2020 Natural Living Directory Natural Awakenings Hartford

EE H E A L T H Y L I V I N G R F

NATURAL LIVING DIRECTORY

HEALTHY

PLANET

KEEP ALL YEAR

2020

2020 | Greater Hartford County Edition | NAHRT.com Natural Living Directory 2020

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Many Paths Many truths One Bridge

BRIDGE HEALING ARTS CENTER Bridge Healing Arts Center is a diverse holistic wellness center, offering the community many choices of complementary and holistic healing modalities, workshops, events, and classes on their journey to wellness.

Meet some of the Bridge community…

Chinese Medicine

Hypnotherapy

Donna M. Gordon, RMT, Tui Na Acupressure, Usui Ryoho Reiki, Qi Gong Therapy, Tong Ren Healing, Tai Chi and Qi Gong Instruction myheartsourcewellness@gmail.com www.heartsourceintegrative.com 860-978-2938

Massage Therapy

Carl Brown Hypnosis Licensed Hypnotherapist Easily change limiting beliefs.

You can have, be, or do anything you want! www.carlbrownhypnosis.com 860-309-9004

Psychic/Mediumship/Events/Workshops

Eric Rodgers, Licensed Massage Therapist, Massage and Anatomy/Physiology Instructor, Myofascial Release, Soft Tissue Mobilization, Cupping, Reiki • erodglmt@gmail.com www.ericrodgers.amtamembers.com 860-748-7443

Keiko Broyles, Psychic Spiritual Medium Willows Healing Path, LLC - Owner Tested Member of Shay Parker’s Best American Psychics • Usui Reiki Master Teacher keiko@keikomedium.com www.keikomedium.com • 860-280-5548

Reiki/Intuitive Readings

Reflexology/Reiki Tara Cornish, Certified Reflexologist, Usui Reiki Master/Teacher, Aromatouch, Bio-Well Health Scans, Infrared Therapy.

Farmington & Torrington Locations Taraholistichands@gmail.com www.HolistichandsCT.com • 860-921-8307

Spiritual Intuitive, Medium & Psychic Denise Ann Atkinson, Owner of Soul Centered Mediumship. Private and group readings, CT and New York • Reiki Master/Teacher Facebook.com/Deniseaapsychicmedium www.deniseatkinsonmedium.com 860-930-9515

Deborah Lyons, RMT Owner/Operator of The Lotus Petal, LLC Reiki Master Teacher, Spiritual Counselor, Psychic/Medium, Nutrition Health Coach LotusPetalReiki@gmail.com www.TheLotusPetalReiki.com • 860-335-4060

Our Village is Growing!

There is currently a wide variety of services available at The Bridge Healing Arts Center.

Please visit our website at www.BridgeHAC.com for a complete list.

If you are a practitioner who is interested to move your practice to The Bridge, please be in touch today!

We have limited space available for you to join our growing village!

��� Main St. | Farmington, CT �6��� | bridgehac.com | 86�-���-���� | info@bridgehac.com 2

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NEW WEBSITE We’ve launched a brand-new, comprehensive online hub for all things healthy and sustainable.

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Natural Living Directory 2020

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Contents Live Your Soul's Purpose | Attain Deep Peace Have Balance Around Giving and Receiving Have Loving, Supportive Relationships Have the Career that Sings to Your Soul The Academy for Soul Healing supports the growth and expansion of humanity, individually and on a global scale.

"I foresee many students from the Academy becoming the teachers of this integrated way of service."

Now Offering Special Rates for Individual Sessions via Zoom with Eilis Philpott Master Healer and Teacher See updated offerings and training schedules at: www.SoulHealingJourney.com www.academyforsoulhealing.com Eilis@SoulHealingJourney.com 203-767-5954 Fairfield, CT

16 PLANET RESCUE

16

Grassroots Strategies Combat Climate Crisis

18 A CHILD SHALL

LEAD THEM Connecticut Youth Lead the Climate Charge

20 JUST ANOTHER YEAR?

2020 Brings Transitional Challenges and Opportunities 24 SAVING ALL CREATURES, GREAT AND SMALL

18

26 ANIMAL REIKI

Spiritual Compassion for All Creatures

28 NATURAL LIVING

DIRECTORY 2020

50 THE INTERSECTION OF

LYME AND CORONAVIRUS

MIND, BODY, SPIRIT EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION MASTER OF ARTS DEGREES

Sixth-Year Equivalent, 30 Credit Planned Programs ONE WEEKEND A MONTH

• Integrative Health & Healing • Consciousness & Transpersonal Psychology • Learning & Thinking • Writing & Oral Traditions • Organizational Leadership Voted #1 Holistic School!

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Natural Methods to Treat COVID-19 in Those with Chronic Lyme

56 AVOID PANDEMIC PANDEMONIUM

Lessons from the Herd

58 FLOWER POWER

Botanical Libations Pack Healthy Punch

DEPARTMENTS 7 health briefs 8 global briefs 12 community

spotlight 14 community

spotlight 26 therapy

spotlight

26 28 natural living directory 54 inspiration 56 natural pet 58 conscious

eating 61 calendar 63 display ad index

Natural Awakenings is a family of more than 70 healthy living magazines celebrating 26 years of providing the communities we serve with the tools and resources we all need to lead healthier lives on a healthy planet.

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To Register for Workshops CALL 978-790-8888 center@wuhealing.com wuhealing.com

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HEALTHY LIVING HEALTHY PLANET

letter from publisher “May you live in interesting times” is an English expression which purports to be a translation of a traditional Chinese curse. While seemingly a blessing, the expression is normally used ironically; life is better in “uninteresting times” of peace and tranquility than in “interesting” ones, which are usually times of trouble. ~ Wikipedia

GREATER HARTFORD COUNTY EDITION Publisher Nicole Miale

Managing Editor Patricia Staino Editor Michelle Bense

Design & Production Kathleen Fellows

Erica Mills

Contributing Writers Carrie Brady

Jennifer Ponte Canning Elizabeth Kaflik Gregg Kirk Renee Gregory Malo Keith Yimoyines

Sales & Marketing Shirley R. Bloethe Nicole Miale

Social Media Amy Hass

Website Erica Mills

CONTACT US 137 Danbury Rd, #323, New Milford, CT 06776 Ph: 860-507-6392 • Fax: 860-357-6034 Publisher@NAHRT.com • NAHRT.com SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscriptions are available by sending $30 (for 12 issues) to the above address.

NATIONAL TEAM

CEO/Founder Sharon Bruckman COO/Franchise Sales Joe Dunne

National Editor Jan Hollingsworth

Managing Editor Linda Sechrist

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Art Director Josh Pope

Financial Manager Yolanda Shebert Asst. Director of Ops Heather Gibbs Digital Content Director Rachael Oppy

National Advertising Lisa Doyle-Mitchell Natural Awakenings Publishing Corporation 4933 Tamiami Trail N., Ste. 203 Naples, FL 34103 Ph: 239-434-9392 • Fax: 239-434-9513 NaturalAwakeningsMag.com © 2020 by Natural Awakenings. All rights reserved.

Although some parts of this publication may be reproduced and reprinted, we require that prior permission be obtained in writing.

Natural Awakenings is a free publication distributed locally and is supported by our advertisers. Please call to find a location near you or if you would like copies placed at your business.

We do not necessarily endorse the views expressed in the articles and advertisements, nor are we responsible for the products and services advertised.

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Hartford County Edition

’m sure I speak for many of us when I say I’ve had my fill of “interesting”. I found some peace and tranquility during quarantine when I could turn off the tape loop in my head Nicole Miale endlessly pondering the what-if ’s, what now’s, and what then’s. When I was successful in being mindfully present right NOW, I felt grounded, sometimes even great and energized as I moved through my daily routine. It has been instructive to realize anew that despite living in the midst of uncertainty, the human brain and being has the ability to reframe and feel just fine when focused on the moment. That results from instinct and coping skills designed for survival, an awareness that the current moment is all that truly needs to be dealt with. This is a huge shift for so many of us, accustomed to living with too many tabs open, multi-tasking and projecting our lives away.

The COVID-19 pandemic has tasked us all with unfamiliar situations and often challenged us with the rawness of unexpected feelings. That may actually be the pearl within the oyster of this whole experience. For it is when we push the edges of our comfort zone—by choice or fate—that we learn what we are truly capable of. That is when we are forced to evaluate where our boundaries need shoring up or loosening, where we can learn something surprising about ourselves. This situation has me marveling at the jaw-dropping consequences as well as the potential of whatever is to come… we are at the edge of what could be a changed world. I, for one, am holding out hope that this experience will ultimately change things for the better, though the path may be rocky and may not lead where we intended to go. Believing in the beauty of possibility, maybe the new journey and destination will reveal horizons and opportunities we couldn’t dream of before. The landscape has shifted and with it our expectations can adjust as well.

Thank you to our loyal readers, advertisers and distributors for allowing Natural Awakenings to be a source of inspiration, comfort and familiarity when so much else may feel uncomfortable and even unsafe. We exist to serve the community and are grateful to have that opportunity even at this time. We hope you enjoy our carefully selected assortment of articles this month and look forward to keeping you company through the coming weeks of discovery and rebuilding.

Welcome to the 2020 Natural Living Directory! Each April we present a showcase reference guide spotlighting the businesses and practitioners in the region; this edition is a celebration and gathering of the many unique resources our area has to offer. In this special issue, we expand and move the Community Resource Guide toward the front of the magazine.

We include profiles of many wellness providers and businesses ready to support your efforts to become a healthier, happier you. You can also find the digital edition on NAHRT.com or visit our Facebook page for the link.

Empowering positive lifestyle change is the driving mission for this publication. Learn to surf the waves of uncertainty and use your infinite power for your own good. Let the amazing resources in this edition guide and support you on your journey. Use the ideas and tools that appeal to you; then let your increased positive energy ripple back out into the world around you.

It will make a bigger difference than you could ever know, especially in this time between what was and what will be next.

Wishing you vibrant good health, this month and always,

With love and light,

Natural Awakenings Magazine is ranked 5th Nationally in CISION’S® 2016 Top 10 Health & Fitness Magazines

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health briefs

Echinacea extract may be helpful for situation-induced anxiety, indicates a new study from Hungary’s Institute of Experimental Medicine, in Budapest. The researchers tested 64 middle-aged people that had scored high on the State Trait Anxiety Inventory. They were given either 80 milligrams Echinacea angustifolia root extract or a placebo every day for seven days, followed by a three-week washout period during which no pills were taken. Those taking the echinacea started experiencing less anxiety than the placebo-takers by day seven, and scored significantly lower in “state anxiety”, marked by arousal connected to specific dangers or threats.

Measures of “trait anxiety”, in which anxiety is an ongoing personal characteristic, improved slightly compared to the placebo group. Improvements were maintained even during the washout period.

Breathe Cleaner Air to Help Bone Health Air pollution has long been linked to lung cancer, stroke and respiratory disease, and now research has found that it can lead to osteoporosis, as well. Researchers from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health studied the bone mass and density of 3,717 people living in villages near Hyderabad, India. These were compared to fine particulate air pollution levels, which averaged more than three times the recommendations of the World Health Organization. The researchers also surveyed in-home cooking over wood, coal and other biomass sources. The results showed that exposure to ambient air pollution was associated with lower levels of bone mass, and that cooking over fires did not have that effect. “Inhalation of polluting particles could lead to bone mass loss through the oxidative stress and inflammation caused by air pollution,” says lead author Otavio T. Ranzani.

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Quang Ho/Shutterstock.com

Take Echinacea to Reduce Anxiety

Eat Less Sulfur Amino Acids to Reduce Heart Disease Risk A plant-based diet low in such sulfur amino acid foods as meat, dairy, nuts and soy may be key to lowering the risk of heart disease, concludes a study from the Penn State University College of Medicine. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins; a subcategory called sulfur amino acids plays integral roles in metabolism. Researchers correlated diets and blood biomarkers of more than 11,000 participants from a national study and found people that ate foods containing fewer sulfur amino acids tended to have a decreased risk for cardiometabolic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. They also found that the average American consumes almost two-and-a-half times more sulfur amino acids than the estimated average requirement. “People who eat lots of plant-based products like fruits and vegetables will consume lower amounts of sulfur amino acids,” says lead author Zhen Dong, a doctor of public health.

Confirming this, a Northwestern Medicine and Cornell University study in JAMA Internal Medicine found that every two servings of red meat, processed meat or poultry per week increased cardiovascular disease risk by 3 to 7 percent. For every two servings of red meat or processed meat per week, the risk of death from any cause was increased by 3 percent. The findings, based on an analysis of six studies involving 29,682 people, contradict a controversial study published last year that recommended people not reduce the amount of red meat and processed meat they eat. “Everyone interpreted that it was okay to eat red meat, but I don’t think that is what the science supports,” says senior study author Norrina Allen, a professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern.

Natural Living Directory 2020

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Closing Plants Saves Lives and Crops

Between 2005 and 2016, the shutdown of coal-fired plants in the U.S. saved an estimated 26,610 lives and the equivalent of around 570 million bushels of corn, soybeans and wheat, reports a new University of California at San Diego (UCSD) study published in Nature Sustainability. The coal plants were typically decommissioned as utilities transitioned from coal to natural gas for electric power generation, thus reducing particulate matter and ozone in the lower atmosphere. “When a coal-fired unit shuts down, local pollution [including particulate matter] levels drop, mortality rates drop and crop yields of major staple crops rise,” writes study author and UCSD associate professor Jennifer Ann Burney. The newer, natural-gas and coal-fired units that have supplanted them are not entirely benign and deserve further study, she notes.

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The ice chests we haul to picnics are typically made of Styrofoam, Dow Chemical’s trademarked name for extruded polystyrene, but it is a highly flammable source of greenhouse gases that animals can mistake for food and won’t degrade for hundreds of years, leading thousands of landfills to ban it. Now, Igloo, the top global cooler maker, has introduced a new, less-destructive alternative made out of paraffin wax and recycled tree pulp called Recool. The 16-quart, water-resistant cooler, sold at REI and other stores, keeps 75 pounds of contents ice-cold for up to 12 hours and goes up to five days without leaking water. The coolers can be stored and reused many times and then recycled, composted or used as a dry storage container.

It’s also less likely to break or chip than Styrofoam.

IglooCoolers.com

Biodegradable Cooler Keeps Food Cold and Dry

A st rologe r

Hartford County Edition

Coal Costs

Cool Solution

A g n e t a B or s te i n

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global briefs

Markus Mainka/Shutterstock.com

We l l n e s s B o u t i q u e & Collaborative Event Space

Bee Swarms Form Giant Brains

New research from the University of Sheffield in the UK published in Scientific Reports suggests that individual members of a bee swarm behave like neurons in a human brain. The scientists applied a theoretical model commonly used to study human psychology to the behavior of bee colonies, and they believe that studying “bee speak” could inform us about how our own minds make decisions.

In the field of psychophysics, Weber’s law describes a relationship between the size of a stimulus and noticeable increases in its magnitude.

This general rule about stimulus and perception has been observed in birds, fish and even the collective behavior of simpler organisms, but not in whole clusters of tiny brains such as an insect hive. To investigate its role in the decision-making processes of the European honey bee (Apis mellifera), the researchers watched hives split apart and hunt for new homes. Among bees, the process of choosing a hive comes down to the interactions of scout bees communicating their discoveries through a visual display of body wiggles. “The study also supports the view of bee colonies as being similar to complete organisms,” says computer scientist and lead author Andreagiovanni Reina.

Plastics Adios

Mexicans Return to Old Ways After Ban

A new law bans popular plastic bags in the Mexican capital, and grocery stores are poised to sell reusable synthetic fiber bags. The same law will ban handing out plastic straws, spoons, coffee capsules and other single-use items by 2021. Claudia Hernández, the city’s director of environmental awareness, says, “We are finding that people are returning to baskets, to cucuruchos [cone-shaped rolls of paper].” The old ways are present in other aspects, too. Many residents still use wheeled, folding shopping baskets and some vendors still measure out bulk goods in discarded sardine cans. Grocery stores that give out plastic bags will be fined, so most will opt for reusable shopping bags made of thick plastic fiber for about 75 cents. For hygienic reasons, the law leaves the door open to using plastic bags for such items as perishable deli meats or cheese.

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Buzz Off

therapy spotlight

Ionic Foot Baths for Detoxification

by Elizabeth Kaflik

D

etoxification is the key to good health, and it is a process. An absolutely essential requirement for vibrant health is detoxifying our bodies of harmful chemicals and biological pathogens. The accumulation of toxins starts the degenerative disease process.

Without this cleansing, toxins can stay in the body for years—or even a lifetime—

and seriously compromise our health.

Energy starts with our cells. Today, the average person is exposed to more toxins than at any time in the history of the world. We are exposed continuously to health hazards from just about every source in the environment–air, water and soil. These include poor-quality drinking water compromised by chemical treatment,

highly processed and structurally altered foods and food additives that the body cannot properly digest and absorb, chemicals in consumer products and pesticides/herbicides/fungicides, heavy metals, environmental testing of dangerous or advanced technologies, as well as the toxins created by the cells through normal cellular metabolism and those that result from a wide range of stresses from everyday life.

More than 85,000 chemicals are in commercial use today, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These chemicals often find their way into our bodies and the environment.

In the largest study of chemical exposure ever conducted on human beings, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in 2005 that “most American children and adults have in their bodies dozens of pesticides and toxic compounds used in consumer products, many of them linked to potential health threats.”

Our bodies are equipped with multiple channels of elimination to deal with toxins and chemical invaders. These are: Liver – The liver removes fat-soluble molecules via the process of oxidation, reduction and hydrolysis, to make them more water-soluble for excretion via the bile and the kidney.

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Kidneys – They excrete drugs and heavy metals, as well as toxins that have become water-soluble thanks to the liver. They also flush out acids from the body. They work constantly and need pure water.

Colon – Acting as a channel to eliminate the semisolid remains from our diet, the colon sustains our population of intestinal microbes. Toxins in the body are reabsorbed by the colon, thus polluting the bloodstream and destroying tissues, glands and other organs.

Lungs – They expel bodily gases and waste materials from cells. Accumulated wastes are excreted via mucous through the lungs. With insufficient oxygen, the body experiences low energy and emaciation.

Skin – The skin is the largest channel of elimination in the body. It regulates temperature, protects the internal organs and eliminates toxins through perspiration, gas and vapor. When the liver is overloaded, skin conditions like eczema, rashes and increased sweating result.

When healthy, the skin can eliminate two quarts of toxins per day.

Blood – Impure blood results in boils, cysts and other skin problems, as well as tumors and cancer. The blood performs the extremely important task of supplying oxygen to all cells and communicating with the body via the hormones it carries.

It eliminates toxins that come from chemicals, toxic metals, overeating and more.

Lymphatic system – Symptoms of sluggish lymph drainage may include swelling (edema), inflammation, aches and pains, bloating, fatty deposits and cellulite.

The body has the ability to heal itself, given the right conditions and care. The team at OPTIMAL Living Center in Somers has a mission to advance the philosophy that good health is best achieved by taking responsibility for our own physical and mental well-being. One key step is being

aware of the simple principles involved in restoring the health of our internal environment.

Detoxification foot baths, such as the ionic footbath offered at the center, help support this health restoration mission through both simplicity and state-of-theart technology. Ionic foot detoxification, in a simple explanation, pulls the toxins out of the body through the feet. The coils of the ionic foot bath give the hydrogen in the water a positive charge, which then attracts negatively charged toxins in the body. The concept is similar to how a magnet works, facilitating removal of heavy metals and toxins from the body through the bottoms of the feet.

Repeated treatments with foot baths have been known to help individuals achieve the following results: • Eliminate built-up toxins • Increase cellular absorption through the effects of cellular cleansing • Boost the immune system • Activate the body’s elimination systems, including the lymph channels • Hydrate the cells • Oxygenate the cells • Realize benefits including better circulation, clear skin, better sleep patterns, more energy, reduced joint pain, stiffness and inflammation, weight loss and reduced stress and fatigue

Because we are bombarded with toxins that strain the body’s natural elimination channels, all toxins cannot be efficiently released through these channels. Thus, the body needs assistance to detoxify, such as regular detoxifying foot bath treatments.

Optimal Living Center has been helping people detox and alkalize their bodies since 2015. They are experts in body cleansing using the Premium Ionic Detox Foot Bath. For more details about a variety of therapies, visit Optimal-Living-Center.com. Location: 50 Old Farm Rd, Somers.

cover artist

Mother Earth Jenness Cortez

Renewal and purpose are repeating themes in the contemporary works of Jenness Cortez, symbolically portrayed in luminous layers. Internationally recognized and collected as a master realist painter, Cortez is revered for her remarkably intimate landscapes.

Her vision comprehends all nature as a manifestation of the divine.

Inspired by the light, color and form of the great masters, Cortez’s dynamic and rich compositions invite the viewer’s eye to move eagerly through her paintings again and again, savoring every nuance. Cortez says she hopes her work inspires the beholder to rediscover, revalue and reintegrate their own creative force into the hurried regimen of modern life. “I want to lead people to something good and eternal,” she says.

The Indiana-born artist began her studies under the guidance of noted Dutch painter Antonius Raemaekers.

She further developed her fine arts background as a graduate of the Herron School of Art, in Indianapolis, and a student of Arnold Blanche, at the Art Students League of New York.

View the artist’s portfolio at CortezArt. com. Cortez is also co-founder of the nonprofit American Meditation Institute (AmericanMeditation.org).

Natural Living Directory 2020

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CALL OF THE WILD Kids Thrive in Wilderness School

by Patricia Staino

I

magine a school day spent building forts and shelters, making pottery, identifying wild edibles and medicinal plants, and sitting silently in quiet reflection, observing the environment and journaling.

We’ve come a long way since “outdoor learning” referred to 20 minutes of recess on a blacktop parking lot. Today, educators and parents are recognizing the inherent benefits of children spending more time outdoors, exploring nature and

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balancing reading and writing with hiking, wildlife study and fire-making.

Two Coyotes Wilderness School is at the forefront of this movement in Connecticut; founded in 2000 as a nonprofit nature mentoring organization, its mission is to connect people to nature, community, and self. The school offers youth, adult and family programs, which take place at Sticks & Stones Farm in Newtown; Holcomb Farm in West Granby; and Chatfield Hollow Park in Killingworth. With Two Coyotes’ emphasis on mentoring, cultural practices, and personal growth, students learn about themselves and their place in the natural world.

The school’s newest offering is the Forest Learning Program, which runs from September through June and is designed for children five to 12 years old.

Once a week, children spend a full school day immersed in nature and experiencing core practices like gratitude, song and storytelling, as well as team-building activities with community celebrations that honor students and bring together parents, elders, and youth.

“Our programs have an inherent rhythm and flow that create space for kids to move at their own pace, while we facilitate and guide them towards a goal, ensuring that they’re being challenged at their edge,” says Maggie Gotterer, executive director. “There’s room in our lessons to

Nothing is more beautiful than the loveliness of the woods before sunrise. ~George Washington Carver

photos courtesy of TwoCoyotes.org

community spotlight

accommodate a diverse range of needs, so that every child can take what they need from a lesson but also be pushed in a way that is relevant to their learning style.”

The teaching style follows the “coyote mentoring” method, where lessons are indirect, yet transformational. Within this framework, nature mentors tailor each day’s activities to the needs and interests of the students, including comfort and familiarity with spending a full day in an outdoor environment. The program aligns with the goals of the Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core State Standards; through mentor-led inquiry and process-based learning, children investigate the natural world, journal and research their findings, use observations to answer their questions, and synthesize facts into knowledge applicable to life. This cultivates students’ innate curiosity and a passion for learning that will serve them when they are back in the classroom.

The day begins and closes in a circle, where students share gratitude, stories of the day, and song. Mornings are focused on learning survival and naturalist skills, which deepen over the arc of the year as students observe, ask questions and apply their skills to hands-on wilderness projects. Afternoons are filled with storytelling, playing in the river and games that apply skills learned in the morning.

Woven throughout the course are lessons in peacemaking and nonviolent communication, challenge activities and teamwork.

“Because our program is built around mentoring, we intentionally build in challenges,” says Gotterer. “For example, if we have a child who doesn’t like bugs, we try to ease them into that relationship over time with increasingly challenging encounters.”

While the curriculum is planned for each meeting day, it is flexible and responsive depending on the weather, the land and the children. Mentors bring unique and varied backgrounds to the school, so the activities they lead make use of their special talents as well as those of the students.

“The mentors spend a lot of time at the beginning of the program getting to

know the kids and drawing out their curiosities, learning what gets them engaged and motivated, what interests them, so they can tailor activities as the program evolves throughout the year,” says Gotterer.

Two Coyotes can report weekly attendance to a child’s school, and schools typically mark children as present for that day, likening the time to a weekly field trip or learning in an alternate environment.

Former Connecticut Education Commissioner Dianna Wentzell has indicated that a program similar to Forest Learning, operated by Common Ground in New Haven, is an excellent personalized learning opportunity for students and is an acceptable way to count attendance.

