Vision Magazine August 2010 Edition

VISION MAGA ZINE 4 AUGUST 2010

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Contributing WritersJason and Pia Rotman Adrienne Abeyta Dr. Toni Galardi

Michael Raysses Louix dor Dempriey Lisa PetersonHan Cheung Jeff Primack Jesse Wolfe Hardin

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August Theme: Nourishment

September Theme: Educating Ourselves

C ATA LY S T F O R C O N S C I O U S L I V I N G

24

6 viewpoint eating raw

7 holistic living the sacredness of meals american academy of re exology

9 greek to me all I can eat

10 ask the lifequaketm doctor advice about life transitions

12 mindstates qigong heals bhakti fest new earth expo

16 regional western herbalism conference

17&19 culture heart burn out feed the body, nourish the soul

18 astrology august 2010 forecast

20 healing arts creation song

22 sustainable living plastiki

24-27 features farm food rave consciousness

28 community resources

34 vision caf nourishing your career reiki for you and your pet

37 holistic products vindure + resveratrol

38 holistic businesses mueller college anti-aging institute

42 calendar

45 visionary artist chuck good myspace.com/81529517

cover artistAmanda Hinds

facebook.com/amandahinds

If you have a comment on any of these articles email us [email protected] or visit us on facebook or twitter!


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by Jason and Pia RotmanHave you ever done something so amazing, so positive, so GOOD for your body

and soul, that you just had to tell everyone about it? Or have you dreamed of doing something thrilling, fulfilling, exciting and delicious?

This is how we feel about the raw foods diet. Being on a raw foods diet has been, and continues to be, a life-changing adventure. Raw foods are a lot easier and more exciting than they sound. Having a raw foods diet nourishes your body and involves eating 100% alive raw fruits and vegetables. By eating this way, we are making a conscious choice to put only the healthiest, most nutritious foods into our bodies. This diet gives us an incredible amount of energy, positivity, and good health. It is also the most natural and effective remedy for many lifestyle-induced diseases and ailments, and we think its the best dietary choice to increase your immunity, motivation, mental clarity and positivity.

We werent always on this high energy diet. Twelve years ago, Pia was introduced to the power of live foods while working at the Raw Experience, a gourmet Raw food restaurant in Maui, Hawaii. She became very aware of the connection between what she ate and how she feltphysically, emotionally, and spiritually. Jason, in his search for natural ways to enhance his mental clarity, physical health, and intuitive awareness, came across Angel Tech, which glorified raw foods as having the highest transference of energy. Living in Chicago at the time, he visited a couple of the raw restaurants in the city to try this newfound way of eating for optimum deliciousness, health, and wellness. He liked what he tried, and immediately noticed a heightened sense of awareness and sensitivity to everything happening around him...just from having a raw food meal.

Fast forward to Pia and Jason meeting in San Diego. They went to a local raw food restaurant The Greenery for their first date! It was a splendid dinner and a sign of many good things to come.

Two years ago, we decided we would try going raw for seven straight days, with the intention of detoxing and the desire to experience the raw energy immersion. We had no expectations, and even gave each other the option of stopping after a few days. But after the first three days, we felt so much more energy, joy, lightness, mental clarity and intuitive knowingall due to pure, fresh uncooked foods. It was a profound feeling, and a life-changing week. We discovered something so simple, easy and natural that provided a transformational effect on mind, body and soul. After our week was up we had a few cooked meals and noticed how sensitive our bodies were to the effect cooked meals had on our minds and bodieswe felt more sluggish. It was harder to digest cooked food, thus zapping some of our energy. Within a month, we chose to go 100% raw! We simply knew in our souls that going 100% raw would be the best choice for us to expand this amazing energy that was being generated from eating this way. Sparked by our abundance of energy and seeing the possibilities this experience could have on everyone, we learned the science behind raw food.

Why does eating raw fruits and vegetables make you feel so amazing, help you lose weight and help reverse many lifestyle-induced diseases prevalent in our society (obesity, diabetes type II, atherosclerosis, etc.)? One major reason is that raw foods have all of their nutrients intact. According to the Max Planck Institute, cooking not only disrupts the energetic structure of your food, it makes 50% of the protein unavailable, destroys 60-70% of the vitamins, including up to 96% of the vitamin B12, 100% of phytonutrients which boost the immune system and other body functions and up to 100% of the food enzymes. This type of information certainly made us think about what we were considering as nourishment!

Many questions surround this form nourishment, such as If I dont go 100% raw, will I still see some benefits of eating more raw food? Yes! Incorporate more high energy live food meals and youll experience the difference. Some people also ask: I have heard raw food doesnt work for everyones body type, is it true that not everyone is designed to thrive on all raw foods? We have learned and witnessed that anyone can thrive on a high energy raw diet, you just have to tailor it to your tastes and needs. If your body needs warmer food to help with digestion, then you can heat your food in a dehydrator. You can also take digestive enzymes after your meals to help digest the nutrients you are getting from your raw food. There are endless possibilities to make eating high energy foods work for you.

Ever since we transformed our way of eating to all raw energy foods, everything has changed for the better; we encourage you to try it. Give yourself a week of all raw nourishment. Make sure you have varietyfruits, vegetables, and protein (try hemp seeds on your salads). Keep a journal of how you feel each day and what emotions, realizations and intuitive insights occur. Your magical week of high energy nourishment will awaken your highest potential.

Jason and Pia Rotman thrive on a 100% living vegan diet and manage www.welovesuperfoods.com. Visit their website for free raw recipes and an abundance of high energy nourishment choices.

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Along with meditation, coming together at mealtime is one of the most holy and important times of your day, and for that reason, needs to be treated with the requisite level of sacredness that it deserves. The following are some simple guidelines for you to derive the highest vibrationand the greatest blessingsfrom not only your gathering (even when dining alone), but also from the food itself.

The consciousness you are in when you create is what you create.It is important to treat the preparing of food as a sacred ceremony, for the people

who eat it will be consuming the energy of the mental and emotional state you were in while you were creating it. If you are in a loving mood while making a meal, you will be serving love to whomever partakes of the food, regardless of what sits upon the plate; the opposite is also true (if you are angry, they will be fed anger). Add to that the importance of securing wholesome, organic food (ideally with a high concentration of vegan and raw food, though the same sacred practices and principles apply to non-vegan foods) best obtained from local growers, and you have the recipe for the most nourishing meal imaginableon all levels of being.

Some of the ways you can create a sacred space before and during meal preparation include prayers, blessings, candles, and soft, ambient music. This could include singing devotional songs; chanting a prayer, mantra, or blessing; or even humming sweetly. Bless the food while you are preparing it, every step of the way, continually blessing the growers, the sellers, the diners, and Mother Earth for providing it. Be in a state of deep gratitude, and focus on the joy and privilege of being able to serve others (and yourself) in this way.

Remember that the real and only food we eat is prana (life force energy). Our earthly meals are only one of many different vehicles through which we draw prana into our bodies and auric fi elds. Others include meditation, yoga, pranayama, receiving darshan and shaktipat, healing music, art, exercise, and wholesome communion with animals and nature.

The experience of eating is one of deep communion with your Lord God. Eat each meal with gratitude and respect. It is a wise practice to eat some of your meals in silence. If you speak at all, offer only words of love and joy, perhaps sharing your gratefulness for something beautiful which happened that day. Let go of the tendency to chatter and gossip. And never rant, complain, or discuss business during meals (if you are on a business lunch, do the talking/business part after the meal, perhaps over tea).

