FEBRUARY 2012

Manifest Your Dreams Using Creative Ritual . . . .2Love or Addiction? The Trance of Romance. . . . . . .3Preparing Your Dog for Baby’s Arrival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4The Key Aspects of the Seven Major Chakras . . . .7

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Embrace your inner

shamanA Visit With Linda Star Wolf

By Krysta Gibson

What if we have cells that can pull us into our future? And what if we could access this information through a process called shamanic breathwork? That’s what teacher and healer Linda Star Wolf explains in her latest book Visionary Shamanism, Activating the Imaginal Cells of the Human Energy Field (Bear & Co). New Spirit Journal: What is shamanism and how does it apply to us in today’s world?

Linda Star Wolf: Traditional shamanism frequently refers to the wounded healer. We’ve all had some kind of wounding, but in this case the person who is the shaman has transformed or healed themselves. Then they have the credibility to bring that experience to others. Shamanism is also about dwelling within the organic world and working with nature. When people want to heal, they frequently go to the mountains, ocean, woods, or sit by a fire to be nur-tured. The shamanic world is really about the cycles of change, death, and rebirth, Although there are some indigenous medi-cine men and women on the planet, now we all have the opportunity to connect with the shamanic nature that lies deep within all creatures on this planet. Shamanism is the archetype or metaphor for connecting with that part of ourselves that knows how to heal and transform our lives. NSJ: Does this mean anyone can learn to be a shaman, or is it something you are born or initiated into? Linda: Yes, it all weaves together. My orig-inal background was in the field of mental health and social work. For three decades I worked with many different types of prob-lems including addictions, and what I now call mental diversity instead of mental ill-

ness. I also worked healing my own issues. I saw how people are able to transform. Eventually, I began to step outside the conventional treatment arena and moved into the holistic world which lead me to shamanism and Grandmother Twylah Nitsch of the Seneca Wolf Clan. I worked with her until she passed over in 2007 at the age of 93. I learned about the healing power of breathwork and integrated all I had learned including shadow work and Jungian psy-chology. From all of this, 16 years ago I cre-ated a process I call Shamanic Breathwork. When people took responsibility and began to use these processes to heal and transform, something magical began to happen. Without plant medicine or drugs, people had profound mystical experiences. People would have visions of themselves standing in front of a microphone speaking to large audiences or walking in the woods with a spirit being talking to them. They had powerful healing visions and they reported changes in their lives. They reported things such as depression lifting or being able, with the help of their physician, to stop medications they had taken for years. People began to connect with their future selves. It is like an acorn laying on the ground getting kicked around by someone and then looking up and seeing a huge oak

tree, and saying “You gotta be kidding!” People were connecting with their imaginal cells. Imaginal cells have always been in exis-tence. Scientists talk about them mostly in relationship to insects such as caterpillars and dragonflies. These insects molt through several forms before entering their final form. The caterpillar is one of the most vivid examples since it is a creature entirely different from what it morphs into and even goes through a stage where it completely dissolves itself and turns into mush. Out of that state of letting go, these cells percolate and re-form into a being so com-pletely different that, after having lived on one bush its entire life, can now fly hun-dreds and even thousands of miles. These cells exist in animals, plants, insects, and humans. We know when something is over and we need to change our lives. If we can let go into the process and allow ourselves to molt, we can look back and we almost don’t recognize the person we used to be. Imaginal cells are around us and won’t come in until we surrender and can fully open to our new selves and are ready to let go of who we’ve been. Like a computer with a new program, this new energy comes in and starts percolating to recreate ourselves.

This is where we’re at on the planet right now. It is a birthing or a molting and is a shamanic process. NSJ: Do people have to be in crisis to go through this process? Linda: Not at all. Some people come to this work because they feel ready for a transformation. Life can be good and then get even better. I have had several clients whose lives were very good who felt called to this work and then saw their lives get even better. We have to remember that there are a lot of issues being faced by the planet: the destruction of forests and oceans. We can’t ignore this but we also can’t get demoralized and give up hope. Transformation is calling us. Let’s respond.