“We have seen a big payoff for our students; after spending a day in nature, they are much more focused and engaged in the classroom the other four days of the week,” says Gotterer. “For some, they are more confident because they have friendships and connections outside of school, for others they thrive on the close mentorship that they

6th Bi-Annual

receive from our staff, or being able to explore some of their academic curiosities in another environment. We receive great feedback from parents that this program has given their children another opportunity to learn and grow.”

The Forest Learning Program is offered for 35 weekly sessions from 9am to 3pm on Wednesdays at Holcomb Farm in West Granby and on Fridays at Sticks & Stones Farm in Newtown. The program includes an overnight in the fall and spring seasons. Tuition for the Forest Learning Program is $2,250, including the cost of both overnights. Tuition can be paid in full or on a monthly payment plan. Scholarships are available.

For more information, contact Executive Director Maggie Gotterer at 203-733-3951, Maggie@TwoCoyotes.org, or TwoCoyotes.org.

See ad, page 49.

Patricia Staino is the managing editor of Natural Awakenings’ Hartford and Fairfield County editions.

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community spotlight

KIDS LOVE GONGS

Sound Meditation Helps Children De-Stress

by Patricia Staino

E

d Cleveland has many stories that motivate him to bring sound healing experiences into Connecticut schools. After a session at Intensive Education Academy in West Hartford, which provides programs for students diagnosed with autism, developmental delay, dyslexia, visual or hearing impairment, ADD/ ADHD and other challenges, a young boy recounted what he experienced as Cleveland played his instruments: “I was in a cave, and I could hear wind blowing, and water droplets were running down the cave walls and dripping onto the ground around me; there was a fire in front of me, and it was snapping and crackling. How did you do that?”

The other children exhaled as one,

realizing they were not alone in having perhaps heard or witnessed such an experience, then grew excited about sharing their own reactions after listening to Cleveland play.

Ed Cleveland is the founder and owner of The Ed Cleveland Reiki & Sound Therapy Training Center located in Hartford. Cleveland offers individualized private and group sessions for adults and children of all ages, which include harmonic sounds, energy work and positive reinforcement instruction for continued self-empowerment and well-being. Years ago, when some of his meditation students asked if he would work with their children, he realized how powerful a program of meditative sound healing could be in schools.

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“It helps them quiet their minds and boost their creativity and imagination,” he says. “This is something all kids need, because kids today are experiencing stress much earlier than we did, and it’s a big problem, with kids hurting themselves and even committing suicide.”

While Cleveland’s school programs, originally developed for children on the autism spectrum, follow a loose structure, he believes every experience is different, so he approaches each engagement anticipating the need to change as the session ebbs and flows. Prior to leaving home, he meditates on the instruments to decide which he should bring. Once at the school he sets up his own sacred space and prays on how he can best help the students who will attend. This intuitive vibe continues as the children file in and he gets a feel for what they are thinking and feeling.

“At Intensive, for example, there were 65 kids, ages six to 21, some with very high sensitivities,” he remembers. “As they entered the room, I could feel the tension, but I could also feel their curiosity toward the gongs. I’m trained to collectively meet people wherever they are; so, I watch them to see how I can get through to them. I let them know they might notice things they’ve never noticed before as I make different sounds. As they become more comfortable and start to respond, I change things slightly.”

Cleveland asks the students to notice their feelings as he plays, because he wants them to be able to remember a good feeling and find it in themselves when they feel sad or stressed in the future. He does exercises to show them how to use deep breaths to calm their thoughts, then refocus on something in the physical world around them to get them out of their heads. “Showing them how to focus on something beyond the fear-based situation they find themselves in is a powerful tool they can use moving forward,” he says.

At the end of the session, Cleveland asks the children to share their meditative experiences, and as a reward for good behavior, he lets them tap the gongs. “I ask them to respect the instrument the way they like to be respected,” he explains. “It’s

great because they finish their day saying, ‘I got to play a gong, and I feel good!’”

The Power of Elemental Sound

The impact of Cleveland’s sessions derives from harmonic overtones that mimic natural, elemental sounds. Rather than following a musical protocol and playing familiar tunes, he uses instruments that produce ambient sound to allow spaciousness in the brain and provide the listener a new experience.

Harmonic overtones are mathematically spaced tones that are only audible when played on specific instruments. When they resonate throughout the human body, these frequencies induce physiological changes that can be harnessed for therapy and for altering consciousness. To this end, Cleveland has developed a sonic experience—a sound meditation—that accelerates this process through a deep, meditative state. The goal is to enable participants to disengage their undesirable habitual patterns and empower positive cognitive change.

“That’s where they leave behind the left brain’s thoughts of concerns, anger, fear and jealousy, and go to the right brain’s thoughts of comfort, relaxation and calm,” says Cleveland. “And once they’ve experienced that feeling, they can remember it when they need to be stronger inside. They can practice these skills until it comes easily, but they can’t find the path if they don’t know how the path feels.”

Bang a Gong

Giant gongs play a major role in Cleveland’s sonic meditations. Most people mistakenly think of gongs as crash symbols smacked at a single, isolated moment to emphasize a musical passage. “Those are the bangers and crashers on gongs, and that’s what I’m teaching people NOT to do!” he laughs.

Understanding the gong is critical in understanding the power of Cleveland’s sound programs in school.

Bronze gongs are Cleveland’s instrument of choice because they offer more sound than plate-metal gongs. Plate-metal gongs only operate in the second octave, which he likens to having a full piano but only using 12 of the keys. Cleveland’s very

large gongs allow listeners to hear more of the microtonality sounds normally hidden within a smaller gong. The large bronze gongs are in the first octave, so when he taps them, he can take that low octave— like the bottom part of the piano—and make all kinds of sounds that go across the range of the whole piano. However, Cleveland can also reach an infinite amount of sounds that are the equivalent of the space between any two piano keys. Those sounds are incredibly valuable, he says, and if people aren’t experiencing them, they aren’t receiving the high form of mathematical information contained within them.

“You can actually feel it before you hear it, because it’s so low. I can just tap the gong and your body feels this rumbling coming from within you; that creates the mind-body-spirit connection. By using a variety of mallets, I’m literally creating millions of different sounds, because I get a different full piano at every point I hit, so when I’m playing for an hour, that number gets multiplied very quickly because there’s so much happening.”

According to Cleveland, as he continues tapping the gong, each sound interacts with all the other sounds, as a strike sends electrons shooting to the far side of the gong then back again, and the sound starts to create its own wave and pulse.

Suddenly, it feels like sounds are coming from nowhere and everywhere, as all the sounds hit each other within the gong.

“This is what makes it unpredictable.

As a facilitator, it’s like I’m now playing with a new musician that’s coming out of the instrument. And it’s interacting with the room, so all this high mathematical and sound information creates notes a person has never heard before, entering their body, feeding and nourishing the organs.”

There’s a channel on the left side of the ear that follows along a Sylvian fissure nerve.

The sounds open and awaken the channel, sending the sounds’ complex mathematical information to the frontal lobe of the brain, which is the imagination center. It’s especially powerful for people on the spectrum, for whom the normal musical scale is too simplistic and, quite frankly, boring. For

them, Cleveland says, the multitude of tones of a large gong is completely unpredictable, and when that valve opens, it’s tapping into the awakened dream state of the brain.

“And that’s the beautiful part,” he says, “because it awakens atrophies, which move around the brain and repair broken receptors. The sound awakens something that repairs damaged wiring in the brain.

It makes you smarter.”

Teach Them How to Fish

Cleveland is now training other sound healers to help bring these special meditative sessions to schools. Each school session, which may last 60 to 90 minutes with the children, can take 10 hours of Cleveland’s day to pack, transport, set up, and break down. This can also be cost-prohibitive for him, because he loses time away from his day job. Training other practitioners will help balance the load, although he counts on community support through donations to make more of these healing sessions possible.

He is also hoping to organize a program where he can teach kids how to play Tibetan bowls, perhaps culminating in group concerts that would raise additional funds for the programs. Cleveland believes such classes could inspire a new generation of sound healers.

“It’s like energy work: I don’t want someone to have to come to me every time,” he says. “I want to help people raise their abilities so they can help themselves.

The brain is always going, and that’s why people end up dwelling on certain things; but learning to quiet the mind or to follow a different sound opens that spaciousness.

I want people to pay attention to different sounds that hold their attention and bring them to a new consciousness.”

To schedule a session with Ed Cleveland, or to donate to help him bring sound meditation to more Connecticut schools, call 860681-3981, email EdReikik3@yahoo.com.

See profile, page 34.

Patricia Staino is a freelance writer and the managing editor of Natural Awakenings’ Hartford and Fairfield County editions.

Natural Living Directory 2020

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The message I try to express [through my art] is that some of our best-known wild animals might, in my lifetime, no longer be on the planet.

communications officer: “The choices we make, the things we do, collectively matter and can have a huge impact on the world.”

~Josie Martin

PLANET RESCUE Grassroots Strategies Combat Climate Crisis

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by Julie Marshall

ike most kids, Azalea Morgan loves polar bears. “They’re fluffy and cute,” the 8-year-old says, and after watching a documentary on how climate change is affecting these Arctic apex predators, she badly wanted to help.

Her mom, Molly Morgan, suggested she do something big, because the problem of global warming is monumental.

For nearly three weeks last September, Azalea pedaled her bike alongside her mom and 9-year-old sister, Ember, setting out from their hometown of Andover, New Hampshire, en route to New York City to attend the United Nations (UN) Climate Action Summit, where Greta Thunberg and other global youth leaders marched for change. The trip was a fundraiser to put solar panels on their school and for future projects under KidsCare4PolarBears, a Facebook page that documents their ongoing efforts.

While not everyone has the time or inclination to ride 250 miles and camp— some of it in the rain—or as Thunberg did, sail across the Atlantic in a zero-emissions 16 Hartford County Edition

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yacht, there are steps individuals can take to combat climate change on a grassroots level, experts say, because the crisis is undeniable, as seen most recently in the catastrophic bushfires across Australia.

There are peaceful protests taking place worldwide scheduled throughout 2020 at FridaysForFuture.org and other organizations, but a growing number of individuals that want to do more are using their imaginations and creative endeavors, inspiring others to take unique action.

Students at a school in Spain wrote and performed a play and illustrated a book to raise climate change awareness, while a teen from California used her artistic skills to raise thousands of dollars for wildlife. On March 28, people around the world participated in the World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour by collectively turning off lights at 8:30 p.m. while holding eco-events, and others are joining in the global tree-planting campaign of The Nature Conservancy (TNC).

Reversing course may seem insurmountable, but individuals have a lot of power, says Dan Shepard, UN global

“I wanted to inspire other kids,” Ember says of her bicycle trek for polar bears. “I love animals and they deserve to not die.”

According to a 2019 UN Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, more than 1 million species are threatened with extinction, and one of the main reasons is climate change, say experts, including Nikhil Advani, director of Climate Communities and Wildlife at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Protecting large predators is one key to enriching biodiversity, Advani says.

“The top of the food chain has a significant impact on prey species and the ecosystem.”

But predators are suffering because of humans that are feeling the impacts of climate change, Advani says. Long droughts have forced many Kenyan pastoralists to enter protected parks and compete with wildlife for water and grazing land, resulting in lion deaths as retaliation for killing livestock. In the Himalayas, as the Earth warms, snow leopard habitat is being encroached for pastureland. In Zimbabwe, farmers have turned to chopping down trees for wood as an alternative economic opportunity. “Everybody is stressed and competing for resources,” Advani says. “It is a very severe result of climate change.”

Advani and researchers are working in tandem with local societies in 30 countries across Africa, Central America and Asia to fund novel projects under the Wildlife Adaptation Innovation Fund. For instance, they are piloting a rainwater harvesting project to help farmers get through the dry seasons and are constructing concrete and mudbrick nests to help albatross breed better in Tasmania. These special projects are based on available levels of donations that are sometimes crowd-sourced.

Raising funds for innovative projects, as well as increasing awareness of what’s happening, is an important grassroots strategy, says Elan Strait, WWF director of U.S. climate campaigns. It can be as simple as sharing updates, tagging social media influencers and instigating a rallying cry. WWF has its

painting by Josie Martin

Stepping Up for Biodiversity

own program called Panda Ambassadors in which conservation activists of all ages can get tips and tools to promote specific projects they feel most passionate about.

“I love to see what young people are doing, because if we collectively use our voice to amplify the facts about climate change, we can work to find solutions,” Strait says. “And we need facts to get out there because, at least in the U.S., some people think climate change is still a controversy and are afraid to talk about it, but we should have that conversation with friends and family so we can find solutions.”

Youth Rising to the Challenge

Getting involved in grassroots-level strategies is empowering not only for kids, but for adults that need their resiliency and inspiration, says Janet Stringer, manager of donor relations at Polar Bears International, in Bozeman, Montana. “In my work, I hear from so many people who are feeling deep despair about the climate crisis. I draw hope from the children who write to us, sharing stories and pictures about their dreams for a future that includes polar bears,” says Stringer. “I think we owe it to the next generation to work as hard as we can to come together and make the necessary changes to ensure that polar bears—and all wildlife—are not a species we learn about in the pages of a book, but a wild species that we can see with our own eyes, reminding us of how special our planet is and why it deserves our respect.”

One of her favorite examples comes from students at the Daina-Isard school, in Olesa de Montserrat, Spain, and their climate-driven projects with teacher Connie Darilek, who asked the Aquarium of Barcelona to help them grow plankton, an organism threatened by warming seas.

“They gave us plankton and jellyfish, and it was really amazing for the students to learn the [Arctic] food chain and how serious it would be losing the polar bear on top,” Darilek says. Students recently published the book Nanuc, a story about a polar bear that they also illustrated, now in its second printing.

Josie Martin, 13, of Solana Beach, California, has raised $8,700 for conservation of rhinos, elephants, pango-

lins, gorillas and polar bears by giving watercolor paintings to those that donate to charities through her PayPal Giving page at Chuffed.org/project/peace-love-hopefor-rhinos. “Each year, I think I’m getting a little bit better at creating art which sends a strong message,” she says. “The message I try to express is that some of our best-known wild animals might in my lifetime no longer be on the planet. I think the difference I make through art is that I am helping to raise awareness for important animal conservation work.”

Every Action Counts

There’s no one solution to climate change, says Catherine Macdonald, TNC director of natural climate solutions for North America. “We really have to try, all of us. It’s important that everyone feel they can contribute, because everything does make a difference, and no action is too small.”

For those that are not art-inclined, one of the best things people can do is to plant trees, Macdonald says, whether it’s replanting forests or increasing their numbers in urban areas. According to a 2018 study by TNC published in Science Advances, nature-driven land management could sequester 21 percent of America’s annual greenhouse gas pollution—the equivalent of emissions from all cars and trucks on the roads today. Planting trees emerged

in the study as the most significant among 21 strategies to mitigate global warming. One good way to get started is join the TNC Plant a Billion Trees program, Macdonald says; details are at Tinyurl.com/TNCPlantABillionTrees.

“Climate change is definitely a growing concern that we are facing, and as more people understand there is a problem and what the solutions are, the more influence we can have on the big decision-makers, whether that’s government or corporations that make our products,” she says. “And being aware informs voters to advance climate action.”

While Josie, Ember, Azalea and the students at Daina-Isard aren’t old enough to vote, their message is strong. “I’m worried about the impact climate change will have on our future,” Josie says. “I think people should protest peacefully for the things they believe in and that more people should exercise their right to vote for leaders who care about the youth in our world and the generations to come. I also think people should try to spend a little bit of their time taking action for what they want to see changed in our world.”

Julie Marshall is a Colorado-based writer and author of Making Burros Fly: Cleveland Amory, Animal Rescue Pioneer. Connect with her at FlyingBurros@gmail.com.

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A Child Shall Lead Them

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Connecticut Youth Lead the Climate Charge

he world has the teenage climate warrior Greta Thunberg, but Connecticut is home to several young warriors of its own. High schoolers in the New Haven Climate Movement convinced the city to declare a climate emergency, while Yale’s Endowment Justice Coalition actively seeks the university’s divestment from fossil fuels and Puerto Rican debt.

Green Eco Warriors is a youth climate program founded by Leticia Colón de Mejias, who is one of Connecticut’s foremost mentors to youth regarding the climate crisis, and the mostly 20-something group from New Haven’s Sunrise Movement hub promotes the Green New Deal.

All these groups, and others, had planned robust rallies and marches to call for urgent climate action on April 22 to 24 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. However, after the state shut down in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, all the activities proceeded on-line, and included virtual rallies, teach-ins, poster-making, tree-decorating and much more.

According to Adrien Huq, a 16-yearold senior at New Haven’s Metropolitan 18 Hartford County Edition

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Business Academy and one of the organizers with the New Haven Climate Movement, “There’s new excitement and urgency around the climate emergency. It’s a new decade and we need to see strong action because not a lot happened in the last decade. Earth Day is about taking solid action this time, not just a one-day thing or just planting a tree. Being an environmentalist is great, but we also need people pushing for strong action at the governmental level, especially the state level.”

Another group, the Sunrise Movement hub, burst upon the scene shortly after the 2018 mid-term elections when a large group of young people occupied the Congressional office of incoming Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, demanding the government pass legislation for a Green New Deal to “stop climate change and create millions of good jobs in the process,” says Tyler Wakefield, a leader with the group. “It’s an attempt to center justice in our approach to stopping this crisis. It recognizes our country’s and cities’ long history of racist and classist energy, housing, health care, transportation and food

policy that has left communities of color and low-wealth communities far more vulnerable to climate change.”

Adult climate activists focused on the “Stop the Money Pipeline” campaign, advancing the idea that if banks and other financial institutions stop extending loans and providing insurance coverage for fracked gas and highly polluting tar sands and other kinds of oil pipelines, then that greenhouse gas-emitting infrastructure can’t be built. Hartford has long been considered the insurance capital of the world, and activists—led by co-organizer the Connecticut chapter of the Sierra Club—recently carried out an “on-line accountability walking tour” to visit a number of insurance companies headquartered in the city. The purpose was “to demand that they stop their investments in fossil fuels, that they invest in renewable energy and stop insuring fossil fuel companies,” says Angel Serrano, lead organizer for the event with Connecticut Citizen Action Group. He added that the focus was on social justice, environmental justice, climate change and energy.

Sena Wazer, a 16-year-old student at UConn, is co-chair of another Sunrise group and a passionate speaker who roused her peers and elders at three climate strikes at the Capitol last year. The youth’s demands included no new fossil fuel expansion; expanded energy efficiency and renewable energy; and ensured climate education for all public-school children, “because every child deserves to know what is happening to their future,” she says. “We cannot keep building natural gas power plants when we need to be moving away from fossil fuels, and renewable energy is the future.”

In a speech last December, she made her case to political leaders, telling them: “I spend every day panicking about climate change, doing whatever I can to help combat it, but yet in your position of power, you continue to sit by and do nothing. But we’re not waiting any longer: Stand up or step aside.”

The activists say the bills that were being debated in the Connecticut General Assembly this year before the shutdown didn’t go nearly far enough in tackling the climate crisis. Although the state relies more on fracked

natural gas than any other fuel source, they say it is not a bridge to a clean energy future.

Some have called it “a gangplank to catastrophe,” since natural gas is almost 100 percent methane, a very powerful greenhouse gas that is 100 times worse for the climate than carbon dioxide over a 10-year period, which is the critical time for action.

Another focus for local climate groups is Killingly, near the Rhode Island border. It’s the site of a fracked gas power plant first denied, then approved, by the Connecticut Siting Council.

“If it’s built and operates, it will increase greenhouse gas emissions over 5 percent in the state, which makes it increasingly difficult to meet our climate mandates,” says Kate Donnelly, one of the organizers of opposition to the plant. The plant’s owner, NTE, says gas is cleaner than the coal- and oil-powered plants it’s replacing, but opponents say renewable energy is cleaner still, and underscore again the methane problem.

Advocates for a stable climate say Connecticut doesn’t need the plant, as

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energy demand has remained flat throughout the region, and ISO New England, the region’s energy grid operator, last year reduced its need for power.

Donnelly adds that local residents are concerned because emissions from the plant would increase air pollution, and Windham County already has the highest asthma rates in the state. “We have state reps and senators, farmers, businesspeople, the elderly and parents” involved in efforts to stop the plant, she says. “Our strategy is to educate people as much as we can and

then put pressure on the governor through protests, writing letters, lobbying.”

The Connecticut Climate Crisis Mobilization, a 90-member coalition that came together last summer to promote September’s youth climate strike in Hartford, met for several months before the planned Earth Day events to build support and carry out their own “lightning round rally and actions.” They also planned a forum that will make the connections between the coronavirus, the climate emergency and the economic crisis.

Local Resources Connecticut Climate Crisis Mobilization • CTClimateCrisisMobilization.org CT Citizen Action Group • Angel.SerranoCCAG@gmail.com • CCAG.net/take-action.html New Haven Climate Movement • NewHavenClimateMovement@gmail.com NewHavenClimateMovement.org No More Dirty Power in Killingly • 860-604-4846 (Sierra Club Connecticut) Sierra Club Connecticut • 860-578-4750 • Connecticut.SierraClub.org Sunrise CT • FB, Instagram, Twitter: Sunrise Movement Connecticut

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Venus, peace and love, retrogrades May 13 through June 25.

Mars, war and sex, retrogrades September 9 through November 13.

Just Another Year?

2020 Brings Transitional Challenges and Opportunities

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by Agneta Borstein

he start of 2020 has certainly been intense. We observe three major cycles throughout this year: first, the meeting of Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn is a 33- to 38-year cycle, which began late 2018, setting the stage for 2020 and making its effect known in January.

Saturn, the planet of structure, discipline, timing, as well as control and government, rules matters of structure down to our teeth and bones. Pluto represents that which must be endured, harsh realities of separation, down to the terrifying word, death. Through the crucial and perhaps necessary, if not the natural, process of death, there is a rebirth lingering that very same moment, and that is where the transitional and evolutionary aspects of humanity play a vital role.

The next essential meetings to consider and be ready for are also in Capricorn. These are Jupiter and Pluto on April 4, June 30, and November 14, which is a 13-year cycle. Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, is often associated 20 Hartford County Edition

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with fortune and expansion of learning, religion, travel, faith, and education. He is also the god that often runs too fast. Not comfortable in Capricorn since he doesn’t like to be controlled or contained, he becomes overly optimistic and on many levels is the shapeshifter that can’t be trusted.

Jupiter and Pluto have different personalities: Jupiter’s enthusiastic sensation of moving forward will face Pluto’s energies of necessary metamorphic confrontations.

The third major encounter, a 20-year cycle of Jupiter and Saturn, will brush shoulders throughout 2020, and station at 0º00 Aquarius on December 21, the same day as the Winter Solstice. Continuing political, social, ecological and economic uncertainties are reinforced by this cycle.

There are two sides to a coin, and in our planetary observations, we also have two sides of the planet’s personalities. Thus, this year it is crucial to have a firm belief in personal rights to be expressed, no matter what side of the coin we might choose. Optimistic Jupiter, if he assumes

his good luck charm will get immobilized

by Saturn, will also benefit and use his stroke of luck when he operates with Saturn through perseverance and structure, especially with personal resources. Use the application to become involved with a passion of choice, volunteer for a cause, support a friend in need, and be selfish in an unselfish manner. Put on your own mask before helping someone in need.

There will be six eclipses during 2020. Eclipses are essentially strong Full Moons. Thus, they are close to our search for spirit (the Sun) and our soul (the Moon). The next Eclipses in Cancer and Capricorn in 2020 occur on June 21 (0º 21) and July 5 (13º 38) the last one, close to the U.S.’s natal Sun in Cancer. Aries and Libra are other signs also affected by these eclipses. The Gemini/Sagittarius Eclipses are June 5 (15º 34), November 30 (8º 38), and December 14 (23º 08); Pisces and Virgo will notice their impact as well.

Capricorn, the achiever and the success-driven sign, will become the highlight of 2020. This attention began already in 2008, more emphasized in 2012 and will continue until 2024 since the very alive planets are the gods showing their powers through Humanity. Our understanding, or denial of climate change, mass-migration and economic diminishing—or growth, will continue until the above cycles are fully comprehended. The phenomena of the Swedish activist, Greta Thunberg, with her Sun, Moon, and Mercury in Capricorn, is one hope for the millions of individuals continuing to support her, her message creating mass conscious protests throughout the globe. Governments and Capricorns throughout the world ought to implement hers and science’s knowledge for Mother Earth to survive in healthier ways.

Agneta Borstein has guided clients to be their most authentic selves for the past 40 years, using her expertise as an Astrologer and Shamanic Practitioner. For more information or to make an appointment, call 860-983-5666, email AgnetaBorstein@ gmail.com, or visit AgnetaBorstein.com.

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Crystal/Sound/White Time Bradford W. Tilden, MM, CMT Universal White Time Gemstone, Energy, and Angelic Sound Healing Individual, Remote, Group Sessions Classes, Workshops, Sound Journeys Bradford@CrystalMusicHealing.com CT/MA locations 860-830-5841

Holistic Diabetes Coaching Laura Estan, RD, LDN, CDE Specializing in mindfulness-based Diabetes health coaching and holistic medical nutrition therapy.

