Josephine Decker Aug B Issue
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48
CONTENTS SPIRITUALITY 46
86
GET BACK ON YOUR PATH OF PURPOSE
52 THE POWER OF HO'PONOPONO
HEALTH AND HEALING 40
SHOULD WE ABIDE BY THE CODEX FOR SPIRITUAL HEALING?
+
Jerry O'Connell
METAPHYSICS
SPOTLIGHT SHIRLEY
88
THE POWER OF THE PHOENIX
INTERVIEW BY LIANE BUCK
92
4 SPIRITUAL RITUALS TO HELP YOUR FUTURE
Cover Photo Courtesy of Neon
98
WHAT DEATH CAN TEACH US ABOUT CHANGING THE WORLD
RELATIONSHIPS 80 74
THE HIDDEN COST OF IGNORING OUR EMOTIONS
OMLIVING 60 PANDEMIC AND HIGHER THOUGHT
3 WAYS TO OVERCOME GRATITUDE FATIGUE
PERSONAL GROWTH 104
10 LIFE HACKS FOR THE “NEW NORMAL” IN THE PANDEMIC
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|AUGUST
B
Shirley THE FACE OF AUDACIOUS FILMMAKING
Shirley is a 2020 American biographical drama film, directed by Josephine Decker, from a screenplay by Sarah Gubbins, based upon the novel of the same name by Susan Scarf Merrell. It stars Elisabeth Moss as novelist Shirley Jackson. It also stars Michael Stuhlbarg, Odessa Young and Logan Lerman. Martin Scorsese serves as an executive producer.
OMTimes was fortunate to sit down with Josephine Decker to talk about her new movie, Shirley, her career, her art, and her dreams.
Josephine Decker is an American actor,
filmmaker, and performance artist. She has directed four feature films: the experimental psychological thriller Butter on the Latch (2013), the experimental erotic thriller Thou Wast Mild and Lovely (2014) both premiered at the 2014 Berlin International Film Festival; also the experimental drama Madeline's Madeline (2018), and the semi-biographical thriller Shirley (2020). She also explores collaborative storytelling via T.V. directing, documentary making, performance art, accordion playing, acting, teaching, and leading artist residencies with the School of Making Thinking. She also co-directed the documentary Bi the Way (2008) with Brittany Blockman. The Movie Madeline's Madeline, Josephine's earlier film, premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and Berlin film festival in early 2018 and was nominated for best picture at Independent Filmmaker Project's Gotham Awards and for two Film Independent Spirit Awards
Josephine is also an actress in many independent films, including Joe Swanberg's Uncle Kent, Onur Tukel's Richard's Wedding, Saturday Morning Mystery, the romantic tragedy Loves Her Gun, and Stephen Cone's critically lauded drama film Black Box in 2013. In November 2015, Josephine Decker served on the Jury of the 33rd Torino Film Festival. The Italian festival had already paid tribute to her work in the Onde section of the 2014 edition. Her most recent film, Shirley, was released in June by Neon, and premiered in the U.S at Dramatic Competition at Sundance, where it received the Special Jury Award for Auteur Filmmaking. Recently named one of Filmmaker Magazine's 25 New Faces of Independent Film, Josephine Decker premiered her first two narrative features at the Berlinale Forum 2014 and theatrically in NYC. OMTIMES
|AUGUST B
Why Abide by a Spiritual Code for Healing? The 7 vital Mandates to Practice Spiritual Work By Humanity Healing
OM TIMES | August B Edition 2020
T
he universe has summoned
Below we listed some of the rules
us to step into our healing
that need to be followed:
mode, wear our shamanic "garments," and to
1. BALANCE
consciously take part in our own evolution. Energetically we are all
Keeping up with your spiritual self is
being called to do our part.
essential for doing spiritual work, but balance is needed. We cannot leave
The classic shamanic archetype is
the material world to live only on the
one of the significant approaches
spiritual side of life. Excess can create
that is becoming animated in the
decompensation that can damage
collective psyche of our species at
a person's life. Spiritual and material
these trying times. Our spiritual life
work are two parts of a whole.
needs attention. We need to know
Neither side can prevail. The rule is
how to follow some rules for when we
to have balance and look forward to
do Spiritual Work. It is necessary to
always keep the middle way.