I also highly recommend that everyone incorporate fasting one day each weekin addition to your yearly, or seasonal, fasts. This will kindle a deeper appreciation for

the gift and privilege of having food; develop greater compassion, empathy, and desire to help those who are starving in the world; and create a more balanced appetite and consumption habits by mitigating tendencies to gorge, binge, waste, or otherwise abuse the tradition of eating. You will be amazed at the countless gifts you will receive by surrendering one days worth of food each week. Finally, as we are all connected in the Great Circle of Life, your selfl ess offering will alchemically reduce starvation and poverty on the planet in a much more far-reaching and impactful way than any offering of money or time, because this type of gift is wired directly into the collective consciousness at the cellular and even sub-atomic levels.

Always remember that there are three stages of eating: preparation, consumption, and clean-up. If you have not created enough time to complete all three phases of the meal in grace you do not have enough time to eat. If that is the case, it would be better to go about your busy-ness, and return when you can give your breaking of bread its due place of honor in your day.

After your meal, the practice of restoring the space to an even higher level of grace than you found it will cap the dining experience with the ultimate blessing, as the next ones to come along will enter into and receive your blessing which, in the karmic cycle of life, returns it once again to you and all your future endeavors.

Louix Dor Dempriey is a spiritual Master who has come into this world to help others restore their inherent divinity and live as unconditional love. With grace and humor, Louix imparts timeless wisdom in contemporary, practical teachingsthat transcend all faiths, paths, religions, and culturesmaking self-mastery and true, inner peace attainable for all. He resides at Prema Drala Ashram, located in Laguna Hills, California. For more information, please visit: www.Louix.org or attend Darshan with Louix Dor Dempriey, September 15, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at Rose Temple, 305 Rose Ave., Venice, CA 90291

To receive the blessing of this spiritual Master can have profound transformational effects, which often evokes exalted states of bliss, kundalini rising, and even, at times, healing of physical ailment. 2006, 2008 Louix Dor Dempriey Foundation

The Sacredness of Mealsby Louix Dor Dempriey


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Refl exology is generally associated with applying pressure to certain parts of the feet. Yet, begins Bill Flocco, Director of the American Academy of Refl exology, Foot refl exology is merely one-third of the practice. At his school in West L.A., students have been learning a unique combination of refl exology on the feet, hands and ears since 1982.

To Refl exologists, feet, hands and ears represent a visual map of the human body, with certain parts corresponding to certain organs, glands, and structures in the body. Think about the shape of your outer ear and think of a baby upside down in the fetal position and superimpose them, Flocco explains. The ear lobe has refl exes for the head, and the top of the ear has refl exes for the feet.

Flocco coined the phrase ear refl exology in 1982, noticing Auriculotherapy (use of medical implements on the outer ear) charts similarity to refl exology when visiting different medical offi ces. Using all three methods with his clients, it soon became apparent that each refl exology map (feet, hands, ears) more effectively treated different conditions. Flocco began using this treatment pattern, called Priority Refl exing, in which the ears more effectively relieved neck, shoulder, and lower back pain; menstrual cramps or colon issues were reduced through the feet; and headaches and sinus problems were best worked through the hands. Soon after, he realized and implemented into his practice the added effectiveness of Progression Refl exinga specifi c order for which the three methods are applied.

Chemical buildup around the refl exes in the feet, hands, and ears is much like a corrosive car battery, explains Flocco. Imagine a huge motor home that has corrosion on all three batteries. After eliminating the corrosion from one battery, that motor home is going to have more power, but not full power

TRIPLERELIEF

by Han Cheung

because of corrosion on the other two. Since we had been working with all three froms the very early stages, we werent attached to the feet or hands or ears, Flocco said. So this whole new body of knowledge emerged.

Initially a skeptic, Flocco entered the fi eld 29 years ago, after a slow recovery from a serious

illness during which he discovered refl exology. Having greatly benefi ted from the treatment, he

began his work with others. The fi rst lady I worked on had a stiff neck for 12 years. I

worked on her twice and gave her homework, and within two weeks she had regained a complete range of motion in her neck.

That really got my attention.Reducing stress and eliminating pain are the primary focuses of

relief in refl exology, with about 70 to 90 percent of medical visits resulting from long term stress, adds Flocco. Some clients use refl exology as a precaution, hoping to prevent stress, pain, and illness by enhancing overall wellness.

Aside from invitations to teach across America and around the globe including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Australia and Chinawhose most recent class had over 800 attendees, many of them medical doctorsin 1993, his teams research study on the benefi ts of refl exology in reducing PMS symptoms was released in Obstetrics and Gynecologythe fi rst of its kind to ever be published in scientifi c medical literature.

Since then, he has amassed a collection of over 380 studies, which can be found on his Refl exology Research website. Its been part of my dream for many years to have that information to be available for free for everyone on earth that had Internet access, Flocco said.

Currently, his school teaches beginning classes and a 150-hour full professional certifi cate course as a state licensed vocational school. They also hold various continuing education and specialty classes, such as a Thai foot refl exology course. Students are able to pick and choose courses initially, but the professional certifi cate program requires students to learn all three methodologies and integrate them into one session. Many students already work in medical and physical therapy offi ces or spas and beauty salons, a great means to segue into and incorporate refl exology into their practices. Ultimately, students want to help others in a way that gives them deep inner personal satisfaction.

Imparting words of endearment to his students, Flocco stresses attentiveness to the client. Listening and working according to the needs of each individual is more important than a mastery of refl exology.

Bill Flocco, Director of American Academy of Refl exology, works out of his schools campus at 725 E. Santa Anita Avenue, #B, Burbank, CA. He can be reached at 818.841.7741 or AARefl [email protected]. To view his collection of studies, or for more on Bill Flocco, visit refl exologyresearch.net. To learn more about The American Academy of Refl exology, including course and enrollment information, visit americanacademyofrefl exology.com.


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For most of my adult life I have experienced words in much the same way as I have people. Some please me just to see them turn up on the page merely because of old and warm associations (the word apparatus comes to mind). Others I love because pronouncing them makes my tongue dance as they caress my ear (dcolletage is at the top of that list). Still others I appreciate because of the magnanimity of their meaning. Take the word nourishmentas much as it refers to substances necessary for growth and a healthy condition, it also encompasses both the act of providing nutrition, as well as the state of receiving the same. There is a plenitude about it that I embrace increasingly with each passing year.

When I was a kid my family didnt have a lot of discretionary income for entertainment. When it wasnt warm enough to go to the beach, we would congregate at one of my aunts houses. Wed have lunch, and weather permitting, we would spill out onto the front yard. The adults would sit on rickety lawn chairs, and after we had digested our meal, the kids would play games - physical games. There would be somersaults and cartwheels, and even the occasional human pyramid with all of us vying to be the last one to climb on top. Then, at some point, the adults would get involved.

I loved that moment. It was as if the act of watching us having fun reminded them of their own childhood and love of play. That reverie obliterated the line between old and young. Typically the grown-ups participation ended when my Uncle John did his patented trick: lying on the ground face down with his arms stretched fully over his head, using only his splayed fi ngertips and toes, he would lift his entire torso off the ground.

