The Eden Magazine February 2019

T h e

LOVE has no rules

By NANCY YEAROUT

February 2019

©

Magazine

CHANGE OUR GENETIC HERITAGE

By Ariann Thomas THE SHAPE OF WATER

By Alexia Melocchi

KAREN STRASSMAN

Actress & Voiceover Artist

FEBRUARY THE MONTH OF LOVE

By Sasha Gary

DIVINE GUIDANCE FROM THE AKASHIC

The Femme!

By Bernadette Pleasant

CHANGE OUR GENETIC

By Ariann Thomas

RECORDS

By Jennifer Longmore

An Interview With

RIGGS ECKELBERRY

A man who is helping to make clean water available for all.

Table of Contents 6

LOVE HAS NO RULES

By Nancy E. Yearout

20

18

THE FEMME!

By Bernadette Pleasant

20

COVERSATION WITH G: A PHYSICIAN'S ENCOUNTER WITH HEAVEN

By C. Norman Shealy M.D.,Ph.D.

24

THE SHAPE OF THE WATER

By Alexia Melocchi

32

30

KAREN STRASSMAN ACTRESS & VOICEOVER ARTIST

32

DIVINE GUIDANCE FROM THE AKASHIC RECORDS

By Jennifer Longmore

36

TRUST IN YOUR GIFTS

By Anita Sanchez

46

40

CHANGE OUR GENETIC

By Ariann Thomas

46

RELEASING THE PAST WHILE LIVING IN THE MOMENT

By Jayita Bhattacharjee

56

FEBRUARY THE MONTH OF LOVE!

By Sasha Gary

On the Cover DUSTIN QUICK & MEDI eM

56

58

AN INTERVIEW WITH RIGGS ECKELBERRY

Cover by

ISABELLE RUEN

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DINA MORRONE

Maryam Morrison

GLORIA KISEL-HOLLIS

MARIA ELENA INFANTINO

EDWARD HAKOPIAN

JAN DIANA

MICHAEL WHITE RYAN

TARA-JENELLE WALSCH

KATE YOUNGER

SHERI DETERMAN

SASHA GARY

ANGELA DUNNING

MIRIAM BERTKE

ALEXIA MELOCCHI

JOE SANTOS, JR.

ISABELLE RUEN

BRENDA SAINT HILAIRE

MARGARET TOMASZEWIC

JAYITA BHATTACHARJEE

MEET OUR TEAM

Photo by Artin Mardirosian

Spreading Compassion to all Sentient Beings and Living in healing and peaceful world

EDEN T

H

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MAGAZINE

Since 2010 The Eden Magazine is a free Online magazine focuses on spreading compassion to all sentient beings Living in a healing and peaceful world FOUNDER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MARYAM MORRISON CONTRIBUTING EDITOR DINA MORRONE BRAND AMBASSADOR MARIA ELENA INFANTINO SOCIALITE DIRECTOR GLORIA KISEL-HOLLIS CONTRIBUTING WRITERS JAN DIANA JOE SANTOS, JR. ALEXIA MELOCCHI

ANGELA DUNNING SASHA GARY MIRIAM BERTKE MICHAEL WHITE RYAN JAYITA BHATTACHARJEE TARA-JENELLE WALSCH MARGARET TOMASZEWIC CONTRIBUTING STYLISTS + MAKEUP ARTIST EDWARD HAKOPIAN GRAPHICS & PHOTOGRAPHY KATE YOUNGER ISABELLE RUEN SHERI DETERMAN BRENDA SAINT HILAIRE WEBSITE

www.theedenmagazine.com 325 N. Maple Dr. Po Box 5132 Beverly Hills, CA 90209 To read this issue online www.issuupublishing.com To purchase a copy visit us in www.magcloud.com Eden Magazine is an non-profit & independent monthly online magazine.

Our aim is to create a better environment where we live among other living being in peace and harmony. We support artists that their work match our criteria. If you would like to submit your artwork, article or/and your Photography For our future issues please contact Maryam Morrison at; maryammorrison@theedenmagazine.com 5 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e February 2019

Photography by Isabelle Ruen Make up & Hair by Shawn DeMoss Kicka Custom Couture Necklace and earrings: Zirconmania Ring: Ronaldo Designer Jewelry

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Love Has No Rules

By Nancy E. Yearout

“Love.” What a word. Eskimos, it is said, distinguish two hundred different kinds of snow, each with its own name. Perhaps we can take a cue from them and cash in on our word love, replacing it with dozens of more specific concepts. It would baffle us, inspire us, give us sleepless nights, but at least we might be able to communicate with each other more clearly about the love we feel in hearts for one another.

“Dance, when you're broken open. Dance, if you've torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting.

Dance in your blood.

Dance when you're perfectly free.” ~Rumi

As we travel our path in life there is one thing that becomes quite clear, we are all searching for happiness and a sense of fulfillment within ourselves. Many people are searching for the answer to fill the void, that emptiness they feel inside themselves. The treasure they are all looking for is within their heart and soul. The greatest gift we have been given is the gift of love! Love is what truly fulfills us and is everlasting and remains forever true. Many of us try to fill ourselves up with material things or status but are not able to fill this void. The reason is that the true secret to happiness is not material items, money or fame, its love, true love with no conditions.

Love often finds us when we are at a time in our life when we need it the most. It happens when you least expect it to. Love comes to you when you are putting out that love vibration. This is when your perfect match shows up. A frequency that is unique only to you and that special person here on earth. You may meet the man or woman of your dreams at the local coffee shop or at the grocery store or maybe the park or on eHarmony for that matter. When true love does find us, it catches us off guard, bites us and infects us with the love bug.

This has been the case throughout history. There are numerous stories of people who have been fortunate to find unconditional love in their life. When making this discovery their lives are forever changed. Some express this magnificent feeling with a poem or a song. Some shout it out loud from the rooftops and tell the world when they experience the love vibration within their heart for the first time.

How is it that we do find each other? I believe that we are attracted to each other by our soul’s vibration. The love vibration is felt throughout the universe and you are a part of it too. You put out a specific vibration and attract that matching vibration back to yourself.

This is how the universe makes sure we find each other in this lifetime. When your love vibration is at the same frequency as that of another person you connect. Real love does not see the outside appearance; it’s the inside of us that feels the vibration of love. It does not matter what the person looks like on the outside when true love finds its mate a connection is made!

When two people in love become connected with the love vibe you can feel that person when they are close by, or just know that they are thinking fondly of you or when they’re going to call you. You have that Love connection!

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Photography by Isabelle Ruen Make up & Hair by Shawn DeMoss Gown by Sue Wong Earrings: Zirconmania Ring: Ronaldo Designer Jewelry 9 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e January 2019

Often, we are surprised at who we feel connected to. The person that you fall in love with and feel a close connection to may not be the one you had imagined you would fall in love with, or your family had imagined for you, but love has no boundaries.

You don’t choose who you fall in love with, it just happens. And when it happens it has no color.

What if the person you fall in love with is not the same age as you? Maybe they are much younger than you or much older than you. This does not change anything, as love has no rules.

Or, what if the couples come from two different nationalities, or are not of the same religion? Can the relationship bare the age or cultural differences? Will the families understand? What if they don’t? What if one family approves and the other family does not?

Many of us have witnessed families who choose to disown one of their own over a marriage that the family did not approve of.

This is always an eye-opener as it’s not the family who is joining in holy matrimony to the person. It’s confusing why people can be closed-minded. The most important factor here is that

the couple is happy and in love with each other. If a couple is happy and in love, the family should be happy for them and support they’re joining together as one.

There are times that the question arises, “Are people jealous of true love?” Could the jealousy come from a lack of love in ones own life? The result is that sometimes others don’t want you to have true love when they don’t have it. This may sound silly but unfortunately true.

True love of another person cannot be broken by jealousy, hate or fear. Love has no color, no form or no length. A strong bond of unconditional love between two people cannot be broken or shattered easily, not with a love bond for life. True love is everlasting and grows as a seed that is planted in a garden and cared for tenderly to grow and to prosper.

Truth be told, life can and has been difficult for many couples who have broken the boundaries of their family’s cultural rules and of societies made up regulations. They have gone against the rules and taken the leap of faith and joined in holy matrimony regardless of their families and friends best wishes.

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Photography by Isabelle Ruen Make up & Hair by Shawn DeMoss Red hat: Annette's Couture Millinery Necklace: Zirconmania Shoes: DA By Daniel Silver purse: Stacy Kessler Accessories Ring: Ronaldo Designer Jewelry

Photography by Isabelle Ruen Make up & Hair by Shawn DeMoss Red hat: Annette's Couture Millinery Necklace: Zirconmania Shoes: DA By Daniel Silver purse: Stacy Kessler Accessories Ring: Ronaldo Designer Jewelry

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“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.” ~Rumi 13 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM eJanuary 2019

Many interracial marriages have been made difficult throughout time by outsiders’ strict views and opinions. But love is a strong bond that cannot be broken between two who love so completely. This is when the families, friends, and community, learn to change their way of thinking and come together. They will see the love connection between the two people and grow respectful of their bond with each other. Today we live in a world full of much judgment. Judgment and love are like oil and vinegar; the two do not mix well. They separate.

Have you ever noticed a couple that’s in love, walking along holding hands, and wondered what their secret is? What they have is not a secret. The concept is simple: when you love unconditionally, then you will receive love unconditionally. No judgment! It does not matter where you come from or even if you speak the same language. Love has no boundaries when it comes to the feelings of the heart. If you understand this concept you are one of the more fortunate souls on this earth.

Please don’t judge, as what may be right for one person may not be right for another person. We are all different, but we all have one need in common, and that need is love. Love is naturally inside of us and is given freely. We all have a choice to love others unconditionally in this life or to abuse the power. Spiritual love is authentic, open and transparent.

Ego love has conditions attached to it. There is no transparency or openness. There are secrets. We must stop the ego love and change our thinking to that of pure love. My hope is that the mindset is beginning to change on our planet… a mindset where you love yourself and honor yourself, through your thoughts and your words. The more you love and value yourself, the more others around you will honor and value you. This simple act will change the energy for not only you but for those around you. When we change our thinking, it helps others change to a kinder and more loving energy and mindset.

I want to leave you with my favorite words that have been written about Love. You may have heard this verse at a wedding or while attending church but please take the time to read and absorb the meaning of real love.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful ;[b] 6It does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

4

Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10But when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I 8

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Photography by Isabelle Ruen Make up & Hair by Shawn DeMoss David Tupaz Couture Necklace and bracelet: Obelo Jewelry Earrings: Artizan by Robin Barre Ring: Ronaldo Designer Jewelry

shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

I Corinthians 13-4-13

As we evolve as a more conscious people our cultural differences will not matter, as we will all realize that we are all connected through the light of love. I do believe that there will come a time very soon where we will see a change in our thinking to a more loving and kinder way of living.

I know that am looking forward to that day when love, kindness and compassion, rein and the love we have for each other is felt universally with no judgment.

Special Thanks to Contributor Writer: Nancy E. Yearout Modeling: Dustin Quick & Medi eM Photography: Isabelle Ruen Makeup and Hair: Shawn DeMoss Fashion Designers: Lisseth Corrao Couture U.S.A., Sue Wong, David Tupaz Couture, Kicka Custom Coutur, Annette's Couture Millinery

Photography by Isabelle Ruen Make up & Hair by Shawn DeMoss Lisseth Corrao Couture U.S.A. Necklace: Zirconmania Ring: Ronaldo Designer Jewelry

Love Without Borders: A tale of two hemispheres, bridged by benevolence, art and… love. Actress and model Dustin Quick and musician Medi eM hail from opposite longitudes and backgrounds found each other in an oft-hopeless place for love, Hollywood.

Originally from Isfahan, Iran, Medi taught himself guitar at age nine and was performing in a band on popular stages across the country by fifteen. Influenced by the boundary-breaking talent of Jimmy Hendrix, the next year he moved to England to continue his education, followed by his move to Spain, sparking his love for Flamenco music. With $220 in his pocket, Medi made the voyage to America where he earned his bachelors and masters while playing in the most sought after band at his university. He then wrote, produced, and performed his first solo album that features guest artists who play with Shakira and Yanni, titled "Semillas" (Spanish for, Seeds).

His live solo performances include, at jazz legend Herb Albert's Vibrato, Hotel Sofitel, and DJ'ing at Hollywood hot spots such as Avalon's Bardot.

On the other side of the world, at age six, Dustin started acting in a theater created by Marlon Brando's mother in Omaha, Nebraska. Dustin continued performing and graduated from Pepperdine University where she was on the cheerleading and dance team. Her theatrical highlights include performing Shakespeare Off-Broadway, the role of Diane in an awardwinning production of "Trainspotting", the role of Sally Bowles at Los Angeles's longest-running theater company, and having VARIETY write about her work as, "understated perfection".

Dustin's TV and film credits include, "NCIS", the WB, Comedy Central, lead in the TV show "Blood Relatives", Rob Zombie's, "The Lords of Salem", Cannes Film Festival nominated "The Usual", and most recently has hosted fashion segments on KTLA. Dustin has walked on runways for New York Fashion Week, LA Fashion Week, LA Swim Week, and most recently Macy's. She's modeled numerous brands including Calvin Klein, iconic designer Sue Wong, Rocky Gathercole, Elie Madi, and Alice + Olivia.

Together, Medi and Dustin have performed at CBS Studios, Skirball Cultural Center, and Macy's. They've held red carpet premieres for their music videos attended by Oscar-winning producers. Both James Bond inspired, "Shaken Not Stirred", and their story, "Heartbeat" can be seen on YouTube. Medi and Dustin are in production for their new music video to be premiered summer of 2019.

Five years ago on Christmas Eve, Dustin was at a party in Beverly Hills when she decided to leave it for a midnight service at a progressive, inclusive place of gathering down the street.

While not considered a religious person, but rather coming from a place of heart and mindfulness, she silently prayed to meet her true love. Four days later, she met Medi. Romantic notion aside albeit a true one, there are three powerful and unique aspects that I appreciate in particular of my relationship with Medi. Dustin says; "The first is he not only cheered in support of my dream and endeavors for which I had worked 16 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e February 2019

my entire life but secondly, he also both figuratively and literally encouraged me to find my voice. It is so refreshingly wonderful to have someone supporting you from running lines with you for a last-minute TV audition to being there for you at a runway show. He's a man that I trust implicitly and it gives me such blissful freedom from anxiety otherwise caused by a partner who revels in keeping you insecure. That safe space allowed me to develop creatively, and as a result, I've written the lyrics to all of our songs."

"Now while our love has been fruitful ground for me to have grown personally, a bigger picture has blossomed as well. In relation to the third aspect of what has emerged as a benevolent bridge of people, I have observed that Americans’ collective perception of Iran is at most favorable, a mysterious, "other".

So as a person who comes from educators and avid travelers, it has been an incredible eye opener to only recently be learning about this ancient culture rich in history, arts and humanitarian contributions to Western civilization and the world over. From their Cyrus the Great creating the first human bill of rights, to Alexander the Great making Persia become his new home, it becomes easier to see why the late prolific culinary and cultural explorer, Anthony Bourdain said upon his visit that, "of all the places, of all the countries, all the years of traveling, it's here, in Iran, that I am greeted most warmly by total strangers. "Love Without Borders: A tale of two hemispheres, bridged by benevolence, art and… love. Actress and model Dustin Quick and musician Medi eM hail from opposite longitudes and backgrounds found each other in an oft-hopeless place for love, Hollywood.

NANCY E. YEAROUT

ISABELLE RUEN

SHAWN DEMOSS

Nancy E. Yearout is an author, a spiritual life coach, and a motivational speaker.

Nancy hasenjoyed an extensive corporate career as a sales coordinator with one of the Big Three automakers in Detroit.

An award-winning fashion photographer whose work has been published domestically and internationally, Isabelle Ruen was born and raised in the suburbs of Paris. Her initial contact with the world of fashion was a summer spent working at Chanel. A few years and a couple of Sorbonne Master’s Degrees later, she moved to Los Angeles on a whim. On another whim, she agreed to a friend’s request to take photographs of her, and still photography became her passion.

