The Eden Magazine November 2025

EDEN NOVEMBER 2025

N° 179

T H E

ANCESTRAL CONNECTION WALKING WITH THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE

by Nikki Pattillo

INVITING THE WORLD TO FEEL, HEAL, AND BELIEVE

Kaz

Hawkins

@TheEdenMagazine

TheEdenMagazine

@TheEdenMagazine

Maryam Morrison

Dina Morrone

Dr. Rob Moir

Edward Hakopian

Dulce Garcia-Morman

Emilie Macas

Joe Santos, Jr.

Nikki Pattillo

Brad wallace

JSquared Photography @j2pix

Sheri Determan

Susanna Schroadter

Ben Rollins

Philip Smith

Lisa Joy Walton

Polly Wirum

Artin Mardirosian

Benjamin D.Buren

Greg Doherty

MEET OUR TEAM

EDEN T H E

Since 2010 The Eden Magazine is a free online publication is your guide to healthy living, spiritual awareness, compassion and love for all living beings, holistic lifestyle, mindfulness, organic living, positive thinking, sustainability, and personal development Founder & Editor-in-Chief Maryam Morrison Executive Editor/Contributing Writer Dina Morrone Contributing Writers Sadhguru, Isha Foundation Dulce Garcia-Morman Susanna Schroadter Dr. Rob Moir Emilie Macas Nikki Pattillo Polly Wirum Joe Santos, Jr. Guest Writer Philip Smith Contributing Stylists + Makeup Artist Edward Hakopian Lisa Joy Walton Graphics & Photography JSquared Photography @j2pix (Los Angeles) Artin Mardirosian (Nexision) (Los Angeles) Benjamin D. Buren – AliveStudios.Com (Denver, SanFrancisco, Boston) Sheri Determan (Los Angeles) Greg Doherty (Los Vegas) Ben Rollins (Atlanta) Web developer Brad wallace https://bradwallacedesign.com/ 325 N. Maple Dr. Po Box 5132 Beverly Hills, CA 90209

To purchase a copy, visit us at www.theedenmagazine.com Eden Magazine is a non-profit monthly online magazine that aims to promote a better environment in which humans live in peace and harmony with other living beings. The Eden Magazine supports artists whose work matches 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 The Eden Magazine reviews article content for accuracy before publication. The views expressed in the articles reflect the author(s) opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher and editor. The published material, adverts, editorials, and all other content are published in good faith.

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CONTENTS Table of

10

10

CAROLINE BOUDREAUX FOUNDER OF THE MIRACLE FOUNDATION STORY

16

HONORING VETERAN & MILITARY FAMILIES A TRIBUTE OF LOVE, RESILIENCE, AND SERVICE

20

AN INTERVIEW WITH KAZ HAWKINS

16

32

FERNS, BACTERIA, AND THE SEARCH FOR NATURAL ANTIBIOTICS

by Robert Dale Rogers

38

AN INTERVIEW WITH DR. JAMES MELLON

44

NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE

by Reena Kumarasingham & Andy Tomlison

48

A JOURNEY OF HEALING THROUGH NATURES'S WISDOM WITH DINA SAALISI

32

Cover by: Philip Ducap

62

58

72

HOW TO LIVE THE BEST LIFE POSSIBLE

by Sadhguru/Isha Foundation

HOW TO BE GRAEFUL IN AN UNFAIR WORLD?

by Emilie Macas

ANCESTRAL CONNECTION WALKING WITH THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE

by Nikki Pattillo

AN INTERVIEW WITH KAYOKO MITSUMATISU EMPOWERING LIVES THROUGH GIFT OF YOGA

BALANCING THE ELEMENTS

by Dulce Garcia-Morman

UNDERSTANDING THE TRAUMATIC GRIEF OF SUCIDE

by Dr. Jennifer R. Levin

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68

68

72

84

90

84 90

GET YOUR OWN COPY TODAY Order the latest edition by visiting our website www.theedenmagazine.com

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MIRACLE

FOUNDATION

From Orphanages to Empowered Families: How Caroline Boudreaux and Miracle Foundation Are Transforming Child Welfare Around the World

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For twenty-five years, Caroline Boudreaux, the inspiring founder of the Miracle Foundation, has dedicated her life to transforming the lives of children who are oppressed and vulnerable around the world.

What began as one woman's mission of compassion has grown into a powerful global movement- ensuring that every child has the right to a safe, stable, and loving family. Through her visionary leadership and unwavering heart, Caroline has helped redefine what it means to care for children without parental support, shifting the focus from institutional care to family-based solutions that nurture dignity, hope, and a sense of belonging.

As the Miracle Foundation celebrates its 25th anniversary.

Carloine's world continues to remind us that true miracles happen when love, purpose, and action unite for the good of humanity.

O

On a sweltering Mother's Day in 2000, Caroline Boudreaux was halfway across the world from her home in Austin, Texas, when a single moment changed her life. Visiting a rural orphanage in India with a friend who sponsored a child there, she expected a cultural experience.

Instead, she found dozens of malnourished children lying on bare concrete floors—without mattresses, comfort, or affection.

That encounter became the spark for Miracle Foundation—now celebrating 25 years of redefining child welfare. Caroline's early mission was to improve orphanages by providing clean water, nutrition, medical care, and education. But as she spent more time in these facilities, she made a startling discovery: nearly 80% of children in orphanages worldwide have at least one living parent or close relative.

These children weren't orphans—they were separated from their families because of poverty, displacement, or crisis.

"I started asking myself: Why are we pouring resources into these institutions when the real problem is that families

don't have the support they need?” Caroline says. “What if we worked to make orphanages unnecessary?"

Shifting the Mission That question transformed the organization's purpose—from improving institutions to preventing the need for them altogether. Miracle Foundation began partnering with local governments and community organizations to reunite children with their families, strengthen struggling households, and ensure separation never has to occur.

This wasn't just a global problem. In the United States, many children enter foster care not because of abuse, but because their families lack resources. As the foundation expanded to the U.S., the strategy remained the same: invest in families, equip social workers, and prioritize prevention over placement.

"That changed everything for us," Caroline says. "Why wait until children are placed in institutions when we can help prevent that separation in the first place?

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Love Meets Logic At the heart of this new era is an innovative use of technology. Miracle Foundation developed ThriveWell, a digital platform that tracks children's well-being in five key areas: Family and Social Relationships, Household Economy, Living Conditions, Education, Health, and Mental Health.

Photos by Saga Arang, Bill Wegener, & Rushi Shah

The need for this tool is urgent. In the U.S., foster care caseworkers spend an average of 50% of their time on paperwork, leaving less time to focus on the children they serve. The administrative burden contributes to high turnover rates among caseworkers and can overwhelm foster families—sometimes leading them to stop fostering altogether. 30% to 50% of foster families discontinue fostering within their first year.* The result is a system where precious hours are spent managing forms instead of nurturing relationships.

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ThriveWell changes that equation. By streamlining documentation and centralizing data, it drastically reduces the time spent on paperwork, giving caseworkers and foster parents more time to actually care for children.

"Technology allows us to scale love," Caroline explains. "It gives caregivers, social workers, and child advocates real-time insights into how a child is doing—and where we need to step in."

The platform has been transformative, especially in the U.S., where overburdened foster care systems often lack consistent, up-to-date case tracking. By integrating ThriveWell into child welfare programs, Miracle Foundation is helping social workers make faster, better-informed decisions—and ultimately improving outcomes for children.

Caroline Boudreaux is a social entrepreneur and the Founder of Miracle Foundation.

Caroline was born and raised in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and attended Louisiana State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Before her nonprofit work, she had a successful career in media advertising.

For her achievements with Miracle Foundation, Caroline has received a variety of awards, including the Hope Award, the Impact Award, the Champions for Children Community Honoree Award, and the United Nations Humanitarian Award.

She is a popular speaker on topics of Reimagining Philanthropy, Social Impact vs Charity, and how to Engineer a Miracle.

Global Reach, Local Solutions Miracle Foundation's work spans three continents, but its approach is always rooted in local culture and systems. In India and Africa, the organization partners with NGOs and government agencies to move children out of institutional care and into safe, loving families. In the U.S., it focuses on strengthening foster care teams and supporting vulnerable households before a crisis happens.

Across the board, the goal is simple yet profound: ensure every child grows up in a stable, loving family. Decades of data and thousands of reunifications have proven that large-scale, systemic change is possible—and already happening.

Looking Ahead As Miracle Foundation celebrates its 25th anniversary, Caroline's vision for the future is bold. “I hope that 25 years from now, orphanages will exist only in histo-

ry books," she says. "We want to end the need for them globally and transform foster care systems so no child grows up without a family.”

It's a mission rooted in both compassion and practicality. By addressing the root causes of family separation—poverty, lack of resources, and inadequate support systems—the Miracle Foundation is building a world where children not only survive but thrive.

How You Can Help From providing job training for single parents, to offering wraparound services for families, to equipping foster care teams, every contribution fuels the same goal: keep children where they belong—at home.

To learn more about Miracle Foundation's work or support their efforts, visit www.miraclefoundation.org.

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Honoring

VETERANS & MILITARY FAMILIES A Tribute of Love, Resilience, and Service

In every uniform worn and every flag raised, there are stories untold, stories of courage, sacrifice, and too often silent struggle. Veteran and military families carry the weight of service long after homecoming. While we recognize the visible scars of war, it is the unseen wounds, mental health challenges, and post-traumatic stress (PTSD) that demand our deepest compassion.

Within Eden Magazine's core message of love and healing, we pay tribute not only to their service but also to their honesty toward inner peace.

War may end on the battlefield, but its echoes follow many veteran homes. PTS, anxiety, depression, and moral injury can quietly weave into daily life, reshaping thoughts, telecommunication, and identity. These brave men and women who once marched into danger often face their most difficult battles in silence. The

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noise of conflict becomes the quiet of isolation.

The instinct to protect others becomes a struggle to defend oneself against one's own memories. And yet, in this struggle lies a profound truth: mental health challenges do not diminish strength; they reveal a deeper kind of courage.

The courage to wake each morning and fight an invisible war. The courage to seek help. The courage to speak about pain in a world that still too often expects silence.

Military families, too, endure these hidden storms. Spouses become caregivers, learning to recognize triggers, calm night terrors, and carry on days when hope feels distant. Children may not understand the cause, but they feel the change, the heaviness, the quiet, the lingering shadows, the shift in the light. These families are not only supporters, they are silent healers holding the line at home.

Photo by Ryan Hoffman

In The Eden Magazine, we believe healing begins with compassion and conversation. By speaking openly about PTSD and mental health, we honor veterans not with pity and sadness, but with respect.

Nature, creativity, connection, and community have become powerful paths to healing. Some veterans find peace among animals, working with service dogs or an equine therapy program that rebuilds trust and companionship. Others discover release through art, writing, and music, transforming pain into expression. Mediation, breathwork, gardening, and spiritual practices become tools for grounding, allowing them to reconnect with the world and with themselves.

Organizations across the nation are beginning to understand that healing the mind is as critical as healing the body. But true progress begins with us all of us. Do we offer listening ears instead of quick judgment? Do we create spaces where vulnerability is safe? Do we remind our veterans that they are not alone, not forgotten, and not burdens? For many, the healing journey is not linear. Some days bring clarity; others bring memories unbidden. But with support, that path, however winding, can lead not back to the work they were doing, but forward to who they are becoming. Resilience is not the absence of pain; it is the decision to keep moving through it. We must also address the importance of mental health for military families. They serve alongside their loved ones, enduring deployments, uncertainty, and the emotional aftereffects of war.

Photo by Getty Image

Let us raise awareness, not just flags. Let us listen to their stories, not just their salute. Let us serve them in return, with empathy, resources, and unweavering support.

In the pages of The Eden Magazine, we celebrate those who turn pain into purpose- veterans who console fellow soldiers, families who build support groups, and communities who choose kindness over judgment. Their journeys remind us that healing is possible, that hope can be rebuilt, and that love is the greatest act of service.

To every veteran who battles memories, to every family who walks beside them, we see you. We honor you. Your story matters.

Let this truth be more than words, let's be a promise, a promise to stand with you in struggle, to celebrate you in strength. And to believe together in the power of healing.

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K A Voice Carved from Heart and Harmony

az

Hawkins

The extraordinary Kaz Hawkins, a voice as powerful as it is tender, and a spirit whose resilience continues to inspire audiences across the world. With her soulful storytelling and boundless authenticity, Kaz has transformed her journey of challenges and triumphs into music that heals, uplifts, and connects deeply with those who listen. Her artistry is not just about melody and words, but about courage, honesty, and the reminder that through vulnerability comes strength.

We are delighted to share her story with you, one that shines with warmth, passion, and hope.