One day after Uncle John had fi nished levitating, we were milling around with a sense of wanting more but not exactly knowing what it was we were lacking. Then my Aunt Cal went into the house to put some music on the hi-fi . Suddenly, through the open living room windows, I heard the sound of trumpets blaring. Then there was a pause, a lull before a storm I didnt know was coming. And then like a shotta-da-dump, ta-da-dump, ta-da-dump-dump-dump, ta-da-dump, ta-da-dump, ta-da-dump-dump-dump! The squall of music lifted me up and began blowing me around

the yard like a leaf caught in a phantom gust. As the music increased in tempo and intensity, I continued to run about the yard like some wild pony gone mad. As deeply immersed as I was in this feeling, I was also aware that I was being watched. That others were participating in this event in their own way. When the music fi nally died, I collapsed in a pile in front of my extended family. They looked amused; I felt sated. Thanks to the the William Tell Overture Finale, I was introduced to the notion that perhaps being nourished was as much to do with providing something to others as it did giving something to myself.

It became evident that for me sustenance had a physical component to it that had little to do with putting something in me, but much as putting myself into somethingan activity, an awareness, and thus a state of being.

As I grew older I got involved in sports in an attempt to probe those subterranean levels that I became aware of when I posed questions to myself to which I had no answers. It wasnt until college before I came to understand that my love of all things physical had evolved into a need for something that married the visceral with the cerebral. So I took a ballet class, overlooking that I had feet so fl at they made 2 x 4s look elegant by comparison. But the misery of wearing the required dance belt a remnant of the Marquis de Sade collection of support garments for male dancers that fl attened any unwanted bulges while practically guaranteeing that whoever wore it would never father any childrenmade my stay a brief one.

The irony of my wandering is today one of the things that nourishes me most. I shoot a hundred free throws a day; its sublimely physical, profoundly mental, and deeply illuminating. When I fi rst started, I would count the hundred in one large chunk. Then I began keeping track by dividing them into ten groups of ten shots. My accuracy increased dramatically when I did so. Now I do my best when I keep this thought foremost in my mind: when shooting 100 free-throws, the best approach is to shoot them one shot at a time.

I know that in all likelihood free-throws will give way to something else, but they have confi rmed what I have always suspected: nourishment isnt necessarily something consumed. It is where thought and movement and stillness and action and emptiness and fullness intersect and converge. In short, it is where I can most fully be me. Consistent with that notion, I hope that reading this has in some small way benefi tted you. Nothing would nourish me more.

Michael Raysses is a writer/NPR commentator living in Malibu, California. Email him at [email protected].

EATALL I CAN 2010 by Michael Raysses

Courage is like love; it must have hope for nourishment.

- Napoleon Bonaparte

Feed me, sucker! -Audrey, Jr., the esh-eating plant from The Little Shop of Horrors

Ill take what the esh-eating plant is having.-My Uncle Tasso


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Dear Dr. Toni:I am a 28-year-old aesthetician, have been going to school part-time for several years

and am an only child to immigrant parents. My grandmother is the only other relative I have. My parents are wonderful and do so much for me, but I did live with my grandma when I was a baby because my mother suffered from post partum depression. These factors might have contributed to my issues: I hate being alone for very long and attract men who are nothing like my sincere father theyre total bad boys. They dont treat me well and it takes me forever to let one go. I hold on until a new guy comes along and eventually the same cycle begins. I have been trying to break away from my current partner, who lives with me in my parents old house, but I cant seem to do it. What do you suggest, Dr. Toni?

Desperate and Lonely

Dear Reader:There are a lot of clues here and I disagree with you that your parents are not part

of the problem. I am not suggesting you have bad parents, but part of parenting is teaching your child to individuate from you, to become an adult capable of standing on their own two feet. Often, in first generation immigrants we see a burden of responsibility to the family tribe, and because you are the only child it totally falls on your shoulders. Since your parents are still supporting your living space (and it appears your boyfriends), it sets up a double bind of obligation.

Your father being a good guy unconsciously compels you to choose guys who are the opposite of him. Until you have separated from your Dad both financially and emotionally, you will continue to choose the opposite type of significant other. As for your fear of being alone, perhaps you have a fear of abandonment issue that originally developed when your grandmother took over parenting from your mother. I may be projecting here but it seems that you trust your father more. I suggest you see a psychotherapist who can do some hypnotic regression to the pre-verbal time in your life (before age 2) and help you develop a healthy internal mother sub-personality who can bond with your infant sub-personality so that you begin to feel safe with yourself.

Over time, a psychological separation will take place from your parents, and you will begin to feel good in your own aloneness. You will start to naturally choose better partners from this place. Interview therapists and find out if they have

experience with inner bonding work specifically.

Dear Dr. Toni:I am a 24-year-old gay man who

has been in a relationship for one year. My partner drinks heavily and I am in recovery for an addiction to marijuana. I love this guy but I find I am now drinking more, although I am not addicted to alcohol. It is more a function of being socially involved in his night-life. I dont want to lose him but I am also yearning to have a stronger spiritual life than I currently have. My mother is also an alcoholic and I have tried to get her

to stop drinking to no avail.I feel confused as to how to get him to stop drinking. Do you have any suggestions,

Dr. Toni?Charlie C

Dear Charlie:Yes, it can be quite the burden to take on your own personal temperance

campaign with those you love! My point, darlin is to focus on your addiction issues. It doesnt work to try and change others. If you find that you are more prone to drink when you go out with him, dont blame him or try to fix him stop going out with him and find a sober community.

I would suggest going to meetings: either AA, CODA Co-dependence Anonymous, or Alanon (a group for family members of alcoholics) to support your own sobriety. As for your spiritual needs, take a class in meditation or visit a meditation center Vipassana or Siddha Yoga have centers in most big cities.

Read books that will inspire you to follow a spiritual path; I loved Chogyam Trungpa Rimpoches classic Shambala, The Sacred Path of the Warrior With this book the warriors path is opened to contemporary men and women in search of self-mastery and greater fulfillment. Interpreting the warriors journey in modern terms, Trungpa discusses such skills as synchronizing mind and body, overcoming habitual behaviors, relaxing within discipline, facing the world with openness and fearlessness, and finding the sacred dimension of everyday life. Above all, Trungpa shows that in discovering the basic goodness of human life, the warrior learns to radiate that goodness out into the world for the peace and sanity of others.

Be an example for your family and friends, not a nag. Good luck, Charlie.

Dr. Toni Galardi is the author of The LifeQuake Phenomenon, a public speaker, and life transitions coach. She works with individuals and groups all over the country. She can be reached through her website: http://www.lifequake.net or by calling 310-712-2600.

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Reconnective Healing is a life-changing experience. Now, for the rst time, you can learn this new, more comprehensive spectrum of healing, which includes and expands beyond any and all known forms of energy healing. Comprised of energy, light and information, the Reconnective Healing spectrum allows your entire being to heal and evolve on all levels: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and more.

Now you, too, can master this work in just one weekend - to facilitate healings for yourself, your family and others!


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Special Workshop at 12pm$20 advance, $25 at the door

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m i n d s t a t e s

During Qigong practice we feel a powerful pulsation of blood in our body. Often it takes people by surprise how warm they feel after making just a few hand movements. Qigong moves a lot of blood and generates a lot of energy without lots of movement or stress.