Since then, feeling like a kid in s candy store, she has shot some of the biggest names in glamour and celebrity, while her resume also includes numerous portrait, fashion, music and motion picture still photography assignments.

Shawn DeMoss is a licensed cosmetologist and a certified makeup artist from the prestigious Joe Blasco Makeup Academy. Shawn’s versatility is evident as she creates looks from very natural to the extreme dramatic, depending on the client’s needs. She is trained in airbrush, traditional, body and special effects makeup for beauty, bridal, fashion, film/ tv and print.

Her sales, management, and marketing skills have grown with each step of her business.

Her success has blessed her with the real life experience, knowledge, and common sense that is required to help others through life’s challenges.

Nancy has been fortunate to acquire hands-on energy healing skills from an Aztec healer from Mexico, and she has helped many balance their energy fields.

She has received guidance from religious and spiritualteachers along the way, resulting in the development of her skills as an intuitive, a tarot card reader, and a life coach.

She utilizes these tools to guide her clients to joyful and successful lives.

Nancy is the author of Wake Up! The Universe Is Speaking To You. www.Nancyyearout.com Also check Nancy's Podcast called High Road to Humanity on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ highroad-to-humanity/id1449519170

Heavily influenced by American cinema, Isabelle’s favorite sources of inspiration include the California deserts and landscapes, often causing her to weave cutting edge fashion together with startling natural elements, creating unforgettable images. Another favorite source of inspiration is her personal “Wagging Train” of rescued dogs, Pixelle, Mister Bean, and Gator, whose inexhaustible supply of affection and enthusiasm fuel her spirit every day.

To contact Isabella please visit; www.isa@isaphotos.com www.isaphotos.com www.facebook.com/IsabelleRuen www.instagram.com/IsabelleRuen www.imdb.com/name/nm1957282 Photography by Albert Evangelista

As a Los Angeles based Makeup artist Shawn is highly active as an industry influencer working closely with photographers, designers, actors and models.

Her early work was featured on various television shows such as Saban’s Power Rangers and VR Troopers. Her current work can be seen on fashion videos for Merlin Castell and Nancy Vuu, Shawn’s looks are no stranger to the red carpet.

Her looks can be seen on the runways of LA and Orange County Fashion Week, for Arts Heart Fashion and Style Fashion Week. Currently, Shawn works with designer Kenneth Chang of Consort62, as his Hair and Makeup Director and celebrity makeup artist.

Shawn is very passionate about her artistry and it shows. She also believes in training new talent, training other cosmetologist and makeup artist at the SoCal Regional Occupational Center in Torrance, CA. For inquiries regarding Shawn’s hair, makeup services follow her on Instagram at: Makeupp_101 17 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e February 2019

The Femme!

Experience: Emotional Healing through Movement

By Bernadette Pleasant

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In today’s high pressure world, we’re flooded with stresses and demands that disconnect us from a sense of ease in our minds and bodies. Everything from daily job and family stress, to fatigue and illness, to emotional and physical trauma can conspire to leave us depleted, unhealthy and out of balance.

That is why I was inspired to create a new movement experience called Femme! which reconnects us to our power, coaxing us out of our heads and back into the innate sensual strength of our bodies.

It’s your body and you can do whatever you want with it— including love it unconditionally. This is the core of my philosophy and why Femme! is designed to embrace everyone—all shapes, sizes, genders and ages.

People wonder what a Femme! Experience involves when they see participants emerging from the studio—sweaty, smiling and radiant. Although what happens in our 90-minute sessions transcends the limits of words and needs to be experienced to be fully understood, here’s a taste of what you can expect.

Imagine entering a spacious dance studio, wearing whatever comfortable clothing allows you to move freely. There are people of diverse backgrounds and fitness levels there with welcoming smiles, so that you instantly sense this is a safe, nurturing space.

Femme! is inspired by African, Tribal and Free Dance interwoven with somatic and primal healing. A live drum circle accompanies the session, setting the pace and driving the movement. Built on a heart-rate system, it starts out slowly and builds to a peak, physically and emotionally; then the pace gently subsides. Touch, vocalizations and drumming ease transitions along the way, promoting healing and building community.

We take you on an Emotional Tour, where you express the primal emotions of joy, sorrow, rage and ecstasy through movement and sound. With the drums helping you shed inhibitions, you experience emotional release and healing on a cellular level. You follow the irresistible beat, guided by the leader and the empathy of the other participants— and it brings you to a place of catharsis and empowerment.

You finish feeling lighter and unburdened, yet more powerful.

This is the delicious paradox of Femme! and why it resonates so deeply. It’s relaxing and stress relieving, yet you are encouraged to raise your voice and speak your truth—all of it. At the core of this movement is my belief that there are no good, bad, light or dark emotions, only emotions that need to be fully expressed.

As a child, like many others, I was taught to suppress my feelings and exist in a narrow, constricted emotional range. Perhaps that explains why I was attracted to the other end of the spectrum, embarking on a journey to achieve full expression of my body, soul and ideas. Yet after many years of studying and teaching different forms of dance and healing, I was still seeking…something more.

And so, I designed a radically different modality that encompasses both physical and emotional healing.

I was once stuck in my body and my life and know what it is to be riddled with fear, unease and indecision. Yet I moved through this constriction to a life of freedom and empowerment. And now I’m dedicating my life’s work to lead others to a fuller, freer life.

Femme! offers movement experiences, workshops, retreats, teacher training, motivational presentations and more. But what we really offer on the deepest level is an opportunity for you to reclaim your individual power. We encourage you to display that power as you walk through the world, taking up more space and moving with confidence and command. Femme! is a way of life, allowing you to be seen and heard in your full magnificent radiance.

Yes, Femme! is fun and promotes fitness, but it explodes the typical workout or dance class mentality that strives for a certain look.

That’s why we say that it’s more than a class – it’s an experience.

∑ Bernadette Pleasant is the founder of Femme!, a fusion movement experience. She has spent a lifetime exploring celebrations of the mind and body, from sensual dance to somatic healing.

As a woman of color who comes from an esteemed tradition of natural healers, she is recognized as a leader in the mind-body wellness realm. A gifted healer, dancer, speaker and entrepreneur, Bernadette travels globally to lead Femme! workshops, retreats, and teacher training, as well as speaking at conferences and special events. She is known for channeling her personal journey and empathy into transformative, immersive experiences that empower people of all genders, ages, sizes and fitness levels. For more information, please visit www.livefemme.com.

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Photography by Rosie Hardy

Excerpt from THE NATURE OF MYSTICISM

Conversations with G: A Physician’s Encounter with Heaven

By C. Norman Shealy, M.D., Ph.D.

My conscious awareness of the mystical nature of life was revealed to me suddenly in Virginia Beach in 1972. My journey since then has been one of virtually continuous reminders of the ineffable. Prior to that I thought of myself primarily as a research scientist. Now I consider my research to be in the understanding of the divine dance.

Repeatedly I experience “knowing’s” of previous lives, out of body experiences, dematerializations, meeting reincarnations of old friends or enemies from previous lives, possession, demons, guides, instant scientific discoveries, and, above all, a feeling of peace most of the time, just aware that all is in keeping with the divine. No matter what evil appears, I know that ultimately divine love is all that matters. In the darkest of moments, Light will triumph.

There are numerous reports of individuals having instantaneous experiences of the spiritual nature of life after a Near Death Experience. On the other hand, as perhaps best discussed at length in COSMIC CONSCIOUSNESS, by Richard Maurice Bucke, M.D. in 1900, many of the great mystics throughout history came to their awakening spontaneously, some after years of inward seeking and others in an Instant.

The Cosmic Sense according to Bucke includes: • A sudden light • Moral elevation • Intellectual illumination • A sense of Immortality • Loss of the fear of death • Sudden, instantaneous awakening • The previous intellectual, moral and physical character • The age of illumination (usually by age 40) • Increased charm of the personality which attracts others • A sense of transfiguration, which literally means an exalting glorifying or spiritual change The two-hour illumination period after my first past life session and the evening out of body experience certainly produced the most remarkable change in my life. I was 39 at the time. Of course, I have never feared death and always had a sense of immortality. My sudden intellectual knowing increased exponentially after the Virginia Beach experience.

And my daily awareness of the divine dance has never ceased.

Of course, the kundalini experience which came over 20 years later was perhaps my graduation beyond the foothills of mysticism. That will be described later.

One of the most charismatic individuals I had met at Stanford was Olga Worrall, the most studied spiritual healer in history. In the fall of 1972, I visited her healing service at Mount Washington Memorial Methodist Church in Baltimore. Three hundred people packed into the tiny church for the laying on of hands. After the service one of the attendees approached Olga who invited me to join her and the patient who, downstairs in privacy, showed us the most awful cancer of the breast.

I have seen—black, necrotic, pushing through the skin. A month later the patient, a Professor of English at a major university, wrote that she was healed. Although she sent no photograph, I was intrigued enough to want to prove spiritual healing, truly one of the great outcomes of mysticism.

Olga sent me over the next few years 100 letters from patients who reported such cures. I wrote the patients and got permission to write for their medical records. Interestingly, only 11 of the 100 physicians responded to my requests! Certainly, eleven major healings are miraculous, but it was not enough for a book. But Olga and I became lifelong friends and there will be more about her to share.

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Before leaving Virginia Beach I asked my new friends, Dr. Genevieve Haller and her husband Jeffrey Furst, for recommendation of a good psychic. They enthusiastically recommended Henry Rucker of Chicago. The earliest I could get there was December 19, 1972. I arrived for an hour appointment and spent 3 hours with one of the most charismatic, inspiring friends of this life. As I walked in he said “I’ve been waiting 10 years to meet you. My teacher told me you would come.” Henry knew more about me than I did! In addition to telling me about my wife and children, he understood my intuitive curiosity and interest in parapsychology. By the time I left, I knew that he was the key to my new interest---how accurate can such a psychic be in making a medical diagnosis? I invited Henry to come to LaCrosse to be tested.

A month later Henry arrived in La Crosse with 7 of his psychic friends, doubling the number of blacks in that town of 50,000. I had told my 25 patients in the hospital that a group of psychics were visiting, and they unanimously were enthusiastic about the opportunity. One by one each patient came to my office and the psychics were told only the name of the patient. Questions were not allowed. After the patient left, each person wrote his or her diagnosis. When all 8 agreed, they were 98% accurate. Henry was at least 70% accurate. In fact, there were 3 paraplegic patients and he correctly diagnosed the cause of the paralysis in each case.

I took Henry on rounds where he made one of his most profound assessments. I had operated earlier in the week on a man in whom I inserted a DCS. The patient’s white count had jumped to 43,000! A hematologist had seen the patient on Friday because we suspected a possible exacerbation of an underlying leukemia. Henry said “He just has a liver irritation. He will be well and out of here within a week”. On Monday, we learned that the patient had a leukemoid reaction to the anesthetic. The patient indeed recovered rapidly and went home within the week. Talking with Henry, I was impressed that he was one of the best counselors I had ever met. I wanted his insights in working with my seriously emotionally damaged patients.

The problem was that Henry had only a two-year community college education. He had started a metaphysical church called something like The Essence of the Holy Wisdom of the Essenes and ran the Psychic Research Foundation.

To have him be a pastoral counselor at a Catholic Hospital seemed a bit far out. I had recently become acquainted with both Unity Church and Religious Science. Philosophically I was in tune with both. Ernest Holmes had founded Religious Science, the foundation of which was his SCIENCE OF MIND. I searched carefully and found that Science of Mind churches existed in many cities, but the name was not trademarked.

I also had begun to be aware that much of my philosophy and increasing practice was outside mainstream medicine.

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So, Henry and I founded the Science of Mind Church of Chicago and we were both ordained in it.

As a Science of Mind minister Henry was well received.

Indeed, many of the nuns and even some physicians sought his counseling. Even more interesting, our current Congregational minister asked for a session with Henry. One Sunday, during that session, it was revealed that their 16-yearold son had had severe drug problems and was at the time in a reform school in Florida. Henry said, “Don’t worry; he will be home soon.” The following day the son phoned from Chicago; he had escaped from the Florida school and wanted permission to come home. As soon as possible, the parents took their son down to Chicago for an appointment with Henry. At the end of the session, the son said to his parents “Why didn’t anyone else talk to me like that?” He never went back to drugs and became a successful musician.

Henry was also a remarkable spiritual healer. Perhaps the most unusual case was a young boy who had had a skull fracture a year earlier. As occasionally happens in a child whose skull is growing with the expansion of the brain, a year later the fracture had not healed. One brief session with Henry and the fracture healed within weeks. Henry remained for many years a counselor at my clinic and a close family friend for me and my children.

ß C. Norman Shealy, M.D., Ph.D., D. Sc., FACS, DABNS, is founder and president of the International Institute of Holistic Medicine, president of Shealy Wellness, LLC and Holos Energy Medicine Education. He is editor of the Journal of Comprehensive Integrative Medicine and founding president of the American Holistic Medical Association. He has numerous patents in Energy Medicine and is a bestselling author having published 35 books and over 350 articles. Dr. Shealy's innovations include Spinal Cord Stimulation, Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS), the RejuvaMatrix® for rejuvenating telomeres, and Transcutaneous Acupuncture, which also rejuvenates telomeres. His clinical work includes comprehensive holistic management of pain, depression, anxiety and cardiovascular problems.

To learn more please visit, www.normshealy.net.

The y Shape of Water A sensory experience of inner beauty

By Alexia Melocchi

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I have always been a great believer of the power of the creative and visual arts as a medium for creating inspiration, healing, connection and a vision of the potential of human beings, and in my work as a movie producer I have had the honor and pleasure to have great encounters with incredibly talented artists from all over the world. This month, I sit down with Gisele Lubsen, an internationally renowned conceptual underwater photographer whose dynamic art pieces are showcased in some of the finest hotels in the world, in celebrity homes and in visually stunning brand campaigns such as Aquamarine and Bebe.

Gisele and I had the opportunity to work together while I was making a documentary called “QUEST FOR BEAUTY”, which I was an executive producer on. The documentary slogan was “Inner Beauty will Save the World” and Gisele kindly helped raise awareness of the documentary’s message at a fundraising event we had, where she showcased her art pieces for auction.

The month of February is associated with the celebration of being in love and this gave spark to a wonderful conversation between us, to discuss Gisele’s spiritual and artistic path and on being in love with ourselves.

Gisele, what inspired you to become an artist and using water for your photography art pieces?

I became a conceptual underwater photographer while I was doing my MFA at Otis School of Art & Design in Los Angeles in the Spring of 2006. For the final MFA show I invited 8 of my girlfriends to come and take the plunge in a swimming pool with me, wearing their day to day outfits. I had rented an old school but fabulous camera named Nikonos and thought it would be so great to celebrate the female form, the goddess in every woman, taking shape underwater. Truthfully, I had no idea what I was doing, but the portraits of these eight women turned out incredible. They were exhibited one next to the other on a long wall in the schools’ gallery and looked surreal. One could not immediately detect if these were underwater portraits or actual painting but when up close a bubble in a nose or ear and pale skin revealed that they were from the nature’s element of water. These women showed such strength in overcoming their own nature. Overcoming not being able to breathe and pushing themselves into a calm and limitless state made making them gloriously victorious. I had witnessed underwater their strength and bravery as if they had let go of their weaknesses and insecurities. I called the series Undercover

Goddesses and that’s truly what these women were. It was that day that I found my calling.

I love the Undercover Goddesses name! It seems that every one of your art pieces portrays women in a total act of surrender. I am curious though what makes a Dutch girl have such affinity with water?

Though I was born in Holland and lived there until the age of 12, I then moved to the French side in Switzerland near Lausanne where I went to school until the age of 18. During my entire life however I spend most of my childhood in Greece and Cyprus since my mother was excavating there (she is an archaeologist) and would always take me with her. I could always be found swimming underwater in the Mediterranean Sea. Around 7 my parents build a house on a beautiful Cycladic little island named Paros and that’s where my heart is. I’m a complete island girl and the water was where I felt most comfortable and free to be myself. In other words, having lived in so many different places, water is truly my home. Even though I have worked and lived for the past 15 years in Los Angeles I still spend about 5 months out of the year in Greece and mostly in water.