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“

I KNOW BRAVERY SEEMS LIKE SOMETHING FOR SUPERHEROES, BUT YOU ARE BRAVE EVERY DAY, RIGHT NOW, NAVIGATING WHAT IS HAPPENING TO YOU AND STILL FIGHTING!

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Your music spans blues, soul, jazz, and Celtic influences— how do you intuitively know which genre a song belongs to when you're writing it?

I've never sat down and thought, "I'm writing a blues or a ballad song today." The song tells me where it wants to go. Sometimes it's got that blues grit on guitar, or sometimes I sit at the piano & let my fingers lead the way, feeling what I feel in the moment.

It's mostly my pain or joy that directs me, not a genre. My job?

To feel my way and dress it in the right "musical clothes." As artists, we are often limited by society's expectations to fit into a single category, allowing marketing to dictate where we are positioned. My Celtic influences don't come naturally, as I never experienced Traditional Irish music, but I play a little Bodhrán Drum, and it is now having an effect on the songs I am releasing now. They say there is a Celtic rhythm in all of us born on the island of Ireland.

In 2025, you are launching several distinct musical projects.

What inspired you to separate your work into these focused formats, and how do they reflect the different facets of your artistic identity?

For years, I threw everything together like one big stew, which some people found confusing.

But since living in France and now as I'm embarking on a yearlong European Tour, I thought, no! Let's let each side breathe and have its own identity. I'm fortunate enough to have a growing fan base that I am very open with, allowing me to see what suits different fans.

The blues/rock quintet? That's fire and grit and my longest-running show. It's all about being a

diva; they call me 'Mama Kaz,' so I open these shows and festivals with a big growl, singing 'Come to Mama.' This appeals to the blues/rock fans because they get to dance. I don't do many of my ballad hits in this show, but when I perform Because You Love Me with my guitarist's epic solo, people are transported to a time when they used this song for their own healing.

The piano/voice duo? That's me stripped right back, and the show is called My Life And I, which tells the story of each song I wrote. It is my mental health mission to create a safe space for the audience to let any feelings they want out. These are my hit songs that have helped build my fan base. My ballads have helped so many in times of need. For me, it's also cathartic as I share my most personal memories in the hope it gives someone else the strength to fight. As a mental health mission, it's also to educate and inform those who may not understand what someone is going through. This is my safe space to talk about social issues like domestic violence, abuse, and more.

The Jazz/Celtic Quartet? That's elegance and storytelling. I don't come from a jazz background, but it is a free form that allows me to go where I want at that moment. Adding a Cello in this format has brought in a beautiful Celtic feel, which means I can take my songs to another creative place.

All of these projects are like showing the world all my personalities. I have ADHD, so this also helps my brain put everything in the right place. Although my tagline now is 'It's not blues, it's not jazz, it's just Kaz' haha.

Your recent songs include sweeping orchestral arrangements—what drew you to this cinematic style, and how has it expanded your storytelling through music?

I've always dreamed or imagined things in widescreen. Working with an orchestra let me paint on the biggest canvas possible. When those strings swell, they take my story higher than my voice ever could on its own. It's not just music; it's an emotional connection like no other.

Dramatic, all-consuming, and glorious yet calming and rhythmic. My new album will also release some Orchestral Versions, so this will be new for the fans.

Your documentary, My Life and You, is a deeply personal portrait. What was it like to revisit your past while filming, and what do you hope audiences take away from your story?

It was like opening boxes in the attic you swore you'd never open. Painful. But necessary. I had to sit with parts of my story that I'd buried deep. I have always been very open and vocal about my story, but this was different because I had always had control over how I told it.

This was a production team presenting my life. Everyone was incredibly supportive and gave me the space I needed when I needed it. Still, it was emotionally exhausting, so much so that I col-

lapsed to the floor when we filmed the last shot, which was my most personal song, Surviving, about losing my childhood to a family member.

I disappeared into my head for 3 days after it because it drained every inch of strength from me, and I needed to fight and remind myself what it was for, to help others. Then I saw just how far I've come. I'm still in awe of myself, even now, for doing that, so I want people to watch it and think, "If she made it through… maybe I can too." This is the only legacy I want for my music.

Survival and resilience are recurring themes in your work. Can you share a moment in your journey where music became a lifeline for you?

After I left an abusive relationship, I was empty, addicted to Cocaine, and broken. As you will hear many survivors say, I went with nothing and had to rebuild. Writing One More Fight gave me a reason to get out of bed. It was my scream into the void, and then that scream became my lifeline. The song is a thank you to the policeman who saved me, the doctor who healed me, and my mother who came back from the grave when I lay dying on the ground to tell me, 'get up, one more fight, darling, one more fight'—hallucination, perhaps, but it made me fight.

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Life is always one more fight, some fights more traumatic, but even the simple things, like trying to get through the day without thinking you're a failure, is a fight. What is more important is celebrating the positives, and for me, it was the people who saved my life; however, this can mean something different to others. This is resilience, keeping going and knowing you are worth the fight. I used to say, 'I can't fight anymore, I don't have the strength,' but now I realize this is negative in itself. I have my own way to deal with my demons, so now I drown out the noise with positivity, peace, and lots of love.

You were invited to the Florence Academy of Art in Alabama to participate in Something in the Water, an initiative designed to raise awareness about the limited access to the arts for children in Alabama. What did that experience mean to you personally and artistically?

I saw kids who'd never had access to the arts

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being given that chance. Their faces, and theirtalent was so amazing. I'll never forget them.

That spark, that light. It reminded me that art isn't a luxury. It's survival for some kids. As I came from an impoverished background, I could identify with them, and I was shocked that, in these modern times, something as simple as music should be accessible to any child. I now live in France, and giving children access to music is deeply ingrained in the fabric of education and culture here. In Alabama, some of the world's greatest artists have produced music, so it meant so much more knowing this hardship. For example, Muscle Shoals was once the 'hit recording capital of the world' and yet these children didn't have access to only the stories of times gone by.

Jerry Foster, the principal of the school, is trying everything he can to help these children, so I sang some of those hits for the record, Something in the Water, to help them raise money.

I know bravery seems like something for superheroes, but you are brave every day, right now, navigating what is happening to you and still fighting!

“

"I MEDITATE, SLEEP, AND

REBOOT MY CONFIDENCE

BY FOCUSING ON MYSELF. I'M STILL LEARNING THAT THE WORD "NO" ISN'T SELFISH; IT'S A MATTER OF SURVIVAL."

As someone who has overcome profound personal challenges, how do you protect your energy and stay grounded while continuously sharing so much of yourself on stage?

I pour every last drop of myself into a show. I give the audience all I can, so off stage, I have to rejuvenate again. I take time out at home, and I turn the music off for Silence. I meditate, sleep, and reboot my confidence by focusing on myself. I'm still learning that the word "no" isn't selfish; it's a matter of survival. I moved to France so that I wouldn't have memories on every street corner holding me back. I'm thankful to my talent for that opportunity, because many people cannot simply up and move. For me, I had to leave Northern Ireland, as the triggers were everywhere. I return home every few years for a show, as I will never forget my roots; however, my life is now in France. I have a great record label, Dixiefrog, which has supported me since 2020. With a strong support network of friends, I can stay resilient and continue my music mission, which I began in 2010, focused on mental health.

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You've become a powerful voice for mental health awareness and domestic abuse survivors. How do you balance being a performer with the emotional responsibility of advocacy?

The balance is remembering my role. I'm not a therapist. I'm a light-holder. I carry the flame until someone else can carry their own. The music is a safe space where the audience can feel free to cry, laugh, or just be silent and listen. I sometimes cry during certain songs (especially when I'm very tired), and I can hear the gasps and cries from the audience. However, after, I remind them that it's okay to cry, to release what is inside, but that we cannot stay there. I then play a fun song that makes everyone laugh, because I'm a joker too, and it's a roller coaster of emotions that they can experience within the security of music. This lets them know that I, too, am normal, and in this moment, together we are one, carrying each other. Therefore, the burden they carry isn't as heavy for a few hours. That is the greatest gift I can give through music, time out from the pain.

What changes would you most like to see in how the music industry supports artists dealing with mental health issues or trauma?

I'd love to see mental health treated the same as physical health.

No shame. No "push through or you'll lose the gig." Just proper support, flexibility, and understanding that cancelling for your mind is as valid as cancelling for a broken leg. Additionally, this industry is one of the most challenging to navigate because it is constantly evolving and rejecting new ideas. For years, I was a secret songwriter because I was afraid of rejection, and it wasn't until my 50s that I became completely comfortable with my talent and contribution to the industry. I don't want other musicians to have to wait so long for this security.

Every gig is someone else's business to make money, so there needs to be a mindfulness of everyone's contribution.

woman once made a 15-hour return trip to see me after hearing One More Fight. She was fighting addiction. My song gave her the courage to change her life. A few weeks later, she saw I was playing in Muscle Shoals, and she had to be there. I was singing for friends in a little juke joint, and she arrived. I knew she was a singer & I saw her at the back of the room crying into her hands, not believing she was there. When I began to sing the song, I called her up on stage to sing this song with me. I cradled her in my arms as she cried, trying to sing, but in those few moments, she knew she was safe. She didn't need to sing the whole song; the little bits she could muster were enough between her tears for her to know she was safe. I knew what she was going through. I held her tight and kept singing as she wept and expelled whatever demons were holding her to ransom.

Can you tell us about a moment when someone from your audience told you your music or advocacy made a difference in their life?

I receive daily tags and messages across social media with stories, and because I'm very accessible to my fans, I get to know many of them. Some have even become close friends. A young

It was something I can't explain to anyone, only that the music kept us safe. I have watched her grow and while she still battles, she aims every day to have a career in music. Telling my story doesn't allow me to fix people; I hold them in whatever way I can to remind them of their own strength and that they are worth it. Then they return to the world rejuvenated.

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What message would you like to share with those currently living in fear due to domestic or sexual abuse?

These things are none of your doing; they are not your fault! Secretly tell yourself that one day you will be free, that you deserve to be happy. My life was for so long in guilt for something I had no control over. I know it's frightening! I know bravery seems like something for superheroes, but you are brave every day, right now, navigating what is happening to you and still fighting!

I am with you and using my voice for change. Please know that you deserve the chance to love yourself unconditionally and that you are not defined by these deeds EVER! I promise you, as a survivor, life can be beautiful. The scars I still carry are my badges of honour!

You said your tattoos are your armor and a way to give hope. Can you tell us about the first piece you chose and what it meant to you at that moment?

My very first tattoo was a little cupid shooting his bow. I was in my twenties, young and romantic, and I thought it was sweet.

At the time, it was just that: a cute little mark. It only became armour later on. As the years passed, I began to cover scars from self-harm with art, turning pieces of pain into something beautiful and intentional. Now, Cupid has been replaced by a design inspired by my Aquarius water sign, a reminder to stay calm in the storm. I'm not ashamed to say those scars are still there under the ink; that truth is part of my story. But choosing to look at my skin with creative eyes instead of shame has been its own kind of healing. My tattoos are a language I use to say: you can turn a negative into a positive, you can reclaim your body, and there is hope on the other side.

How has sharing this part of your story changed the way fans or strangers connect with your music and your message?

When I began opening up about my story, I didn't realise how deeply it would resonate. Now, there's this intimate bond between me and the audience. People don't just come to hear songs; they come to feel less alone. They often share their own traumas with me, and because my shows have become a safe space, there's a sense of healing in the room. It's not just performance anymore, it's connection, it's community, and it reminds us all that music can hold the weight of things words sometimes can't.

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Having moved from Ireland to France, how has living abroad influenced your creativity and perspective as both an artist and a woman?

Wow, it has changed so much. France is a melting pot of different cultures, with many African/Ethiopian influences in parts of the country. However, in other parts, it still very much honours its Medieval roots. It's not strange to see someone sitting with an accordion or instruments even older than the chateaus themselves, which is a wonderful thing to experience as a creator. Culture in general is appreciated and supported more. The audience somehow knows exactly all you put into a song to bring it to life; they celebrate it with you, vocally, stamping their feet, maybe even dancing. I am always overwhelmed by their willingness to let themselves be free in the moment. This has given me peace I never had before. To create without expectation and not according to any rulebook.

You're now exploring Celtic Contemporary sounds—what does reconnecting with your Irish roots mean to you at this stage in your career?

I've never performed Irish Traditional music, even though I'm from Ireland, so it's not really going back to my roots, but rather I wanted to explore my heritage. I'm of Scotch-Irish and Norwegian ancestry, so I feel a very rhythmic essence in all my music. Celtic vibrations are felt throughout most societies today, so I'm blending it now with the woman I've become.

I love to play percussion as it's like expelling my demons when they raise their heads from time to time.

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Any upcoming projects?

