Positive Life Winter 2025

KRISHNA DAS

IN CONCERT:

SATURDAY 28th MARCH

RDS | 7.30 PM

WORKSHOP:

SUNDAY 29th MARCH

TALBOT HOTEL , STILLORGAN

2.30 PM TO 5.30 PM

Tickets : positivelife.ie/events

Welcome to Winter 2025/26

“Life is an illusion, there is neither birth nor death; Realise your true Self as the Divine.”

Shiva Negi

Divine intervention. It' s happening all around us. Kindness, care and love are rippling through humans, causing outbreaks of peace, ease and harmony.

Situations arise in life: challenges, families, relationships, all to help us realise the divine strength within us. Turn your challenge into the version of reality you wish to see play out.

Be the solution, be the love, be the creator, let it flow through and from you. Creators don't wish for an outcome – they choose it. We are the chosen.

Our theme, Divinity, is within these words and pages – allow it to soak into you this Winter. Until next time, we send you love, dear reader, and enjoyment within this wonderful cosy season.

Paul Congdon, Publisher

Contentment

Publisher PC Media paul@positivelife.ie

Co-Editorial Alison McEvoy and Aisling Cronin editor@positivelife.ie

Design Conor O’Brien info@conorobrien.ie

Ad Design Caroline Hanan caroline.hanan@gmail.com

Advertising Paul Congdon paul@positivelife.ie 0861579518

Social media Taylor Grimes editor@positivelife.ie

Thanks to our advertisers, we can give Positive Life magazine to you for FREE. If you’re talking to them, let them know we sent you their way.

Please use the information provided in this publication as a recommendation only to better mental and physical health. We strongly advise you to consult your doctor regarding health concerns that you may have. The views expressed by contributors and advisors do not necessarily represent the views of the publication’s staff.

published, packaged and

in

“HE

winter vibes

WHO MARVELS AT THE BEAUTY OF THE WORLD IN SUMMER WILL FIND EQUAL CAUSE FOR WONDER AND ADMIRATION IN WINTER”

JOHN BURROUGHS

treat your skin

SKIN SAVIOURS

The cold season is fully upon us, so for complexions that may be prone to dryness or irritation, topping up on skincare is a must. Kinvara Skincare is one of the most-loved Irish brands out there, and their Christmas gift sets make an ideal gift choice.

kinvaraskincare.com

CBD LIFE

Leaves of Life, a small family-run business, is Ireland's only dedicated CBD cosmetics retailer in Ireland, offering premium carefully crafted CBD balms, oils and moisturisers. They are also the only official distributors of Pura Vida cosmetics for Ireland – all the more reason to check them out!

leavesoflifecbd.com GO WILD

Botaniciss Zen Wild Yam Cream is one of the best yam creams we've tried. It includes Wild Yam, Chaste Tree Berry, and Dong Quai extracts, as well as hydrating botanicals like rose water, jojoba, and shea butter, designed to leave skin feeling soft, supple, and refreshed. This cream is ideal for those who want a calming sensory experience at the end of a long day. botaniciss.com

health elixirs

NAC-URAL GOODNESS

Pure Augmented NAC is an innovative dietary supplement composed of N-Acetylcysteine (NAC), a derivative of the amino acid cysteine. NAC's reported health benefits include liver protection, a reduction of inflammation and enhancement of cognitive function. NAC and cysteine can also stimulate the release

of glutathione, another antioxidant that fights inflammation and free radicals. cleanliving.ie

BOTTLE IT

Paddy Diver is the producer of Paddy's Powerful Bottle – we met him recently at our Barbara O'Neill event. His bottle may be the perfect blend of anti-inflammatory ingredients, including turmeric, beetroot and ginger. It is a 70-80ml daily drink, intended to be consumed as is, with no water added. Find him on Facebook via the page 'Paddys Powerful Bottle'.

Fiadh

Kinvara Skin Care

PURE WALLS

The Auro Pur-San Anti Mould System contains two spray bottles designed for the safe removal of mould and mildew on any surface, as well as a type of paint for follow-up treatment. This kit is ideal for keeping your house’s air healthy. ecologicalbuildingsystems.com

boosting therapies

ENERGY SCAN

The Bio-Well scan is a type of holistic modality that measures the energy fields of the body and provides a detailed analysis of overall well-being. It was highly recommended at our recent event with author Lynne McTaggart in Dublin. Two places to try it out in ireland include Holistic Healing Therapies and Bio-Well. holistichealingtherapies.ie bio-well.ie

READY TO CARE

RedaCare is a platform for holistic health therapists. Based in Kerry, this familyrun business provides access to verified therapists, their qualifications, locations, reviews, and an easy booking system - all in one place. Services listed include acupuncture, Ayurveda, meditation, reflexology and many more. redacare.io

live and learn

LIMITLESS MIND

World-renowned manifestation and mindset coach Matthew Patti created his Zero Limits: Shape Your Best Life course with one goal in mind: to help people create

reality-shifting experiences by awakening to higher realms of confidence and trust in themselves. The eight-week self-paced immersion course is designed to create a lasting impact on participants' clarity, confidence and consciousness. innerversal-academy.thinkific.com

BREATHE DEEP

The Level 1 and Level 2 Somatic Yoga trainings offered by Embody With Megan MacCarthy are thoughtfully designed for yoga teachers, yoga therapists, mental health professionals and body workers who want to use movement and breath therapeutically. Courses can be done individually, or combined, with in-person and online options. Megan's studio is based in Ballydehob, West Cork. embodywithmm.com

NEW LEVELS

‘Level Up: How to be a Neuro Ninja’, by Sue Cook, is a full reflex inhibition programme for parents and children to work through together, addressing sensory issues and developmental factors related to dyslexia and other neurological conditions. Brain development is explained in a clear and fun way, enabling easy understanding of the processes involved in the book. brainbuzzz.co.uk

one-stop shops

WRAP UP

No trip to Dingle would be complete without a trip to Fiadh Woven Design, makers of beautiful scarves and accessories. Their scarves are available in various colours and sizes using super-soft wool. The scarves boast a looped edge, which means they are woven individually with a certain width, rather than cut from a larger fabric.

fiadh.ie

HEAL AND MEET SUITE

Pop into Haines Fleet Solutions in Dublin's Swords and experience what could be the offices of the future. Managing Director Eugene Haines has set up a 'meet suite' for suppliers and clients to hang out while they attend meetings. It has an Energy Enhancement system which beams out scalar energy, and more recently a PEMF mat, to melt away those stresses and strains.

hainesfleet.ie/the-meet-suite-2

LIGHT UP NIGHTS

Positive Nights is set to go from strength to strength in 2026. Krishna Das and Lorie Ladd are just a couple of the guests in store, as we keep the connection and powerful speakers and musicans coming to our shores. Keep an eye on our social media for announcements! positivelife.ie

SHOW TIME

Ireland's largest holistic event, the Dublin Mind Body Experience, returns to the RDS, Dublin on the 27th and 28th of February and the 1st of March 2026. With free admission and access to around 180 exhibitors and 150 complementary talks, workshops and classes, it's the ideal place to connect with like-minded souls on a journey of self-discovery and healing. See you there.

dublinmindbodyexperience.ie

Paddy's Powerful Immune Booster

Sue Cook

positively newsworthy

GOOD NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE.

1 The dog of the hour

A RESCUE IN THE NICK OF TIME.

by Aisling Cronin

A heroic dog named Freyja has been hailed as a hero in Dorchester, New Hampshire in the United States, after she helped rescue a lost toddler from freezing conditions.

On the afternoon of October 10th, temperatures had fallen to 4 degrees Celsius and were expected to drop below zero when a local mother called emergency services to frantically explain that her 2-year-old daughter and the family dogs were missing.

Fire and rescue teams, together with state and local police, were soon joined by volunteer searchers who wanted to help find the child, and soon 90 people were scouring the woods around Dorchester.

“Everybody dropped what they were doing and came over extremely quickly, knowing the temperature was dropping,” Sgt. Christopher McKee of New Hampshire Fish and Game told the Washington Post.

Among the volunteers was Jeremy Corson, an experienced search and rescue volunteer. Corson works full-time as a software engineer, but he volunteers with New

England K9 Search and Rescue. He arrived on the scene with his seven-year-old German Shepherd Freyja, a trained scent tracking dog.

“The dog and the handler are very much a team,” Corson said. “We do the human part of it, figuring out how the wind moves and how to move through the area – and the dog provides the nose … she brought us right into it.”

While the volunteers searched, the two family dogs returned home, causing rescue teams to fear that time might be running out. However, at about 8pm, Corson heard a voice call out as he followed Freyja, who was trailing the child’s scent with her nose to the ground. Happily, the toddler was discovered and returned to her grateful family – the mother was overwhelmed and “broke down” upon hearing the news. Freyja’s reward? Corson bought her a brand new ball.

“We do the human part of it and the dog provides the nose … she brought us right into it”

2 Slow and steady…

TURTLES ARE MAKING A COMEBACK.

by Aisling Cronin

A new study has revealed that sea turtles – once threatened by overhunting and habitat loss— have seen their populations rebound in recent years.

“Sea turtles are a shining light of marine conservation with recoveries of many nesting populations,” said Marine Science Professor Graeme Hays at Deakin University in Australia.

Scientists at Deakin University collaborated with the US’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries researcher Jeffrey Seminoff to review the status of all seven species of sea turtles around the world.

Their findings, published in the Nature Reviews Biodiversity journal, discovered most sea turtle populations rebounding worldwide, with more

turtles nesting at beaches with stronger protections in place. Artificial lighting that can confuse baby turtles trying to find the ocean has been reduced or removed in many locations, and many regional fisheries have adopted measures to avoid catching turtles.

Four of five regional populations of green sea turtles are increasing, including a 500% increase in eggs laid in the Seychelles.

Most nesting sites – including the largest loggerhead maternity ward in the Mediterranean – also showed sharp increases for that species, some by nearly two orders of magnitude. For example, between 2008 and 2020 the annual number of loggerhead nests increased from around 500 to 35,000 in Cape Verde in the

“Give [turtles] a chance to thrive and they will take advantage of it”

North Atlantic Ocean.

“When I think of sea turtles, the first word that comes into my mind is resilience,” said Seminoff, who specialises in sea turtles at NOAA Fisheries’ Southwest Fisheries Science Center. “Give them a chance to thrive and they will take advantage of it.”

Seminoff said the increasing numbers of sea turtles around the world also reflect a change in public values. Younger generations largely don’t see turtles as commodities, and former poachers in some places now lead tours to view nesting turtles as a part of ecotourism initiatives that provide alternative work for villagers.

3 People power

A NEW TYPE OF ENERGY GRID.

by Aisling Cronin

A London-based renewable energy scheme is aiming to provide affordable, accessible power straight to the community in which it is based.

A company named Emergent Energy have teamed up with Hackney council in London to install 4,000 solar panels across three housing estates, which will generate one megawatt of power (about a fifth of those buildings’ energy needs).

Rooftop solar panels have existed on housing estates such as Frampton Park in the borough of Hackney for some time, but the power generated by these panels feed into the national grid. However, the new scheme will enable social housing tenants to benefit directly from the power generated on their rooftops, via newly regulated solar microgrids.

Hackney council’s Sarah Young commented that these microgrids could help make the borough more liveable for vulnerable residents. “One of the most important things for us is for this energy transition to be just,” she said.

It is estimated that this scheme will provide a 15% saving on energy bills for around 800 households.

“No one should miss out on the benefits of locally generated clean energy because of their income level or the type of home they live in,” said Reg Platt, founder and CEO of Emergent Energy. “That’s why we created this new opportunity for residents of social housing flats to receive savings on their energy bills from rooftop solar.”

According to Emergent, the initiative could easily be rolled out at other sites across the UK, and possibly provide a model for other countries to follow.

“Our approach is self-funding, as this ground-breaking project in Hackney will show, meaning we can deliver these benefits to potentially millions of residents without relying on government handouts,” added Platt.

“No one should miss out… because of their income level or the type of home they live in”

© PHOTO CREDIT: NOAA FISHERIES / MICHAEL JENSEN

positively newsworthy the little things

1 Helping hands

THE BEAUTY OF FRIENDSHIP.

by Aisling Cronin

Friendship is a saviour. On so many occasions recently, a hug from a friend has warmed my spirits; a deep belly laugh has dispelled stress; a kind word has helped me to breathe through sorrow and arrive at a more grounded and peaceful place.

I consider myself grateful to count so many people as friends. In my mid-thirties, I have gotten to know all of the friends I currently have during various stages of my life; and the memories I associate with each

of my friends are unique in their own way, but special to me beyond words.

The theme of this issue is ‘divinity’ and to me, that divinity is reflected in the faces of those who are dear to my heart. It is said that friends are the family we choose, and I am humbled that so many beautiful, compassionate, courageous souls have chosen me in that sense: sharing their hopes and sorrows, allowing me to see them both when they at their brightest and when they

“Winter rituals can be anything you wish or want them to be.”

“Divinity is reflected in the faces of those who are dear to my heart”

feel vulnerable – or perhaps even lost. We share our human journeys together, in all of its trials and tribulations, bound by a kinship of spirit and like minds.

I am thankful to be in a position whereby I can make time for the friends who have been there for me through good times and bad, and show them what they mean to me. These people make my celebrations all the sweeter and take the sting out of my challenges – long may it be so.

2 Celtic Wheel of the Year

SOUL GUIDANCE THROUGH THE SEASONS.

Alison McEvoy

At each change in season, we are faced with more possibility than we can imagine. The choice is ours, to resist or embrace - as with everything in life.

When I was younger, I lived for summer. My default was to embrace the ‘light’, to stay active, to be productive, to be able to keep going, energised and getting things done. I braced myself through winter, pushing through as if the sun and my own energy levels were still at their height.

Eventually, the imbalance caught up with me and I was gifted, at a time when I needed it most, the knowledge of the ‘Celtic Wheel of the Year’, via the wonderful Mari Kennedy.