Often people ask What is a Qi blockage? It is simply a small area where the blood cannot go, or an area where disease can occur. For example, some people may have a knot in their stomach or bad digestion. Qigong usually improves this condition. Blood can work itself through closed off capillaries when a person is relaxed and increasing Qi in that area. Wherever Qi goes, blood follows. Normal healthy people use about 60% of the circulatory system. When our Qi increases this percentage also goes up. Blood fl ow to the brain and organs is improved, therefore our health is greatly benefi ted. The electrical aspect of Qigong also plays a role.

How is this different than jogging which is very benefi cial to our health? In Qigong the body is totally relaxed, yet the blood is mobilized to fl ow powerfully. Because there is no stress response or cortisol release, which contracts blood vessels, the blood can enter areas that may have been blocked off for years. Microcirculation to the forehead is increased and digestion is greatly improved. Imagine the same blood circulation you get from jogging while standing still, completely relaxed. No other exercise offers this level of circulation to organs and endocrine glands. Stiff shoulders beware: there is Qi and blood coming through.

Healthcare practitioners can prevent themselves from getting drained by seeing lots of sick patients. This is a fact for many therapists and nurses that I encounter. Each year we train hundreds of registered nurses and nearly all of them complain that they constantly feel drained. Often massage therapists take on the aches and pains of their clients. While this may sound superstitious I assure you the phenomena is real. Often doctors who specialize in a certain aspect of medicine are exposed to a certain Energy Information Signal so frequently that they end up with the same problems they are surrounded by. What is a healer supposed to do? By using Qigong one can easily cleanse their energies. Dianne Dougherty is a nurse that we trained who says she is no longer affected by other peoples energy after learning Qigong. Now she has energy to fi nish her shifts. She is dedicated to a daily practice.

Oprah Winfreys beloved Dr. Oz said on her internationally viewed show, If you want to live to 100 do Qigong. He also said, Qigong is the best longevity exercise. There are thousands of scientifi c studies that show Qigong has helped people to reverse cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

Healing occurs in Qigong when one raises their energy high enough to push through the blockages of the nervous and circulatory system. Whatever Qi touches will be rejuvenated by it, however people are often blocked and thus need stronger

How Does

Qigong Heal?

by Jeff Primack

Over 4000 years ago Chinese medicine said, Blood is the mother of Qi.The Old Testament Leviticus 17:11, For the life of the fl esh is in the Blood.

continued on page 39

A Conversation with Sridhar Silberfein Producer of Bhakti Festby Sydney L. Murray


m i n d s t a t e s

www.SunburstOnline.org Email: [email protected](805) 736-6528

Now is the time to renew your body and mind, and deepen your spiritual practice. Sunburst Sanctuary offers such a place. Join in our weekly Sunday meditation service at 10:30 am.

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Sunburst Sanctuary

Bhakti Fest has been called the Spiritual Woodstock, and for a reason. Amazingly it actually has its roots in Woodstock. During that summer of love producer Sridhar Silberfein connected with the coordinators of the event that will go down in history. Valuing this young mans opinion they asked what he thought was missing from Woodstock he answered, the spiritual component.

Having produced spiritual events for the last 30 years including Ram Dass and Ammagi, Silberfein is the perfect person to organize this amazing gathering celebrating yoga, spiritual teachings and kirtan.

Taking place this September in Joshua Tree, Bhakti Fest is truly a life-changing gathering. Mark your calendars and be prepared to open your hearts, minds and bodies to the amazing beauty of the both the place and the people. Recently I had the opportunity to speak to Silberfein.

Vision Magazine: Why did you create Bhakti Fest?Sridhar Silberfein: We are a nonprofi t foundation called the Center for Spiritual

Studies, which has been in existence since 1972. Weve been raising money for charities and helping a lot of people. We wanted to provide a vehicle for this work, so to speak, and bring it under one roof.

We decided it was time to bring it all together and Bhakti Fest was born anew last year. Bhakti Fest is a nourishment of the entire soul, we are taking care of people, bodies, minds, and spiritual hearts. Every aspect about this festival is about nourishing all of the people in attendance.

We are feeding everybody the best vegetarian and organic food. Everybody is chosen for their compassionate hearts, including the vendors, as we require a review process of each brand. We offer free water to everyone as we are in the high desert and we want people to be hydrated. We have a variety of great companies coming and exhibiting. Not only that, we have twenty-eight of the top yoga teachers in the country giving classes from 6am to 8pm, all four days, in two yoga halls. The Joshua Tree Retreat Center is amazing with buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

We have some up and coming new groups that are really putting out amazing music.

We really wanted to encompass all aspects of yoga. Theres never been one place where you can go and fully nourish the spiritual being. We have picked out the best lectures and discourses. And not everything is outside, we have two yoga halls that are inside and one is completely air-conditioned. The only thing that is outside is the music, but it is covered so people attending are protected from the sun as well.

VM: What would be the most important element for Bhakti Fest for you?

SS: For us it is the fact that a certain amount of the proceeds are going to be given to charity. This is a great vehicle for us to be able to

support great charities. VM: On the spiritual level what kind of nourishment do you think

the four days provide attendees?SS: Some of the lectures are from some very great spiritual teachers. It is a very

deep session which allows you to come, close your eyes and receive the news of God. You will get everything you need.

My platform is to do good and take care of people, feed everybody and show them love and compassion. Everybody is suffering [on some level]. When we see that, we are able to hold their hands, taking them from the dark side and showing them the light. Their lives could be truly amazing. Love and compassion are key.

VM: If there is one thing that you do on a regular basis to make the world a better place, what would that be?

SS: I really believe that discipline is the key to our lives; I love getting up everyday and meditating and doing yoga. Its all about discipline.

VM: What does the word Bhakti mean?SS: Bhakti is a Hindu word and it connotes an attitude of devotion. It is love,


Four Days That Will Change Your Life

A Conversation with Sridhar Silberfein Producer of Bhakti Festby Sydney L. Murray


www.Louix.org

* All events are by donation, except the New Years Eve Retreat. Please visit www.Louix.org for pricing details.

All proceeds from this event will be used to support the Louix Dor Dempriey Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization.All attending these events consent to having their names, voices, images, and likenesses recorded and used for commercial purposes.

One moment in His presence is worth a lifetime of searching.

Southern California EventsAug - Dec 2010

21 Aug: Devotional Singing with Louix: 7:30 p.m. Prema Drala Ashram, 25742 La Serra Laguna Hills, CA 92653

15 Sep: Darshan: 7:00 p.m. Rose Temple, 305 Rose Ave., Venice, CA 90291

8 Oct: Darshan: 7:00 p.m. Seaside Center for Spiritual Living

1613 Lake Drive, Encinitas, CA 92024

29 Dec 2010 2 Jan 2011: New Years Eve Retreat The Lodge at Torrey Pines, La Jolla, CA 92037

For more information or to register for the retreat, please contact Samantha:

ph: (888) 288-3735 e-mail: [email protected]

l i v i n g a r t s

Everything we are experiencing today is the fruit born of seeds we planted in yesterdays soil. This simple wisdom applies whether we are discussing our ability to create our lives on a spiritual level, or talking about actual plants we harvest and eat. Just as we nourish our bodies with living foods, we nourish our minds with living wisdom.

One of the great living examples of this philosophy is Don Miguel Ruiz, Toltec Shaman, speaker, and bestselling author of The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom. Don Miguel writes, The human mind is like a fertile ground where seeds are continually being planted. The seeds are opinions, ideas, and concepts. You plant a seed, a thought, and it grows. Don Miguel has collaborated with his son, Don Jose Ruiz, on the sequel entitled The Fifth Agreement: A Practical Guide to Self Mastery. Its message is about reconnecting with our divine nature, so that we may always do our best to live our dreams of creating heaven on earth.