Yes, I'm so excited to be releasing my latest album, Coming Home, in Dubai on November 15. I no longer suffer trauma, but I am a singer/songwriter, so I have many stories yet untold. This album is about coming home to myself, no genres, no expectations, and only for me. I have felt imprisoned most of my life, and this album is the creation I have dreamt of for so long. For the first time, I collaborated with my songwriting friends Mathis Richter-Reichhelm and Michael Handshuh in Berlin, where I recorded this album. I had songs that I buried nearly 30 years ago, and they helped me revive them. I will then tour the album with all my projects on a huge yearlong European Tour. I will also release my second live album in 2026, so I'm setting myself up for the biggest year of my life. But at 52, I say, "It's not blues, it's not Jazz, it's just Kaz, so why not?" The challenge is to navigate all this during the throes of menopause, which is another interview in itself, but for now, I thank your readers for this opportunity to share a little of my life with them.

Special Thanks to: Kaz Hawkins Socials/Youtube @kazhawkinsmusic www.kazhawkins.com Photography by Philip Ducap www.philipducap.com & Thierry Wakx MUA/Wardrobe Emilie Gomez Editing by Dina Morrone Location in Brittany, France with Château de la Roche-Jagu & Laurence

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FERNS, BACTERIA, and the Search for NATURAL ANTIBIOTICS

By Robert Dale Rogers

For centuries, ferns have been trusted allies in folk medicine—used to calm coughs, heal wounds, and even guard against spirits. However, in the era of antibiotic resistance, these ancient plants may be emerging into the spotlight once again.

Modern science is confirming what Indigenous and traditional cultures have long known: certain ferns, especially maidenhair fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris), have significant antimicrobial properties. These aren't just anecdotal claims; they're backed by emerging research showing ferns' ability to inhibit some of the most dangerous bacteria we face today.

A Natural Defense Against Resistant Bacteria Among the most alarming developments in global health is the rise of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria—pathogens that no longer respond to conventional antibiotics. In this con-

text, maidenhair fern shows promise.

Ethanol extracts from maidenhair fern have demonstrated inhibitory effects against all six ESKAPE pathogens—a notorious group of bacteria responsible for the majority of hospital-acquired infections. These include: • • • • • •

Enterococcus faecium Staphylococcus aureus Klebsiella pneumoniae Acinetobacter baumannii Pseudomonas aeruginosa Enterobacter species

The fern's action against these pathogens suggests a potential role in treating or preventing infections where antibiotics fail. What's more, extracts were effective at remarkably low concentrations, suggesting potent bioactive compounds with real therapeutic potential.

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Healing from the Forest to the Lab Maidenhair fern isn't the only star. Ray fern (Actiniopteris radiata), widely used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine, is another powerhouse. Its rhizomes have been used for a variety of purposes, including gastrointestinal issues, chronic cough, parasites, and skin conditions.

Scientific studies now confirm its antimicrobial effects, along with significant anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and even antidiabetic benefits.

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The compounds responsible for these effects include: • Hentriacontane: a long-chain hydrocarbon with anti-inflammatory and antitumor properties • Rutin: a flavonoid that protects against oxidative stress, inflammation, and even male infertility • Quercetin derivatives: known for their antioxidant and antimicrobial activity

These aren't just laboratory curiosities. In parts of India and Nepal, fronds are still chewed to alleviate sore throats, applied as poultices to the skin, or brewed into decoctions to treat internal infections and inflammation.

A Fungal Ally: Chaetomium globosum One of the most exciting discoveries comes not from the fern directly, but from a fungus that lives on it. In Egypt, researchers isolated Chaetomium globosum from healthy maidenhair fern leaves. The fungus's ethyl acetate extract showed: • Strong antibacterial effects • Cytotoxicity against liver and melanoma cancer cell lines • Inhibition of herpes simplex virus type 2 • Blocking of butyrylcholinesterase, an enzyme linked to Alzheimer's disease What's more, the extract reduced inflammation in rats with rheumatoid arthritis, hinting at even broader therapeutic applications.

Robert Dale Rogers is a master herbalist with over 50 years of experience and the author of more than 60 books. A former clinical professor in family medicine and editorial board member of the International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms, Rogers is a trusted voice in plant-based healing.

He lives in Camrose, Alberta.

More about the book here: www.innertraditions.com/the-fern-pharmacy

From Cough Syrups to Wound Washes Historically, ferns have been widely used in home remedies across various cultures. In France, a honey-based syrup known as sirop de capillaire was made from maidenhair fern and orange blossom water, used to ease bronchitis and pulmonary infections. In the Philippines, the same fern was applied topically for blisters and wounds. In parts of India, it was added to cow's milk to treat leucorrhea or brewed into tea to alleviate menstrual cramps and regulate blood sugar levels.

It's worth noting that while ferns are rich in bioactive compounds,

they can also contain thiaminase, an enzyme that breaks down vitamin B1. So moderation and proper preparation are key.

Fish, Fungus, and the Future of Medicine Surprisingly, the antimicrobial strength of ferns is also showing promise in aquaculture. When maidenhair fern leaf powder was added to the feed of common carp, the fish grew faster, showed improved immune responses, and became more resistant to infections like Yersinia ruckeri, a bacterium that causes red mouth disease.

This suggests that ferns could play a role in producing natural antibiotics for animal agriculture, potentially reducing the need for synthetic drugs in fish and livestock, an industry often blamed for contributing to antibiotic resistance.

An Ancient Ally Reimagined Maidenhair fern is a botanical icon. From ancient Egypt to Ayurvedic texts, its delicate fronds were revered for both their beauty and healing properties. Now, in the age of laboratory testing and genomic mapping, we're rediscovering just how sophisticated nature's pharmacy is.

As one study notes, maidenhair fern extracts are "equivalent to orlistat in inhibiting pancreatic lipase" (a key obesity drug) and "comparable to metformin" in specific antidiabetic effects. And yet, its antimicrobial effects may be the most pressing gift it offers.

In a world running out of effective antibiotics, turning to ancient, overlooked plants like ferns isn't just poetic—it might be practical.

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36 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e NOVEMBER 2025

Give a Shelter Cat a Home

Photo by Kateryna Hliznitsova

Adopt Today

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J Dr.

JAMES

MELLON TURNING LIFE'S HARDEST QUESTIONS INTO PATHS TOWARD HEALING AND EMPOWERMENT

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When faced with life's most painful moments, many of us search for answers, and often we pull in many directions. Few voices remind us of the essence of humanity and the power of the spirit that unites us all.

Dr. James Mellon is one of these rare visionaries. Dr. Mellon offers a beacon of clarity through his Amazon #1 Best Seller, The 5 Questions. This powerful book provides us with the tools to ask the right questions, listen deeply, and transform our approach to navigating life.

Dr. Mellon, a former Broadway performer turned spiritual teacher and author, invites readers into a sacred dialogue with themselves, one that opens the door to joy, resilience, and connection.

In this conversation, Dr. Mellon shares with us the principles that have shaped his path, the importance of compassion in a complex world, and how we can each cultivate a more conscious, spirit-filled life.

Your book, The 5 Questions, is being praised as a transformational guide for those facing life's challenges. Could you share what inspired you to write this book and why you felt now was the right time?

I was facilitating a conference on the West Coast and was scheduled to lead a workshop (which had been labeled TBD). On the day of the workshop, I had confused my time slot. One of the students passed me on a path to the conference center and told me that they were excited to see what the workshop would be. I jokingly said that I was, too. Then the student said they'd see me there in an hour. I WAS SURPRISED! I thought my workshop was the next day, but it was in AN HOUR! I immediately sat under a giant oak tree and closed my eyes. After a few minutes of meditation, the 5 questions came forward fully worded and in the exact order I now present in the book. I entered the workshop with the questions, and it all unfolded beautifully. Little did I know that these questions were preparing me for the most difficult and emotionally tragic time of my life.

You describe The 5 Questions as a tool kit for inner inquiry and empowerment. Can you briefly walk us through each question and explain how they can help someone move from reaction to reflection?

Q1 is “Why Am I Here” – This question is a great way to avoid habitual reactions and drop into a questioning state of mind where you hear things that are well beyond the surface level of the relative world.

You may think you are where you are because you decided to be in a particular place at a specific time. But what if there were other reasons, deeper reasons, profound reasons that put you where you are? “Why Am I Here” is a doorway to so much knowing, so much wisdom, so much understanding, and all it takes is to ask the question and LISTEN. Q2 is "What Wants to Know Me" – When this question first came to me, I wondered about the wording.

"What wants me to know me” sounded like there was something outside of myself that wanted me to pay attention to IT. That, to me, was dualistic. So, I had to make sense out of the order of this question.

Here's what I realized: each one of us is an individual within the universal. Rumi would say we are not just a drop in the ocean, but the entire ocean in a drop.

So, if I am the entire ocean, why do I sometimes feel like a wave caught behind a rock, isolated on the shore, trying to find my way back to the sea? That's the physical experience of being on this human journey. I'm still the ocean, but sometimes I need to be reminded of that fact.

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Q3 is “What Wants Me to Release It” – This question brings up a lot. Every day, it seems that there are more things for me to release from my life: beliefs that no longer serve me, limiting habits and patterns, people, events, past failures, and even past accomplishments. It is so easy to get caught up in the past or catapulted into the future, while the present is the only point of power we have. So, the point of this question, which I ask at least once a day, is to ground myself in the present by lightening my mind and untethering myself from things that have no more purpose in my life.

“

THE THING IS, IF OUR THOUGHTS ARE CREATING OUR REALITY, THINKING THE SAME THOUGHT DAY AFTER DAY WILL KEEP US IN THE SAME LIFE YEAR AFTER YEAR.

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Q4 is “What's Mine to Do, Right Now" – The most important part of this question is the final two words ... right now. So often, we impose grand themes on our perspective of what we are meant to do in the world. PURPOSE becomes a word that weighs us down and haunts us in our dreams. It's easy to feel that we’re not doing enough, accomplishing enough, or not having a powerful enough impact on the world. And yet, if we take a moment and ask ourselves, what do I need to do RIGHT NOW, in this moment, not FOR anything but because this moment is alive and vital, we realize that we are always at choice to DO and BE whatever or whoever I decide.

Q5 is the one that takes most people by surprise: "Do I Know How Great I Am" – I believe that the greatest ailment of our generation (and that to me is anyone alive today) is a lack of self-worth, not knowing just how amazing we are.

We often hear people discussing low self-esteem. Well, to me, that is because we don’t know who we are. When I remember that I am the point at which my life is being created by the decisive, intentional use of my mind; that my thoughts and beliefs are designing my life

from the inside out; and that nothing is outside the realm of what is possible for me, THAT is when I remember how great I am. To me, that is a game-changer.

You share a deeply personal story in your book—the tragic loss of your daughter to a drunk driver.

How did that experience shape your understanding of healing, and how is it reflected in the message of your book?

I was sitting in my kitchen in Studio City, California, when the phone call came that my daughter had been in a horrible car accident.

I had just said goodbye to her less than an hour before. As I drove to the hospital, with so much racing through my mind, I asked myself, "Why am I here"? Why am I driving to a hospital on a Sunday evening? Why am I here in a body whose heart is pumping so fast I fear it may burst through my chest?

Why am I here more afraid than I've ever been?

Nora's situation was so precarious that it continued to shift moment by moment. As the details started to become clearer, each question made itself known to me and assisted me as the days unfolded, one after the other. All in all, Nora took five days to transition from her body. In the book, I talk about how every day since she was a baby, I would give her five kisses to begin her day and five more to take her into dreamland. The number five has a significant meaning to me in my life, and it was no accident that the questions that came to me under that tree would amount to the number 5! It was also no surprise that Nora would give us all five days to understand what was going on. Each question revealed what she needed as the five days unfolded, beat by beat, like a song being born. It was the five hardest days of my life, and I was grateful to have the 5 Questions to guide me through them.

There's a beautiful message in your work: it's not about having the "right" answers, but about asking the right questions. How can we learn to trust what comes up when we do this inner work?

That's a great question. Did you know that the thoughts we choose each day are usually the same thoughts we chose yesterday and the day before that? We are habitual creatures by nature, and it has been said that over 95% of our thinking is the same as it was the day before. The thing is, if our thoughts are creating our reality, thinking the same thought day after day will keep us in the same life year after year. Asking the right questions provokes the mind to THINK AGAIN. It’s not that I have to trust everything that goes through my mind as meaningful and truthful, but it is very beneficial to ask the very simple question: "Why am I thinking this?"

Your journey from Broadway performer to spiritual teacher and author is extraordinary. How has your background in the arts influenced your approach to consciousness studies and spiritual guidance?