Hear this entire 30-minute interview in the audio section at www.newspiritjournal.com. Linda will be at East West Bookshop in Seattle Feb. 17, www.eastwetsbookshop.com. Learn more about her books, classes, retreats at Isis Cover Retreat Center, and spiritual emergence programs at www.shamanicbreathwork.org.

Linda Star Wolf explains that the shamanic world is about the cycles of change, death, and rebirth. Photo by Pat Sheewho Cummins

2 FEBRUARY 2012NEW Spirit JOURNAL

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By Analisa Lee

When I was in my mid-30s, I heard about a friend who put a piece of wedding cake under her bed to draw a mate into her life, and then she met someone a few months later and fell in love. The superstition struck me as funny, but as a single woman who was tired of being single, I had to admit that I was also intrigued. After all, various ancient (and not so ancient) people have routinely used talismans, ceremonies, secret symbols and conjuring spells to find things in life, including love relationships. But instead of putting cake under my bed (bugs, mice... I just wasn’t sure about it), I decided to act on my great love of miracles, and make a miracle box. I took a plain wooden box and using art, photos, words, and glitter, focused its theme on conjuring several things I wanted to manifest: a career I love, a beautiful home, and a beloved. (By the way, these were all things that seemed very far away from my life at the time. I was living with my best friend in her guest room with all my things in storage; I was almost done with a master’s in counseling program and unsure of what I wanted to do afterward; and I hadn’t had a serious, long-term relationship in almost seven years. Of all the things in my miracle box, finding a relationship was the most powerfully charged and

Manifest Your Dreams Using CreativeRitual

exciting for me. So I carefully made a list of the characteristics I hoped for in a husband. At first I felt like I shouldn’t be too greedy, so my list was short. Then I remembered that I was creating the whole ritual, so I could do whatever I wanted with the box, and be as outrageously wishful as possible. I took down the original “My Husband” list and made a new one. Here are the first few things on it: spiritual, stable, kind, emotionally available... And, because I am a romantic, my list ended with this: “He recognizes me and falls in love.”

had danced around fully committing. Of course these were all things I’d previously criticized about the men I’d dated. When I realized that I was not fully living up to my own list, I started to use it as a reference to keep myself honest about myself, not just to conjure a mate. I also stopped participating when my single women friends would start down a negative road about our odds of finding a good match. Instead, I started affirming out loud that with billions of people on the planet, it was only a matter of time before I found my mate. Most importantly, during that year and a half, I realized that as I increasingly lived my life with an undefended heart, I felt in love with the whole world. And falling in love with the whole world is really where it’s at, whether you’re partnered or not. So with my miracle box displayed prominently, I entered a time of real personal growth, both painful and revelatory. Then, a little over a year later, I decided to move 2,000 miles to do an internship in the city where I’d grown up. After being in my new agency job for about a week, I walked into the office one day and there was a tall, handsome therapist who introduced himself. I felt my heart flutter. I knew a miracle was at work when, after a month or so of dating, he confided to me as we walked around the city’s

outdoor sculpture garden, “When I met you and looked into your eyes, I felt like I recognized you.” I believe in miracles, and I also believe that doing something with intention in it (like creating a ritual) can work wonders in this world of seen and unseen mystery. If you feel at all inspired, I encourage you to create a personal ritual art piece to help you focus your intentions. Here are some suggestions: • Use materials and elements that bring you joy and truly inspire you. If you use someone else’s idea, make the details of it your own, so that it speaks to and from your personal unconscious. It should light you up: your colors, your textures, your favorite images, even if they don’t make sense to anyone else. • Interact with it regularly. Keep it fresh for yourself. Dust it off, add to it, revise it, keep it in an important spot. • Give it a title. “My Dream Job,” “My Beloved Mate,” “Abundance,” etc. Titles help focus the energy of intention. • Only show it to people you know will be fully supportive of your dreams.

Analisa Lee, MA, MFA, LMHCA is a mental health counselor in private practice. She loves facilitating personal growth groups for women about finding the beloved. For more info, or to contact her, please visit her website www.heartsong-wellness.com.

