childbirth. Hypnotherapy played a major role in my own successful battle with breast cancer. After 16 years of private practice in New York, I am now privileged to serve my neighbors here in Mid-coast Maine. Please take advantage of a free phone consultation to discuss your questions and concerns. Home visits, sliding scale & group workshops available. Contact: Elissa Garde-Joia at 207-322-5600, elissagardejoia@gmail.com.
integrative healing Connecticut
Belanger Physical Therapy choose to express emotionally will show itself in our bodies through tension, pain, illness and/or dis-ease. Joe invites his clients to welcome and feel, in order to transition, the walls that keep each of us from expressing our authentic selves in the world. Everything you need for what you really desire in your life is right in front of you. All you have to do is surrender to feel what is there. Joe chooses to support people physically, emotionally and energetically through manual therapy (cranial, muscle energy, functional technique, myofascial release), a deep belief in osteopathic philosophy, and heart. Marlborough, CT (860) 295-0572, or e-mail Joe at joeb.pt@snet.net.
Dragonfly, LLC Sandra Diamond, M.A., Ct.H.,RMT Journey through the Rivers of Time and Space, into the Lands of Wisdom and Healing.
Supporting client wellness, Sandra, is an internationally trained teacher, healer, registered Hypnotherapist, Reiki Master and has obtained a Masters in Experiential Health. She has studied Shamanic healing and counseling for more than six years and additionally, performs Soul Retrievals. Sandra was initiated as a Tamang Shaman in a Buddhist monastery in the Himalayan foothills of Nepal, received certification in TuiNa, an ancient Chinese technique from the Xuan Wu hospital of Beijing and is certified by the Sixth Sun Foundation as a Toltec teacher under the auspices of don Miguel Ruiz. Sandra also leads annual trips to the pyramids at Teotihuacan, Mexico. Her background provides for a wide variety of techniques and experiences in support of her clients. Contact Sandra at (860) 665-9034, email Drgnflyllc@aol.com or visit www.dragonfly-llc.net.
Main e Roberta Barnes, CHT, Gendai Reiki-ho & Komyo Reiki Shihan & Herbalist Roberta Barnes completed the updated Shihan (Teacher/Master) level in Japanese styles of Reiki directly under Hiroshi Doi, who is a member of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai in Japan and Rev Hyakuten Inamoto who is also Buddhist monk in Japan. Her Natural
Healing & Learning Center nestled in a wildlife habitat, in Windsor Maine, is the perfect environment to reflect the harmonizing essence of the spiritual practice Mikao Usui founded. Encased in harmonizing relaxation, you can return to your natural state of well-being by... * Learning Japanese Usui Reiki, * experiencing one or more Reiki healing sessions, * learning Peace through Meditation or Daianshin Meditation, * scheduling a personalized herb report, * experiencing a guided meditative journey into your past, or * learning to raise your awareness through nature. The natural healing Roberta Barnes teaches and practices can bring you the ultimate in relaxation while speeding recovery of imbalances in the mind, body, and spirit. Visit www.naturalhealinglearning.com or call (207) 445-5671 today.
Kathleen Iselin
Kathleen Iselin brings 23 years experience to her private practice in Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy, Trauma Healing, and Integrative Bodywork. Kathleen’s
work honors the healing needs of your whole being. From a grounded state of presence, authenticity, and deep listening, Kathleen creates sacred space for you to deeply relax, and do your healing work in. When appropriate, she will weave aromatherapy, music / sound therapy, flower essences, hot towels, etc., together to assist you in experiencing the pure Bliss of your Being. She is also a Rawfood “Live-It” and Lifestyle Chef/ Educator, a Doula, and Yoga Instructor. Kathleen is available to use these leading edge wellness tools, in supporting you in creating astonishing levels of health and transforming your life! She is now accepting new clients, and loves working with people of all ages, and levels of wellness. Enjoy a cup of Bliss Tea, an herbal elixir, fresh juice, or raw cacao confection, at your appointments with Kathleen Iselin. FMI: and for class, film, talk schedule, please visit www.mainecoastvibrantvitality.com, or call (207) 699-8949, email: followyourbliss@mainecoastvibrantvitality.com, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Linkedin.
Dr. Adi Philpott
Osteopathic P hysician Acupuncture Practitioner, Certified Hypnotherapist, EF T-Adv Holistic Facial Rejuvenation For those seeking gentle, safe, alternative methods to improve health and performance Dr. Philpott offers a multidisciplinary approach. Used alone or in combination,
osteopathy, auriculotherapy (ear acupuncture), hypnotherapy, EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), and Quantum Touch Technique® modalities are highly effective in treating medical conditions and physical/emotional concerns as well as improving performance. These treatments offer excellent results in areas such as pain, stress, anxiety, depression, insomnia, phobias, weight loss, smoking cessation, sports and public speaking. Free initial consultation. For more information or an appointment call (888) 598-5445. Conveniently located at, 222 St. John Street, Suite 130, Portland, ME. Now accepting insurance, www.DrPhilpott.com.
Be patient. You'll know when it's time for you to wake up and move ahead ...Ram Dass
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A neck or back doesn't walk into the office, a whole person does and all their history as well. What we do not
integrative healing–cont.
36 integrative healing–cont. Kevin Pennell, Usui and Karuna® Reiki Master Teacher/Certified Hypnotherapist/Shamanic Practitioner and Vickie Cummings, Licensed and Nationally Certified Massage Therapist/Cranio Sacral Therapist/
SpiritWings CompassionateHealing
Usui & Karuna® Reiki Practitioner: Massage – Including Therapeutic
Massage – Seated Massage – Couples Massage and Outcalls available, Craniosacral Therapy, Hypnotherapy, Reiki, Past Life Regression, Ancestral Healing Techniques and Readings. We consult with each client to identify the appropriate modalities to achieve self-healing and overall well-being. We offer Reiki and Karuna® Reiki Classes plus other workshops to guide you on your spiritual journey. Visit SpiritWings for a cross-cultural variety of enchanting gifts, supplies and accessories to aid your spiritual journey, including an exquisite selection of healing crystals and quartz crystal singing bowls. SpiritWings is conveniently located at 14 Main Street in Bethel, Maine. Sessions by appointment. Store hours Tuesday through Saturday 10 - 5. Telephone (207) 824-2204 or visit us on the web at www.SpiritWingsBethel.com. Credit Cards accepted.
Ron and Joan
Are You Listening? Through the challenges of our lives we are being asked to release what no longer serve us, to expand, living with an open mind and heart. Are You Willing? To embody the Truth of living your life as love in action. Ron and Joan support people to live the
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highest/greatest vision of themselves. Living Visions is a method of support that deepens levels of calm and joy, releasing the causes of emotional and physical trauma, which inceases awareness of your true center and grounding. Living visions is a way of realizing perfect
union of one's self. If you are interested in exploring how we may be able to support you please visit www.ronandjoan.com, or call us at (207) 799-7998 with questions or for more information.
"There is more hunger for Love and Acceptance in the world today than there is for bread." (Mother Teresa).
integrative healing–cont.
Kim Egberts Holistic & Cranial Sacral Therapist Transforming the stress in your life.
Professionally trained for the last ten years by the Upledger Institute. Work has included advanced study
in CranioSacral therapy including pediatrics and SomatoEmotional Release. Related course work has included advanced brain work. Offering Craniosacral Therapy, Lymph Drainage, and Neurological reorganization with intuitive healing and therapy from the heart. Integrative use of various techniques assists with a wide range of conditions, including: Migraines and headaches, chronic neck and back pain, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, learning disabilities, autism, cerebral palsy, central nervous system disorders, infantile disorders, feeding disorders and anxiety. For more information or for an appointment, please call 207-653-8263. Yarmouth ME.
FERN DYER - Reiki Master/IET Practitioner Reiki with Crystals, Stones, Integrated Energy Therapy, Reading, Write-up. Our intuition guides us to the stones and crystals
necessary for our development. Reiki is introduced to balance the body, mind and spirit so your innate healing ability can be bolstered. If you choose, Integrated Energy Therapy is added. IET provides a simple and gentle way to open the flow of vital life force within the human body and energy field by integrating suppressed feelings from cellular memory and clearing their associated energy blockages. Your messages are discussed. A write-up (detailing the meanings of the stones, the meanings of the flowers, animals etc. that I saw/ heard/felt during the session and any other messages received) is then sent to you. Call (207) 415-8638 or e-mail: fdyer@maine.rr.com for an appointment/more information.Visa/MC accepted. Jewelry, nature photos. Now in-town Portland, www.lilysongbird.com.
life mastery Maine
the living tea room integrative healing in Portland, Maine
The Living Tea Room is an integrative healing practice founded by Jessica Healy.
Jessica has a master’s degree in integrative medicine and is a certified practitioner of Soul-Centered Healing; a spiritual healing discipline that combines hands on energy medicine with soul-guided imagery/inner journeying work. Jessica encourages anyone, from someone with a major illness to someone who wishes to explore alternative medicine for the first time to contact her for further information. www.thelivingtearoom.com, Exchange Street, Portland, (207) 653-5860.
Ocean of Possibilities Life Coaching Deborah Bergeron, CPCC, Certified Life Coach, Prosperity Guide
Create an intentional life… Consider what it would be like to live life fully and authentically, experiencing love, prosperity, ease, freedom, and
fun. In our work together, you will learn to break through limiting paradigms
and create a dynamic vision for your life – a vision that can pave the way to living your greatest potential and sharing your gifts with the world. By weaving in successful coaching principals and the Law of Attraction, you will be guided to access your inner wisdom, to get clear on what you want in your life and learn the tools that will support you in having it. Every journey truly starts with a single step. When you are ready to embark on your mission of life, I would be honored to walk with you. For a complimentary coaching session or schedule of workshops call (207) 797-9007 or email: debcoaches@aol.com. Phone sessions available. www.oceanofpossibilities.com.
Deadlines for the Directory of Resources To Reserve space September 1st ~ For all graphic and text material September 5th
36 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2009
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reflexology & healing massage Maine
TAROTWORKS Jeanne Fiorini A tarot reading can be an avenue by which to have an authentic conversation about what matters most in your life. Tarot Works provides numerous ways to
experience the wisdom and beauty of this ancient system of symbols, by offering individual and group readings, classes from beginner's level to "Readers in Training," ongoing monthly groups, and special events. Phone readings are available. Jeanne Fiorini is a Tarot practitioner and teacher with 16 years' experience. She has training in both mediation and psychosynthesis counseling, bringing practical guidance and useful information to all her readings. Jeanne is currently a contributing columnist for the American Tarot Association's newsletter www.ata-tarot.com/reflections. For more information about all the TarotWorks offerings, visit www.tarotworks.com or phone Jeanne at (207) 799-8648.