I can completely relate to that. Water is my element also.

In fact, I get most of my best creative and spiritual ideas when in the shower, with the water washing over me!

How and when did you discover the effects that this type of photography was having with your clients? Was it by chance? And what type of emotions did the feeling of being underwater came through in the pictures?

I realized that each time I was working with a client under water, the person would completely change after the photo shoot. They were elated, ecstatic and so much more empowered after taking the plunge. Water truly has healing qualities and being immersed in it we can truly express whoever we want to be with no limits or boundaries. What is vital during my photographic process is that my team and I don’t use air. Which means that the person we photograph including myself and my assistants all come up for air. During that time, I can give feedback to my model and she to me. A binary relationship of trust is then created. We each exist one because of the other and within this true connection we can each bring out the best in each other. I always encourage each person in positive ways so they forget about doubt or fear and so that they have no more limitations. I’ve witnessed magic and true bravery throughout this process which is extremely moving and magical. I’m truly proud of every person I’ve ever photographed and I hope that this is reflected in my work.

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Well, it is not a coincidence that your work is showcased is some of the most exclusive and luxurious resorts around the world. Every single piece of your art has me looking for water to jump into! There is a timelessness to it. What do you think drew the great interest for this type of art?

The reason why the underwater photographs function so well in commercial spaces and lobbies is due to their unique and surreal nature. Water brings an element of tranquillity and zen to any interior including a wonderful clash between an urban space and nature.

They function as an anchor point for avant- garde art and culture, expressing the exclusivity of a lobby and building.

The emotional response I often hear from establishments such as The Four Seasons in Dubai is that these pieces make people dream and feel excited. They bring a positive & ethereal character to any interior trendsetting any building into a cutting edge innovative space.

I also create custom art pieces and video installations for commercial projects incorporating the theme and concept of the branding design into each unique building. The goal is to create a powerful experience of moving beauty & design for anyone entering the locatio I want to talk to you know about one of my favourite art pieces of yours. Tell me a bit about the idea of filming the horse underwater and what was the process like connecting with such majestic animal.

A few years ago, I directed and produced an amazing project named Amazons where I interpreted mythological scenes representing female warriors of Ancient Greece.

During the three-week underwater production on Paros, Greece I had casted 14 incredible actors and dancers to interpret these Amazon archetypes and many of them were always accompanied with their horse. The symbol of the horse is that of strength, grace and loyalty. One morning as we were about to shoot a scene in the Mediterranean Sea I spotted a horse going into the water. I could hardly believe it but it turned out that the horse was named Dolores and her owner, a wonderful yogi master would go swimming together each morning on that beach. I asked if we could photograph her and she ended up becoming Hippolyta’s, the Queen of the Amazons.

Speaking of Goddesses, I know your photography is often used as spiritual experience and healing workshop.

Tell me a bit about the process -what does it entail?

Each person, male or female experiences goes through such powerful transformative and feel good qualities after an underwater production, therefore I’ve started organizing smaller underwater sessions accessible to all during a fun experience all day event. I coach each person through a breathing energy circle before taking the plunge and often we have a wonderful guest speaker who will talk about healing and feminine empowerment. Each person who takes

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the plunge will identify with her or his inner god bringing out their strength and true nature. I love doing these sessions because I witness so much diverse beauty and connect with so many different people who all have an amazing story to share.

Have you ever been photographed underwater yourself?

If so what did you want to experience?

Yes I have! Some of my assistants have photographed me underwater and it’s fun to be on the other side of the camera to appreciate the challenges each model I photograph goes through again. It’s a humbling experience that makes me a better director.

Having photographed celebrities and contributed to major advertising campaign, you are an in -demand artist and I also know You are a self -made woman. What are the challenges of being an artist, and a mother, while keeping a business expanding and growing?

When I told everyone 13 years ago that I was going to become a full time conceptual underwater photographer most of them told me I was crazy. With lots of hard work and never giving up, I’ve been able to travel the world doing underwater productions and exhibitions, while meeting all sorts of interesting people who have all touched my life one way or another. The goal is always the same; that of creating a timeless image that within 50 years from now will still touch and move. The challenge is to make sure that any production does not just become an underwater dress up party but that inner beauty is revealed through vulnerability both by my model and myself as a director.

Sometimes putting yourself out there is scary but it always pays off in the end since the world can relate to you that way and therefore connect. Now that I have a two year old boy, I simply don’t have all the time to create art and that can be challenging sometimes however I take him on set all the time, he loves water too, and I have a great nanny so I do believe that as a mother we can have a fulfilling career and a balanced family life. It’s all about time management in the end. I also want Noah to be proud of me and see that we do not have to sacrifice what makes us happy once you have children.

Who do you identify with as a Goddess if you would have lived on Mount Olympus?

I actually identify with many qualities of goddesses but I would say Aphrodite for her love and Artemis for her nurturing qualities. I love people and I love caring for them.

Your work exudes beauty and so does your spirit. What is beauty to you?

The definition of beauty to me is if it moves me. If it brings tears to my eyes and if my heart beats faster. For me most things combined with water become lyrical and dreamlike revealing their timeless and ethereal quality which I love.

Beauty to me is a feeling of total satisfaction yet still the desire and longing for more.

I agree. Beauty has a different energy wavelength that appeals not only to the physical eye but to our hearts. I always felt that art translates that creating a very interesting and intimate connection between the artist and the observer. In fact, I have seen your work associated and displayed with several causes that truly celebrate the spirit of survivors from life’s greatest tragedies. What charities do you support?

I love philanthropic work and believe especially as artists that we need to try and help wherever we can. Face Forward is one of the many charities I support. They help women, children and men heal after domestic violence and provide restorative surgery. I’ve created an underwater production for them photographing some of the incredible survivors and celebrities who took the plunge with my team and I to help spread the message. I think you have interviewed one of those survivors in your documentary, right? The Stop Cancer Foundation is dear to my heart too.

Yes we did ! In closing, what would you like your son to know about himself as you raise him?

I would like him to know that to be different and independent is a virtue. That nothing is achieved without respect for others and that embracing the beautiful process of life is even more important than the final result. Believe in yourself, be independent and know that with hard work and the love for human relationships you can achieve anything your heart desires.

There was so much more that I could cover about this incredible art form and the woman who has made a name for herself doing it. In the words of Bruce Lee, if we focused on letting the many sides of us naturally co- exist, like water does with matter, I believe we would find that moment in time where every inch of us is elated for being alive and we marvel at our own personal power, and in that instant, we would fall in love with ourselves. “You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend”.

To find out more about Gisele, her art and her conceptual underwater photography work, please go to: www.giselelubsen.com.

Follow her on Instagram at @galunderwaterphotography.

Alexia Melocchi is an accomplished film producer and worldwide distribution executive and the partner of Beverly Hills based LITTLE STUDIO FILMS. Alexia Melocchi has an experience of more than twenty years in in Hollywood and has produced 11 award wining movies and 3 documentaries that were shot by emerging film makers that she has personally discovered and mentored.

She also acquires on behalf of her international distributor clients films and television shows from all over the world for release in the Middle East, Italy, Greece, Spain, Canada, South America and Germany. She attends all major film festivals in the USA and abroad and has been often invited as an expert panelist on the Film Business for high profile film and television conventions.

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Alexia is fluent in five languages and is the proud mama to 3 rescue cats.

She supports environmental and animal causes , meditates daily, and is an avid reader of spiritual and self helps books.

IG @lexybella @LttleStudioFlms www.littlestudiofilms.com

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WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT

Karen Strassman actress and voiceover artist

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about" Kindness. Compassion. Creativity. These are all aspects that I try to incorporate into my daily life as I navigate our ever-changing world. As a child growing up in Washington D.C., I was drawn to anything that allowed my creative side to shine: drawing, making ceramic pieces, performing in every school play I could find. After high school, I struck a balance between pursuing a practical career and feeding my creativity when I chose to study psychology and theatre at Tufts University. During my junior year, I accepted an opportunity to study abroad in France, a decision that would change the course of my life, and my career, forever. While there, I answered an ad for a company looking for a dialect coach intern to help French actors learn to speak with an American accent for their TV and film roles. Soon, they offered me a full-time position and I also started working in voiceover as well as French TV and film projects. Putting the practicality of a career in psychology aside, I began exploring all the opportunities my creative side could offer. I haven’t looked back since and I continue to find new joy in the life I have built everyday.

I want to share a few of the ways I’ve found to enrich my life and I hope they provide as much inspiration to you as they have to me.

Broaden Your Horizons: Many times we’ll get stuck in the monotony of a routine because it is easy, or safe, or because it doesn’t require much thought after doing it for so long. I encourage people to get out of that mindset and step out of their comfort zone. I think anyone who has the opportunity to travel should do it. Traveling to other places and countries really opened my perspective on the world as a child. When I moved to France at 19 years old, it changed my life. I went knowing very little French, and had to muddle through daily life with just the basics…it was humbling and beautiful in a way. I took classes in theatre, learning Moliere and Racine, and French poetry, which was so musical and beautiful, even if the meaning often escaped me. I was studying university level psychology, barely understanding the half of it. When you are immersed like that, you are forced to learn fast. When you live in a foreign country, it inevitably calls upon you to be so present in every moment of daily life, because everything is new, different, and interesting. You become fascinated with the newness of everything like a child all over again. If traveling isn’t an option for you, find something that nourishes your soul: take a class, rekindle a long-lost hobby, or discover a new one. There is so much around us to explore and be compelled by.

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Radiate Kindness: Like the byline of this article says, I always try my best to be kind to those around me. To be perfectly honest, sometimes I fail miserably. Still, I recognize that we are all wounded. We are all imperfectly human, just trying our best to get through each day. A simple smile or encouraging word can go a long way in empowering someone. When I was working on Preacher, on my second day I got a note from Julie Ann Emery, who I have never met, and didn’t even have any scenes with, welcoming me to set.

She mentioned she had seen the dailies and that my work looked great. Now think about this. She had absolutely nothing to gain from doing that. Nothing to get out of this interaction personally. This cool chick reached out to another chick on her set just to make her feel welcomed, empowered, and great. I think that is what empowerment is all about: in everyday moments, choosing to empower another person even if you have nothing personal to gain from it. I think empowering other human beings is something that grows and spreads through small acts, and it can be even more powerful than an extravagant, grand gesture. I try to live by that philosophy, to live by that example.

Lend A Helping Hand: One of the things that brings me the most joy is giving back to my community. Anytime I can focus on something other than myself and my own petty problems, and give something to someone with more significant needs, it creates a sense of relief in my being. I tend to breathe a little deeper and be a little more present when I know I’ve done something good for someone. It puts a lot of things into perspective. My absolute favorite cause to support is Covenant House California, a non-profit youth homeless shelter that provides sanctuary and support for homeless and trafficked youthages 18-24. I connect deeply with their belief that no young person deserves to be homeless but they do deserve to be loved. I also support other organizations like CARE, Partners in Health, and PETA. I offer these suggestions to you in hopes that it will cause you to dig deep and find what brings you true joy. It is just waiting to be discovered.

Karen Strassman is an accomplished actress with hundreds of film, television, and voiceover credits to her name. She was most recently seen as Dr. Slotnick on the hit AMC series Preacher. She will next bring her talent to Amazon Prime’s Bosch and the upcoming feature film The Onania Club.

Karen on Social Media at: Twitter and Instagram: @karenstrassman Facebook: @karenstrassmanfanpage Photographer: Birdie Thompson @birds_eye_photo Hair and Makeup: Allison Noelle @allisonnoellemakeup Outfit: Pinup Girl Clothing @pinupgirlclothing

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Divine Guidance from the Akashic Records

By Jennifer Longmore

As we go through life, many of us find ourselves faced with questions and challenges that we don’t always feel we have the answers for. You are certainly not in the minority if you’ve ever wished that there was some road map, some guidebook to life that might make navigating some of these challenges a bit easier. Such thoughts, though, are usually dismissed as wishful thinking, but actually, that is not true at all.

You can utilize the Akashic Records to access limitless divine guidance and healing. By accessing your Records, you will gain crystal clarity about how you receive divine messages and how to best integrate this wisdom into your everyday life. The problems and challenges that you face will seem far less daunting when you are able to clear any and all limiting patterns and energy blocks that are ultimately holding you back from being all that you are.

The Records will also allow you to activate your divine gifts and co-creative abilities. Now, I know some of you are probably shaking your heads at this, firm in the belief that you do not have any divine gifts. Others might, but you do not. Many people feel this way, but the fact is, we all have our own divine gifts, and sometimes we just need a little assistance in rediscovering them. Activating these gifts, along with your co-creative abilities, will truly allow you to thrive in greatness.

Over the years, I have worked with thousands of people, helping them remember who they really are. As a direct channel to all levels of consciousness, universal principles, and sacred truths, I have accumulated a vast amount of wisdom about the soul, the ascension process, the divine mind, and the school of infinite intelligence. But as we’ll discuss in a later chapter in this book, receiving information without in turn giving it back will not benefit anyone. It is my passion and purpose to support souls in realizing their gifts, talents, and purpose, and awakening to universal truth. It is also my passion to help people reconnect with Source, themselves, the planet, and all that is, while at the same time, grounding themselves in the vessel that is their human body. Working with the Akashic Records is one of the best ways to facilitate this.

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There might be some of you who feel hesitant or skeptical about the Akashic Records. You may feel you know nothing about it, or you might have done some research, even taken a class or training of some sort, but still not felt that connection. Think of this as a friendly guide to help any and all of you who are interested in learning more about the Akashic Records and how connecting with them can help you live a more peaceful, fulfilled, and harmonious life. When you’re aligned with your soul’s purpose, you will be able to fully enjoy your most abundant, expansive, and enlightened path.

If you are not familiar with the Akashic Records, you may be wondering how they could facilitate your personal and spiritual growth. You may not even be entirely sure what it is the Records are.

The Hall of Records, or Akashic Library, as it is also known, is essentially a “library” where every energetic movement is stored. It’s easy to understand that our physical movements are imbued with energy—you need energy to run a mile, just as you need energy to open your eyes or draw in a breath. Yet our thoughts and feelings are also imbued with energy, and all of this makes up the Akashic Records. Everyone and everything that exists contributes to this library, which exists on a non-physical plane, meaning that this is not a place you’re going to just get intoyour car and drive to. That might not be possible, but that does not mean you can’t access your own Records.

Your Records are the books related to you. The collective Akasha stores all kinds of vibrational data about your soul from the time of its creation, through all time and space continuums. We refer to them as “books” and they often do manifest to people as books—sometimes big, heavy tomes—but really, these records exist on a non-physical plane. Our human mind can more easily wrap itself around the idea of some sort of book, so that is often why the records appear as such. The Akashic Records store every energetic movement your soul has ever made—from this lifetime and all previous lifetimes.

This includes thoughts, feelings, words, and actions. Accessing your Records can give you a better understanding of your soul’s purpose, as well as helping you recall your past lives and lessons you might have learned.

When accessing your Records, you will find limitless divine guidance and healing. This guidance can help you align with your soul’s purpose, and, in turn, align all your life decisions with that purpose. You will discover your divine gifts and talents and better understand what you are here to master in this lifetime. Your Records will assist you in accelerating your soul’s journey to reach the deepest levels of consciousness and turn yourself into an attraction magnet for all things ideal.

You will utilize different books depending on the nature of what it is that you hope to work through. Working with your Records will help you live a more balanced, peaceful life through understanding past experiences your soul has been through.

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Some of the books in the Hall of Records include: • The Book of Akasha • The Book of Oversouls • The Book of Divinity • The Book of Universal Love • The Book of Universal Truth • The Book of Universal Light • The Book of Universal Wisdom • The Book of Human Dimensions • The Book of Harmonics • The Book of Transformation • The Book of Healing • The Book of Alchemy • The Book of Trust Sometimes, though, we hold on too strongly to things that have happened in our past. We have difficulty letting go and find ourselves unable to move on. Accessing our Records can be intensely helpful here as well, allowing us to see where we have been and move forward into whatever the future has in store for us. In this way, the Akashic Records can help us understand where we have been and why we might still be stuck in certain patterns that we can’t seem to move past.