“Between the day I made my miracle box, and the day I met my partner, one year and two months passed,” Analisa explains. “In that time, the miracle was at work, but not at all as I’d expected. If you decide to make a miracle box or some other kind of art ritual, it’s good to remember that miracles don’t always look like we expect, especially at first.” (Artwork by Analisa Lee)

Between the day I made my miracle box and the day I met my partner, one year and two months passed. In that time, the miracle was at work, but not at all as I’d expected. If you decide to make a miracle box or some other kind of art ritual, it’s good to remember that miracles don’t always look like we expect, especially at first. For instance, after I made my box, my dating life was slower than it had been in the previous years. In fact, the friend fix-ups, chance meetings, and fun flirtations seemed to stop almost completely. What did happen was that I began to have some very clear realizations that had to do with the inner, core issues of why I was single. Making my miracle box opened a doorway within me, and the room it led me into was personally astounding. What I came to see was that I had to really and honestly embody the lover I had always wanted. This meant that I had to come to terms with some of the ways I was afraid of and avoided intimacy, was not very patient, and

3FEBRUARY 2012 NEW Spirit JOURNAL

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I became interested in the spiritual and emotional impact of romantic love about 20 years ago when I broke up with the man I thought that I would marry. The pain that followed was excruciating. In despair, I thought I would never meet someone with whom I was so much in love. The thought of him ever being with another woman caused physical pain like a knife pressed to my belly. One time I took a detour on my way to work just so I could see him and to get one more hug. His response to me was less than ideal. “It’s a good thing you don’t drink,” he said. I began to wonder: had I been in love? Or had I been addicted? Or, to question further: was romance itself addictive?

Robert Johnson, author of the book, We: The Psychology of Romantic Love, would seem to think so. This was the book to which I turned to shed

I recommend reading the book in its entirety, but we’ve all heard the story before. Tristan and Iseult fall madly in love as a result of a love potion they mistakenly both drink. They pursue this love at all costs, risking even death. Haunted by the fatal twins of pleasure and pain, they can live neither with or without each other. In the

end, both of them die. Not exactly a fairy tale ending.

Ever the Jungian analyst, Johnson uses the story to emphasize the deep desires of the higher self, or soul, to develop individual potential and the captivating power of romantic love to catalyze that process. In romantic

attraction, we project unconscious parts of ourselves onto another

person. The projection or the romantic energy is so compelling because, Johnson would argue, the soul demands wholeness at all costs. Sometimes the only way the soul can get us to pay attention is to make us “drink a love potion” by throwing these parts of ourselves onto another person in the hopes that we will finally see them and integrate them consciously. So, at its best, romance can nurture the soul of both persons. At its worst, as in the story of Tristan and Iseult, romantic love can become an addictive drug that destroys lives. How easily we fall into the trance of romance depends upon a multiplicity of factors such as our family history, what we have learned about romance, love and relationship, as well as any trauma or abuse we may have experienced in our earlier years. The impact of romance on the brain itself is quite startling. Because of the sophistication of modern brain science we now know that the brain of a person “in love” resembles a brain that is high on opiates and cocaine. We also know that when we are falling in love our brains contain high levels of dopamine, which

causes our euphoric state, as well as norepinephrine, which causes sweaty palms, elevated blood pressure, and a racing heart. According to Brenda Schaeffer, author of Is it Love or Is it Addiction? these physiological reactions are a normal response to romantic experience. However, if the physical impact of romance on the brain is a normal occurrence, what is it that makes romance addictive? Schaeffer offers these three characteristics: 1) obsession or preoccupation; 2) loss of control resulting in negative consequences; and 3) continuation in spite of negative consequences. If you are concerned that your life might be suffering from elements of romance addiction, schedule an appointment with a good psychotherapist or spiritual director. A spiritual director, in particular, can help you to listen to the deeper longings of your soul. It is often these deeper longings that are ignored when we are caught in the trance of romance. Here are other questions to ask yourself: 1. What are the deepest desires of my soul? For example, do you need to express your creativity through art, dance, singing, or playing an instrument? Are there creative pursuits you have neglected as you have pursued the object of your affections? Where are you making time just for you to sit in quiet reflection? 2. How am I experiencing my own embodiment? Are you giving yourself time in nature to experience Mother Nature’s nurturing? Are you allowing yourself to revel in sensual bodily experiences such as luxurious baths or massage; sand on a warm beach; physical affection from friends, family, or beloved pets? 3. How am I being drawn to the object of my romantic affections? What is it about him or her that might be reflecting part of yourself that you are not developing

insight on my own struggles. It’s the one book I recommend to friends and clients who are mystified by the painful impact of romantic love. Johnson’s book examines the oldest romance story of Tristan and Isuelt, star-crossed lovers from the mythical kingdoms of Ireland and Cornwall.