The understanding that each season had its own intelligence and inner necessity, allowed me to embrace the natural, changing inclinations and needs of my own body, mind and spirit during the seasonal transitions. These days, as the dark descends earlier, I dust off my winter rituals and set them in motion with gratitude and understanding of their power and necessity. It’s in rest that we restore our energy. It’s in going into the ‘dark’

side of our being that we spread more light within. It’s in slowing down that we gain clarity on where our “fiery arrows” of action will best serve us.

Winter rituals can be anything you wish or want them to be. Rest in any way that calls to you. ‘Go into the dark’ the way you enjoy it most. Slow down in any way that brings you joy. The choice is all yours and your body, your ideas, will light the way. Some of my favourite ways to rest are a foot bath with oils, dried flowers, Epsom salts of all kinds… Going into the dark for me is more enjoyable when guided by a soothing, compassionate voice – a guided meditation. Slowing down is making with a pestle and mortar my own chai, then drinking it in sips while gazing out the window or at a candle flame. The sky is the limit, and your wise Self knows best.

Marikennedy.com

spirituality & the city

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO LIVE FROM YOUR DIVINE SELF?

Ingrida Markovskiene

Since childhood, I’ve lived with a quiet knowing that the world behind my eyes was richer than anything outside them. I would talk to nature, to the wind, and to a presence within me that felt like an invisible friend. Only later did I realise it was my divine self — patient, luminous, and endlessly compassionate.

As an adult, I feel the contrast between this presence and my personality more clearly. My personality is quick, restless, proud of its accomplishments, hungry for outcomes. It clings to old wounds as if they are proof of something. The divine self, in comparison, feels like an exhale. It is spacious. It vibrates with truth. It asks me to release, to trust, to let what is real rise on its own.

Plant medicine cracked open that doorway for me. For the first time, I saw the souls’ brilliance — vast and radiant, trying to express itself through this fragile human form. That vision changed everything. Now, fasting brings me closest to that clarity. Meditation comes in waves. And lately, the Bible and A Course in Miracles call to me gently, offering new ways to understand the light within.

Living from the divine self is not a destination. It’s a daily leaning — a willingness to grow toward the infinite, even while moving inside the limits of a body.

Justin McCann

‘I have a divine self’...hmm. Is ‘self’ the right noun, is ‘have’ the right verb? As John Lennon nearly said, ‘I once had a soul, or should I say, my soul once had me.’

Lemme try again - ‘I’m a vessel into which life pours itself.’ Life being Spirit, the vessel being my personality structure: all those genes, brain grooves, adaptations, attachments, defence mechanisms, learned behaviours, patterns, needs, drives and desires - the legacy of the hard work and reproductive enthusiasm of previous generations, the weight of their trauma, all that unfinished business and accumulated karma. Ego, that scared child growing up in public, trading its assets for approval and security. SURVIVE AND THRIVE. ALWAYS DO X. NEVER DO Y. NOT IF YOU WANT TO LIVE.

Think of myself as a person and I take everything personally; think I need anything and I get needy. Sink into Spirit, and I chill all the way out. Start treating every experience as ‘grist for the mill of awakening’ (thanks RD). Demand less from people and situations. Seek adventure, not safety, because adventurous people feel safe and safe people feel threatened. Find everything slightly amusing, especially myself. Rest in love rather than manufacturing it at home or seeking it abroad. Know I can only get what I already have, and I already have everything. Already am everything.

Spirit is basically just on this planet for the ride. Rollercoasters involve as many downs as ups, and sometimes they make you feel sick. But Spirit knows what my ego refuses to accept: the downs are the whole point of the rollercoaster.

Karl Harrison

Nowadays, Yes I do feel the difference within between my divinity and personality structure, because there now exists a deeper awareness of both parts.

For me, the “divine” isn’t something to reach for beyond the sky, or bound to religion or dogma. It is the living pulse of my inner essence — the soul that connects with nature, love, intuition, creativity and the magical parts of childhood often forgotten or suppressed to fit society’s expectations.

The divine isn’t something to reach for externally through church or ritual; it’s a living presence within every human being. To understand the difference between my divinity and my personality structure, I had to step into deep awareness — learning to bring the two into harmony, as both coexist throughout my lifetime.

For much of my adult life, I lived mainly through my personality structure — shaped by societal norms, the need to fit in, and misplaced guidance from others. It created fear, uncertainty, and anxiety, keeping me masked and misaligned. Yet even then, my divine essence of course appeared through empathy I felt, curiosity, laughter, creativity and love.

Living from my divine self now feels like freedom — a vast open field under an endless sky. It’s trusting intuition, embracing vulnerability, and celebrating sensitivity – no walls, no limits, only flow. From this space, I can nurture my formed personality rather than be ruled by it, trusting the quiet voice within, allowing both parts of me to flow together into a brighter, more authentic life.

In recognising both parts, I meet my truest essence — a human being, divine and imperfect, with that duel awareness nurture needed, alongside expansion to be trusted.

Alexander Orion

I no longer feel any difference between my divinity and my personality structure. This alignment has been integral for me to be the artist I am today but it took many years of working through my emotional scars from the conditioning of the “normal” school system to achieve this alignment. Living from my divine self is like having daily access to a fountain of energy that gifts me the courage and strength to express myself creatively with the tools that I have spent many years practising, namely piano, guitar, singing, rapping and writing lyrics that try to penetrate the veil of consciousness to inspire awakening in others. I am also aligned with my fellow Mobius Loop members, my partner, Rose, and my brother, Sean, who I am so proud to witness them access their divine selves, creating a trinity of reciprocal inspiration as we grow together as a band.

Living from my divinity is a daily practice, one that I am always trying to refine, accepting that I am imperfect and human but knowing that I can always strive to live in alignment with my divinity. Choosing not to engage in harming others is one way I find a path towards a more divine way of existing, embracing non-violence and compassion to all living beings connects me to the divinity in others too.

Rose Orion

reaching for the divine

DAILY ACTS OF LOVE AND FOCUS WITH CHILDREN

by Anna Cole PhD

Parenting, through its challenges, mistakes and profound aching love for our child, invites us into a deep kind of self-discovery. Beyond the tasks of meals, schedules, and bedtime routines, our love for our child or children asks us to live from our best selves.

When we speak of divinity in parenting, we aren’t invoking anything supranatural. We’re pointing to that luminous human potential within us: the capacity to love beyond fear, to listen deeply, and to set limits and boundaries with compassion. In this way, the secular wisdom of connection-based parenting and the science of interpersonal neurobiology meet exactly in the middle, supporting our path towards our best selves.

Love and focus: The brain’s delightful duo

The science of interpersonal neurobiology gives us a fascinating lens through which to view parenting. In early childhood, the brain is extraordinarily malleable – like wet cement into which experiences are easily imprinted. Neural pathways form rapidly, shaped by repeated interactions. Around puberty, neural pruning begins for less used pathways and some of this plasticity begins to form into more adult neural routes: the cement hardens, pathways solidify, and changing established patterns becomes more effortful.

Yet neuroscience offers inspiration. Oxytocin, the “love hormone,” softens this neural cement, making the brain more receptive to new impressions. Focus — deliberate, sustained attention — can reactivate the nucleus basalis, a part of the brain involved in efficiently creating new neural pathways. Together, love and focus become a powerful combination, allowing parents to shift habitual responses and model new ways of being.

When love and focus work together, they create a powerful agent for change.

Every moment of genuine connection with our child is, biologically and emotionally, a small act of transformation.

Presence in action

Parenting with connection teaches the simple but radical power of presence.

In Special Time, the parent gives a child, say ten minutes, of full, undivided attention. The child leads, the parent follows with warm delight. In Staylistening, the parent remains warm and steady through a storm of emotion, trusting that feelings released will bring release and calm after the storm.

Each of these moments says: I’m here with you. You matter.

Presence like this softens both the parent’s and the child’s nervous system. It’s not only emotionally restorative – it’s physiologically reparative. When we listen with warmth instead of rushing to fix, we open a space where real change can happen.

From fear to connection

Parenting, along with having the power to elicit our best selves, can also stir our basest fears: fear of failure, of judgment, of our child’s future for beginners. Living as our divine self means shifting from fear to connection. Instead of “How do I stop this behaviour?” we can ask, “What can I help my child to feel safe and connected?”

Connection builds cooperation. Connection comes before correction. When we can meet our child’s distress with curiosity rather than control, we embody the best of our selves.

Self-regulation as a sacred practice

We cannot parent from presence when our own systems are overwhelmed. Listening Partnerships – regular exchanges of open,

non-judgmental listening between adults – offer parents the emotional space they so sorely need when in the care of children.

When we offload our own stress, we can return home to ourselves. We may experience, for some moments, that grounded, calm state that spiritual traditions might call grace. In secular terms, it’s the nervous system’s equilibrium — the place where love becomes possible again.

Seeing the child as whole

In our hearts, from our best selves, we can remember that children are innately good and driven toward connection. Seeing the child as whole is a way of seeing their ‘divinity’ – their unrepeatable, unfolding nature.

When we meet misbehaviour as a signal of disconnection rather than defiance, we act from compassion. A steady gaze, a soft voice, a warm hand, and a gentle but firm boundary – these gestures release oxytocin, open learning pathways, and repair trust for us and our children.

Rupture and repair

Living as our divine self doesn’t mean perfect serenity! It means noisy, messy, making mistakes parenting and it means humility and the willingness to repair. Repair in relationships is where the sacred hides in everyday life.

Morning routines, when parenting young children or older, can often feel like forced marches through obligation. But if we infuse them with warmth and focus, they can become powerful agents of change.

Shared laughter, unforced by tickling, through some impromptu Playlistening, or a three-minute Special Time are simple rituals that strengthen the love-and-focus circuitry that rewires old patterns for both parent and child.

Practical steps for living as your best parenting self

1. Morning anchor (2-5 minutes)

Before you get out of bed, before your feet hit the floor, think of three things you are grateful for, big or small.

2. Special time

To soften the hard edges of cold winter morning school routines, experiment with offering short, child-directed play regularly. Bring your delight, even if you have to ‘fake it till you make it’ at first. Bringing your attention to what delights you about your child and following their lead in play nourishes connection and rewires co-operation.

3. Staylistening

When emotions erupt, resist fixing or

“When love and focus work together, they create a powerful agent for change”

dismissing. Stay close, calm, and curious. “I’m here. You’re safe.”

4. Listening time for yourself

Trade time with another adult to be fully heard. Emptying your emotional cup keeps your best self available for your child.

5. Repair and reflect

Each night, before you sleep, if you have the bandwidth, notice where connection flowed and where it frayed. Take a little stock and forgive yourself. Love – for yourself and those you love – deepens through repair.

There is no perfect parent and no flawless morning routine or day – that’s one thing we can know for sure when parenting! But there is a path: one of connection over correction, presence over perfection, and love over fear.

When we live from the grounded, generous part of ourselves, however imperfect, parenting becomes more than a constant round of routine interactions or struggles and it becomes a daily practice of learning and becoming. And in that practice, both parent and child can soften, grow, and learn about grace and love. Every act of love and focus imprints of our best self — the everyday divine at work.

Anna Cole, PhD, Hand in Hand Parenting Instructor, Research & Regional Lead, UK & Ireland.

Contact her at

annac@handinhandparenting.org www.handinhandparenting.org

you are magnificent

Mostly we all walk through life thinking we’re small—just one person among billions, struggling to make a difference, wondering if we matter. But what if science is now revealing something extraordinary, that you are far more vast, more powerful, and more connected than you ever imagined?

As Rumi alluded to all those years ago, you are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean, experiencing itself as a drop.

Let’s start with something beautiful and scientifically undeniable – every atom in your body was forged in the heart of a star. The calcium in your bones, the iron in your blood, the carbon that forms the basis of your DNA – all of it was created billions of years ago in the nuclear furnaces of dying stars. When those stars exploded, they scattered their elements across the cosmos. Eventually, those elements came together to form planets, oceans, forests… and you.

Here’s one of the most fundamental laws of physics, explained simply: energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can only change form. Think about what that means. The energy that makes up your body – every vibrating atom, every spark of electricity in your nervous system – has existed since the beginning of time. It will continue to exist forever. It just keeps transforming.

Now here’s where I think it gets really interesting.

In 2022, three scientists won

“Science is finally catching up to what the mystics have always known”

WHERE SPIRITUALITY MEETS SCIENCE.

by Judith McAdam

the Nobel Prize in Physics for proving something that sounds like science fiction: quantum entanglement.

Here’s what it means in everyday language. When two particles interact and then separate, they remain mysteriously connected. Change one, and the other changes instantly, even if they’re on opposite sides of the world. Distance doesn’t matter. Time doesn’t matter. They’re somehow still one thing, even though they appear to be two separate things.

Now here’s the intriguing question –what if this isn’t just true for tiny particles? Scientists are only beginning to explore whether entanglement-like phenomena might extend to larger systems, perhaps even to consciousness itself. Could the boundaries we perceive between separate minds be similar illusions – conveniences of perception rather than fundamental truths?

It’s still an open question. But it’s a question worth asking.

Here’s something important to understand: none of this is actually new. For thousands upon thousands of years – long before anyone built a particle accelerator or understood quantum mechanics – mystics, shamans, yogis, and spiritual teachers were saying the same thing.

We are all one. Separation is an illusion. You are the universe experiencing itself. What you do to another, you do to yourself. Everything is connected.

Consciousness is fundamental, not matter. We create our own reality through our thoughts and beliefs.

Science isn’t discovering something new. Science is finally catching up to what the mystics have always known.

Science is a tool – a wonderful, useful tool – but it can only measure what it can measure. There are realms of experience, dimensions of reality, depths of knowing that no instrument can capture. The mystics accessed those realms directly. So yes, it’s fascinating that physics is now revealing patterns that validate ancient wisdom. But remember: the wisdom came first. The instruments are catching up.