Working with your Records will allow you to powerfully align to your soul’s purpose while joyously activating your divine gifts. This might sound like a tall order, but it is possible for you to transform your life using the divine guidance from your Records.

It might surprise you to learn that your Records have always been available to you, and are available whenever you need them.

{ Jennifer Longmore is the founder of the world’s largest Akashic Record Training School and has taught more than 100,000 students in 100+ countries how to access this ancient tool for clarity, healing and manifestation.

She has successfully conducted more than 30,000 Soul Purpose Sessions for people from all walks of life, including the who's who of the entertainment industry, c-suite executives, influential leaders, politicians and more!

Through her life’s work, she has pulled together all of the wisdom gleaned from the Akashic Records in her lifechanging book: Divine Guidance from the Akashic Records.

For more information, go to: www.souljourneys.ca

Trust In Your Gifts

By Anita Sanchez

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Carrying a deep knowing of one’s gifts – let alone trusting in those gifts – can take time. Our life experiences give us opportunities to awaken to our gifts and embrace them. Through the polarity of experiencing beautiful moments as well as extreme hardship, I have learned to trust in my sacred gifts. Now, my mission is to inspire others to discover and trust their own gifts so they become a life-giving connection to people, the earth, and all beings.

I am a Mexican-American woman, and I’m also Native American. Aztec is my tribe; that ancient blood runs through me.

In my family, my grandmother was the source of the indigenous wisdom. I recall being about five years old, standing in her backyard with a few of the other grandkids. Grandmother had woken us up early that August morning, before the sun, and we stood out by her garden. She had us all gather around a sunflower plant as the sun started to rise. Every hour all that day until darkness returned that night, she had us go back to the sunflower and stand with it.

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There was so much I learned from being with the sunflower plant on its journey through the day: Even in the darkness, stand facing the light. My grandmother also helped me understand my connection to all things with this lesson. Even though I was lonely and experiencing great pain, I wasn’t alone. Nature is always there. I am a part of nature, and nature is a part of me.

We are part of the sacred; everyone is part of the sacred.

This doesn’t mean that everyone is behaving in a sacred way. It doesn’t mean we walk away and allow or accept all the needless suffering and pain in the world. Instead, this simple truth invites us to really experience our oneness whenever we can – even if it’s just for a few moments each day, or each year. The more we connect with our oneness, the more our experience of connection begins to grow.

This life-giving connection can help us deal with the deep pain we encounter. When I was 13 years old, my father was murdered. Two men had gotten into an argument earlier that day at a local bar. One man left, returned with a gun, and mistook my father for the man he had been arguing with. In a case of mistaken identity and rage, he shot and killed my father.

The pain of losing my father was beyond deep, but there was a complicated aspect of this pain that I struggled with even more: My father had been my abuser from the age of four until just before his death. So, while losing my father was horrific, I had longed for an end to the abuse.

I am not a victim of my father’s murderer. I am not the rape victim or the abused child. That horrific pain I lived through does not define me, nor do I allow it to instill the illusion of separation from my sacred self. Once this truth began to break through for me — supported by nature; people; and the Four Sacred Gifts of Forgiveness, Unity, Healing, and Hope—the joyful possibilities of life began to open up for me. I realized that I am a whole, sacred human being, and I will experience pain, but I am not that pain.

The Four Sacred Gifts Several years ago, indigenous elders from all over the globe gathered together to offer what they called the Four Sacred Gifts to all of humanity. Receiving these gifts has been a big part of my own journey to trusting their existence within myself, and now I invite you to receive them into your own heart.

1. The Power to Forgive the Unforgivable – Release yourself from past pain and trauma through forgiveness. This is not about condoning hurtful actions or not seeking justice; it is about allowing yourself to live free from the burdens of continuing to carry pain and anger inside you.

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2. The Power of Unity – Celebrate your connection to all of life – people, earth, and spirit. The illusion is that we are separate, that our thoughts and actions and ways of being don’t affect all of existence. In realizing our intrinsic connection, we can begin to harness our personal and global power to effect meaningful change.

3. The Power of Healing – There are four basic elements of healing: listening; supportive relationships; unconditional love; and committing to creative, positive action. Practice and receive these elements and watch your world blossom.

4. The Power of Hope – Hope is an eternal energy source that we can tap into to generate the stamina we need to keep moving toward our goals. Let hope inspire you and pull you through even the most difficult times.

Coming Full Circle From my early lessons in oneness and unity to the many painful trials I have been through, I have come to know that I am one with the sacred tapestry of life, and I am not my pain. I am worthy of dignity, as all beings are. I use the Four Sacred Gifts to remember to be in right relation to all beings, myself included.

Mine is a story of resilience and empowerment. I am not my experiences of trauma; I am a voice for forgiveness, unity, healing, and hope. I know and trust my gifts, and my hope is that these words support you in knowing and trusting yours.

∫ Anita Sanchez, Ph.D., Aztec and Mexican-American, is a transformational leadership consultant, speaker, coach and author of the international best-selling book, “The Four Sacred Gifts: Indigenous Wisdom for Modern Times” (Simon & Schuster). She is a member of the Transformational Leadership Council with luminaries such as Jack Canfield, Marianne Williamson and John Gray, as well as the Association of Transformational Leaders, the Evolutionary Business Council, and she serves on the Boards of the Bioneers organization and the Pachamama Alliance.

Anita bridges indigenous teachings with the latest science to inspire and equip women and men to enjoy meaningful, empowered lives and careers. For more information and to download the free song that is based on the book, visit www.FourSacredGifts.com.

Changing Our Genetic

Heritage

By Ariann Thomas

Basis for Changing our Genetic Heritage When I began writing my first book, Healing Family Patterns, in 2011 and finished it in 2012, I knew how the Ancestral Lineage Clearing method worked. During one of those “dark nights of the soul” all adults experience at one (or more) points in our lives, I received a meditation and a journey from Spirit that took me back in time to one of my female ancestors who cursed the men in our family. They participated in the persecution and hanging of the women of the village as witches where they lived. The irony of the curse played out over many generations, when no female child was born. The curse twisted and turned back on the female members of the family and manifested in sexual abuse of the women and children. Powerlessness leads to abuse of power in many different forms and needs healings wherever it arises.

As I continued to practice “Ancestral Lineage Clearing,” the term for this healing modality, I discovered more and more that it is consistent with the new discoveries in science and is now being explained to non-scientists. I cannot in all fairness call this a new scientific discovery, since the basis for most of it lies with Albert Einstein and his theories of relativity and its later developments. But I must confess the most recent developments are being “translated” without the math that is so foreign to most of us nonphysicists, to make it understandable. I broached these subjects lightly in my first book. As these new awarenesses have come about, I have sought to explain and apply them in non-technical terms to the healing patterns we all use in our lives, not just ancestral lineage clearing.

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I now know with absolute certainty each one of us has the ability to change and heal our lives in every area we desire.

We can have vital health, optimal energy, wonderful relationships, fulfilling careers, abundance and prosperity in our lives and strong relationships with our families. These changes will benefit your children, grandchildren and all those who come after too. It will take dedication and commitment to your own well-being but these are all within your grasp. I know, because I have made these changes and my life reflects them.

These scientific theories and the spiritual beliefs accompanying them have been critical to my success. I hope they will help you bring a better understanding of healing the family heritage that limits your life and the lives of other family members. Set out in this book are practical actions everyone can take in their daily life to heal any damaged genes and reinforce healthy genes to improve our lives and the lives of future generations.

Science now has evidence showing that if we do not heal the wounds we suffer in this life, our wounds will directly affect the health and welfare of our descendants for generations. For years I heard the saying: “Heal yourself and you heal the world.” Scientific and spiritual principles

prove these statements are true. We must heal the world now or our wounds will continue to destroy the planet.

∑ Ariann Thomas has studied spiritual teachings and healing for the past 35 years. She is also the author of the book: “Healing Family Patterns: Ancestral Lineage Clearing for Personal Growth” and co-authored an international women’s anthology, “The Female Factor: A Confidence Guide for Women.” “Changing Our Genetic Heritage” is currently on the Amazon bestseller list.

Ariann is an initiated elder in the Tradition of the Sacred Feminine and has been trained in North and South American Shamanic traditions. She is also a certified basic Ericksonian hypnotist and was awarded Featured Thought Leader by the Wellness Universe.

For more information about the author and her work, please visit: http://ancestrallineageclearing.com.

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C A

Reclaming Your True Self

Casting-Off Our Hand-Me-Downs So We Can Live An Authentic Life

By Angela Dunning

In order to live an unburdened life, one which is wholly aligned with our true values, gifts and attitudes we must take the time to discern what truly belongs to us, and what was passed down by our parents and culture; but particularly by our parents.

This is not to cast-out blame but rather to help us in the process of becoming who we are truly meant to be. For it is an irrefutable truth that we cannot live out another’s life purpose, nor can we live out the sadness and shame of their unlived life. Yet, many people do live such a life which is a great sadness and waste. Carl Jung said: “Nothing has a stronger influence psychologically on their environment and especially on their children than the unlived life of the parent.”

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Photography by Toma Theodora www.deviantart.com/a3t3rnum

So much sadness, depression, anxiety and suffering occurs for this reason. So many people are steered very strongly by their parents’ desires for them, or are severely neglected through their parents’ limiting attitudes that it can take decades before they realise what has been happening. To work out the cause of their suffering and misaligned life can take years in therapy, addiction recovery or a succession of failed relationships before the penny begins to drop and we start to see more clearly just whose life we have been trying to live.

This awakening is often accompanied by profound grief, as well as anger: Grief for our own lost and unlived life; the true life that we were birthed here on Earth to experience. Time and gentle self-care is essential through this process as we begin the slow process of releasing our grief, guilt and shame This “unlived life of the parent” can manifest and affect different people in different ways. I also think that our current generation and those following us are going to go through this process in ways that our parents and grandparents did not, because of the new shift in levels of consciousness that we all experiencing. Inter-generation al trauma is now thankfully, being recognised and treated.

However, it is not only unhealed trauma that gets passed down, but the parents’ projections and a whole range of limiting and damaging beliefs and attitudes around work, money, politics and religion; emotions and feelings; shadow-material; how women are viewed and treated; unconscious behaviours; unlived dreams; untapped potential, and collectively influenced values that all become part of a person’s repertoire, until they begin the slow process of sorting and sifting-out what belongs to them and what belonged to their parents.

All of these are what psychologists call “introjects”. Something is introjected when the child absorbs into their own belief system attitudes and behaviours from their parents, both verbally or non-verbally through the body and energy field. This happens all of the time throughout childhood. The really challenging aspect of this process is that it can become such an integral part of who we think we are that we don’t even realise we are unconsciously repeating our father’s beliefs about politics, or his attitude towards women, or that we are following in our mother’s footsteps in how we regard our own body, deal with money and work, or how we raise our children. In addition, our career and relationship choices often unconsciously result in either dutifully following our parents’ wishes and patterns, or rebelling against them to extremes; neither of which results in us being aligned with our true-self and our own unique path in life.

The phrase I used in the title of this article, “hand-medowns”, is a metaphor based on my own experiences and

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is my way of dealing with the massive amount of “stuff” I was handed down. Being the youngest of five there was already a lot of family history when I came along and so I was the unwitting recipient of a lot that was unhealed and unconscious. The phrase literally comes from my experience of being made to wear my older siblings’ clothes to save money and it was something I hated. I did not want to be dressed like my older sisters, I was not a replica of them; I wanted my own clothes that were new and special to me. I resented this one action alone as it affected my sense of identity and self-worth. I use this phrase to encompass all that was passed down to me, not just clothes, but which simply does not belong to me, and which I am slowly working through in my process of unburdening myself.

Learning to sift and sort through all of the introjected beliefs, attitudes and words we've absorbed as our own is vital if we are to reach down into the fertile soil of our authentic soul. In regularly doing this painstaking and time-consuming work, we can begin to feel our deepest roots reaching further down into the moist, dark soil of our true-self; the place of our true origin. We can learn to discard and transmute the out-dated, tired and unhealthy views that we've inherited. We can learn to castoff our "hand-me-downs", as we simultaneously draw up new, freshly grown authentic values, attitudes and goals for our one and only precious earth-walk. Then and only then can our true-self flower and blossom and we can finally begin to live the real life we were sent here to live.

2 Angela Dunning is the author of The Horse Leads the Way: Honoring the True Role of the Horse in Equine Facilitated Practice. You can learn more about Angela; her work helping people and horses reclaim their wildness, and read more of her articles at: www.thehorsestruth.co.uk You can also connect with Angela on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehorsestruth or www.thehorsestruth.co.uk

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Releasing the past while living in the moment

By Jayita Bhattacharjee

The past can teach us, enlighten us, but it can never sustain us, as the essence of life is a constant flow, and flow it must, as it is a running brook that carries our life in every ripple, in every streaming flow. And in the waters live our moments of past, present and all the times that are yet to come. We look at what we have, not at what is missed, at the pieces still left with us, and how we can carve a piece of beauty out of it. How some broken pieces of yesterday can shape themselves into an art with all the lessons and blessings that we got. The regrets came along the way for the doors never opened, for the paths never walked upon—which can either enlighten us or kill us with more and more rising regrets. But wouldn’t it be wiser to close the doors of regrets and learn from yesterday, so today can be a gift of beauty. We move from a lifetime of longing to a lifetime of living with what we have, and we learn how to fill our own thirst at times, by delving in the memories which make our home for a bygone yesterday. At the same time, we keep our eyes open to what we live in, where we live in, trying to feel the ground beneath our trembling feet, trying to see if what we feel is what we are anchored in, right now, right here-- on the shores of today.

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Holding on to the pain of the past does not bring us any joy, does not give us any delight. Rehearsing the past, over and over again, does not change it, and wishing things were different doesn’t give any glimmer of hope either. Contrarily, it takes us to sink, beneath the waters of the running brook.

Strangely enough, painful past can be comfortable, it can give you the retreat of a home, where you can come at times, when the struggle gets too much, take a rest, breathe in some fond memories, but then go out to the life you have. And go you must, as in this going, lies your very life.

Things don’t always go as planned, and that is life, whether we acknowledge it or run away from it. Life does not come with any guarantees, and the outcomes that we face, come anyway, no matter how hard we try, to make the best of everything.

There is always something that we could have done better, or said better, or thought better, that seems to be the standing block. Times come, when we decide which bridge to burn, and which to cross, so we can see the light again. Don’t chain yourself, when you have the key. There is a world waiting inside of you, all you need, is to unfold yourself to the awaiting world. Let your budding hopes and dreams flower gradually, so you can bloom again, live again in the rising light of today.

Let go of the past, as your past already let go of you. Leave yesterday behind, as yesterday has already left you. It does not mean, that you will never look back, it just means that you are strong enough to live again, you are daring enough to feel the long-lost spark again, you can feel alive, one more time, with retreat at times, in the memories of your past, the home of your yesterday. Accept the things you cannot change. Stop wishing, that things could be, the way they once were. Make peace with your past, as this is the way you can tune into your present. The more you will resist it, the more it will chase you. The more you will fight it, the more life will walk away from you, leaving you with nothing, as your yesterday has already left you, long time back. Bring yourself in the present as that is where life happens, that is how life flows. As the water that has flowed by, will never flow again.