I came to California to do a musical I had written called "An Unfinished Song." The show was a great success, and my ca-

reer in Los Angeles was starting to take off. I'd had success on Broadway with shows like "A Chorus Line,” "42nd Street," and "West Side Story," but I was very interested in writing for the screen. And so, I wrote and produced my first feature film with bankable stars, and was in a very creative period of writing when a friend asked me to join him at his spiritual center on a Sunday morning. It might sound corny, but when this man said the words made famous by Dr. Ernest Holmes, "There is a power for good in the Universe, greater than you are, that you can use," I was hooked. I wanted to know everything there was to know about this philosophy.

Next thing I knew, I was on track to become a minister. All my training as an actor, singer, and dancer, as well as my writing abilities, have all transferred perfectly into a career as a lecturer, minister, and eventually a teacher. My motto is “Enlightenment Through Entertainment.” I believe that people learn more from an experiential approach to spirituality than from just being talked to or lectured about it. So, my experience in the entertainment field has set me up to become a teacher who is extremely focused on how something makes you "FEEL."

James Mellon as Riff in the Broadway revival of "West Side Story

*Dr. James interviewing Emmy award winning actress, Holland Taylor, on his show The InnerView 41 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e NOVEMBER 2025

Singing with the students of the Casa Guatemala School during an annual volunteer outreach trip

You were recently featured at the Mindvalley Manifesting Summit. What was that experience like, and what message did you hope to leave the audience with?

It was a great experience. Everyone there was primed to walk away with something that would change their life. I was no exception. I asked myself on the very first day, "Why am I here?"

As the conference went along, my time slot was moved a number of times. I wasn't sure what day I would be speaking. I just kept reiterating my personal mantra, "My Life is Unfolding Perfectly." Then, we got the word that it would be on the final day, before Dr. Joe Dispenza. It turned out to be the perfect situation because when I finally took to the stage, I was ready to say something I might not have said on the first day. "We manifest based on who we know ourselves to be." I came up with this idea of "Identity Manifestation." Who you know yourself to be, how great you think you are, and how confidently you interact with the world around you are all part of manifesting in our lives. If I think I can, I can. If I think I can't, I can't. And while it really is that simple, knowing what’s underneath what we think, understanding WHY we think of ourselves in a certain way, is the key to unlocking our power.

For someone picking up The 5 Questions for the first time, what do you hope they walk away with after reading it?

Ultimately, at the end of the day, I would love for everyone who reads this book to realize just how GREAT they truly are, that their GREATNESS isn’t predicated on anything outside of themselves.

As the founding Spiritual Director of The Global Truth Center in Los Angeles, what was your vision when you created 42 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e NOVEMBER 2025

this community, and how has it evolved over the years?

When I opened the center way back in 2003, I didn't want to create just another church. I felt there were enough "churches" out there, and this had to be special to who I was/am. So, along with my husband, we bought a theatre and created both the church, then called "The NoHo Arts Center for New Thought," and the theatre company “Open At the Top” (which is also the title of Ernest Holmes' autobiography). I wanted to create a space where people can utilize their talents, whatever they may be, and experience the joy and creative fulfillment that comes with living a life of free expression. I wanted to use all of my talents, everything I had learned from my theatrical career, and put them all to use in this collective of spiritually artistic expansiveness. And that's exactly what happened.

We started with Sunday services that included a band and singers, spoken word and sometimes dance, performance art, videography, you name it – we tried it. We attracted a large number of creative individuals who all wanted to get involved. We also established a theatre company (separate from the church) and created a collective of actors, writers, directors, and choreographers to collaborate and create. Then I noticed that many members of the theatre company began attending Sunday services.

The crossover was amazing. It was exactly what I had imagined, and it continued to grow and expand. In fact, it grew so large that we had to relocate our Sunday services to a larger venue to accommodate the increasing number of attendees.

As for the evolution of the center, we have, over the years, realized our talents as a teaching center. Our classes are robust and constantly evolving. We no longer own the theatre we started with, having sold it right before the pandemic, which was divine guidance. We still produce and create new artistic endeavors, having taken one of our plays to Broadway to great success. Global Truth Center has created over fifty ministers, many

of whom are now out in the field leading thriving communities.

With the advancement of quantum science into the field of metaphysics, there is just so much for us to explore. That is the new frontier I am most interested in.

How does the work at the Global Truth Center intersect with the teachings in The 5 Questions, and what kind of impact have you witnessed in the lives of those who participate in your programs?

I think the greatest impact of the teaching is found in one’s ability to stand firm in who and what he or she is and feel a sense of knowing that their life is theirs to create.

Every person who puts their mind to work, using these teachings as a basis for self-awareness, begins to understand just how powerful they are. We truly can create the lives we have, perhaps in the past, only imagined. The 5 Questions is a tool to move deeper and more impactfully into that individual realization.

Looking back at your multifaceted life, from Broadway to spiritual leadership, what has been the most unexpected lesson on your journey so far? And how has it shaped the person you are today?

That is such a beautifully provocative question. There has been criticism in my life that I wear too many hats, have too many balls in the air. When my daughter died, I pretty much felt as if I had died as well. I had just completed a one-man show called “SissyBoy,” which was a deep dive into my life as a gay man from the age of seven to then, sixty-three. Nora had been at every performance, and the talk about taking the show to the next level didn’t feel right with her gone. I turned away from it and put it, and many other projects, on a back shelf.

While leading a 5 Questions workshop a short while later, I was asking the question, "What Wants Me To Release It." Everyone was lying on mats on the floor of this beautiful sanctuary, with windows to these sprawling mountains.

The music was playing, and people were breathing into the question. As I repeated the question over the music, I closed my eyes and heard my own answer: "You need to release the need to be one thing or another, you are all of it."

I then asked, "Where should I put my focus?” and I heard, "On ALL OF IT!" I immediately filled with tears and began to smile.

You see, we are not meant to be only one thing. We are meant to be all things, just not all at the same time. Today I might want to write a book. Tomorrow I might want to take a dance class or play the piano. I'm a father and a husband, a writer and a cook. Sometimes I like to stroll, and sometimes I like to race. I have been called many things in my life, and probably they were all accurate for that moment. None of them is exactly who I am, and all of them are partly who I am. Yet, there is still so much more to be, to do, and to experience. I will always be the boy with a hole in his heart, a condition I was born with. I will always be the 25-year-old who starred on Broadway in "West Side Story." I will always be the man who, at 45 years old, finally became a dad to two beautiful children, Will and Nora. I will always be someone who looked cancer in the face and said, "Not today!"

The 5 Questions allows me to be spontaneous and alive and ready to respond to what wants to know me as I move through the ever-changing colors of my life.

That’s the person I am today, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Thanks for asking.

Ultimately, at the end of the day, I would love for everyone who reads this book to realize just how GREAT they truly are, that their GREATNESS isn’t predicated on anything outside of themselves.

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Near-Death Experience

by Reena Kumarasingham and Andy Tomlinson

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I

I was still in my body on my bed when I saw five beings, composed of white light and framed by a blue aura, appear at the foot of my bed. They carried out a full life review, focusing on my emotional wounding in childhood. They then worked on my heart chakra, clearing the wounding and helping me release any deeply held beliefs stemming from those wounds. As I was still in my body, this process felt very visceral, and there was a slight burning sensation in the middle of my chest. This clearing of my heart chakra left me unbound and freed from the burdens and obligations of being human.

I felt that it was safe to be myself.

Then I became aware of leaving my body and bed and traveling to a place in between with the five light beings. It was a dark space filled with dots of light like the pictures you see of space. When I was moving, I felt like I was being pulled by a sudden ocean current.

It was very unexpected, and I was powerless against it. There was also a very tangible feel-

ing of separating from my ego and leaving it behind. Again, I had no choice in this matter.

It happened very quickly, and I was surprised by it. I also let go of everything earthly: worries, work, everything that fed my ego—none of it was needed. What used to matter immensely To me, it suddenly did not matter anymore, especially the achievements and fears.

I was given a choice—to leave or to live.

To leave was to go to that place of amazing freedom and peace on the left. To live was to return to Earth. My memory of how long it took for me to ponder this question is hazy.

I remember feeling how incredibly tempting it would be to leave—to go to the left, to a place of infinite peace and freedom. But I chose to live. I chose to live in that state of freedom and peace in the pockets of Earth, not suffocated by the black plume of smoke, the grid of consciousness. I chose the challenge of bringing the freedom and expansiveness of that space to Earth.

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This was the 'near-death experience' of Reena while she had COVID in 2020. The term' near-death experience' refers to the reports by people who have survived a potentially fatal accident or illness.

Photos by Adobestock

One of the first pioneers in this area was Kenneth Ring, a professor of psychology at the University of Connecticut, who set out to provide a substantial scientific foundational basis for the near-death experience.

With his staff, he interviewed more than a hundred people who had come close to death and found that 49 percent of his sample had some aspects of a near-death experience. He proposed 10 stages of the near-death experience, many of which are covered by Reena's report: 1. The sense of being dead 2. Feelings of peace and well-being 3. Body separation 4. Entering the darkness 5. Encountering a presence or hearing a voice 6. Taking stock of one's life 7. Seeing or being enveloped in the light 8. Seeing beautiful colours 9. Entering the light 10. Encountering visible 'spirits'

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An interesting near-death case was reported by cardiologist Michael Sabom. This was Pam Reynolds, an American singer-songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia. The experience occurred during a complete shutdown of her brain and body functions that had been instigated purposely to allow delicate surgery on a brain aneurysm. Her case is regarded by many as convincing evidence of consciousness surviving death for a short while since her vital signs were monitored continuously, which provided certainty that she was clinically dead at the time.

Ring's research was taken further by psychiatrist Bruce Greyson, a former professor of psychiatry at the University of Virginia. He published more than 100 articles in academic, medical, and psychological journals and edited three books on the subject.

In Europe, Pim van Lommel, a cardiologist at the Rijnstate Hospital in Arnhem, and his colleagues did a comprehensive neardeath study over 13 years. They investigated the experiences of 344 patients in 10 Dutch hospitals resuscitated after a cardiac arrest. They compared the demographic, medical, pharmacological, and psychological data between patients who reported

near-death experiences and patients who did not report one, which was a control group.

They had similar results and published them in the medical journal The Lancet. And further similar results came from British neurophysiologist and neuropsychiatrist Peter Fenwick, who ran a neuropsychiatry unit at the Institute of Psychiatry in London and collected a database of over 300 near-death accounts largely in response to a BBC documentary. pharmacological, and psychological data between patients who reported near-death experiences and patients who did not report one, which was a control group. They had similar results and published them in the medical journal The Lancet. And further similar results came from British neurophysiologist and neuropsychiatrist Peter Fenwick, who ran a neuropsychiatry unit at the Institute of Psychiatry in London and collected a database of over 300 near-death accounts largely in response to a BBC documentary.

Reena Kumarasingham and Andy Tomlinson are psychologists, regression therapists, and lead new consciousness retreats. and more about moving to the expanded consciousness is in their new book BETWEEN LIVES - Past Life Regression, Near-Death Experiences, and the Evolution of Consciousness.

These experiences suggest consciousness can survive physical death. But are there other physical explanations?

Perhaps the pineal gland may react to the perceived threat to the brain by producing DMT, a substance reported to bring on an extremely intense psychedelic state. Or the brain cells firing one last electrical impulse, or the effect of medication. However, some near-death experience accounts accurately reported conversations between others from an out-of-body position.

The subjects also experienced all the senses in the near-death experience, including visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and

emotional, and had memory recall of it, which cannot be explained through a physical perspective. And it is also the positive life-changing impact from the near-death experience that is some of the strongest evidence that the experience is real. This is what Reena reported; Caught in the riptide of my near-death experience, my consciousness began to grow. It was as if a grid or cage around my consciousness had dissolved, and I was allowed to expand to my full capacity. There was no restriction, no constriction. That absolute freedom of just being me was a gift that I would never forget. I felt more connected to my soul. Years later, I became aware of what and who was restricting and constricting me, and I put a stop to them. I moved away from many of the illusions I held about life that had been conditioned into me by culture or ideology. They weren't important anymore. Everything is a choice, and I've realized that no one and nothing is worth making me shrink myself or my consciousness.

The peer-reviewed research by medical professionals suggests that consciousness is not contained within the brain and can survive for a short time after death. It seems that those who have had a near-death experience of expanded consciousness have been given glimpses of their eternal soul and of the afterlife. For most, it is a life-changing event that transforms thinking and beliefs in a positive way. But can this expanded consciousness be created without a neardeath experience? We believe it can, especially during this unique time we are in.

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A

D

JOURNEY OF HEALING THROUGH NATURE'S WISDOM WITH

Saalisi

ina

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Dina Saalisi is a healer, author, and educator whose work invites others to reconnect with their inner truth through nature's subtle power. Having faced early childhood trauma, Dina turned to spiritual and holistic methods not only to survive—but to thrive. Her journey of self-empowerment led her to discover the transformative potential of flower essence therapy, a practice she now shares with others seeking emotional and energetic healing.