have the right concentration and to be ready to perform our healings and
2. CONSTANCY
prayers. To do this, with competency and aptitude, We need to follow some
It is necessary to respect the natural
directives that should never be left
order of things. One cannot seek
aside when practicing healing or
to do spiritual work in search of
spiritual work.
superpowers without first being aware of what is taking place. New
Healing works through a kind of
Skills come naturally at the right
detox: things have got to come up
time, and you must wait for them.
to be released. That is true of our
To be real, the aptitude developed
personal issues, and our collective
in spiritual work must be received
issues. We can't just push the
and not generated only by our will.
darkness down, pour pink paint over
We are a conduit of compassion, not
it, and then pretend it's not there. We
avatars of power.
have to look at it, accept that it exists and then release it for healing. Marianne Williamson
3. DISCERNMENT AND MODERATION
OM TIMES | August B Edition 2020
Get Back on Your Path of Purpose By John Holland
OM TIMES | August B Edition 2020
I
n recent days, I talked about a
Now imagine that there's a big funnel
powerful technique I learned
starting to form on top of your head,
while studying in England. My
reaching out into the universe. Think of
tutors taught me how to move
it as a vortex of energy reaching upward.
away from feeling down and low
Let your awareness constantly flow
during challenging times and to
up and out of your head and into this
"think up," so I could get back on the
funnel above you. All the information
path of clarity and purpose. If you
you want can be brought to you.
are feeling anything like me, then as we move through this particularly
Now reach up with your mind, as if
challenging time with COVID, it's so
you're floating and blending with this
important to deal with any fears and
brilliant white light. Slowly merge
anxieties and to start to get back on
yourself into this space as you continue
your path of purpose. So, what better
to reach up and out of your body with
time than right now!
your mind. Take a few moments with this energy and feel what it's like to
Here's an exercise to help you
be calm and centered, to be one with
connect with your higher
your Higher Mind. Use this time of pure
consciousness. You will even be able
clarity to cleanse your mind.
to ask questions for a little extra It's time now to ask a question. For
guidance. Let us begin:
example: Sit in a comfortable chair. Close your eyes and relax. Now I want
• What do I need to understand about
you to bring your awareness to
an old issue or past challenge that's
the bottom of your feet. Let your
surfacing during this pandemic and
breath assist you in transferring
causing anxiety?
the relaxing energy up through the
• What do I need to know regarding
bottom of your feet. Slowly work your
my job security or career and the
way up to your calves, your thighs,
future path to take?
your abdomen, your chest, your
• How can I best communicate with
fingers, your hands, your arms, your
a loved one that I'm having trouble
shoulders, your neck, your face …
getting along within such close
right to the top of your head.
quarters?
OM TIMES | August B Edition 2020
The Power of
Ho’oponopono!
By Cathedral of The Soul
Ho’oponopono is an ancient Hawaiian technique that promotes healing energy, forgiveness, and reconciliation. In its original language, “Ho'o” means “cure,” and “ponopono” means “to straighten, to fix,” that is, the addition and translation of both words say “to correct a mistake” or “ repair an error.”
The focus of this practice is to resolve painful issues from a past that is still present in a person's heart, mind, and spirit so that they can achieve a state of genuine peace.
THE POWER OF THE FOUR PHRASES OF THE HO’OPONOPONO
The ancient Hawaiians claim that the source of an error is fixed in thoughts engulfed by painful memories or traumas that have left their mark on people's emotional bodies. Freud said in "The Theory of the Unconscious" that people are ruled by the unconscious most of the time - and it is in the unconscious that our memories are always present. OMTIMES | Aug B
With this information, we understand that all our attitudes and decisions are made by the influences of situations in our past. With this, the Hawaiian technique of Ho'oponopono has appeared so that we can release all the negative energy from evil thoughts and remove all past mistakes that commonly harm us and affect our balance. It is a practice that releases the past, cleans that present, and Inspires the future. Ho'oponopono's focus is to help human beings to realize that all problems are like holographic memories that are repeated from a pattern emanating from the unconscious and that, with this perception, each individual can free themselves from these bonds.
Practice breaks mental obstacles, clears the memories that are disconnected from the health of the body, and makes our mind experience the happiness that we should experience today. What are Ho'oponopono's phrases, and what do they mean?