There is the constant battle inside, to erase the past, so you can make another home of another time. The fact is, you can never erase the past. Neither can you run away from it. Owning our story, owning our past can be hard, but running away from it for the whole life can be harder. Looking back at the tragedy can be saddening but looking forward without making peace with the past, will be running away from your own soul. Our only freedom lies in facing it, in looking deep into it, and in making peace with our mistakes and regrets, hoping that we wised up from those. So, history does not repeat itself. At some point, we got to look deep into the mirror within, and learn to face a future, without the memories shadowing us all the

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time. Life, as we speak is a passage of time. And the past, it can drift and gather your moments of life, that you are meant to love, it can at times steal your joy. You want everything back, the way it was, but there is no point to it, as all that flowed in the waters, beneath the bridge, has already gone by. Time that runs never comes back. When the deluge has gone by, all that is left is the shallows over which the waters flowed by. It is yesterday’s shallows, their low lands. Today is another day, if only we choose to look at it. The past may have chapters, some of which may have been heavenly sweet, and some of which may have been undeniably sad, but this is the weaving of life. Come as it may, but we can never choose to live, in some bygone times of yesterday. We need to find the missing light in the eyes that impaled. We need to search the missing delight in a smile that slays. Somehow, we need to swim to make it ashore, to see the sands again. It is the awaiting life that lights a new beginning.

t Jayita Bhattacharjee was born n Calcutta, India and later on pursued education from University of Houston in Economics, she had chosen her career as a trustee and teacher.

Her Indian residence is in the vicinity of the famous Belurmath. Currently, she is settled in Tampa, Florida.

Her love for writing on a journey of heart and soul was hidden all within. Looking at the moments captured in love and pain, joy and grief, the hidden tragedies of life...it was a calling of her soul to write with the ink that kept flowing from her heart. This is what gave her the fulfillment, the richness in her soul.

Her books "The Ecstatic Dance of Life', " Sacred Sanctuary", " Light of Consciousness", "Dewdrops of Compassion" are meant to shed light on what guides a person to respond to the mystical voice hidden inside, to soar in a boundless expansion with the limitless freedom of spirit.

"It is in the deepest joy that I write with every breath of mine."

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By Michael White Ryan

My apologies folks, all those great books and emotive stories we have been so lovingly fed in the name of “the Jones Success”, they are false lies we tell ourselves over and over as a living mantra. What have we allowed to be injected onto ourselves!

We have been led down a long winding path of cultural servitude for far too long, it is even more than a stranger, and we knew???

Now, in this ripe energetic moment, we, you, me, who are born from Universal GRACE are gifted a space-intime to extend one’s self. Know, listen, place your ear into the silence, for you will hear it, the rains bearing down upon “old man stubborn”.

A force whose only purpose is to move humanity from this unreality into actual awareness, to live in the freedom of the unbecoming. Blessings rain upon us one and all!!!

A multidimensional being we are, nothing new. The pains, the heart ache we have placed ourselves through, nothing but lies, draped in the most refined colored experiences our imagination could manifest. We are the great creators of our known internal, external universes. Join us, the social expectations cry out, join us as we all drown solo together, OM.

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FEAR

LANGUAGE OF SPACE

The Greatest Obstacle to our Success is Not

It’s truly a magnificent thing, what I find most interesting is the way our plural-mindsets operate! We know in our controlled-educated-thinking, “the only constant is change”.

And yet, when faced with something new to overcome, these challenges be they personal or in business, strangely our first positive action is to resist change. We believe wholeheartedly we are positive thinkers, and yet our aware-mindset functions from what it sees as a negative, first?

We refuse the opportunities which Grace has placed before us from the “holy of holies” to expand our knowledge and lead us into the light of new beginnings and what do we do we turn, face the other direction and high tail it out of there. ha ha and we are the clever monkeys Forever we have remained bonded to us by our own misgivings, misunderstandings.

Now I would like to tell you a story, a true story from which recorded history holds as fact! Once upon a time as stories unfold, there lived two nations at war with each other. So powerful and ego-certain was one army, they gave a challenge, that if any man who could defeat our mighty larger than life, Goliath, they would surrender and become their salves.

After forty days a young boy armed with a sling shot stepped forward, fired a rock at Goliaths head and killed him. David cut off his head and in time became a great king, how nice.

Think for a moment, do you have any idea why this story could have such important significance for you? If all connection does have meaning, then in life we may observe connection showing up as macro/micro or better yet, external/internal. Our story is one existing of the external world.

If balance and harmony exist, then it’s parallel opposite much exist in the internal world of the self, for nothing is separated. Goliath represents the external-world/ego, for we know this well, from our learned experiences. It’s the David on the other hand, over time, forty days, steps forward to face unspeakable odds. Armed with unshakable courage, self-strength, focus, action from intention, free-will overcomes the challenge and without knowing, claims his life’s destiny from a single act. Wow breathe that in three times!!!

Goliath in our lives, represents the RESISTANCE we hold so tightly to our chest, then believing this mindset is the true-real-self. David represents ACCEPTANCE the acknowledgement in-faith, that Grace only places in our path that which is uncertain-and-possible. Once we overcome the past-self and face all challenges head on by our own actions, we elevate ourselves from the false-unreal-self into selfdeserved heights of unperceived states-of-beingness.

A love that is not dependent on any one thing can never perish The world turns, and change occurs in ways unknown to our educated-self. A powerful influencer recently made the statement “I look good on the outside”. The president of a corporation stated, “in 2019 my goal is to practice being humble”. We soak these statements up in admiration of their realness, and yet these are frightening revelations coming from persons in power positions, as influencers!

Connection implies we already are, we just forgot the knowhow when we decided to focus on the distractions of gain.

We sit in meditation and ground ourselves to mother earth to connect and release, in truth as spiritual beings we are already grounded. The greatest obstacle is not the Fears which command such powerful positions to halt our evolution.

Change is the real challenge we all face, now that we function in servitude from a mindset controlled by ideas cemented in stone by the Logic King.

Blessings my brothers and sisters and yet in realness even that idea is a distraction.

t

Michael White Ryan is a co-founder with his wife Pamela Edwards of Language of Space.

They are leaders in sustainable business growth via Performance Design and Performance Code.

Sustainable design encompasses both Western and Eastern philosophies including advanced Feng Shui principles, Environmental Design, Buildings, Alternative Health, Business Advisory Consultants and 20 plus years as entrepreneurs. Recognized in the top 100 globally and are Americas Leading Feng Shui Business Consultants.

They are on faculty at CEO Space International one of the oldest business organizations in America today, currently operate in 7 countries and reside in Carlsbad CA.. www.languageofspace.com

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A LEVITATING SNAIL

By Marco Nunzio Alati

Sunday morning: I wake up with a strange desire to go to Malibu. I imagined a perfect day laying down by the beach, getting tanned, enjoying a corona while setting my little beer belly free. Hoping to get inspired by the athletic people jogging with their unmatchable set of abs or the various yogis in strange positions. I never say no to my instinct!

So, I decide to go and get there pretty early. I find a perfect spot overlooking the whole scenery, and I start my daily routine of listing my blessings, as part of my internal work, or what I like to call my ‘Temple Work’. As I am admiring and feeling grateful for the stunning landscapes around me, I see a little snail in the middle of the street desperately trying to reach the grass on the sidewalk, where I would presume her lunch awaits –or I should say dinner considering its pace. Without giving it too much thought I grab the snail by the shell and I gently place it on one of the most flourished plants.

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I go back to my spot feeling a sense of pride for being thoughtful and helpful, I look back and smile at the snail nestled in the gorgeous nature of Malibu. Before I get ready to jump into the water, a crazy thought hits my mind and I completely zone out.

What did the snail experience? what did it perceive while it was being carried? As I ask myself these questions I start to imagine what impact my simple action might have had on that little snail’s worldview.

I imagined a little snail-girl in the middle of the street “running” towards an incredibly far and gigantic plant. Checking the time, she realizes that she will never make it home in time for the last episode of her favorite TV show; snail-mother finally reveals to her snail-son that he did not come out of one of her two hundred eggs. The little snail-girl crawls as fast as she can while a group of ants surpass her with a mischievous

smile making fun of her slow pace. “Why do I need to be so slow?” thinks the upset snail “If I were an ant I would have definitely made it home on time. Oh! Snail-God, please let me be on time for my favorite episode!” …and all of a sudden the little snail-girl begins to levitate while some magical supersonic speed force brings her to that exact plant fairly instantaneously. The snail moves her slimy body left and right stunned that it just took her a few seconds to cover an incredible distance. “Oh My God, it must be a miracle!” thinks the astonished snail. “I must have gotten teleported by Snail-angels or something like that! My prayers have been heard… I cannot wait to tell Mrs. Snail-Lady what just happened, I know she won’t be able to keep her mouth shut and I will end up on the Oprah Snailfrey Show.

I have to thank Snail-God for getting me home in time for my favorite episode. I cannot wait to see whose egg the snailson came from.”

that they were faced with great scrutiny before we started to accept the challenges of change and a new shift in our worldview.

As I come out of my day dream, I have a moment of clarity.

So, what actually happened is that I just simply grabbed the slow animal and sped up its way home. What the lucky snail experienced is most probably an un-comprehensive event that has no linear explanation for its perceptions.

By doing this simple leap of faith we start living - exactly like children (or my snail-friend)- on a constant vacation, an everyday playground called Life where beauty and “lightness” express themselves through epic adventures, moments of creative chaos, and – why not- some miracles or what I like to call “a phenomenon that science has not yet been able to give a comprehensive explanation”

And what about our Perception of Reality? What makes us think that our perceptions are able to detect, measure and ultimately explain every phenomenon and every process that we experience?

Perception is a very limiting pair of eyeglasses through what we use to compare, give meaning and label the information of our Reality. When we see the color red, for example, our brain registers it as ‘red’ due to the immediate comparison in our minds database of what blue, green, and yellow look like. Scientists studied the color-perception of different people around the world, and they were surprised to find that there are tribes in Africa that have no concept of the color Blue. The subjects studied did not have any color-blindness issues, yet they don’t see blue on any object. Does that mean that the color Blue doesn’t exist in Africa? Interestingly enough we have no concrete answer to this question. The color blue surely exists for us, but it surely doesn’t for them. How is that possible? Who is considered right, and who is wrong?

Maybe they are two different lenses of the same Reality?

Going back to my inspirational snail. I wonder which experience was closer to the real truth, the snail’s or mine? We cannot 100% eliminate the idea of Snail-God, or some extraordinary force that made me pay attention to that tiny shelled creature in the middle of the street, rather than a simple and empty act of kindness.

We tend to rely on our dogmatic point of view with such attachment that we forget that it is only one perspective. We often laugh, judge or even condemn people who question our limited perceptions and present new and foreign ideas.

People like Galileo and Einstein pushed the envelope so far

But how can we go beyond our system of perceptions?

I believe that the only way for us to bypass our limited worldview is by allowing ourselves to become childlike and by opening ourselves up to the ‘Wonder’ and ‘Marvel’ of every single moment. Maybe the key to access the fullness of the infinite potential, is simply trusting that our world always takes care of us in the best way possible. I strongly believe that if we operate with that mindset, it will allow us to dive into the awe of this magical process. We will find ourselves dancing fluidly with this great higher intelligence of the field of information and we begin to invite frames of life into our existence that reside outside the tiny box of our perceptions.

As Eric Pearl, founder of Reconnective Healing, says: “Let’s not confuse the absence of proves with the prove of absence”.

Maybe, while we are striving to enjoy every single instant of our life, an unperceived, incomprehensible giant hand is picking us “snails” up, and helping us arrive to our intended purpose, and we don’t even know it.

nm After graduation in Industrial Biotechnology, Marco played a key role in international research projects in Canada, Austria and Spain. He stumbled upon the Reconnection by mere chance and it enlightened him in ways he hadn't realized he needed.

Three months after that unique experience, he left his job in biotechnology and embarked on his journey to become a full time Reconnective Healing Practitioner, and one of the two Italian Mentors and Teaching Assistants of Eric Pearl’s direct Team. He is currently living in Los Angeles and collaborating with a number of independent scientific studies that are exploring Reconnective Healing and its extraordinary benefits.

For info contact marco.alati@gmail.com 323-617-2289

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When everyone starts to scramble for a reservation and publicly show their love and affection for one another one day a year. If you are not in love than this is your time to show yourself how much you love yourself. But self love is for everyone! As a Coach at Balanced Bella’s we work with our clients in the self love department specifically. It’s still one of the area’s for women that they are still struggling with even today. Women just put everyone else before their own needs and desires. If you have kids, a husband, the dog, and a career, women still put all of that before themselves.

Being able to show yourself, self love every morning before they all begin to wake from their slumbers, you can learn to fill up your own cup, before you take care of anyone else and anything else.

My miracle morning routine consists of setting my alarm for 6:30 am. I get up and make a hot cup of water with lemon and get back in bed and play a ten minute gratitude meditation from Youtube. Next, I have my small journal where I write 3 things I am grateful for. After sipping on my hot water and lemon, my body has warmed up, and my spirit has filled up too! I play my singing bowl for a couple of minutes, as the bowl vibrates into my body and raises my vibration. I rise from my bed, and do a ten minute yoga routine next to my bed, in my pajamas. Just moving the body, allowing the blood to flow, breathing in fresh air, and releasing anything I am holding onto from my nights sleep. It usually consists of a couple vinyasa flows, but it doesn’t have to be specific. It can be just stretching they body, supine leg twists, a couple of downward facing dogs, a couple of sun salutations, cobra, and being mindful of my breath.

February the month of love!

By Sasha Gary

It’s time for a hot shower, and I turn on my diffuser and it fills my room up with wonderful, uplifting scents that brings my sense of smell and lifts my spirit. As I shower, I thank my body for everything it does for me. I tell my body how much I love my toes, and my nose. I love my legs, that allow me to run all my errands, and keeps me in shape. I love my hands that allow me to lift up things, like my cute puppy. I love my hair, which has a mind of it’s own, but it’s full and healthy and looks amazing when I blow it out! I love belly, my hips, and my lips. Now, I have turned my everyday shower into a high vibrational activity of self love that takes 5 minutes to do and the reward goes so much farther.

It’s time to start the day, with a cup of coffee, and a healthy breakfast with lots of color from the fruit or vegetables I decided to make.

Filling my belly with a meal to start the day that will fuel my body and brain up. Now, I am ready to face the world, where there will be traffic, and obstacles, and not so nice people, and wonderful beautiful people too! I know I can face anything today, because I took the time to fill my up my own cup! It is a miracle morning!

Sasha Gary is an actress, writer, and Wellness Coach at www.balancedbellasonline.com a 16 week online health program for women that shows you how to implement small sustainable changes one by one to help you with whole food nutrition, self-love and a conscious movement.

As you navigate your way through this month of love, give yourself a new practice of your miracle morning! Make it your own! Love isn’t about one day, or one person. It’s about truly loving ourselves and saying it to ourselves, and expressing it towards one another, love is the highest vibration! It’s free! You have it within yourself without having to stand in line for it, order it on the internet, Sasha is a yogi of 25 years, a crystal healer, and an avid or chase it by swiping right. Go deeper inside of yourself and find sound bowl meditation participant and lives in Venice that love and shine it for all the world to see!

California!

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THE WAY I SEE IT

By Joe Santos, Jr.

CHOOSE HAPPY, CUZ “BLUE"

JUST AIN’T MY COLOR I’m choosing happy. If “happy” is a choice then feeling “unhappy” must be one too. Or is it? Is either one of them our choice? Or are there simply chemicals within the brain that trigger emotions either way? I’m sure that with as many questions as there are, there are twice as many answers and theories as to how and why. I’ll leave those to the hundreds of “paid professionals” who spend most of their lives walking themselves, and other people, through the "what ifs" of life.

For me, it’s a choice… as simple and as complicated as that sounds… a choice, because my experiences in life have been many and vast. With all of its’ privilege and blessings, there have been twice as many challenges, disappointments, and regrets. It’s funny to think how it could be as simple as just that, but for me it is. Think about it. Choosing happy! Have you met people who choose to be sad? Choose to be angry, alone, frustrated, aloof, cruel, irresponsible, unavailable, insensitive, and miserable? Would, or could, anyone want to live this one and only life (as we know it) as such? Yet, so many do!

For every problem, there is a solution. But in order to recognize either, it takes acknowledgment, work, responsibility, and the commitment to living your best life amidst the struggle of choosing “either” the problem (unhappy) or the solution (happy) every day! How we go about it is the real question and challenge.