Speaking about their new book, Don Jose says, The fi fth agreement is ultimately about seeing our whole reality through the eyes of truth. The result of practicing this agreement is the complete acceptance of ourselves just the way we are, and the complete acceptance of everybody else just the way they are. The reward is our eternal happiness.

The teachings found

FeaturesDon Miguel Ruiz,

Author of The Four Agreementsby Jeff Primack


l i v i n g a r t s

Master Mingtong Gu has brought a level of transmission of mind-body practice that is unparalleled in my experience. Brian Bouch, M.D, director of HP Medical Center

I have 20 years experience in Yoga, Qigong and energy healing. I have never felt healing energy like this before! ! George Anton, M.D

MASTER MINGTONG GU received his training from a variety of Grandmasters of China, Tibet and at the worlds largest Qigong hospital. He is the founder of the Chi Healing Center and Wisdom Healing Foundation.

WISDOM HEALING QIGONG

Imagine how your life would be when your body, organs, cells, heart and spirit are all nurtured and fulfilled by the Divine pure energy which is the source of are all nurtured and fulfilled by the Divine pure energy which is the source of all life! Master Gu teaches the Wisdom Healing techniques used by a Qigong hospital in China. As the worlds largest medicine-less hospital, it has treated more than 200,000 patients and 185 diseases with a 95% success rate.

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in these two books are resonating with hundreds of thousands of people, putting Don Miguels book on the New York Times bestseller list for eight years. Don Miguels teachings are simple and effective.

Maybe its the nourishing experience you receive from his teachings and practices. The Four Agreements emphasizes how the words we speak have magic within them, a magic it would behoove us to use with awareness. Similarly, the words we hear and believe have an enormous impact on our lives. By freeing ourselves from making constant assumptions, we free ourselves from emotional poisons. Ruiz also encourages people to base their happiness on doing their best within the moment, rather than trying to derive happiness from future results and false ideas of achievement.

Don Miguel and Don Jose Ruiz are making a rare Southern California appearance in late August teaching a workshop on Living the Five Agreements at the New Earth Expo in San Diego. This is a precious opportunity to experience Don Miguel in person, as he has signifi cantly reduced his appearances and workshops. Truly Ruiz is a teacher not to be missed.

Even more wonderful is he will be appearing at The New Earth Expo, where many practitioners will teach physical and spiritual nourishment. This Expo will feature speaker programs in both English and Spanish, emphasizing the producers belief in the importance of integrating cultures and awakening consciousness. There will also be a special performance by Xavier Quijas Yxayotl, who will perform a healing ceremony asking for the reconnection with Mother Earth entitled: Awaken the SpiritJourney into Sacred Mayan Ancient Sounds. According to the Mayan, Aztec, Inca and Hopi traditions the year 2012 indicates an opportunity for a planetary shift in consciousness. Xavier is performing this ceremonial concert to prepare individual resonance, aligning people with this potential.

Over 2,000 years ago music came from clay fl utes and instruments made from natural materials from the earth. This music fi lled the temples and courtyards of ancient civilizations. Xavier has spent many years in studying and researching these



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Scattered amidst older neighborhoods of various New Mexico towns and rural adobe villages dwell Yerberas and Curanderas, traditional Hispanic healers skilled in the ways of plant medicine. Their roots remain in Central America, where their families practice the same skilled discipline. In the jungles of Ecuador, Elder Hourani is the sole source of medicine for his village. To the east, an Appalachian Grannywife follows in the footsteps of her mother and her mothers mother as she kneels in her garden, tending to each species to deepen her understanding of its characteristic blend of properties and effects. Across the ocean, herbalists in Great Britains Fey Forest draw from historically traditional techniques, collecting specimens for holistic healing. In an effort to hone in on a natural way of lifeoften independent of prominent access to modern medicineherboligists around the globe seek to provide the most holistic care possible.

Lowered incomes and layoffs, dangerous side-effects of prescription pills, and the ever heavier burden of sky-rocketing health costs have greatly increased the need for self-sufficient communities and spurred the rising interest in natural healing. Herbalism epitomizes the strengths a natural and regional approach can offer in preventative and curative care, not eliminating, but certainly lessening the need for high-tech tests, allopathic treatment, immunity-squashing antibiotics and other suppressive drugs. Besides saving money, developing natural healing skills is the most intuitive, nourishing and supportive form of primary care. A more intimate and cognizant relationship with nature increases bodily awareness and sensory input, affording the ability to read the conditions and needs of othersultimately strengthening a global connection.

From Sept. 17th-19th, over twenty renowned herbalists will join the Traditions In Western Herbalism Conference, an international gathering held at the beautiful Ghost Ranch retreat center near Santa Fe. This unique event brings together many of our times most vital voices into a single forum, emphasizing experiential learning and hands-on understanding for herbal students of all levels or anyone with an interest in effective personal health care. Hailing from a diverse range

An Empowering Gathering of Indigenous & Contemporary Healing Traditionsby Jesse Wolf Hardin

of bioregions, the likes of Rosemary Gladstar, Mathew Wood, Phyllis Light, Charles Garcia, Kiva Rose and I will share our operative traditions, from ancient Mayan to contemporary nature-based, reflecting the spirited variety of our diverse practices.

Besides contributing to the well-being of friends and family, understanding the rudiments of herbalism contributes to consciously serve the health of the community. Limitless explorations in this field includes village healers, urban practitioners, healing arts teachers, clinical herbalists, scientific researchers, field botanists, plant conservationist or committed restorer of essential botanical habitats, to name a few. Like our hunter-gatherer forefathers, living close to the land brings us closer to each other and to our planet. Together, we walk in the footsteps of the ancestors.

Jesse Wolf Hardin is an acclaimed teacher of Anim nature-informed practice and the author of seven

inspiring books. He and his partners offer empowering online herbal and nature awareness correspondence courses, as well as counsel and healing consultations. Readers are invited to the Anim Sanctuary, an ancient place of power, for wilderness retreats and events: Anim Lifeways & Herbal School www.animacenter.org. For more information or to registration for the 2010 Traditions in Western Herbalism Conference visit www.TraditionsInWesternHerbalism.org


c u l t u r e

Are you someone who cares about other people? Are you among the fi rst to notice if someone is upset? Do you like to help those in need around you? Are you someone who often thinks of others needs before your own?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, you are probably a person with a lot of empathy. Someone who has a lot of empathy can fi nd it diffi cult to have both healthy connections and healthy boundaries. Yet, both are required in order to enjoy your life and not burn out as a caring, empathic person. Empathy increases our ability to feel exquisite joy and deep connection to life. It also increases the capacity to feel everything else which can include pain, confusion, frustration, and fear.

The key for keeping your capacity to receive life fully without being drained is knowing how to take care of yourself to stay energized. Many people with high levels of empathy fi nd their attention often goes externally to helping others. They may even get most of their self-esteem from how well they can help those in need around them. Noticing what is happening around you is not the issue. The problem is when we lose our ability to sense what is going on inside ourselves because of the habit of paying more attention to what others need.

In simple terms, do you know how to turn your attention inward? Often it comes down to habitswhat were you rewarded for in your family growing up? If you were rewarded for taking care of everyone else, it was often at the expense of taking care of yourself. In order to know what you need, it is necessary to know how to sense what is going on inside yourself. Do you know what your needs are? Do you think it is somehow selfi sh or self-centered to pay attention to your own needs?