You are not small. At the very least, you are made of stardust, connected to the cosmos through physics we can measure. At most, you might be the universe itself having a human experience. Either way, you’re far more vast than you’ve been taught.

The universe is speaking to you constantly. The question is: are you listening?

As you read this, we are tuning into each other.

With love, Judith

judithmcadam.com

discovering divinity

SEEKING THE SACRED AND FINDING YOUR SELF.

by Sandy C. Newbigging

The whole idea of Discovering Divinity may sound like a lofty, other-worldly or impossible task. We may question ‘Who am I to even try?’. However, I would suggest it is more a question of ‘Who am I not?’ – because seeking sacredness invites us to recognise all that we really are, and results in us being more authentic, empowered, peaceful and loving. (And who wouldn’t want that?)

The key is to not over-complicate it and be clear on what we are aiming to be. Otherwise, we usually lose ourself in a long ‘Spiritual Things To Do List’ that keeps us in a cycle of doing (when the goal is to be ourself), and in doing so, unintentionally do lots of things that just end up enlightening our egoic identity.

So, let’s get back to basics: You are a ‘Human Being’, and so am I. It makes sense, therefore, for us to first understand what ‘Being’ really is.

Beyond just a name for our kind of species, within our Being-ness exists a

constant reminder to see and be what we really are. In the Sanskrit language, ‘Being’ is referred to as ‘Sat’, meaning: “That which ‘is’, exists and is real.”

Our Being is the ‘I am’ before we add anything to it – before we become ‘this or that’. Before our ego starts to believe: ‘I am my job title, marital status, religious or political affiliations’, etc. As a result, when we recognise and rest within our Being (our I am-ness), we touch something prior to identity and things – the field in which all identities and things appear and dissolve.

‘Being’ is the still, silent, spacious Self beneath (and co-existing with) every thought, emotion, sensory experience and life event. It doesn’t come and go or change like our thoughts, emotions, physical body, or life circumstances do. It is the permanent Self “that ‘is’, exists and is real” – without any labels or limits.

Recognising the undeniable existence of this Being brings many

benefits, including Peace. We can discover that Peace is not a temporary state, but what Being feels like – ultimately ‘is’ – and that Peace is Being resting as itself.

But how can we know this ‘Peace of Being’? The remarkable reality is that our capacity to know ‘it’ is actually built into the fabric of Being.

Awareness is the ‘knowing aspect of Being’. Or said differently, Awareness is the capacity by which we can know or experience anything. In Sanskrit, this is often called ‘Chit’, meaning: “consciousness, knowingness, and the light of perception”. We all have Awareness – again making it innate and undeniable – with the proof of Awareness being that we are aware of our mind, body, and all of the things that are happening during our day-to-day life.

‘Being’ is what you are. ‘Awareness’ is how you know you are.

Awareness is what recognises the ‘I am’ that I mentioned earlier – the

“Peace and Love are not two separate things, but two faces of the same Being”

Being that exists before, during and after you add anything to it. When you are aware of awareness, you can discover an unshakeable Peace that’s untouched by thoughts, sensations or life events. Along with a sense of wholeness and oneness. Not because you are doing anything special, but because you’ve simply recognised the Being that ‘is’, exists and is real in yourself and all things.

This oneness (sometimes spoken about in spiritual circles as ‘unity’), is realised when we shift from ‘I am aware of myself and this world’ to ‘I am the Aware Being that myself and this world appears’. When we rest as That – aware of Being, being aware – there is no division between the observer and the observed. We stop believing that we (and Divinity) are an object to find. Instead, we see that everything is That – the subjective, sacred, divine Self – including us!

This peaceful oneness is the felt

union of Being and Awareness, and the doorway through which we meet Love –the dynamic expression of Divinity. We learn that Love is Being in movement. Meaning that Peace and Love are not two separate things, but two faces of the same Being as it knows and expresses itself.

Imagine this Divinity as pure sunlight – Peace is the light itself (steady, radiant, unchanging) and Love is the warmth of that light (how it touches and brings life). Love is therefore the outpouring of source (formless) into something (form) – Love is how Being becomes. Love is Being expressing itself as physical form, variety, creativity, meaning, tenderness, joy, and life. When both Peace and Love are realised together, we move through our days being fully still and fully alive.

For me, this recognition brought Peace to life. I stopped aiming to ‘just be’, which had a disempowering side-effect

of encouraging powerlessness, passivity and pulling back from life. I became empowered to fully be and engage in life, and in doing so, Discover Divinity in all that I am and do, and in all that ‘is’.

Together, the existence of Peace and Love (Being and Becoming) allow for the full expression of Divinity – the still and the flowing, the silence and the singing, The One Divine Being expressing itself as the many in a multitude of beings and things. Incidentally, this Divinity that I am inviting you to see also includes this magazine and the eyes that you are using to read these words! All of It is That.

Visit sandynewbigging.com for Sandy’s one-to-one sessions, online courses and community.

GLOW UP TEA RITUAL AND SPA SET

by Karin Müller

from grounding to galloping

THE TRANSITION FROM A SNAKE TO A HORSE YEAR.

by Amanda Sophia

As we leave the Snake year behind and step into the Horse, we move from interior alchemy to outward embodiment. The Snake taught us how to shed; now the Horse asks us to embody the transformation.

The Snake year, a Wood element year, inspired continual growth. It was a season for rooting ourselves, for tending the internal soil so new shoots could rise. Like a sacred oak that demands both water and restraint to flourish, 2025 invited us to nurture steady expansion. Grounding in Earth energy became the scaffolding for change: steady, supportive, and patient.

At its heart, the Snake is the symbol of transformation, shedding skin, inviting us to release worn-out identities, illusions, and fears. Across cultures, the snake signifies fertility, cycles, and the capacity for renewal; its coiling motion is a metaphor for the immortality of change. That was the work of 2025: deepening, clearing, and becoming ready.

Then comes the Horse, the embodiment of the transformation. Where the Snake looked inward to reflect, grow, and release, the Horse pushes outward to claim the horizon and to remind us to regulate. Horses do not thrive in constraint. Their spirit resists being clipped or contained; they want wide fields, wind, and space to move. For those who carry Horse energy, like me, and for any soul who’s been gently prepared by the Snake’s purification, the call is clear: set your own pace, choose your direction, and move with intention.

The Horse is a paradox of power and sensitivity. Historically, it ploughed fields, carried armies, and pulled carriages; it has been a partner in both labor and legend. Yet, it is also fragile in ways that matter: a misstep can end a horse’s life, and too much rich grass can cause illness. This combination of raw strength and delicate vulnerability is a lesson for us. Strength married to sensitivity is true power.

This new year, life will mirror our internal landscape; likewise, the Horse year will reflect the energy we present to it. When we are grounded, progress flows easily, but when we allow chaos, we create friction. The goal is to carefully manage our inner climate so that the world around us becomes a true reflection of our calm, centred self.

”The call is clear: set your own pace, choose your direction, and move with intention”

Another part of this new year of the Horse is the Fire element. Fire moves quickly, it illuminates, it galvanises, it begs for action, passion, and movement. If fire is tended to, it fuels creativity and courage; however, if left unattended, it can easily lead to burnout and arguments. In Feng Shui terms, fire governs the heart and the eyes — our capacity to love, to see, and to be seen. The Horse year is generous in offering boldness; our responsibility is learning discernment in our intentions, actions, and emotions.

So what does discernment look like in practice? It looks like knowing when to gallop and when to steady the stride. Honouring bursts of inspiration while protecting the systems that keep us nourished: sleep, rest, boundaries, rituals. It can look like choosing movement with consciousness rather than impulse. Discernment and consciousness can translate to passion that is grounded in the energy the snake deepened for us.

There is also a shadow to acknowledge. Horses can harm as easily as heal: a sudden bolt, a kick, an unmeant bite. The same energy that propels you forward can, if unchecked, steamroll relationships or burn you out. Historically, horses were “broken” to serve, a practice that speaks to suppressing

wildness in favour of usefulness. Modern consciousness asks us to do the opposite: to invite freedom without breaking the spirit. We are learning how to be unbroken and yet aware, all at once.

The arc from Snake to Horse is not a rejection of one for the other. It is a sacred evolution. The Snake’s shedding prepared the nervous system to hold larger frequencies; the Horse’s gallop uses that new bandwidth to expand. The alchemy is simple and profound: let the old go, then expand into the new.

So as the year unfolds, let your practice be twofold: root, then run. Tend to the inner earth with the reverence the Snake taught you; then embody its gifts with the Horse’s confidence. Feed your passion, but tend your fire. Choose movement with conscious rhythm, and you will discover that freedom is not chaos but cultivated consciousness.

Move with life’s rhythm, not against it. Let the Horse guide you in balancing freedom with focus and passion with presence. When you flow with this energy, it will carry you toward new levels of creativity, connection, and awakening.

If you're ready to master this energetic leap and consciously expand this year, I have a short course on the Year of the Horse designed to help you ride this transition with intention. Let the wild and wise parts of you move in concert, and you will find that this year’s momentum is an invitation, not to escape, but to arrive fully into who you are meant to become.

Amanda Sophia joinamandasophia.com

internationalfengshuischool.com

“I believe our divine self appears most vividly when we need it the most"

journeythe lifelong

THE DIVINE NEVER LEAVES US.

by Margot Tubbiolo

Living as your divine self is something we all have the power to reach. However, I believe it’s a journey that can take an entire lifetime, and even then, there will be moments when we forget. It isn’t something that simply happens one day and stays forever. It takes ongoing awareness and gentle alignment with who we are deep down.

Think about the people you know and love who you feel aren’t being their true selves. They might be going through a difficult time, making decisions rooted in insecurity or distraction. In those moments, they’ve lost touch with their divine self.

They may not feel proud of who they are, but the desire to remember often requires stripping away external influences and looking inward. For some, that process

is more painful than continuing to live as they are now.

I believe divinity is something we always possess. It never leaves us, but we can choose to tap into it and feel that connection to our higher selves. It can guide us and lead us to places we might not have believed we could reach. I feel most aligned with my divine self when I reach a state of detachment from judgment.

In those moments, I know exactly who I am and that I am, at my core, a good person. From that place, nothing else really matters. I trust that my inner light will always direct me.

The truth is, I don’t think there’s a single key to the divine. Each of us has our own unique path toward it, and sometimes it’s something we can’t consciously control. What we can do, though, is

reconnect with our hearts.

I think one of the biggest obstacles to reaching our higher self is being too caught up in the logical mind. When we rely too heavily on logic, we limit our potential and feed into patterns shaped by ego and old wounds.

Our divine self exists as a higher state of being that often reveals itself in small, everyday ways, a gut feeling that guides us to the right place, or a quiet nudge that protects us from harm. We can strengthen that connection through meditation, stillness, creativity, or by simply tuning in to our bodies.

Ultimately, though, I believe our divine self appears most vividly when we need it the most, often in moments of deep suffering, reminding us of the light within and the life we are meant to live.

biology building

BRING DIVINITY INDOORS AND INSIDE.

by Laura Canavan-Hayes

My Nana used to have some great, wise phrases, as Grandparents and elders often do. One of my favourites was ‘It never ceases to amaze me…’. When it comes to nature, it never ceases to amaze me how incredible Mother Earth and Father Sun are. Divinity is in everything on this beautiful planet, the wider universe and in every atom of infinite existence.

It strikes me that as the world has gone down a capitalistic, patriarchal route, we have become disconnected from divinity, which lies in every cell of each of us, our true source.

As Building Biologists, holistic scientists of homes, our purpose is to bring nature indoors in order to create a sanctuary of health, rest, and true vitality. We have 25 beautiful principles and over the next 25 weeks, we’ll be digging into these in a bit more detail in our fortnightly newsletter (scan the QR code below to get a free 33-page e-book).

Let’s delve into some of these 25 principles and how we implement them.

Principle #3 for is about placing our dwellings in wellplanned communities that provide ample access to fresh air, sunshine and nature. Staying connected to nature when we are indoors, and designing our homes and buildings with this in mind from the beginning, ensures that we are bringing the bountiful healing powers of nature into our living spaces.

Principle #5 is about providing an abundance of wellbalanced natural light and illumination while using colour in accordance with nature. I always associate light with the divine. For colours that are found in nature, we love using an Auro natural paint, a clay and lime-based paint, so natural as to be compostable.

Auro only uses natural earth pigments. My favourites are:

• The deep blue ultramarine pigment

• The dark green forest one

• Sunshine yellows

• Any of the gorgeous earthy ones

Why would we use anything other than a natural paint, when your standard industrial one contains a host of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), acrylics and a host of chemicals to prevent stains and accelerate drying?

Minimising harmful chemicals means that we breathe in beautiful, clean air. Please feel free to use BioWeaver10 to get 10% off the Auro range at Ecological Building Systems.

When I look at the darker reds and pinks in nature, they remind me of the rootedness of my menstrual cycle, tracking our cycle and connecting deeply with the spiritual essence of our bodies.

The BioWeaver Method integrates Building Biology with root cause, or functional medicine, health. Menstrual Cycle Awareness has enriched my life with a new found divinity. I wish, as the middle of five daughters, that I had been introduced to this work before my menarche, my first bleed. My hope is that, as communities, we integrate and honour the menstrual cycle.

This month we did a Menstrual Cycle Series where we shared a story for every day of my menstrual cycle to empower, educate and share the power of this work. Join us there if you want to be part of the conversation!

Until the next time and with love always, Laura x

Laura is the creator of The BioWeaver Method at thebioweavermethod.com – a Building Biologist at Dormiente Ireland, Functional Medicine Health and Wellness coach and yoga teacher

“As Building Biologists, holistic scientists of homes, our purpose is to bring nature indoors"

BECOME A BOARD CERTIFIED

awakening through love

by Dawn Cartwright

“Love held us. And then, slowly, almost imperceptibly, we began to hold love instead”

In the very beginning, when everything was darkness and the world we inhabit did not yet exist, a beautiful golden egg appeared in the great primordial sea. Layered with shells of water, fire, air, space and great intelligence, the shimmering egg existed in undifferentiated awareness, the space before self and other. It was infinitely peaceful, ecstatic in its wholeness.