We are all different, but if we are healthy spiritually, mentally, physically and emotionally, can we make choices for ourselves, and find ways to our happiness? I’m not referring to the material things, or physical attributes, or monetary traps that pre-occupy us long enough to lift the “grey veil” within us that ultimately prevents us from seeing what true happiness looks like, tastes like, smells like, or feels like.

Happiness is a reflection. It’s what or whom you see yourself in, and find delight from. It could be a time, a place, a song, a moment, a poem, a person, your pet, your children, yourself.

The sun, the moon, the stars, the past, the present, the future… all that you can dream, all that you want to remember, this is the happiness I choose, and for this reason, to me, it’s a choice. I can look at life the way I feel the sun… warm, bright, greeting me each day and lighting my path to color and beauty. Or, I can choose to see the eclipse, that dark cold place with nothing but doubt, disappointment, anxiety and the ultimate fear that no light will ever be bright enough to help me see my path out.

So if “happy” is a choice, then the opposite is too. Life greets us each day without agenda. We can get up with as much as we can muster to greet it with a smile, with hope and gratitude, that it is a new day. Or we can make excuses as to why it takes too much to simply be and throw the covers over our heads and wait until the next one. Yep. For some, that’s a choice too. For me, I say, “No thanks! I’m choosing happy!”

2 Joe Santos, Jr. is a Celebrity Chef and Life-Stylist. He joins The Eden Magazine as a writer sharing his unique view on life, death, love, and the avoidance of mediocrity.

Follow Joey on Instagram @jojoboy13

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Riggs Eckelberry

An interview with

with OriginClear

Riggs Eckelberry is the co-founder Riggs Eckelberry brings his veteran technology management skills to the Blue Technology sector and most recently has launched WaterChain, OriginClear’s prospective Initial Coin Offering (ICO). As President and COO of CyberDefender Corporation from 2005 to 2006, he was instrumental in building the company and its innovative product line, helping to achieve initial funding and a public company filing. From 2001 to mid-2005, he helped launch and turn around technology companies as founder and President of TechTransform, a technology consulting firm. In 2004, he was a key member of the team that commercialized YellowPages.com, resulting in its sale for $100 million to SBC/BellSouth. In 2003, he helped make Panda Software a key player in the US market as the General Manager of its US unit. During the high-tech boom of the 1990s, he was responsible for the global brand success of the software product, CleanSweep. Riggs also served as Chief Operating Officer of MicroHouse Technologies, where he helped to achieve a successful sale of the company to Earthweb; and he was a key member of the team that completed the sale of venture-backed TriVida to what is now a division of ValueClick (VCLK). The Business Rockstars network interviewed Riggs in 2017 to discuss his professional journey from an entrepreneur in New York in the early 80s to the founding of OriginClear. Riggs Eckelberry’s formation was in the non-profit sector and as a mariner; he holds an oceangoing master’s license (inactive)

OriginClear's Mission

By 2020, the global water services industry will be a trillion-dollar industry—and yet, 80% of all sewage in the world still goes untreated. As a leading provider of water treatment systems, our mission is to provide expertise, technology, and capital to help make clean water available for all.

We license our breakthrough technology worldwide to treat heavily polluted waters and also remove harmful micro-contaminants from drinking water, using minimal energy, chemicals, and materials. Our wastewater treatment technology is called Electro Water Separation with Advanced Oxidation. The OriginClear Group is building a network of profitable water service companies to expand our global market presence and our technical expertise. And now, we are deploying our blockchain-based WaterChain™ initiative to fund next-generation water recycling systems that can propel the world’s water supply forward into a cleaner future.

Water is our most valuable resource, and the mission of OriginClear is to improve the quality of water — and help return it to its original and clear condition.

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Thank you so much for your time, could you please tell us about OriginClear Team and their mission.

From beginning as a potential solution (micro-algae!) to the world’s fossil fuel problem, OriginClear has evolved into a disruptive decentralized water company. The combination of a breakthrough technology with our brilliant new modular product systems is enabling us to respond to big water problems right at the point of need. Increasingly, water users have to treat their own water, and that trend is growing. We intend to dominate the new on-premises water treatment megatrend.

What brought you to this project?

Truthfully, it was “adapt or die”. We started with a new way to make biofuels from algae, and were forced to adapt to rapidly-falling oil prices, which made algae based biofuels a non-starter for a time. Turns out our algae harvesting technology was perfect for “harvesting” waste from water, and just like that, we were in waste water treatment!

Can you share with our readers about your passion and concern about how important is for us to have a clean water.

Less than a third of the water we pollute every gets treated. What about the rest? People intuitively know there’s a problem, and fortunately technology has a solution: on-premises water treatment, and new ways to deal with major cleaning challenges. I believe we can help millions live healthier lives… water is truly everything.

Can you please share with our readers the best experience you have with your company.

It is continuously amazing to me how much our shareholders support our mission. This isn’t just an investment for them, our supporters really care about our mission. Every time I hear from a shareholder, I am blown away by how much they champion what we are doing!

How you feel that your company can be important for our environment?

The world is not keeping up with water pollution and the day is not far off when the oceans will literally have no more fish. Indirectly, we can and will put off and ultimately prevent this day from ever happening.

Any new project that you are working at this moment?

Currently, we are busy rolling out prepackaged systems for specific industries. For example, we have a brilliant solution for micro-breweries and we have created a standardized offering. And we are working on more solutions. For example, the cannabis industry is really limited by the water problem, and we can help both them and the communities they operate in.

Your brother Nicholas came up with a dozen ways to improve all areas of algae production and processing for fuel in 2008, how this happened and what was the impact?

Nicholas is the classic generalist. He was able to draw from a dozen different disciplines and experiment like crazy. We started with a better way to feed the algae, and went on to the critical harvesting stage. Our algae harvester is still at work in the field and awaits the return of that industry; meanwhile, we are putting these learnings to work in water.

Why you feel OriginClear can be beneficial for our environment?

The major problems we have today (pollution, population, climate change, nutrition, water) cannot be solved without many, many new technologies. We are advancing major new technologies for the water problem, and because we understand disruption, we think we can make a real difference even as a comparatively small player.

Any new upcoming project you are planning and how can this be helpful for others?

I am most excited about our new initiative to bring water treatment into the Connected Home. Rural counties all over America and the world are suffering from exposure to pesticides, and the polluting effect of septic systems.

Self-contained water treatment is the solution and is heaven-sent for drought-affected areas because the water can be reused for lawns and pools. Look for new soon about our entry into this space!

What advice would you give to other companies?

Adapt, adapt, adapt. I remember an Ironman runner who took the wrong turn going down a mountain in Hawaii. He got all the way down before realizing his error. Went all the way back up, got on the right track, and almost won the race anyway.

That’s my ideal for someone who will not give upand will make it happen no matter what!

How you explain your success to bring positivity to the world?

I have a really, really diverse background which makes me able to live the new times as they unroll. Today’s is an amazing but very unstable time, and in a way, you have to think about how you are going to ride the big wave. That’s where I think that a life spent in a dozen different careers pays off for a CEO in a fast-changing space.

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Message from the Goddess Mother With Jan Diana

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Wisdom is the ultimate connection to divine truth. It is also the way to utilize knowledge in great understanding based upon heart consciousness, based upon divine love.

Your heart consciousness leads you to the truth, free of illusion formations within the field of duality. The heart leads you back into the oneness of self, your sacred truth of self which lives in the forever realms of joy, love and serenity.

The

of

SEEDS

WISDOM

Wisdom is a key to developing the innate master abilities that you have. These are gifts that each of you have and are developed by yourself in your choosing and time of readiness.

You might have the question come to mind, “how can I develop wisdom while I feel uncertainty of my life and of my future, for I am living in a world that feels the struggles of life?” It is an interesting thought is it not.

Let me share with you first that you have within you the seeds of wisdom. These were planted before you incarnated into this life.

Now in this frame of time, these seeds are beginning to awaken. Just as the seeds of your dreams are lighting up, so are the seeds of wisdom. They are taking in the lightness and beginning to blossom.

My Beloved Children of Heart, “Greetings! Welcome to this gathering of hearts.

You will find that these seeds will speak to you as little whisperings to your mind. They will come to you in peaceful moments. They will come to you in moments of joy.

As with all of our gatherings, we begin with a connection to our heart. This is the place of wisdom, of great love and of the divine truth of self.

They come through the heart. The heart consciousness awareness is stimulated during peace and joy. So this is the timing when you will hear and be aware most of wisdom.

We begin today with a focus on the many opportunities presenting to you for great advancements in your personal journey of progression. Yes indeed, you are on a journey designed to gently lead you back to the full awareness of the truth of yourself.

Wisdom will come as little insights. Thoughts of suggestions perhaps of a different perspective on how to proceed with a project, or how to respond to an interaction with a family member to create a more harmonious relationship

It is an exciting journey filled with opportunities to develop and expand, perhaps even beyond what you have dreamed of. Now at this position, in this time, much is being made available so that you can stretch to reach as you choose into the greater connections of awareness you have desired.

It truly is a time to celebrate yourself. You have collectively chosen this time to reach that positon of greater potentials of knowing truth.

As you develop your greater awareness, you will be led to pathways filled with great discoveries. These experiences will assist you to learn, and to develop further your abilities to expand and elevate your consciousness. This then leads to even greater awareness and the development of wisdom and understanding,

Wisdom has knowledge and understanding flavored by the heart. Our hearts are based in the truth of our divine nature which is unconditional love.

Loving is the key to everything divine. It is the answer to all resolutions. It is the way back to fully remembering your divine self.

Wisdom assists us by steering us in the direction that will guide you onto the pathways of light. These pathways lead you back to the awareness and acceptance of your divine truth.

Now let me share with you some simple steps on how you can develop your wisdom through heart consciousness. First, set aside some time to connect to your heart. You can do this in many ways. One way is to just focus your attention on your heart, holding peaceful, joyful thoughts.

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The next step is when you feel you have connected, to ask a question to your heart. Perhaps you might ask “how may I feel more connected to my heart?”

Now relax and allow yourself to receive the answer. You may hear words, see an image or have a sensing. You may feel the answer. This is the whispers of the heart offering you the wisdom you have asked for.

With your connection in flow, you might take this deeper with another question. Or you might just follow whatever guidance you have received and feel the wonder of the loving counsel you have taken in.

You are opening up a line of communication through the heart to receive wisdom. This will become strengthened each time you utilize this gift.

You may utilize these steps as you desire, for whatever topic you choose. You are developing your innate ability to communicate with the divine through your heart.

Always know that there is never fear or less ness in any wisdom from the heart. There is only truth based on divine principles and unconditional love.

If you feel fear or confusion, take time to center yourself again with your heart. Focus on joyful thoughts that lead you back into peace.

You will find as you utilize these gifts that you will become more proficient in your communications. This than will lead you to further develop other innate gifts and abilities.

You have been given all the tools to discover and develop to navigate in grace through these times of great change and elevation potentials. This is your path of mastery. This is your path of remembering your greatness. Celebrate it. Celebrate yourself.

I celebrate with you this time of blossoming. It is with great excitement as we share together in these great achievements.

The time is now for you to move more easily on your path.

You can direct and choose in greater grace than ever before.

Whatever you choose is perfect for you. You learn and remember from your experiences. Your choice to experience is a divine gift. Your choices are honored. You are honored always.

Know that you are perfect. In my heart I know your truth.

You truly are the jewels lighting up the pathways of lightness and joy.

Beloveds, let yourself shine. Shower your light upon the seeds of wisdom and let them blossom. Accept in grace the wisdom

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whispers of your heart. Dance in the joyful radiance of your sweetness. I adore you. Shamon.”

With great love, Your Beloved Mother

FREE CLASS: As a Gift I am offering you a Free Tele- Class, “Remember Who you are”.

-Restore pathways to remembering the truth of yourself using the tools of SVH, a prayer modality that can shift the old stories, old beliefs and perceptions that are not relevant to your truth.

-Receive tools that you can utilize in your life to further free yourself from the veils of forgetting -Take a journey to meet your true self and receive a priceless gift you will leave this class filled a greater vision of yourself and what is now possible for you.

This class is a great joy bringer!

Note: Register by subscribing by email at: http://www.jandiana.com (if the time is not convenient, register to receive the recording when available)

n Jan Diana is an intuitive healer, spiritual teacher, and master practitioner.Her mission is to assist clients & students in creating harmony, balance, heightened levels of clarity, develop innate gifts & abilities, empowering them on their personal evolution to create the dreams of their heart.

She utilizes several modalities including SVH L3M, Animal healing, GHM, Language of love, Reiki Master, and more.

Free meditation journeys, articles, & classes. http://www.jandiana.com Sessions and Classes by phone. You can reach her at website http://www.jandiana.com or by email sunsinyourheart@aol.com.

Anyes Galleani with "Trapped Marilyn"

Anyes Galleani is a visual artist, former fashion photographer and video director who was born and raised in Italy and has lived in the Los Angeles Arts District since the 90’s. She uses photo montage and collage to create images and mixed media art that explore pop culture and reflect a multitude of influences, from fashion to street art. You can view Anyes' work at Galleani-Art.com

"Trapped Marilyn"

I see Marilyn as the quintessential symbol of femininity, but also as a human being who lived an extraordinary life experiencing a roller coaster of emotions, from elation to despair. This makes her interesting and the perfect subject for my art, because no matter what light I portray her in, she always fits the part. In the piece “Trapped Marilyn” she is trapped behind a fence, yet she looks as glamorous and sexy as ever. That may have been the story of her life, glamorous outside, feeling trapped inside, and may also be the story of many other women’s life.

This painting is part of an ongoing series called “Beyond Beauty”, where I explore women feelings, which may be concealed by beauty and glamour. I was inspired to start the series when I was still working as a fashion photographer and met young models whose lives were far from perfect yet managed to create an illusion of happiness and perfection in front of the camera.

“Trapped Marilyn” is a mixed media painting on a 48x48” wood panel. It was made by collaging deconstructed paper prints of an image I created by photo montaging a picture of Marilyn and an industrial fence.

Acrylic colorful paint was added to complete the work.

The idea behind this mixed media technique is to recreate a worn-out look similar to street posters. Over the years, while shooting fashion photography and videos in my downtown neighborhood, I have observed lots of street art come and go and have become particularly fascinated by posters, mainly because they were often, randomly overlapped by new ones and paint would drip on them from nearby graffiti, creating colorful collages.

When I make my artwork I strive to capture a slice of our times, communicate feelings and create beautiful and interesting objects that people can enjoy looking at in their home or work place for many years to COME, art that enriches their decor, inspires thoughts and sparks conversation.

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LOOKING GOOD & FEELING GREAT

with Margaret Tomaszewicz

The Importance of Knowing New Trends in Skincare 8 Skincare Trends That You Need to Know in 2019

Much like clothes and hair, skin care trends change from year to year. I always look forward to these updates with great anticipation, and I'm doing even more so this year. That's because there's never been a more concerted, industry-wide effort to move toward cruelty-free skincare.

Great news in that government agencies are passing laws that ban animal testing for beauty products around the world. An increasing number of consumers are making all-natural, organic selections when it comes to food, clothing and the treatments that they apply to their skin.

I like to think that we're a bit ahead of the curve at WODA European Natural Skin Care. After all, we've been an all organic, cruelty-free skincare brand since day 1 and we wouldn't have it any other way.

Trends come and go, but environmental responsibility and choosing organic products for skin care will always remain in style.

Here are some of the most exciting skin care trends that are on the horizon for 2019.

1. Organic, Cruelty-Free Products The journey from the idea for a new skincare product to the finished item being available for sale is long and winding. Occasionally, that road includes the testing of these products on animals, despite the fact that studies suggest that such testing is an accurate predictor of human reactions to the product just 40 to 60 percent of the time. Animal testing of products further is costly, which contributes to the higher price of beauty products across the board.

In September 2018, the State of California took a landmark step that banned the sale of cosmetics that were tested on animals.

Called the California Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act, the new law prevents manufacturers from importing, selling or offering for sale any cosmetics that were developed with animal testing. The law is similar to one that already is in place in the European Union.

You can join the fight by insisting on only buying skincare and cosmetic products that are completely organic and cruelty-free. Choosing an organic skincare brand is the perfect place to start.