In todays stress-fi lled world we deal with on a daily basis, it is paramount that we learn to take care of ourselves. The airlines have it rightyou must put your own oxygen mask on fi rst before helping those in the seat next to you. If you dont, there will be no one to help the child or the person in need beside you. It runs counter to how most of us were raised. Yet when we know how to fi ll our own containers, it gives us a lot more to offer the world around us. Our gifts are more fully and easily expressed.

When you feel good and energized it makes you more effective and often more effi cient. Have you ever noticed when tired or frazzled you make more mistakes? Research has shown this to be true across all professions, not to mention our private lives.

Distinct skills in how to listen to your inner wisdom can be taught and learned. I have been gathering these skills from many different sources for a number of years. Initially I taught primarily healthcare professionals. But today more and more regular people are realizing the importance of these skills.

So how do we learn the skills of staying full and energized? Can anyone learn these? Absolutely!

First, start by being curious as to what is going on inside of you. Allow yourself to slow down and take your attention inward. You may need to partially or fully close your eyes. Simply notice what is happening inside your body with no judgment. Whatever shows up is fi ne.

Once you are paying attention inside, take note of sensations, intuitive hits and physical awareness that is new or familiar. Register it all with a neutral mind. Be curious. You are simply drinking in your experience it may offer you important information that only your inner landscape can offer

Next allow yourself to feel the underside of your body. If you are sitting, feel your sitting bones on the surface you are resting on. Feel the bottoms of your feet

IsYour

Compassionate Heart

BurningOut?

by Suzanne Scurlock-Durana

on the fl oor. Allow your awareness to drop into the earth. With gravity you are connected to

the earth all the timeso feel it!Once you are aware of this connection,

allow yourself to soak up nurturing energy from this connection with the earth. Like a sponge in a clear pool of water, simply allow nourishing sensations to begin to fi ll you up a pace that works

for you. What would that feel like? Do your best to feel it. And take your time. When you are ready to move on, notice how

you feel compared to when you started this inner inquiry. You have taken the fi rst steps to full body

presence. Over time, this simple practice will help you develop a fuller sense of trust and confi dence in yourself

and the world. Enjoy!

Suzanne Scurlock-Durana, CMT, CST-D,

is the author of Full Body Presence. She teaches and speaks around the world and lives in Reston, VA. Visit her online at www.fullbodypresence.com. Based on the book Full Body Presence: Learning to Listen to Your Bodys Wisdom 2010 by Suzanne Scurlock-Durana. Printed with permission from New World Library www.newworldlibrary.com.


a u g u s t f o r e c a s tb y A d r i e n n e A b e y t a

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Aries: Judgment (7 of Cups) 3/21-4/19When faced with the onus of responsibility, it would be wise to focus on whats real or known. Though your recent struggles have become less of a burden, you remain stuck in perpetual worry. Stop focusing on your regrets; theres no reason to blame yourself for whats happening. It would be wise to not only acknowledge your fl aws, but to learn from them. Be prepared: the last weekend of the month will trigger some shady and undesirable behaviors in you and in others. To survive with your integrity intact, remain conscious and bring light to those dark places!Taurus: Temperance (8 of Cups) 4/20-5/21Some pent-up emotions are in need of release; discover ways to bring forth these deeper feelings and you will uncover a new dimension of yourself. Concentrate on whats important, abandon hopeless situations, and face the truth of what youre feeling. Work on accepting your feelings by offering them space to move. Suppressing their effects denies the beauty and wholeness of your soul. For the artist, this is a profoundly creative period in which to resurrect an old project. An issue at the beginning of month will be resolved through compromise.Gemini: Magician (4 of Swords) 5/22 6/21Your words are like arrows; aim carefully and to the mark. Through clever use of words and shrewdness of mind, you have a heightened ability to achieve what you want, particularly in the realm of business and sales. Its important to maintain a calm demeanor and be conscientious to whom you are speaking your silver tongue could stir up controversy and suspicion if you lose your cool. Around the 4th is a great time for intellectual pursuits, negotiating business deals or shopping for bargains. For you introverts, take time to write or meditate. Theres an open channel for deep thought.Cancer: High Priestess (7 of Pentacles) 6/22 7/22 This is a deeply refl ective period for you, a time in which your focus should be on the internal workings of your soul. The projects youve been working on may lose their luster as your motivation dwindles. You may also experience fear regarding fi nances. Not to worry though, use this time to refi ne your efforts and listen to your intuition. Most importantly, dont force yourself to comply to standards that arent in alignment with your values. Around the 6th, something will be revealed that you have been vaguely suspicious of sit with it before you respond.Leo: Emperor (6 of Cups) 7/23 8/23Family matters are at the forefront this month, and how you deal with them says more about you than you realize. You will be expected to take greater initiative and responsibility, and although this may be challenging, the rewards are countless. A male fi gure could provide extra support, but may also try to dominate the situation. It would be wise to turn down any help that comes with a price. Trust your own power right now! By the end of the month, the issue should become more manageable and you, in turn, more confi dent.Virgo: World (2 of Cups) 8/24 9/22A relationship will yield some interesting prospects that could change the course of your life, be it a proposal, marriage, baby, rewarding partnership, or perhaps a reconciliation that brings great healing. It could also be a profound connection with something that generates a new sense of purpose and directionart, nature, spirituality or a humanitarian endeavor. Your perception of life will be affected by everything around you. Make it a point to honor whats most sacred and release the rest. Around the New Moon on the 9th, your magnetism begins to attract more than you may need. Be discriminating!

Libra: Justice (7 of Swords) 9/23 10/23 Whats fair to you is not always fair in the bigger picture. Admit your weaknesses or they may be used against you. In your quest for righteousness, you may run into the fallout of your own dubious justifi cations. If youre not careful, a questionable circumstance will come back to haunt you; that, or you might fi nd yourself dealing with a suspicious affair. Either way, watch your back and be sure to act from a place of integrity. The weekend of the 13th will likely stir up some controversy; fi ght fairly and be tactful in your speech.

Scorpio: Tower (5 of Wands) 10/24 11/22Minor annoyances prove to be more than just a thorn in your side, beginning to threaten the very security you have established. Your strong point is your innate resourcefulness and clever way of ascribing meaning to the mundane. The problems that arise this month are really answers in disguise: confl icts with others create opportunities to develop stronger boundaries, failures offer freedom from restrictive commitments and stressors are distractions to be avoided. After the 16th, you can expect things to get a lot hotter. Keep your internal temperature cool and things will blow over.

Sagittarius: Sun (2 of Pentacles) 11/23 12/21 The various projects you have been managing will fi nally show signs of success, either monetarily or through validation from others. This does not mean that you can rest on your laurels just yet some clever juggling will be necessary to keep things going. By the 24th have all your ducks in a row or what youve worked so hard for will fall apart. Concurrently, there are opportunities to gamble a little; dont be too timid to take a risk. This is also an excellent time for self-promotion, entertainment, or competition.

Capricorn: Chariot (Knight of Cups) 12/22 1/20 Being noble in action comes not from contrived self-interest, but a place of centeredness an evolved peaceful stance. Your interactions with others will likely trigger deep emotions, but allowing yourself to be carried away by them will only separate you from the lesson. Affairs of the heart can be the hardest to control, so dont even try. Use this emotion to project your inner desires out into the world in a way that benefi ts you as an individual. A temptation during the weekend of the 20th may cause a wild reaction. Gain composure and move mindfully.