Hands on Feet ~ Lynn Danforth, Certified Reflexologist Reflexology is an amazing stress-relieving technique. Relaxation is a skill that most Americans do not practice often. Stress builds
and builds until it becomes a lifestyle. Lynn Marie Danforth has been practicing Reflexology for over 5 years. Lynn specializes in therapeutic Reflexology. Her greatest success is with tendonitis, plantar fasciitis and relief of tension. Lynn’s Reflexology sessions are quick, effective and could be the answer to your body’s cry for relief. Lynn has been able to show clients that change for the better is possible, that improved health is truly in your hands... and feet. To contact Lynn call (207) 767-5776 or 207-318-0129, or visit www.handsonfeet.net.
Jennifer Bourget, RN, LMT, Reiki II Practitioner
meditation
Jennifer Bourget holds a BS degree in nursing since 1983, is a Licensed Massage Therapist and Reiki II Practitioner. Jennifer works from a belief that there is a
Maine
Sant Mat Radhaswami, The Path of the Masters The Maine Sant Mat Society presents the Enlightenment Experience as taught by Sant Sevi Ji Maharaj of Bihir, India,
For More Information call (207) 368-5866, or email: James@SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com, Website: www.Myspace.com/Santmat_Mystic.
psychic & spiritual mediumship Maine PsychicMediumship, Hypnotherapy
Maine. Sessions by appointment weekdays and Saturday. Contact (207) 846-4704 or (207) 841-3053, jbourget0261@hotmail.com. Or visit www.jenniferbourget.massagetherapy.com.
retreats Maine
Bonnie Lee Gibson is a professional Psychic Medium, Hypnotherapist, Registered Counselor, Reiki Master, healer, teacher and lecturer with thirty years of experience. She
resides in Fairfield and Northport, Maine. Her first experience with Spirit was at the age of four. She has connected many people with loved ones who have crossed over, as well as their angels and spirit guides. Bonnie Lee communicates with pets, both here and on the spirit side. She gives spirit readings all over the world by telephone and travels in the US and Canada. Services include: Hypnotherapy, Psychic Mediumship Readings, Gallery Readings, Workshops, Classes and Lectures, Reading Circles and Private Groups in the comfort of your home. Call (207) 453-6133, cell (207) 649-7089, spirit@bonnielee.net, www.bonnielee.net, and www.hypno.us.
The knowledgeable and experienced practitioners at The Wellness Center offer a full spectrum of holistic, traditional and alternative techniques.
Enjoy engaging seminars that will flex your intellect. Join a movement class to tone your heart and spirit. Experience the skillful touch of artists sensitive to the subtle thread of muscle and mind. Freshen your outward glow from head to toe. For more information about ongoing programs, upcoming seminars and suite availability, please call (207) 465-4490 or visit us on the Wellness page at VillageSoup.com. The Wellness Center, 69 & 71 Elm Street, Camden, ME 04843.
Directory of Resources Listings are easy to compose. Write as though you are speaking to others about the work you do and the services you offer. For more information call: (207) 799-7995 or email info@innertapestry.org
Aug/Sept 2009 Inner Tapestry 37
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a series of free lectures, meditations and satsangs around Maine facilitated by James Bean, a local representative of the Sant Mat tradition of Inner Light & Sound Meditation known as Surat Shabd Yoga, in the lineage of Tulsi Sahib.
connectedness between all living things and it is through this relationship that we are able to find healing, harmony and balance. You are invited to experience deep relaxation and peace in a beautiful, energetically clear space. Choose from massage therapy, including pregnancy massage, Reiki, aromatherapy, Raindrop Technique, or a combination of therapies. Thirty-, sixty- and ninety-minute sessions available. Guigen Qigong instruction and on-site chair massage also available. Located in a lovely Victorian at 251 Main Street in Yarmouth,
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Sewall House Yoga Retreat Enjoy yoga twice daily, meditation, massage, sauna and healthy home-cooked vegetarian cuisine. Near pristine lakes
and Baxter State Park, hike, bike, swim, canoe, kayak or simply porch sit! Five days suggested, weekends, shorter and longer stays arranged. Step back into time in the comfort of this bed and breakfast style retreat listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. Nature guide William Sewall shared the healing attributes of nature with a young Theodore Roosevelt, who restored his health from life-threatening asthma here. The tradition continues since 1997 with William Sewall's great granddaughter, yoga instructor Donna Davidge, with over 25 years' experience in the healing arts, and her Swedish husband, musician and chef Kent Bonham. Experience the friendly hospitality Sewall House has always offered. Sewall House Yoga Retreat Island Falls, Maine www.sewallhouse.com. (888) 235-2395 July 3 – October.
Mahoosuc Mountain Lodge and Husky Farm are nestled on 60 acres in the beautiful Bear River Valley of Newry in western Maine.
The lodge is a traditional New England timberframe featuring hand-cut mortise and tenon joinery. It is the home base of Mahoosuc Guide Service and their working sled dogs (www.mahoosuc.com). In addition to the Lodge, the original 3-bedroom farmhouse built in 1903 has been renovated and is being operated as a Bed and Breakfast. Our views are dominated by the 3,500-4,000’ peaks of the Mahoosuc Range. We are: 1 mile to Grafton Notch State Park, 4.7 miles to the Appalachian Trail, 14 miles to Umbagog Lake National Wildlife Refuge, and 2 miles to the Grafton Loop Trail. Mahoosuc Mountain Lodge is a great facility to host a retreat, meetings, family reunions, dances/concerts, wedding or an outdoor activity. Please call Polly or Kevin at: (207) 824-2073 for more information or visit: www.mahoosucmountainlodge.com.
salons & spas Maine
Since 1999, Nurture Through Nature has been offering transformative retreats and women's holistic canoe trips dedicated to creating lasting internal peace. You are invited to join
Nurture Through N at ure
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this inner peace movement through our guided meditation circles, gentle Let Us Guide You Home... yoga, mindfulness practices and through Pleasant Mountain, Denmark embodying The Work of Byron Katie. Experience balance through gently guided outdoor pursuits, connecting to the living earth and your inner self. Nurture Through Nature is a Maine - Certified Environmental Leader, committed to sustainability practices, including solar-powered facilities and our composting/recycling efforts. Eco-cabin getaways, customized solo and private group retreats are available to both individuals and practitioners. We rest on 33 pristine acres on Pleasant Mountain, just over an hour from Portland, Freeport and Lewiston, Maine and 3 hours from Boston. www.ntnretreats.com, ntnretreat@yahoo.com, (207) 452-2929.
sacred space
Stephanie Kostopoulos is honored to bring her skill in cosmetology including, enhancing hair color, style and make-up to Meadow Wind, in Falmouth Maine.
She has traveled the world motivated by multi-cultural curiosity to explore the many truths, in all their aspects, that make our world beautiful. She happily cultivates this curiosity by assisting people to recognize the innate beauty that resides within each-and-every one. By creating beauty, Stephanie encourages people to take care of themselves, the environment in which they live, and the things they love. Her belief is that beauty is harmony and she gracefully communicates the inseparable unity between exterior and interior beauty. The intention that resides in her heart is soulfully communicated through her hands. Providing a nurturing environment Stephanie assists her clients in the decision-making process regarding the expression and enhancement of their own beauty. Stephanie uses products with sustainable integrity and performance. You will also find homemade soap and unique pieces of jewelry at Roots. HAIR BEAUTY GRACE
Contact Steph at beautyheals@aol.com or (207) 838-9535.
Maine Earthrest offers indoor and outside gathering space for retreats, workshops, spiritual questing, ceremony and celebration. Come,
surround yourself with natural beauty in a country setting of organic gardens, open fields, woods and water where the land is still a little wild and the animals remember their true names. We are just 35 miles from Portland on 350 acres of very special land, nestled in the foothills of the White Mountains. Inside enjoy the large gathering spaces, both with fireplaces. Outside walk the land, the labyrinth and hiking trails. Many options available. FMI call Pat at (207) 625-4179 or email: earthrest@psouth.net.
Emotion is the chief source of all becoming-conscious. There can be no transforming of darkness into light and of apathy into movement without emotion. ...Carl Jung 38 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2009
Holistic Facial Rejuvenation Take Beauty to the Next Level More than a cosmetic procedure, Holistic Facial Rejuvenation using ELR™ is a revitalization process for the entire body designed to make you look and feel renewed. Lose that under-eye “baggage!” Turn jowls into a
jaw-line! Look rested, awake and rejuvenated! A complete course of treatment is 10 to 12 sessions, but noticeable results occur after only 1-3 treatments. • Non-Surgical Facelift • Non-needle, Acupuncture-based • No Side Effects • No Pain • No Downtime for Healing • Holistic Anyone can benefit from ELR™ treatments. From acne to aging, ELR™ is a whole body rejuvenation that will bring your facial beauty to the next level! Dr. Adi Philpott, 222 St. John St, Suite 130, Portland, ME 04102, (888) 598-5445, www.HolisticFacialRejuvenation.com. Osteopathic physician, Acupuncture practitioner. GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED
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shamanic healing Maine
Ravens’ Crossing — Come find some rural Raven’s Crossing Appleton, Maine
comfort and relaxation in our wood-fired sauna and/or therapeutic hot tub. Deep tissue, Swedish,
and myofascial-release massage available by licensed massage therapist. Rustic retreat cabin can sleep two. Available by appointment in private setting. Trails to walk, ride horses, or X-country ski. Space for small gatherings. Please call Lori Cressler at
Spirit Passages Allie Knowlton, MSW, DCSW & Evelyn Rysdyk As Spirit Passages, C. Allie Knowlton, MSW, DCSW and Evelyn C. Rysdyk (author of Modern Shamanic Living) have facilitated shamanic healings and taught shamanic workshops across the U.S. and Canada since 1991. Graduates of the Foundation
(207) 845-2304 or visit www.ravens-crossing.com.
schools & trainings Maine
Treat Your Feet
A Very Rewarding Career ~ Nurturing your physical Nervous System through reflex points found within your feet & hands.
for Shamanic Studies 3-Year Program in Advanced Shamanism and Shamanic Healing, they have also been fortunate to study with indigenous shamans from Peru, Ecuador, Tuva and Siberia. Working heart-to-heart with Spirit, they offer all traditional forms of shamanic healings at True North (207) 781-4488 ~ a unique, multidisciplinary medical center that they helped to found. They may also be reached at: www.spiritpassages.com.