After one cosmic year had passed, the golden egg split in two. The shells formed the heavens and the earth. The sky emerged in the space between them. What was one became two. And the world as we know it came into being.

Some say this is why the first moments of love feel like coming home. That love is recognition on a cosmic scale. And the genesis of all desire is the desire to know ourselves.

Two halves longing to be one, once again. This story of creation, describing the split between love and our awareness of it, comes to us from the sacred wellspring of Hindu philosophy. It is a story that has been passed down for thousands of years by poets, priests, and devotees.

The Puranas, Upanishads, and Vedic texts are living wisdom that reveal the secrets of existence. I wish to express gratitude to the profound spiritual tradition that has preserved this story and the millions who hold it sacred.

It is a story of completeness, separation and knowing. A story that reveals the hidden secrets of love. Love as a path of awakening.

Love As A Path Of Awakening

I remember the first time I met him. He stood at my door wearing a blue buttondown shirt and jeans. He was like the sun. So alive. So handsome. So familiar.

I had that feeling I sometimes have just before the phone rings and I already know who’s calling. I already knew he’d be here. And, yes, I knew we had plans that day – yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d been expecting him, knowing he would appear, all my life and somehow even before.

Being together was easy. An endless discovery. I remember telling him one morning that looking at him felt like seeing myself. Hidden aspects of each of us rose to the surface and we saw more of ourselves in ourselves and each other. He became more himself. I became myself, too. He was brilliant intellectually and I found myself growing intellectually in his presence. He told me I was compassionate and I watched as he became more compassionate, too. He loved Scotch whisky, I learned to love it, too. I loved to meditate, he began to suggest we meditate when challenges appeared.

Two halves of one divine egg discovering our wholeness, together.

The Split

It is here in most love stories when things begin to fall apart. Lovers become distant. Forget their bond. Stop truly seeing one another. Our story wasn’t like this. We’ve continued to grow together as the years have passed.

The shape and form of our relationship has changed, yet we have not. What’s the secret? I’m not really sure. What I can say is this.

We were swept up in love in the beginning. Love held us. And then, slowly, almost imperceptibly, we began to hold love instead. We encountered aspects of one another we could not love – until we did. We felt hurt by one another – until we didn’t.

We took breaks when we needed to. We took breaks when we didn’t. Yet we never forgot love.

We meditated together more often. Sipping Scotch from crystal rocks glasses became our evening ritual. We spent mornings gazing into one another’s eyes. We took time to breathe shared breath. We explored the sacred intimacy practices I love so well.

When love became still, we became more invested in tending it. Two divine beings devoting ourselves to a divine we couldn’t see.

Devotion

There are those who say two divine lovers emerged from the cosmic egg when it split all those millions of years ago. Shiva became the heavens, the one who is aware, and Parvati became the earth, the one who appears as the infinite forms of love.

The moment the golden egg split in two, bereft at the loss of union, Shiva entered into meditation. Parvati, pierced by longing, set out on a pilgrimage to reunite with her beloved.

While Shiva sat on Mount Kailash, his eyes turned inward, Parvati roamed the earth, determined to find him. Her search spanned two thousand years. Existing on moonbeams and raindrops, she sang his name from morning to night.

Parvati developed such powerful tapas that it stirred Shiva from his meditation, awakening him back into the world of forms. The two divine lovers found one another again. Two halves of reality reunited.

Two Halves Of Reality

This is the potential we all carry inside us. The stillness of completeness. The awareness of divinity. The split that makes union even sweeter. A potential that manifests in our lives when we are devoted to love itself, beyond all outward appearances.

Love as a path of awakening.

Dawn Cartwright is a NeoTantra visionary, sacred writer, world traveler, and innovator in SelfActualization-NeoTantra fusion.

Subscribe to Dawn’s “Be Fully Alive” podcast here: Tinyurl.com/DawnCartwrightPodcast

harmony brought into

LIVING AS YOUR DIVINE SELF.

by Grace-Anne Kelly

Every human being carries within them a spark of the divine – a timeless, boundless essence that transcends the physical world. This divine spark is not something we must earn or seek outside ourselves; it is our truest nature. Yet, in the noise of daily life, it is easy to forget this truth and identify instead with the limited self – the personality shaped by experiences, fears, and societal expectations. Living as your divine self is the journey of remembering who you truly are and embodying that truth in every aspect of your life.

Divinity is not a distant or abstract concept reserved for saints or mystics. It is the radiant awareness that animates all of existence – the energy that breathes life into everything. To live as your divine self means recognising that you are a manifestation of that same creative force. You are not separate from life, but an expression of its infinite intelligence and love. This understanding dissolves the illusion of separation and brings you into harmony with the universe.

The path to living as your divine self begins with inner awareness. It requires quieting the mind enough to hear the voice of the soul beneath the chatter of the ego. Through meditation, prayer, or mindful presence, you begin to reconnect with the stillness within – that sacred space where divinity speaks. From this space arises clarity, compassion, and a deep sense of purpose. You no longer act out of fear or scarcity, but from love and inner wisdom.

Living as your divine self also means embracing authenticity. The divine does not ask you to be perfect; it asks you to be real. Each of us is a unique expression of the same divine source, and our individuality is part of that perfection. When you allow your light to shine without apology – when you speak your truth, follow your intuition, and live with integrity – you honour the divine within you. In doing so, you also give others permission to do the same.

Another aspect of divine living is service. When you recognise the divine

in yourself, you naturally begin to see it in others. Compassion and empathy arise effortlessly, and your actions become expressions of love. Service then is not a duty, but a joyful offering – a way of honouring the sacred connection that unites all beings. Whether through simple kindness or acts of great generosity, living from your divine nature uplifts the world around you.

Ultimately, to live as your divine self is to live in alignment with truth, love, and unity. It is the realisation that divinity is not something you must reach for, but something you are. Each breath, each choice, each moment becomes an opportunity to express that divine essence. When you live from this awareness, life itself becomes sacred – an unfolding dance between the human and the eternal, the seen and the unseen, the self and the infinite.

Instagram: @graceannekelly

“Through mindful presence, you begin to reconnect with the stillness within”

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the truth of divinity

THE MOST IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIP YOU’LL EVER HAVE.

by Alison Canavan

Who were you before the world told you who to be? We are born into an interesting world where from day one we start to get programmed by the people, culture, country, religion and beliefs of those we are surrounded with. Then we enter an education system that subliminally tells us to conform or else. Or else what?

Well, there is a price to pay for not fitting in. Human beings have a deep innate desire to connect and are social creatures. When we feel like an outsider or we feel different, instead of owning our incredibly beautiful individual spark of light, we dim and do our best to fit in and be accepted by others. This causes our soul to cry out for help because when we are not expressing ourselves as the unique and beautiful spark of the divine we came here to be, we suffer. How much suffering each individual can take differs greatly.

I know I suffered so greatly and had an almost endless pit for suffering. In fact, I thought suffering was the way it had to be. Now I realise that my soul was crying out to me to embrace who I am at every level. It takes an enormous amount of courage to be yourself in a world that

celebrates sameness. We do our best not to shine too brightly because we don’t want to make others feel bad. So, for a lot of people, they expand and shrink again just as quickly.

There is a beauty and a light that shines from within when we connect with our divine creator. For some, the word God evokes uncomfortable emotions and I feel that because my upbringing in the Catholic Church was so deeply tainted with fear that I often wondered how this mythical God could be good at all. In fact, when I was in primary school, I asked the nun teaching me: “If God is good, then why are all the people that work for him so mean?”

Through the eyes of a seven-year-old, that was the truth of my experience. As I have grown up and walked my own path, I have developed such a deep and loving relationship with my creator. God, to me, is such a deep energy of love that it alchemises anything not of that frequency. We are here to experience all that this sacred life has to offer – and part of that is learning through the contrast of pain. How are we supposed to understand love

without knowing its opposite?

Living as my divine self means staying aligned and connected with my values, with my inner guidance system, and showing up in an energy of service every day. That does not mean I am perfect and don’t mess up. In fact, when you decide to live authentically, your world will very often come crashing down as anything that is unaligned will fall away.

When we work from the outside in, we tend to self-abandon to please, fit in, belong and keep the peace. But what if you came here to create a new way. What if you came here to be the way shower of the path to peace, love and true inner happiness? What if walking your own path gives others permission and inspiration to do the same. What if YOU just being YOU is the healing balm this world needs right now? What if you are the one you have been waiting for?

alisoncanavan.com instagram.com/alisoncanavanwellness

“God, to me, is such a deep energy of love that it alchemises anything not of that frequency”

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sustain yourself

HEALTH AND HERBAL ADVICE.

Barbara O’Neill is an Australian author who advocates for basic health principles to support our bodies, with a particular focus on optimum nutrition. She believes in providing the body with the exact conditions it needs in order to heal itself.

In September, she joined Positive Nights for a two-day series of seminars, in which she outlined her ‘SUSTAIN’ health principles. These are:

Sunshine – When our skin absorbs sunlight, the body produces vitamin D, a nutrient essential for strong bones, a robust immune system, and even mental clarity. It is vital to ensure that we get adequate daylight – and particularly important, during the Irish winter months, that we get at least 15 minutes of outdoor time each day.

Use of Water – Adequate hydration is another crucial health goal to bear in mind. Drinking enough water keeps your body hydrated, flushes out toxins, and supports digestion. Aim for eight to ten glasses per day.

Sleep – Take time to rest, because the body repairs and refreshes itself while we sleep. Getting eight hours’ sleep has long been proven to support our health and mental wellbeing.

Trust in Divine Power – Connect with a source of wisdom higher than yourself for guidance. Take some time to pray or meditate each day, as this will help you to cultivate a sense of inner peace.

Abstaining (from anything harmful) –This entails avoiding stimulants such as caffeine, cigarettes or alcohol.

Inhale (fresh air) – Barbara is a strong advocate of breathing deeply through the nose. In modern society, we often breathe shallowly, our chests tight and our bodies tense. When we take time to be mindful of our breath and inhale as much fresh air as possible, our nervous system responds by relaxing.

Nutrition – Consume a balanced diet free of pesticides and artificial chemicals.

Barbara’s book, ‘Self Heal by Design’, goes into each of these principles in depth. During our event with her, she said: “We have a body that can clear out waste very efficiently if it’s given the right conditions to do so: if we breathe through our noses, get enough sleep, drink enough water, avoid consuming stimulants.”

She also explained why herbs and herbal remedies can assist people with a range of health and nutritional concerns. Cayenne pepper, she said, “is a natural vasodilator, which means that it thins the blood – opens up the blood vessels throughout the body – and also strengthens the arterial walls. It is a remarkable herb, and an excellent choice for the heart”.

For anyone experiencing hormonal imbalances, which can lead to knockon issues such as thyroid problems or unexplained weight gain, Barbara

recommends applying wild yam cream to the skin. Wild yam cream can also be beneficial for women experiencing menopause, due to the presence of a component called diosgenin, which has the potential to help ease menopause symptoms.

She also spoke about how important it is that people find the health and nutritional support that works for them, given how overstretched the medical system is: “GPs now are so overworked, they only get a few minutes with each patient. How much are they going to find out in that time? The history of a patient tells you everything. We are what we are today because of what we’ve experienced in the past – symptoms are the body’s way of telling us where it needs support. Look at the body’s history and it will tell you what it needs.”

barbaraoneill.com

“Symptoms are the body’s way of telling us where it needs support”

integrating the

human & divine

AN INTERVIEW

Jessie ‘JP’ Herman is the channel through which the non-physical entity group Vagrein communicates with humanity. Over the past decade, she has embarked on her own spiritual journey and is now devoted to serving others by bringing Vagrein's wisdom to life.

In addition to her channelling work, Jessie is a Pranic healer and life coach, dedicated to helping individuals and groups amplify their authenticity and pursue self-improvement. She has authored two channelled books in collaboration with Vagrein, and is the creator of the GYST planner: a practical life management tool designed to help users organise and enhance their daily lives.

She also hosts the ‘Some Kind of Mystic’ podcast, which features interviews, channelled wisdom from Vagrein, audiobook segments from her Vagrein books, EFT tapping scripts, and various tools, tips, and tricks designed to help listeners navigate everyday challenges.

We recently had the chance to interview Jessie – and halfway through the interview, she channelled Vagrein.

Our interview with Jessie Paul: What is the experience of channelling Vagrein like for you?

Jessie:

When I channel Vagrein, I’m not fully aware of what’s being said, though I retain some visions and memories of it. It’s like I, Jessie, temporarily stand aside and my whole system speeds up to match the frequency coming through. When Vagrein is finished, I feel very peaceful and mellow.

WITH JESSIE HERMAN – AND VAGREIN.

Interview by Paul Congdon

The two main themes I’ve experienced when channelling Vagrein are unity consciousness – moving from division to unity – and radical self-acceptance. So that entails accepting, on a very deep level, what it means to be human. It’s time to integrate being human and being divine.

Paul:

There’s been a lot of talk in the spiritual community over the years about ego –specifically, how we need to get rid of our ego – viewing it as a negative thing. What do you think about that?

Jessie:

Vagrein defines ego as ‘separation’ – but because everything that exists is included in unity consciousness, this means the ego is also included under that definition. We can’t have unity without everything that is already in existence being part of that unification. So the ego, or separation is something that needs to be appreciated. We need to learn how to truly appreciate our uniqueness and individuation, and step into the beauty of who we are as individuals. That’s something I’ve been striving to practise in my own life: not eradicating the ego, but appreciating what it can do.