Aquarius: Devil (8 of Pentacles) 1/21 2/18All work and no play will certainly not keep the devil away. Take an inventory of your priorities you may be over-stretching to keep yourself distracted. Examine your affairs and be honest about how you spend your time. You may fi nd that the job youre in is stifl ing your passion. Rather than use responsibility as an excuse, express yourself and see what happens. Offi ce politics around the 22nd are likely to cause feelings of frustration. Do your best avoid choosing sides and when youre feeling stressed, let go and breathe!

Pisces: Fool (2 of Wands) 2/19 3/20An idea you have been playing around with is ready for the taking. With two options for beginning, dont be discouraged if your fi rst attempt fails. No time for delay the vision has coalesced into a manageable project. All thats missing now is implementation. For those embroiled in a love affair, a surprise awaits you around the Full Moon on the 24th, hopefully for your benefi t! Be open to spontaneity this month and youll discover a new passion for life. People will be attracted to your enthusiasm and want to be near you.


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c u l t u r e

By: Wendy Salazar

I love to garden. There is something inherently satisfying about digging my hands deep into the rich soil, sowing new seeds, and patiently caring for the tender young plants as I watch them take root and grow. Time takes on its own rhythm in the gardenthe ebb and flow of the seasonssprings overcast skies and gentle rains turning into the long, hot days of summer, which then make way for falls bountiful harvest. Time gets measured here in the inches of a tomato plants growth, the number of summer squash blossoms in bloom, the awe of the first tiny sprouts pushing their heads above the ground to bask in the warmth of the suns rays.

One must be vigilant in the garden. Weeds tend to shoot up overnight and need to be removed before they have an opportunity to gain a foothold and take over. And the tender new plants must be monitored for pests that could destroy them before they have time to bear fruit.

The size of ones garden is much less important than the care that one brings to its tending. My own gardens over the years have ranged in size from a container or two of herbs perched on a sunny windowsill to a few square feet cultivated in a corner of the back yard to a much larger scale garden on a farm I once lived on for a number of years. But whatever its size, I believe that the best gardens are organic. I have learned the value of working with nature, rather than against it. Incorporating rich organic matter into the garden replenishes the soils nutrients and helps make the plants grow healthy, strong, and better able to defend themselves against disease. Harmful insecticides are of course avoided and a careful balance with nature is established by sowing a variety of plants to attract beneficial insects and birds that in turn feed on the garden pests.

Having invested the time and energy necessary to grow my own fruits and vegetables has taught me to appreciate natures bounty so much more. One of the biggest rewards of having an organic garden is being able to enjoy the abundant crop afterwards and nourish my body with such healthy produce. Nothing tastes quite as good as a sweet, juicy tomato still warm from the vine and topped with a pinch of salt and a little fresh basil. And just as the harvest nourishes my body, the work in the garden nourishes my soul.

I have found that gardening is actually a wonderful metaphor to describe the inner work that I have been called to do, both on my own souls journey, as well as with the clients that I work with. Just like the garden, the soul ebbs and flows in accord with its own inner seasons, much more in touch with natures ways than with our hectic modern day lifestyles. Learning to slow down and tune back in to the soul can be an extremely enriching experience. Our inner gardens have so often become arid and neglected nowadays from our lack of contact with them that our lives can frequently start to feel shallow and meaningless. Taking the time to turn our attention inward can begin the slow process of bringing needed nutrients back to the inner soil that becomes a fertile planting ground for the inner seeds of peace, joy, love, and compassion.

For some individuals, tending their inner gardens might involve taking up a creative endeavor, such as painting or writing; for others, it might mean carving

out some time to meditate or practice yoga. Still others can benefit from exploring their inner landscapes in the context of an empathic therapeutic relationship. Especially those who have gone through any form of trauma or abuse tend to wind up with deep scars that can create feelings of unworthiness, low self-esteem, and fear of true intimacy. Patiently exploring and treating these wounds in a safe environment can bring about an inner flourishing and reconnection with ones sense of wholeness and inner unity.

One must be as vigilant in ones inner work as one is in the garden, finding and pulling out weeds of alienation, self-defeating beliefs, and watering the seeds of love, self-acceptance, and innate wisdom. These actually tend to blossom on their own as one starts to integrate the aspects of ones being that may have originally been rejected in childhoodthe characteristics that were initially felt to be unlovable or unwanted but in fact make up an integral part of ones essence.

By cultivating our inner gardens, we can become more aware of our interconnectedness with all beings and of our particular souls role and purpose in the world. In so doing, we take the first step on the path to healing from our sense of isolation as separate beings and come to realize that our roots are all intertwined on a deep level of the soul.

We have all been entrusted with the lifelong task of nurturing our soul. Tend to her with infinite patience and care and she will grow and flourish beneath your loving hands, bringing beauty, love, and meaning to your every waking moment. Treat her as your most precious gift from God and she will light up your pathway to inner greatness, gracing your life with peace and joy throughout your courageous journey.

Wendy Salazar is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a private practice in San Diego, California. She specializes in helping individuals who have experienced trauma or abuse to heal from inner wounds that prevent them from being in satisfying relationships and finding meaning in their lives. Please visit www.theinnerquest.net for more information or contact her at [email protected].

FEED the Body, NOURISH the Soul


h e a l i n g a r t sh e a l i n g a r t s

In the Tree of Dreams there is a song, Face in the Water said to me. She is a beautiful elder woman whose eyes refl ect an ancient past, the tribal customs of her people.Like any other living thing, the Tree of Dreams has a song to be sung. This song is

to be listened for very, very carefully, for it teaches you that life is never ending.The Tree of Dreams is you and me, she continued. We are all a Tree of Dreams,

fi lled with yearning, joy, and love, fi lled with the teachings we have received and the experiences we have had. Our branches are the different times of our lives, the leaves our experiencesthe colors, textures and aspects of the divine. When the leaves drop from the tree in the autumn, a harmonic is created. As the leaves fallas we experience lifeour song can be heard, playing on the wind as it is communicated to other trees, if they are listening.

The whale people who live in the north speak about the great whale and how, when she sings a song, it is heard sometimes a thousand miles away. Another whale picks up that song, and the echo is heard another thousand miles away. This goes on until that song is created around the world by all whales singing in unison.

The music that forms from the dropping of our leaves is similar. The song that is very much your own blends with other songs to create a harmony as it touches the earth. It is at that moment that all leaves become one, surrounding the earth with crimson, orange, red, and gold.

You have your song, she said. As long as you have your song, you can never lose your direction or your vision. To lose your song is to lose your soul.

There is magic in this world if you want the world to be magical. If you want life to be special, it will be, fi lled with the songs of all Trees of Dreams on earth, and what a wondrous and special sound that is!

Magic, like the power of Stonehenge, is part of the unknowablethat which you cannot describe, but which exists and makes your life extraordinary. It is part of the goodness of your spirit, the mysterious and intriguing part of your spiritual life. Magic comes from the soul, from within the human spirit in that

Creation Song by Lynn Andrewsplace where we are one with the Great Spirit and all of life. Your own song, the song of your Tree of Dreams, is what brings magic into your life and harmony to the earth as it blends with the songs of others.