Is It Love or Is It Addiction? The Trance of Romance

Continued on Page 6


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I left off last month after explaining how to teach “a jolly routine” to a dog. Now we are going to talk about how to use it. The first way to use a jolly routine is as an emergency push button to get the dog out of a potentially dangerous situation. The potential danger could involve a child, the dog, or both. Let’s say you are about to enter your family room and across the room you see the dog hiding under a table. You see your baby or someone else’s kid crawling toward the dog to get at him. The thought occurs to you that the dog is cornered and could bite the child.

That is a definite possibility, especially if you, the dog’s leader, do the wrong thing. At this point, most owners would start yelling at the dog to stay put and at the child to stay away from the dog. At the same time in their mind, they would be imagining the worst happening and the dog biting the child. That would be the wrong thing to do because those thoughts and pictures in your mind would go to the dog’s mind along with all the panicked energy you would be feeling. The dog could end up biting the kid just because of your reaction to what you were seeing. The correct reaction, knowing that you are too far away to physically stop the action, would be to start a jolly routine and move away

from the situation. “Oh boy, cheese! Oh boy, cheese, Bozo. Let’s get cheese! Oh boy, cheese!” If you have laid any groundwork at all, the dog will fly out of the corner anticipating the jolly routine. At worst, the kid might get knocked over, but jollies work the same for kids as they do for dogs and the child will get right up to see what all the fun is about. You get everyone out of the situation without injuries or trauma. It is important to note here that dogs generalize, assume, and flash back. So if the dog does end up biting and then gets into big trouble and punishment, he will blame the kid and then if ever he finds himself in a similar situation, he will flash back to the last time and is likely to bite faster

and harder. On the other hand, if he is jollied out of the situation, if there ever is a next time, that is what he flashes back to and he remembers treats so is much less likely to even consider getting defensive and biting. Remember, this concept as it is very important and will come into play again in this series when we deal with dogs that are already biting the kids.

Ever wonder why a hunting dog is okay with gunshots? That is because in their experience, every time they hear a gun shot, miraculously a bird falls out of the sky that they get to retrieve. Oh boy! So, in preparing your dog friend for having a toddler around, think of all the things that babies and young children might do to a dog. They are very likely to pull ears and tails or grab fur and skin. They might step on the dog or hit them or poke at them with something. They might kick them or try to take their toys or chewables

Our Animal Friends

by Martha Norwalk

away from them. None of these things is going to make the child more endearing to the dog unless you have set the dog up to interpret these situations differently. And, if the dog has not been prepared, he may react by biting. Hard to blame him if he did. It is not reasonable to expect your dog to just “put up” with the abuse that a child can dole out. Once you have taught the jolly routine you can start regular conditioning sessions with the dog. Remember monkey-see, monkey-do applies to dogs and to kids, so if you have older children do not do

these sessions with the dog when the older kids are around to watch. We do not want them copying this with the dog when you are not around. During these practice sessions you will alter the jolly routine slightly. It is okay to have a pouch with small food rewards in your pocket. You can buy little pouches to hang on your person that are made for this purpose at most pet stores. Having one makes it easy to reward over and over again as you proceed through the desensitizing process. Start with ear, tail or

fur pulling. Always begin gently, at a very low level of pulling. Take hold of the dog’s ear then let go, do a jolly and reward. Do it again and again. Gradually add more strength to your pull. You want to get to the point that you give the body part a good, reasonably hard tug with rewards. The harder the tug the better the jolly. When you have reached the point where you can grab and pull the dog’s body part without doing a jolly and all the dog does is wag his tail and look for a treat, you are ready to move on to a new challenge. This could be done in one session or with a very sensitive dog could take many sessions over a period of several days or weeks. It is important to take all of the examples I listed above, break them down and sequence through each one of them. Then “out of the blue” just do this kind of stuff to the dog from time to time, remember the jollies along with it and you will be on your way to creating a very kid-proof dog.