The phrases of this technique are: “I'm sorry,” “forgive me,” “I love you” and “I am grateful.” They serve to initiate the process of spiritual cleansing, the cleaning of the dubious memories that may imprison a person. Check out the meaning of each one:
-
The Benefits of Ho’oponopono.
“This force is unlimited. It is always moving and always flowing. The ancient Hawaiians, the Kahunas, used the metaphor of the flow of a running stream to represent the divine force.” Wayne Dyer
OMTIMES | AUG B
Practicing Ho’oponopono means that you will heal your mind of all the patterns of behavior provided by past wounds. The repetition of phrases that are part of the technique offers a proper understanding, acceptance, forgiveness, and many other benefits.
Pandemic and Higher Thought by Arthur Telling
OM TIMES | August B Edition 2020
I
n this time of the Coronavirus
At this time in the year 2020, the
pandemic, spiritual knowledge is
return of the disease in epidemic
critical for coming to understand
proportions identified as Corona
and heal the body and Mind.
Virus or COVID-19in unbelievable.
It is critical now for Science to
Science must stop blocking the
seriously look at presently taboo
wealth of information conveyed
metaphysical sources and more
over the centuries to humans from
thoroughly comprehend the nature
the spirit worlds that we who are
of the infectious disease, how it
unrestrained by the conventional
actually spreads, and why it enters the
thought refer to as astral and mental
mainstream reality.
planes.
Science vs. Metaphysics
The Jane Roberts/Seth Material, a paranormal source of information
The world is not what it appears. There
recorded in the last century and
are no solid objects; consciousness is
popular still today, says it is clear and
the foundation of everything.
precise terms: “What exists physically exists first in thought and feeling.” —
Science is wrong at the foundation
The Nature of Personal Reality, a Seth
level. Man is not subject to
book.
environmental events generally outside of his control. Quite the contrary, he is a master of his
The Nature of Communicable Disease
environment. But he doesn’t know it, for he is duped by the allure of
All being consciousness, our daily
the colorful objects, sounds, and
experiences are driven by our
sensations of the world, Spiritualism
thoughts and emotions, individually
as philosophical doctrine is out of
and en masse. When our thoughts
favor in the present-day conventional
go awry, we open ourselves to
realm, so evidence of there being the
disease; it is a crucial warning
life of a non-physical nature is denied.
post that we need to change our
Information that could be useful,
thoughts. A pandemic evidences
even critical to Science, is taboo, and
the whole society as needing such
is excluded.
adjustments in the extreme. OM TIMES | August B Edition 2020
3 Ways to Overcome Gratitude Fatigue OM TIMES | August B Edition 2020
T
he familiar ritual of keeping
routine like this, instead of making
a gratitude journal is a
daily lists, is a highly effective way
beautiful way of staying
to bring your full attention back to
connected to the positives
the act of appreciation and thanks.
of life, especially in difficult times.
On the days you write, look back at
But as time goes on, jotting down
what’s unfolded in your life and list
quick, regular notes such as “grateful
just four or five things for which you’re
for friends; today’s pretty sunset; and
thankful. Think particularly about
finding that amazing chicken recipe”
events or experiences that surprised
may not bring you the sparking,
you—they’re a reminder of how many
uplifting feeling of gratitude that it
forms the gifts of life can take. Record
once did.
them in detail, filling your list with particulars vivid enough to let you
If you find yourself going through the
relish them later when you reread your
motions in your gratitude practice and
entries.
feel less able to see and appreciate the unexpected gifts that life continually
2. Reconnect with the three
offers, you may have “gratitude
elements that lead to gratitude. First,
fatigue.” Researchers like Robert
says researcher Emmons, gratitude
Emmons, who study gratitude and
takes acknowledgment (Look!
its many positive effects, say that is
Something wonderful happened.
because our brains adapt to positive
What a gift!). Second, the recognition
feelings and quiet our response to
that goodness comes from outside
them as time goes on.
of you (I didn’t will it, ask for it, earn it, or make it happen. It happened
So, how do you reconnect with the
independent of me.). And third, a
joy that gratitude can bring? Here are
feeling of benevolence (This event or
three ways to reawaken yourself to the
experience that was set in motion by
unexpected goodness that’s flowing
something outside me has a benefit
your way:
for me.).