Learn about a specific touch technique of applying pressure, using your thumb and fingers, to reflex points of the feet and hands that relate to other parts of the body.
Pacha Works
Holding New Possibilities.
Reflexology is credited with improving circulation and reducing body stress, which
For more information, call Board Certified Foot & Hand Reflexologist Myra Achorn, Augusta (207) 626-FEET. Classes start in February, May & September, www.treatyourfeet.com. Licensed by the State of Maine Department of Education.
Yokids
is a non-profit, tax-deductible organization. We teach yoga to elementary school children and their homeroom teachers. We can come to your school and teach
formal yoga classes or we can come to your classroom and help you to initiate a yoga program you can use on a daily basis in your class. We also offer Tools for Teachers, an in-house workshop, which teaches teachers to use four basic yoga tools in their daily teaching. These tools will allow teachers to help children with relaxation, breathing, and stress reduction, which will complement their overall learning and create a harmonious learning environment. Workshops can be scheduled as in-house workdays for teachers in public and private schools. These workshops are individually tailored, and price varies according to the length. Please contact Lily Goodale at ngoodale@aol.com or (207) 236-6001. Workshops can be given from Portland to Bar Harbor and are certified and part of the Yoga Ed foundation of yoga for children. www.yogaed.com.
Chaplaincy Institute of Maine
Interfaith Spiritual Growth and Ordination World Religions, Art as Meditation, Creation Spirituality, Interfaith Worship
First Year: The Way of Contemplation • Second Year: The Way of Action The next two-year program begins September 2009
ChIME offers a two-year program for Interfaith Spiritual growth and possible ordination as an Interfaith Minister. Students commit to attending class one evening a week and one weekend a month September through May. Two weekend retreats are also built into the schedule. Some weekend workshops are open to the general public. Tuition for the two years is $5,400. Information and applications: ChIME Admissions, P.O. Box 3833, Portland, Maine 04104 (207) 347-6740 • chimeadmin@gmail.com • chimeofmaine.org
Eva Rose Goetz, director
"Healing is a collaboration. I love working with people privately or with groups. By working together we remove energies that may be in the way of our coming into wholeness and balance." Eva Rose Goetz: BFA University of Texas at Austin, MS Ed.
Bank Street College NYC, Medicine Wheel Training with Alberto Villoldo, Ph.D. and Lisa Summerlott. Certified In Light Body Medicine with Alberto Villoldo, Ph.D. Core Shamanism with Evelyn Rysdyk and Allie Knowlton. Eva gratefully continues her studies with indigenous medicine people in Peru, New Mexico, Canada, Africa and Mexico. Eva hosts workshops, leads ceremonies and has a private Shamanic Energy Practice in Falmouth, Maine. A new 16-month course in beginning Shamanism begins April 2009. More information about classes, private sessions, or ceremonies can be found at www.pachaworks.com or contact Eva directly at (207) 756-0488. "By
working with intentions of great love and spirit it is believed energy can move. A door opens and there is possibility of something new."
D O R Y C OTE
…Follow the Path to Your Own True Essence. At
the core of my shamanic healing practice is the belief that we have the capacity to be whole, stable, and functioning at our highest potential. My healing space is safe, quiet and nourishing. I regularly perform soul retrievals, communicate with the spirits of deceased loved ones and facilitate healing the numerous wounds of life in the 21st century. I have completed a Three-Year The Center for Program in Advanced Shamanism and Shamanic Earth Light Healing Healing with the Foundation for Shamanic Studies and other intensive trainings, including experiences with indigenous shamans from around the world. I graduated from a Two-Year Teacher Training Program with world-renowned shaman, Sandra Ingerman, and this authorizes me to teach beginner and advanced shamanic healing methods. Please see my workshop schedule or make an appointment at www.earthlighthealing.com, email me at dory@dorycote.com, or call (207) 841-1215.
Stillness is what creates Love Movement is what creates Life To be still Yet still moving That is everying. ...Do Hyun Choe Aug/Sept 2009 Inner Tapestry 39
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removes blockages along the nerve pathways what we call Zones. A 250-hour certification course for School of Reflexology $3,300 to learn Reflexology and its Application. Cost includes two Reflexology chairs, all required reading books, foot, hand charts, footbath items & much more.
Working with traditional shamanistic practices for healing.
40 shamanic healing-cont.
Debra Rainbow Heart
writing services Connecticut
Full Mesa Carrier & Lineage Keeper In the Andean Shamanic Tradition
Andean and Core Shamanism Healing Practices Munay-Ki Rites, Ceremonies & Despachos, Workshops, Mentorships, Classes & Retreats Energy medicine sessions on-site or at distance Shamanic Music & Visionary Art
I offer a safe, nurturing, sacred space for healing and transforming energetic patterns of fear/suffering into sources of wisdom, power and grace. Our work together might include: Shamanic Journeying, Deep Chakra Clearing and Illuminations, Soul Retrieval, Energy Extractions, Entity Removal, healing of soul or ancestral wounds from this or past lifetimes, rewriting Soul Contracts, the Munay-Ki Rites, energy-centered bodywork and/or ceremony. My offerings incorporate 25 years of study and practice with master teachers, indigenous medicine men and women and wisdom keepers of the Americas including: Q'ero elder Don Francisco Chura Flores of Peru, Alberto Villoldo, Ph.D., Brooke Medicine Eagle and Foundation for Shamanic Studies Faculty, Nan Moss and David Corbin. info@rainbowheartshaman, com, (207) 929-6776, 59 Salmon Falls Road, Buxton, ME 04093, www.rainbowheartshaman.com www.munay-ki.org. Offering programs in Maine, New England, the Southwest and Peru.
Does your promotional material deliver results for your business? Does it align with the higher purpose of your
business? An experienced writer, Karen creates promotional copy that establishes the value your product/service offers potential customers. Karen writes content for book jackets, ads, brochures, newsletters, press releases, websites, professional bios and more. She has authored as well as ghostwritten articles, profiles, book content, reviews and local news stories. Her work appears in local, regional and national wellness and spirituality publications. Let Karen create copy that speaks directly to your target audience—with clarity, integrity and creativity. (860) 638-8140 or email Karen at KarenMRider@comcast.net.
Maine
The Village Scribe The Wellness Center, Camden, Maine
This land is a living resource! The 47 blessed
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acres on which “Forest Circles” is located continues to provide visitors with uniquely personal mystical experiences. Overnight solo retreats in the forest are popular. Come for a gathering in a peaceful inside space, a program around the sacred fire pit or a walk. All are invited to experience this parcel of Earth that is eager to communicate and teach you how to find your way back to your heart. At Forest Circles we offer programs which include: multi cultural spiritual ceremonies, classes for enhancing one’s connection to Earth and inner self, solo and group retreats, classes on native medicinal plants, children’s programs Strongheart Healing with Regina Strongheart is featured at the retreat center. Self-Retrieval” is a technique developed by Regina which helps you reclaim your personal power and peace. Using healing energy, shamanic journeying and medical intuition, Regina will assist you in finding health and peace. Regina Strongheart, has an MA in education from UNH and experiences include 29 years teaching high school chemistry, 8 years in the medical field and 14 years as a spiritual healer and teacher. She is the owner of “Forest Circles”, Topsham, Me. 207-776-3152, www.forestcircles.com.
207.344.7070
TheVillageScribe@hotmail.com Communicate your authentic message Writing and Editing services for the Creative and Holistic communities. Original Copy for: Ads ~ Business cards ~ Brochures ~ Articles Memoirs ~ Websites Custom crafted words that represent who you are and what you do.
Nature is a labyrinth in which the very haste you move with will make you loose your way. ...Francis Bacon
Continued from page 15 ~ 21st century bohemian ~ Granite: Rock Solid and Fluid Presently, JV Cornerstone stocks granite, quartz, limestone and soapstone. This fall, Vargas expects to make his first purchase of Italian marble. The Brazilian-educated Vargas, with a bachelor’s degree in international business management and an M.B.A. with a specialization in geology and ornamental stone, has been doing import/export business for 10 years and has been working with granite for seven years. Having traveled extensively, Vargas said Belfast offers a lifestyle similar to his native Victoria, near Rio de Janeiro. “Close to water. Close to nature. Friendly people and community and people raising families,” he noted. A clue to what drives the businessperson and granite connoisseur is found on his business card. “A precious cornerstone for a sure foundation, the one who trusts will never be dismayed,” from Isiah 28:16. The entrepreneur said his strong faith as a Christian Baptist inspired him to include the bible passage and that “God gave me this business and the directions for running the business.” You can contact Vargas at director@jvcornerstone.com or visit his website at www.jvcornerstoneusa.com. © 2009 Teresa Piccari Teresa Piccari is the proprietor of The Village Scribe, a Professional Writing and Editing Business Meeting Professional and Personal Needs at The Wellness Center in Camden, Maine. She offers workshops including Creative Writing, Memoir and Mythic Structure and facilitates the monthly Ducktrap Writers’ Round Table at the Camden Public Library. Contact Teresa at (207) 344-7070 or TheVillageScribe@hotmail.com.
40 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2009
41 Yoga ~ T'ai Chi
Yoga ~ T'ai Chi Listings Six issues in print costs $160 for 35 words plus logo. Online placement in the Directory of Resources with a direct link to your website for an additional $75.
Yoga ~ T'ai Chi ~ Aikido Connecticut GLASTONBURY Sacred Rivers Yoga Offers Yoga for Every Body, therapeutic massage and bodywork modalities, acupuncture, nutritional and herbal therapies. We are also a Yoga Alliance 200 and 500 hour registered yoga teacher training school. www.sacredriversyoga.com.
Maine BRUNSWICK
FREEPORT
Holistic Pathways Yoga & Healing Center Offering YOGA ONLINE. Now practice yoga in your home with a detailed 8-week series! In-studio classes available—all ages/abilities including Pregnancy Yoga, Family Yoga and Toning & Sculpting. Postures, breathwork, meditation and relaxation. (207) 839-7192. www.holisticpathways.com.