No one wants to be bored or consumed by ordinary drudgery. But what happens, all too often, is that when magic is presented to us, we dont recognize it for what it is. The highly analytical Western mind craves precision and absolutes; it has no room for the unknown. Magic comes from the unknown, so our modern, scientifi c mind rejects it. Curiously, the more our science discovers, the more we realize there is much that we dont know; and the more we realize that we dont know, the more we can become open to possibilities weve yet even to dream. Still, the modern, analytical mind distrusts and rejects magicmagic, the unknowable force in the universe that makes all things possible; the essence of who we are that enables us to become anything that we wish to be, anything that we can dream. When you lose your connection with the magic in your life, you are in danger of losing your song. Then you no longer realize what can really be accomplished in your own life.

One night as I was sitting around a ceremonial fi re with my teachers -- a group of indigenous shaman women from native cultures on fi ve different continents, known as the Sisterhood of the ShieldsTwin Dreamers, a Kuna Indian from Panama and member of the Sisterhood, turned to me with eyes that were at once kind yet fi lled with a fi erceness and a wildness that I knew came from knowing and loving who she is on a very deep level.

Your people have lost so much, she said to me, electricity fi lling the air.

What do you mean? I asked.You have lost your spiritual families, your community, she said. We in the

Sisterhood share this wordlessly, from heart to heart and soul to soul. There is a communion between us, a communion beyond what I know and see in your world.

What she was seeing in my world are a people who have all but lost their songs, a people terrifi ed of letting our own true selves shine out into the world in all of our frailties as well as our strength; she was seeing a people who are even losing our desire to hear the songs of those around us, oblivious to the beautiful harmony we create when we share our experiences as one. Instead, we go around wearing headphones. We have separated ourselves from the world around us. We have separated ourselves from one another. And, tragically, we have separated ourselves even from ourselves, separated from our own songs and the magic of our souls.

We are at a crossroads today in the human experience, a place where choices


h e a l i n g a r t sh e a l i n g a r t sh e a l i n g a r t s

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we make may well determine our ability to continue in this world as we know it. Our planet is in peril, at a point where our tampering with the

environment is so clashing with the earths natural cycles, which have been going on for hundreds of billions of years, that

whole species are going extinct at an unprecedented pace. Our societies have grown so complex, unwieldy and

fragmented that we no longer want to know our own neighbors, and we have weapons so destructive that

they are capable of wiping out entire cities in the blink of an eye. My teachers often say to me

that human beings were never intended to live with the amount of chaos and stress that we face in todays world, yet here we are.

By its very nature, a crossroads is a place of great power, it is a place where choices must be made and decisions acted upon. We in the Sisterhood of the Shields believe that this crossroads is one that holds great promise for the future, precisely because of the same human creativity

and ingenuity that has brought us to this point in the fi rst place! We have at

our fi ngertips such a wealth of scientifi c knowledge and ability and the incredible

richness and diversity of every magnifi cent culture on earth, and we are capable of using all of it to make this earth truly a better place for all, if that is our choice.

We are at a crossroads where we must choose between an old consciousness that says, Take care

of me, regardless of the cost to the world around me, and a new consciousness that says, I am responsible, and together we

can make these changes happen for the good of all of life. Which consciousness will we choose, going forward? It all depends on which

songs we sing.

What is forever but a breath of the Great Spirit? Agnes Whistling Elk, my dearest friend and teacher, said to me one day. The design of the universe is

nothing. All of time is but the snap of an arrow in the bow of the Great Spirit. The song of the tribes of plants was sung. The song

of the tribes of the animals was sung. The song of

the tribes of man was sung. Every world was remembered in song and no world was forgotten. The Great Spirit is sleeping in all the named and nameless things.

Which world will be remembered in song from this day forward, the new consciousness or the old? What is the song in your Tree of Dreams? It is the song that is made up of your experiences in this life, your dreams and your losses, the truth of who you are and your own personal vision to heal this world. There is a reason you chose to be born at this time on this planet, and the reason is clear. This is a time when the healing of Mother Earth is imminent, and you have gifts and abilities that will help in the healing process. What is your vision for a renewed planet Earth, and for your place in it?

Sing the song of your own personal truth now. And as happens with the whales, once one person starts singing, another begins to listen; then that person starts singing, too, and the song is taken up until it is sung all the way around the world.

Lynn Andrews is the New York

Times and internationally best-selling author of the Medicine Woman series, 19 books and workbooks which chronicle her study, work and adventures across the globe with the 44 women of the Sisterhood of the Shields. You can learn more about Lynn at her website, www.lynnandrews.com.

From Tree of Dreams, A Spirit Womans Vision of Transition and Change, 2001 by Lynn Andrews.


s u s t a i n a b l e l i v i n g

Plastikiiby Heather Lounsbury, L.Ac.

Something Ive been asking myself a lot lately is how I can do more to respect and nourish our planet. One of the biggest environmental issues were facing is our use and disposal of plastic, especially single use plastics. Reducing our use of plastic is one of the simplest ways you can have a positive impact on the Earth.

Anyone who knows me knows I am not a fan of plastic. But David de Rothschild, founder of Adventure Ecology, has found a way to make plastic work. After being inspired by a United Nations Environment

Programme report, de Rothschild had the idea to build the worlds fi rst boat made completely of recycled plastic bottles and calling her Plastiki.

The Plastiki, a 60-foot catamaran made of 12,500 reclaimed plastic bottles, is named after the Kon-Tikithe raft used by Norwegian explorer and writer, Thor Heyerdahl, in his 1947 expedition across the Pacifi c.

The projects purpose is to raise awareness about the condition of our oceans and see fi rst hand humankinds impact. One of Davids other important objectives is looking at waste as an issuewaste in our oceans and its consequences.

Exactly four years after that fateful day of coming up with the concept of the Plastiki, David and I had the chance to talk. He was on the fi nal leg of trip across the Pacifi c-from San Francisco to Sydney.

Vision Magazine: How is the trip going at this point?David De Rothschild: Were moving along nicely; sometimes a little bit slower than wed like. Plastiki is

pioneering the slow travel movement (jokingly). Were setting an example that its about the adventure. Its not about getting from point A to point B. Slow travel also means less of an impact on the environment.

VM: What do you believe are the effects of a consumerism-based society?DDR: Were told that were not happy unless were purchasing, consuming and throwing away. Its a

detriment to the environment, our natural resources and to our mental state. Weve become be indebted, because we cant keep up with it.

As a society, we are trying to consume as much as we can. Bigger and faster somehow equals better. The ecological apocalypse going on in the Gulf of Mexico makes it crazy to see how weve become so attached to these wasteful items. We chase after fi nite, toxic, expensive, smelly, and hard to reach energy sources. We dont follow what nature is trying to show us. The best sources of energy come free and cleanthe sun, ocean, hydro, tidal, geothermal. Weve gone down this path that weve trodden for so long. And now were indebted to that path. My thought is lets create system change.

VM: How can we change our use and production of plastic?DDR: Plastic is the most ubiquitous thing on the planet. We messed around with it and created a product

that will last forever. So, how do we dispose of it? Design for it? How can we manufacture it better? Thats the thing. Creating a better understanding and impact of the products we design. All we really need is that reevaluation, and to start producing differently.

Businesses have this idea that its not in their interest to slow down and lessen their impact on the environment. Im hoping to make them see the error in their thinking. [But what they dont realize is that they will save on costs and actually make more profi t by

Vision Magazine August 2010 Edition

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