My human ego is good at talking and communicating with other human egos –that’s how I have a podcast. That’s how I’m able to connect with people in my day-today life and spending time with friends. The things that our egos are able to do well are absolutely fundamental for allowing divinity to come through and serve all of existence. I’ve come to understand: it’s really cool to be human! It’s cool that we have our own preferences and desires and opinions – the ego is simply a specific flavour of the

divine, as it expresses through us.

Paul:

This leads me on to the idea of the human and the divine as being separate – another thing that’s often said within spiritual circles.

Jessie:

I would say that we’re never not divine. We just think we’re not, because of the way our divinity gets put through … what I visualise as a sieve or a filter, to enable us to have a unique experience as a human. There is nothing about being human that isn’t in service to your non-physical aspect.

Paul:

A lot of people say this planet is a controlled environment – is that control pushing us to be greater than we are?

Jessie:

I would say that what we consider malevolent poses this question to us: who do you want to be? It stimulates us to either make different choices that are more aligned with unity consciousness, or go a different way.

From a higher perspective, it’s complicated, because we don’t want to see other people suffering in the world and we don’t want to see injustices happen … but if we rise to the occasion and strive to be a better version of yourself when negative things happen, this will ultimately help bring about more unity consciousness. Look at yourself and change any behaviours you don’t like – that is what’s under your control as an individual. That is what you can change.

Channelling Vagrein

Paul:

I would like to ask about the human nervous system. Is it true that keeping our nervous system calm and balanced will help us through the changes currently happening on the planet? And how do we release stored emotions that might be holding us back?

Vagrein:

There are many ways to release stored emotion, but it is important to note first that there is nothing wrong with your emotions. They are simply information for you as to how far away or how you close are to unity consciousness. Anger is a functional emotion pointing you towards something that you have found disempowering, for example. Sadness is a functional emotion letting you know that you care, or cared, about something and you are now moving through the loss of it.

If you learn to view all of your emotions through the lens of unity consciousness – that is, including all that is – then all of your emotions become positive, even those that feel uncomfortable. You would not want to lose your ability to feel.

Animals deal with emotions simply: they shake them off. As soon as an emotion is safely felt, it is no longer stuck in the body. Sit with your anger, your sorrow, your pain, and you will find that as soon as you give yourself space to safely feel those things, they will naturally become less impactful on your nervous system.

Paul:

What do we need to know with regard to extraterrestrials?

Vagrein

It will be some time before all of you know about extraterrestrials. A lot of beings you would term ‘galactics’ do not manifest in physical form, or at least have the option to not manifest consistently in physical form.

Every possible future is outlined at every fork in the road, but in this moment, the probabilities do not point to ‘disclosure’ in the near future, or at least not in the form that humanity thinks this term refers to. We cannot speak too concretely about future events because that would influence you – you have free will as humanity to choose your future.

Paul:

I want to ask about love – what do you see as the love frequency?

Vagrein: You cannot ‘get’ love. You can only be love and give love. Running around asking to be loved is you simply asking yourself to love yourself more. This does not mean you cannot have companionship and affection. Romantic relationships on the planet now are much clouded by confusion, ownership, fear.

Love is an ‘inside job’. You choose to love because you are love. Alone is also all-one in your language.

“The absence of resistance to it is what mitigates the suffering.”

“I have seen trapped emotions as an under-lying cause of every disease process”

dissolving between us the walls

ONE HEART AT A TIME.

by Alison McEvoy

Our relationship with our emotions begins at the beginning. Our infancy and childhood lay the stage for how we will respond to these powerful feelings that pulse through us moment to moment, day to day.

As we grow, society will teach us how to best use our mind, our brain, our capacity for reason and logic, but rarely will we find wisdom on how to best use our hearts, to experience and express our emotions.

Dr Bradley Nelson is one of a cohort of individuals bringing back the wisdom of the heart and the emotions to the world at large.

THE EMOTIONAL LOOP

Dr Nelson describes the natural formation and progression of emotions through our bodies and energy systems as ‘the emotional loop’.

“When you’re feeling an intense emotion, you’re feeling a specific vibration of energy. Every emotion has its own specific frequency… We feel emotions in response to something that’s occurred…and most of the time we simply acknowledge that emotion and allow it to dissipate and go away. That is how we should deal with emotion. Observe them and allow them to dissipate and go away.”

As individuals who spend most of their time working, in a rush or with a to do list trailing us, we more often rise to the expectations of the outer world, than those of the inner world. Our hearts would have us stop, listen, hear and respond. Instead, we often keep moving, push through to get the next thing done or, even if we long to express, we may not have a safe or understanding environment around us in which to take them time to acknowledge how we are feeling.

Journalling at the end of the day, or taking time before going to sleep, to acknowledge the feelings of the day are a great place to turn the tide of leaving our

emotions ignored and neglected.

If we do not take this time, emotions can build up and generate ‘emotional baggage’ which stagnates within us and can cause us to feel physically unwell.

EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE

Bradley describes several ways in which our emotions, which could be flowing through us enriching our emotional intelligence and awareness, can become trapped and turn into stagnant energetic ‘baggage’.

“Sometimes, we don’t want to feel an emotion and so we stop that [emotional loop] process, bury that emotion and move on – but it’s still there. That’s one way that we develop trapped emotions. Another way is, sometimes things happen that are just overwhelming…these traumatic things are difficult to process and so those emotional energies also become trapped.”

“The other way we trap emotional energies is if an emotion is beginning to happen and we decide that we’re going to take that emotion and run with it…so we’re artificially enhancing the vibration of that emotion and those are often situations where later we’re embarrassed that we flew off the handle.”

EMOTIONAL COMPONENTS TO DIS-EASE

The trapped emotions form a ball of energy which lodges in the body, often somewhere we have a pre-existing weakness or injury. Throughout decades of practice as a chiropractor, Dr Nelson states that, “I have seen trapped emotions as an under-lying cause of every disease process. Emotional baggage is a component in every disease.”

This is something the world is waking up to, the understanding that our emotional health is vital to our physical health and impacts it as readily as any diet or lifestyle component.

“We now know that people can die from a broken heart…the invisible things

that go on.”

THE EMOTION CODE

The process described in Bradley’s book, ‘The Emotion Code’, is a process designed to be used by and for anyone, including children, to release trapped emotions.

The emotion code process relies on the knowledge of our subconscious, as this is part of our being which “knows everything” about our life experience and what is going on inside us.

“The human computer, the subconscious mind within us…knows everything. Everything you’ve ever done, every face you’ve seen in a crowd, everything you’ve ever eaten, tasted, touched or smelled, this is all logged in this computer within us which I believe is beyond our ability to comprehend. We don’t really understand the subconscious because it’s Divine. Because we are divine beings and we’re finally waking up to that fact.”

The Emotion Code uses the subconscious to find answers as to what emotions are trapped, as well as where the emotion has lodged in the body and when it was generated. Then, using either magnets or the natural magnetic energy of our palms, we can swipe down the governing meridian of the body to release the emotion.

“The governing meridian is an energy reservoir and a very important meridian in the body… It starts at the tailbone, goes up the back and over the head, all the way to the inside of the upper lip. When you’ve gone through the emotion code process, it will release that emotional energy.”

THE HEART CODE

As it is the heart that is the reservoir of emotions, “the source of love, creativity and romance and the core of our being,” it is to the heart that Dr Nelson has more

recently turned his attention to in his upcoming book entitled ‘The Heart Code’.

“The ancients believed that the heart was the seat of the soul… In the West we have largely ignored those ancient ideas, thinking of them as mere poetic licence …but we are now developing instrumentation to show that the heart is the most powerful organ in the body… The heart has a separate nervous system to the nervous system of the rest of the body. It’s referred to as the ‘little brain’…the neurons [of the heart] store the memory of our true affinities – the things we really care about and love.”

When heartbreak occurs in our lives, as for so many of us it does, the emotions generated, where unable to be processed, generate a wall “made of pure energy” around the heart. Dr Nelson simply calls this the “heart wall”.

Bradley believes that the majority of people have not fully felt or explored their own heartbreaks and are living within a heart wall, unable to feel, unable to love, unable to access the creativity that is their birthright.

The process described in this book shows how to dismantle the heart wall, and live with an open heart, a feeling heart.

“The earth is in labour, trying to give birth to this new world that is going to be based on unconditional love.”

This work invites you to give birth to the love within your heart, to awaken yourself to the richness of emotion within you and experience the giving and receiving of unconditional love.

Drbradleynelson.com

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living as the divine self

HOW CONNECTIONS BRING CONTENTMENT.

by Matt Smith

As a practical person, and a left-leaning one, but fairly pragmatic in my approach and with a fairly centrist language, wrapping my head around the theme of divinity was interesting. I definitely had some resistance to using such spiritual language, and it took me a while to make sense of how it lived in me, and how it wove into the two main themes of my life, which are ocean and land, and both of my careers or professions.

To live the divine self, or to feel divinity, for me, is something around living in deliciousness, delightfulness, playfulness, joy, and love. It sounds cheesy, but really, it all comes back to being in love.

And so then it begged the question: how do I be in love? What’s my best strategy for being love? How do I increase my success in love? It boils down to connection with myself. Strength within myself. Strength in my body. Feeling strong, feeling that full-on bodily connection and also strength in my heart: feeling resilient, feeling diverse, and feeling connected.

When I feel like I have a lot of ways to nourish my heart, then I feel strong there, and there’s more chance of feeling joyful, loving, and spiritual. Of course, feeling grounded, relaxed, having a free mind, not feeling attached, it all starts in the body.

Time in nature is significant for me every day. Being immersed, surrounded, trying to find a way to be obsessed with nature, surfing, walking, gardening, that is easy, then for me, to be connected to my divinity.

But more than anything, it’s about being on the right path, finding yourself in the right places, with the right people, doing the right things. When I’ve been in those states, when I’ve been connected to those qualities and characteristics and that part of me, good things have always come of it.

If I was looking to succeed in life, I could nearly track all of my wonderful experiences down to the times before they happened, when I was feeling strong in my body, self-connected, resilient.

I think we truly express ourselves in absolute radiance when we are feeling divine, being divine, when we’re in the right place.

From a surfing point of view, that might manifest as riding the best, biggest, most beautiful wave of our lives. From a nature point of view, that might mean a really intricate, diverse web of ecosystems, be it my back garden, inside my home, or in the wider landscape.

Matt Smith is the CEO of Hometree Charity. In 2013 Matt also co-founded a regenerative agriculture farm. Matt is a published writer and owns an annual ocean-based publication. For a decade Matt has been a consultant and ambassador for Finisterre, a UK ethical clothing company. Matt holds a foundation degree in Natural Science and recently completed a ‘critical leadership’ course with Cumbria University with Prof Jem Bendell.

hometree.ie

“Each relationship needs something different, space, clarity, consistency”

Experience Pranic Healing

cosy winter

food

DELICIOUS WARMERS FROM THE HAPPY PEAR.

by The Happy Pear

20-MINUTE HIGH PROTEIN LASAGNE

This one-pan, no-bake lasagne is fast, hearty and packed with plant-based protein. Broken lasagne sheets are simmered directly in a rich walnut–lentil tomato ragù, then topped with a creamy cashew sauce, basil pesto and golden breadcrumbs. It has all the flavour of a slowcooked lasagne, ready in just 20 minutes.

Total time: 20 minutes Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes Serves: 4–6

Ingredients:

For the ragù

• 30g olive oil (2 tbsp)

• 150g onion (1 medium, 1 cup finely chopped)

• 2 cloves garlic

• 100g carrot (1 medium, 2⁄3 cup finely diced)

• 150g courgette (1 medium, 1 cup finely diced)

• 100g walnuts (1 cup, roughly chopped)

• 400g cooked lentils (1 tin, drained, 21⁄4 cups)

• 680g passata (3 cups)

• 200g tomato purée (3⁄4 cup)

• 30ml tamari (2 tbsp)

• 15ml maple syrup (1 tbsp)

• 12g sea salt (2 tsp)

• 10g fresh basil or flat-leaf parsley (small bunch, 1⁄2 cup chopped)

• 200g lasagne sheets (preferably red lentil or chickpea-based, broken into pieces, about 8 sheets)

• 200ml vegetable stock (3⁄4 cup)

For the cashew cream

• 100g raw cashews (3⁄4 cup)

• 210ml oat milk (3⁄4 cup + 2 tbsp)

• 30ml olive oil (2 tbsp)

• Juice of 1⁄4 lime (1 tsp)

• 2g sea salt (generous pinch)

• Pinch of black pepper

To serve

• 50g breadcrumbs (1⁄2 cup)

• 100ml basil pesto (1⁄3 cup)

• Olive oil, for drizzling

Method;

1 Prep the vegetables: Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Finely dice the carrot and courgette. Roughly chop the walnuts and finely chop the basil or parsley. Drain and rinse the lentils.

2 Sauté the base vegetables: Heat the olive oil in a large, deep non-stick pan over high heat. Add the onion and cook for two minutes, stirring regularly. Add the garlic, carrot and courgette and cook for another two minutes.

3 Build the ragù: Add the walnuts, lentils, passata, tomato purée, tamari, maple syrup and sea salt. Stir well to combine.

4 Add the pasta and cook: Break the lasagne sheets into bite-sized pieces and stir them through the sauce so they are evenly spread and not stuck together. Add the vegetable stock, cover with a lid, and simmer over medium heat for seven minutes, stirring occasionally.

5 Make the cashew cream: Blend the cashews, oat milk, olive oil, lime juice, sea salt and black pepper until silky smooth. Add a little extra oat milk to loosen if needed.

6 Assemble and garnish: When the pasta is tender and the sauce has thickened, drizzle over the cashew cream, add spoonfuls of basil pesto and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Drizzle lightly with olive oil.

7 Crisp the top: Lightly char the surface with a blowtorch or place the pan under a hot grill for 3–5 minutes until crisp and bubbling.