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In this heartfelt conversation with The Eden Magazine, Dina opens up about her past, her profound connection to nature, and her upcoming book, Transcending Sexual Trauma: Self-Awareness Tools and Nature-Based Practices to Cultivate Inner Healing.. She also shares insights on how to reclaim inner peace, the role of intuition, and the importance of tending to the spirit through nature's medicine.

Please share a bit about your childhood and how early experiences shaped your path toward healing and self-discovery.

Throughout my childhood, I was a loner, shackled in the bondage of fear. Having suffered sexual trauma at an early age, I kept to myself and innately leaned on poetry and Nature as allies for self-soothing. I used to make up rhymes that I now understand were mantras or affirmations, which helped create a sense of safety within. Also, being outside among the flowers, fireflies, rocks, oceans, and Moon--always felt like a balm for my soul.

What initially drew you to holistic healing, and how did these practices help you reclaim your personal power?

I was born a healer. Much of the wisdom I carry, I don't recall learning in this life.

When someone asks me how long I've been doing this work, my reply is: "lifetimes."

I believe that we all come into this world as healers, able to develop our capacities for wellbeing for ourselves, others, and the planet. So, when I was at a career crossroads many years ago, it felt powerful and right to claim this as my gift to share with others.

mutualism that offers reciprocal nourishment on the physical and spiritual levels.

How did you first discover flower therapy, and what made you realize it could be such a powerful tool for transformation?

I picked up Dr. Edward Bach's book in a used bookstore in Greenwich Village in the late '80s. Heal Thyself was an essential manifesto that I was longing for without knowing it. I intuitively understood every word of his thesis about how to work with the energies of flowers to create emotional shifts within. Naturally, as everything is energy, humans and flowers share a vibrational field that can be attuned to for healing. As I passionately studied and used this system on myself, friends, family, and ultimately with clients, over three decades, I've witnessed the easeful potential for growth that they provide.

Nature plays a powerful role in your work—what is your personal connection to nature, and how has it guided your healing path?

Nature is my work and is the guidebook by which I live. I understood early on that aligning myself with the rhythms and constancy of Nature was essential to being truly armed with the tools for resilience and strength. The more I lean into this medicine, the more I want to care for and protect my natural environments, and the more they give back in return. There's an innate

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“

The best part about flower therapy is that it does not erase the challenging emotions by way of ignorance or suppression; rather, it alchemizes them so that we learn the lessons needed to transform.

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Your upcoming book, Transcending Sexual Trauma: Self-Awareness Tools and Nature-Based Practices to Cultivate Inner Healing. sounds deeply personal and important. What inspired you to write this book, and what do you hope readers take away from it?

What inspired me was the need for a body of collective experience and wisdom about how to reclaim personal power after sexual trauma. It's a victory story in that it shares my journey over the course of fifty years, which echoes the powerful ebbs and flows that all survivors have experienced. To be able to resonate with and validate others in this way continues the cycles of healing for this vulnerable community of potentially empowered beings.

What are some of the most profound transformations you’ve witnessed in clients or in yourself through flower energy medicine?

Every transformation is profound in its own way, depending on the being who experiences it. When one consciously takes responsibility for their mental and physical wellbeing with the support of flower remedies, I’ve seen time and again how they become able to shift the chronic and short-term emotional patterns of the many facets of grief, anger, and fear. To offer these emotions a place to land, be better understood, and ultimately accepted as part of your whole experience, is to truly transform.

The best part about flower therapy is

that it does not erase the challenging emotions by way of ignorance or suppression; rather, it alchemizes them so that we learn the lessons needed to transform.

As a healer and educator, how do you stay grounded and nourished while supporting others through their healing journeys?

I awaken before sunrise and spend the first three hours of every day in spiritual practice. I also keep a 1-acre flower Garden that is the home of my extensive family of non-humans. Over the past two years, I've planted over six hundred organic pollinator plants to invite in birds and invertebrate pollinators. This is my essential way to stay grounded and balanced. If I ever feel confused, sad, or withdrawn, I go outside and see what Bee or Hummingbird has to share with me.

What's something people might be surprised to learn about you— whether it’s a personal ritual, creative outlet, or unexpected source of joy?

I'm obsessed with Lace Lichen. This very special ecological resource is one of the most ancient species on Earth and is the state Lichen of California. Ramalina menziesii is unique in its intricate netlike appearance and its hauntingly moving display hanging from trees. After the winter rains in Northern California, I go out and collect it, and have been using it to make art. and have been using it to make art.

Find Dina at www.DinaSaalisi. com

How do you integrate emotional, spiritual, and physical healing in your practice, and why is it important to address all aspects of the self?

I think any healing practice that provides deeper self-awareness is part of this trinity. Personally, and in my book, I highlight the foundations of a strong connection with Nature and ongoing psychospiritual inner work, as a way to ensure wellbeing. These practices are important, as they help us to balance the overuse of our intellect when trying to heal. Indeed, it's important to gather scientific information to develop an understanding of the systems we're employing. Still, ultimately we must go inward to create new neural pathways, which will lead to lasting change. So, it's about creating a balance of intellect and intuition.

Find Dina at www.DinaSaalisi.com

Can you speak about the role of intuition in your healing work, and how someone can begin to trust their own inner wisdom?

Trusting intuition is about letting go of expectations, control, and fear. We all

"know" what's right on the inside, but often we choose to ignore it to protect ourselves from difficult realities. Being in Nature is the best way I've found to connect with my inner voice. You can’t hide from dirt, sky, and trees. I encourage others to journal, preferably first thing in the morning, to illuminate their inner truths.

This is a liminal time that provides the opportunity for connecting with your inner wisdom, before your brain wakes up. Re-read your writings from the previous period on the new and full Moon of each month to glean new awareness and insights.

What advice would you offer to someone who is just beginning their healing journey, especially after experiencing deep emotional or sexual trauma?

My book will offer wisdom and inspiration for anyone on their healing path.

Start slowly and do what feels right. Journaling and Nature are a powerful combination to underpin your foundation for stellar health and dynamic wellbeing.

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Welcome to Our Contributor Writers’ Neighborhood

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by Sadhguru, Isha Foundation

HOW TO LIVE

Photo by Ryan Arnst

THE BEST LIFE POSSIBLE

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Sadhguru: There are two ways to address your life.

One way is to set goals and go for them. But what kind of goals will you set? Something that you are impressed with in the world, something that you have not yet done, something that is yet to be in your life. You are trying to be like someone else or do something that someone else is doing.

Whatever goals you arrive at, they are all in some way within the limitations of what you already know, or maybe a little exaggerated versions thereof. Is it not tragic to spend years trying to achieve what you already know? My intention is that things that you do not know should happen to you. Things that you have never imagined should enter your life. Only then will your life be truly enriched. What is the point of only doing things that you already know?

When it comes to financial or physical things that you want to achieve, maybe if it matters to you, you can set up such goals. Personally, I think even that is a waste of life. Suppose you have a million dollars and your goal is to have a billion dollars by the end of the year. If it does not happen, it is a good thing because you have lived in that hope.

But if it happens, let us say in January itself, then

what will you do? You will want to make it ten billion dollars. There was a time when you could be happy with one dollar. Now, for the same happiness, you need a hundred dollars. That is called inflation. That is not an enhancement of life.

All that you do with life is create inflation. Inflation is neither good for the economy nor for your life. In physics, inflation means filling up something, like you inflate the tires of a car with air. But in economics, inflation means certain parameters go out of control. Now you are consciously causing inflation in your life – that is not an intelligent way to go about it. By setting time-bound goals, you may achieve a few things, but it will be of no consequence to the life that you are.

Instead of setting long-term goals, just set this one thing: By the end of the day, you must be a little more joyful, a little more enhanced, a little better.

This will not work as a goal – it is better to look at it in retrospect. Tomorrow evening, just check, "Am I a little better than yesterday?" Just look at these twenty-four hours – it will make you more conscious. This is not about you being joyful or peaceful. This is about you being conscious of as many aspects of your life as possible.

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Human life really happens if you throw yourself into everything.

If you hold back, you will miss life.

If you do not give yourself totally to what you are doing, you don't deceive someone else – you only deceive yourself about life.

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You will do your best about whatever you are conscious of. Most of the nonsense happens because you are unconscious of so many things. All we need to do is become conscious of everything – our own nature, mental states, emotional states, life, physical situations, financial situations, and ecological situations. If you become conscious, you will do your best. That is all you need to do in life. But right now, you believe that unless you create tension, you will not achieve anything. To get from where you are to where your goal is, you create tension – it is like a rubber band effect. You try to keep moving from one place to another – from one level of social status to another, from one financial status to another, from one educational status to another. This is no different from how the caveman was, how hunters and gatherers were – "gather as much as you can."

Anything that you gather, whether it is your knowledge, your wealth, your relationships, or whatever else, is only of value for the current transactions.

If you keep it active, it will facilitate a few things for you. It has social consequences, but it has no life consequences. Instead of setting goals, it is best that you find ways to nourish the life that you are. If you are nourishing this life, you only have to measure the growth.

Suppose you plant a mango tree. If you set the goal that by the end of 2026, it must bear a thousand fruits, otherwise you will cut it down; all that will happen is you will cut the tree. The way to do it is to see how to nurture this tree in the best possible way, and then do that.

Don't worry about getting a thousand fruits. Whatever best can come out will come out of it. If you nourish it in a certain way, it may be more than you can imagine.

In those days, they piled up bones, feathers, and the like. Now maybe you are thinking of stocks, shares, and property. Maybe you are thinking of conquering another nation. On a material level, it looks different, but fundamentally, it is the same rudimentary thought of accumulating things. All this accumulation would make sense had you organized transport to take all these things with you when you die.

Having your own furniture in Heaven or especially in Hell would be great.

But there is no container service at the end of your life.

It is not good to set goals in any sphere of life, because you will only be doing something that you already know.

Nothing completely new will happen in your life. I think that is a tragedy.

Your dreams coming true is no good. A fantastic life means that what you could not even dare to dream of becomes a reality.

Results will happen depending on how well you handle the process of life, as well as on the times and on where you are. Today, you may put in a certain amount of effort, and you will earn a million dollars. A thousand years ago,

someone ten times smarter than you put in a lot of effort, but still, they only earned a small amount.

But this comparison is not the point. The important thing is that for the times they lived in, they yielded the best they could. For the times you live in, are you yielding the best you can? That is the question.

Infrastructures to Raise Human Consciousness

Experience Yoga in its classical form at Isha Yoga Center Los Angeles and Isha Institute of Inner-sciences.

Established by Sadhguru, the centers serve as powerful spaces for inner transformation and raising human consciousness. Located in northern Los Angeles County and Tennessee, the centers offer an array of yoga and meditation programs in a vibrant and conducive ambience.

You are invited to Free Yoga Day, a monthly open-door event a t the center. On this day, we offer a variety of free sessions dedicated to educating and empowering individuals to take charge of their well-being through simple but powerful practices sourced from the Yogic tradition.

Learn more at ishausa.org/la

I know every management school is talking about setting goals. But goals are not set for oneself – they are set to drive other people. There are a lot of people who will never do their best – they are always under par. They are not conscious enough to understand that, as a human being, you must do the best you can in your life. Otherwise, life will be wasted. For such people, you have to set goals. If you are a donkey, the less you do, the smarter you are, because there are no other possibilities for you beyond eating, reproducing, sleeping, hanging around, and dying one day. Because there are no possibilities, the less you do, the better. Too many people have adopted this donkey philosophy.

They think that if they do less and get more, they are doing well. In reality, they are just stupid. They are missing the whole possibility of life.

Human life really happens if you throw yourself into everything. If you hold back, you will miss life.

If you do not give yourself totally to what you are doing, you don't deceive someone else – you only deceive yourself about life.

Once, bad times came upon Shankaran Pillai. He was a construction laborer doing menial work to earn a living. He had to carry twenty-five bricks on a board, take them up three floors, put them there, come back down again, and so on. But after some time, once the foreman was gone, Shankaran Pillai started carrying the same set of bricks up and down. People who were work-

ing with him watched this and said, "Hey, why are you bringing back the bricks?" "Well, the foreman is not looking, right?" "But now you are carrying the bricks both ways, you idiot! Otherwise, at least coming down, you would not have had to carry the load."

This is what happens if you try to do less – simple things will become burdensome in your life. People are having so much trouble just going to the office and doing nine-to-five work. They are not managing the company. They are not managing the government. It's just a chunk of work that someone has given them, just for a living – how complicated they are making that! From that, they are getting high blood pressure, and their heart is breaking.

You must see the scenes that happen in families. Just two people living together – how complicated!