Martha Norwalk is an animal behavior therapist and host of Martha Norwalk’s Animal World, Sunday mornings, from 9 a.m. to noon on Alternative Talk AM 1150. She can be reached at Martha’s Canine, Feline and All Creature Counseling at (360) 217-7258 or www.marthanorwalk.com. For a free, no obligation telephone evaluation or to make an appointment for Martha to work with you and your animal friend, give her a call.

Pets and Kids, Preparing Your Dog For Baby’s Arrival, Part Two

The other way the jolly routine can be used is to change the way the dog feels about specific things. If, for example, you do a jolly routine every time you hear a loud noise of some kind, pretty soon the dog is going to be less sensitive to and may even like loud sounds.

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By Leta Hamilton

I want to talk about doing. As creative beings, we are drawn to action. A question that plagues many of us is, “Am I doing enough?” It is natural to have dreams, goals, and aspirations. The power to imagine possibilities is what makes us uniquely human. It was Gandhi who said, “Be the change you want to see in the world,” and it is this wisdom that takes us to the bridge between being and doing. The next time you are questioning whether or not you are doing enough, or doing the right things to achieve your goals, ask yourself if you are being the person who would have achieved these goals in the first place. The question, “Am I doing enough,” is ultimately unhelpful. In all probability there is always more you could do to achieve a desired result. Possibilities, after all, are infinite. It is more appropriate, instead, to consistently ask, “Am I being the person who has already achieved this dream?” That brings it back to the only place we can actually create any conscious change: the inner self. I will use myself as an example: I am a mom of four boys aged between two months and eight years old. I am also an author who has a vision of becoming an international spokesperson for motherhood as a spiritual path to inner peace and for children having concrete, articulated, spiritual lessons from which everyone can find that inner peace. These goals require action on my part. Does it make sense, however, right now to “do” all that I could be doing to make this happen? And by that I mean attending every business networking event there

is to attend, researching and sending out letters to moms’ groups, creating marketing material, writing and submitting articles to parenting websites and publications, and so much more. As it is, I already feel overwhelmed enough most of the time. Spending any mental energy on the “should” or “need to” do would send me over the edge of sanity. Instead, I enter my day and approach each of my activities with a “being” attitude. Am I being the person of my desired result as I take my preschooler to greet his teacher or interact with other moms? That is not to say I do nothing toward creating the life I have envisioned. Rather, I do what I can in that direction, implementing consistently my “One Thing a Day” plan. The “One Thing a Day” plan makes sure that I lay my head on the pillow each night knowing I have done one thing that is forward movement toward my dream. It may be a small thing like attending a moms’ networking function. It may be something I consider bigger like securing a new guest blog for a popular website. Whatever the case, I can rest assured my life is unfolding with perfection. You can do this, too. “Doing” sometimes means just showing up. You never have to beat yourself up with thinking about how much you could be doing versus how much you feel capable of doing. Instead, you can consistently check in to make sure you are being “as if” it already was; at the same time implementing a “One Thing a Day” plan to give you confidence your dreams (and more) are around the bend.

Leta Hamilton brings new meaning to motherhood in her mission to teach others the many ways children show us the path to inner peace. She is the author of The Way of the Toddler, a frequent speaker at moms’ groups and a radio show host on spiritual parenting topics. With her husband, they are raising four sons. www.letahamilton.com.

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consciously? For example, if the object of your affection is a musician, has there been a longing in you to connect to your creative side through music or singing? Do you need to learn to play an instrument? Is he or she at the top of their game in their line of work and is that something you are longing to create for yourself? 4. How are my relationships in the other areas of my life? Are you experiencing true intimacy in your relationships

with others or do your relationships seem shallow or life-draining? Do you experience a sense of belonging or alienation in your relationships? 5. What spiritual practices help to keep me in balance? The quieting practices of meditation, prayer, sacred journaling, reiki, and yoga are just some of the spiritual practices that can help you to regain balance if you are in the throes of a romance addiction. Remember, you deserve to be in a healthy life-giving relationship that doesn’t

imprison you in the pain of addiction. May this Valentine’s Day find you falling in love, as the poet Mary Oliver writes, “with your one wild and precious life.”