PORTLAND Portland T'ai Chi School Traditional Yang Style T'ai Chi classes at the Portland New Church Wednesdays 6:00pm-7:00pm. White Crane Qi Gong is taught to develop internal energy. The focus is on developing a healthy body and emotional being. (207) 272-8286, www.portlandtaichi.org.
WholeHeart Yoga Center Portland's Kripalu-affiliated studio offers a full schedule of weekly classes for all levels. Our instructors are all Kripalu-certified and highly trained. We also offer weekend workshops, private instruction, and Kirtans (chanting events). 150 St. John Street, Portland. (207) 871-8274, www.wholeheartyoga.com or email: info@wholeheartyoga.com.
YARMOUTH Sanctuary Holistic Health & Yoga Center Spacious & beautiful newly built studio. Professional instruction in KRIPALU & HATHA YOGA and MEDITATION. Now also PILATES and QI GONG! Group & private classes, all levels: youth, teens, adults. See website for schedule. (207) 846-1162, www.sanctuaryhhyc.com.
Center Studio and Spa
We view education about and communication with one's body as the most valuable relationship a being can have. Classes are offered in a gorgeous, serene setting that will give you immediate comfort. Yoga, Meditation, NIA and Yamuna Body Rolling (www.yamunabodyrolling.com) for all levels, as well as workshops in various psychic and spiritual modalities, Young Living Oils, sensuality dance and more! Private instruction is available. The Center also offers a full menu of holistic skin and body therapies and natural nailcare. Please contact us with any questions: (207) 865-0086, www.centerstudioandspa.com, 194 Main Street, Freeport (conveniently off exit 22).
Our thanks to the many who support our community.
The Inner Tapestry's
\ Yoga, T'ai Chi, Aikido listing \ is an excellent resource for getting the word out for your classes & workshops!
If you and your group or school hold classes and workshops and would like to be listed in this Directory,
please call: (207) 799-7995 or Email: info@innertapestry.org. Six issues in print costs $160 for 35 words plus logo. Online placement in the Directory of Resources with a direct link to your website for an additional $75.
Aug/Sept 2009 Inner Tapestry 41
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Human Element Center
The art of movement and the role that it plays in our well being cannot be underestimated. Come join us in one of our regularly scheduled Tai Chi, QiGong and meditation classes and explore movement with joy. Check out our schedule at www.humanelementcenter.com  or call us at (207) 710-0331. Fort Andross Building, 14 Maine Street, Suite 410, Brunswick, ME 04011.
GORHAM
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Calendar and Classified GuidelinesAnd Advertising Rates AreLocatedon Page 44
H eart V isions September 26th-October 7th Sacred Journey To Egypt Walk the Initiate's Path to Claim Your Sacred Power. Aaron and Sue Singleton will show you what they believe is one of the biggest secrets yet to be discovered in the Temple art. Trip also includes a full-time Egyptologist. Details: www.TheWayToBalance.com.
October 1st 8th Two Year Apprenticeship in Advanced Shamanism and Shamanic Healing, For More Information and registration www.spiritpassages.org or email passages@maine.rr.com.
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October 18th-24th Assisi Pilgrimage: Your Sacred Work www.mysticpeace.com.
January, 2010 200 Hour Teacher Training on the Mayan Riviera A 24 day Immersion. FMI: Contact www.ShivaShaktiYogaSchool.com or call (207) 431-8079
March 14th-21st, 2010 Women’s Yoga ~ Meditation Eco-Retreat at U.S. Virgin Islands. Join Nurture Through Nature at renowned eco-resort, Maho Bay, St. John, www.ntnretreats.com, (207) 452-2929.
August ~Maine July 24th–27th; August 21st-24th Munay-Ki Mentorship Mt. Katahdin, Millinocket, Maine. A Journey through the nine great energy and lineage rites of the Peruvian shamanic traditions FMI: www.rainbowheartshaman.com News/ Announcements page or contact Debra at (207) 929-6776, info@rainbowheartshaman.com.
July 31st–August 2nd; September 4th-6th Munay-Ki Mentorship Gardens of Atlantis, Dayton, ME. A Journey through the nine great energy and lineage rites of the Peruvian shamanic traditions FMI: www.rainbowheartshaman.com News/ Announcements page or contact Debra at (207) 929-6776, info@rainbowheartshaman.com.
July 31st – August 2nd Writing Meditation Retreat Explore the creative writing process, drawing upon the context of Buddhist practice within a supportive and beautiful environment at the Morgan Bay Zendo in Surry. FMI: (207) 326-4047, www.philiposgood.com.
August 1st, 7:30pm Different Drummers Joyful Hearts Club Band Performing a concert presented by Unity Church of Greater Portland at the St. Lawrence Performing Arts Center. FMI and to purchase tickets, please call (207) 775-5568 or visit www.stlawrencearts.org. $12
ALL EVENTS ARE LISTED ONLINE AT www.innertapestry.org 42 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2009
August 9th 11:00am-4:00pm Mid-Summers Dream Fair at Gardens of Atlantis Healing Arts Center. Psychics, Herbal Products, Healing Sessions, Aura Photography, Gift items, Homemade Goodies & MORE! FREE Admission. (207) 9295088, www.gardensofatlantis.org.
August 9th, 12:30pm–2:30pm Rocco Errico - Gospel According to Jesus Rocco Errico, Ph.D., Th.D., is an ordained Unity minister, lecturer, author, Bible authority, translator, Aramaic instructor, educator and spiritual counselor. His talk for our 10;00am service is entitled “Ancient Aramaic Prayer.” The afternoon workshop is $30. For more information or to purchase tickets please call (207) 893-1233. www.unitygreaterportland.org.
August 13th-16th, Thursday-Sunday Claiming Your Inner Spark: A Retreat For Women with Pam Swing, Blue Moon Yurt, Tenants Harbor, Maine. What awakens your inner vitality? Gives you a sense of well being? This retreat offers a meditative yet exuberant environment in which to explore such questions. Together we will discover playful ways of reconnecting with the zany and intuitive parts of ourselves that get pushed aside by daily life. Simply slowing down allows your innate creativity to surface. There will be time each day to relax and enjoy the lovely St. George Peninsula. All welcome–no artistic background needed. Cost: Program: $225. Lodging and meals: $300. Locals welcome to attend on a nonresidential basis. Space is limited; book early. Some scholarship money available. Registration: FMI: email me at pam.swing@gmail.com Call (978) 371-0323
August 16th-22nd Women's New Moon Wilderness Living Holistic Canoe Trip, Penobscot River, Lobster Lake, North Maine Woods, Nurture Through Nature, An eco-retreat of a lietime! www.ntnretreats.com, (207) 452-2929.
August 23rd-25th/29th Allagash Wilderness Waterway Trip Mountain Spirit Journeys is excited to offer a 3 & 7-day canoe expedition on the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. (207) 461-4840, www.mountainspiritjourneys.com, jamal@mountainspiritjourneys.com.
August 28th, 6:30pm–9:00pm Awaken Your Heart and Luminous Being An introduction to the Munay-Ki Rites. Learn the history and meaning of the sacred Peruvian Munay-Ki rites and why they are being offered to us at this time on the planet. You’ll connect with the energies of all nine rites in a guided meditation, receive the transmission of the Healer’s Rite, and learn how to cultivate the rite energy. This workshop is an introduction to a Nine Week Mentorship Thru All Nine Rites, beginning September 21st. FMI: www.munay-ki.org, Temple of the Heart, Spiritual Renaissance Center, 884 Broadway, South Portland, ME, www.spiritualrenaissance.com, Energy exchange: $25-$35, Facilitator, Debra Rainbow Heart, www.rainbowheartshaman. com. To reserve your space, please contact Debra, info@ rainbowheartshaman.com, (207) 929-6776.
August 29th-30th, 9:00am-4:00pm Animal Communication Basic Workshop Presented by Joanna Fox, Professional Animal Communicator. High Head Yacht Club, Harpswell, Maine $150. FMI: Noel Golz, rgolz1@hotmail.com or (207) 729-1132, class size is limited.
August~NewHampshire August 16th, 4:00pm Farm Day with the Crunchy Western Boys $10 Suggested donation. D Acres, Dorchester, NH www.dacres.org.
August 17th-21st Kids Week 9:00am-1:00pm $200 Sliding Scale fee, D'Acres, Dorchester NH, wwwdacres.org, (603) 786-2366.
Send all listings to
info@innertapestry.org
September~Connecticut September 30th, 7:00pm-9:00pm Health & Disease: A Holistic Approach Using Homeopathy & Nutrition With Dr. William Shevin, MD, 2009 Lecture Series by Windham Hospital Integrative Health Services, Bernard & Desrosier Rooms, FMI: www.windhamhospital.org.
September ~Maine September 4th-7th Labor Day Weekend Yoga and Meditation Retreat Yoga, meditation, self-inquiry and silence with Surya Chandra Das at rural retreat center in the hills of mid-coast Maine. Brooks, Maine, www.rollingmeadowsretreat.com, (888) 666-6412.
September 19th Pyschic Fair at Leapin' Lizards ~ Freeport see www.leapinlizards.com for fair details. September 19th, 10:00am-12:30pm Edwene Gaines – Riches and Honor! Come join minister and author of The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity, a Simple Guide to Unlimited Abundance and learn about the metaphysics of prosperity. Her workshop is offered on a love-offering basis! For more information please call (207) 893-1233 or visit the calendar section of www. unitygreaterportland.org.
September 21st-November 16th, 6:30pm–9:00pm Awaken Your Luminous Being and Heart of Compassion A Nine Week Munay-Ki Mentorship, Monday Evenings – During this mentorship program, you will receive all nine Munay-Ki Rites and practice working with the energy of each through ceremony, transformational fire, breath meditations, shamanic journeying and connecting to earth, celestial and archetypal energies. You will step through multiple portals of consciousness as you awaken and strengthen your luminous field, and step into the lineages of the Munay-Ki. Facilitator: Debra Rainbowheart, Full Mesa Carrier, and Lineage Keeper in the Andean Shamanic Tradition; shamanic and energy medicine practitioner since 1996. FMI: www.munay-ki.org, www.rainbowheartshaman.com, Temple of the Heart, Spiritual Renaissance Center, 884 Broadway, South Portland, ME, www. spiritualrenaissance.com, Energy Exchange: $225 - $315. To Register: Mail $50 deposit along with contact info to: Debra Rainbow Heart (Holloway) 59 Salmon Falls Road, Buxton, ME 04093. Balance due first class. (Budget payment plan available.)