8 Serve: Scatter over the chopped fresh basil or parsley and serve hot, straight from the pan.

“This one-pan, nobake lasagne is fast, hearty and packed with plantbased protein”

NO BAKE CHOCOLATE CARAMEL PECAN PIE BARS

This is our take on a healthier pecan pie. While chocolate isn’t traditional, it adds a delicious layer to this wholefood, vegan, and gluten-free autumnal dessert. Packed with nuts, dates, and maple syrup, it’s a festive treat that’s filling, nutritious, and perfect for the season.

Prep time: 25 minutes Chilling time: 2 hours Serves: 8

Ingredients:

Base

• 250g (2 1⁄2 cups) ground almonds

• 120g (1⁄2 cup) coconut oil

• 100ml (6 1⁄2 tbsp) maple syrup or agave syrup

Pecan caramel

• 100g (1 cup) pecans

• 300g (about 20) dates, soaked

• 80g (6 tbsp) coconut oil

• 6–10 tbsp water

• Pinch of salt (optional)

Chocolate layer

• 200g dark chocolate

• 1 tbsp coconut oil

Maple pecans

• 100g (1 cup) pecans

• 50ml (3 tbsp) maple syrup

• Pinch of salt

Method;

1 Make the base: Melt the coconut oil, then mix with the ground almonds and maple syrup until well combined. Press the mixture into a baking dish and chill until firm.

2 Make the pecan caramel: Blitz the pecans in a food processor until breadcrumb-like. Add the soaked dates, coconut oil, water, and salt. Blend until smooth, which may take up to 5 minutes.

3 Assemble base and caramel: Spread the pecan caramel evenly over the chilled base and return to the fridge while preparing the chocolate and maple pecans.

4 Melt the chocolate (bain-marie method): Place a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, ensuring the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Add the dark chocolate and 1 tbsp coconut oil, stirring occasionally until smooth and fully melted. Remove from heat.

5 Caramelise the pecans: Toast the pecans in a dry pan over medium heat until lightly golden. Add the maple syrup and a pinch of salt, stirring to coat the nuts evenly. Cook for 1–2 minutes until the syrup is sticky and glossy, then remove from heat to cool slightly.

6 Finish the pie: Pour the melted chocolate over the caramel layer and spread evenly. Top with the caramelised pecans. Chill until fully set, about 1–2 hours.

7 Serve: Slice into bars or squares and enjoy!

thehappypear.ie

“[These bars are] filling, nutritious, and perfect for the season”

short & sweet 43

The spiritual and the everyday

ALIGNING DIVINITY WITH BUSINESS GROWTH.

by Elaine Woods

Meet Becci Harrison, the wellness architect behind the growing small business community in Fishers of Newtownmountkennedy in Co Wicklow, which now includes a wonderful holistic group of businesses.

Fishers is a long established family business that Becci has nurtured through the many changes and challenges the last few years have presented for small business. Part of this growth and change came with the introduction of treatment rooms alongside the existing retail outlet, café and other established small businesses that make up the quirky old schoolhouse location of Fishers.

Fishers is now home to over 22 businesses, with an additional three rooms added recently to meet growing demand. This is a special place that blends retail and services (clothes,

“Living from your divine aspect is wholeheartedly supported”

hairdressing, beauty and skincare) while integrating wellness principles through the many holistic businesses and mental health support services.

Living from your divine aspect is wholeheartedly supported at Fishers with the variety of holistic and traditional services on offer. Blending your spiritual nature with your daily life is easy with the numerous options available to everyone.

You can check out fishers.ie to find out more, or pop in to The Walled Garden Café for a coffee and absorb the good vibes in this holistic haven.

“Create simple ways to prove the Divine exists in every aspect of your life and then make the choice to cast your gaze only upon those things that make your heart sing loudest”. – Molly Friedenfeld

Menopause, Matters

EMBRACE THE CHANGE.

by Alison McEvoy

As women are rising, expressing their voice and power in a world evolving towards truer equality and shared understanding, unique voices are emerging to uncloak and champion the experiences of women. Michael D. Meyer is one such voice.

Michael is the author of a groundbreaking collection of short stories entitled ‘Where’s Mum? Stories of Love, Loss And Menopause’.

These stories illustrate the premise that menopause deeply impacts entire families, homes and partnerships. Women are often figures whom others rely on profoundly, binding themselves and connecting in presence to those they love such that the depth of physical, emotional and spiritual change which can occur in a woman during menopause can create a tsunami of change in the lives of those around them.

Michael, a man writing about the experiences surrounding menopause, aims to draw men into the conversation. To create a platform where couples can start to unearth and conjoin their experiences, creating a vehicle for menopause to change the landscapes of families and relationships in a positive, harmonious way.

For Michael, both the time spent writing this book and the understanding garnered of his wife’s experience, saved their marriage of over three decades.

"We were on the rocks. Writing this book genuinely helped save our marriage and I desire to provide a platform of discussion to potentially do the same for others.”

He envisions the book as a conversation starter between couples, a way for them to broach the subject by each reading a story and allowing

the lines of communication to open organically through the emotive and thought-provoking narratives. Once communication is open, the sky is the limit as to where these conversations will take individuals, couples, families, communities and societies.

For too long menopause has been seen as a ‘women’s issue’. Michael, driven by a deep conviction and compulsion to gain an understanding which would save his sanity and his marriage, has created this one-of-a-kind collection of powerful vignettes in a style both men and women can appreciate. Simple, direct, and with modern day storylines, his words carry the readers to core practical and emotional truths which can be hard to articulate amid the bustle of daily life.

At age twenty-two, a few months after graduating from a rigorous philosophy degree, I read a quote which has remained at the forefront of my mind for almost two decades - that people are “intellectual giants and emotional pygmies.” Michael’s book is, I believe, a stepping stone towards elevating the emotional intelligence of humans by encouraging and enabling a level of empathy and understanding between couples and among families. The outcome of this empathy and understanding is always greater connection, love, respect and joy.

Michael now describes his wife as his best friend, lover and travel companion.

“When she goes through hard times, she knows she can talk to me… She is

radiant, glowing and beautiful.”

Life becomes beautiful and even the harshest of storms can be weathered where there is company on the journey. In this way, the trials of life can bring us closer. Menopause, understood and shared in this way, becomes a bridge to greater connection and intimacy.

Dr. Michael D. Meyer was born and raised in the Midwest of the USA. He graduated as a chiropractor from Palmer College in 1994. He later immigrated to Australia for three years to learn, teach, and practice spinology before moving to Ireland in 2006. Dr. Meyer is married with three grown children.

Bookhubpublishing.com

Facebook: Where’s mum? Stories of love, loss and menopause

“Once communication is open, the sky is the limit as to where these conversations will take individuals, couples, families, communities and societies.”

THE SUPERHERO SATSANG

A monthly workshop with Tommy Ellis & Rachelle Hicks

This is the end of Spiritual Tourism. This is the end of the Seeker. This is What You Are. Not the false personality.

Tommy is a clairaudient energy facilitator with years of spiritual seeking he successfully brought to an end.

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SHORT AND SWEET

Healing at Root Cause

ADVANCE YOUR HEALTH.

by Mona Eberle

I am a naturopathic practitioner with over 40 years of experience, helping people restore health and vitality. After many years in a leading Naturopathic Clinic in the USA, I have returned to Ireland with a groundbreaking tool: the Blue Opal Metatron nonlinear diagnostic system.

I am the first practitioner in Ireland to offer this advanced scanner, which uses torsion-based biofeedback to reveal early imbalances and transform how we view health. The Blue Opal can assess the body and organ systems long before issues appear on standard medical tests. It evaluates the microbiome—the community of bacteria, viruses, moulds, yeasts, and other microbes living within us.

Research shows these organisms play a vital role in digestion, nutrient absorption, hormone production, brain health, and mood. When the microbiome is out of balance, it contributes to digestive symptoms, fatigue, autoimmunity, and persistent illnesses that resist conventional treatments.

During a two-hour scan, I combine this technology with my expertise in nutritional therapy and response testing. You leave with a clear, individualised plan that includes food guidance, lifestyle strategies, supplements, and targeted natural remedies to address root causes and help the body regain balance.

Whether you are managing unexplained symptoms, living with a chronic condition, have weight loss resistance, or simply want to stay ahead of potential problems, now is the perfect time to take charge of your health.

Mona Eberle BSc, MSc, is a naturopathic practitioner, nutritional therapist, neurofeedback clinician, clinical master in NRT and a Blue Opal Practitioner.

Totalhealthireland.com

“The Blue Opal can assess the body and organ systems long before issues appear on standard medical tests.”

Sustain

your Glow SELF-CARE RITUALS

by Alison McEvoy

It can take a while for me to really settle into the winter season. Over time, I sink into hibernating mode as the dark descends earlier, and my evening rituals take me deeper. I begin to cherish the dark months thanks to the flicker of candles and the scent of winter teas.

Karin Müller, co-founder of Solaris Tea and Medical herbalist, has brought together a collection of rituals to create a sacred, sanctuary moment each evening; the Glow Up Aromatherapy Spa Candle with scents including of lavender, lemongrass and cedarwood, Glow Up Bath Salts and Floral Infusion combining both Epsom salts and Irish sea salt, and three Solaris teas - Full Bloom Tea, Blooming Tea, and Night Bloom. Each element is 100% sustainable, ethically crafted, and created for women who value natural wellness and intentional living. Karen says it best herself when she says… “I wanted to create something truly special, a ritual set that

"The Glow Up Tea Ritual & Spa Set is designed as a four-step ritual to restore your inner glow."

inspires women to embrace self-care and wellness. The combination of a cup of tea, a candle, and a bath is designed to encourage a nightly practice of unwinding, releasing the day, and reconnecting with oneself. I hope it offers busy women a meaningful way to pause, recharge, and nurture their well-being.

The Glow Up Tea Ritual & Spa Set is designed as a four-step ritual to restore your inner glow:

IGNITE —lighting the Glow Up Aromatherapy Spa Candle and centring the breath with gentle, mindful exhalations.

BREATHE - where you brew your favourite Solaris Tea Bloom blend, inhaling the beautiful scent and feeling your body slow down.

SIP - your cup of tea, feeling the warmth of the cup against your skin, tasting the aromatic fusions of flowers, spices and earthy botanicals.

SOAK & GLOW – by preparing your hand, foot or full body bath using the Glow Up Bath Salts and Floral Infusion Bags, immersing yourself mindfully. Scan the QR code in the set, and you will find an Inner Glow Meditation, inviting you to slow down for a moment to reset and refresh your body, mind and soul.”

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For conscious creators, coaches, and spiritual seekers ready to lead from presence, power, and precision.

The Future of Medicine

PEMF MATS

In an age of chronic fatigue, silent inflammation, and stressrelated illness, a quiet shift is taking place — one that moves from chemistry to energy, from intervention to intelligent stimulation.

“Healing is not the addition of something external – it is the remembrance of the body’s original order.”

— Prof. Dr. Fischer, ‘Fundamentals of Quantum Therapy’

This perspective frames a new understanding of health: the body is an intelligent system capable of self-restoration when it receives the right signals.

We spoke with Prof. Dr. Fischer — physicist, biomedical engineer, and pioneer in magnetic field therapy — whose 40 years of research and clinical development have shaped bioelectric medicine across Europe.

Author of several scientific works, including Fundamentals of Quantum Therapy (often called the “PEMF Bible”), he now introduces CELLVITAL, a system that merges advanced signal engineering with biological resonance to support regeneration, resilience, and daily prevention. It is redefining how we think about energy, longevity, and cellular health.

Question 1: Why is voltage so crucial for our cells?

Every healthy cell maintains a membrane potential — an electrical difference between the inside and outside. This voltage enables nutrient uptake, waste removal, and communication.

When voltage drops due to stress, toxins, inactivity, or ageing, cells lose efficiency: energy production slows, communication falters, and regeneration weakens. This affects the brain, immune system, metabolism, and muscles.

PEMF works physically, not chemically, by helping restore this natural voltage. It is not “alternative”; it reflects the physics underlying biology.

Question 2: How does PEMF work? How does a device “talk” to cells?

PEMF systems emit low-frequency, modulated magnetic pulses that are biologically resonant. The cell membrane “recognises” these signals — like a radio tuned to the correct frequency — and responds.

Effectiveness depends on precision: waveform, field strength, modulation, and application time. Advanced systems such as CELLVITAL use multi-channel coils and variable field

geometry for deep, uniform stimulation.

The effects are measurable: improved ATP production, enhanced microcirculation, and reductions in inflammatory markers.

Selected Studies:

• Vianale G. et al. (2008). J Cell Physiol

• Vincenzi F. et al. (2013). J Cell Physiol

Question 3: How can PEMF be used in everyday life?

PEMF supports, rather than replaces, healthy living. It acts like training for cells, nerves, and blood vessels — strengthening the body’s innate regenerative capacity.

Most people use it 8–24 minutes daily. Morning sessions support energy; evening sessions deepen relaxation. It is particularly beneficial for:

• Adults 40+ preventing age-related decline

• Fatigue, stress, or sleep issues

• Neurological conditions (Parkinson’s, MS, Restless Legs)

• Post-injury and post-surgery recovery

Many notice improvements in clarity, sleep, and vitality within days.

Question 4: Where is the technology heading?

The future is personalised. Intelligent systems will adapt signals in real time based on the user’s energetic state. Miniaturisation will continue, enabling wearables and targeted devices.

PEMF is also expanding into longevity medicine, neurorehabilitation, and integrative therapies. Research increasingly shows that bioelectric regulation is fundamental — not accessory — to healing.

Question 5: A final message for our readers?

Health is not a static condition but a cellular state. Supporting your bioelectric field supports your life. PEMF is not a miracle cure, but a precise, safe, scientifically grounded method to help the body regain a missing element: the impulse to self-regulate.

Don’t wait for symptoms. Begin now — daily, consciously, electrically alive.