10 Grassmere Avenue Suite 300 West Hartford, CT *Now accepting Medicare Laura.EstanRD.CDE@gmail.com 860-930-0308

Professional Intuitive Energy Work Justin Speller, Certified Holistic Practitioner Professional Intuitive Energy Work Source Light Healing Ancestral Energy Clearing Past Life Resolution, EFT www.tapintothelight.com tapintothelight@gmail.com Wethersfield, CT 617-435-7798

Shamanic/Reiki/Sound Healer Denise Cassella, Stairway to Healing Light, LLC Reiki Master/Sound Healer Teacher, Angelic & Spiritual Guide, Interfaith Minister, Shaman, Qigong Instr. CT/RI/Cent. & East. MA Stairway2Healing@gmail.com StairwaytoHealingLight.abmp.com 860-965-6398

Chiropractic/Acupuncture/Nutrition Raya Clinic - Chiropractic, Acupuncture, Nutrition, Spinal Decompression, Physical therapy, Food-sensitivity testing, Cold-laser and Neuropathy treatments 200 Queen St, Southington RayaClinic.com 860-621-2225

Coaching & Workshops Torin Lee TL Coaching /Zen Events www.MyPathForward.net torin@zenevents.net www.torinlee.com 860-861-9038

Healing/Coaching

Healing & Wellness Center

Robin Barros, Spirit of the Lotus Integrative Manual Therapy, Medical Shamanism, Holographic Sound Healing, Advanced Soul Coaching® & Past Life Journeys Medical Intuitive, Medium, Channel SpiritoftheLotus.org Columbia, CT 860-709-3903

Lily Holcomb, The Water Lily Holistic Empowerment Center, Intuitive & Mediumship Readings, Empowerment Energy Healings, Groups, Classes & Events • 129 Tolland Stage Rd. Tolland, CT thewaterlilycenter.com 860-756-6391

Integrative Psychotherapy

Naturopathic Physician

The Enlightenment Counseling Center, LLC Holistic psychotherapy & alternative medicine to enhance our clinical services.

998 Farmington Ave, West Hartford 660 Prospect Ave, Hartford EnlightenmentCenterCT.com EnlightenmentCenterLLC@gmail.com 860-729-3284

Quantum Psychotherapy Celeste E. Mattingly, LCSW, Creator of Celestial Psychology® Quantum Brainstorming with stateof-the-art multidimensional energy medicine & Tachyon Zero-Point-Energy products for anti-aging, healing, & enlightenment. Insurance accepted for in-person & TeleHealth Psychotherapy celestialempowerment.com 860-586-8700

Transformational Healing Shari Dorman, LPC Inner Mountain Peak Healing, LLC- Owner Licensed Professional Counselor Reiki Master/Teacher InnerMountainPeakHealing.net InnerMountainPeakHealing@gmail.com 860-324-3309

Mind • Body • Soul

Dr. Nicole Klughers, ND, PharmD, MSAc Naturopathic Provider & Acupuncture Specialist Vis Wellness Center at Nova Spa Rocky Hill DrNicoleKlughers.com DrNicoleKlughers@gmail.com (234)2-ACU-DOC

Reiki/Sound Therapy Ed Cleveland The Ed Cleveland Reiki & Sound Therapy Training Center, Hartford Sound therapy, Reiki, Classes, Workshops EdReiki3@yahoo.com 860-681-3981

Treating Acid Reflux Susan Berman, M.Ed., CHHC Find your unique food & lifestyle triggers.

Offering 1:1 coaching via Zoom, Skype, or a DIY program.

HealingAcidReflux.com Susan@HealingAcidReflux.com 860-670-4152 Natural Living Directory 2020

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2020 Individual Zodiac Transits

by Agneta Borstein

F

or those familiar with your natal birth chart, the following individual zodiac transits for 2020 can be applied to your sun, moon, ascendant or any other point of significance in your astrological chart.

The term “retrograde” is used in the zodiac transit explanations. The simplified explanation of retrograde planets is that they create a movement, a loop in the sky. During any retrograde period, the focus, concentration and contemplation can benefit our minds. Contemplate on projects or decisions and execute the venture cautiously until the planets are out of this “loop” and move forward again, especially if the time is not right according to your personal chart.

ARIES: Aries will have a year of opportunities for healing with therapeutic energy, from the ultimate healer, Chiron, as the continuing focus.

With karmic implications from the past and moving forward to the future, summer opens opportunities for manifestations. Mars, the planet comfortable in Aries, will endure confrontations, starting in July and become intensified as he retrogrades September 9 through mid-November13.

Pay attention to aggressive driving, anger, and feeling exhausted around October 9. Standing up for personal and collective rights, martial arts, hot yoga or brisk walks are all beneficial.

TAURUS: Uranus, the planet of uncertainty, will bring circumstances of insecurity, concerns over finances and personal relationships, especially after May and for some this may linger throughout the entire year. Uranus in Taurus also opens opportunities for solid decisions that have been contemplated, knowing that it is a beneficial time to move on; new job opportunities can manifest assuring a grounded approach of manifestations. Steady and grounded energies will support the Taurus persistence for success and comfort.

GEMINI: Venus, the goddess of love, money, as well as greed, will travel in Gemini early April until August 6. She will station retrograde May 13 through June 25, pointing to uncertain financial matters; investment in homes, cars or expensive purchases should be avoided. Venus will continue to show her impact on a vulnerable stock market. Mercury will challenge Neptune around May 22; quiet, solitude and journaling become beneficial. The eclipse season of Gemini/Sagittarius begins with a Full Moon Eclipse on June 5 and will occur again on November 30 as well as December 14 in the axis 22 Hartford County Edition

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of Gemini/Sagittarius. Many Geminis will notice Karma, Fate, and Destiny alter their lives during the next 19 months.

CANCER: Emotions will run high with Earth sign Capricorn still in opposition to the sensitive Water sign Cancer. A good cry is a healthy sign for all zodiac signs. Mercury station retrograde on June 18 through July 12, in Cancer, which promises family gatherings, weddings, and honesty in communications; just don’t forget to bake the cake. A week of losing keys, forgetting the iPhone and missing appointments is strong June 18 through June 25. In addition, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Pluto are retrograde end of June, natural cycles to observe and benefit from thinking twice before making crucial decisions.

Cancer (sun, moon or ascendant) folks will do well by grounding their feet in any type of Earth activities.

LEO: Early Leo, especially those born July 23 through 27, will feel Saturn as an opposing force of resistance for change and hardship often brought by Saturn. This is not a risk-taking year, particularly for any type of gambling habits. No one wins, especially between August 2 and 4. There are, however, opportunities for personal financial matters by using this year to finalize goals, investigate detail timing of major decisions, manifest dreams, and using logic rather than letting ego get in the way. Five planets are retrograde during August, increasing our awareness that Saturn is about timing in our lives. Not just for Leo, but for all of us.

VIRGO: In the lingo of astrology, a trine is a connection between planets within degrees. We must become aware of them and use them accordingly, or we might miss opportunities for personal growth and success. Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto still linger in Capricorn, creating a trine to Virgo as the sky pulls Uranus in Taurus into the picture as well. During the first weeks of September, six planets are retrograde, which suggests extra patience for all, not just Virgos. With caution and confidence, using opportunities on the path, Virgo will benefit by staying earthly, practical and using a detailed analytical personality. The reward is waiting.

LIBRA: Libra, the sign of love and peace, will be confronted by Mars in Aries throughout the birthday month. The promise of peace can and will be achieved when the ferocious Mars is understood as a courageous planet and not only the fighter in the ring. Construct and compose your aura and don’t destroy your surroundings. Around October 9 there is a test of patience and bravery as Pluto and Mercury challenge Mars to its core. Stand up for personal rights. Any decisions Libra is trying to make, what road to take, or what true color to wear, should be made at the beginning of September extended to mid-November, as the goal then will be clearer.

SCORPIO: During the cycle of Scorpio, Mercury and Mars overlap in retrograde. Mercury station retrograde on October 14 until November 2 in Scorpio, technically strong until November 20.

Election day in the U.S., on November 3, is close to the movement of Mercury direct more than likely will bring a recount or other challenging controversies.

Uranus in Taurus will reinforce the Mercury retrograde motion with opposing deals, disagreements, confusing personal Scorpio matters, as well as in the social media. Mars, still in retrograde, with its dual rulership of Aries and Scorpio, will become active during this time. There is the notion that Scorpio, naturally honest but can be hurtful, will be supported by Neptune; these are the planets that favor our true selves.

SAGITTARIUS: With the axis of Eclipses in Sagittarius/Gemini, on June 5, November 30, and December 14, Sagittarius will endure challenges with relationships, career changes, and attempts at making solid plans. Decisions can be difficult to make, but the outcome is an improved future vision. Some will change their life circumstances drastically and will learn how to let go of worn-out habits and be aware of the present moment. Contemplation and not confusion will aid in the process. When uncertain, let it go.

CAPRICORN: The weight of Saturn, Pluto and, in addition, during 2020, Jupiter coming along makes matters such as hard work, control, depression and stress noticeable. There is success for those deserving of it, and some will benefit tremendously. That is especially true for those in charge who don’t misuse their habit of controlling others. Uranus in Earth sign Taurus invites folks to follow their daily routine, paying attention to the clock ticking will be rewarded at the end of this year.

Relief will be felt from the sky at the end of December when Jupiter and Saturn finally leave Capricorn. Observe the crucial dates of April, June, and November of 2020 for personal important decisions.

PISCES: Neptune, in Pisces since 2011, reminds us about the water flowing within our bodies when tears and emotions are released. He is not only the God of Water, he is the oceans, streams, rivers, water supplies, and wells. Neptune has received plenty of attention lately. Rightfully so, the last visit with Neptune in Pisces was 1856, but that was another lifetime. Pisces in 2020 can benefit greatly by escaping to the other “worlds” at the yoga studio, the massage therapist, a walk in nature, watching movies, but do not escape with too much wine, legal or prescription drugs. The Eclipses in Gemini/Sagittarius on June 5, November 30, and December 14 challenges Pisces with personal goals, plans, and relationships.

AQUARIUS: Jupiter the fast traveler will be halted by restricting Saturn, which moves in and out of Capricorn and Aquarius during their 20-year cycle, to be concluded at the end of the year. Aquarius transmits the basic word of Uranus; revolution, freedom, individuality, and support of any human being’s uniqueness. They belong together, so to speak; the opportunities versus the breakdowns are the same as in 1982/83 when they last met in their natural cycle.

Aquarians born between January 20 and January 24 will have great opportunities to get to know Jupiter and Saturn on extremely personal and intimate events.

Author’s note: This article was written during the outbreak of the Coronavirus. It was not written with the intent to analyze this unfortunate situation, cause more fear, confusion or attempt to claim that astrology is the only answer. We have a notion in our language of astrology that we know something occurs, but we might not always know what side of the coin will be more noticeable. The above dates, observed with knowledge and integrity, have been observed years before this actual year of 2020. Without this devastating virus there might have been another cause of the planets speaking loud and clear, giving us opportunities to listen.

Agneta Borstein has guided clients to be their most authentic selves for the past 40 years, using her expertise as an astrologer and shamanic practitioner. For more information or to make an appointment, call 860-9835666, email AgnetaBorstein@gmail.com, or visit AgnetaBorstein.com. See ad, page 8.

JULY 31–AUGUST 6, 2020

COMING HOME TO YOURSELF

,

A JOURNEY TO SELF-ACCEPTANCE LOVE & WISDOM

Are you seeking growth within yourself, in your professional life, or in your relationships? Stuart and Naomi return to Santa Fe, NM for the 5th CEUs Available year to deliver this transformative workshop.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.hartfordfamilyinstitute.com

With Hartford Family Institute’s Stuart Alpert Psy.D., LCSW and Naomi Lubin-Alpert Psy.D., LMFT Natural Living Directory 2020

23

Saving All Creatures, Great and Small

by Jennifer Ponte Canning

The fate of Connecticut’s wildlife lies in all of our hands, but only a few exceptional folks are doing the hands-on work.

I

t takes a special person to become a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. They are the field medics in humanity’s war on the natural world, taking in wild animals who have been injured, poisoned, orphaned or displaced by human activity.

They often work out of their homes and are on call around the clock. Vacations and even downtime are rarely a reality.

They are not compensated for their work, relying on donations and grants to fund their life-saving efforts. And, all too often, those efforts are for naught.

Yet it is the success stories that keep them going.

“We work desperately to save them all, but in many cases, it is not possible,” says Cristine Cummings, who co-founded

Top 10 Things You Can Do to Live Harmoniously with Native Wildlife

by Wildlife in Crisis • Leave trees standing, especially mature trees that provide shelter and mast for wildlife.

• Keep cats indoors and supervise dogs.

• Watch for wildlife when driving.

• Do not trap wildlife—you will only leave orphaned young behind.

• Eliminate pesticides, herbicides or rodenticides—these are highly toxic to all living beings.

• Create pollinator pathways with native plants—natural food and shelter for bees to bears.

• Garden gently, keeping in mind frogs, salamanders and other indicator species. Turn half your lawn into a meadow.

• Install nest boxes and feeders for songbirds.

• Pick up fishing line, netting, jars and other trash that harms wildlife.

• Preserve land—habitat preservation is the most important thing we can do for wildlife.

• Become active with your local land trust.

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the Killingworth-based raptor rescue A Place Called Hope in 2005. “The majority of cases we admit are so badly injured, we can’t put them through trying. But for those who have a chance at recovery, we dedicate our efforts.”

For many rehabbers, the inclination to help wild animals began in childhood.

When she was 10 years old, Dara Reid discovered a baby field mouse taking shelter in her mother’s sock drawer. She cared for the mouse until it could survive on its own, eventually returning him to his natural habitat. This inspired her to study veterinary medicine, then wildlife biology, and by age 23, Reid had founded Wildlife in Crisis. That was in 1988. Thirty-two years later, the secluded Weston-based clinic is by far the most robust in Connecticut, answering 20,000 calls and taking in more than 5,000 wild animals each year—with the goal of healing and releasing every last one.

“I have always had a passion and empathy for animals. Their vulnerability has always stood out to me,” Reid says.

“As I matured, I realized that local wildlife needed a voice and a sanctuary.”

Nadia McCartney was also about 10 years old when she found a baby jackrabbit with a broken leg. She made a splint for it using a twig, then raised the rabbit until it was ready to be released. The rewarding experience made a lifelong impact on her. Today she runs Helping Hands for Wildlife, a nonprofit group in Woodbury that is licensed to rehabilitate rabies vector species (RVS) such as raccoons, foxes and skunks, as well as other mammals.

“Although everyone told me not to hold out hope because [the jackrabbit] was wild and probably would die, I realized that these animals are much stronger than people believe,” McCartney recalls. “It’s worth trying to help them. I hate when people say, ‘Let nature take its course.’”

“As a biologist, I am a firm believer in letting nature take its course,” stresses Reid, “but there is nothing natural about being hit by a car, entangled in fishing line, poisoned by pesticides or wounded by a domestic cat.”

Indeed, in 98 percent of cases, it’s not nature taking its course when a wild animal is sick or hurt, but rather falls on people disrupting the natural course of life.

Vehicle strikes are the most common hazard, but there are plenty of others: poisoning by rodenticides, pesticides, herbicides, lead fishing tackle and spent ammunition; window collisions (for birds); garbage entanglements; domestic pet attacks; and habitat destruction, such as the cutting down of dead trees that house the nests of squirrels, raccoons and birds.

Then there is intentional harm by humans. “People will shoot a bird of prey if they fear it may hunt their chickens, pigeons, rabbits, even children,” says Cummings. “Who was it that said, ‘humans fear what they do not understand?’”

A Place Called Hope is currently focused on aiding birds of prey that are suffering from secondary rodenticide poisoning; rodents and small birds often ingest the toxins, then are consumed by larger birds such as hawks, eagles and vultures. While these cases are commonplace nowadays, survival is not.

“To nurse them through the damage and see them back to health is such a success, since so many die in the process,” Cummings explains. “The damage is so severe to all organs, and typically we get them admitted when it is too late—so to have one survive and go free is not only rare but rewarding.”

While healing and releasing as many birds as possible is the main goal of A Place Called Hope, some of the 500 to 600 patients they admit each year must remain “perma-

nent residents.” These birds become ambassadors, performing live demonstrations of their beauty, power and intelligence for the public while their handlers inform the audience of the threats posed by humans.

“Everything that we do affects wildlife: our homes, our vehicles, our roads, our pets, our purchases, our trash, and more. I feel it is a moral imperative for us to alleviate some of the suffering wild animals are forced to endure in suburban and urban communities,” says Reid. “The most important thing we can do for wildlife and ourselves is to protect natural habitats from development. Habitat fragmentation causes a domino effect of imbalance. Ecosystems are a fragile symphony of species.”

Reid points out that the New England region loses 23,725 acres of forest land per year to development; Connecticut alone loses 3,700 acres annually. When forests are chopped down, meadows mowed and marshes filled in, what becomes of the animals native to those environments?

While mitigating the outcome of this dynamic, Wildlife in Crisis is also taking a proactive approach to preventing it. It has bolstered its rehabbing efforts and educational outreach with the Wildlife in Crisis Land Trust, a fund dedicated to purchasing and preserving precious open space.

“Our main focus now is on continuity, ensuring that Wildlife in Crisis will remain in perpetuity for future generations of people and wildlife,” Reid says. “Our services are needed now more than ever.”

That need already far exceeds the number of wildlife rehabilitators currently licensed by the state of Connecticut, with few prospects willing to make the commitment and sacrifices required. There is no public funding for rehabbing, and those who train and pay the licensing fees must also build cages and habitats to state specifications, at their own expense. Caring for sick and injured animals is a 24-hour-aday job with no pay, and the emotional toll is as costly as the maintenance.

“Burnout is the biggest reason people stop rehabbing,” says Nadia McCartney of Healing Hands for Wildlife. “We deal with

sickness and death all hours of the day, while most of us have to work a full-time job to afford it; I also work a part-time job.”

McCartney decided to become a licensed rehabber 12 years ago after discovering four orphaned raccoons in her garage and taking them into her home. Before long, they were wreaking havoc, so McCartney began searching for a rehabilitator to take them in. After making 20 calls and getting only one response, “I realized how few RVS rehabbers there were in Connecticut, so I decided to get my license,” she recalls.

“To date, we still have too few rehabbers because of the expense and time it takes. Yet we are wildlife’s only help, so many of us take in more than we should,” McCartney laments. “It is so hard to say no to a baby that you know will die if you do nothing.”

For more information, visit WildlifeInCrisis.org HelpingHandsForWildlife.org APlaceCalledHopeRaptors.com Jennifer Ponte Canning is a freelance writer from Fairfield County.

What You Can Do Donate: Wildlife rehab groups are nonprofit organizations that rely solely on donations to fund their facilities and operations.

Educate: Spread the word about creating a safe environment for wildlife.

Volunteer: Organizations need help with animal transport, patient care, cage building/carpentry, community education, facility maintenance, fundraising, landscaping, laundry, plumbing, web design, and much more.

Preserve: Set up or contribute to a land trust.

Become a state-licensed wildlife rehabilitator: Visit Tinyurl.com/ CTWildlifeRehabilitator Natural Living Directory 2020

25

Animal Reiki Training

therapy spotlight

ANIMAL REIKI Spiritual Compassion for All Creatures

by Renee Gregory Malo

A

s natural disasters and environmental damage unfold around the world, awareness and acceptance of animal Reiki as a spiritual and healing modality is growing. Global concern continues to mount for the well-being of fellow humans, animal populations, and the planet.

There is a movement toward building a greater connection with household pets and a desire to help animals in difficult circumstances. Reiki’s compassionate spirit and self-healing benefits meet a need for people who want to help in a positive way.

The Reiki modality was founded in Japan by Mikao Usui in the 1920s. The philosophy of the original Usui Reiki method was based on the simple, traditional Japanese techniques of meditation and mindfulness. By practicing Reiki, one 26 Hartford County Edition

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learns how to intentionally create a gentle, open space of balance to invite healing, spiritual cultivation and enlightenment.

When Reiki arrived in the U.S. in the 1930s, an element of human touch was added to the teachings and it became what we know today as human Reiki.

In 2006, Kathleen Prasad, the founder of Animal Reiki Source, learned of the original Usui philosophy. She found that animals were highly sensitive to energy work and realized how the notouch techniques supported the healing experience on their terms. She developed the Let Animals Lead method and began teaching its simple meditative and handsoff techniques. Today in Connecticut, the Let Animals Lead method of animal Reiki is being practiced in homes, farms and shelters.

Kelly McCarthy is an animal Reiki practitioner, educator and speaker. She has taught dozens of classes, provided hundreds of animal Reiki sessions to clients and spoken at numerous public events throughout Connecticut.

With her Native American heritage, McCarthy was raised with a deep connection to Mother Earth and a desire to work with animals. Animal Reiki fit in perfectly.

She first learned about animal Reiki from a friend who completed his certification and suggested that she do it, too. “After having a conversation with Kathleen Prasad,” she says, “everything lit up for me. I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”

McCarthy says the animals’ human companions also benefit from the animal Reiki experience. “People allow themselves to become vulnerable, relax and open up when they are with their animals.

In this moment, they give themselves permission to heal and grow. Through animal Reiki, I help humans and their pets tap into their inner light and their self-healing journey together.”

Practices at Flamig Farm

Nevin Christensen was born and raised on Flamig Farm in Simsbury, owned by his family for generations. He grew up playing and working outside. A few years after returning home with a Master’s degree in environmental science, the family began a summer camp program for children to experience caring for farm animals and taking care of the land. The farm became a place of beloved memories for thousands of children.

One day, Christensen’s wife Julie brought home two sheep that needed a new home. They enjoyed having them so much, Julie continued to adopt more animals to live out their days on the joyful farm. Today the farm is home to goats, pigs, horses, cows, alpacas, emus, donkeys, peacocks, guinea pigs and more.

The Christensens strongly believe in the healthful effects of positivity and optimism, and they invite the public to visit the farm animals to relax and relieve stress.

In the fall of 2019, Kelly McCarthy reached out to Julie, her childhood neighbor. McCarthy told her about animal Reiki and how it could benefit their animals; the Christensens agreed to host an animal Reiki certification class at their farm.

Initially, they weren’t going to take the class themselves, but their curiosity led the couple to sign up for Animal Reiki Level I Certification, and they have been pleased with the results.

Nevin and Julie promote animal Reiki on their farm to the public through their website. They like the idea of students offering Reiki to their animals and allowing the public to observe and ask questions.

“I like to have people see alternatives. We need more people to see that they can be healed with universal energy,” says Nevin.

They also incorporate this healing modality into daily life behind the scenes.

A lamb was recently born and unable to move his legs. Previously in a situation like this, the Christensens would feel there was nothing they could do. Nevin says that with his Reiki training, “just knowing that if I’m nearby, I can project energy out to the animal. There’s a sense of peace with the animal. There are good vibrations and they are healing.” The lamb was able to stand and walk after a few days and continues to be in good health.

McCarthy currently holds all of her certification classes there, with the farm animals benefitting the most from the Reiki. Nevin says, “Kelly has a standing invitation to come to the farm along with her students.”

The Connecticut Humane Society Brings Reiki in

In July 2019, McCarthy was invited to the Connecticut Humane Society headquarters in Newington to give a “Pet Talk” about the benefits of animal Reiki to the employees and volunteers. Theresa Geary, director of operations, says, “We are always looking for things that are new and less mainstream, as long as it fits with our mission.” The Connecticut Humane Society’s veterinary services have included flower and herbal essences for a number of years.

McCarthy’s event was well-attended, and 18 employees and volunteers signed up for her Animal Reiki I class in the fall of 2019. Since their training, the students have been practicing the Reiki precepts and offering Reiki to their own animals to improve their skills. Geary says, “I’m familiar with human Reiki, and I wanted to go to this class. I have a cat at home, and whenever I do the animal Reiki meditations, she is all over me and won’t leave me alone.”

Geary says the safety of the animals, employees and volunteers is paramount at all times. Before anyone offers Reiki at any of their three shelters, they create a formal program to ensure that best safety practices are in place.

“These animals are under a constant state of underlying stress,” says Geary.

“We’re always looking for new tools to help animals through our environment.

We’re excited about it.”

Animal Reiki Restores Universal Connections

When asked what she enjoys most about animal Reiki, McCarthy says she loves it because of its simplicity. “It’s a beautiful experience,” she says. “Every animal is different, but they all connect the same way on a deeper level. They all feel seen and feel love in that Reiki space. Animals see their person as they are and have pure love for them anyway. In that space, they connect on a deeper level that allows them to learn, grow and heal.”

Renee Gregory Malo is a freelance writer, Human Resources consultant, and Animal Reiki Level II practitioner. She can be reached at ReneeGregoryMalo@gmail.com.