September 30th-October 4th Women's Fall Foliage Holistic Paddling Retreat Saco River, Western Maine. Join Nurture Through Nature to seek more long lasting peace, www.ntnretreats.com, (207) 452-2929.
Upcoming~Connecticut October 2nd-4th "Healing Hearts; Healing Earth" Join us Friday 6:00pm-9:00pm, Saturday all day and Sunday 7:00am-1:00pm in a healing vision quest for ourselves and the Earth. This quest will entail wilderness camping at the rustic Seboomook Campground, located on Moosehead Lake. For more details, call Merry or Burl Hall at (207) 522-2606.
October 28th, 7:00pm-9:00pm Massage Cupping With Anne Buchalski, LMT, 2009 Lecture Series by Windham Hospital Integrative Health Services, Bernard & Desrosier Rooms, FMI: www.windhamhospital.org.
November 18th, 7:00pm-9:00pm Living the Holidays with Meaning & Wellness With the Wellness Collaborative, 2009 Lecture Series by Windham Hospital Integrative Health Services, Bernard & Desrosier Rooms, FMI: www.windhamhospital.org.
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September~NewHampshire September 12th-13th Traditional Arts Fair D'Acres, Dorchester, NH, www.dacres.org. (603) 786-2366.
September 27th, 1:00pm-4:00pm Herbal Tinctures D'Acres, Dorchester, NH, www.dacres.org, (603) 786-2366.
Upcoming~Massachusetts October 17th 10:00am-5:00pm Creating a Life of Health and Happiness A day with Cheryl Richardson and Dr. Christiane Northrup, Boston Back Bay Events Center for reservations (800) 654-5162 or visit www.hayhouse.com.
October 24th, All-Day Choice Point 2012 All-day workshop with Gregg Braden, Bruce Lipton, Ph.D. and Alberto Villoldo, Ph.D. What can we expect as we approach 2012 and the end of the current World Age cycle? Boston Back Bay Event Center. For reservations (800) 654-5162.
November 16th 7:00pm What Would Your Life Be Like Without Excuses? See Dr. Wyne W. Dyer Live.Boston Back Bay Events Center to register visit www.drwaynedyer.com or call (800) 654-5126.
Ongoing~Connecticut Dowsing For Your Health Course Fall 2009 & Winter 2010. During 3 classes, we'll learn to use pendulums and L-rods to dowse in making daily decisions, in understanding our health, and in measuring the earth energies that surround us. This course is almost entirely hands-on, so come join the fun. For more information, visit www.newenglanddowsing.com. Join us for kirtan, philosophy and vegetarian dinner. No charge. Hare Krishna Temple. 1683 Main St. East Hartford CT 06108 (860) 289-7252, www.iskconct.org.
Ongoing Monthly Group Reiki Sessions Individual & Group Reiki Sessions, Reiki Shares & Classes. Please call Carleen, RMT at (860) 642-7410 for more information.
Holistic Moms Network National non-profit organization for parents with an interest in holistic health and green living. Visit www.holisticmoms.org to find a local chapter.
SunDo Mountain Taoism Classes in Taoist breathwork, meditation and postures for all fitness levels. SunDo Taoist practice enhances the body's qi-energy flow, which promotes health and higher consciousness. (860) 523-5260, www.sundo.org.
ECKANKAR Temple of CT -- a place for all who love God. ECKANKAR, the religion of the Light and Sound of God. Worship services are the second Sunday of every month 10:00am with fellowship and refreshments afterwards. The Temple is located at the corner of Rte. 66 and Harvestwood Rd. Middlefield, CT. For information call (860) 346-2226; website: www.ct-eckankar.org
On g oi ng ~ M aine
Tarot Readings - Third Thursday each Month
Silent meditation based on works of H.W.L. Poonja & Ramana Maharshi.Tapes, Readings & Films too. Meetings Tuesday evenings at 6:30pm. Info Call: (207) 763-3860.
Gallery-style Tarot readings for all those in attendance. South Portland location 6:30pm-9:30pm. $25. Group size limited; register early! FMI/Register Jeanne Fiorini (207) 799-8648.
Qigong group starting at THE LANDING,
Energize! A holistic approach to performance
Center for the Healing Arts in Portland on Wednesdays at 7:30pm. These gentle movements balance and strengthen your vital life energy, leading to better health and a deeper spiritual connection. Call (207) 699-4299 for more information or visit www.thelandingcenter.com.
Energy balancing sessions for artists, actors, and performers, recover your highest creative self. Post-performance rebalancing. $80 ($70 students) Holistic Pathways, Gorham, (207) 839-9819 www.starlightacting.org.
Qi Gong Classes with Georgi Nelson, CPT
Ongoing course for women, awareness & prevention skills, verbal self-defense & empowerment, basic self-defense techniques. (207) 266-4902, Trenton Family Karate, Trenton/Ellsworth area.
Classes ongoing, beginning April 13th, 6:30pm-7:30pm, 4 week sessions are $40.00. Gardens of Atlantis, 508 Clarks Mills Road Rt. 35, Dayton, ME 04005, (207) 929-5088.
"Positively Moody Blues" radio show with Astrologer Ananur Forma every Thursday, 8:00pm9:00pm, streaming online www.wrfr.org. Ananur will be playing only the music of the positively, ever uplifting Moody Blues from past to future. Ananur will sprinkle in a little astrological information when she vies the weather forecast other than that it's all Moody Blues! For more information: (207) 594-0721 WRFR community radio for the people by the people.
Meditation and Buddhism: Nagaloka is a spiritual community that provides space for individuals to explore and practice Buddhism. Weekly mediation sessions, retreats and introductory classes on meditation and Buddhism are scheduled regularly. Bookstore too! www.nagalokabuddhistcenter.org.
Munay-Ki Rites and Mentorship A personal journey through the nine great rites, recently gifted by the high medicine elders of Peru. Individual and group mentorships offered. It is the deep prayer of the Inca elders that we step forward to receive these transformational energies of healing and enlightenment. It is my great honor as a recipient and steward of these rites to offer them to you with a full heart and blessings for your journey of becoming. In Munay, Debra Holloway (Rainbow Heart), (207) 929-6776, windhorse506@yahoo.com, www.munay-ki.org.
The New Moon Rituals with Cheif Oscar Mokeme www.africantribalartmuseum.org and the class "Developing Your Personal Healing Gifts" with teacher, healer and medical intuitive Regina Strongheart at "Forest Circles," Topsham, Maine, www.forestcircles.com.
Tuesday Buddhist Meditation
The Womanly Art of Self Defense and Empowerment
Hatha Yoga, Meditation, Satsang Classes in Psychological & Spiritual Development & more. Based in the Tradition of the Himalayan Sages. North Yarmouth. For full listing, see www.TurningLight.org (207) 829-2700.
The Path of Celtic Buddhism Celtic Buddist meditation in Rockland, ME. Group practice on Sunday mornings at 8:30am. Please call for information (207) 701-5022, heartln@sover.net, www.celticbuddhism.org.
"Yokids" Yoga Ed Tools for Teachers Workshops Yokids instructors Lily Goodale and Lynnette Moore will come to your school and train homeroom teachers to use simple, yoga-based mind/body integration techniques to enhance their teaching and support a harmonious teaching environment. Please contact Lily Goodale, ngoodale@aol.com, (207) 236-6001.
Thank God It's Grace: Women in God, Women in Good Please join Women In God each Thursday, 4:30pm-5:30pm at Meadow Wind 100 Gray Road, Falmouth, for an hour of peace, grace and spiritually-based conversation. Women in God is a non-denominational spiritual support group that welcomes all women on a path of love, hope and inspiration. For more information call (207) 233-7658, or visit www.womeningod.com.
The Birth House Bridgton's new freestanding birth center hosts monthly tours on the first Thursday, 6:30pm-7:00pm. Stay for free informational sessions. www.birthhouseme.com or (207) 647-5919.
Wavelengths Hypnotherapy ongoing classes: Self-Hypnosis, Weight Management, Smoking Cessation, Relaxation Guided Imagery Classes, Bonnie Lee Gibson, CH and Ernie VanDenBossche, BCH, CI; www.hypnowave.com (207) 453-6133, (207) 649-9655, Waterville, ME.
We practice Dzogchen Meditation; Natural Love and Awareness; and Natural Compassion and Awareness in the lineage of Lama Surya Das. All practices are for beginners and long-time practitioners, 25 Middle Street, Portland. 6:00pm-7:00pm. Jane Burdick, janeburd@maine.rr.com or (207) 773-6809.
Real-ize Your Integral Potentials
MOOSE Open Microphone-Spoken Word
Kittery, ME: Rawfood Potlucks, 5:00pm
The Maine Organization Of Storytelling Enthusiasts serving the Storytelling Community of Maine meets monthly on the second Wednesday from 7:00pm-9:00pm at the North Star Cafe in Portland. http://mooseevent.bravehost.com.
Third Saturday of each month, with guest speakers from the rawfood community. Support, learn, share, and build a local rawfood community. Call Aimee, (207) 409-0899.
Earthrest Discussion Series
Location: Governor King Lodge 649, U.S. Route 1, Scarborough, ME, Sunday Services: 10:00am Healing Chairs, 10:30am Service, Healing Meditation, Inspirational Talk, Messages from Spirit, 12:00pm Fellowship Hour – Refreshments.
Earthrest is offering a series of weekly discussion groups using workbooks developed by Northwest Earth Institute: Sustainable Living, Deep Ecology, Global Warming. FMI: (207) 625-4179 or earthrest@psouth.net.
Nia With Maggie Bokor Find bliss in your body! Nia is barefoot movement blending dance, yoga and martial arts. Check out Maggie's Portland area classes at www.dancenia.com, (207) 899-5939.
Real-ize your multidimensional self! Integral Energy Healing ~ Explorations in Consciousness ~ Leadership in Consciousness ~ Life Transformations. We offer sessions, classes, circles and workshops. Elizabeth@IntegralPotentials.com (207) 873-3514.
Inner Light Church of Spiritualism, Rev. Gloria Nye
Ayurvedic Massage Experience Abhyanga, Garshana and Shirodhara, the ancient healing bodywork techniques of India. Ruthanne Harrison, LMT. Located in Richmond, ME (207) 737-8593.