Kathy Heffernan, MAPS, BCC, is a spiritual director and reiki master in Seattle. She has over 10 years’ experience as a hospital spiritual counselor specializing in the areas of grief, end-of-life issues, and spiritual wellness. Her website is www.treeoflifenorthwest.com

Continued from Page 3

The Trance of Romance

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By Jack Elias

Everything that distresses you is irrelevant. Most people are interested and puzzled by this proposition; some are angered. How can I not be distressed about being unemployed, sick, or because of a significant loss?

manipulative in their effort to satisfy them. Very distressful orientations, indeed. How’s this: it’s natural to have natural desires and to meet them with ease and self-respect. Natural desires arise from simply being alive; life desires what it wants to celebrate being alive. Respecting life, being grateful for life, means being respectful of and grateful for the guidance of natural healthy desires. Desire is not the problem. Grasping at desires is the problem. Grasping is a problem because you can’t grasp a desire, all you can really do is squeeze your guts. Squeezing your guts is the actual activity. What we think, what we hallucinate, is that we are grasping our desire. But the actual squeezing is causing the distress. If you recognize the actual activity of squeezing, you can evaluate: how does squeezing my guts help me get my desire or to get over not getting my desire. It doesn’t, clearly. Enjoy the desire with ease if you meet it. Move on, hopefully with a lesson learned (and gratitude for it), to other desires (enjoyable pursuits) if you don’t. No squeezing required.

Limited Self-Concepts Here are the primary root forms of limited self-concept: 1. I’m unworthy (not good enough, not deserving, therefore the universe is against me, nothing I do will work out). 2. I’m a victim (not strong enough or smart enough). 3. I’m special. (Other people get the right help and can change; not me). 4. I am what I think I am and nothing more. (Don’t try to trick me into trying something new. It won’t work because the universe is against me. Cycle back to #1). 5. I take up too much space/there is not enough space for me. If I expressed freely, I’d bother people. These are so painful when we deeply believe them that we do not recognize that they are basically complaints. Recognizing them as complaints can actually diminish the power they have over us. It can take them off the pedestal we have put them on as unassailable truths. There are several antidotes to these complaints. One is to accept the possibility that they are true, but with an open, respectful mind, require absolutely clear evidence: “Maybe this is true about me, but I need clear proof. Please show it to me. If you do I will happily believe it, without complaint.”

Our habitual thoughts are fleeting and insubstantial and yet they catch us and put us in a box. Before we know what hit us, the next thought stream is carrying our attention away so we can’t examine what hit us. This is why it is important to address each of these limiting beliefs on paper. Write down the evidence that proves each is true. You must be honest with yourself and that could take practice. You may have to do the exercise repeatedly, hopefully getting more clear and honest about the real reasons you feel compelled to believe any of these. Write down the thinking that habitually hooks you and see it on paper. Having the thoughts on paper where you can keep your focus on them robs them of their power of stealth attack. With undistracted attention, you will see the absurdity of them. (Unless of course it’s true). It is not enough to say, “I know it’s absurd,” without writing it down. You must do the exercise, seeing the full expression of the belief on paper, until you feel a release inside. To experience release without undistracted attention on the whole thought package is much more difficult to achieve just by thinking about the thoughts and labeling them absurd. This is why many people say, “I know it’s absurd but I still can’t stop believing it.” Another method that can help is to write out in detail what your life would be like if you believed the opposite of your main self-limiting belief. Write out the good, bad and the ugly of living with the opposite belief. Again, it will probably take repeated writings to get all the details, but it’s worth it. You most likely will experience your mind bounce between extremes: “This would be good, but this would be bad,” “I’d like it to be this way, but if it was, then this (negative thing) would happen.” Don’t give up if you start becoming aware of a wild confusion of conflicting concerns. Getting them out in the open and on paper where they can’t attack and disappear gives you the edge you need to free yourself from their influence.