Local Resources Beyond Words & Wisdom Kelly McCarthy 860-806-9684 BeyondWordsnWisdom.com Flamig Farm Inc. Nevin Christensen 7 Shingle Mill Rd, Simsbury 860-916-0644 FlamigFarm.com Connecticut Humane Society 701 Russell Rd, Newington 800-452-0114 CTHumane.org

Vitalized Performance Group of Glastonbury, CT

Naturopathic Medicine/Acupuncture/Colonics Please refer to community resource guide for more information.

vpgwaves.com 860-800-6775

Natural Living Directory 2020

27

NATURAL LIVING DIRECTORY

LISTINGS Page 45 Acupuncture All Things Health & Wellness Ascension BEMER Books, Beads & Crystals Bodywork CBD Store

2020

This year we are pleased to once again offer the region a reference guide featuring a wealth of content as well as showcasing the offerings of many businesses and practitioners waiting to help our readers achieve their personal goals in 2020. This year’s Natural Living Directory includes profiles and listings of local wellness businesses.

We hope the people and products in these pages—and in later issues during the year—support your efforts to live a happier, healthier life in 2020!

NATURAL LIVING DIRECTORY 2020 INDEX Wellness Profiles 29-44

Directory Listings 45-49

PROFILES Page 29 • Academy for Soul Healing • Acupuncture of Greater Hartford

Page 37 • The Institute of Sustainable Nutrition • Rod Kelly

Page 30 • Agneta Borstein • Keiko Broyles/Willows Path Healing

Page 38 • Nature’s Gifts USA • Psychotherapy Healing Services/ Celeste Mattingly

Page 31 • BYODestiny/Paige Dest • Stairway to Healing Light LLC

Page 39 • Raya Clinic • Reiki Will Travel/Cheryl Benanti

Page 32 • Collaborative Natural Health Partners • Crystal Music Healing/Bradford Tilden Page 33 • CT Thermography • Cheryl Dafosse Page 34 • The Ed Cleveland Reiki & Sound Therapy Training Center • Equilibrium Natural Clinic LLC/ Wilberto Lugo, ND

Page 40 • Sharing the Light Wholistic Center, LLC • Shirley Bloethe Page 41 • Soul Healing Journey • Southern New England Marconics Teachers Page 42 • Spirit of the Lotus • K.T. “Suli” Sullivan

Page 35 • Green Heart Living/Elizabeth Hill • Healings A to Z/Steve “Biff ” Saunders

Page 43 • Tolk Wellness Center • Vis Wellness Center

Page 36 • Heartsource Integrative Wellness/ Donna MacLean Gordon • Holistic Community Professionals

Page 44 • Water Lily Empowerment Center/ Lily Holcomb • Wu Healing Center

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Page 46 Chinese Herbalist Colonics Diabetes Education Education Emotional Intelligence Functional Medicine Genetic Nutrition Healing Acid Reflux Holistic Health Page 47 Holistic Healing Center Holistic Networking Holistic Real Estate Holistic Stress Reduction Holistic & Wellness Center Hormone Support Hypnosis & Healing Identity Protection Integrative Psychotherapy Page 48 Intuitive Energy Therapy Intuitive Reader Medical Intuitive Mediumship Nature School Naturopathic Medicine Positive Psychology Primary Care Page 49 Reiki Quantum Psychotherapy Sound Healing Tai Chi/Qigong Thermography Transformational Healing Traumatic Brain/Spinal Cord Injury Travel Reiki Yoga

BUILD YOUR WELLNESS DREAM TEAM These practitioners and businesses are ready to help you achieve your health and wellness goals in 2020.

Academy for Soul Healing Eilis Philpott Fairfield • 203-767-5954 Eilis@SoulHealingJourney.com AcademyForSoulHealing.com

Summary/services offered: I am a master healer and teacher, certified in numerous modalities as both a practitioner and teacher. I am the owner and founder of the Academy for Soul Healing, which offers trainings in soul-level healing modalities.

What drew you to this profession?

I knew part of my purpose and mission was to spread love throughout humanity and to teach others how to do it too. To fulfill the mission, I founded the Academy for Soul Healing to share the information and techniques that I have learned from this lifetime and many others.

How does your work differ from others in your profession?

I see my work in the Academy for Soul Healing as the integration of many modalities in their purest form being used to support the growth and expansion of humanity, individually and on a global scale.

What should someone expect from working with you?

I am loving and nurturing. Over the years I have learned how to nurture myself and share that skill with my clients. Fundamentally, we all want to feel loved and many of us have not experienced that unconditional love in our lives. Every class, training and modality I teach is based in love and learning a true acceptance of who we are and where we are in that moment in time.

What changes do you plan in 2020?

2019 saw the introduction of A Year of Healing; students are taking their personal, professional and spiritual journey to new heights. This program will keep growing and developing. I have been traveling more extensively, training practitioners in the next level of healing, the 13th Octave LaHoChi. Many of my students are now stepping forward on a larger scale.

Acupuncture of Greater Hartford & Springfield Stan Baker 91 South Main St, West Hartford 860-836-1068 StanBaker27@cox.net AcupunctureStanBaker.com

Summary/services offered: Acupuncture, Chinese Medicine, Tui na, and other physical therapy What drew you to this profession?

The power of Oriental healing arts.

What sets your work apart from others in your profession?

Over 30 years of experience and specializing in difficult conditions.

What should someone expect from working with you?

Personalized attention to relieve symptoms and improve overall health.

What changes do you plan in 2020?

To emphasize the treatment to enhance the immune system, as well as treating respiratory issues.

What is most important for Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

The practice of Oriental medicine has many modalities and can treat many acute and chronic conditions.

What is most important for Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

The techniques and processes that students learn in my classes are only the surface layer of what is going on in those trainings.

Some students want to be practitioners and learn the “how-tos” while others just want to work on clearing whatever is getting in the way of living their truth. Many layers below the surface will be happening for each person. See ad, page 4.

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Rev. Shirley R. Bloethe

Holistic Events/Wellness Promotions/Minister 860-989-0033 YourHolisticEvents@gmail.com YourHolisticEvents.com Summary/services offered: Holistic and wellness matchmaking, holistic events coordinator, ceremonies, referrals and consulting for websites, marketing and collaborations. Business experience spanning 40+ years in multiple small businesses, both brick-and-mortar and online. I have hosted holistic events for the last 30+ years and have over 35 years of experience in the holistic community, connecting people with many products, modalities and teachings by numerous practitioners and businesses.

What drew you to this profession?

I have always been drawn to self-help and personal growth opportunities. My passion is to introduce people to their empowerment options through a variety of products, programs and organizations.

How does your work differ from others in your profession?

I have been involved in all types of businesses since my early years and also am a graduate of Hartford College in the Women’s Entrepreneurial Course. I started on a holistic journey in the early 1980s and felt the pull to lead and learn all about wellness in the seven key areas of life: physical, spiritual, financial, family, career, mental health and education. Having connections to so many people allows me the opportunity to give great referrals. I know so many people who are excellent practitioners and I enjoy being a holistic matchmaker! Who do you need to meet? What are you looking for? Just ASK! What is most important for Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

As head of the Holistic Community Professionals, I will offer the 2020 6th and 7th Bi-Annual EXPO: Passport to Health and Wellness, in Bristol at The DoubleTree by Hilton. These events feature some amazing exhibitors and speakers. Showcasing quality, reputable, local businesses and practitioners to the public is a win-win opportunity. Additionally, as a holistic matchmaker, I will refer you to your perfect products, client or practitioner.

My assistance is pro bono and I am happy to help and collaborate with you. Call anytime. My database of holistic practitioners and businesses spans the U.S., and I truly enjoy partnering with them. Also, Natural Awakenings is the perfect partner to share information with the public about what I do. See ads, pages 8 and 13.

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Agneta Borstein

860-983-5666 AgnetaBorstein@gmail.com AgnetaBorstein.com Summary/services offered: Astrologer and shamanic practitioner providing astrological natal chart interpretation, yearly updates, business consultation, relationship counseling and shamanic exploration.

What drew you to this profession?

I was seeking a spiritual way of living at an early age; astrology has been my guide to understanding the deep mysteries of our lives.

What sets your work apart from others in your profession?

My integration of shamanism into my astrological counseling.

I have a five-year certification in advanced shamanism and healing through the Foundation of Shamanic Studies.

What should someone expect from working with you?

During an astrological session, or shamanic exploration, I guide clients’ understanding of their natural cycles to benefit personal, financial and spiritual growth.

What changes do you plan in 2020?

To continue to live the passion of my professional and personal lives as one profound experience.

What is most important for Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

For more than 40 years I have been dedicated to guiding my clients to be their most authentic selves through my expertise as an astrologer and shamanic practitioner. See ad, page 8.

If you’re alive, there’s a purpose for your life. ~Rick Warren

Keiko Broyles, Willows Healing Path, LLC

Bridge Healing Arts Center, 304 Main St, Farmington 860-280-5548 Info@KeikoMedium.com KeikoMedium.com Summary/services offered: I offer mediumship, life intuitive soul reading, Reiki, psychic development and mediumship workshops and mediumship events. I’m a certified spiritual advisor by Lisa Williams International School of Spiritual Development.

What drew you to this profession?

It’s all about promoting healing. Regardless of which service I’m providing, I hope to facilitate peace and healing for my client’s spiritual, emotional and physical body.

How does your work differ from others in your profession?

I consider all my work as service to community. My passion and effort to improve my skills are limitless, and I believe in continuous education. I have studied mediumship at Arthur Findlay College in England and also was mentored under a world-renowned international medium, Tony Stockwell, for a year.

What should someone expect from working with you?

I offer 100% heart-centered services with healing purpose. My background and travels have blessed me with a broad understanding of people’s cultural and spiritual needs.

What changes do you plan in 2020?

Starting this spring, I will be adding more days for private readings. Also, I will be hosting a very special and exciting mediumship workshop this summer. Please check my website for more detail.

BYODestiny

Paige Dest, CCP Colchester 860-550-1844 Paige@BYODestiny.com BYODestiny.com Summary/services offered: I offer emotional intelligence coaching to individuals who want to better manage their thoughts and actions. I also conduct group workshops, retreats and webinars.

What drew you to this profession?

Our emotions can drive our thoughts and actions. I’m energized by helping clients understand their emotions as information, to better drive their thoughts and behaviors.

What sets your work apart from others in your profession?

I help my clients develop emotional self-care, and I work remotely, so they may be coached in the privacy and safety of their own home.

What should someone expect from working with you?

They will have someone accept them and guide them in developing strategies for making better decisions and achieving a more peaceful and present mindset.

What changes do you plan in 2020?

I am adding online courses and an online community, as well as a Spiritual, Social and Emotional Intelligence Guide/Toolkit.

What is most important for Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

I am committed to my clients’ learning, and I offer myself as a compassionate and trustworthy partner on their emotionaldevelopment journey.

What is most important for Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

I want to assure the readers that I create a safe space and promote a peaceful and healing environment during all of my sessions.

See ad, page 2.

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Stairway to Healing Light LLC Denise Cassella 860-965-6398 Stairway2Healing@gmail.com StairwaytoHealingLight.abmp.com Facebook.com/S2HLight

Collaborative Natural Health Partners, LLC 315 E Center St, Manchester

C O L L A B O 860-533-0179 RATIVE NATURAL HEALTH PARTNERS

Info@CTNaturalHealth.com CTNaturalHealth.com

Summary/Services offered: Denise is certified as a Reiki Master Teacher, Sound Healing Teacher, Qigong Instructor, Shaman, and Ordained and Anointed Interfaith Minister in the Order of Melchizedek offering Spiritual Guidance, with classes in multiple locations.

She uses Tibetan singing bowls, Reiki, and intuition with Shamanic channeling and vocal toning. Some medical Qigong and acupressure points are utilized as needed. Denise will come to the comfort of your home. Covering all Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Central and Eastern Massachusetts.

Summary/services offered: Our clinic offers a unique blend of conventionally trained primary care physicians and naturopathic physicians collaborating to offer the best of both worlds to all ages.

What drew you to this profession?

Patients are at the center of an integrative clinic like ours. We were each drawn to our professions for the highest good of our patients.

How does your work differ from others in your profession?

HEALTHCARE REFINED The sum is greater than the parts, with naturopathic physicians,

I N T E G R A T I V E P Rprimary I M A R Ycare C Aosteopathic R E & N Adoctors T U R O Pand A Tacupuncturists H I C M E D I C all I NsupportE

What drew you to this profession?

Denise Cassella is Founder of Stairway To Healing Light, LLC. Denise is a descendant of Pope John XXIII and one-eighth Native American Cherokee. She was born Clairaudient and has been exploring and learning new healing and spiritual skills ever since.

ing the patient in synergy. Communication between practitioners dramatically enhances care and patient satisfaction.

What should someone expect from working with you?

The doctors partner with the patient to build a plan, including testing and treatments. We look at the whole person and think critically to find the "I support my patients to discover & remove thecause of symptoms. Our clinic values accesHow does your work differ from others in your profession? sustainable medicine. We are in-network providers for underlying causes of diseasesible whileand empowering Denise combines a variety of talents and skills to suit each most insurance companies. them to create positive health habits that result in individual client’s needs. Using Reiki, sound healing, angelic improved outcomesone step at a time."

What changes do you plan in 2020? and spiritual guidance, shamanic techniques as well as medical We now have thriving clinics in Manchester, West Hartford Qigong and acupressure, she is able to work with clients to heal Dr.ofAmanda Gomes and Stonington. With the addition Dr. Mary Tracey and Dr. and transform their situation. She is currently working on Manchester - Stonington - West Hartford Lyndsey Maher, we are excited to offer more in-person and&webmultiple projects including with Yale. See ad, page 21.

Naturopathic Physician ctnaturalhealth.com - (860)533-0179 based classes, community acupuncture and events, as well as our Nutritionist consistent healthcare. We plan on expanding our intravenous nutrient clinics and our inpatient care at ECHN hospitals. We have several studies we are offering out of our office, including a web-based program for the Wahl’s protocol and research on CBD and inflammation.

What is most important for Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

We are committed to our patients and our community. Our goal is to heal the whole community, one patient at a time. We are deeply seated in our values of empowerment and education.

Every patient is given unique attention and a tailored plan to empower and nurture them. See ad, back cover.

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Crystal Music Healing

Bradford W. Tilden, CMT, MM, UWT CT/MA and remotely 860-830-5841 • CrystalMusicHealing.com Bradford@CrystalMusicHealing.com Facebook.com/CrystalMusicHealing BradfordWTilden.BandCamp.com (music) GetAlphay.com/BradfordTilden (medicinal mushrooms)

CT Thermography 2 Forest Park Dr, Farmington 860-415-1150 Info@CTThermography.com CTThermography.com

Summary/services offered: CT Thermography offers the highest standards in radiation-free, non-invasive breast and full-body medical thermography screenings. All images are interpreted by MDs.

Summary/services offered: I am an internationally recognized composer, pianist, sound healer, crystal healer, and Universal White Time (UWT) energy gemstone healing teacher and practitioner, as well as the founder of the Lemurian School of Intuitive Natural Healing (LSINH). I have been helping people pierce the veil and find renewal of purpose since 2006. My services include in-person and remote healing and spiritual mentorship sessions, bookings for sound healing concerts at local venues and private functions, commissions for creating custom music projects such as guided meditations, and professional certifications in UWT Energy and Gemstone Healing. I retail Lemurian Seed Crystals, gemstones, sound healing instruments ansd CDs, and am an independent distributor with Alphay International medicinal mushrooms

What drew you to this profession?

Having two friends diagnosed with breast cancer in their early 30s and knowing there is no screening method recommended to younger women. If they had been aware of thermography, they could have seen early changes in their breasts before they felt a lump.

What drew you to this profession?

Pursuing what brings me the greatest joy, I focused on my strengths and followed my dreams and intuition. When I discovered my music could heal people, I enrolled in a Sound Healing Institute. When I was guided to UWT Gemstone Healing, I had an awakening of my divine inheritance. I made the conscious decision to devote my gifts and talents to help inspire others to find their authentic expression and remember their own divine inheritances because it is possible.

What should someone expect from working with you?

My passion. I love what I do! I want my clients to be empowered by their thermography scan—empowered to be proactive to improve their lifestyle for optimal health.

What should someone expect from working with you?

I help people balance the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of life. I work with people who are looking for higher levels of connection with their authentic self and divine potential. Between sessions I provide tools for self-care and techniques for relaxation, stress reduction and pain management. Beyond sessions, I offer support and guidance through the healing and awakening process.

What changes do you plan in 2020?

I am the highest-ranking Ambassador for Universal White Time Healing in the northeastern United States. UWT is a global community of people called to raise human consciousness through healing and awakening. My goals for 2020 are to grow the UWT community here by continuing to certify UWT practitioners. UWT is a special healing modality that presents many new possibilities for healing and spiritual growth.

How does your work differ from others in your profession?

I support my clients following their thermography screening, whether it’s referring them to practitioners or helping them to implement easy protocols to improve their breast and overall health.

What changes do you plan in 2020?

We will be moving to a new office, still in Farmington. We are very excited to share this beautiful space with our clients.

What is most important for Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

Breast Thermography has been approved as an adjunct screening for breast cancer detection since 1982. The addition of thermography as a breast screening tool can help detect functional changes in the breasts years before other methods detect a structural change. See ad, page 9.

What is most important for Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

My life is dedicated to conscious transformation toward the New Earth Paradigm. I always come from a place of love. I am passionate and knowledgeable about sound, crystals and all aspects of vibrational healing. My mission is to use these skills and abilities to help those ready to evolve to the next level.

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Defosse Realty Group at Keller Williams Realty

Cheryl Defosse, Realtor, Team Lead 29 S. Main St, Suite B4, West Hartford 860-919-8391 • CherylDefosse@kw.com Summary/services offered: I offer real estate services using my vast real estate knowledge coupled with my holistic modalities including Reiki and other intuitive and energetic skills. I am able to clear homes, energize a home to be sold or attract the correct buyer for a home. I service all of Connecticut.

What drew you to this profession?

I have always loved everything real estate. It is a feel-good job, as I am able to help my clients with life events and investments.

Whether you are buying a first home, need a bigger home as your family grows/changes, or want to downsize for retirement, I can help guide you. If you are investing in properties, I can find a perfect match to maximize your financial investment. I hear your needs and do my best to meet them.

How does your work differ from others in your profession?

I can customize my abilities for what you need in either a selling or buying position. Using my real estate skills and my intuitive abilities, Reiki and others, I help you find the perfect property and make the entire process seamless and understandable.

What should someone expect from working with you?

I have over 20 years of experience and expertise in the real estate profession. I am continually learning and expanding my knowledge in real estate as well as holistic modalities. I add value and knowledge, which I share with my clients to help them make informed decisions when buying, selling or investing in real estate.

Ed Cleveland Sound & Reiki Training Center 555 Asylum Ave, Hartford 860-681-3981 EdReiki3@yahoo.com EdClevelandSoundHealing.com

Summary/ services offered: Sound training with gongs, singing bowls and Reiki What drew you to this profession?

I learned the discipline in martial arts, but then I got hurt, so I learned more about healing.

ED CLEVE LAND

Ed Cleveland is the founder and What sets your work apart from others in your profession? owner of The Ed Cleveland Reiki & Sound Therapy Training Center I am an expert in my fieldlocated with many tools in Hartford, CT. He is an of my trade. advanced Gong Practitioner, Neuroacoustic Sound Practitioner, Master Reiki Teacher & Holographic Sound Teacher, Medicinal Aromatherapist, as well as a national award-winning Martial Arts Teacher. Ed brings forth three decades of personal education and experience in his private practice and teachings.

What should someone expect from working with you?

Most people learn more information than they expected to receive.

What changes do you plan in 2020?

I am creating groups of highly trained people to help me in areas that will benefit people of all ages and ailments.

What is most important for Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

The understanding of sound—and how it works—is incredibly vast, so finding a well-educated teacher is very valuable.

See ad, page 21.

What changes do you plan in 2020?

I continue to attend classes and trainings, sharpening and expanding my real estate and holistic skills so that I can clear or change the energies of the homes I list and sell them as quickly as possible. I have also had excellent results using my abilities to attract the correct properties for you.

What is most important for Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

I am not a typical realtor. My team, Defosse Realty Group at Keller Williams Realty, and I work hard to help you with all your real estate needs. Keller Williams Realty is the top real estate sales company in the country, and I am listed in the top 10% of agents in our company. I received a Top 10 Award in Zillow in the U.S. Give me a call and we can discuss how I and my team can help you. I serve every county in Connecticut. We are ready! Call anytime.

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If you look into your own heart, and you find nothing wrong there, what is there to worry about?

What is there to fear? ~Confucius

Equilibrium Natural Clinic LLC Dr. Wilberto Lugo 96 Connecticut Blvd East, Hartford 860-615-7758 EquilibriumNC@hotmail.com

Summary/services offered: Naturopathic services specializing in pain management, gastrointestinal, endocrine and autoimmune conditions, utilizing personalized nutrition, botanical homeopathy and acupuncture.

What drew you to this profession?

Since childhood I have had a propensity to help others. I discovered early that our environment has a direct impact on our well-being. Combining those principles led me to pursue my passion for naturopathic medicine.

What sets your work apart from others in your profession?

I provide a realistic view into the well-being of our patients. I am client-driven, providing a holistic care plan to help every member of the family feel their best in the shortest amount of time possible.

What should someone expect from working with you?

Honesty! I will always educate patients about the best options available, creating realistic expectations and a personalized care plan for the improvement of their health.

What changes do you plan in 2020?

I plan to continue educating myself, to get in front of new methods and protocols to treat a variety of conditions. Also, incorporate new theology and equipment into my office to benefit my patients.

What is most important for Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

All my life I have been working hard to reach my goals; in the same way, I will work to help my patients reach their goals with a comprehensive plan of care.

Green Heart Living

Elizabeth B. Hill, MSW Bridge Healing Arts Center, 304 Main St, #408, Farmington 860-913-6918 • Liz@GreenHeartLiving.com GreenHeartLiving.com Summary/services offered: Green Heart Living provides coaching, mindfulness education and guidance for writing and self-publishing to help make the world a more loving and peaceful place. Elizabeth Hill wrote the bestseller Love Notes: Daily Wisdom for the Soul and Green Your Heart, Green Your World: Avoid Burnout, Save the World, and Love Your Life.

What drew you to this profession?

I grew up with severe anxiety and faced a “dark night of the soul” in early adulthood that completely transformed my understanding of the world. I found solace in yoga, writing and the expressive arts. I studied psychology and social work to understand myself and help others. Coaching has helped me weave together all my gifts and experience to bring people the transformation they seek.

What sets your work apart from others in your profession?

I’m a smart cookie, but our work together is not about me. I help you tap into your own inner wisdom. I believe you are the expert of your own life. We will create more than we ever imagined at the beginning of our work together.

What should someone expect from working with you?

We will laugh and cry together. I help people reconnect with their spirit and purpose, drastically reduce anxiety and panic attacks, complete writing projects, navigate complex medical issues and move through major life transitions. Read clients’ success stories for more information, at GreenHeartLiving.com/client-success-stories.

What changes do you plan in 2020?

I’m rolling out a book tour for Love Notes and launching a mentorship program for people looking to write and publish their own personal stories in order to inspire others and increase their impact in the world.

What is most important for Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

I answer with a quote from my new book: “I wrote this book to help people change their mind’s backdrop from one of FEAR to one of LOVE. I know that it is possible because I have done it myself...I have been at the crossroads: Do I choose to continue on my path of fear, or do I choose to walk a path of love? I choose LOVE. And I have chosen it over and over again.” See ad, page 2.

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Healings from A to Z Steve Biff Saunders Torrington 860-201-3920 SteveBiffSaunders@gmail.com

Summary/services offered: Empath, intuitive, healer, terminator of negative energies and more.

What drew you to this profession?

While weathering the storm of these gifts, I came to the realization that many people are struggling with the unknown. I can offer healings and relief for those suffering.

What sets your work apart from others in your profession?

I feel very connected to God, Source, Creator. Through Him, all things are possible. I stopped counting after about 1,000 miracles in His name. I can only say one word to explain these miraculous gifts…supercalafragalisticexpialadocious!

What should someone expect from working with you?

Everything is possible from Him, and I am honored to work through Him, from physical healings to mental cleansings to removal of negative attachments. I also can connect directly with messages for you from your loved ones on the other side.

What changes do you plan in 2020?

To continue to raise the vibrations of all.

What is most important for Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

Physical distance is no problem, I can help through a photo, video and voice. A sliding scale pricing is available to all.

Health starts in the head and goes to the heart and other parts of the body. ~Sourav Ganguly

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Heartsource Integrative Wellness Donna MacLean Gordon Bridge Healing Arts Center 304 Main St, Farmington 860-978-2938 MyHeartsourceWellness@gmail.com HeartsourceIntegrative.com

Summary/services offered: I specialize in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) healing modalities such as Tui Na acupressure massage, medical qigong therapy, healing teas, Tong Ren healing, cupping, qigong and tai chi instruction, Reiki healing and pastoral and spiritual counseling.

What drew you to the profession?

My interest in TCM began when I studied qigong and tai chi with Dr. Ming Wu at the Wu Healing Center. I also had some health issues at the time that were cured and controlled with TCM modalities. After completing an internship with Dr. Wu, I began my own practice.

How does your work differ from others in your profession?

My ability to tune into the body to understand the underlying source of dis-ease and dis-harmony are unique to me. I work intuitively and energetically with the body to find blockages within the energy meridian system to bring balance to mind, body and soul.