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2. Clean Beauty Many mainstream skincare products and cosmetics use ingredients which are not natural and may be harmful to you as well as the environment. Some of the most widely used ingredients are parabens, sulfates, and silicones.

Studies suggest that parabens are bad news. A study in 2004 uncovered the presence of parabens in cancerous breast tissue. Moreover, scientists have learned that parabens are capable of mimicking estrogen in the human body, possibly disrupting natural hormones.

Researchers are still working to uncover the true extent of the risk that is regularly exposed to parabens in skin care products poses. However, more people are deciding to take an approach that is better safe than sorry by avoiding these cosmetic preservatives.

Sulfates are a family of cleansing agents that frequently are found in cleansers and shampoos. They can create all sorts of irritation to the eyes and skin as well as strip away the essential oils that keep your skin healthy and hydrated.

Similarly, silicones can be harmful, especially for people with sensitive skin. While these ingredients can help to make skin look flawless and smooth, they can cause painful irritation too. To minimize the risk of irritation, steer clear of products containing dimethicone, phenyl trimethicone, and similar ingredients.

3. Simplified Skin-Care Routines The famous and much-copied 10-step skincare routine favored by beauty mavens in Korea is going on a strict diet for 2019.

Now, many people who were once devoted to this complicated routine are using just two or three steps from beginning to end.

Why are they making the switch? Most of them are trying to avoid skin irritation. The problem with the 10-step routine is that people were slathering so many different treatments and preparations on their skin that it was causing redness, discomfort and even contact dermatitis.

The newly simplified skincare routine involves just two or three steps. Usually, these are cleansing, moisturizing and sunscreen. In addition to minimizing irritation, the revamped routine also costs less and takes up far less time. When you simplify your skincare routine, you may find that you have more time for sleeping, meditating or catching up with a good friend so go minimalistic in 2019.

All you have to do is choose the formulations that are right for your skin. Then, decide how many steps are right for you.

Cleanser, toner, serum, and moisturizer and sunscreen are recommended, but you can do more or less depending upon your needs.

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4. Skin Brightening Products Have you heard about skin brighteners yet? If not, then you are bound to hear about them again and again as 2019 picks up steam.

The right skin brightener can have a wealth of benefits for your skin. These benefits may include the reduction of dark spots caused by acne scars or sun exposure.

Skin brighteners also may increase your skin's rate of cell turnover. This means that your face will look softer and younger because all of the dull, old skin cells will be sloughed away.

Many skin brightening products are on the market today, but they aren't all created equal. Some of them are too harsh or contain numerous chemical ingredients that are more likely to cause irritation than to improve the condition of your skin.

That's why I am so in love with our line of cruelty-free skin care products, which includes Radiant Brightening Serum. This completely natural and organic product is composed of healthy ingredients like kojic acid, organic anise, willow bark, ginseng and jojoba oil to correct the signs of photodamage and premature aging. The formulation also contains plant-based hyaluronic acid, which is known to be far safer and more effective than the hydroquinone used in many other brightening products.

5. Zinc-Based Sunscreens Zinc oxide is an incredible natural ingredient that naturally provides broad-spectrum protection from UV rays so that it prevents sunburns. It is even effective on skin that is photo-sensitive. Essentially, the zinc in the sunscreen creates a reflective barrier on the skin so that the sun's rays bounce off of the skin and are distributed back into the environment.

At WODA, we make two incredible zinc-based sunscreens, especially for your face. One version is tinted zinc face sunscreen while the other one is not. This makes it possible for you to forego your usual foundation if you prefer.

Both formulations of this facial mineral sunscreen have a grease-free finish that won't leave your skin feeling oily or sticky. In fact, you'll achieve a flawless matte finish that provides unsurpassed UV protection.

The active ingredients in these products are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. Both boast superior sun-blocking abilities to keep you looking young and fresh without ever getting burned. With an SPF of 40, these products can easily protect your face from the signs of premature aging. I never go outside without wearing one of our zincbased sunscreens.

6. Enzyme-Based Exfoliation Exfoliation is an essential part of any complete skincare routine. Basically, it is a process by which dead skin cells, toxins, and debris are removed from the outer layer of your skin. When performed regularly and with the right exfoliating product, your skin will look brighter, younger and smoother.

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Like all skincare products, not all exfoliators are created equal.

This year, enzyme-based formulas are definitely in the driver's seat. So, what's an enzyme, and how can it help you achieve your best skin ever?

An enzyme is just a material that helps to make chemical reactions happen more quickly. In the realm of skincare, enzymes usually serve one of two purposes. They either put a stop to inflammation or are helpful exfoliators.

Enzyme-based exfoliators are generally gentler than microdermabrasion or scrubs. They help to remove the dead cells on your skin's surface while also breaking down the keratin protein that is trapped in those cells. The result is far smoother skin.

in addition to breakouts. If you use a facial oil, your skin gets the hydration that it needs. It also receives an extra layer of protection against environmental damage.

WODA's Rejuvenate Antioxidant Facial Oil is a miracle product that contains ingredients like carthamus oil, safflower seed oil, grape seed oil, and other nourishing compounds. Just a couple of drops used morning and evening are enough to protect and fortify your skin.

Try one or all of these trends in the New Year. You are bound to see amazing results when you use cruelty-free, organic skin care products, and you can feel good about the organic ingredients that are nourishing your skin.

To your heath!

If you want to turn back the clock on your skin and discover how enzymes can transform your appearance, then try WODA's Brilliant Enzyme Mask. Packed with natural ingredients such as glycolic acid, pumpkin enzymes, organic rosehip oil, and aloe, you'll be amazed at how this product can change the way you see your skin.

7. Products Containing Antioxidants and Hyaluronic Acid Ingredients such as antioxidants and hyaluronic acid are just what you need to keep your skin looking and feeling much younger than your actual age. Antioxidants are capable of prohibiting the production of free radicals that cause damage to the skin. When you use them as a regular part of your skin care routine, antioxidants can help sunspots to fade and soothe inflammation. The right antioxidant also may provide essential hydration while further helping to increase your skin's ability to retain moisture.

Hyaluronic acid is similarly beneficial to your skin. It provides tons of necessary hydration, and it even acts as a natural humectant to help your skin absorb and retain moisture. Hyaluronic acid further protects your skin from environmental damage and pollutants. The result is skin that is more resilient and brighter.

You can experience the benefits of antioxidants yourself through several of WODA's products. These include the Nourish: Peptides Eye Cream and the Rejuvenate: Retinol Crème. Look for hyaluronic acid in our Hydrate: Botanical Hyaluronic Acid Serum and in our Age Defy: Vitamin C & Stem Cell Serum, which also is packed with antioxidants.

8. Facial Oils Oil production naturally decreases with age, but this doesn't mean that our skin no longer needs the nourishment and hydration that oil provides. One of the best and most reliable ways to make up for this deficiency in oil production is to use a facial oil.

When skin is too dry, it is far more prone to lines and wrinkles

f Margaret Tomaszewicz is a licensed esthetician with over 25 years of experience.

She is the owner of European Skin and Massage Studio in Santa Monica, California and has developed the Organic WODA European Natural Skin Care Line.

Her products are available on wodaskincare.com and on Amazon.com For every product sold WODA Skin Care plants a tree.

Margaret can be reached at 424-279-9771 or europeanskinandmassagestudio@gmail.com wodaskincare.com

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SOUL COURAGE

By Tara-jenelle Walsch

LOVE Surrounds You

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“Padiddle!”

“Oh, no fair!”

“Yes fair, look over there. Just one headlight.

Now pucker up!”

Some of you may remember Padiddle, a courting game from the 1940’s played by young couples. The rules were simple: If you were driving at night and saw a car approaching with one headlight out, you would say, “Padiddle!” As a reward for seeing the one-eyed car first, you got to kiss your date.

For many teenagers, this was a lighthearted way to flirt, but I originally know it as an endearing childhood game that my sister and I played with Mom on long road trips.

I chose this little memory to shed light on the single most important thing in the world; love. And to illustrate the single most important challenge facing every human being, which is who to love, how to love, and when to love.

The sweetness of this charming game is that it gives us an excuse to love. It’s very rules justify initiated affection towards one another. But we no longer need an excuse to love. Life is the Padiddle.

Who to love

Anyone and everyone.

Now, more than ever, it’s acceptable to love whomever our heart desires. Long gone are the days when we were expected to partner up with someone of the opposite sex who shared the same race, ethnicity, religious beliefs and financials status.

Fortunately, we’re no longer living under the same rules and restrictions that were placed on love in the past. Most of humanity has evolved to a place of understanding that love isn’t about practicality, convenience or similarity. Our hearts have shown us time and again that the mind is a lousy matchmaker.

Today’s love is transcendent and expansive and moves beyond the fairytales we fell asleep to, surpassing the old rules of right and wrong. Leaping into our hearts unexpectedly.

Yet the essence of love goes much further and wider than romantic love. So often the spirit of love as a whole is overlooked. February, in particular, is a time when romantic love is praised, but whether or not we’ve found our significant other, there are many ways to love, even within a romantic relationship. The magic of love lives in and around us, taking so many forms that we sometimes forget to honor and celebrate.

Loving Yourself

For starters, loving ourselves. Taking the time to build a relationship with the one person we’re guaranteed to be with for life. This is done the same way we would love another person—the only complication being our mind.

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When we love another person, it’s instinctual. Our generous and caring actions are done without much thought.

But when we try and give ourselves those same things, we’re usually challenged by the mind accusing us of one thing or another; feeling guilty and unworthy of the time, gift or nurturing we’d like to receive.

That’s why it’s important to communicate with ourselves.

The first way to do that is to increase awareness around the self-talk that we hear in our head now and again. Then, instead of just “listening” to that voice occasionally, bring it to the forefront, make friends with it and actually respond to it.

Yes, as crazy as it may sound, have an actual dialogue with it.

When you hear that inner voice coming down on you for not being good enough in some way, speak back to it in a supportive, gentle tone, just as you’d do with someone you love.

For instance, you may hear something in your head like, “Geez, you didn’t get anything done today, lazy-bones!” and you can respond with, “Don’t be so hard on yourself. Today was your day off, you needed the rest to recharge.”

You can also initiate positive inner dialogue as a part of your morning routine by routing for yourself the moment you wake up with empowering comments like, “Good Morning, gorgeous! What a great day you’re going to have!” or “You got this!” or “Go get ‘em!”

Another meaningful part of loving yourself is not being afraid to be alone. Always needing someone else around denies you greater self-exploration and growth. Sincerely enjoying your own company will comfort you in unforeseen ways and also make you more interesting when you are spending time with others.

Loving yourself is the launch pad for all of your loving, precisely because we extend our love for others from the inside, out.

Loving Family

Loving Friends

It’s easy to love in times of camaraderie, but when we can love through the friction, we have declared our dedication to loving the other. Friction between family is almost like a quick electrical shock. Something will be said or arise that triggers pain or fear in someone and they will react negatively. This usually causes the other to react off of their reaction and spirals into conflict, shifting the once harmonic energy to tense and opposing.

There may be one friend that’s your favorite shopping buddy, perhaps another is a business colleague that you primarily talk shop with, or one with whom you share the same spiritual beliefs, and there may be another that you like to grab a glass of wine with or go dancing.

Whether you’ve spent a lot of time with your family or not, we all have family dynamics. All the different experiences either shared or not shared through the years become layers that build both camaraderie and friction with one another.

A large part of loving family involves responding versus reacting. This often gets entangled because one person feels another is responsible for their pain, and the other gets defensive. When we can hold space for the another and not make them wrong or take their pain on as our own, we are sharing one of the highest gifts of love for both them and ourselves.

Remembering that we chose our family, at a soul level, is always helpful in finding a gift from contention, and allows us to grow closer to them, and ourselves, as a result.

Acknowledging and praising family for their courage and do-goods is one of the most simple, loving things we can do for family, like a team cheering each other on through life.

Friends are like family that we choose. We resonate with them through the similarities they share with us. That being said, it’s very rare to find “one” friend that is compatible with every interest and situation in our life.

All of our friends have different qualities that we resonate with; usually no singular person is in sync with all instances in life— and that’s ok.

The best way to love your friends is to not get frustrated or think of the person as inadequate if they don’t fulfill all of your “friend needs,” but rather celebrate those things that are special about that particular friendship. The things that drew you to them in the first place.

Appreciate how the special qualities that they have enhance in your life and cherish the connection you share together through those common interests.

Loving Strangers

The thought of loving a stranger may initially feel, well, strange, but when we remember that we’re all alike at our core it can remove feelings of unfamiliarity. Regardless of someone’s age, race, ethnicity, or financial status, we all want to be loved, want to be seen and want to be safe.

Extending love to a stranger does just that; they feel loved, and seen that you have noticed and acknowledged them, and a loving exchange creates a sense of safety—for if only in that moment, they were ok.

Loving strangers can be done through small acts of kindness, verbal relating or even just a smile. Stepping out of our bubble and showing someone else that they make a difference encourages them to do the same with others and strengthens the ripple effect of togetherness among humanity.

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Loving Animals

Animals undeniably feel and express love to each other and to people. There’s so much joy to be shared with animals whether they are wild or domesticated pets.

Just like humans, animals just want to feel loved, seen and safe. One of the most direct ways to love animals is to communicate these things to them. This can be done by talking out loud or talking softly from your heart to theirs.

soothing hope as life continues to grow strong around them.

One of the best ways to love nature is to respect it. To not damage it in anyway goes without saying, but also to proactively respect it through energetic and even verbal gratitude. Being in awe of the beauty of nature and letting its life fill your heart, then taking a moment to thank it in return. Building a relationship with nature in this way helps it to continue to thrive.

They may not understand your words, but will certainly interpret your verbal tone and silent energy. In fact, their central language is energy.

Communicating with animals like this helps people to be more aware of our energy when we’re around them. You may even notice your demeanor shifting into a gentle place when you’re in the company of an animal, almost as if you were with a child, because they often carry the same level of purity and innocence as children.

Loving the Deceased

Love can overcome all odds, even death. The love we had for those who have passed away doesn’t suddenly diminish when they die. It still lives inside us, but is not felt as often because our mind tries to protect us from grief by regulating the frequency of our thoughts around those people.

Ironically, the act of bringing that love to the forefront of our lives and letting it fill us up, is what eventually heals our heart from the loss of their physical presence.

Loving Nature

Nature’s very growth is a response to all the love and life around. It’s even been researched that older trees nurture younger trees by parting their branches to share the light of the sun. Nature has an unspoken agreement with its many components to live in unison together.

This is one of the reasons so many people find peace in nature, as they can see the harmonic collaboration and feel a sense of 74 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e February 2019

One of the best ways to love those who have passed away is by continuing to feel and express our love for them. Feel it in our hearts fully and smile. Talk to them out loud. Pause as we pass their photographs and say hello.

Knowing that they are still with us on an energetic level keeps us connected with their spirit, bringing their presence back into our lives and comforting our hearts.

So many of us hold love close to the chest, just reserving it for those we already love. Moving through the day with monotonous energy, only sharing it until we’re in the safe presence of our loved ones. Fear persuade us to protect the love inside.

Fear of rejection. Fear of abandonment. Fear of being hurt.

Fear of looking desperate.

What isn’t common knowledge is that love dissipates fear. It immediately strips the power from fear. It’s like a magic show when you bring forth your love in the face of fear and watch as the fear cowers away.

Even so, many are still reluctant to exercise this in the moment. But the more we share our love openly, the more we see with our very eyes that this is true.

The time is now to share our love openly with the world.

Not just when it is safe to do so, but in the very existence of any uneasiness. And not just with our significant others and family, but with strangers and all of life around us.

How to love You cannot love with your mind. The depths of love can only be experienced by allowing yourself to fully feel it inside.

Love is the most valuable thing in the world; the very breath of our soul. The fuel that keeps us moving forward. Our universal connection with all; our reason for being. When we understand this, we can call it into our hearts at any time and feel its presence.

One of the many magical aspects of love is that when we consciously feel its glory in our hearts, we instinctively want others to feel it, too. It’s just too great a gift to not share.