Reiki Works offers all levels of Reiki
Wednesday Women’s Meditation Group
ShivaShakti School of Yoga, Rockland
All women welcome to a weekly meditation in the Greenfire tradition. Location: Newcastle, St.Andrews Parish House, Glidden St. 6:30pm–7:30pm (not on the 3rd Wednesday of the month). For more info please call: Angela Hassenpflug (207) 592-7888.
Give yourself the gift of Yoga! Ongoing weekly classes morning and evening for all levels. Call (207) 431-8079 or visit www.ShivaShaktiYogaSchool.com.
Sunday Night: Portland Spiritualist Church
Mondays 9:00am-10:15am and Wednesdays, 5:30pm-6:45pm at the Masonic Hall on River Road. Please contact Rebecca at (207) 749-4150 for more information.
Group & Private Instruction in T’ai Chi Ch’aun (taijiquan) & Chi Kung (qigong) for beginners & experienced students. Studios in Portland and Kennebunkport. Ongoing classes, workshops & retreats. FMI: (207) 761-2142 or (207) 967-4070.
Spiritual Horizons Maine
SpiritWings–Workshops, Reiki Classes in Bethel ME
Meets every other Tuesday at 7:00pm, 75 State Street, Portland. Alternate weeks group on A Course of Miracles. Contact: Tom Peterson (207) 310-0030 or John Moulton (207) 874-7602, www.spiritualhorizonsmaine.org.
Reiki Share second Tuesday of every month. Well-Being and Healing Classes Regularly. Offering Tibetan/Usui and Karuna® Reiki-Meditation Classes and Ancestral Healing, which examines various methods of healing employed by our ancestors. For further information call (207) 824-2204 or visit website www.spiritwingsbethel.com.
meets at 719 Main Street, Westbrook (UU Church) for 6:30pm Service, Healing Meditation, Inspirational Talk, Messages from Spirit. FMI call (207) 655-6673 or visit our website at www.portlandspiritualistchurch.org.
Fourth Friday of each month - Gallery Readings. Join us at the Portland Spiritualist Church, 719 Main Street, Westbrook (UU Church) for an evening of messages from Spirit. 7:00pm $10 event. FMI call (207) 655-6673 or visit our website at www.portlandspiritualistchurch.org.
Friday Night: Weekly Psychic Development and Awareness Classes, except for the 4th Friday which is Gallery Readings - see ad. Portland Spiritualist Church, 719 Main Street, Westbrook (UU Church). Classes start at 7:30pm. Most classes are by donation. FMI call (207) 655-6673 or visit our website at www.portlandspiritualistchurch.org.
Yoga Class in Windham
Sharon Elaina would like you to know… that women's groups have begun in her new space at 925 Sawyer St., So. Portland. Tuesdays 6:00pm and Thursdays 12:00pm. Groups are limited to 8. Please call (207) 247-2650 for more information.
Classes, sessions and free clinics. For schedule please contact Andrea Smith, B.S. Rehabilitation at reikiworks@beeline-online.net (207) 474-9962.
Dragonfly Taijiquan, Larry Ira Landau
Continued on page 44 Aug/Sept 2009 Inner Tapestry 43
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Sunday ~ Bhakti-Yoga Festival – 5:00pm
Satsang/Meditation ~ Camden/Lincolnville.
44 Doula tea, meet with doulas in person
Wise Women Daughters of the Moon
OFFICE RENTAL SPACE
Learn how doulas help families during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. We meet Sundays at the Birth Roots, 101 State St., Portland from 4:00pm-5:00pm. There is no fee, preregistration is required. Call Rebecca Goodwin at (207) 318-8272.
Ceremonial Wisdom Circle honoring our Inner & Outer Seasons & Cycles. Sliding Scale. FMI: www.spiritualrenaissance.com, www.templeoftheheart.com or call Deborah, spiritual guide, priestess: (207) 883-1081.
The Starfish Center,
Ongoing Yoga Classes, Vacations & Retreats
Belfast Yoga Studio. Iyengar style Hatha Yoga
20 years of teaching in Kennebunk Monday evenings at 5:00pm & 7:00pm, Saco Tuesday 6:00pm, Thursday 5:30pm and 7:00pm & Wednesday 9:00am, Portland Saturdays at 10:15am. 6 weeks at &75. FMI: call Jeanette Schmid Lakari (207) 282-5528 or yogajs@maine.rr.com.
All levels including, Beginner, Level I, Level II, Gentle & Private classes & workshops. For more info and schedule see www.belfastyoga.com or call (207) 338-3930/338-4256.
USM Center for Continuing Education. Ongoing classes in Complementary Therapies, (Traditional Chinese Medicine, Aromatherapy, Reiki, etc.) Visit www.usm.maine.edu/cce for course & registration information or call (207) 780-5900 for catalog.
Planetary Activation Organization in Maine Is actively looking for people to join this group, for info: Visit www.paoweb.com. If interested, call (207) 743-2613, E-mail bobham@adelphia.net, or write Maria Ham, 51 BumpTown Rd, South Paris, ME 04281.
Aaminah School Of Middle Eastern Dance All levels of belly dance classes taught by experienced and caring instructors. Bangor and Waterville classes. Visit our website: www.aaminahdance.com or jeason@pivot.net.
“SANT MAT RADHASWAMI SATSANG” Inner Light & Sound Meditation. Surat Shabd Yoga. For a Bangor, Waterville, & Portland meeting schedule, call James at: (207) 368-5866 or James@SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com.
Ongoing~NewHampshire
641 St. George Road, South Thomaston, ME has over 1500 square feet of office space for rent. Especially suited for medical, alternative or elder services. There are six rooms, two with sinks and cabinets and one for classes, plus a full bath, kitchenette, reception area and laundry that may be rented together or individually. Inquire to katrina@askforhomecare.com or call (207) 354-7077. For pictures, go to www.askforhomecare.com and click on “Space for Rent.”
SACRED RENTAL SPACE Space Available for Gatherings, Ceremonies, Presentations. At Earthrest, Cornish, ME. Call (207) 625-4179.
A Place In The Heart Energetically clear, beautiful spaces for classes, workshops, celebrations, and ceremony. Outdoor ceremonial space available. Located in Falmouth. Reasonable rates. FMI call The Vywamus Foundation (207) 797-6106.
SACRED SPACE FOR SALE
Children’s Aikido Kokikai Class
Tai Chi for Health
WWW.BESTMAINEWATERFRONT.COM
Josiah Bartlett Elementary School in Bartlett NH, The Ballroom in Harrison Maine, Water and Stone Yoga Studio in Conway, NH, Contact Jane Biggio for more information at (603) 374-6326 or email at bamboomountain@ncia.net.
Thursday, 5:30pm-6:15pm, $15 pay as you go. Zev Yoga, 16 Market Square, Portsmouth, NH. Age 14 and older.
Two unique sunset lake front offerings. Privacy with accessibility to both Bangor and Bar Harbor. FMI see website or call Alison Cote (207) 632-3662.
Holistic Pathways Yoga & Healing Center, Gorham. Energy Vibrational Healing Therapies including Polarity and Energy Interference Patterning of DNA. Ongoing Reiki & Therapeutic Touch classes. FMI: (207)-839-7192, www.holisticpathways.com.
Artists Support Group, Inner Balance, Belfast, ME On 156 High Street. Third Tuesday of the month from 7:00pm-8:30pm. Call Elliot Benjamin at (207) 338-4576.
Mindful Meditation™ Thursdays, 12:00pm-1:00pm
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All are welcome, no experience necessary. $15 or 4 classes for $50. Mind/Body Therapy at Cancer Community Center 778 Main Street, South Portland, Maine, (207) 650-3964, FMI www.mbtherapy.org.
The Rose Cottage Teaching Reiki Master, Transformational Breath, Crystal Healing, Hypnotherapy, and Hypnobirthing. Private sessions by appointment. Gift certificates. Ongoing classes. Contact Vicki Kupferman 14 Weed Rd., Knox, Maine. (207) 568-3782.
Kripalu “DansKinetics” The body, mind, spirit workout blending yoga and dance. No experience necessary. Free trial class. Days Meadow Farm, 889 Alewive Rd. Kennebunk. (207) 985-6896 or: daysmeadowfarm@prexar.com.
Sacred Circle Dance Dances from a multi-cultural folk dance tradition. Steps taught at all sessions. No experience/partner needed. Fourth Friday of every month, 7:00pm-8:30pm, Portsmouth, NH. FMI: amyla44@juno.com, (603) 750-7506.
Experience the healing of Love without conditions Ongoing classes. Learn the freedom of healing without limitations. Shamballa 1-4 and 13D Certification. Contact Elizabeth, Center of Momentum, (207) 873-3514, or centerofmomentum@hotmail.com.
Short-term Solutions-oriented Couples & Family Work Guiding Couples & Families from conflict to communication, from disengaged to connected, from hurting to resolution. Group and private sessions. Call Maureen McCarty-Darling at (207) 975-5200.
Calendar of Events
NESHHA Educational Presentation The New England Seacoast Holistic Health Association (an organization of Healthcare Professionals), has meetings monthly, third Thursday, Potluck 6:30pm, Networking 7:00pm at the Herbal Path, 839 Central Ave., Dover, NH. www.NESHHA.org.
Eye on the Universe by Donna Lynn Hudgins
Eaton Satsang An informal gathering to discover and welcome the truth of one's inner nature. Eaton, NH is near the Maine/NH border. Most Wednesday evenings. www.eatonsatsang.com or (603) 447-5401.
Ongoing~RhodeIsland Bridge Between Two Worlds Radio Show Mediumship, Physical Phenomena and more. Contact Talk Radio Mondays 8:00pm-9:00pm EST, Listen Live www.bridgebetweentwoworlds.net. Host Pamela Marie Edmunds, (508) 273-0022.
Classified Listings HELP WANTED
Retreat Cook Wanted~Nurture Through Nature Experienced whole-foods cook for group(s) up to 14. Trade for opportunity to participate in holistic nature retreats. Send indoor/outdoor experience to ntnretreat@yahoo.com, www.ntnretreats.com, (207) 452-2929.