What should someone expect from working with you?

Clients can expect a practitioner who will take a careful and detailed assessment of their health concerns. Many different Traditional Chinese and energetic healing modalities may be used as needed.

I try to gently guide clients in the journey to wellness through qigong and tai chi movement, diet and positive lifestyle changes.

What is most important for Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

I believe that our bodies contain valuable wisdom with which to heal themselves. Teaching and guiding clients to learn and heed this innate wisdom is a great honor and privilege. See ad, page 2.

Holistic Community Professionals The Institute Of Shirley R. Bloethe, Executive Director Sustainable Nutrition 860-255-8844 • HCPinc.ORG@gmail.com HolisticCommunityProfessionals.org Summary/services offered: Holistic Community Professionals is an organization of holistic practitioners and businesses focused on improving health and wellness throughout the East Coast.

We connect consumers with various modalities, holistic products, classes and networking via online and local opportunities for personal connections.

What drew you to this profession?

A need to connect those seeking a complementary service to their current spiritual, health or everyday activities with people most qualified and passionate to assist them. We are developing a community that supports, encourages and advocates on behalf of one another. The Holistic Community Professionals are naturopaths, MDs, counselors, teachers, mentors, visionaries, guides, healers and more who have come together to provide integrity-focused, authentic, collective-conscious-oriented services and products.

How does your work differ from others in your profession?

What we offer our members is constantly evolving and expanding. We are budget-friendly and offer exclusive vendor rates (with exhibitor and speaking options) to our signature bi-annual EXPO: Passport to Health and Wellness at The DoubleTree by Hilton in Bristol, which is well-attended by the public. We host quarterly regional meetings as well as networking events, local meetings and community engagement. We support members and their businesses via professional and business development, masterminds and trainings. We’ve cultivated discounts on professional liability insurance, group advertising, discounts in Natural Awakenings magazine and much more. Check the website for all our discounts.

What changes do you plan in 2020?

Advocacy with state/government agencies and legislators and grassroots efforts to grow the awareness of holistic businesses to the general public. We are building a network of holistic, green and sustainable businesses so the public and local agencies can access therapies and holistic services with reputable, referencechecked practitioners and businesses.

What is most important for Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

The Holistic Community Professionals offers a wide variety of holistic practitioners and businesses via the website and also at the 2020 6th and 7th bi-annual EXPO: Passport to Health and Wellness, in Bristol, at The DoubleTree by Hilton. Check new dates for 2020 on the website, PassItOnLLC.com. The group offers discounts to its members as well as reference-checked referrals to the public for services and products. See ad, page 21.

113 Simsbury Rd, West Granby 860-764-9070 Joan@TIOSN.com TIOSN.com

Summary/services offered: We offer a unique education program blending the science of nutrition with the hands-on components of sustainable regenerative gardening practices, kitchen medicine, culinary skills and sustainable foraging.

This time together creates an unavoidable community of like-minded individuals.

What drew you to this profession?

A good nutrition program needs to be whole. This means that we cannot teach about nutrition without talking about the health of the soil and growing practices, how food is harvested and prepared in the kitchen and the importance of knowing the traditional practices of kitchen medicine and sustainable foraging for nutrient-dense food and herbs. The vision was to create a program that incorporated all aspects of food and health with the gold standard of experiential, hands-on teaching.

How does your work differ from others in your profession?

We give hands-on experience and connect students to the outdoors in order to give a truly meaningful educational experience.

Students grow and harvest food and herbs, prepare meals, ferment, make kitchen medicine, teas, tonics and brews; they taste, smell, forage, think, share and create a community and so much more. We also bring in experts from the food world to teach sections of the curriculum for a more well-rounded perspective.

What should someone expect from working with you?

We hear again and again that what they learn rocks our students’ worlds. They tell us that their life is never the same and they are grateful.

What changes do you plan in 2020?

We are always adding to our curriculum and looking for interesting speakers and guests.

What is most important for Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

We provide life-altering learning, perspectives and experiences to our students that change how they live their life while building a life-long community. See ad, page 10.

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Rod Kelly, BCH

Hypnosis & Healing 304 Main St, Ste D-406, Farmington and 11 Woodland Rd, Madison 860-216-8671 Rod@RodKelly.net RodKelly.net Summary/services offered: Assisting clients in overcoming personal issues ranging from habits and false beliefs to a wide range of medical issues. In addition, I developed a technique to heal the aura, to increase the flow of energy throughout the body and create balance and promote wellness.

What drew you to this profession?

After a seven-year battle for survival, through Spiritual guidance, I relocated to the fringes of the Canadian wilderness and was soon invited to live on a Native American reservation by a James Bay Cree elder, who taught me how to heal myself and eventually others.

What sets you apart from others in this profession?

I utilize methods that are based on ancient practices handed down to me through my ancestors. A key element was a technique that allowed me to totally heal the aura, in order to increase the flow of energy throughout the body, followed by applying laws in physics.

What should someone expect from working with you?

The key element of all my techniques is simplicity. Most issues can be resolved quickly and effectively by looking for simple answers. Often issues are comprised of high levels of negative energy, so the solution resides in physics, through laws such as “positive energy consumes negative energy” and others.

What changes do you plan in 2020?

In January I was recruited by Dr. Yvette Whitton, naturopathic oncologist, at the Adonai Center in Madison. Together we will be working on documenting the results of my technique to heal the aura in order to neutralize the negative energy of cancer and other serious medical issues.

Nature’s Gifts USA

304 West Main St, Avon (across from Marshalls Plaza, Rte 44) 860-995-4444 Sales@NaturesGifts-USA.com NaturesGifts-USA.com

Summary/services offered: Open since December 2019 in Avon, Nature’s Gifts is a store exclusively dedicated to CBD products. We are not a vape or head shop.

What drew you to this profession?

CBD—with its promise as a safe, natural and holistic approach to managing a range of health issues—has taken the country by storm. Our mission is to provide access to quality CBD through education and reasonable pricing. With around 40 different CBD products in stock, Nature’s Gifts has one of the largest offerings in Connecticut and has a product for everyone.

What sets your work apart from others in your profession?

Our friendly, knowledgeable staff helps customers navigate their selection of the perfect product. As a small, independent CBD store, Nature’s Gifts does not have high franchise fees, is direct to the manufacturer and passes all that savings on to the customer.

We are not locked into a single brand and unlike gas-station CBD we know how and where our products are manufactured; we have independent lab reports on site. We only carry products that are manufactured in FDA-registered facilities, pharmacistformulated from USA-grown hemp like the premium local brand Warner’s Best, and national brands Medical Mary and Montel Williams.

What should someone expect from working with you?

Visit us online or at 304 West Main Street in Avon to explore the great selection of topicals, beauty and personal care products, no-mess-no-guess capsules, edibles like gummies, honey sticks, coffee, green foods and our fantastic CBD oil with strengths from 500 to 3,000mg. We also carry products specifically designed for pets. These can be helpful for stress and anxiety, noise phobias and mobility issues as they age.

What is most important for ​Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?​ People who have success and get relief from CBD know what a great option it is. Stop in and see how we can help you.

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Psychotherapy Healing Services, LLC Celeste Emelia Mattingly, LCSW Phone: 860-586-8700 Fax: 860-236-1909 CMattingly100@comcast.net CelestialEmpowerment.com

Summary/services offered: State-of-the-art Multidimensional Quantum Psychotherapy for adults; Tachyon anti-aging and healing; reconnective and quantum in-person and distance healing sessions. Accepts insurance for most services.

What drew you to this profession?

In 1999, I founded Psychotherapy Healing Services, LLC, with a mission statement promising to provide state-of-the-art holistic psychotherapy for adults.

How does your work differ from others in your profession?

Twenty years later, I embody this mission statement. I created a theory for integrating spirituality and psychology—Celestial Psychology—and authored Celestial Psychology: A Guidebook for Co-Creating Miracles, Luminosity & Conscious Evolution and Celestial Psychology: A Workbook of Chakras, Psychological Theory & Conscious Evolution, both available on Amazon.

What should someone expect from working with you?

They will increase consciousness and be better able to navigate difficult life transitions such as divorce, the death of a loved one, domestic violence, loss of employment, disability, chronic illness; and gain understanding of spiritual emergence versus spiritual or psychiatric emergencies. They may be able to overcome PTSD, depression, anxiety, alcoholism, gambling, sex addiction and other issues.

What changes do you plan in 2020?

Stay tuned for more fun-filled, informative Tachyon Field Days and the opening of the world’s first Tachyon Temple for Evolutionary Transformation.

What is most important for Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

Call 860-586-8700 and mention this profile for a complimentary 30-minute Tachyon anti-aging and meditation healing session.

See ad, page 55.

Raya Clinic

200 Queen St, Southington 860-621-2225 RayaClinic.com Summary/ services offered: The Raya Clinic employs state-of-theart advanced diagnostic testing technology to determine the needs of the patient and the best course of treatment. The objective machines include thermography, electromyography (EMG), digital x-ray, EMI (electromeridian testing), as well as other orthopedic and neurological testing.

Treatments include chiropractic, acupuncture, nutrition, food sensitivity testing, hair mineral/toxic element testing, full physical therapy suite, weight loss, Vibratrim osteoporosis treatment, cold laser healing, Spinemed Decompression and neuropathy treatment.

How does your work differ from others in your profession?

The Raya Clinic has had an outstanding reputation in the holistic health care field for the past 30 years. The practice is based on the Triad of Health: a combination of chiropractic, acupuncture and nutrition. This is accomplished by balancing the energy in the body through acupuncture, helping the body to heal itself by assessing the nutritional needs and by restoring optimal function by removing interference in the nervous system using chiropractic. The Raya Clinic has an expert team of doctors who use a collaborative team-based approach to provide patients with the highest quality of care. Together these doctors have approximately 70 years of experience.

What should someone expect from working with you?

The care you deserve, the answers you need. You will receive a more thorough evaluation; and there is always a doctor who knows your health available to see you. All holistic options are under one roof; there is no need to go to multiple offices or practitioners.

What is most important for Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

The Raya Clinic strives to provide the most comprehensive wellness health care available in order to help the body regain the ability to function properly, reduce pain and prevent future health problems, all without the use of drugs or surgery. We are open six days a week and accept most insurance plans.

See ad, page 21.

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Reiki Will Travel LLC Cheryl Benanti Various locations in Connecticut 860-966-0121 ReikiWillTravel@gmail.com ReikiWillTravel.com

Summary/services offered: Mobile Reiki sessions What drew you to this profession?

I was searching for connection and various ways to help others. I took my first Reiki class and knew this was something I was meant to pursue and share with others. My passion is working with people to bring them a sense of calm and empowerment for their overall well-being.

I encourage people to be comfortable in their own skin and be accepting of themselves in a safe environment.

What sets your work apart from others in your profession?

I offer in-home sessions, business wellness days and sessions in various office locations. In addition, I work with therapists who refer clients to me with anxiety, stress and related holistic health issues. I’m able to help alleviate those issues with Reiki treatments.

What should someone expect from working with you?

Clients can expect a calming and relaxing experience in a safe space where their privacy is respected. A client testimonial states, “She brings knowledge, compassion, healing and strength to her clients.”

What changes do you plan in 2020?

I’m looking forward to working with animals, especially horses after having such wonderful experiences already with them. I also want to expand my practice in 2020.

What is most important for Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

My practice is mobile and in various locations to make Reiki sessions easily accessible.

395 W Avon Rd, Avon 860-936-0012 Cheryl@SharingTheLightWC.com SharingTheLightWC.com

Summary/services offered: Sharing The Light is your premier destination specializing in Traditional Usui Reiki Practitioner certification classes and sessions with experienced Reiki Master Teachers, Crystal Dreaming, singing bowls, Buddha Reiki, tuning forks, tai chi, yoga, reflexology, drum building, djembe drum classes, private meditation room, psychic readings, St. Germain teachings, Peace attunements, Shamanic services, personalized vibrational jewelry making and AngelLinks. We have a calendar of daily events that includes full-time and part-time practitioners.

What drew you to this profession?

Partners Cheryl and Suli opened Sharing The Light because we know that together we have more light to share than apart. Sharing The Light Wholistic Center is our heart-centered passion, and we know from experience that these programs and classes work. Our team of certified and insured practitioners has extensive knowledge of the modalities we offer and teach. Our ethical and moral standards are the highest in the business. We are members of the International Association of Reiki Professionals and the home of Avon Holistic Chamber of Commerce.

How does your work differ from others in your profession?

Because we work directly with the light of Archangels and deities, our sacred space allows each individual direct spiritual revelation. Once the individual experiences peace, they embody it and become it. Peace is power.

What should someone expect from working with you?

Our team works together to support body, mind and spiritual transformation. We ask the questions to determine where you are, where you want to go and come up with a personalized plan with you. We stay in constant communication with you by text, email or phone to work with you day and night.

What changes do you plan in 2020?

As the home of the Avon Holistic Chamber of Commerce, our goal is to bridge the gap between holistic health and modern medicine. Together we can offer holistic services to enhance what doctors are recommending. Join the national 1,500-member organization that is the change we want to see in the world. Free meetings are every third Wednesday, from 6:30 to 8pm, by Zoom until in-person meetings are possible again. See ad, page 54.

40 Hartford County Edition

Sharing The Light Wholistic Center, LLC

NAHRT.com

Soul Healing Journey, LLC Eilis Philpott Fairfield 203-767-5954 Eilis@SoulHealingJourney.com SoulHealingJourney.com

Summary/services offered: I am a master healer and teacher certified in numerous modalities.

I offer soul-level healing, which clears blocks, obstacles and challenges that are preventing you from living your life to its fullest potential.

What drew you to this profession?

I became fascinated at an early age with the impact that thoughts and emotions had on the body and the psyche. As I experienced both working in the corporate world, the teaching world and then the world of energetic healing, I knew my place was in the healing arts.

How does your work differ from others in your profession?

I often use the breath as the foundation for my healing modalities to access the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual energetic bodies. The work we do together at Soul Healing Journey supports the internal energetic shifts needed in order to live a life of peace, harmony and joy as well as be in alignment with your soul purpose.

What should someone expect from working with you?

All sessions are dictated by the needs of the client on that day and every session is thus individualized to each person’s needs.

Over more than 20 years, I have seen individuals change their careers, work through major trauma and abuse, and improve their current relationships or create new ones.

What changes do you plan in 2020?

I have been growing, developing and traveling during 2018.

I continually strive to educate myself to better serve in my practice. New modalities are often added or incorporated into my offerings. 2020 promises even greater expansion with the addition of trainings and individual healing sessions.

What is most important for Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

The greatest wish I have for all my clients is that they truly know what it feels like to be loved unconditionally. Many of us have not been given that gift and need to learn how to give it to ourselves.

No matter where you are, where you’ve been and where you’re going, you deserve to know and love every aspect of yourself.

See ad, page 4.

Southern New England Marconics Teachers SNETeachers@Marconics.com Marconics.com

Summary/services offered: The Southern New England Marconics Teacher Practitioner team offers two-day Level I “No-Touch” Practitioner training classes in Connecticut and Rhode Island.

This is an exciting and expansive course spanning such topics as the origins of the shift into the new age, the development of lightbody, the body hologram and healing through the unified field.

What drew you to this profession?

Each of us found Marconics as part of our own spiritual journey but agree that we were called for the higher purpose of sharing the information and teaching the protocol to others. It is an honor to be of service to others as they connect to their personal ascension process.

What sets your work apart from others in your profession?

Marconics is successfully achieving ascension through the progressive integration of higher-self energies into the physical body. As the ascension progresses, and through the delivery of Marconics via three levels of protocol for recalibration of the multidimensional holographic body, we are forming a geometric structure for the progressive integration of higher aspects of soul identity, essential for the process of ascension.

What should someone expect from working with you?

All three teachers were trained by and maintain an ongoing mentorship with Marconics originator Alison David Bird C.Ht. As a result, the information shared at talks, expos and in the classes is the most up-to-date information available.

What changes do you plan in 2020?

We have added new locations for our classes including Fairfield, Hartford and New London counties, as well as a plan for a class in southern Rhode Island. The current listing of 2020 classes in the US, UK and Japan is available at Marconics.com.

What is most important for Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

Marconics is a living, breathing consciousness and is not a static modality. As one continues to raise their vibration, they will move into higher dimensional states of being, according to the specific strand of DNA they are in the process of assembling.

Each strand provides access to another higher frequency band and a more expansive level of consciousness awareness.

Natural Living Directory 2020

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Spirit of the Lotus

K.T. ‘Suli’ Sullivan

Robin Barros 5 Gavin Dr, Columbia 860-709-3903 Robin@SpiritOfTheLotus.org SpiritOfTheLotus.org

395 W Avon Rd, Avon 860-936-0012 Suli@SharingTheLightWC.com SharingTheLightWC.com Summary/ services offered: Robin is a hands-on healer, medical intuitive, Shaman, Medium and Spiritually Guided Coach, as well as being an Advanced Soul Coach, Advanced Past Life Coach and Holographic Sound Healer.

What drew you to this profession?

Robin was drawn to this profession after years of her own healing after losing the family of her youth to cancer. She wanted to find a better way, and wanted others to know there is a better way.

How does your work differ from others in your profession?

Robin is trained in many modalities and works with individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), spinal cord injury, cancer and other serious and chronic conditions. She works with patients with cancer who are undergoing conventional medical treatment, helping them stay healthier during chemotherapy or radiation therapy. She does a lot of work with individuals with Lyme disease, including using homeopathic remedies and hands-on energy work. Her ability to feel, hear and touch the levels of body and consciousness as a medical intuitive and medium add to her ability as a healer and enable her to energetically find Lyme spirochetes anywhere they may go in a patient’s body. Once located, she works to decouple them from deep within the joints, organs and brain.

What should someone expect from working with you?

So many of Robin’s clients come to her at wits’ end, having lost all hope to ever feeling better. They leave feeling better, with their hope restored and with a plan for becoming the best version of themselves they could have ever imagined.

What is most important for Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

They are worth the time and cost to heal, expand and be more enlightened. They are worth the cost to nourish themselves even when it means asking for something better. May your readers know they are loved. See ad, page 21.

42 Hartford County Edition

NAHRT.com

Summary/services offered: I am an Advanced Crystal Dreaming Practitioner, Master Sound Healer (Tibetan Singing Bowls) and an Usui Reiki Master Teacher having studied under two Masters.

What drew you to this profession?

Growing up, I lived with my Italian grandmother and spent time with my Irish grandmother; both were healers who practiced with family, friends and clients.

How does your work differ from others in your profession?

With my training and experience, I can help the whole person— from past lives to the spiritual, mental and physical levels of this life.

What should someone expect from working with you?

A calm, loving and healing environment focused on the highest and greatest good of each client.

What is most important for Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

My life is committed to being of service to Spirit by using my gifts to help others open their hearts to the Bliss of the Universe.

See ad, page 19.

Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose. ~Lyndon B. Johnson

c

Dr. David Tolk, DC 102 Hopmeadow St, Weatogue 860-651-3521 Info@TolkWellnessCenter.com TolkWellnessCenter.com

Vis Wellness Center

Nicole Klughers, ND, PharmD, MSAc 1845 Silas Deane Hwy, Rocky Hill 234-2-ACU-DOC DrNicoleKlughers@gmail.com DrNicoleKlughers.com Summary/services offered: As a licensed naturopathic physician, acupuncture specialist and health educator, I offer all-natural solutions to restore optimal health and reclaim a life of energy, balance and joy.

Summary/services offered: Advanced chiropractic care, applied kinesiology, nutritional screening, ionic detox program, massage, physical therapy, acupuncture What drew you to this profession?

I fell in love with chiropractic care, nerve rehabilitation and applied kinesiology early on and wanted to help my patients find the cause of their health conditions.

What sets your work apart from others in your profession?

I take a look at the whole body and work closely with my patients to discover the best approach to their healthcare, whether it be chemical, emotional or physical.

What should someone expect from working with you?

I usually spend a good amount of time getting to know my patients in their first session with a series of muscle tests to find the cause of their issues. I provide patient-specific recommendations from supplements to exercises that they can do at home to improve their condition.

What changes do you plan in 2020?

In 2020, Tolk Wellness Center has undergone major renovations and has brought on new services and staff. We are adding naturopaths who have expertise in Lyme disease prevention and care. We also are doing a number of workshops on CBD education and wellness.

What drew you to this profession?

Formerly working as a pharmacist, I realized the limitations of conventional medicine in its ability to provide integrative, sustainable and holistic care. I searched for more natural ways I could help people change their lives for the better; that’s when I found naturopathic medicine and acupuncture.

How does your work differ from others in your profession?

Since I have experience in a variety of healthcare settings, I practice as an integrative physician. I focus on utilizing natural therapies, yet also recommend appropriate conventional approaches if needed.

What should someone expect from working with you?

Individuals I work with become empowered to take their health into their own hands and are ready to feel like the best version of themselves. I often use food as medicine as the foundation for treatment plans. I may also provide nutritional or lifestyle recommendations and may prescribe supplements or botanical medicines. Depending on your concerns, acupuncture may also be indicated and included in your treatment plan.

What changes do you plan in 2020?

Fully embracing the role of “Doctor as Teacher”, I’ll be expanding offerings of free or low-cost wellness classes/workshops to provide communities with tools for healthy living.

What is most important for Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

Passionate and knowledgeable about health, healing and nature, I am truly honored to do this work. I am here to help everyone I can to experience a life of wellness—naturally. See ad, page 21.

What is most important for Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

Aside from chiropractic care, Tolk Wellness Center offers other wellness services such as massage therapy, ionic detoxes, Lyme disease care and prevention, acupuncture and nerve health rehabilitation. See ad, page 19.

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43

The Water Lily Holistic Empowerment Center, LLC Lily Holcomb 129 Tolland Stage Rd, Tolland 860-756-6391 • TheWaterLilyCenter.com

Summary/Services Offered: I am of service to set you on a path of empowerment. Sometimes that path begins during a psychic mediumship reading, other times, a more conversational spiritual counseling session guides you. Trained in Usui Reiki and Integrated Energy Therapy, I also offer energy healings. With permission, singing bowls, crystals and essential oils are used during sessions. Groups, classes and events bring beings together to connect on deeper and higher levels for the same purposes.

What drew you to the profession?

My own spiritual experience drew me to the profession. In just one hour (and after many years of traditional therapy) a psychic reading provided insight and guidance about who I was and what I needed. It was an awakening and I sought to explore all the different ways to work with and connect to energy. It was clear that spirituality married beautifully with my life’s work and my passion for helping others.

What sets your work apart?

What sets my work apart is that I am Lily Holcomb with my own unique experiences. Those life experiences led me to study human development and family studies in college; that coursework has proven to be a solid foundation. Helping others is part of my DNA, my soul purpose is to serve.

What should someone expect from working with you?

Professionalism is important to me, but so is laughter and levity. I work from a place of love and light. I value, appreciate and honor the trust that clients place in me. I am a compassionate being who understands the deep work that some come to experience at the Center. My personal connection to my faith and to Spirit guides me and comes through in what I offer to others. The three main ways I connect with energy is through clairvoyance, clairsentience and claircognizance.

What changes do you plan in 2020?

I plan to dig deep and further my education this year. I have been carefully choosing workshops to attend each month and the fall will bring a major shift! The Center will be adding new and special events to the list of offerings.

What is most important for Natural Awakenings readers to know?

You are not alone. Trust yourself, your instincts and intuition.

You are love; worthy and deserving of your time, attention and energy. That faith, whoever and whatever you believe in, will serve as a compass, guiding you as you navigate life’s myriad of experiences and reminding you that you are innate love. If you are meant to find us for a 1:1 service, group or class experience, we will be here for you and look forward to serving you.

44 Hartford County Edition

NAHRT.com

Wu Healing Center

Ming Wu, PhD 45 S Main St, Ste 100, West Hartford 978-790-8888 Center@WuHealing.com WuHealing.com Summary/services offered: Dr. Ming Wu is a master herbalist with decades of experience treating patients with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). At his West Hartford center, he offers patients a variety of TCM healing modalities such as herbal therapy, Tui Na acupressure, qigong, Tong Ren, quantum energy healing, cupping and tai chi instruction, among others.

What drew you to the profession?

Dr. Wu is a 20th generation TCM practitioner from China. He has studied TCM since he was 7 years old and began learning the various techniques from his father at an early age. The Fengyang TCM system he practices has been practiced in China for more than 1,700 years.

How does your work differ from others in your profession?

Dr. Wu embodies the principles he teaches others, leading by example and continually seeking to learn. He says it is a lifetime of learning that allows him to help his patients; he always wants to know what else he can do for them. New services and techniques will always be offered at the center.

What should someone expect from working with you?

Patients can expect a practitioner who will take a careful and detailed assessment of their health concerns and partner with them on their journey. Different TCM modalities may be used as needed. The path to wellness will likely include qigong and tai chi movement, herbal remedies, as well as diet and positive lifestyle changes.

What is most important for Natural Awakenings’ readers to know?

Dr. Wu loves teaching tai chi and qigong and invites readers to experience these ancient practices with him during one of the weekly classes offered at the center or one of the upcoming workshops. See ad, page 5.