The Spinology way

A

PROFESSION AND A PHILOSOPHY.

by Enrique Borreda Lopez

Explaining Spinology isn’t always easy—its strength lies in its beautiful simplicity.

We live in a world that often seeks proof before trust, data before wisdom. Yet life itself, in all its mystery and order, is the greatest proof of all.

When the spine loses its natural harmony, the nervous system struggles to express the full rhythm of life. But when those vertebral relationships are gently restored, something extraordinary happens: the body remembers how to function, how to flow, how to be.

Spinology is founded on this truth—the body possesses an innate wisdom, (homeostasis) that continuously guides every heartbeat, breath, and cell. Our role as Spinologists is simply to honour that intelligence by helping remove the obstructions that prevent it from doing its work.

More than a profession, Spinology is a way of seeing life. It invites us to trust in the perfection of the living system, to care for the spine that shelters our vitality, and to remember that balance is not something we create, but something we uncover.

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At its heart, Spinology rests on three simple principles:

• Life is guided by an inner wisdom that seeks harmony.

• Every human being deserves to live at their fullest potential.

• By respecting the body’s self-regulating power, we honour the miracle of life itself.

Spinology reminds us that wellness is not merely the absence of illness, but the joyful expression of life lived fully, freely, and in tune with our true nature.

Spinologia.eu

“When the spine loses its natural harmony, the nervous system struggles to express the full rhythm of life.”

4837

Healthy Food for All BULK IS BETTER.

by Alison McEvoy

The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in Wicklow as ‘An Lar Café & Shop’ expands into a new online venture. We spoke with owner Krystian, who filled us in on the expansion.

“Many people are struggling with money but still want quality wholefood products, so the idea came to me to open a bulk or multi-pack website. If people buy more of a product, I can reduce the price. The online shop will have more products since I don’t need to stock them. There will be approximately six thousand organic products available.”

Large families, small cafes and restaurants and other small businesses will be especially excited to hear of the venture. There will be the possibility to make weekly, bi-weekly or monthly standing orders that will be delivered, hassle-free, at the appointed time. More time-saver tools are in the pipeline such as a barcode scanner option which will help people while ordering. Simply scan the item in your hand which you wish to re-order.

You will find a dizzying array of wholefoods, from 11 packs of dark chocolate and 25kg bags of cane sugar, to 6 packs of organic spelt four and an outstanding collection of artisan cheeses. Krystian intends to monitor customers purchases and needs closely, and to adjust the specifics of the products and amounts on sale accordingly.

Delivery will be nationwide, potentially expanding to Northern Ireland in the near future. Krystian intends to do the more local deliveries personally, within a 25km radius of the shop itself.

Krystian has been providing wholefoods from his beautiful vegan/vegetarian, organic, plant-based cafe in Dunlavin, Wicklow for many years. He is passionate about and dedicated to providing healthy food for as many people as possible, for a very long time to come.

Organicbulks.ie.

“Krystian has been providing wholefoods from his beautiful vegan/vegetarian, organic, plant-based cafe in Dunlavin, Wicklow for many years.”

Divinity in the workplace STOP

CHASING, START EMANATING

by Matthew Patti

Over the past three decades, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing something extraordinary: people remembering who they truly are. When this happens, work and life transform. The office, the studio, or the Zoom room becomes a sacred space; a living classroom for the soul.

Whether I’m guiding a client through a business challenge or standing in the vast stillness of the Sahara, I see the same truth reflected everywhere: there is no separation between the divine and the practical. Creation is always moving through us.

When my clients tune into that frequency, when they stop chasing results and begin emanating them, their energy changes. Teams become more cohesive. Clients respond with greater trust. Ideas flow with grace instead of effort. What was once work becomes an act of devotion.

I call this the divine economy; where each gift, talent, and ability is an offering. As we embody our soul’s expression, we uplift others. That light ripples outward, from one awakened individual to a thriving organisation, to a more conscious humanity.

This, to me, is divinity in the workplace: the recognition that the same intelligence guiding the stars is guiding us. When we remember who we are, infinite, creative, luminous beings, we don’t just go to work. We become the work of the Divine itself.

"There is no separation between the divine and the practical"

Behind the Art

SACRED GEOMETRY MEETS ASTROLOGY. by

Melissa McCormack

SolSeb Designs is a company that lives by the motto that art is more than something to look at – it’s something to feel, to wear, and to live. Created by Irish artists with a deep love for symbolism and mindful design, its latest collection explores the meeting point of sacred geometry and astrology – two timeless systems of wisdom that speak to the harmony of the universe.

Each piece unites the Flower of Life with the zodiac signs, merging geometric perfection with celestial energy. The result is a collection of hand-painted design T-shirts, tote bags, sweatshirts, and mugs that celebrate individuality while reminding us of our shared cosmic connection.

One of the major symbols that inspires SolSeb’s work is the Flower of Life. The Flower of Life is far more than decoration – it’s a meditation. Found in temples and manuscripts across cultures, this ancient pattern of overlapping circles is said to hold the blueprint of creation itself. Its rhythm and symmetry encourage mindfulness, patience, and inner peace. A symbol of

protection and positive energy, wearing the pattern shifts your vibration towards healing and offers energetic protection. As each brushstroke takes form, intention becomes art, and art becomes energy.

In keeping with SolSeb’s slow fashion philosophy, every piece is crafted one at a time – an act of care that honours both creativity and sustainability. These are designs to be lived with and cherished, offering protection, focus, and balance to those who wear them.

These designs are a quiet affirmation of harmony, creativity, and self-awareness. Behind every pattern lies purpose.

solsebdesigns.etsy.com @solsebdesigns

“These designs are a quiet affirmation of harmony, creativity, and self-awareness”

Unlocking human potential

CHOOSING VULNERABILITY.

by Alison McEvoy

Since 2010, when Brene Brown appeared on what became a wildly inspirational and popular Ted Talk, Brene has brought to light the foundations, connections and escape routes for things that have kept, and continue to keep, many people locked out from the best parts of being human – shame and guilt. Brene’s skill lies in bringing what is under the skin, out into the open, to be seen, understood and liberated. In particular, our innate, human potential for vulnerability, courage and empathy.

“I am interested in messy topics, but I want to make them not messy. I want to hack into these things I know are important and lay out the code for everyone to see.”

This mission statement remains a powerful guiding principle for Brene’s work. She has since written six #1 New York Times bestsellers such as ‘The Gifts of Imperfection’, ‘Daring Greatly’, ‘Rising

Strong’, and ‘Braving the Wilderness’. Her latest book, ‘Dare to Lead’, is the culmination of a seven-year study on courage and leadership.

Brene, a self-declared “researcher-storyteller”, brings a level of self-revelation to her stories that is unprecedented. As a researcher, she has sat in rooms with thousands of people, listening to their stories and gathering up the natural wisdom which they share with her. She presents her findings through her own deep sharing, thereby modelling the vulnerability, courage and empathy which she espouses.

At a certain point in her early career, shares Brene, “I had to put my data away and go find a therapist…I have a vulnerability issue, and I know that is the core of shame and fear and our struggle for worthiness. But it appears that it is also the birthplace of joy, of creativity, of belonging, of love, and I think I have a problem.”

LIVING WITH A WHOLE HEART

After losing the fight with vulnerability, and winning her life back, Brene set to work again a year later. It came to her that she needed to look more deeply at the group of people who have no fight with vulnerability, self-worth, connection and courage – a group she calls the ‘Whole-hearted”.

On cracking the code of wholehearted living, Brene reveals the courage, self-compassion and sense of worthiness which allows humans to be imperfect and still feel worthy of love and belonging.

Brene holds the belief that these things can be taught, learned and grooved their way into our lives, our hearts and our minds – it is never too late and they are never lost to us, no matter how the stories of our lives have gone. No matter how deep the void of neglect, or the pain of wounding, has gone, there is a way to find wholeness in your heart and to live from there.

BRENE TALKS

Brene has two podcasts running, UNLOCKING US, which focuses more on the individual journey through life, and DARE TO LEAD, which speaks to leaders and organizations. Brene is pushing for change at a systemic level and really intends to change the world, one human at a time.

Brene will be speaking at The Pendulum Summit in January 2026 at the Dublin Convention Centre.

Brenebrown.com Pendulumsummit.com

“I want to hack into these things I know are important and lay out the code for everyone to see.”

Health from within

THE LIFESTYLE PHARMACIST’S ADVICE.

by Aisling Cronin

Ed O’Reilly, also known as the Lifestyle Pharmacist, has been around the block when it comes to understanding health challenges, and is now keen to pass on what he has learned.

“People often ask me what the term ‘lifestyle pharmacist’ means to me,” he says. “I would say it’s someone who’s jumped through the hoops when it comes to health, and someone who has, most importantly, tried to understand how to solve those problems. Years ago, I had post-viral syndrome – I dug deep to solve my problems and soon realised that I had to re-educate myself. It was only then that I realised the lifestyle I had and the stresses I was under – I had to change them.”

He emphasises the importance of being your authentic self, first and foremost – that being happy in our own skin is one of the best ways we can promote our overall wellbeing. From a dietary perspective, he also makes it clear that eating organic food wherever possible is best for our bodies. Vitamin C and Vitamin D are highly recommended by Ed, as well as nurturing our gut microbiome: “The gut bacteria need to be healthy before you can be healthy.”

Ed works with a company called Vitamunda, which produces food supplements that use liposomal encapsulation technology. This is a method of encasing vitamins within a phospholipid bubble that protects the nutrients from external wear and tear.

“When I looked into liposomal supplements, this was like the missing piece for me,” Ed says. “But if it doesn’t work within six weeks, stop it. Don’t expect to get health from a supplement – get health from your kitchen, and then supplement that with anything extra you might need.”

lifestylepharmacist.ie

Vouchers

“The gut bacteria need to be healthy before you can be healthy’”

Oxygenate and rejuvenate

BREATHE IN HEALING.

by Aisling Cronin

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is one of the most cutting-edge wellness treatments out there. It involves sitting inside a special chamber that transmits air comprised of 100% oxygen. Normal room air contains around 21% oxygen.

This higher level of oxygen has been shown to help tissues in the body to heal more quickly from wounds and withstand infections. Pure oxygen helps the body's immune system to fight bacteria and generate stem cells. Stem cells are a particular type of cell in your body that helps create other types of important cells, including blood cells, brain cells and muscle cells.

HBOT treatments usually last between one and two hours. The chamber used during a HBOT session is generally pressurised to deliver oxygen that’s two to three times higher than normal air pressure, which aims to help your lungs gather and absorb more oxygen.

Once the door to the HBOT chamber

has closed, a client might hear a slight hissing sound as oxygen fills the chamber and the pressure inside slowly grows. Sometimes a person’s ears can react to this changed pressure, in a similar fashion to flying in an airplane or travelling through a mountainous area. This pressure in the ears by yawning or taking a sip of water. The client breathes normally during the session.

To work properly, the tissues in your body must have enough oxygen – and if your tissues suffer an injury, they need an even larger amount of oxygen. The increased air pressure in a HBOT chamber helps your blood to carry oxygen more efficiently through your body, especially to injured tissues. It also helps your white blood cells to protect your body from infections.

Some of the conditions HBOT has proven effective in treating include non-healing wounds, sports injuries, neurological disorders, and more.

Amber Surgery is one of the leading destinations for HBOT services in Ireland,

dedicated to helping clients experience the healing and rejuvenating abilities of concentrated oxygen. Certified HBOT specialist Ingrida Markovskiene currently oversees Amber Oxygen, which is Amber Surgery’s state-of-the-art hyperbaric facility.

The facility is equipped with a state-of-the-art hyperbaric chamber to help ensure that all clients’ HBOT sessions take place in a safe and comfortable environment. Amber Oxygen is also deeply committed to remaining at the forefront of advancements in the HBOT field, with staff continually engaging in ongoing studies and training in Hyperbaric Medicine.

This continuous pursuit of knowledge and expertise helps ensure that the clinic can provide the best possible care and achieve optimal results for all patients.

amberoxygen.com

“HBOT helps your blood to carry oxygen more efficiently through your body”

Time to Shine

DETOX & FEEL LIKE YOU AGAIN

by Alison McEvoy

Winter is a great time to review. Darkness settles in sooner, days inevitably go slower and there is almost a whole year to look back on. It’s a perfect time to take a look at how your health and well-being has impacted you this past year, and whether improvements are needed.

I’ve started adding a few supplements to my diet to cover the winter months - taking the opportunity to give myself a boost and remedy some of the issues I’ve had through the year. As part of my winter regime, I have started taking ‘NAC Augmented,’ a powerful detoxification supplement. It’s vegan, gluten free and the daily dose is just two tablets.

NAC (N-Acetylcysteine) is essential for, and stimulates the production of, the antioxidant glutathione. In stimulating the body to create this powerful antioxidant from within, the body begins to get to work against free radicals, inflammation, and age-related oxidative stress.

The results can be a reduction in aches and pains (inflammation in the joints), an improvement in brain function (oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain targeted) such as memory, learning and other mental and motor skills. The liver, in receiving a huge boost of support and a reduction in toxins moving through it, is rejuvenated.

As we know, the body and mind are one, and such significant physiological benefits are matched with the potential mental-emotional gains of this supplement. Studies have shown that it can help combat stress, anxiety, and addictive disorders, as a result of its powerful impact on the brain.

There’s a huge amount of science to delve into behind the scenes. However, if you’re feeling like you could do with a simple yet powerful detox this winter, check it out.

Cleanliving.ie

Augmentednac.com

“As part of my winter regime, I have started taking ‘NAC Augmented,’ a powerful detoxification supplement.”

Elevate Your Wellbeing Experience HBOT HBOT may help support:

At Amber Clinic Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) offers a powerful yet natural way to support the body’s ability to restore, repair, and rebalance.