And the great part is that we don’t need to look very far, because it’s not necessary to love someone or something in order to share our love with them.

You can make it a daily practice to call it in by reminding yourself of someone you love or even bringing up a memory that is filled with love. In fact, you will still find me blurting out, “Padiddle!” when I spot a one-eyed car on the road. And instantly I feel the smile, laughter and love of my Mom… sometimes, even a little kiss on the cheek.

Love breathes in all living things, not just human beings.

People, spirits, animals and nature surround us and we all take turns sharing love through expression in countless ways.

Verbally sharing love for another is one of the more powerful forms of expression. The selected tone in our voice that decorates each word is a large part of the verbal delivery from one heart to another, declaring the sincerity and vulnerability in our message.

"Love is the voice under all silences, the hope which has no opposite in fear; the strength so strong mere force is feebleness: the truth more first than sun, more last than star.”

~e.e. cummings

Feel.

Love can also be expressed just as powerfully with no words at all, but rather through acts of kindness, compassion, thoughtfulness, generosity and the like. Our actions speak volumes. And we can express love creatively through writing, singing, dancing, painting, etc. The ways that we can share the love in our hearts are unending, but they always start with feeling.

It’s like a circle: Allowing ourselves to feel love is what feeds the desire to express it. And expressing love is what expands love, the ongoing expansion of which keeps the universal energy of love alive.

When to love Now.

e Tara-jenelle Walsch is a monthly columnist for the Eden Magazine. She is the author of the book, Soul Courage, and the founder and spirit behind the Soulebrate greeting card company. You will also find her speaking publicly about emotional and energetic awareness, and a sacred formula which she believes has the ability to enrich the world at large. Tara-jenelle was raised in Annapolis, Maryland and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from Towson University in Baltimore. She currently lives in the beautiful hills of Ashland, Oregon. www.soulcourage.com 75 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e February 2019

The Mindful Tax and Money Guide

By Miriam Bertke

IT WON’T HAPPEN TO

ME

For most of us, financial stability and protection is a top priority. Yet many people overlook what could happen if their income suddenly stopped due to unexpected illness or injury.

Have you seriously considered what could happen if you lost your income due to an illness or injury? Imagine how quickly personal savings, home equity or retirement accounts would diminish if used to replace your income over a long period of time. Many times we can be so caught up in our dayto-day lives that we don’t even think about the possibility of losing our primary source of income.

• How would that impact you and your family?

• Would you be able to pay rent or mortgage, tuition, car payments and for food and clothing?

Your family may be able to get by for a short time without your income or turn to other sources for help, but wouldn’t you rather have a plan in place?

Protection when you need it most Q: What is income protection?

Income protection, also know as disability insurance. The purpose of it is to replace earned income lost due to illness or injury.

Q: Who needs disability insurance?

The quick answer is practically everyone. Yet many people overlook the need for this type coverage. If you rely on your income to pay the bills you likely need disability insurance.

Many people don’t think they will become too sick or hurt to work, yet there are thousands of known diseases and conditions that can cause a disability. Some of them may surprise you.

The chance that any of us may face a disabling condition in the future is real.

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Q: Why do I need disability planning?

Advances in medical care have increased our life expectancies, but not necessarily our quality of life. Life brings us all kind of surprises, good and bad, and there is a possibility for any of us to become physically or mentally disabled, or even both, for an extended time.

Plan ahead to help protect yourself. I’d like to hear about your experience. How life stories similar to this did affect you and your families?

Relocation of families became very common, grown children move away to pursue careers or are transferred around the country, parents move to warmer climates to enjoy their golden years after retirement and as a result, many parents and children today reside great distances from each other. Even when children reside in the same city as their parents, they may not be able to care for their parents. Married couples assume that their spouses will be there for them but do not consider the consequences if their spouses also become disabled.

What happens if no competent spouse is available or no effective planning is in place?

Q: How important is disability income insurance?

Disability coverage is not only important, but essential. For most people, their ability to create income is their most valuable asset. Without the ability to create income, they could lose everything they have worked to build.

• If you have coverage through work, make sure it will be enough, and that you would still be protected if you change jobs or if your employer stops offering the plan.

• If you’re a business owner, protect your business, co-owners and employees.

LIFE STORY I have a friend that never thought it could happen to her until it strikes her like a bolt from the blue: unwanted, unexpected, unwelcome. Unfortunately, many of us are totally unprepared for the financial hit that disability can bring. My friend enjoyed her life, work and was looking forward to continue success and growth opportunities. Driving home from work on a typical weekday, she was a few blocks away from home when she was suddenly rear-ended. While the accident was not life-threatening, she injured her lower back and experienced significant nerve damage.

She was unable to return to work for over nine months. Her husband is self-employed and the reduction in income was a strain on the family. After nine months she was finally able to return to her company, however, in her absence, the company had filled her previous position, and she had to take a position that was a few levels below the one she had been in before the accident in terms of salary and level of responsibility.

While she has regained her health, the time she took off because of the accident has affected her career path, and her overall earnings.

Miriam Bertke is a Financial Services representative. She is a part of The Advisor Consulting Group (ACG), a firm designed to provide financial and estate planning assistance to individuals and businesses.

She has many years of experience, specializes in strategic and comprehensive financial planning focusing on the areas of tax, retirement and asset protection, helping people gain clarity with their financial goals and objectives. She also works closely with attorneys, CPAs, as well as with other financial advisors, creating financial planning teams.

You can also connect with Miriam via email or on LinkedIn: Email: miriam@advcg.com http://linkedin.com/in/miriam-bertke Website: www.advisorconsultinggroup.com

77 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e February 2019

Q&A From Grief to Grace Pet Bereavement Counseling Monthly Column With Pina De Rosa The loss of a beloved pet can be the deepest heartbreak of our lives.

Each month we will address and answer a key topic with Certified Pet Grief Counselor, Pina De Rosa (APLB / AAVSB).

If you wish to send in questions for Pina, please submit them to Pina De Rosa through www.PetBereavementCounseling.com

In our December column on Pet Grief Counseling, we looked at how age-related development stages affects a child’s perceptions and reaction to the death of their pet. We addressed how we can best support a bereft child based on his/her age range.

A specific resource that I wholeheartedly recommend is "Melissa Lyons’ new children’s book that was published just before Christmas. “Until We Meet Again” is a very sweet, touching and helpful book. You can order it on several outlets, including on www.PetBereavementCounseling.com- When ordered through my site, a portion of the proceeds go to #MissionWellington and its www.TreatsForPups.com philanthropic legacy–bringing “doggie bags” of pet food, blankets and supplies to the homeless pets living out in the streets.

For this month’s topic, we get to look at the differences between the four classes of pet owners: 1) weakly bonded 2) moderately bonded 3) intensely bonded and 4) profoundly bonded. As well as what is different when an older pet owner is grief stricken, especially a single older pet owner?

The differences between the four classes of pet owners is the depth of level of attachment. The pet owners who are weakly bonded tolerate having an animal around. That animal is a mere responsibility and is only an “it” for them. The weakly bonded pet owners do not love the animal, they tolerate them.

The animal is not considered a family member, it provides an impersonal function. The weakly bonded pet owners feed and keep the hygiene of the animal. They will also keep animals for animal fights and monetary bets. Some pet owners are quite heartless and relish in the suffering of the animals.

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The pet owners who are moderately bonded, will sometimes express moderate affection for their animal. These pet owners still consider the pet an “it”. The animal is there for the owner’s entertainment and satisfaction. The possible grief and heartbreak felt upon the animal’s passing subsides quite quickly.

The pet owners who are profoundly bonded have a pure bond.

The pet is loved as a family member, and becomes like a child in the family. There is a depth of unconditional love between this owner and the animal that feels safer than with most humans. It is a soul connection and one of the purest forms of unconditional love.

While not necessarily pathological, excessively bonded pet owners experience soulful level of unconditional love with their pets. They experience an even deeper purity of love than the profoundly bonded pet owners feel. For these pet owners, the animal is an extension of their purest self, which can often be felt in the presence of their pet, yet often impossible to describe. Words would be limiting to the experience. For those of us who are excessively bonded pet owners, our trusted pet is more than a witness; he or she is the deepest confidant of our souls. We can be fully ourselves, our truest selves around our animal friend: we do not need to be anything else. Our pet becomes the self-expression of our inner grace. They are the embodiment of the deepest innocence we feel. When our soul mate dies, it becomes a deeply distressing experience, with suicidal thoughts to be expected. Such emotional distress may or may not warrant assistance from a professional therapist. Both the profoundly bonded and the excessively bonded will benefit from bereavement counseling.

79 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e January 2019

Overall the differences between the four classes of pet owners, are in the different roles the pets fulfill in their lives.

One example of the weakly bonded owner is when the animal is left out in the cold or in the heat to serve as an intruder alert; or using the animals in competitions where dogs fight each other.

There is also a level of intensity that can characterize the depth of the human-pet bond, with deeply spiritual aspects engendering a very special responsibility and commitment.

The intensity that can characterize the human-pet bond can be one of the hardest thing to put in to words. Words are actually limiting to the experience as we entrust them with the deepest side of us. Those of us who experience it for the first time did not know that it could be so deep, soul-filling and even overwhelming. The human-pet bond can feel like the purest form of unconditional love, and one of the most spiritual love experiences of our lives. We feel a sense of loving safety, connection and intimacy with our animal that is like no other bond. They become our soul mates, so much so that we can become emotionally dependent on them. The depth of the soul connection we feel is matched by the intensity of the emotional distress we experience when our pet dies. When that happens, it feels like our heart constricts in our chest, and it physically hurts to breathe. That is how emotionally intense, complex and personal the human-pet bond can be. When that bond physically breaks, the intensity of the pain feelsunbearable. It feels insurmountable. In time we realize that spiritual connection is an unbreakable bond that will continue to enrich us for the rest of our lives. As that bond lives in us, and as their spirit lives through us, we get to discover even more about love. That is yet another wonderful gift we receive, even well after they are gone.

Supporting us in learning to handle change is one of the many gifts that characterize the intense human-pet bond. One of the things that changes with time is the special responsibility and commitment that the bond engenders. While they are alive we feel a deep sense of responsibility for them as they depend on us for their every physical need. We commit ourselves to them wholeheartedly, fully ensuring their well-being. As their feedback to us is complete love, innocence and devotion, over time our commitment deepens even more. We even become part of one another. This sense of commitment and responsibility we feel towards them often changes once they pass away. It changes in that it often deepens. Just as they helped us grow and change while they are alive, they leave us yet another gift after they die. Their gift is often a mission with a sense of responsibility. It is an even deeper responsibility that it behooves us to recognize and honor, because it not only honors their loving memory, but it also creates an amazing legacy.

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With that in mind, it is important to know that older pet owners, especially single older pet owners, usually rely on – and love – their companion animals on an even deeper level. A level that requires a different type of grief ] counseling.

Single older pet owners rely on - and love - their companion animals differently as their pets provide a deeper sense of connection in an otherwise lonely existence. Life closes in on the single older pet owners who tend to have less and less of a social life. Within their solitary life, they become deeply emotionally bonded with their companion animal, sharing endless memories and solitude. Their animals also provide a sense of extra emotional security, safety and even extra sensory perception. They might bark if someone is at the door, when the older pet owner may have not heard anyone approaching. The extra safety is also due to living in a cocoon around the pet exposure to the world.

When their pet dies, it feels even harder for the single older pet owner as that reminds them of their own mortality. This is one of the ways counseling them can be different than with other pet owners. The loss of their pet is also the loss of the deeply emotional attachment that made them feel safe in the world.

While the older pet owner’s life is deteriorating, the animal’s love is often times their sole constance. Losing that constance can feel like completely loosing the their footing. That can bea most unsettling experience and, unlike other pet owners, they may not feel they have the strength to recover. It is a deeply profound grief. They can become so emotionally dependent on their love for their pet, and their lonely hearts rely on that very special bond so much, that they can feel completely unsafe in the world when their beloved animal dies.

2 Pina De Rosa is a two-time TEDxSpeaker and Certified Pet Grief Counselor, founder of www.PetBereavementCounseling.com. You may reach her directly for 1-1 Pet Grief Support (sliding scale available). Her passion project is #MissionWellington and his www.TreatsForPups.com, bringing “doggie bags” of pet food, blankets and supplies to the homeless pups living out in the streets.

Follow her at www.Instagram.com/LifeAccordingToWellington

Have you seen Gretchen?!

Missing since 11/11/2016 Please contact us

info@theedenmagazine.com

rt LA

a

24th ANNUAL

SHOW

at Convention Center

Photography

by Sheri Determan

More than 200,000 square feet of exhibition space was on display at Convention center. From January 23 - 27, 2019, fair-goers packed the LA Convention Center’s West Hall to attend the 24th annual LA Art Show, the city’s longest-running art fair and the largest and most comprehensive showcase on the west coast. 120+ galleries from 18 countries packed the hall’s 200,000 square feet of exhibition space, featuring modern and contemporary works, blue chip art, historical pieces and a stunning breadth of new contemporary

and lowbrow work from around the world.

Returning for the third year in a row, DIVERSEartLA’s donated exhibition space showcased installations and performances from non-profits, museums and institutions from around the world, including for the first time ever CCK - Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Art Share LA. The LA Art Show once again cemented its position as the most diversely programmed art fair in the world, dedicated to making art accessible to everyone.

Steve Diamant, owner of Arcadia Contemporary, reflected on the high volume of sales enjoyed at his booth. “We go to a lot of art fairs across the country. But the LA Art Show is our Superbowl,” he said. One of their best-selling artists, Loribelle Spirovski, created a portrait of rising pop-icon Troye Sivan, a major hit among fair attendees. On Saturday, Sivan himself happened upon the painting and posed for pictures in front of it.

The most photographed and talked about highlights of the fair, Anthony James’ large “Portal Icosahedrons” light and mirror sculptures at Melissa Morgan Fine Art, sold to a notable collector. House of Fine Art (HoFA), a gallery with long-established spaces in London and Mykonos, used the LA Art Show to introduce art collectors and Angelenos to their new Los Angeles gallery, which opened only three months ago.

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Simard Bilodeau Contemporary reported high sales and interest from a number of new collectors. Their artist, Yalda Sepahpour, sold out for the second year in a row.

Rebecca Hossack of Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery was excited about sales across the board for her artists. She travels to over two dozen art fairs around the world per year, but notices that she sees the most traffic at the LA Art Show. Many galleries shared the sentiment that this year’s fair offered both a way to meet with longstanding clients, as well as establish relationships with new collectors enthralled by the diversity and growth of the LA art market.

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Opening Night Premiere Gala

Photgraphy by Birdman Photo The LA Art Show kicked off with one of the strongest Opening Night Galas in years, where Kate Beckinsale drew a crowd as the evening’s host, meeting with St. Jude patient families and delivering an address about the organization’s mission to the VIP area. Gavin Rossdale, this year’s Art Ambassador, reminded the audience that art can save lives. They were joined by previous host Emma Roberts, and stars such as Jessica Szohr, Peyton List, Cameron Monaghan, Joe Manganiello, Lance Bass, Amy Smart, Odette Annable, Brandon Boyd, Brigitte Nielsen, Evan Williams Bailee Madison, Kevin Zegers, Dr. Drew Pinsky, Perrey Reeves, Amber Stevens West, JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Naomi Grossman, Davi Santos, Barry Sloane, Brittney Palmer, Ian Bohen, Denim Richards, Celeste Thorson and many more.

Art stars Tristan Eaton, Camille Rose Garcia, Jorge R. Gutierrez, Gregory Siff, Dave Pressler, Brandi Milne, Dosshaus, Gary Baseman, RETNA, Andy Moses, Mikael B, and hundreds more were in attendance, along with over 7,500 VIPs. Proceeds from this event benefited St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for the fifth year in the row. Thanks to generous donors, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because families shouldn't worry about helping their children lives.

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A Loving Heart is the Truest Wisdom ~

~Charles Dickens

Gown: Sue Wong

Earrings: Zirconmania Ring: Ronaldo Designer Jewelry Photography by Isabelle Ruen