1. Choose just two times a week to
When you open yourself to seeing how
record the positive events in your
often you experience these elements,
life. Researchers say switching to a
you enter an almost magical-seeming
OM TIMES | August B Edition 2020
The Hidden Cost of Ignoring Our Emotions by Anu Dayal-Gulati
OM TIMES | August B Edition 2020
W
hen we are made
It’s ironic, really. We connect with
to feel “wrong”
others by mirroring appropriate
for the emotions
responses—for instance, when we
we experience,
talk with others, we respond to
we disconnect not only from those
sadness with consoling words, and to
sentiments but consequently from
gestures of friendship with warmth
ourselves and all that lies within us. The
and smiles—and yet we’ve been
result is a blend of loneliness, stress,
trained to disengage from our own
overwhelm, guilt, and struggle. When
feelings.
we learn to process and engage with our emotions instead of judging or
The depth of disconnection
ignoring them, we can reconnect and reintegrate those disjointed pieces of
By disconnecting from the
ourselves. Emotions are a gift, a guide,
original pain that prompted such
reminding us who we are every step of
admonitions as “Suck it up,” we also
the way… if we only listen.
begin to disconnect from ourselves. We stop trusting ourselves because
At some point in our lives, we might
we’ve stopped trusting our feelings,
have been told, “There’s no point getting
and, as we become deeply critical of
so emotional!” Or perhaps, “You should
ourselves, our self-esteem starts to
get over it!” Or maybe even, “Suck it up!”
erode and become fragile.
If we hear these messages often
The voice inside us starts expressing
enough, we might start to internalize
its discomfort:
them. We might begin to believe them. We might start to think that there is
• “I feel like an outsider!”
something wrong with us for feeling
• “I feel invisible!”
what we feel.
• “I have no right to be angry!” • “I don’t belong in this family!”
The overarching theme here is that
• “I should be done grieving!”
we are supposed to ignore or suppress our emotions. There is a cost to this
The more attention we give to these
practice, however, and the price to be
cries, the more stressed, lonely, and
paid is high.
overwhelmed we become. Mired in OM TIMES | August B Edition 2020
4 Spiritual Rituals That Can Help You Understand Your Future by Brooke Chaplan OM TIMES | August B Edition 2020
T
here are many ways
78 cards have fascinating stories
to utilize spiritual and
behind them, and the reading can
metaphysical resources
help show their connections to your
to determine your life's
life. Schedule an in-person or online
path. Rituals can help ground us
tarot reading and see what kind of
in the present, help us come to
possibilities could be awaiting you.
terms with our past, and even
Consider looking up the details of
determine our futures. Your future
what the tarot cards signify yourself
might not be something you can
online.
forecast accurately, but if you pay attention, it shouldn't catch you by
Psychic Readings
surprise too much. The decisions you make in the present inform
Clairvoyant readings can offer a
your future. There are also ways
lot of insight into what may lie in
you can better comprehend it
your future. A medium will ask
through spiritual means. These
questions about your life to gauge
are four spiritual rituals to give you
an understanding of you and give a
a better understanding of where
psychic reading. This could lead to
you might be heading. Whether
you receiving a stronger idea about
you have experience with tarot or
where you're headed. Nagging
prefer psychic readings. Or if you
matters of your past can be
have precognitive dreams, or are
resolved, and you can look forward
interested in palmistry, you will
to a much brighter future.
be able to better understand your future by looking into these rituals.
Tarot Readings
Dreaming Have you ever had dĂŠjĂ vu and traced it back to a dream? Your
While a tarot reading covers more
subconscious could've been onto
than just your future, it can be very
something. Precognitive dreaming
informative. When you go to a tarot
might seem coincidental, but it's
expert, they'll present you with
worth paying attention to as a
cards that detail your past, present,
possible guide for your future. For
and future. The images on these
instance, if you keep dreaming
OM TIMES | August B Edition 2020
What Death Can Teach Us About Changing the World
L
By Karen Wyatt MD
ife has a way of leading us to
that experience. I didn’t know that
unexpected places.
my own Life would be profoundly changed by listening to the stories
As for me, back when I was
of those patients and learning from
a hospice physician making house
them the lessons that were being
calls to care for the dying patients
revealed as they drew closer and
on our service, I never dreamed I
closer to Death. But that is what
would one day write a book about
happened.