In everyday life, we breathe about 21% oxygen. Inside a hyperbaric chamber, oxygen availability can rise to up to 99%, delivered under gentle pressure, allowing far more oxygen than normal to reach blood, tissues, and cells.

Contact Us: Amber Oxygen - Amber Clinic Unit 12, Burnell Square, Mayne River Way, Northern Cross, D17 YW40, Dublin +353 1 685 3333 info@amberoxygen.com www.amberoxygen.com

- Significantly increased oxygen delivery throughout the body

- Natural tissue repair, regeneration & recovery

- Reduced feelings of inflammation, swelling or tension

- Improved cellular energy (ATP) production

- Clearer focus, mental sharpness & cognitive freshness

- Healthy immune function

- Better circulation & microcirculation

- Rest, balance & overall wellbeing

- Athletic performance & post-exercise recovery

- Support during periods of fatigue or low energy

that changed everything the book

EMPOWER YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND.

by Nicola O ‘Neill

One book can change everything. For me, it was ‘The Power of Your Subconscious Mind’ by Dr. Joseph Murphy. I picked it up during one of the hardest chapters of my life — and it became the beginning of my spiritual awakening.

It was over a decade ago, in the middle of one of the hardest seasons of my life. I was studying for my MA in Social Work at NUIG, navigating a painful separation, and raising three children all under the age of seven. Life felt like it was closing in on all sides.

One afternoon, I wandered into Dubray Bookshop. I found myself standing in the self-help section, when one book seemed to call to me: ‘The Power of Your Subconscious Mind’ by Dr. Joseph Murphy. I picked it up and began to read. I felt disbelief mixed with curiosity. Could the mind really hold that much power? Could thoughts truly shape life?

Who Was Dr. Joseph Murphy?

Dr. Joseph Murphy was born in 1898 in Ballydehob, County Cork. In his early years, he joined the Jesuits and began training for the priesthood, but his restless, questioning spirit led him on a very different path. In 1922, he left Ireland for New York City, where he worked as a pharmacist — a practical profession that, interestingly, would later mirror his lifelong fascination with the healing power of the mind.

His search for truth also took him to India, where he immersed himself in Hindu philosophy and Eastern spirituality.

Over the years, Dr. Murphy wrote more than thirty books, including The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, The

Miracle of Mind Dynamics, and The Magic of Faith. His message was simple but revolutionary: the same divine power that created the universe flows through you — and when you align your subconscious mind with faith, gratitude, and expectancy, life begins to transform in extraordinary ways.

How His Teachings Changed My Life

After reading The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, I began to experiment with the prayers — or, as some might call them, affirmations — that Murphy described. At first, I was skeptical, but I began to notice what I could only describe as small miracles. One stands out clearly. I was flat broke. My college fees hadn’t been paid, my student card had been cut off, and I could no longer access the library. I felt miserable, defeated, and afraid. But instead of collapsing into worry, I decided to try one of Dr. Murphy’s affirmations on wealth. I wrote it out and repeated it until I knew it by heart: “I am now writing in my subconscious mind the idea of God’s wealth. God is the source of my supply. All my needs are met at every moment of time and point of space.

I give thanks for God’s riches ever circulating in my experience.”

“[W]hen you align your subconscious mind with faith, gratitude, and expectancy, life begins to transform in extraordinary ways.”

Within days, something shifted. I went to the university administration and explained my situation — that I was going through a separation and couldn’t afford the fees just yet. They gave me grace, reinstated my student card, and allowed me back into the library. Not long after, my ex-husband unexpectedly paid my college fees, hoping I’d qualify soon and be able to support myself.

That moment felt like confirmation that something real was happening. What I once dismissed as “coincidence” began to look like divine order — the power of the subconscious mind at work, just as Dr. Murphy had written.

Today, I am a qualified Spiritual Coach, guiding others to awaken to the same truth I discovered in that Dubray bookshop: that the power to transform your life has been within you all along.

Nicola O’Neill is a Spiritual Coach and teacher of higher consciousness. After completing her MA in Social Work at NUIG and training for three years with the Centres for Spiritual Living in the USA, Nicola now guides others to heal emotional blocks, reprogram the subconscious mind, and live from peace, faith, and spiritual power. She offers workshops, courses, and one-to-one coaching to help people experience the freedom and harmony that come from living in alignment with divine truth.

nicolaoneill.com

Get seen. Get booked. Get trusted

Get seen. Get booked. Get trusted

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beyond goals

LIFE COACHING WITH A HOLISTIC TWIST.

by Aisling Cronin

The value of life coaching is increasingly being recognised by people in all walks of life who need support with achieving a professional or personal goal. Life coaches provide a space for clients to explore any blocks that may be standing in their way, and how they can effectively overcome these blocks.

The relationship between a coach and their client aims to facilitate performance, learning and development of the client. It is not about influencing a client’s life decisions; and even though the practice might have some therapeutic effects, it is not the same as psychotherapy or counselling. Coaching is all about improving clients’ effectiveness and helping them to achieve results, with a focus on measurable steps that bring about success.

For a life coach, their approach to working with a client is primarily future-oriented and action-oriented, with a strong focus on individual growth and

development. Coaching is a partnership that takes place within a space of trust, safety, and challenge. In essence, coaching aims to be a catalyst for clients’ success.

One life coach who integrates a holistic attitude towards his work is John Emmett.

John had been working in retail management for around 27 years when, in 2021, he suddenly realised he wanted to do work that was more meaningful for him. In his words: "I had no belief in what I was doing. I had no clue what passion meant. I was coming to a standstill. To be honest, I have never fully understood what happened but I had always had a sense that this life we live, is for sharing and that what we do for others will always benefit not only them but ourselves also."

“Life coaching, when paired with a full-self approach, can be a powerful activator towards success"

His approach towards coaching goes beyond helping clients to set their goals: he focuses on moving beyond this towards a philosophy he describes as Life Alignment – fostering a connection between the mind, body and spirit. He also incorporates breathwork and meditation sessions to offer deeper transformation.

One of his most popular programmes is Life Alignment Reset, a three-day life coaching experience that helps clients to get started on not only meeting their goals, but gaining a more fully integrated sense of themselves.

Describing his Life Alignment philosophy, John said, "The heart is where everything that we truly desire or want comes from. Without the power of the heart and the feeling we give that power, we only have the mind's capabilities and goals and we are not fully asking our true self by not asking the HEART... When goals have been set and we think they are the correct ones and then we procrastinate and struggle to achieve them, we can slide and get distracted by the overwhelm. When this happens, we activate an Awareness of the Moment session. We would have an extra session to reset what thoughts were on your mind and why they were there."

Life coaching, when paired with a full-self approach, can be a powerful activator towards success.

johnemmettlifecoaching.com

divinehumanity

LOVE IS THE BRIDGE.

by Alison McEvoy

Sitting on Havana’s Malecon, a wall separating city from sea, I realised that this feeling in my heart was not new at all. It was one I was deeply familiar with. The most familiar of feelings in fact. It was strange to realise that my first heartbreak was not new. Just as my first feelings of love were also a remembering.

The first time another person awakened the dormant love in my heart, it was homecoming. A homecoming to the feeling and being which brought me into the world. As a child, my heart was all love. And here it was again, after years of being lost to that love. The high was immense. Bob Marley’s ‘is this love that I’m feelin’ rang in my ears day and night. I danced, I journalled, I sang and drew. I felt like a living paintbrush and every move my body made felt like art. All because I’d found someone to love. At 21 years old, I felt reborn through this love.

When it crashed and burned, as the salsa and bachata songs trailing from every balcony in Havana said it would, I awoke to another, more familiar, feeling; heart ache and break. It had been broken when I was very young through the unknowingness and emotional neglect across generations of parents in my line.

It’s taken decades of falling in and out of my own heart, pulled by the cyclones of relationships and breakups, to realise this. And to finally learn to walk back into my heart, with myself lighting the way.

“I felt like a living paintbrush and every move my body made felt like art.”

HAVANA, CUBA 2012 (Diary extract)

“I’m in Cuba again and it’s 2012… Our washing machine is an old Russian model. All the thing does is rattle and shake and swish the clothes around in the same circular motion. You often have to put your hand in and move things around a bit. Then, you guide the dirty water with a mop to a little mouse-hole in the wall which leads out to the drains. It is akin to what the thoughts had been doing in my mind space. Thoughts which would have to be released in much the same way as the water from the machine, with conscious, labour intensive effort and the know-how would be gathered along the way….

Darkness was falling as I tended to the clothes on the patio and a storm was moving in. I was listening to Clarissa Pinkola Estes’ ‘Untie the Strong Woman’. I’d heard the story over and over - The Nativity, the story of the birth, life, death and re-birth of Jesus Christ. Today, I heard it like I had never heard it before.

I felt a shared humanity and divinity as I listened to the story of Jesus Christ and the Holy

Family. Mary, a young virgin pregnant with the Child of Love is the every-young-woman, pure of heart, carrying the vibrant, affectionate love and playfulness of a child…eventually a miraculous birth takes place against all odds and thanks to the perseverance, love and dedication of the baby Jesus’ protectors, human and divine.

We are all pregnant with love as young men and women. The loving potential is enormous in us as children. We are often, however cut down and the child of love inside is wounded and wants to retreat. The way forward is to persevere in finding a place for love to reside in our hearts and to find the company of those who honour and will protect this inner child of love. I always breathed a sigh of relief at the end because the Child of Love always lives despite all attempts to slay him.

THIS story moved inside MY story that night…and I heard the message that love lives on in the wake of wounding and can thrive, if we make room for it. As Salman Rushdie wrote, “Love is always greater than that which defeats it.” And so, it is on the side of love, always and all ways that we are to place ourselves.”

Restorativehealingarts@gmail.com

DOWN TO EARTH

HEALTH FOOD STORE & HOMEOPATHIC DISPENSARY 73 South Great George’s St. Dublin 2

PHONE: 01-671 9702

Opening hours: Monday - Saturday 9.00am - 6.00pm

Closed sundays and bank holidays

• Acute homeopathic service

• Qualified homeopaths in store 6 days a week

• Over 800 homeopathic remedies in the dispensary

• Crystals and incense and salt lamps, also available

• Wide range of homeopathic creams and herbal tinctures

• Helios kits

• Flower and crystal essences (Bach, Healing Herbs, Australian Bush Flowers, Indigo, Crystal Light)

• Superb range of vitamin and herbal supplements

• Nature’s Plus, Viridian, Biocare, Higher Nature, Wild Nutrition, Together, Terranova

• Liposomal C

• The LifeMel Range

• A wide range of vegan and vegetarian food supplements and cosmetics available

• Selection of dried herbs

• Wholefoods, speciality foods & superfoods

• Eco-household products

• Organic skin care and body care Free delivery for orders over €40 info@downtoearth.ie homeopathy@downtoearth.ie www.downtoearth.ie Instagram: downtoearthdublin Facebook: Down to Earth Dublin

by the light of the moon

THE EIGHT MOON PHASES AND PERSONALITY.

by Mariana Saad

In astrology, a person’s Sun sign describes their outer personality and conscious identity. The Moon phase at birth reveals the inner pulse of their life – the instinctive, emotional, and spiritual dimension. The combination of Sun sign and Moon phase unites the masculine (yang) and feminine (yin) aspects of human nature, forming a more complete astrological picture.

The Moon’s 29-day cycle is divided into eight phases, each lasting about three and a half days and covering 45° of the zodiac wheel. These phases symbolise distinct developmental energies that mirror the Moon’s waxing and waning light. The waxing cycle (New to Full Moon) represents growth, creation, and establishment, while the waning cycle (Full back to New) symbolises release, reflection, and transformation.

People born in the waxing half tend to initiate new systems or ideas; those in the waning half often reform or renew existing ones.

Spiritually, the Moon’s phases are said to trace eight stages of the soul’s evolution. Souls born near the New Moon begin new karmic themes, while those born near the Balsamic Moon complete old ones.

These cycles also influence physical and creative fertility – each month, when the Sun and Moon recreate your birth phase, you experience heightened creativity and sensitivity, known as a Moon phase return.

The eight Moon phases carry unique symbolic and psychological meanings:

“Spiritually, the Moon’s phases are said to trace eight stages of the soul’s evolution”

• New Moon – A phase of hidden potential and new beginnings. Individuals are energetic, spontaneous, and visionary, but may lack follow-through. They act from instinct and love fresh experiences.

• Crescent Moon – Represents germination and focused growth. These people are curious, creative, and driven by purpose. They combine enthusiasm with foresight and learn through exploration.

• First Quarter – A stage of action and challenge. Born leaders, First Quarter individuals are bold, ambitious, and resilient. They thrive on proving themselves but must manage tension and impatience.

• Gibbous Moon – Symbolises refinement and self-development. Analytical and perfection-seeking, Gibbous individuals strive to master their craft and continually improve.

• Full Moon – The peak of illumination and fulfilment. Full Moon types are expressive, magnetic, and relationshiporiented. Life lessons come through partnerships and balancing opposites.

• Disseminating Moon – A phase of sharing and teaching. These communicative, independent individuals spread knowledge and insight through writing, speaking, or activism.

• Third Quarter – Marks re-evaluation and inner change. In the Third Quarter, people seek meaning, often transforming midlife by rejecting old values to live authentically. They combine creativity with conviction.

• Balsamic Moon – A time of closure and release. Deeply spiritual, introspective, and visionary, Balsamic individuals are completing karmic cycles. They value solitude, reflection, and transformation. Ultimately, the Moon phase at birth reveals how a person expresses growth, creativity, and soul purpose. It shapes whether their energy is directed toward beginnings, mastery, teaching, or completion. Together, the Sun sign and Moon phase describe both the visible and hidden layers of human nature — the outer light of personality and the inner rhythm of the soul.

Do you know your birth Moon phase?

Mariana is a Dublin-based astrologer offering one-to-one chart readings and personal astrology forecasts online through Zoom. Learn more about her at marianasaadastrology.com @mariana_saad_astrology