HEALING PLACES
Eco-Retreat in a Solar-Powered, wood-fired cabin. Experience deep quiet and nature's beauty in a solar-powered, wood-heated eco-cabin getaway at Nurture Through Nature Green Retreat Center in Denmark, Maine, only an hour from Portland/Freeport/Lewiston, ME and 2 hours northwest of Portsmouth. Cost $59-$65/night for one-two. Add $20 each additional person. Two cabins available, both sleep four. www.ntnretreats.com, (207) 452-2929.
We created this world together. We can heal ourselves the same way.
From whence we rode the darkened horse we among the living we feign the price of too long a wait and lips breathe the souls’ great truth. From among the living we count the moments we rein in the desire forlorn accounting not the length of minutes lost-the echo of tomorrow is upon us. I tear through the veil of present I lift the shadow of the past my soul is weary so of both and dreams the dream of casting off to All. Tempered as I am by Patience’s fair hand it still is a journey sometimes undone. What lifts the weary from this place is the prayer answered in silence unbidden from above. Holy space Holy emptiness speak to me hold me love me more for I cannot wait for the knowing of Your Face. Speak in your magnificent silence speak with your breathtaking beauty lay your Presence upon me as the finest silk drawn and I will sleep my soul contented forevermore in eternity’s ‘wakening.
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w w w .in n e rt ape st ry.o rg 44 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2009
All Calendar and Classified Listings are listed on the Inner Tapestry Website!
45 Continued from page 14 ~ loving earth ~ Dancing Life - A Conversation With Caroline Loupe we choose a narrow focus, keep making the same movement all day without relief, something is going to go wrong with our bodies and surely our spirits, and we are going to end up feeling awful. One of the forerunners of dance movement therapy was engaged to go into the mills and factories in England to figure out why there was such high absenteeism. This was in the 30’s. People were performing assembly line work, so the workers were repeating the same motions over and over again. What he determined was that after a certain amount of time, the workers needed to change stations so they would then be engaging in a different, somewhat opposite kind of motion in order to remain healthy. We all need some variety. It’s important to climb out of the box! Come to an Authentic Movement session, Healing with Horses or to drumming! There are so many wonderful activities being offered all over that people can engage in. Yet some of us have a story within ourselves that says we need to protect ourselves, and we scarcely dare venture outside the boxes of daily business. There is a part of ourselves that needs to connect with something that can allow variety. I am only talking about myself of course, but I know what I experience is pretty typical. For me it is such a relief to… be in a place of discovery. Can I allow myself to navigate for 30 seconds or a minute in the Present? As a part of our conversation, Caroline stood up and moved to the center of the room while I observed. Our conversation then continued in another way, still expressive, with occasional words, yet another form of communication with body and environment.
What a perfect example of things that can hold me back! If I had been a bit quicker and a bit more adventurous, I could have put thinking about the time allotted to our conversation and my pre-conceived ideas of what this article would encompass aside. I could have responded in kind. I thought about it and I relinquished the idea as impractical. I allowed my head with its particular way of thinking to dictate what I did. Rats! Words can be wonderful tools for expression, but they cannot do everything. As Caroline points out, our bodies are always speaking to us. What they say is true and their wisdom needs to be listened to. If you are willing, as an experiment, just imagine engaging with a friend, or perhaps several friends, checking in with each other without speaking! What would you do? How might that feel? As I myself contemplate this, I become engaged in the process with definite pleasure. Still, I am thinking, not yet moving! Actually engaging my body in this process expands me grounds me and offers me new understandings of my surroundings and myself. For me it is exciting, expansive! If you would like to find out more about how these movement processes might enhance your own life, Caroline Loupe may be reached at 207-926-5983 FMI about Horses as Healers and Teachers: Gena 207-926-5789; Kerry 207-7569520 or Caroline 207-926-5983 Copyright Pat Foley, 2009 Pony Girl the banner artwork is courtsey of SandySandy. More of her work can be seen at www.sandysandy.com and www.dreamstime.com.
Pat Foley attempts to live a green/sustainable life just outside of Cornish, Maine. She is the owner of Earthrest, a place of retreat for groups and individuals. The underlying focus of Earthrest is following Gandhi’s advice to be the change we wish to see in the world. You may contact Pat at earthrest@psouth.net or (207) 625-4179.
Continued from page 28 ~ destination healing ~ SNE ~ Moving Energy Healing Spirits... Appointments: (860) 236-6009 – Generally 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday-Friday; other times by request. Address: 17 South Highland Street West Hartford, CT Summer 2009 Events – check website for details Introductory Workshops for the Professional Training Program in IDBP & SEH Introductory Workshops for Human Relations Training Program September 12 & 13: Training Program classes begin in Hartford Karen M. Rider holds a B.S. in Exercise Science and an M.A. in Health Psychology. Karen has experience in health research and wellness program development. Presently, she is a promotional copywriter specializing in the communication needs of holistic health businesses. She can be reached at KarenMRider@comcast.net
Continued from page 29 ~ destination healing ~ NNE ~ Improving Movement Through Massage their state requirements, some therapists become nationally certified which requires an examination and Continuing Education Units (CEU) to maintain their certification. A massage therapist who cannot provide adequate information about their offered techniques and proof of instruction may not be a good choice. Once a student completes their studies and practical requirements, a graduate from the New Hampshire Institute for Therapeutic Arts should be qualified to meet licensing requirements for New Hampshire, Maine, and national certification boards. Since the New Hampshire Institute of Therapeutic Arts was recognized and approved for Department of Education Title IV funding in 2003, financial aid is available for qualified students. The Institute is also VA approved under the Montgomery GI Bill for qualified individuals. Dr. Cowan encourages people to contact the school for individualized tours and to discuss a career in Massage Therapy. “The New Hampshire Institute for
Article submission deadline for October/November issue "Living Visions"
is August 25th Please send articles to info@innertapestry.org
Therapeutic Arts provides a well grounded career level curriculum, so graduates may leave with confidence to establish a private practice or join a group therapeutic practice as well as finding themselves well equipped to work with a spa, health club, hospital, or chiropractic clinic.” The New Hampshire Institute for Therapeutic Arts can be contacted through their website www.nhita.com, telephone (207) 647-3794 for Maine residents or in New Hampshire at (603) 882-3022, and email info@nhita.com.
Kevin Pennell, an author from Bethel , Maine, wrote Two Feathers–Spiritual Seed Planter and has written for other periodicals and media. Kevin Pennell is an Usui and Karuna Reiki® Master Teacher, Certified Hypnotherapist, Ancestral Healing Practitioner, and Psychic Empath. He conducts Reiki and other workshops that assist spiritual and personal development. Kevin, with his wife, Vickie Cummings, own and operate Spirit Wings, their Compassionate Healing Center and Therapeutic Store located in Bethel, Maine.Contact www.spiritwingsbethel.com or kevin@spiritwingsbethel.com.
Calendar and classified listings submission deadline for October/November issue is September 5th Time flies don't forget! Please send your formatted Calendar and Classified listings to info@innertapestry.org Aug/Sept 2009 Inner Tapestry 45
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• Human Relations Training for the general public • Thought Field Therapy, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) • Buddhist Conflict Resolution for Couples • Sand Tray Therapy, Shamanic Healing Sessions • Life Coaching and Nutritional Counseling • Medical Intuitive, Acupuncture, Qi Qong, Reiki and Massage Therapy • Free counseling groups for the unemployed Professional staff may be booked for lectures on any of the topics listed above, including stress-management, nutrition and a variety of spiritual and holistic health topics. Website: www.hartfordfamilyinstitute.com E-mail: info@hartfordfamilyinstitute.com
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Book Review
b y T e re sa P i c c a ri
The Art of Emotional Wisdom By: Liam Quirk Unlimited Publishing ISBN: 1-58832-101-0
Oh that Toto! Chasing Miss Gulch’s cat. Revealing the “wizard” behind the curtain to be a mere mortal. Escaping the witch’s castle to lead a rescue posse back for Dorothy. And just when they are finally headed home to Kansas in a hot air balloon, Toto hops out. As a symbol of Dorothy’s spiritual wholeness, Toto is always creating chaos, nudging Dorothy forward. Good boy!
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In his book The Art of Emotional Wisdom author Liam Quirk, an Emotional Transformation Therapy (TM) practitioner and somatic therapist, depicts several perspectives – including classic mythic hero, shamanic journey, a dream chock full of Jungian archetypes representing the collective unconscious and as a transcendent journey to emotional maturity and enlightenment – that are at play in The Wizard of Oz film. (Editorial note: Text from The Art of Emotional Wisdom is shown in italicized passages that follow.) It is symbolically significant that the entire crisis revolves around Toto, the dog Dorothy unconditionally loves and protects. Her identity, her unconscious knowing of her transcendent self, is reliant on Toto, so when Toto is threatened so is she. The name Toto supports this idea, as in the Latin phrase in toto, meaning ‘as a whole.’
Our Core Wounds
WE B SITES M US I C
DV D s S I E O V M AND F OO D
EWS R E V Iand more 46 Inner Tapestry Aug/Sept 2009
Of the three modes of human experience – body, emotion and mind, Quirk writes, our culture tends to favor one mode at the expense of the others. “It’s like having a house with three magnificent picture windows that open out to different views, but getting stuck looking out just one of them while the others are draped shut.” Without understanding and appreciating the role of emotion in the human experience, writes Quirk, we will not realize our potential for love or creativity. The unspoken truth of myths like The Wizard of Oz is that our black-and-white everyday world is one veil of perception away from a vibrantly colorful wonderland. Mystery and magic are the underpinnings of our existence, and if that is not our experience, the reason lies in the perceptive lens through which we view and create our lives. And until we can recognize that it is our own distorted sense of who we are that keeps us from living each moment for the gift it is, we will search in vain for something outside of ourselves to set us free. Dorothy’s own emotions create the twister in the story. Letting go of her old identity, symbolized by her house, show us she has let go of conscious control, to make way for transcendence.