Hundreds of gemstone beads 50% off strands of beads

NATURAL LIVING DIRECTORY

Jewelry • Candles Crystals & Minerals

BOOKS, BEADS & CRYSTALS

from around the world Books 50% off list price

2020

Essential Oils Herbs & Resins Himalayan Salt Lamps Music • Classes Psychic Fairs • Events Vintage & Handpainted Furniture

MONDAZZI BOOK, BEAD & CRYSTAL WAREHOUSE SHOWROOM 570 Hayden Station Rd, Windsor 860-285-0538 Mondazzi.com MondazziBooks.com

5,000 square feet of amazing shopping!

Incredible deals on great books, crystals and jewelry-making supplies, 860-285-0538 plus pendulums, incense, tarot decks, tumbled stones, herbs, malas, This comprehensive resource guideMonday - Friday 9am-5pm | Saturday 9am-4pm |jewelry Closed andSunday more! Himalayan salt room and includes community leaders in natural lamps; music, yoga, psychic fairs and events. www.mondazzi.com out our website for great deals and health, green living and personal 570 Hayden Station Rd. | Windsor, CTCheck 06095 upcoming classes. See ad, page 55.

Visit our Salt Room!

empowerment. No matter what your vision or mission is for this year, we are certain you will find someone or something in the following pages that inspires and supports your efforts to become healthier and happier. Here’s to your vibrant 2020!

ACUPUNCTURE VITALIZED PERFORMANCE GROUP

212 New London Tpke, Ste D, Glastonbury 860-800-6775 VPGWaves.com Vitalized Performance Group specializes in GAINSWave/ Shock-Wave-AcousticSound therapy and holistic treatments.

GAINSWave/ Shock-Wave-Acoustic-Sound therapy for sexual wellness and performance is often combined with classical acupuncture and other Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatments, including acupressure, cupping, tui na, herbs and Gua Sha. See ad, page 27.

ALL THINGS HEALTH & WELLNESS SHIRLEY R. BLOETHE 860-989-0033 PassItOnLLC.com

Shirley has the intuitive ability to find just the right referral for anyone looking for health and wellness support. Whether it is a new or existing business owner (or the general public), her extensive resources will likely be a great match for your needs. She also is able to offer low-budget, effective solutions for holistic businesses and practitioners. See ads, pages 8 and 13.

ASCENSION SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND MARCONICS TEACHERS SNETeachers@Marconics.com Marconics.com

Marconics practitioners are spiritual midwives birthing the Avatar Race. Learn how to achieve ascension by integrating Avatar consciousness and claiming Soul Sovereignty. The Southern New England teaching team, Julie Oakes, Aaron Nebbia and Stephanie Patrick, were trained by and maintain an ongoing mentorship with Marconics Originator, Alison David Bird C.Ht.

BEMER EARLEEN WRIGHT

EarleenWright@comcast.net 203-215-3222 Experience BEMER, a new paradigm in medicine!

Achieve unsurpassed results with BEMER technology. Whether you are an athlete, have health issues that you have been managing for many years or you’re just not feeling the vitality you once had, the BEMER enhances general blood flow to help your body function at its best.

Five worldwide patents; FDA-registered Class 1 Medical Device; more than 20 years of research and development.

BODYWORK WU HEALING CENTER

Rich Kevorkian LMT Certified Tui Na Therapy 45 S. Main St, Ste 100, West Hartford 860-462-3934 RichKevork@yahoo.com WuHealing.com Tui na is a hands-on body treatment that uses Chinese Taoist principles in an effort to bring the eight principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine into balance in the body. Tui na is a treatment strategy for both acute and chronic musculoskeletal conditions, as well as non-musculoskeletal conditions. See ad, page 5.

CBD STORE NATURE’S GIFTS USA

304 West Main St, Avon (Across from Marshalls Plaza Rte 44) 860-995-4444 Sales@NaturesGifts-USA.com NaturesGifts-USA.com CBD for people and pets. NOT gas station CBD. We only carry CBD manufactured in FDA-registered facilities at prices that are hard to beat. CBD oil, topicals, gummies, capsules and more. Our friendly, knowledgeable staff will guide you. Don’t pay too much for your CBD.

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CHINESE HERBALIST WU HEALING CENTER

Dr. Ming Wu 45 S Main St, Ste 100, West Hartford 978-790-8888 • Center@WuHealing.com WuHealing.com Chinese herbal therapy accounts for the majority of treatments in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Dr. Wu is a master herbalist with decades of experience and thousands of years of wisdom. The herbs he prescribes help stimulate the body toward self-healing. See ad, page 5.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE PAIGE DEST, CCP

BYODestiny Paige@BYODestiny 860-550-1844 • BYODestiny.com

COLONICS

We facilitate the personal and/ or team development of social and emotional intelligence skills, including self-awareness, self-regulation, social awareness and relationship management. This may be accomplished through direct training, online courses, individual coaching, group coaching, workshops, retreats and/or webinars.

VITALIZED PERFORMANCE GROUP

FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE

212 New London Tpke, Ste D, Glastonbury 860-800-6775 • VPGWaves.com Vitalized Performance Group specializes in GAINSWave/ShockWave-Acoustic-Sound therapy and holistic treatments. VPG is the only clinic in CT to offer the LIBBE device, a unique option for those who want to have semi-private colon hydrotherapy without a therapist in the room the entire time. See ad, page 27.

DIABETES EDUCATION LAURA ESTAN, RD,LDN,CDE

10 Grassmere Ave, Ste 300, West Hartford 860-930-0308 Laura.EstanRD.CDE@gmail.com Specializing in mindfulness based Diabetes health coaching and holistic medical nutrition therapy in my handicap accessible office, in-home and by telephone and internet sessions for your convenience. Private insurance and Medicare accepted, State Medicaid sliding scale available.

Call now for a complimentary 15 minute session!

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EDUCATION

ACADEMY FOR SOUL HEALING

Eilis Philpott Fairfield 203-767-5954 • Eilis@SoulHealingJourney.com AcademyforSoulHealing.com The academy hosts many trainings including 13th Octave LaHoChi and A Year of Healing in various locations throughout the U.S. The vision for the Academy for Soul Healing is the integration of many modalities, in their purest form, in order to support the growth and expansion of humanity, individually and on a global scale. See ad, page 4.

46 Hartford County Edition

NAHRT.com

HEALTH AND WELLNESS COACHING WITH DIAN, CERTIFIED FM HEALTH COACH Bristol and online 860-406-2856 HealthCoachDian@gmail.com Evolve-Emerge-Elevate.business.site

EMERGE ~ EVOLVE ~ ELEVATE YOUR LIFE! Feel better by getting to the root cause of any illness using proven functional medicine protocols.

Let’s work together to optimize your overall wellness ~ start loving your body, mind and spirit by living your best life. In person, group/corporate wellness, retreats and online visits available. I can’t wait to meet you!

TAMARA SACHS, MD

Functional Medicine and Integrative Care LLC 15 Bennitt St, New Milford 860-354-3304 • TSachsMD.com Using Functional Medicine, Dr. Sachs prevents and treats chronic illnesses by addressing their underlying root causes, remaining respectful of the uniqueness, complexity and intuitions that make us human. Trained at Mt. Sinai Medical School and Yale University Hospital in Internal Medicine, in 2003 she opened Functional Medicine and Integrative Care LLC. She has great success with IBS, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, autoimmune problems, toxicity and more, by creating individualized, realistic and comprehensive personalized wellness plans. She consults in her New Milford, CT office, and also by phone or video using telemedicine.

GENETIC NUTRITION EARLEEN WRIGHT

Certified Utritionist EarleenWright@comcast.net • 203-215-3222 Revolutionizing comprehensive care through genetic insights. Incorporate the science of genetics and support your patient’s optimal health with one-of-a-kind, DNA-based, designer nutrition. Transform your clinical decisions with actionable genetic information so your patients’ care extends well beyond visits. New in our area. Your branding/logo is on each package!

HEALING ACID REFLUX HEALING ACID REFLUX NATURALLY Susan Berman, Med, CHHC 860-670-4152 Susan@HealingAcidReflux.com HealingAcidReflux.com

I work with health conscious individuals to help heal their acid reflux or GERD in order to avoid further damage to their esophagus and prevent esophageal cancer. Find your unique food and lifestyle triggers. Offers 1:1 coaching via Zoom, Skype, or a DIY program.

HOLISTIC HEALTH ERIK HARRIS

860-593-8397 • ChiForHealing.com Social media @ChiForHealing Chi for healing integrates Chinese medicine (Qi gong, acupressure, Chinese herbs, cupping) with holistic healing practices to provide a multifaceted program to take back your health. Erik specializes in helping people suffering from chronic pain and chronic illness (autoimmune conditions) to find and treat the root cause of disease. This collaborative approach to healing focuses on the body, mind and spirit.

NATURE’S GIFTS USA

304 West Main St, Avon (Across from Marshalls Plaza Rte 44) 860-995-4444 Sales@NaturesGifts-USA.com NaturesGifts-USA.com As we age, energy plummets, skin starts to wrinkle, muscles get weaker and bones become more brittle; these are typical signs of decreased HGH in the body.

SOMADERM Gel provides a unique and affordable alternative designed to bring HGH closer to youthful levels.

SOMADERM Gel is a powerful and innovative transdermal solution for homeopathic growth hormone.

HOLISTIC HEALING CENTER SHARING THE LIGHT WHOLISTIC CENTER, LLC

395 W Avon Rd, Avon 860-936-0012 Cheryl@SharingTheLightWC.com SharingTheLightWC.com Sharing the Light is your premier healing destination specializing in Traditional Usui Reiki Practitioner certification classes and sessions with Reiki Master Teachers; Crystal Dreaming; singing bowls; tuning forks; tai chi; yoga; reflexology; drum building; psychic readings; and AngelLinks. Visit website to view our calendar of events that includes programs with full-time and part-time practitioners.

See ad, page 54.

HOLISTIC NETWORKING HOLISTIC COMMUNITY PROFESSIONALS

Shirley R. Bloethe, Executive Director 860-255-8844 HCPinc.ORG@gmail.com HolisticCommunityProfessionals.org Holistic Community Professionals is an organization of holistic practitioners and businesses focused on improving health and wellness with products and services throughout New England. We also connect consumers with a wide variety of modalities, holistic products, and services as well as offering two EXPOs a year at The DoubleTree by Hilton in Bristol. See website for details. See ad, page 21.

HOLISTIC REAL ESTATE SERVICES CHERYL DEFOSSE REALTOR,

Team Lead of Defosse Realty Group @ Keller Williams Realty 29 S Main St, Ste B4, West Hartford 860-919-8391 CherylDefosse@KW.com Cheryl Defosse has over 20 years of expertise in real estate and intuitive energetic modalities including Reiki and gridwork. She has the uncanny ability to find just the right property for you. Clearing a property and offering intuitive guidance is her specialty.

Serving all of Connecticut.

HOLISTIC STRESS REDUCTION THE ENLIGHTENMENT COUNSELING CENTER LLC

998 Farmington Ave, Ste 207, West Hartford 660 Prospect Ave, Hartford EnlightenmentCenterCT.com EnlightenmentCenterLLC@gmail.com We are experienced psychotherapists and practitioners providing integrative and holistic psychotherapy clinical services, as well as a wellness center offering complementary alternative medical services. We view mental illness as affecting not just the mind but also the body. We are mindful about the importance of external and internal balance.

HOLISTIC & WELLNESS CENTER RAYA CLINIC

200 Queen St, Southington 860-621-2225 • RayaClinic.com Our 30-year-old Wellness Center consists of a team of doctors combining chiropractic, acupuncture, nutrition, food-sensitivity testing, physical therapy, cold-laser, spinal decompression and neuropathy treatments.

HORMONE SUPPORT COLLABORATIVE NATURAL HEALTH PARTNERS

315 East Center St, Manchester 860-533-0179 • CTNaturalHealth.com The clinic offers the best of both worlds; our physicians are trained in both conventional and natural approaches for diagnosis and treatment of many conditions. We combine science with the wisdom of nature to address the causes of disease, not only the symptoms. See ad, back cover.

HYPNOSIS & HEALING ROD KELLY, M.BCH

Serving two locations: 304 Main St, Farmington, and 11 Woodland St, Madison 860-216-8671 • RodKelly.com Specializing in self-empowerment. Overcoming limiting factors is the key to transformation. From stress restructuring and self-esteem issues to serious health conditions, your mind has limitless abilities to accept positive and beneficial changes that allow you to become the person you truly wish to become.

IDENTITY PROTECTION EARLEEN WRIGHT

Independent Business Owner EarleenWright@comcast.net 203-215-3222 Identity theft is a growing menace. In 2018, there were 5 billion breached records – many at powerful companies like Google, Facebook, Equifax and others.

Always-connected shouldn’t mean always at risk. IDSeal works around the clock to protect your personal data, maintain your privacy and prevent identity theft. Let IDSeal help keep your sensitive information safe and sealed!

INTEGRATIVE PSYCHOTHERAPY THE ENLIGHTENMENT COUNSELING CENTER LLC

998 Farmington Ave, Ste 207, West Hartford 660 Prospect Ave, Hartford EnlightenmentCenterCT.com EnlightenmentCenterLLC@gmail.com We are experienced psychotherapists and practitioners providing integrative and holistic psychotherapy clinical services, as well as a wellness center offering complementary alternative medical services. We view mental illness as affecting not just the mind but also the body. We are mindful about the importance of external and internal balance.

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INTUITIVE ENERGY THERAPY KAREN FIORINI RN, HN-BC, CHTP 314 C New Britain Rd, Berlin 860-302-2037 KarenJoyAngels777@gmail.com HealingTouchAngel.com

Karen is a board-certified holistic nurse and Healing Touch practitioner with 25+ years of experience. She offers intuitively guided energy therapy sessions tailored to each client’s goals; blending techniques from many modalities, including Healing Touch, Reiki, Integrated Energy Therapy and Therapeutic Touch. A session facilitates healing on all levels, mind, body and spirit. Angel messenger readings are also available.

INTUITIVE READER JOURNEY WITH JANET

Janet Weinberg P.O. Box 35, East Longmeadow, MA 413-478-1124 JWJanet7@hotmail.com JourneyWithJanet.com Janet has been reading for 17 years. She connects through the heart chakras using tarot cards, intuition and claricognizance (knowing) to guide you on your journey in a loving, gentle way.

Individual readings, phone readings, parties.

MEDICAL INTUITIVE SPIRIT OF THE LOTUS Robin Barros, Founder 5 Gavin Dr, Columbia 860-709-3903 text or call SpiritoftheLotus.org

Robin is the founder of Spirit of the Lotus. She is a hands-on healer, medical intuitive, shaman, medium and spiritually guided coach as well as being an Advanced Soul Coach®, Advanced Past Life Coach® and holographic sound healer. Robin has 15 years of training and experience in eliminating chronic pain from injury, accident, and abuse, from traumatic brain and spinal cord injury to cancer, autoimmune or Lyme disease.

See ad, page 21.

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MEDIUMSHIP KEIKO BROYLES

Willows Healing Path, LLC 860-280-5548 • Keiko@KeikoMedium.com KeikoMedium.com I am a Psychic Spiritual Medium and also a certified Usui Reiki Master and teacher.

As a natural psychic and medium, my sincere wish and desire is to promote healing for people in both the physical and spirit worlds. I am a tested member of Shay Parker’s Best American Psychics. See ad, page 2.

NATURE SCHOOL TWO COYOTES WILDERNESS SCHOOL

P.O. Box 711, Monroe TwoCoyotes.org Facebook.com/TwoCoyotes Instagram.com/TwoCoyotes

NICOLE KLUGHERS, ND, PHARMD, MSAC

Vis Wellness Center 1845 Silas Deane Hwy, Rocky Hill (234)2-ACU-DOC • DrNicoleKlughers.com Info@DrNicoleKlughers.com Dr. Nicole Klughers offers comprehensive naturopathic care to restore optimal health and prevent disease. Dr. Nicole’s approach addresses the root cause of symptoms with all-natural solutions such as “Food as Medicine” with individualized nutrition, herbal medicine, nutrient therapies, acupuncture and more.

In-depth assessment is often done with detailed testing to evaluate the status of nutrients, hormones, inflammation, food sensitivities, toxins or digestive function.

VITALIZED PERFORMANCE GROUP

212 New London Tpke, Ste D, Glastonbury 860-800-6775 • VPGWaves.com

Two Coyotes Wilderness School is a nonprofit nature organization dedicated to creating a healthier, more connected future by connecting people to nature, community and their personal empowerment. We offer year-round, wilderness-based mentorship programs, including summer camps, for all ages. See ad, page 53.

The practice of naturopathic medicine includes modern and traditional, scientific, and empirical methods. Vitalized Performance Group specializes in GAINSWave/Shock-Wave-Acoustic-Sound therapy and a variety of holistic treatments used by naturopathic physicians to support the body’s innate ability to heal. See ad, page 27.

NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE

POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY

COLLABORATIVE NATURAL HEALTH PARTNERS

315 East Center St, Manchester 860-533-0179 • CTNaturalHealth.com Receive sustainable and natural solutions for health conditions to address the cause of disease, not only the symptoms. We combine science with the wisdom of nature. See ad, back cover.

EQUILIBRIUM NATURAL CLINIC LLC Dr. Wilberto Lugo 96 Connecticut Blvd, East Hartford 860-615-7758 EquilibriumNC@hotmail.com

Naturopathic services specializing in pain management, gastrointestinal, endocrine and autoimmune conditions, utilizing personalized nutrition, botanical homeopathy and acupuncture. Our environment has a direct impact on our well-being. I will work to help my patients reach their goals with a comprehensive plan of care.

THE HAPPINESS CLUB

Audrey Carlson 860-841-5894 AudreyBCarlson@cox.net HartfordHappinessClub.com Come to Hartford’s Happiness Club monthly meeting on the first Thursday of every month from 7-8:30pm, at Town and County Club at 22 Woodland St in Hartford. Happiness is a choice… make it yours.

PRIMARY CARE COLLABORATIVE NATURAL HEALTH PARTNERS

315 East Center St, Manchester 860-533-0179 • CTNaturalHealth.com The clinic offers the best of both worlds; our physicians are trained in conventional and natural approaches for diagnosis and treatment of many conditions. We combine science with the wisdom of nature to address the causes of disease, not only the symptoms. See ad, back cover.

REIKI DENISE CASSELLA,

Founder of Stairway To Healing Light, LLC Stairway2Healing@gmail.com StairwayToHealingLight.abmp.com Facebook.com/S2HLight

TAI CHI/QIGONG WU HEALING CENTER

Dr. Ming Wu 45 S. Main St, Ste 100, West Hartford 978-790-8888 Center@WuHealing.com • WuHealing.com

Denise is certified as a Reiki Master Teacher, sound healing teacher, Qigong instructor, shaman, and ordained and anointed interfaith minister in the Order of Melchizedek offering spiritual guidance. She was born clairaudient and is currently working on multiple projects including with Yale. She uses Tibetan singing bowls, Reiki, and intuition with shamanic channeling and vocal toning.

Denise will come to the comfort of your home.

Covering all CT, RI, and central and eastern MA. See ad, page 21.

Tai chi and qigong focus on empowering Chi, enhancing health and healing the mind, body and spirit using diverse bodywork therapies. Develop physical and mental fitness with calmness, balance and awareness. Dr. Wu is now offering regular classes, workshops and retreats for all levels. See ad, page 5.

QUANTUM PSYCHOTHERAPY

April Beaman, CTT, RDH Farmington 860-415-1150 • April@ctthermography.com CTThermography.com

PSYCHOTHERAPY HEALING SERVICES, LLC Celeste Emelia Mattingly, LCSW West Hartford 860-586-8700 Fax: 860-236-1909 CMattingly100@comcast.net CelestialEmpowerment.com

The Sanctuary for Celestial Empowerment is a safe, uplifting, high-frequency environment for individual psychotherapy, Tachyon Anti-Aging and Reconnective Energy Healings, workshops and more. Distance healings, evenings and some Saturday appointments available. Celeste accepts insurance including Medicare and Husky. See ad, page 55.

SOUND HEALING DENISE CASSELLA,

Founder of Stairway To Healing Light, LLC Stairway2Healing@gmail.com StairwayToHealingLight.abmp.com Facebook.com/S2HLight Denise is certified as a Reiki Master Teacher, sound healing teacher, Qigong instructor, shaman, and ordained and anointed interfaith minister in the Order of Melchizedek offering spiritual guidance. She was born clairaudient and is currently working on multiple projects including with Yale. She uses Tibetan singing bowls, Reiki, and intuition with shamanic channeling and vocal toning. Denise will come to the comfort of your home. Covering all CT, RI, and central and eastern MA. See ad, page 21.

THERMOGRAPHY CT THERMOGRAPHY HEALTH SCREENING CENTER

Thermography is a FDAapproved, radiation free, notouch screening procedure.

Used as part of a routine health screening program, thermography can increase the chances of detecting breast abnormalities, disease and cancer up to 10 years earlier than traditional methods. See ad, page 9.

TRANSFORMATIONAL HEALING SIMPLY PEACEFUL HEALING LLC

Joan Witherell, RMT 2433 Main St, Ste 6, Rocky Hill 860-685-0604 • JoanWitherell@gmail.com Joan has a professional office in Rocky Hill, where she offers Angel & Tarot Card Readings, Reiki Healing Sessions, Reiki Certification Training, Transformational Life Coaching Sessions and she also facilitates a variety of inspirational classes.

SOUL HEALING JOURNEY LLC

Eilis Philpott 40 Livingston St, Fairfield 203-767-5954 • Eilis@SoulHealingJourney.com SoulHealingJourney.com Eilis, a certified Rebirther, has completed Rebirthing and Advanced Rebirthing training.

She is a Reiki Master in Usui/ Raku-kei Reiki and Angelic Reiki. She teaches 13th Octave LaHoChi, Angel Light Healing, chakra balancing and other healing techniques. A transformational healing session supports you in healing all aspects of your life. See ad, page 4.

TRAUMATIC BRAIN/ SPINAL CORD INJURY SPIRIT OF THE LOTUS Robin Barros, Founder 5 Gavin Dr, Columbia 860-709-3903 text or call SpiritoftheLotus.org

Robin is the founder of Spirit of the Lotus. She is a hands-on healer, medical intuitive, shaman, medium and spiritually guided coach as well as being an Advanced Soul Coach, Advanced Past Life Coach® and holographic sound healer. Robin has 15 years of training and experience in eliminating chronic pain from injury, accident, and abuse, from traumatic brain and spinal cord injury to cancer, autoimmune or Lyme disease.

See ad, page 21.

TRAVEL REIKI REIKI WILL TRAVEL LLC

Various locations in Connecticut 860-966-0121 • ReikiWillTravel@gmail.com ReikiWillTravel.com Reiki Will Travel LLC is a mobile service offering Reiki in your home, business or special events. Office space in various locations is also available.

YOGA YOGA CENTER OF COLLINSVILLE 10 Front St, Collinsville 860-693-YOGA (9642) info@YogaCenterCollinsville.com YogaCenterCollinsville.com

Experience yoga in the vibrant surroundings of historic Collinsville. Morning / evening classes available: Beginners, Gentle, Mixed, Advanced, Yogalates, Belly Dance and Yoga for Kids. Drop-ins welcome! New student special: $50 for one month of unlimited yoga classes. See ad, page 59.

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MD. Takuna is an extract produced from the bark of Cecropia strigosa, a tree that is found throughout South America. It has been reported to have very powerful antiviral and antibacterial properties.

Patients taking Takuna at the dosage of 30 drops (in a four- to six-ounce glass of water) every hour to resolve influenzas, shingles and herpes outbreaks have shown improvement in a matter of one to two days. Keep on these high doses until symptoms subside, then treat for four to six more hours to ensure success.

The Intersection of Lyme and Coronavirus Natural Methods to Treat COVID-19 in Those with Chronic Lyme

D

by Gregg Kirk

uring this next phase of the Coronavirus saga, the many people dealing with chronic Lyme may feel like walking targets. It is being made very clear on news reports across the country that the population base most vulnerable to COVID-19 are the elderly and those with impaired immune systems. All Lyme patients fall into the latter category, and while we are also hearing early reports of doctors having success with Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) and Azithromycin (Z-Pak) in treating the virus, many Lyme patients can have sensitivities to antibiotics or may have trouble getting to a doctor to get a prescription for them.

What are the natural alternatives for treating this potentially deadly illness on top of an equally challenging chronic illness?

Fortunately, because most individuals with Lyme are already taking a collection of 50 Hartford County Edition

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supplements, natural antimicrobials and immune boosters for their pre-existing condition, they may already have several solutions at their fingertips. As is usually the case, if we look back at what doctors were using to treat viruses and other deadly illnesses 100 years ago—with treatments that pre-dated our modern antibiotics and pharmaceuticals—we can find a list of powerful, natural remedies that are also free of the multiple side effects caused by the newer drugs.

To take the target and fear off the backs of Lyme patients reading this, the author has successfully helped a half dozen chronic Lyme patients who tested positive for COVID-19 regain their health using the following remedies.