Their work, their children, their spouses, their homes, their jobs, their driving – people suffer just about everything. This happens because they are not conscious enough to understand that life works best when you throw yourself into it, without bothering about what comes back. Life happens because of your involvement, not because of what you get. What are you going to do with what you get? The only sick pleasure you could have is if you compare yourself with someone else who has less than you. If you want to know and enjoy life, if you want to explore the full potential of this life, the only way is through absolute involvement. Let us see what will come out of it. If it is winter, nothing comes out of the earth. In springtime, with a little effort, a lot comes out. The same goes for life.

The biggest mistake people make is to be goal-oriented. If you just do what you have to do, life will naturally flower.

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The Angel Connection

By Nikki Pattillo

Photo by A.C

Ancestral Connection: Walking with Those Who Came Before 62 THEEDENMAGAZINE.COM e NOVEMBER 2025

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Human beings have always carried within them a longing to understand where they come from and how they are shaped by those who lived before them. In every culture and tradition across the globe, there exists some form of remembrance, ritual, or practice that honors ancestors. To speak of ancestral connection is to recognize that the living are never entirely separate from those who have passed on, that the thread of life extends beyond a single generation, weaving a fabric of continuity, memory, and spiritual wisdom.

At the heart of ancestral connection is remembrance. It is more than recalling names or recording family trees; it is a spiritual act of honoring those who made survival, culture, and identity possible. In many traditions, remembering ancestors is considered an act of love. It is the recognition that life is not a solitary achievement but a gift passed down through countless sacrifices, joys, and struggles.

In November, especially in the Western world, spiritual attention often turns toward those who have departed. Days such as All Saints' and All Souls' in the Christian calendar, or cultural commemorations like

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Día de los Muertos in Mexico, serve as reminders that the living and the dead remain mysteriously connected. To light a candle, to speak a name aloud, or to share stories of those who came before is to acknowledge the sacred presence of memory.

Ancestral connection is not merely historical; it is deeply spiritual. Within every person flows the wisdom of countless generations. Stories of resilience, acts of courage, and quiet lessons of endurance all form part of the spiritual inheritance that shapes the present. While some inheritances are tangible, like heirlooms, photographs, or written words, the most powerful inheritances are often unseen.

When one feels inexplicably drawn to a particular virtue like patience, faith, or perseverance, it may be a reflection of qualities cultivated over centuries within our lineage. Likewise, the struggles of ancestors may also be carried forward, appearing as generational wounds, cycles, or tendencies that invite healing. To connect spiritually with one's ancestors is not only to honor them but also to seek balance, integration, and reconciliation for what has been passed down.

Many spiritual traditions say that ancestors are not absent but present in unseen ways. Some speak of the "cloud of witnesses," others of guiding spirits, and others of ancestral energy that lingers as protection and wisdom. Though invisible to the eye, these presences are felt in quiet moments: the sudden comfort of a remembered voice, the peace found in repeating an old prayer, or the strength that rises unexpectedly in the midst of trial.

For those who believe in such a presence, ancestral connection becomes a dialogue.

Through prayer, meditation, or ritual, the living open themselves to guidance from those who have already walked the path of life and death. The ancestors, in turn, are honored when their lives are remembered, their stories retold, and their virtues carried forward.

But not all ancestral memories are gentle.

Many people carry within them legacies of suffering, oppression, displacement, war, or family trauma. To connect spiritually with ancestors is not to romanticize the past but to acknowledge it truthfully. And this acknowledgment can be a pathway to healing.

Spiritual practices that involve ancestral connection often invite the living to confront what has been unspoken: grief that was silenced, injustices that were endured, or pain that was never fully healed. By bringing these shadows into the light, individuals can begin to release cycles of hurt. Prayer for forgive-

ness, rituals of cleansing, or the intentional act of telling the truth about the past all serve as spiritual medicine. In this way, ancestral connection is not only about honoring what was good but also about redeeming what was broken.

The ways of connecting with ancestors are as varied as the cultures of the world. Some traditions build altars with photographs, candles, and offerings of food or flowers. Others create ceremonies marked by dance, song, or storytelling. In quieter settings, ancestral connection may take the form of journaling about family memories, walking in cemeteries, or researching genealogies with reverence rather than just curiosity.

Even ordinary acts can carry ancestral significance. Preparing a traditional dish, wearing an heirloom piece of jewelry, or tending a garden with plants once cared for by grandparents are all ways of embodying the presence of those who came before. The sacred is not only found in elaborate rituals but also in the small daily gestures that keep memories alive.

In a world that often emphasizes individuality and forward movement, ancestral connection grounds people in continuity. It reminds the soul that life is not a solitary journey but part of a much larger story. When one feels adrift or uncertain, recalling the lives of ancestors provides stability. They too endured seasons of change, faced uncertainty, and found ways to persevere. Their stories become a compass for navigating our challenges of today.

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This grounding is especially powerful in times of transition. A person who feels disconnected from their purpose may find strength in recalling the resilience of a great-grandparent. Someone experiencing loss may find comfort in remembering that previous generations also bore grief yet found joy again. Ancestral connection offers perspective: the struggles of the present are part of a larger river of life that has always flowed toward renewal.

At the heart of ancestral connection lies gratitude. To honor ancestors is to say thank you for your life, for your stories, for your lessons, and for the mysterious ways they continue to influence our present. Gratitude transforms remembrance from mere nostalgia into a living relationship. It softens resentment toward the past and opens the heart to receive wisdom.

Gratitude also provides clarity.

When one gives thanks for the lives that came before, it becomes easier to see the sacredness of one’s own life. Each person is both the recipient and the bearer of a legacy. The gratitude offered to ancestors becomes the gratitude that future generations may one day offer in return.

Nikki Pattillo graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas and began her career as a clinical and molecular biologist.

As a child, Nikki was psychic, conversing regularly with her angels and guides, but it wasn’t until she was in her 30s that she accepted her gift.

She is now an international author with Ozark Mountain Publishing.

She authored Children of Stars: Advice for Parents and Star Children, A Spiritual Evolution, A Day in Spirit: A Spiritual Calendar for Teens, and A Golden Compass.

She has been featured on BRAVO and The History Channel and writes numerous magazine and newspaper articles to help raise awareness and consciousness of environmental and spiritual issues.

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In modern life, where mobility and technology often fragment family ties, the practice of ancestral connection can restore a sense of belonging.

Even when families are scattered or histories have been lost, intentional remembrance rebuilds continuity.

Digital archives, oral history projects, and community gatherings can all serve as modern forms of ancestral practice. Yet, more than information, what matters is the spirit in which remembrance is carried out.

Ancestral connection is not only about collecting facts; it is about awakening the soul to the reality that every life is part of a sacred chain.

Perhaps the deepest spiritual implication of ancestral connection is the call to live in such a way that one becomes a worthy ancestor for future generations. Remembering the sacrifices of those who came before awakens responsibility in the present. Every choice made today will ripple forward, shaping the inheritance of tomorrow.

To live with integrity, compassion, courage, and love is to ensure that future descendants will not only remember but also draw strength from the lives lived today. In this sense, ancestral connection is both backward-looking and forward-facing.

It is the recognition that the living both receive and create a legacy.

Ancestral connection reveals that life is not bound by the span of years between birth and death. It is a continuous thread woven through generations, binding the past, the present, and the future in sacred unity. To honor ancestors is to recognize that human existence is deeply relational, extending beyond what is visible.

Whether through ritual, remembrance, healing, or gratitude, the practice of connecting with ancestors nourishes the soul. It grounds the living in identity, heals the wounds of the past, and inspires the creation of a better inheritance for those yet to come.

The wisdom of ancestral connection whispers a simple but profound truth: no one walks alone. Every step is accompanied by the silent footsteps of those who came before, and every life contributes to the path that will be walked by those yet to arrive.

In this eternal companionship lies both comfort and responsibility. The comfort of knowing one is never alone, and the responsibility of living as a faithful link in the unbroken chain of the human spirit.

An Ecology of Ideas

By Dulce Garcia Morman, Ph.D.

BALANCING THE ELEMENTS We have entered the fall season, a time when I generally retreat a bit from my routines and daily busy schedule to assess my wellness and determine if adjustments are needed. I don't have to set any reminders on my calendar; it just happens naturally. Holistic systems of medicine, such as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda, look at seasonal transitions, mainly spring and fall, as windows of opportunity for cleansing protocols and strategies to prepare the body for the extremes of summer and wintertime.

Depending on the geography where we live, those extremes may be more or less significant, but even in milder climates, there is a shift in vibe as different seasons arrive.

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Photo by Ken S. Vision

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In traditional Chinese medicine, Qi or life energy interacts with the seasons to become more or less dynamic in different organ systems. One example is metal, which corresponds in TCM to autumn and whose qualities are characterized by contraction and an inward movement of energy, visible in the shedding of leaves that prepares flora for the dormancy of winter. In the human body, TCM sees autumn as a dynamic time for the lung and large intestine flows of Qi, a time for coming down with the sniffles or a slowing down of our gut as we ingest less water with the cooling temperatures. When I lived in China, my TCM doctor always prepared warming herbs for me as the weather began to cool, to prevent the colds that were common for me at that time. I got plenty of concoctions with ginger and ginseng to build some fire and prevent dampness in my lungs. Naturally, the reduction of cold or room temperature water was also replaced by an increase in hot tea infusions throughout the day.

Photo by Gettyimgae

Like the Chinese system, the Indian system of Ayurveda integrates the five universal elements of space, air, fire, water, and earth, which combine to form three life forces called doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. A dosha is a biological energy roughly equivalent to the Qi in TCM. Autumn is the dominant season for Vata dosha. The fall and winter seasons are cold, dry, light, and windy, reflecting Vata's

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core qualities of air and space. This is a time for warming, nourishing, and grounding balancing techniques, especially for those who, like me, have Vata as their dominant birth dosha. Symptoms like dry skin, irregular digestion, anxiety, and insomnia can exacerbate during this time, thus the need for eating warm, moist, and heavier foods such as hearty soups and stews; nourishing the skin with frequent oil self-massages at home; and practicing calming techniques and gentle exercises like yoga and tai chi. Interestingly, I find that I automatically increase my yoga practice in fall and winter, as if my mind/body naturally rolls into that gentler rhythm with more dedication.

Our mind/body has the intelligence to naturally adjust and seek balance, but intentionally setting aside a week or two for reflection and preparation is very helpful. As soon as October hits, I go to my local health food market and purchase different varieties of squash that only become available this time of year. I also look at my condiment pantry to ensure I have plenty of warming herbs like turmeric, curry, cardamom, and cumin.

I stock up on hand-crafted loose teas for the next 3-4 months, and I also make sure that I have all the ingredients to prepare the masala chai tea I enjoy on extra cold days. It's a ritual that I call "the Vata shopping list," and it's a very enjoyable time of year for me.

In a weird way, it also makes me feel safe, prepared, and looking forward to tasting foods that have been absent from my palette during spring and summer.

Consulting a TCM or Ayurvedic healthcare practitioner is a great idea, but we can also just play around with intuitively exploring foods and herbs that are part of the autumn-winter scene, simple changes, such as switching from raw apples and pears in summer to stewing them with honey, cloves, raisins, and cinnamon in the colder months, are a way to bring the body into balance with the season.

Dulce Garcia-Morman, Ph.D, is the founder of Life-Is-Art Equine Assisted Learning and Coaching. She has facilitated learning and therapeutic experiences through the horse-human connection for the past 17 years. Dulce's practice draws from different wisdom traditions and is strongly oriented toward a Jungian approach to the restoration of the authentic Self. For more information, visit https://life-is-art.us/

Our physical well-being nourishes our mind, and whatever we can do to address any energetic imbalances should improve our mental state. However, seasonal transitions are also opportunities to assess how we're doing emotionally. Is there a lingering question that we have not answered? Are there loose ends dragging on? Are we feeling irritated, sad, unsafe, or angry about any area of our life as we exit one season and enter another? I personally have experienced a busier-than-expected summer, including an impromptu vacation my husband concocted, a big family reunion at the lake that stretched me thin, some medical issues that I wasn't expecting, and early fall torrential rains that have greatly increased the work I need to do to maintain the grounds for my horses.

As a result, during my reflection week, I realized I was sad and a bit angry because I had not had much quality time with my horses this summer, especially riding. I tried brushing it off with the thought that there have been many horse-infused summers in my life and that there is always next summer, but I still felt resentful.

I tried identifying which element— earth, air, water, or fire —needed attention. There are no exact prescriptions, but for me, earth is about the body and physical activity; air is about thinking and logic; water is about emotional flow; and fire is about passion, dreams, and vision. I realized that my sense of well-being is very tied to my life with the horses, and that riding is not just a much-needed physical exercise (earth), but also allows me to flow emotionally in a way nothing else can match (water).