OM TIMES | August B Edition 2020
One day a patient named Ted told
That’s when it dawned on me that
me that he had only just begun to
these were really the lessons of living,
understand “what really matters” in
and they could be learned at any time
Life. He bemoaned the fact that he
during Life, not just in the final days.
couldn’t pass along that wisdom to anyone else because he would be gone
Over the remaining years of my hospice
from this Life in a few weeks. So I made
career, many other patients came with
a promise that day to remember Ted’s
stories that added to my understanding
story and share it with others.
of “what really matters.” I learned to live in the Present Moment from Ralph,
From that point on, I began to
a previously homeless alcoholic. He
recognize that many of my dying
discovered a talent for drawing pictures
patients seemed to be learning lessons
after being told he would soon die of
in their final days that totally changed
kidney cancer. And from Andy, who lost
the way they looked at Life. For Ted, the
half his face to cancer, I was shown how
lesson was Love: he came to see that
to Surrender to whatever difficulties life
Love was far more important than all
brings along the way.
the wealth, status, and possessions he had accumulated during his lifetime.
As the story of my own Life unfolded
For Greg, a young man dying of
over time, I was given opportunities to
malignant melanoma, the lesson was
not only learn but to actually live each
Forgiveness as he reunited with his
one of these lessons that I had been
estranged brothers. All three of them
taught – all in preparation for one day
healed years of pain and anger during
writing about them in 7 Lessons for
the last weeks of Greg’s Life.
Living from the Dying: How to Nurture What Really Matters. But the biggest
At first, I saw these lessons as a step-
awakening came when I met Lorraine,
by-step guide for how to approach
a writer herself who was dying of breast
Death, and I shared them with other
cancer. She had been a spiritual seeker
dying patients who were struggling to
all her Life who had already been living
make sense of what was happening to
“what really matters” for many years.
them. But eventually, I realized that the
Lorraine showed me the paradox that
way I lived my own Life the stories were
Death itself is the path to Life and that
transforming each day I was gathering.
mortality is our greatest gift.
OM TIMES | August B Edition 2020
10 Life Hacks For the “New Normal” in the Pandemic By Marcia Sirota, MD.
W
e’re all feeling
meaningful adjustments to the way
stressed, scared,
we think and the way we do things.
and lonely these days. Still, the one
advantage of all the quiet time at
Here are 10 more essential life hacks to adopt in the pandemic:
home is that we have an amazing opportunity to reflect on ourselves and our lives and make some
1. Never be afraid to assert your needs, feelings, or limits. When expressing
OM TIMES | August B Edition 2020
yourself, be brief and be clear. In
taught to you by selfish, uncaring
this way, you can be sure that if they
people who want to control you
refuse to respect what you’re saying,
so that you do what they want. If
it’s not because you didn’t say it
you’re consumed by guilt, it could
clearly, but rather because they
be that you’ve been successfully
aren’t interested in accommodating
manipulated by someone else.
your feelings or your needs. And by the way, asking for help is not a sign
5. You don’t owe your parents
of weakness; it’s a sign that you’re a
anything. They chose to have you,
normal human being.
and how they treated you will be the deciding factor in your feelings
2. You are responsible for your own
about them and the nature of
happiness and fulfillment. If you’re
your relationship with them. For
lonely, reach out to people. If
that matter, you don’t owe anyone
you’re bored, start a project. If your
anything other than basic courtesy
life feels empty, do good things
and respect. If they’re abusive, you
for others. Stop blaming your
don’t even owe them that.
situation or other people for your unhappiness. You have the power to
6. Intimacy is not a license for
create a better life for yourself right
abuse. Just because someone
now.
is a romantic partner or a family member, it doesn’t give them the
3. Forgive sometimes, let go always.
right to hurt you. No-one is allowed
You don’t have to forgive other
to behave hurtfully toward you,
people for what they did, but you
regardless of the nature of your
always need to let go. Forgiveness
relationship.
is something that should be earned by the person who wronged you,
7. Face the truth about your abuser.
but you can ever let go of your pain
People get killed by their partner
and anger so that they don’t get to
or ex-partner because they’re in
keep hurting you.
denial about this person’s capacity for harm. It might be upsetting
4. Guilt is a manufactured emotion. It’s not something you’re born with. It’s
to acknowledge how dangerous the person you love(d) might be,
OM TIMES | August B Edition 2020
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