Over the Rainbow Arriving in Munchkinland, Quirk describes how Dorothy has stepped into a waking dream state and as a shaman she has
Music CD Review by Ron Damico Within You Without You, Journey Into Stillness By Gary Stroutsos White Swan Records Listen: http://tinyurl.com/stroutsos Gary Stroutsos’ Within You Without You… Journey Into Stillness is a wonderful expression of using the vibration of music to help one access the calm and peace within motion. Gary in collaboration with David Lanz, David Revelli, Walter Grey and
journeyed deep into her being to find the wisdom, or elixir, she will need to heal herself. In a phone interview Quirk said it is helpful to ask, “Why does all this stuff (symbols and archetypes) work?” The Law of Wholeness, common to all wisdom traditions that say we are all one. “You are not able to see you until there’s another. It’s what we’re trying to undo. The reason we see the self as separate from others is inside we feel separate. It’s what we’re trying to undo,” said the therapist. “When you’re constantly engaged with life it will play with you. All the synchronicity that is the fun part of the journey.” “Art is a way in which we differentiate the oneness, by putting it outside of ourselves. Art helps us differentiate and simplify. It involves us and how we see ourselves in the world.” "What’s fun is to be the fully individuated self and to experience that we are all in the divine play of oneness,” Quirk said.
The Shadow Knows That the Wicked Witch of the West demands that Dorothy surrender is inspired, and reveals the deeper forces of myth breaking through… Dorothy will of course have to surrender her false sense of self, which includes her fears and her feelings of incompleteness and unworthiness, in order to connect with the truth of her divine identity.
Those dastardly wicked sisters! They represent Dorothy’s shadow. Most of us want to get rid of any aspect of ourselves we don’t like – our shadow, our dark side, karma or core wounding. But it is here, Quirk advises, where treasures are buried. If someone triggers us, it can only be because there is something to be triggered. “When we talk about integration of the shadow, bring it in as a part of you, recognize the you in it and heal the you in it. When the shadow is healed, you’ll heal,” explained Quirk. When faced with “bad” situations, Quirk adds, we can learn to respond instead of reacting. Ask yourself questions like, “Am I putting myself in harm’s way? Can I open myself to compassion? Can I step into my power and get out of the situation? What lesson am I being asked to learn?” We get to choose which self we bring to any situation. Our shadow or lower self, our human or ego consciousness, or our highest, transcended self – what Quirk calls “the capital S self.” In 173 pages the therapist efficiently guides us through Dorothy’s journey and helps us shed light on our own core wounding. Using exercises, questions for contemplation and a summation of main points at the end of each of the five chapters, Quirk gently but effectively leads us through the edgy waters we must swim if we wish to become free of our core wounding and become emotionally mature individuals able to thrive and fulfill our highest potential. Liam is an Emotional Transformation Therapy (TM) Practitioner and Somatic Therapist. In addition to his private practice, he leads workshops and small groups on emotional processing practices, spirituality and personal growth. He may be reached at liamquirk@earthlink.net. © 2009 by Teresa Piccari
Teresa Piccari is the proprietor of The Village Scribe, a professional writing and editing business meeting personal and business needs, at The Wellness Center, 71 Elm St., in Camden. She runs the monthly Ducktrap Writers’ Round Table and teaches workshops including Memoir, Creative Writing and Mythic Structure.
Elizabeth Falconer create songs that are deeply moving and have moments of haunting awareness of the truest essence of who we are and how we can truly be in the world when we allow. The title of the CD is also its first song which was originally composed by George Harrison more than forty years ago appearing on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. This beautiful song awakens a calm and peaceful motion into the heart of life and movement. With each progressive song the calm and peace begin to expand as you find yourself settling in, to a wonderful sense of peaceful and gentle movement without the chaos and tension. If willing, through repeatedly experiencing this CD, you could experience a more expansive relationship with motion as a peaceful and calm expression through movement with music as the guide.
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Book Review
by C u rt i s W h i t e
Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate By: Brad Warner ISBN: 9781577316541 Publisher: New World Library I’m not a fan of book reviews that give away too much or which spend a lot of time explaining plot, so, here’s a radically condensed synopsis: Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate, is a kind of skid-road spiritual memoir written by an unlikely ex-punk-rocker and sometimeJapanese Monster Movie fan cum Zen Buddhist anti-guru. It is the author’s third book on the subject. Okay, maybe that’s not enough, so here’s a little more. The author had a horrific year in 2007. His mother died from Huntington’s disease. His marriage ended. He lost his job. His grandmother died. The book is an exploration of how he used his practice of Zen as a spiritual and practical tool during this time. It’s very readable, witty and has more than its fair share of wisdom. It has a lot of integrity as a text and is written in a lucid and quick style that doesn’t seem to hold back where it easily could in order to spare the author embarrassment. “My Dad and I confessed that we both had thoughts of ending my mom’s life for her during those final days.”
It goes without saying then, that I really can’t say how much of this book is 100% Pure Florida Squeezed ‘Zen’ and what percentage comes from pop-culture concentrate. What I can say, is it tasted pretty good to me. I’m guessing a lot of people will want to know how much of this book is about the author, Brad Warner’s personal stuff versus how much the book is a genuine explanation of Zen concepts and principles—whether it’s really genuine ‘Zen’ or not. I don’t know. For all I know Warner could be the least Zen person in the galaxy. Part of me, a big part even, hopes that he’s not a true Zen Master—not because I’m a jerk and like it when people get things all wrong, but because I can identify
If confusion and misunderstanding can happen when assembling furniture, imagine what can happen when it comes to practicing a philosophy or a belief system—which are after all, far less straight-forward than, ‘insert dowel A into left leg G.’ If Brad Warner’s book isn’t representative of pure Zen then it is representative of some nameless one-of-a-kind system that helps him through pretty dark times. And whatever that system is, he seems to have gotten it right. Zen is about many things and many more than I personally grasp, but it seems to me that at least superficially, it’s about paradox and contradiction,—and so is this book. He’s an ex punk rocker Zen Master who indulges in jealousy, sarcasm, sex, divorce, and all the other lower human emotions and behaviors even as he faithfully practices his beliefs. Here’s a Zen ‘Guru’ you can imagine tripping down a flight of stairs and breaking his ankle, or sneezing on the back of someone’s head. And he’s writing about some of the most painful, difficult experiences in his life, and how in the midst of these tragedies he managed to keep practicing his beliefs. He’s a real person, in other words—not some impossibly serene master whose very toenails emanate ‘oneness’ with the cosmos—just the kind of character, incidentally, Warner often pokes fun of in his book. Warner acknowledges his own cynicism about spiritual leaders at some length—and has some bits of wisdom to offer on this subject in particular. It seems to me Warner is a guy who’s after improvement, not perfection. His is a practical philosophy. And if his book offers anything as simple as a message it is likely that he has found that his practice of Zen Buddhism helps him deal with the daily horrors, common and uncommon, and to get through them in one piece. Whether he is dodging the proverbial arrows of his fellow Zen Buddhists who want to take him down, or whether he is talking about his favorite Monster Movie, he writes with clarity and often offers his reader's bits of insight in almost every page of the book. Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate is about a real person being honest about being a real person in a real world. Warner’s story, the portion of it covered in this book, is written in a clear and honest voice. He probably sports Nikes and a pair of dark shades. He probably checks his breath after he eats onions. He absolutely believes he’s got something pretty good in Zen Buddhism, and he believes he can use it to help himself understand something greater than himself. His belief is what kept me reading; however authentic or not his ‘Zen’ may be his faith is undoubtedly genuine.
Curtis White is a writer and sales consultant living in Western MA with his long-time partner, Elaine. He often reads his rough drafts out loud to her while she is trying to do other things like pay the bills or finish her dissertation—which he really, really appreciates. Curtis loves letters. His email is curtis@innertapestry.org.
Music CD Review The Joy Is In The Journey By: Jon Fernans White Whale Music www.jonfernans.com Jon Fernans is an artist expressing his love of and for life through both the creation of music and sculptures. Spending most of his summers in Maine and winters in Florida he is excited and inspired every day to create whether it be in his songs or his stone work, Jon loves expressing the joy of life as he creates. He was born and raised in South Florida. After completion of his enlisted time in the Army Jon returned to Florida to create a process for silk screening on leather, which supported his entering college to study music. After college he embarked on a 25 year journey around the world as a singer/songwriter sharing his music and his love of life's journey. Jon creates what he calls Positive Music. What is positive music? Music created in a positive, motivational, uplifting nature and is perhaps even healing. His positive lyrics and music reflect the human experience in an expansive, light and imaginative way in the fashion of storytelling styles of the 70's. While listening to his music I was reminded of the vocal style of Gordon Lightfoot and the story-telling styles and song writings of Cat Stevens and Harry Chapin. In his music Jon creates characters and their journeys, telling of their challenges and heart's wishes, sharing in song the knowledge of "being" and the reality of life. His lyrics are wonderful and share reminders to stay focused on following your hearts vision of your life.
by Ron Damico
All songs on this CD are written and performed by Jon with titles; Don't You Ever Lose Your Dreams, Intuition, Listen To Your Inner Voice, Love is Letting Go of Fear and more. As you can see, this is why it could be called positive music. To feel closer to Jon and where he plays I explored his sculptures at www.jonfernanssculpture.com. His journey into sculpting began when he met his wife Ruth Hartman, an artist who creates jewelry. Through this meeting he was drawn to begin taking classes and found his next love, creating sculptures from stone. He could see and feel that which was/is hidden in each piece of raw material. Taking the time to feel and listen he supports transformation from one form to another. Within the creative process Jon would say he is "following his bliss." Like Jon's music, his sculptures are simple, fluid and beautiful in what they bring forth, there is nothing complex about it. Yet, within its simplicity a clear beauty is present which one will begin to see and feel the simple nature of one's own inner-beauty. To this day he continues to perform at local festivals and clubs as well as doing something creative everyday. His schedule can be received by email from his newsletter at www.jonfernans.com or by checking into the Maine Art Scene, Maine Arts & Culture Online Magazine, www.maine-art-exhibits.com/Maine-MusicPerformers-Showcase/Jon-Fernans/Jon-Fernans.html. If you are interested in stepping into a clearer picture of how you view life, with an open mind and heart take some time to listen and feel yourself into Jon's music. It could be a journey into your-self worth experiencing. A journey into Jon's creative expressions is well worth the time spent. Aug/Sept 2009 Inner Tapestry 47
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By way of my own confession, Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate is only my second exposure to Zen Buddhism—my first being a book I bought in High School (and didn’t read until College) called, An Introduction to Zen Buddhism, by D.T. Suzuki. So I pretty much have to acknowledge from the outset that I do not speak with any authority on Zen thought or practice.
with people being wrong—with people who read the instructions to a piece of build-it-yourself furniture and end up, as I do, with a few extra ‘washers’ and something that looks like a spare table leg.
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