This lack of time in the saddle meant that I had spent more time in my logical, thinking mind (air), which left me feeling irritated and empty (neglected fire). New Mexico winters can be very cold, but we have plenty of sunshine most days, so I have been visualizing myself riding my horses in the crisp, cool air of mid-day in the next six months (earth). I dug up some wild horse photographs that I will frame and hang up in my barn, and which touch my heart when I look at them (water). I have started an outline of chapters of that book on the horse-human relationship. I had planned on getting off the ground this spring, but didn’t (fire). When we source from nature, all that we need is available to us -the right foods, the right animal companions, the right walking trails to nourish body and soul, and the guidance of the elements as we navigate the seasons. And if we feel that a season left us wanting for something we didn't get, nature will remind us that nothing was really lost -the path of life is meandering, and we must flow with gratitude and grace for what tomorrow will be.

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Heartfelt conversations with Émilie Macas

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HOW TO BE GRATEFUL IN AN UNFAIR WORLD?

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I sincerely resonate with this question.

There is, at times, the perception that experts in their fields, such as therapists, holistic educators, and spiritual teachers, have everything figured out and do not struggle as others do. This perception often arises from a fear of showing vulnerability, in the belief that it will undermine our authority and credibility. This notion could not be further from the truth. It is crucial for those of us who write and share our knowledge to reveal our moments of challenge. This vulnerability is what makes us human, and it is why I named this column "Heartfelt Conversations." To create a space where we openly and authentically hold conversations, a space to be vulnerable with no masks, just heart.

Lately, it has been challenging to remain grateful when we witness the loss of so many lives, as well as the suffering of countless others around the globe, with the direction our world is taking. There have been moments when tears streamed down my face as I opened my fridge to prepare

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a meal for my family, thinking about the many children who have nothing and who are dying of hunger. Something I recall feeling and struggling with as a child was when I was watching the news, holding on to the belief that we would move on from the televised atrocities and hope that it would become a thing of the past. Yet, it remains very present in the 21st century.

How can we speak of gratitude when so much around us feels unfair, when injustice, loss, and suffering are all around us?

For me, gratitude is not about pretending that everything is fine. It is not about putting a golden frame around pain and calling it a blessing. Gratitude is a spiritual practice of anchoring in the love and light that holds us even when the world breaks our hearts.

Gratitude is not about denial; it is something far more profound. It is about being able to notice what is still good, still tender, sacred, and inspirational in this world, even though so much darkness is around.

Gratitude is about holding on to what reminds us of our humanity in the face of what dehumanizes our world. It's about choosing to see that alongside cruelty, there is still kindness. Alongside loss, there is still love. Alongside division, a connection still awaits to be built.

get to the dream," McConaughey writes, "I've been finding that tougher to do lately. It's more than hard to know what to believe in; it's hard to believe. But I don't want to quit believing, and I don't want to stop believing in . . . humanity, you, myself, our potential."

I genuinely believe that these days, choosing to remain in our hearts and in gratitude is an act of courage.

Like McConaughey, I want to continue believing in humanity and the power of shifting the world's consciousness to reconnect with our true essences. I believe in staying anchored in the light so that we can be a guiding light for others. I will not stop believing in the power of love.

When the world feels unfair, it is easier to become jaded and close our hearts to protect ourselves.

Gratitude is what keeps us soft without becoming weak. It is what allows us to keep showing up with compassion, to keep fighting for what is right without being consumed by anger or the need to feed our ego and be right.

To remain grateful in such times is not a sign of weakness; it is a sign of courage. Gratitude is not passive; it fuels resilience. It gives us the strength to rise again, to speak our truth, and to keep walking when the path feels uncertain.

There is a misconception that being grateful means being passive. Gratitude does not numb us; it awakens us. It reminds us of what is worth protecting and what is worth creating more of in the world.

Émilie Macas is a transformational holistic educator, Reiki Teacher and trauma counsellor, mindfulness and Chopra meditation educator, certified life coach, author, and motivational speaker. Émilie has owned a private practice for over a decade. She continues to empower others to adopt a spirit of raw truthfulness, guiding them to their inner wisdom and empowering them to connect with their inner pharmacy.

In his last book, Poems & Prayers, Matthew McConaughey beautifully expresses what I have felt lately: "I've always relied on logic to make sense of myself and the world. A prescriptionist at heart, I've always looked to reason to find the rhyme, the practical to get to the mystical, the choreography to find the dance, the proof to get to the truth, and reality to

As we approach the holidays and festivities, I am inspired to share a simple yet powerful practice of gratitude that can enrich our lives.

Place one hand on your heart and the other on your belly. Take three deep breaths. Whisper to yourself: I honour what hurts, I embrace what heals, and I hold the light that keeps me whole.

Then name three things that are sustaining you right now. They may be small, ordinary, quiet, but they are yours. Let them be your reminder that even in an unfair world, life continues to offer little sparks of light to guide you.

Gratitude does not erase inequity. It does not ask us to call injustice good. It asks us to remember what is still worth loving, what is still worth protecting, and what is still worth living for.

May our gratitude be our compass in our lives, guiding us quietly home to the heart of what is most real and sacred.

Love and Light,

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Photo by Christopher Burns

The Way I See It

By Joey Santos

the True Essence

Faith

of

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Faith is often misunderstood as mere belief, but it is much more than that. It is a way of being, a trust that guides us even when we can't see the whole path. In a world that demands proof and instant results, faith might seem outdated, but it is deeply embedded in our daily lives. It is present in resilience, in relationships, and in the quiet hope we hold onto when outcomes are uncertain.

While many associate faith with religion, it extends beyond the confines of spiritual institutions. Faith is the trust a parent has in their child's journey, the determination of an entrepreneur starting anew, and the resolve of someone healing from heartbreak. It manifests in our decisions, relationships, and how we face uncertainty, not just in sacred spaces.

Faith is not about certainty; it is about trust. It often emerges despite doubt, not without it. Belief is intellectual, while faith is experiential. Where belief says, "I think this is true," faith says, "Even when I'm unsure, I will keep going. Faith begins where certainty ends.

Joey Santos is a Celebrity Chef, Life Stylist and Co-Host of The Two Guys From Hollywood Podcast on Spotify. A Columnist for The Eden Magazine since 2016.

Joey was raised in NYC, Malibu, and West Hollywood. He is the son of Film and Television Actor Joe Santos, and his Grandfather is World-Renowned Latin Singer Daniel Santos.

To follow Joey on IG: @jojoboy13 To contact Joey visit whynotjoe@gmail.com

In times of uncertainty, faith becomes most profound. It doesn't promise answers but provides an anchor, allowing us to move forward when the ground shifts. It might mean showing up to work during a crisis, continuing to love someone who's hurting, or starting over after failure, believing that something

good might still be ahead. Faith thrives in quiet resilience, not in easy answers.

Faith's power often lies in its subtleties. It is the friend who keeps calling, the artist who persists despite rejection, and the person who forgives again. Faith is about persistence, the daily choice to show up to work, values, and people, even when it's hard.

It doesn't need to shout; it shows up in the quiet, steady decisions that shape our lives.

Faith can be nurtured through practice. It doesn't require a spiritual retreat but can be cultivated through stillness, gratitude, movement, and connection. By listening to our inner selves, acknowledging what's working, taking small steps forward, and spending time with hopeful people, we strengthen our faith.

Ultimately, faith is not something we possess but a way of life. It is a posture of approaching the unknown with courage, not fear. It acknowledges pain but holds onto the possibility of growth amidst struggle. In a culture that values certainty, faith invites us to embrace trust over control. To live with faith is to choose hope, even when logic says otherwise, believing that love, healing, and meaning are still possible, even when we can't see how. Faith won't remove the struggle, but it will carry us through it, and that might be all we need.

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Metropolitan Fashion Week

A Runway of Imagination Photography by Sheri Determan

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Metropolitan Fashion Week is always extraordinary, but his year's creative experience was more captivating than ever. The event was held at the Museum of Illusions in Hollywood. Hosted byEduardo Khawam, founder and president of Metropollian Fashion Week, and Christine Devine, Emmy-winning news anchor and longtime supporter of fashion and philanthropy, this event turned the runway into a living work of art.

Guests stepped into a world where fashion met illusion, engaging with immersive installations from the Museum of Illusion, Upside Down House, and the Giant House. With live models showcasing creations, attendees became part of the spectacle, as ten visionary fashion designers captured moments that blurred the line between performance, photography, and imagination.

This exclusive event was produced by Paul Jaramillo, executive producer of Metropolitan Fashion Week.

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Kayoko Mitsumatsu

Empowering Lives Through the Gift of Yoga

In a world where yoga is often seen as a path to personal wellness, Kayoko Mitsumatsu saw a greater purpose. As the founder and director of Yoga Gives Back, she has transformed this ancient practice into a powerful movement for social change- one that reaches far beyond the mat. What began as a heartfelt vision has grown into an international nonprofit dedicated to empowering women and children in India with education, microloans, and the tools to create brighter futures.

With her deep compassion, tireless dedication, and belief that "for the cost of one yoga class, you can change a life," Kayoka has inspired a global community to join her mission. In this conversation, we explore the journey that led her from the world of television production to humanitarian work, the lives that have been transformed along the way, and the profound truth that giving back is an extension of the yoga practice itself.

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Yoga Gives Back has grown tremendously since its inception. What inspired you to start this organization, and how has its mission evolved over the years?

I didn't set out to start a nonprofit. The idea came very simply, after a yoga class one day. I had just finished a strong practice, feeling healthy and uplifted, and I had an epiphany—I need to use my healthy and happy self to serve and give back.

At the time, I had started learning more about the roots of Yoga and its philosophy. One teaching really stayed with me, "First part of your life is to learn. And the second half of your life should serve others with what you've received from your life experience. That felt true to my core. Around the same time, I was working on a documentary film about micro-financing and saw how a small amount of money—$10 or $15—could create a life-changing opportunity as micro-loans in developing countries. Thus, our mantra was born: "For the cost of one class, you can change a life."

It was 18 years ago when Yoga's popularity was blossoming everywhere. I shared this idea with teachers and friends at my studio in Los Angeles. There were various charity fundraisers in yoga communities for missions such as HIV, breast cancer, or animal rights, but none to give back to India, the birthplace of Yoga. Many yoga teachers and students responded positively. Yoga Gives Back was born.

We started providing microloans for impoverished women in India in partnership with a local NGO (non-governmental organization) in West Bengal, India. I started visiting India to meet with these women, and every mother told me, “I do not want my children to live like me." It was a sad discovery that led us to create scholarships for higher education, supporting a younger generation in building financially secure, independent lives with a sense of self-worth. Everything we've done has grown from the relationships we've built in the communities we serve. We listen. We learn. We give. And we grow together.

What inspires me most is how this movement continues to spread.

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Women and children are at the heart of Yoga Gives Back's mission. Can you share a particularly impactful success story that illustrates the transformative power of your programs?

So many lives have stayed with me. One is Sonomani, a mother in rural West Bengal.

Her husband abused her for giving birth to a daughter instead of a son. For years, she had no voice and no support. Then she joined one of our microloan groups to be with women peers and started sharing her domestic issues that helped her cope. These micro-loan groups also grew to become a real empowerment community which supports victims of domestic violence or sexual harassment to stand against abuse by pressuring husbands to stop such behavior.

For Sonomani, it was just a small income project at first —she joined a group making mats from straw. Then, during COVID, that small business became essential. While most income in her village disappeared, the demand for her straw mats grew tremendously.

Eventually, her husband—who had lost his job—asked her to teach him how to make

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a mat. Sonomani was able to open a shop and employed him. That shift in power and respect is transformational.

Another story I hold close is about Riya and Puja, two girls from a remote village who received YGB scholarships to go to college.

They not only completed their degrees but also returned home to open the first digital banking and service center in their community. Now, villagers can deposit cash safely through the support of these young women online. Riya and Puja are also teaching computer skills to younger students who have no access to the internet or computers at home.

They took their education and used it to lift the entire community.

Stories like these remind me that the support we offer is never just financial. I am now confident that we are creating an eternal circulation of gratitude. We have seen hundreds of students graduate, dozens of women start businesses, and many of them are now helping others. They want to give back to the community, just as I wanted to give back and started YGB.

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I'VE ALSO LEARNED THAT ADVOCACY ISN'T JUST ABOUT STATISTICS OR REPORTS. IT'S ABOUT EMOTION. PEOPLE GIVE WHEN THEY CARE AND SEE THE LIFE-CHANGING IMPACT THEY CAN BE PART OF.

You emphasize the importance of giving back as part of yoga practice. How do you hope to inspire more yoga practitioners to integrate social responsibility into their spiritual journeys?