• 30 drops of Takuna every hour (during waking hours): Patients of Lyme disease may recognize this tincture from the Cowden Protocol created by Lee Cowden,

• High doses of liposomal vitamin C: You may have heard recent reports coming from China that several medical teams are currently testing and reporting success treating patients of COVID-19 with high doses of vitamin C. You may have also heard from mainstream news sources that this information is bunk. What to believe?

Those familiar with mega-dosing vitamin C understand that there is little to no risk using doses well above the RDA requirements (90mg per day for adult men) to prevent and treat many diseases from flu to cancer. The dosage Chinese doctors are finding effective to fight and prevent COVID-19 is at least six to eight grams (6,000mg to 8,000mg) of liposomal vitamin C per day. This dosage can raise the immune system and knock out the virus if used consistently. Note that there are many kinds and ranges of quality of vitamin C, and the recommended versions are liposomal or lipospheric, which are more easily absorbed and digested. These are typically drops taken into the mouth, where they are absorbed by the membranes. Taking liposomal versions at evenly divided doses (three to four grams twice daily) of six to eight grams total per day is recommended.

• Four to six cups of Cistus tea per day: Cistus tea (Cistus incanus) grows in arid Mediterranean regions and is a genus of flowering plants in the rock rose family.

The harsh growing conditions cause the plant to produce high levels of polyphenols to protect itself, and it’s these micronutrients that give the plant its healing

properties. This tea is especially suited to addressing upper-respiratory bacterial and viral infections. It may be a little difficult to drink this much tea per day, and patients may have early die-off reactions because Cistus tea is also a strong antifungal and is phenomenal at removing intestinal yeast, mold and biofilms. It is a good idea to drink one cup of the tea and wait an hour or two to see if it has been tolerated. The tea bags or loose tea used in tea balls or diffusers can actually be used up to three times during hot brewing (steeping for at least 5 minutes in boiled water), as the extra brewing unlocks more polyphenols and micronutrients with each brew.

• Three grams of magnesium chloride every six hours: This form of magnesium chloride (not to be confused with magnesium malate, magnesium citrate or magnesium glycinate) has been reported to cure polio and diphtheria and was the main subject of Dr. Prof. Pierre Delbet’s book, published in 1915. This mineral has been reported to have cured flu cases within 24 to 48 hours at the higher doses of three grams every six hours, and it must be taken orally to be effective. Note that early doses can have a laxative effect, but that is no reason to stop treatment.

• 200 to 300mg of iodine daily: This once-commonly-used, all-but-forgotten curative that was used to treat tuberculosis in the early 1900s is capable of killing all classes of pathogens including bacteria, fungi, yeasts, viruses and protozoa within 15 to 30 seconds of contact. At doses of six grams (6,000mg) per day, it has been used to cure syphilis, skin lesions and chronic lung disease. Patients taking higher doses need to be aware of die-off reactions that can occur (toxin overloads caused by killing high amounts of pathogens), so doses need to be reduced (cut in half) in that case. Since poor immune response is correlated with impaired thyroid function, many patients can benefit from taking higher doses of this wonder substance to also support the thyroid. It was common practice a hundred years ago to use iodine

aerosol therapy to protect students in their classrooms. So, adding iodine to a nebulizer, neti pot or spray bottle is highly recommended to protect and treat individuals from viral and bacterial flus.

• Five milliliters of colloidal silver three times per day: Specific to colloidal silver, the FDA warned the public in a 1999 Final Rule that it isn’t safe or effective for treating any disease or condition. And yet patients of Lyme disease have been using it for years to effectively drive off multiple pathogens when treating chronic Lyme disease and co-infections. Extended research on silver and its effectiveness as an antimicrobial has been conducted and published all over the U.S. and Europe, starting in the early 1900s with Alfred B. Searle, the founder of Searle Pharmaceuticals, which later became Monsanto Chemical Co. His book, Use of Colloids in Health & Disease, was published in 1919 and in it, Searle writes, “the application of colloidal silver to diseased conditions of the human body is distinctly encouraging, but like all other new ideas it has had its share of drawbacks and discouragements, due in almost every instance to ignorance.”

So again, what do you believe?

The author has had personal experience with Lyme patients who are also treating COVID-19 using up to five milliliters of colloidal silver, three times per day, along with other natural treatments mentioned above, to regain their health. These individuals did not have to resort to pharmaceutical use or going to the hospital.

Other Supportive Measures: • 20,000 to 40,000 IUs of vitamin D3 per day: Stay at these doses for a week to 10 days, then cut doses in half.

• 5,000 IUs of vitamin A per day • 150 to 200mg of zinc gluconate per day: Lozenges are fine but zinc sprays or nasal gels should not be used because they can permanently impair a person’s sense of smell.

• One to two grams (1,000 to 2,000 mg) Liposomal Glutathione per day. Gluta thione is important for cellular defense, and it helps the body prevent and fight infections and disease. It is a naturally occurring substance in the body that boosts the production of white blood cells, so it is considered an immune booster. However, it is not easily ab sorbed in the body so liposomal versions of it must be taken for it to be effective.

The above material is provided for informational and educational purposes only. The material is not nor should be considered a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Gregg Kirk is a Lyme disease advocate, a former patient, and the current practitioner who runs the Lyme Recovery Clinic in Darien, CT. He is also the author of the book, The Gratitude Curve, and the founder of the Ticked Off Foundation patient fund, an advocacy group that raises funds for Lyme disease patients in financial crisis. Connect at 203-858-9725 or LymeRecoveryClinic.com.

Opportunities are like sunrises.

If you wait too long, you miss them. ~William Arthur Ward

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many—both chemical and natural—on the market. Check your clothes and body thoroughly for ticks, including your hair and skin-folds. Washing clothes in hot water or putting them in the dryer on high heat for 10 or more minutes will kill ticks.

Why Antibiotics Don’t Always Work

The Silent Pandemic of Lyme Disease Understanding Risks, Infections and Treatment

T

by Keith Yimoyines

hink of Lyme disease as a silent pandemic. The CDC reports there are 300,000 new cases every year in the U.S., while other estimates put the number much higher. More than 80 countries have reported cases of Lyme disease. Testing is unreliable, there is no human vaccine available and while it does not spread through casual humanto-human contact, it can spread from pregnant mother to fetus and may be sexually transmitted. It was the fastest growing infectious disease in the U.S. and Europe prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, is grossly underfunded compared to other diseases and is underappreciated by the “conventional” medical community. Connecticut, the epicenter of Lyme disease since the 1970s when it was first identified, continues to suffer the worst of it.

Connecticut at High Risk

Data in a recent report from the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES), with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), indicates that 2019 was a par52 Hartford County Edition

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ticularly bad year for ticks across the state.

Over 2,500 ticks, including 2,068 deer ticks (Ixodes scapularis) and 467 American dog ticks (Dermacentor variabilis) were collected, and all female deer tick samples were tested for several pathogens that cause disease in humans. The results were alarming, and experts warn that a mild winter can contribute to a larger boom in the tick population, so 2020 potentially could be a more active year.

Out of the adult deer tick samples tested, 46 percent carried Borelia burgdoferi (the bacteria that causes Lyme disease), 13 percent were positive for Babesia microti (Babesiosis), 9 percent for Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Anaplasmosis), 2 percent for Borrelia miyamotoi (tick-borne relapsing fever) and 1 percent for Powassan virus.

Given the prevalence of diseasecausing microbes in our tick population, first-line prevention of Lyme disease requires vigilant tick-bite prevention.

Avoid wooded, shaded or bushy areas and tall grasses. Wear light-colored clothing and tuck your pants into your socks.

Use a tick repellent, of which there are

In the ideal situation, a person bitten by a tick and infected with Borrelia burgdorferi displays the common Lyme disease symptoms, including bull’s eye rash, headache, joint pain, muscle pain, fever and chills.

That person would be promptly treated with a proper course of antibiotics and recover with no lingering effects. An integrative approach, incorporating herbs (astragalus is particularly helpful to enhance the immune response) and diet and lifestyle changes (a whole food, anti-inflammatory diet, restful sleep and stress management) will increase the chances of a speedy recovery.

In our less perfect world, tick bites often go unnoticed. Only about 30 percent of people infected get the tell-tale bull’s eye rash, and symptoms range widely from person to person. This predicament leads to delayed or missed diagnosis and the potential for the bacteria to persist in the body or cause lingering effects due to the highly inflammatory state caused by the infection.

Persister Bacteria and Biofilms

Borrelia burgdoferi has a particular ability to change its genetic expression as its environment changes. The bacteria can respond to changes in temperature, pH, nutrient content and changes in the host’s defense.

A 2019 study in the journal Parasites and Vectors examined “persister” bacteria that can evade antibiotics, and potentially cause long term complications for patients, even after Lyme disease treatment.

Most concerning, the Lyme bacteria has shown a better ability than other infections to resist antibiotic treatment. Under pressure from antibiotics or environmental changes, the Lyme spirochete (the com-

mon corkscrew shape) can change to a less mobile, round body (cyst form) and other forms, making it less susceptible to antibiotics. After antibiotic treatment has ceased, the round bodies can revert back to the spirochete form. Even in the round body form, Borrelia is still able to infect the host, and reversion to the spirochete form helps explain the high frequency of antibiotic treatment failure. Other studies have shown that round bodies themselves develop resistance to multiple antibiotic agents. Doxycycline, the most commonly used antibiotic in early Lyme disease treatment, was shown to reduce spirochete forms by about 90 percent, but doubled the number of round bodies.

Borrelia burgdorferi can also form colonies or biofilms in response to pressures, making it more difficult to eradicate. Biofilms, which are formed by most bacteria (for example, the plaque on your teeth), are sticky tangles of sugars and other substances that provide protection and community, facilitating the transfer of oxygen and nutrients, and making individual bacteria

less susceptible to treatment. Five common antibiotics researched only reduced biofilm formation by 30 to 55 percent, and a majority of those biofilms contained the viable spirochete form of Borrelia.

Prior studies have established the utility of specific antibiotic combinations and stevia leaf extract to break down biofilms with success, with more research ongoing.

Lyme Treatment Demands an Integrative Approach

The most important factor to consider in Lyme disease treatment is that Lyme is a multi-system infection. It can affect joints and connective tissue, the brain and nervous system, the heart and cardiovascular system, the gastrointestinal system, the thyroid gland, adrenal glands and the rest of the endocrine system, and on and on.

To complicate the picture, Borrelia rarely travels alone. Co-infections such as Babesia, Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Bartonella, and co-existing conditions like viral infections, heavy metal or environmental toxicity, bad

bacteria and yeast in the gut, disturbances in the balance of beneficial bacteria (potentially caused by antibiotics), mold toxicity, and nutrient deficiencies make Lyme disease one of the most challenging conditions to treat. For patients with persistent symptoms, this is not a one-infection-oneantibiotic solution. A Lyme and tick-borne disease-literate practitioner works with their patient to establish which co-infections are present, which organs are affected and which complicating factors need to be addressed. The goal of treatment should be to return the body to equilibrium, limit the inflammation caused by Lyme and eradicate the underlying infections.

Dr. Keith Yimoyines is a licensed naturopathic doctor who has been practicing in the state of Connecticut since 2011, with a focus on Lyme and tick-borne diseases. He recently joined the team at Tolk Chiropractic & Wellness at 102 Hopmeadow St, Weatogue. For more information or to make an appointment, call 860-651-3521 or visit TolkWellnessCenter.com. See profile, page 43.

Photos by Phyllis Meredith Photography

Two Coyotes Wilderness School offers extraordinary Summer Camps and year round Wilderness Programs for kids 0-17 years old.

Kids will learn how to: • • • •

Build fires Make shelters & forts Create nature art Gather wild edibles

• Identify plants and animals • Connect more meaningfully to people & nature

Two Coyotes also offers…

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Weekday programs for homeschool & public school students Weekend programs for kids and adults Coyote Pups for caregivers & children 0-5 Field trips & in school programs Scholarships and tuition assistance for families in need

Now Enrolling for 2020 Sign up at twocoyotes.org/events

Email programs@twocoyotes.org or visit www.TwoCoyotes.org for more information Natural Living Directory 2020

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inspiration

Physical Distancing The Spiritual Impact of Socializing

by Shirley R. Bloethe

I

n a time of national emergency, how do we filter through the many concerns around safe contact; how do we protect ourselves, our children and our family? There is panic pervading many places. Are our fears realistic? Are we looking at survival of the fittest? This virus is brand new; do we even really know how it is spread or transmitted? And what is the spiritual lesson here, if any?

The official term “social distancing” —what we’ve all been asked to do—is an infection control action intended to stop or slow down the spread of a contagious

disease. The objective of social distancing is to reduce the probability of contact between persons carrying an infection, and others who are not infected, so as to minimize disease transmission, morbidity and ultimately, mortality. One of the earliest references to social distancing dates to the Bible’s mentions of leper colonies, which were established as a means of preventing the spread of leprosy and other contagions.

However effective it may be, there are serious drawbacks to extended social distancing such as loneliness, reduced productivity, and the loss of other benefits

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associated with human interaction. The actual phrase “social distancing” itself is something of a misnomer that can cause some psychological and spiritual harm.

What we are really being asked to do right now is keep our PHYSICAL distance from others in social settings, but the intention gets lost in the words. While it may be the correct epidemiological phrase, a more accurate phrase is physical distancing.

This is a time to come together and support each other (i.e.. socialize) even if we shouldn’t touch each other and must keep a physical divide between us. We should not separate from our humanity and the people around us right now. This is not just the people in the U.S., but in the entire world. This pandemic is affecting everyone everywhere! We need to strike a balance between taking care of ourselves and caring for others. Never has the phrase “We are all one” been more important. In a spiritual sense, we are all connected. We are all one in this pandemic; there is no division of race, color, creed.

This has affected all people throughout the world - OUR world. So, while being physically distant may be necessary at this time, it has never been more critical for people to come together spiritually, psychologically, and support each other. Images and videos of Italians singing together from their individual home balconies is a beautiful example of this phenomenon. While appropriately physically distant, the people were socializing and supporting one another in a beautiful and uplifting way.

The way we live our lives daily does affect others, even others we may never see, talk to, or know personally. What religions have tried to do over the ages is bring people together in understanding, love and compassion. Being kind to one another even when we don’t understand much about them is a fairly universal theme, as stated by “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” What does that phrase really mean?

In spiritual terms, we must first begin by loving ourselves. Many people feel shame and guilt, or do not accept themselves as they are. Hopefully we are always striving to be better, but we do fall short. That doesn’t

make us bad, but rather exemplifies our humanity. The difficult process to maturity is learning to love oneself. Only then can we start on the wonderful journey of loving another, fully, with kindness, compassion, and truly giving of ourselves because we know who the Source of our love is. It is unending and abundant!

Creator, God as we understand Him/Her, Universal Love, A Higher Power, Nature, many names in many religions and belief systems, but ultimately a single source of our being and creation on this planet. The One who will always guide us and never give us more than we can handle. When times are tough, as they are for many people right now, may you realize that despite everything you have been through, you have survived, and you are still here!

Yes, there are dark times, and we question why something happened (like this virus pandemic and others before now). Our understanding may be limited, but, at the end of the day, we are uniquely suited to handle the tough times. In our faith, we are taken care of. Now in these times, we know we will be taken care of, too.

Resilience is a term we hear quite frequently with regard to raising children and helping people cope that have suffered difficult life situations. In teaching them to be resilient, what does it really mean? It means helping them tap into their inner strength so they feel they can prevail over life’s challenges. Developing a core inner strength and faith in their intuition, that gut feeling to do the right thing at the right time, allows their inner strength to come through during difficult situations.

Universal love is our birthright. How easy it can be to forget that, when we get caught up in the mundane, work, chores, or trying to escape through the use of physical pursuits or alcohol or chemicals. We know we can make better choices to thrive. We can choose another path with the help of our community and friends.

We all need time for rest, relaxation, dreams, social lives and self-care. It allows our bodies to regenerate, build their immune system, keep us healthy, and give us vitality for life. While we all need some time for quiet contemplation, we are still made to be social beings, needing each other, communing with one another, sharing good times and bad so that we can overcome together, to lift each other up.

May we all use this moment in time as a powerful opportunity to wake up to our common humanity. May we join together as a human family worldwide to cultivate true compassion for all who suffer in any way because of these events brought on by this virus. May we take stock of what is truly important and make good decisions.

Please adhere to physical distancing guidelines, but do not distance yourselves from your social lives, your community that supports you, and family. Be creative and find safe ways to keep supporting and loving your family, friends and neighbors throughout this world.

Rev. Shirley R Bloethe is Assistant Pastor at Spiritualist Church of Love and Light and Executive Director, Holistic Community Professionals. Connect with her at 860-989-0033, ShirleyBloethe.com or HolisticCommunityProfessionals.org.

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natural pet

Avoid Pandemic Pandemonium Lessons from the Herd

by Carrie Brady

T

here is a reason why the saying “may you live in interesting times” is viewed as both a blessing and a curse. These are undoubtedly interesting times that were unimaginable just a few months ago. The coronavirus pandemic is causing physical illness, but beyond the thousands affected directly, millions more are being affected emotionally.

Worried humans try to make sense of the world by weaving together stories, often losing the present moment as we focus on the past or future. We fear disaster, wondering if we or those we love will get the virus and what might happen if we do. We also revisit the past, reconsidering our own decisions or those of others and wishing they or we had acted differently to avert this crisis. We have no control over the past or the future, but there are things we can do in the present moment to help us survive this pandemic, physically and mentally.

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Save Your Energy

As prey animals, horses are always on high alert for danger. If an animal approaches a herd of horses, they immediately will stop what they are doing, look up, and assess whether the animal is dangerous. Once the horses decide there is no threat because the animal is not a predator, they will quickly return to grazing. This ability to return to grazing is essential to wild horses’ survival.

If they wasted their energy by panicking every time something alarmed them, they would exhaust themselves. Instead, horses wisely conserve their energy so when a predator like a mountain lion arrives, the horses are fully prepared to run or fight.

If you’ve ever dropped your dog off at a kennel with persistently barking occupants, you’ve probably noticed that sound can make it hard to think straight.

You may become agitated and irritable while waiting to check in. When you pick

up your dogs, you might notice they are exhausted because they had to endure that sound for days and may not have been able to sleep. The news cycle in this pandemic can easily become a kennel of barking dogs, continually agitating and exhausting us if we do not manage the flow of information.

Knowledge about what is happening is useful and can help us make well-informed decisions to promote our wellbeing. Obsessively following the headlines minute by minute, however, can directly harm our health if it causes us to become excessively anxious and lose sleep.

Even one night of poor sleep reduces our immune system’s ability to filter and fight viruses. When we are emotionally affected by the virus, we need to conserve our energy by sleeping, eating and doing what we can to keep our immune system strong so we can fight the virus effectively if we do become infected.

Know Your Calm-Down Cues

Understanding the importance of returning to grazing doesn’t mean it is easy to do. The phrase “calm down” originated with horses because when on high alert, they raise their heads high in the air and literally calm down by lowering their heads and returning to grazing. There are several calm-down cues that horses use to naturally release stress and rebalance themselves, often by moving their bodies.

Sometimes they shake it off, or stop, drop, and roll, which realigns them physically and mentally. Horses also practice selfsoothing behaviors, including one that involves rubbing their noses on their forelegs. This movement releases dopamine, which helps horses feel calmer and brings them back into balance.

Humans have a wide variety of calmdown cues too, but they often forget to use them, especially when caught up in a mental whirlwind. Take some time to consider what your personal calm-down cues are. It might help to make a list that you can refer to when you are particularly stressed. Taking a walk, doing yoga, meditating, talking to a friend (about a subject

other than the pandemic), appreciating a sunset, petting your dog, making and eating a delicious dinner, soaking in a warm bath, and other such actions can help you lower your blood pressure and heart rate and come back out of fight-or-flight mode into grazing mode.

It is unlikely a pet will become infected and serve as a source of infection for people.

Express Gratitude

When horses return to grazing, they focus on the grass or hay before them. They eat with exuberance and appreciation, noticing and carefully selecting the tastiest bits.

They also will drink with enthusiasm, taking long swallows and sometimes sucking their tongues afterward. They enjoy each moment.

In the midst of the pandemic, remember to express gratitude. Your gratitude list may have nothing to do with the pandemic but, if you can’t stop thinking about it, you can use this list.

In this present moment, if you are not currently very ill with the coronavirus, there are many things for which to be grateful: • I am grateful for the gift of today.

• I am grateful for the air I breathe and to my lungs for taking it in every day and filling all my cells with oxygen.

• I am grateful for clean water to drink and wash with, which is not available in many parts of the world.

• I am grateful for my immune system, which has successfully addressed many viruses and bacteria over my lifetime.

• I am grateful for my family, friends and community who support me.

• I am grateful to be healthy today.

Carrie Brady is the creator of Possibilities Farm in Wilton, where she partners with four horses in innovative non-riding programs for personal growth, professional development and wellness. If you aren’t able to visit the farm, Carrie is available for phone coaching from the barn, so you still get personalized advice directly from the herd. Connect at 203-210-7484 or at PossibilitiesFarm.com.

Coronavirus Pet Safety

Facts and Tips for Dog and Cat Owners

T

by Shawn Messonnier

here are many types of coronavirus.

COVID-19 is new—a novel coronavirus—and there are currently no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in dogs or cats in the U.S. Dogs can become infected with a canine coronavirus. It is fairly species-specific and will not infect people, but can infect cats (without causing clinical disease in naturally infected cats). Most infected dogs do not show symptoms and recover without showing signs of infection; young puppies may exhibit mild diarrhea.

Cats have their own coronavirus that, like dogs, usually causes an asymptomatic infection, or may cause mild diarrhea or mild respiratory infection (especially in kittens). However, this coronavirus, for unknown reasons, can mutate in the GI tract and transform into the (usually) lethal feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) virus (this occurs in about 10 percent of infected cats).

Again, this feline coronavirus will not infect dogs or people, and only infects felids. (A curious note is that cats can become infected with the human SARS coronavirus experimentally and naturally, but do not become ill, and the original SARS virus was suspected to have originated from a mongoose.) As with human coronaviruses, canine and feline corona-

viruses can survive outside of the pet’s body for a period of time, especially in a colder environment, but are easily killed with most soap or disinfectants.

Dogs and cats that develop their own coronaviral diseases will not infect people.

However, by serving as fomites (objects that can carry an infectious organism on the surface), dogs and cats could potentially carry a virus on their coat or skin if an infected family member gets infected material (saliva, respiratory droplets, etc.) onto the animal.

Like any other surface in the home, the virus could transfer from the surface of the pet to other uninfected family members. (This is usually by hand to face transfer.)

To be safe, it may be wise to keep the family pet away from the infected family member, or at least have the infected family member bathe and/or wipe the pet’s coat with a wet washcloth before the pet is exposed to uninfected family members.

Keep in mind that maintaining proper blood levels of vitamin D in people and in pets is important in minimizing infectious diseases.

Shawn Messonnier, DVM, is the owner of Paws & Claws Holistic Animal Hospital, in Plano, Texas, and an award-winning author and host on Martha Stewart Radio.

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A Cup of Wildflowers

FLOWER POWER Botanical Libations Pack Healthy Punch

F

by April Thompson

lowers and other budding botanical elements this spring aren’t just eye candy to dress the table; they can bless an everyday beverage with intoxicating new scents, flavors and colors. “It’s such a joy to see a beautiful flower or plant, smell it and then add it to a delightful beverage or meal. Plants have so much medicine to share, and it’s fun to play with that,” says Myra Sinnott, an aromatherapist and owner of Essential Botany, in Washington, D.C.

Many beverage favorites can be given a floral twist with little effort, says Cassie Winslow, author of Floral Libations: 41 Drinks + Ingredients and founder of the blog DecoTartelette.com, in Santa Cruz, California. Winslow’s go-to drinks include lavender-infused lemonade and rose petal almond milk, which can be served hot or cold. “I also love an iced lavender café au lait. If I’m feeling extra fancy, I’ll use fresh flower ice cubes, too.” Dried hibiscus is another favorite of Winslow’s, as even a few petals of the concentrated dark magenta flower will brighten and beautify any beverage—even a yogurt-based drink.

While many botanical drink recipes call for simple sugar syrup, Winslow sug-

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gests honey with a splash of water as a substitute. Other drinks are naturally sweet, like jasmine tea steeped in apple cider.

Sinnott likes to fuse the power of flowers with other botanical elements such as rose petals in a light raspberry drink.

“I also use rosewater in a warm elixir with a base of reishi mushroom tea, goji berries, turmeric, cinnamon and ginger, cacao, pearl powder and honey. Rose is a heart-opener and vitalizes the body with the immune-boosting reishi and the other tonifying ingredients,” says Sinnott.

Winslow stresses the importance of buying organic ingredients, as many flowers are sprayed with toxic pesticides—or better yet, home-grown. She suggests the tea aisle of natural food stores is a good place for procuring organic floral ingredients such as chamomile and jasmine, which often come unblended in whole form.

Dried flowers are easier to source and are often more potent than fresh, she says.

“Fresh is pretty, but can be more subtle in flavor.” Her rose salt recipe, which can be used to rim drinks or seasonal dishes, calls for dried roses, which have a longer shelf life and won’t clump up like fresh petals.