Yoga Gives Back was founded on the idea that Yoga is more than a physical practice. The deeper purpose of Yoga is transformation—from within, and also in the world around us. In traditional teachings, this is known as Seva, or selfless service, and Karma Yoga, Yoga in action. It is an essential part of the path.

Over the years, I've seen how this idea resonates with more and more people, especially yoga teachers who are ready to go beyond the mat.

They are asking, "How can my practice serve others?” "How can I give back to the source of yoga?" When people learn about YGB's mission, and especially about the lives we're supporting in India, something clicks. There's a real sense of connection. "This is what I’ve been looking for.”

That is why we created the Global Ambassadors program. We now have over 150 ambassadors in 30 countries. These are teachers and leaders who bring their community into the mission and engage it to take action.

We are not asking for a fortune, just for one class. One donation. One effort to share the benefits we've received with the communities that gave us this life-changing wisdom.

With the rise of commercialized Yoga, do you see a disconnect between modern yoga culture and its deeper purpose? How can practitioners bridge the gap between personal practice and global impact?

I do see a gap—but I also see so much potential.

Yoga has become a global move-

ment. Three hundred million people now practice Yoga around the world. But often, the focus is only on the physical. That’s only one part of Yoga. Yoga is also about service, compassion, and collective awakening. It means to unite and connect.

Yoga leads us to connect to our bigger self and with the universe.

Today, more people are searching for the deeper meaning of Yoga, beyond the physical practice. Many practitioners are starting to ask how they can align their practice with something larger than themselves.

This is where Yoga Gives Back can offer a path. We are not asking people to give up what they love. We are inviting them to deepen it—to let their gratitude become action.

As you look ahead, what are your hopes for the future of Yoga Gives Back? Are there any new initiatives or collaborations on the horizon that you’re particularly excited about?

In two years, we will reach our 20th anniversary, and I feel both humbled and energized. When I first started, I could never have imagined the size of our global community and our impact in India today. Now, I want to see how far we can take this movement of gratitude, together.

One of my hopes is to reach a $1 million annual budget by our 20th anniversary in 2027. That would allow us to deepen our impact in every area. We already see the ripple effect when one girl completes her education. Imagine what we can do with 10 times the resources.

I’m also excited about expanding our recurring donor program. Giving $10 or $20 a month might not seem like much, but it becomes powerful when many people come together. That consistency provides us with the foundation to grow with confidence.

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Before founding Yoga Gives Back, you had a successful career in documentary filmmaking. What drew you to storytelling through film, and are there any projects that have had a lasting impact on you?

Even before I knew how to name it, I was always drawn to people’s stories. Growing up in Japan, I was surrounded by structure and expectation, but I was always watching—always listening for what people weren’t saying out loud. That curiosity eventually led me to documentary filmmaking.

bear witness—to amplify the voices of those we serve, and to help others in the world feel connected genuinely.

Working for NHK gave me the chance to explore the world and shed light on issues that often go unnoticed. I learned how to build trust with vulnerable people who had reason to be cautious, and how to capture moments that revealed something true. That work was challenging, but deeply meaningful.

First, it taught me to stay close to the truth—not just in facts, but in feeling. When you're filming someone's life, especially someone vulnerable, you have to be present. You have to listen, not with an agenda, but with openness. That same principle guides how we build programs at Yoga Gives Back.

One of the most lasting projects I’ve been part of actually started after Yoga Gives Back began. In 2007, during my first trip to India, I met a boy named Guruprasad. His mother, Jayashree, had just received a microloan through one of our early programs. They were living in poverty, but what struck me most was his quiet determination. He wanted to become a doctor—not just for himself, but to serve his community.

That was his mother's dream.

He worked incredibly hard, earned YGB's first scholarship for higher education, and eventually graduated from medical school. Today, he is training to become a cancer surgeon. His story inspired our Scholarship for Higher Education program, which now supports more than 440 students a year.

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How has your background as a filmmaker influenced the way you approach advocacy and raising awareness for social causes? Do you see a connection between visual storytelling and philanthropy?

Absolutely. My background in film has shaped everything about how I approach this work.

During our recent visit, a father of scholarship students, who is a blacksmith, said, "Receiving is a responsibility." He wanted to express how committed he is as a scholarship student's father to make sure his son will graduate from college.

I've also learned that advocacy isn't just about statistics or reports. It's about emotion. People give when they care and see the life-changing impact they can be part of. They get involved when they see themselves in someone else's story. They show what's possible when we come together with purpose.

Film helped me find my voice. Now, it helps others find theirs.

Yoga Gives Back’s 18th Anniversary Annual Global Gala will be held on November 16 at the Sofitel Los Angeles.

Learn more at https://yogagivesback.org/annual-global-gala-2025/.

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UNDERSTANDING the TRAUMATIC

Grief of Suicide

By Dr. Jennifer R. Levin

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Photo by Xy2Shoot

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Suicide is unlike any other loss. A parent whose heart has been broken by the death of their child, a spouse or partner living with the indescribable reality of life without their soulmate, or an adult child silently carrying the weight of their parent's suicide collectively face grief that is sudden, overwhelming, and life-altering. Even when there were previous attempts or signs of distress, suicide almost always feels shocking and abrupt. When it comes without warning, loved ones are left blindsided as they struggle to grieve and comprehend a life-shattering pain that appears out of nowhere.

Survivors of suicide loss carry not only the weight of their loved one's absence but also the burden of navigating trauma symptoms, unanswered questions, and the stigma that surrounds suicide, all while struggling to rebuild a meaningful life in a world that feels forever changed. This grief is not something to "get over." Grievers will need to learn how to live with their pain and need to be supported by understanding, compassion, and spaces where they are neither judged nor silenced.

Grief after a suicide death has no timeline. The devastation can remain just as painful years later as it was in the immediate aftermath. During acute grief, it is common to experience shock,

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numbness, or disbelief, serving as a protective layer against emotions too intense to fully process. Once these emotions begin to dissipate, symptoms of grief and trauma — such as intrusive flashbacks, anxiety, hypervigilance, rumination, or the constant replay of "what ifs" — can present with an intensity that can feel unbearable. Many survivors wrestle with guilt, regret, self-blame, or the belief that they could have prevented their loved one's death. Their "assumptive world," an internal belief system about how the world works (i.e., the world is benevolent and meaningful), is shattered, leaving them feeling vulnerable, untethered, frightened, and forever changed.

For many, suicide loss is also shaped by stigma. Too often, survivors find themselves being judged for not recognizing warning signs, for not preventing the suicide, or for having a loved one who committed a religious or moral sin. There is often a misperception that suicide is always associated with mental health problems. Friends, colleagues, and even extended relatives may withdraw, unsure of what to say or uncomfortable with the subject. Some minimize the death because of how it occurred, avoid mentioning it altogether, or treat survivors differently, as though the suicide has somehow tainted them.

Exercises for Challenging Emotions and Thoughts After a Suicide Most of the time, our nervous system can manage the day-to-day stressors of life — a last-minute work assignment, bad traffic, or conflicts with family and friends. However, early on, grief after a suicide is likely to overwhelm your nervous system, forcing it out of its usual balance, resulting in a state of hyperarousal (fight or flight), hypoarousal (depression, emotional numbness), or a fluctuation between both. Throughout the grieving process, you may find yourself triggered by sensory experiences (i.e., a memory, smell, sound, or sight) or grief attacks, which are unexpected, intense waves of emotions that result in dysregulated or overwhelming emotions.

In addition to dysregulated emotions, it is common to have recurring thoughts that are rooted in guilt, regret, and blame. These thoughts may include negative self-dialogue such as "I should've stayed home,” "If only I'd gotten there sooner," or "I wish I'd pushed them to get help."

At first, these thoughts can act like a shield, sparing you from the full emotional weight of your new reality. But over time, they can become all-encompassing and distract you from working through grief or trauma. Identifying and acknowledging that these thoughts are rooted in guilt, regret, or self-blame is essential for transforming your internal dialogue.

Photo by Pablo Merchán Montes

Techniques, including breath work, visualizations, or affirmations, can help regulate your emotions during intense moments of grief.

When feeling emotionally overwhelmed, one of my favorite techniques is a grounding exercise to connect you with the here and now

using your five senses. To begin, sit comfortably and close your eyes: 1. Name five things you saw before you closed your eyes.

2. List four sounds that you can hear.

3. Describe three fragrances you can smell.

4. Put your hands on your lap and describe two things you feel.

5. Think about the last thing you tasted.

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Once recognized, you can gradually reframe them into a neutral or compassionate understanding of how your role may have impacted your loved one's death. For example: 1. Negative thought: "My sibling would be alive if I had insisted they get care."

2. Emotion: Self-blame.

3. Reflection: "Blaming myself makes me feel depressed and unable to feel present in life. If I had done more, maybe they would still be alive."

4. Reframed thought: "Even if I had done more, the results could have been the same."

Unanswered Questions and Uncertainty A loved one's suicide frequently leaves unanswered

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questions and/or feelings of uncertainty. In the days, months, and even years after a suicide, loved ones often find themselves focused on the unknown, replaying unanswered questions in an attempt to avoid the unbearable reality of absence. These haunting "whys" and "what ifs" are intensified by the collapse of the assumptive world, the once-stable belief that life is predictable, fair, and meaningful. With this psychological foundation shattered and many questions remaining unanswered, survivors can be left feeling unsafe, out of control, or untethered. Confronted with life's unpredictability and the painful truth that some questions will never be answered, they experience not only uncertainty but also a deep sense that the ground beneath them has permanently shifted.

One helpful exercise for working through the uncertainty and unanswered questions that follow a suicide is to write them all down. When left in our minds, these questions can feel overwhelming and unrelenting, but putting them on paper often lessens their hold. Once you've made your list, place an “X” beside the questions you could potentially answer with effort, research, or inquiry. Then place a check mark next to the ones that will forever remain unknown. Moving forward in grief requires finding ways to live with these check-marked questions by learning to tolerate them, make peace, or develop a new narrative around them. This is not a quick process. Be patient with yourself as you move through the unknown.

Friends and family may think that talking out loud to your deceased loved one, feeling their presence, or even consulting a medium is something you should avoid to facilitate your healing process; in fact, it's actually quite the opposite. Research has shown that presence within absence (connecting with and feeling your loved one as if they were still here) is part of a healthy grieving process. If comfortable, I encourage you to engage in conversations, imagine their presence, and maintain shared interests in the things you used to enjoy together (i.e., working on cars, biking, or volunteering). You can build a continued bond with your loved one by engaging in activities that honor their memory and keep your connection alive.

When feelings about loss of control set in, shift focus toward what you can control. Make a list of the choices and actions that are fully within your power each day. Even small decisions — including what to wear, what to eat, or how to structure a moment of your day — can bring a sense of agency and stability. Alongside this, identify what is outside your control, such as the weather, traffic, or major life events. Recognizing that there will always be limits to control allows you to loosen your grip on the impossible and direct your energy where it matters most. In doing so, you may begin to find both relief and resilience in the face of life's uncertainties.

With the suicide of your loved one also comes the loss of the future you had envisioned. Dreams once cherished, time together, sharing milestones, having a family, or simply enjoying everyday moments may now feel painfully out of reach. Part of moving toward healing is allowing yourself to grieve not only your loved one, but also these secondary losses that shape your future. Over time, healing can mean slowly finding new paths to honor old dreams, discovering ways to create meaning in your life, or remaining open to possibilities you may not have imagined before. Though the future will never look exactly as you once planned, it can still hold love, fulfillment, and purpose.

Moving Towards Healing Jennifer R. Levin, PhD, LMFT, FT, is a nationally recognized expert in traumatic grief and sudden loss who helps individuals and organizations navigate unexpected death. A licensed therapist, she is one of fewer than 300 mental health professionals worldwide credentialed as a Fellow in Thanatology, the study of death, dying, and bereavement.

Her new book, The Traumatic Loss Workbook: Powerful Skills for Navigating the Grief Caused by a Sudden or Unexpected Death, and the Traumatic Loss Online Companion Course offer evidence-based guidance for healing after suicide, accident, violence, or sudden medical events.

The idea of healing after a suicide can seem unfathomable and potentially even unwelcome early on. In fact, completely healing after a loved one takes their life is an impossible task.

However, feeling good, living a fulfilling life, and experiencing joy, happiness, and laughter again is not. You will not always feel the way you do right now, and with time, patience, and self-compassion, you will continually move towards healing.

The death of a loved one to suicide is one of the most challenging, painful, and traumatic life events that shatters assumptions and leaves behind unanswered questions. Although life-changing, it is not life-ending.

With support, resources, and an openness for new possibilities, there are ways to maintain connections with your loved one, pursue future goals, and move towards healing.

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Photo by Mary Y.

GIVE A SHELTER DOG A HOME

Adopt Today

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