Marie Viljoen, Brooklyn-based author

While botanical ingredients can be obtained commercially, it can be more fun— and frugal—to forage for them, suggests Viljoen, founder of the blog 66SquareFeet. blogspot.com. “It’s a lot of fun to go out to collect ingredients you cannot find in the store. You can experience unique textures, flavors and perfumes, and play with wild ingredients that have been all but forgotten,” she says.

Some of Viljoen’s seasonal foraged favorites include the fragrant elderflower, honeysuckle and common milkweed flower.

“I like to capture milkweed’s fragrance and deep pink color in a wild soda or a sweet cordial.”

For newbie foragers, drink ingredients can be sourced as easily as herbs from a window box, like the antiviral thyme, which makes for a delicious wild soda made from a handful of herbs, sweetener and water left on the countertop a few days to lightly ferment and fizz. Another spring favorite, tender young spruce tips, has a sour flavor that ferments well with strawberries and rhubarb, says Viljoen.

The same recipe can also be used to make vinegar, a longer process resulting in a more enduring product with great botanical properties. “You can create a sipping vinegar, which is good to mix with seltzer or slow-cook with,” says Viljoen.

Whether botanical ingredients are foraged, bought or brought in from the backyard garden to be put in a hot tea, a cocktail or a cold brew, the magic is in the making. “Flowers are endless fun to experiment with, especially when added to everyday drinks and dishes. It brings life to the kitchen,” says Winslow.

April Thompson, a freelance writer in Washington, D.C., can be reached at AprilWrites.com.

Chamille Whiter/Shutterstock.com

of Forage, Harvest, Feast: A Wild-Inspired Cuisine, suggests using cold infusions rather than heat or boiling flowers to retain their flavors and aromas. She also recommends picking flowers early in the morning or late afternoon, when their scent peaks.

conscious eating

What’s the hardest part of staying healthy?

photo by Susan Bell

SOOTHING BOTANICAL SIPS

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Unconditional Love Here’s an Indian-inspired herbal infusion featuring classic Ayurvedic herbs that help spread unconditional love that is so needed in the world right now. It’s recommended that you serve the infusion on heated rose quartz crystals; this will continue to emanate the love. This recipe is best made in larger quantities and stored for use throughout the year or whenever you need to spread or share more love with friends and family.

Yields: 3½ oz beverage

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.7 oz cinnamon bark (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) ½ oz ginger root (Zingiber officinalis), dried .2 oz ashwagandha root (Withania somnifera), dried .2 oz rhatavari root (Asparagus racemosus), dried ½ oz rose petals (Rosa spp), dried .4 oz rose hips (Rosa canina), dried 1 oz tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum), dried For the warm rose quartz:

Let us. You’re in good hands.

3-4 Rough pieces of rose quartz crystal Mix all the herbs together in a large bowl, then decant into a sealable pouch or jar, being sure to store away from direct sunlight.

Cleanse the crystals, by first rinsing and gently scrubbing them under running water, then place in the sun for a few hours and whisper some love poetry to them.

Place the crystals in the oven on a low heat (158 to 170° F) for 15 minutes, or until hot. Place the crystals in the teacups.

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59

Why is foraging an important part of nutrition education?

For a pot for 3 to 4 people, take 6 heaping teaspoons of the blend, pour over freshly boiled water, infuse with the lid on for 5 to 6 minutes, then fine strain and serve in cups over the warm pieces of rose quartz crystal.

photo by Doan Ly

Recipe courtesy of Michael Isted, the Herball.

Foraging Your Own Path

Dandelion Honey Bowl of Soul “I love to make a bowl of soul when I need to unwind, as this beverage is quite soothing,” says Cassie Winslow. “Dandelions have a subtle spice that pairs so nicely with other warming spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg. Steeped in your favorite nutty milk, this’ll be your new go-to goodie when you want to sit with your thoughts, gaze out the window and sip on something warm.”

B

Yields: one beverage 1 cup, unsweetened, almond milk or hazelnut milk 1 Tbsp honey (or agave sweetener) 1 dandelion tea bag Freshly ground nutmeg for garnish In a small saucepan, warm the milk over medium heat until it just begins to simmer.

Whisk the milk, then slowly add the honey or agave sweetener and whisk together.

Pour the milk mixture into a large mug.

Add the tea bag and allow to steep for five minutes.

Discard the tea bag. Sprinkle the nutmeg on top.

Recipe courtesy of Cassie Winslow, Floral Libations: 41 Drinks + Ingredients.

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by Patricia Staino

NAHRT.com

eyond offering a one-year certification in sustainable nutrition, The Institute Of Sustainable Nutrition in West Granby often runs sustainable foraging walks to educate the public on the nutritional and medicinal value of Connecticut’s wild, indigenous plants, how to identify them, and how to responsibly gather and utilize them.

Natural Awakenings recently talked to the Institute’s founder, Joan Palmer, about the growing interest in local foraging.

What excites you about sustainable nutrition?

It’s important to understand what wants to grow in our area and how we can grow and prepare it without impacting the rest of the world. How do we grow our food and medicine so we’re not shipping in amendments and fertilizers—even organic products—from around the world, where we don’t know how the workers and the land were treated? Why aren’t we using fermentations and local minerals that work on the health and biology of the soil? What’s good for the soil is good for the plants, is good for the animals, the environment and us.

We try throughout the year to get students out foraging to learn about some of the really plentiful herbs/weeds, trees, shrubs and more in our region, even some of the “invasives.” There’s a vendetta to get rid of the invasives and weeds in our area, but many of them, from an herbalist’s and nutritionist’s perspective, are useful. A lot of them have powerful medicine in them. Japanese knotweed is a perfect example; it’s a vilified invasive, and it is one that wants to take over everything, but it also is a very important plant for emerging bacterial infections like Lyme disease. A lot of these invasives are also edible, so rather than just putting them in big plastic bags and sending them off to a landfill, we could be harvesting, preparing and consuming them. Many of the wild plants are more nutritious and mineral-rich than much of the produce found in our grocery stores.

So, pulling these invasives solves two problems?

Using invasives helps the native plants not be “out-competed” and gives us access to important plant medicine, much of which is also edible and nourishing.

As foraging becomes more popular, we worry about the impact of overharvesting noninvasive plants in our wild spaces, so we emphasize sustainable foraging.

If you find a stand of a certain plant, what are the criteria to know if that is something you should be harvesting?

What are the numbers of plants in that local stand, regionally, nationally? Is it in a clean location? How much can you take without impacting the survivability of the group? How much do you really need? We teach students that there’s an ethical concern we have to address when we start foraging.

For more information on programs through The Institute of Sustainable Nutrition, or to sign up for its next foraging walk, visit TIOSN.com. See ad, page 10.

ongoing events HEALTHY LIVING

HEALTHY PLANET

Call ahead to confirm event

NOTE TO OUR READERS: Due to social distancing guidelines in place at press time, we suggest confirming details for all events before attending.

sunday

monday

Monday Morning Walks – 8:30am. Stretch your legs, breathe in that early morning air and look for signs of wildlife on the Bafflin Sanctuary with Fran and Nate. Free to CAS members; $5/non-members.

Grassland Bird Conservation Center, 218 Day Rd, Pomfret Center. 860-928-4948. CTAudubon.org.

Gentle + Restorative Yoga – 10:30-11:45am. Gently held postures for joint health and nurturing. Great for any experience level. $50 for 30 days, unlimited classes/new students. Yoga Center of Collinsville, 10 Front St, Collinsville. 860-693-9642.

Bhakti Yoga and Japa Meditation – 8:30-10am.

Donations gratefully accepted. Bhakti Center CT, 750 R Main, Willimantic. 860-593-5002.

Sunday Sadhana – 9-10:15am. This all-levels class combines gentle yoga with mantra, mudra, meditation and shamanism. Each heart-centered class is designed to bring balance and harmony to the mind, body and spirit. $15/drop-in. Bhakti Center CT, 750 Main St Rear, Willimantic. 860-593-5002.

Children’s Yoga – 10am-4pm. Ages 3-11yrs. With Melanie Morales, certified kids yoga instructor.

Little ones learn to control big emotions, using breath, stretches, mindfulness and movement. $10.

Enlightenment Center of CT, 660 Prospect Ave, Hartford. EnlightenmentCenterCT.com.

Creative Collaboratory – 3-4:30pm. Second Sundays.

Online and some in person. Support for creative artists.

Guest speakers, themed programs, meditation, yoga therapy, visualization and supportive counseling for the vows and manifestation process of creative artists. $40/ monthly membership includes one private 30-minute coaching session. Phone interview/sign up: 917-8600488. Call for address. DrSklover@gmail.com.

Create Financial Freedom with Healthy Products – 4-5pm. Learn how to build a business and create financial freedom for you by distributing natural Aloe Vera nutritional supplements to help others be healthy.

Free. Bristol (call for address). RSVP: 860-372-8171.

Qigong - All Levels – 5:30-6:30pm. Deep breathing and flowing movements derived from ancient Chinese healing exercises for increased balance, flexibility, muscle and bone strength, immune function, decreased pain and stiffness. $17 drop-in. Yoga Center of Collinsville, 10 Front St, Collinsville. 860-693-9642.

Women’s Global Circle – 6:30-8pm. Live/in-person first Sunday. Online the rest of the month. For heartcentered activism and manifestation. Women wanting to make their dreams for self and world come true. $60/monthly fee. Phone interview/sign up: 917860-0488. Call for address. DrSklover@gmail.com.

Meditation Mondays – 7-8pm. First Monday.

Meditation for all. Beginners and drop-ins welcome.

Begin each week with a meditation practice to quiet your mind and let go of all that does not serve.

Facilitated by Melanie VanOstrand. $10. Sea in the Sky Healing and Wellness Center, Hebron. 860530-1552. SeaInTheSkyHealing.com.

Tong Ren Healing Class – 7-8pm. Dr. Ming Wu leads this class focusing on internally healing the body’s energy system by using the collective unconscious. Wu Healing Center, 45 S Main St, West Hartford. To register: 978-790-8888.

Vinyasa Yoga For Everyone – 7-8:15pm. Classic yoga postures in flowing sequence linked by breath.

Learn breathing techniques that keep you invigorated and calm in your daily life. $50 for 30 days, unlimited classes/new students. Yoga Center of Collinsville, 10 Front St, Collinsville. 860-693-9642.

Sacred Meditation – 7-8:30pm. First Monday.

Meditation can help to reduce stress and increase peace within. Lily will lead you as you settle in. Then you will have the opportunity to go off on your own to deepen your connection to self and spirit. Free.

129 Tolland Stage Rd. TheWaterLilyCenter.com.

tuesday Express Vinyasa Yoga – 6-7am. Touches on all the essentials of the core standing, balancing, and seated postures. Build strength, heat and focus moving through sun salutations linked with breath and clarity. Some yoga experience recommended. $50 for 30 days, unlimited classes/new students. Yoga Center of Collinsville, 10 Front St, Collinsville. 860-693-9642.

Early Morning Bird Walks – 8am. With access to over 1,650 acres of land, we will seek out a variety of bird species. Wear drab colored clothing and bring binoculars or spotting scope. $5/CAS members; $10/non-members. Connecticut Audubon Society, Grassland Bird Conservation Center, 218 Day Rd, Pomfret Center. 860-928-4948. CTAudubon.org/ Pomfret-Home.

2020 EDITORIAL CALENDAR

JUN

• Inspired Lifestyle • Brain Health

Connection JUL •• Food Gut Health Out AUG • Education of the Box

• Prospering through Transition

Arts SEP • Expressive and Movement

• Emotion Quotient

Exploring Other OCT • Realms • Transcending Physical Health

Sugar Challenge NOV •• The Stress Management • Community & DEC Connection

• Get Your Glow On

DEPARTMENTS HEALTH BRIEFS | GLOBAL BRIEFS ECO TIP | GREEN LIVING HEALING WAYS | FIT BODY CONSCIOUS EATING HEALTHY KIDS | WISE WORDS INSPIRATION | NATURAL PET

Natural Living Directory 2020

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ongoing events Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong – 11:15am12:15pm. Gentle movements performed standing or sitting activate the acupuncture meridians. Improve your balance, coordination, energy and health. Don Myers, Certified Instructor, 30 years of teaching experience. $15/class. Universalist Church, 433 Fern St, West Hartford. Register at GreatPondTaiChi.com.

Tai Chi for Kids (Ages 6-12) – 4-4:45pm. Learning the Chinese art of Tai Chi is a great way for children to relax, have fun and strengthen body and mind. Wu Healing Center, 45 S Main St, West Hartford. To register: 978-790-8888.

Vinyasa Flow Yoga – 6pm. The Bridge Healing Arts Center, 304 Main St, Farmington. 860-4042578. BridgeHAC.com.

Ayurveda 102 – 6-7pm. 8-week series. Register online at ScheduleBliss.com/BhaktiCenterCT. $108. Bhakti Center CT. 750 Rear Main St, Willimantic. BhaktiCenterCT@gmail.com.

Tai Chi with Dr. Ming Wu – 6-7pm. Learn from a Tai Chi master who has studied the art of Tai Chi for more than 40 years. Wu Healing Center, 45 S Main St, West Hartford. To register: 978-790-8888.

Authentic Movement – First, second and third Tuesdays. 6-7:15pm. Authentic Movement is a simple, self-guided moving meditation practice. By nurturing presence in our physical bodies, we open pathways for self-understanding, creative expression and inner peace. $12/drop-in. Bhakti Center CT, 750 Main St Rear, Willimantic. ScheduleBliss.com/index.php/bhakticenterct.

Monthly Information Sessions at The Graduate Institute – 6:30-7:30pm. Join us for an info session every 2nd Tuesday of the month at The Graduate Institute. Please contact us to let us know that you’ll be attending. The Graduate Institute, 171 Amity Rd, Bethany. Call 203-874-4252.

Holistic Cancer Support Group – 6:30-8pm. Do you offer a healing modality or service which will aid those in recovery from cancer? If so, please attend and work with us to build CT’s first holistic cancer support group. BRIDGE Healing Arts Center, 304 Main St, Farmington. Call Rod Kelly, 860-216-8671 or email Rod@EyeOftheEagle.org.

Soul Circle: A Meditation and Journey Group – 6:30-8pm. First Tuesday. Join us for an evening of meditation, journeying, drumming and healing.

Explore power animals and spirit guides, healing light meditations, nature spirit allies and more. Sea in the Sky Healing and Wellness Center, Hebron. $20. 860-530-1552. SeaInTheSkyHealing.com.

Turbo Kick Boxing with Mary – 7:15-8:15pm. Extreme aerobic workout is fun and will get you in shape.

Great music. Tuesdays are for beginners and Thursdays are advanced classes. $5. Center for Progressive Therapies, 192 Hartford Rd, Manchester. 860-883-9664.

Guided Meditation – First, second and third Tuesdays. 7:30-8:45pm. Discover how the simple practice of deep presence can open us to profound peace, compassion and love within ourselves. $12/drop-in.

Bhakti Center CT, 750 Main St Rear, Willimantic.

ScheduleBliss.com/index.php/bhakticenterct.

Meditation as a Way of Living with Tom Dest – 7:30-8:45pm. Promoting access to intention from deep inside and heart to heart communication - soft live music. Contemplation on our eternal nature and keys to peace. $15. Center for Progressive Therapies, 192 Hartford Rd, Manchester. 413-822-8486.

Online Mediumship Development Circle/Class – 9-10:30pm. Mixed level circle/class with Sharon Farber to develop evidential mediumship. Support, instruction, practice. $13/per session. $100/ten sessions. Online in a Zoom room. 860-989-2358. SharonFarber.net.

I find hope in the darkest of days and focus in the brightest.

I do not judge the universe. ~Dalai Lama

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wednesday Qi Gong Class – 9:30-10:30am. Class starts with standing Qi Gong exercises for beginners and then flows into Yang Style Tai Chi. $32 first month for new students then $92 month thereafter. $15/walkins. Wu Healing Center, 45 S Main St, West Hartford. 860-593-8397. Erik@ChiForHealing.com.

Gentle Yoga – 10:30-11:45am. Gently held postures for joint health and nurturing. $50 for 30 days, unlimited classes/new students. Yoga Center of Collinsville, 10 Front St, Collinsville.

860-693-9642.

Noon Walks – 12pm. Join Connecticut Audubon Society volunteers for fresh air, exercise and good company. Moderate pace on sometimes uneven terrain. Free to CAS members; $3/non-members.

Grassland Bird Conservation Center, 218 Day Rd, Pomfret Center. 860-928-4948. CTAudubon.org.

Soul{Her} Power – Second Wednesday. Calling all those who identify with the feminine Devine, those in touch and in tune with the magic that’s happening within and all around. Spiritual exploration, education and development. $30. 129 Tolland Stage Rd, Tolland.

TheWaterLilyCenter.com.

Weight Loss Meetings – 5:30-6:15pm. Second and fourth Wednesdays. Join Dr. Stacey Munro for an informational meeting about effective food-based weight loss and body composition change programs. We will go over program basics, cost and answer questions.

All welcome. Please RSVP: 860-758-7808. Nature’s Helper Medical Clinic, 178 Mountain Rd, Suffield.

Qigong – 6pm. The Bridge Healing Arts Center, 304 Main St, Farmington. 860-404-2578.

BridgeHAC.com.

LivFree All Levels Yoga – 6-7pm. With Tracey.

Recharge your batteries midweek in this energetic, then relaxing yoga class. Walk-ins welcome. $10.

TriCity Massage and Wellness, 220 Hartford Tpke, Vernon. Tri-CityMassage.com.

Yoga Nidra – 6:30-7:30pm. Experience the calming effects of Yoga Nidra. Activate your parasympathetic nervous system and relax your body. $20.

Enlightenment Center of CT, 660 Prospect Ave, Hartford. EnlightenmentCenterCT.com.

Diabetes Support Group – 6:30-8pm. Third Wednesday. Explore the benefits of a supportive community of people struggling with similar issues and concerns. Share your wisdom and successes with others in need of help. Registration required.

10 Grassmere Rd, Ste 300, West Hartford. 860-9300308. Laura.EstanRD.CDE@gmail.com.

Support Group More Better Happy – 7:158:30pm. When people and circumstances are sucking the energy, motivation and life right out of you, come here. You can recharge while getting what you want. Registration required. Free. Yoga Born, 1735 Ellington Rd, South Windsor. 860-432-5678.

Mediumship Development Circle – 7:30-9pm. Mixed level circle with Sharon Farber to develop evidential mediumship. Beginners welcome. Active since May 2012. $10-$15 donation. Dragonfly Healing Arts, 8 Wickett St, Pine Meadow. 860-989-2358. SharonFarber.net.

NOTE TO OUR READERS:

Due to social distancing guidelines in place at press time, we suggest confirming details for all events before attending.

Qigong Variation – 8-9pm. Class offers students an opportunity to learn different qigong forms.

Each form will be taught over five to 10 class periods, depending on the length of the form. $20/drop-in; $65/monthly. 280 Garden Grove Rd, Manchester. 860-558-6146.

Soul{Her} Power – Second Wednesday. Calling all those who identify with the feminine Devine, those in touch and in tune with the magic that’s happening within and all around. Spiritual exploration, education and development. $30. 129 Tolland Stage Rd. TheWaterLilyCenter.com.

thursday Complete Strength Class – 5:30-6:30am. Total Strength classes are the #1 priority to burn calories and build lean muscle to boost your metabolism for the long-term. $20. YES Fitness, 292 Spielman Hwy, Burlington. 860-673-4293.

Gentle Yoga – 9am. The Bridge Healing Arts Center, 304 Main St, Farmington. 860-404-2578.

BridgeHAC.com.

Tai Chi & Meditation – 10:30-11:30am Instruction is focused on empowering Chi and enhancing health and healing of the mind, body and spirit. Wu Healing Center, 45 S Main St, West Hartford. To register: 978-790-8888.

Online Mediumship Development Circle/Class – 1:30-3pm. Mixed level circle/class with Sharon Farber to develop evidential mediumship. Support, instruction, practice. $13/per session. $100/ten sessions. Online in a Zoom room. 860-989-2358.

SharonFarber.net.

Community Acupuncture – 6-7pm. Every other Thursday. 315 E Center St, Manchester. 860533-0179. RSVP required: CTNaturalHealth.com.

Blended Style Yoga Classes – 6-7:15pm. Our many styles meet you where you are. Gentle sound allows tuning and awakening improving life and self.

Also every weekday. See our website. $5 or $8.

Center for Progressive Therapies, 192 Hartford Rd, Manchester. 860-649-9600.

Sound Bath Session – 6:30-8:30pm. 3rd Thursday of the month. Enjoy a monthly group sound bath with Karen Fox, Sister of Sound. Let singing bowls, bells, drums, chimes bathe you in angelic healing vibrations. $20 advance, $25 at door. Oneida Holistic Health Center, 16 West Rd, Marlborough.

860-467-6518.

Tai Chi for Health and Meditation – 6:457:45pm. Experience the proven benefits of Wu Style Tai Chi and Qigong for superior well-being and stress relief. Don Myers, Certified Instructor, 30 years of teaching experience. $15/class. Universalist Church, 433 Fern St, West Hartford. Register at GreatPondTaiChi.com.

Shake Your Soul with Qi Gong – Third Thursdays. 7-8:30pm. Experience fluid dance and Qi Gong to awaken your energy and learn to ground.

Journey of Yoga LLC, 730 Hopmeadow St, Simsbury. 860-680-1482. JourneyOfYoga.com.

friday Intelligent Qigong Level 2 – 10-11:15am.

Students continue to study “Lifting Qi Up and Pouring Qi Down” method while learning some basic exercises of Intelligent Qigong Level 2, Xing Shen Zhuang, Physical and Spiritual Stance Method. Intelligent Qigong level 1, prerequisite. $20/drop-in; $75/monthly. 280 Garden Grove Rd, Manchester. 860-558-6146.

Self-Care Qigong and Shiatsu – 11:15am-12pm.

Class introduces some most profound and easyto-apply methods from Five Element Meridians originated from Traditional Chinese Medicine and shiatsu massage. $20/drop in; $65/monthly. 280 Garden Grove Rd, Manchester. 860-558-6146.

Friday Afternoon Walks – 1pm. Join plant enthusiast Anne Christie and nature photographer Amy Porter for a leisurely walk on the trails. Bring your camera if you are so inclined. All ages welcome.

Free/CAS members; $3/non-members. Trail Wood, 93 Kenyon Rd, Hampton. 860-928-4948. CTAudubon.org/trail-wood-home.

saturday Monthly Eco Yoga and Meditation Workshop – With Leesa Sklover, PhD, LPC, C-IAYT, IKYTA. Elemental imagery themes of ether, air, fire, water and earth, along with meditations, Kriya and mantra. Different theme each workshop. Registration required. 917-860-0488. Call for address.

DrSklover@gmail.com.

Tai Chi and Qi Gong – 8-9am. Dr. Ming Wu is a Tai Chi and Qi Gong Master who has dedicated his life to teaching others how to live healing and healthy lives. Wu Healing Center, 45 S Main St, West Hartford. To register: 978-790-8888.

Massage Ball Yoga – 9am. The Bridge Healing Arts Center, 304 Main St, Farmington. 860-4042578. BridgeHAC.com.

Yoga and Meditation – 10-11:30am. Alllevel class offers an introduction to the Advanced Yoga Practices to support those interested to establish and/or deepen their meditation and yoga practice and knowledge. Drop-ins welcome. Bhakti Center, 750 Rear Main St, Willimantic. YogaPractices.weebly.com.

Qigong, All Levels – 11am-12pm. An ancient practice that has flowing, focused movements that reduce chronic pain, stress and blood pressure, along with creating an overall state of wellness.

In Stafford. Call to register and for directions.

860-970-7383.

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Collaborative Natural Health Partners

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9 12

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4 23

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8 19

Holistic Community Professionals 21 The Institute of Sustainable Nutrition 10 Mondazzi Book, Bead & Crystal Warehouse Showroom

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Passport to Health & Wellness Holistic Expo

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Psychotherapy Healing Services

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ShopRite 8 Tap into the Light/Justin Speller

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5 59

Sound Concert & Journey – First Friday.

7-8:30pm. With Denise Cassella from Stairway to Healing Light. Journey in healing sounds using Tibetan Singing Bowls, Native Drumming, Gong, Rain Stick, various percussion instruments and Vocal Toning. $30. 129 Tolland Stage Rd, Tolland.

TheWaterLilyCenter.com.

Natural Living Directory 2020

63

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"Health can bebe perceived asas anan absence of of fear.

Preventative wellness can restore a patient's hope, Preventative wellness can restore a patient's hope, and with that awareness, health and wellness can and with that awareness, health and wellness can nurtured." bebe nurtured."

Manchester - Stonington - West Hartford Manchester - Stonington - West Hartford ctnaturalhealth.com - (860)533-0179 ctnaturalhealth.com - (860)533-0179

64 Hartford County Edition

NAHRT.com

NickEdgerton Edgerton Dr.Dr.Nick NaturopathicPhysician Physician&& Naturopathic Acupuncturist Acupuncturist