Jack Elias is director of the Institute for Therapeutic Learning, a vocational school offering transpersonal hypnotherapy/NLP trainings, seminars and mentorship programs. Author of Finding True Magic, Jack teaches a dynamic process of change for his clients and students. http://FindingTrueMagic.com.

Everything That Distresses You Is Irrelevant! In working with clients I find that two of the main causes of confusion about the needlessness of distress relate to two main issues: 1. Confusion about desire vs. attachment 2. Limited self-concepts Briefly, here’s my take:

Confusion about Desire vs. Attachment

I find many people, believing themselves to be basically “sinners,” think their desires are selfish and therefore wrong. Yet they can’t give up these desires, so they feel distressed in the pursuit of them. Since they are wrong, they feel ashamed and guilty. Since they are selfish, they have to be covert and


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This month, New Spirit Journal is pleased to introduce a new column written by Ruth Stender. This column, called Chakra Talk, will explain what the chakras are and how we can work with them to enhance our lives. Ruth is the owner of Seattle Energy Medicine, is a reiki master, certified meditation instructor, and is currently completing the 200-level yoga instructor program with the Ananda Institute of Living Yoga. Ruth currently teaches meditation classes at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle as well as giving classes and sessions to clients at several locations in the area. After leaving a 20-year career in the aerospace industry where she worked in technical, management, and executive positions, Ruth was introduced to the chakras when she turned to energy medicine as part of her own healing. She was immediately drawn to this work and has been giving classes on the chakras for a number of years. We welcome Ruth and look forward to learning more about the chakras from her through this column. – Editor

those primary seven. The first six chakras align with and run the length of the spine, starting at the base, at the coccyx, and ending at the medulla, at the lower back of the skull in the area of the occipital

ridge. The medulla region is considered to be the negative pole of the sixth chakra; its positive counterpoint is located at the point between the eyebrows, also known as the third eye. The seventh, and final, major chakra is located at the top of the head and is called the crown chakra.Paramhansa Yogananda, the great yogi who brought yoga to the west in the 1920s, teaches us that there are eight aspects of God: peace, wisdom, power, love, calmness, sound, light, and joy (or bliss). When we marry these eight aspects with the major chakras, we are given an easy roadmap to help balance our energy body. Starting with the first chakra and going all the way up to the seventh, the aspects align like this: Chakra 1, the root chakra: peace. Chakra 2, the sacral chakra: wisdom.

Ckakra Talk

by Ruth Stender

The Key Aspects of The Seven Major Chakras

There’s a magnificent structure of energy centers throughout and around our bodies called chakras, which govern every facet of our lives. The word chakra comes from Sanskrit, one of the ancient languages of India, and is commonly referred to in the practices of yoga and meditation. There are seven major chakras and each receives and transmits life force energy. When understood, they can also act as guideposts on our journey through life. It is believed that our bodies have thousands of chakras, but if we learn to work with the seven primary ones, the others – through the act of entrainment – vibrate to the healthier frequency of

Chakra 3, the navel chakra: power. Chakra 4, the heart chakra: love. Chakra 5, the throat chakra: calmness. Chakra 6, the third eye chakra: light (as in to see the light) and sound. Chakra 7, the crown chakra: bliss.


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The fact is, whether or not you know anything about the chakras, if you work to bring these eight aspects into your life, you will experience greater health and happiness. This is not so dissimilar from taking care of your car. You don’t need to know the ins-and-outs of what makes your car run, but you do need to know what to do to ensure that your car operates over the long-term. You know it needs gas, necessary fluids, and the occasional tune-up. The same holds true for the body’s energy centers. Integrating these eight aspects into your life makes you idle better, helps you to navigate through life’s obstacles with ease, and assists you in finding a new route when you’re confronted with a detour on your journey. I like to say this approach induces healing “auto-magically” because when we embrace these positive qualities we experience improved health and wellness on all levels. • Peace is the key aspect of the first chakra. We lose our sense of peace for many reasons, but the biggest reason is because we lose our footing, or feel abandoned or neglected; we don’t trust life to take care of us. The root chakra thrives when we have feelings of safety, belonging, security, and peace within our environment. • Wisdom is the key aspect of the second chakra which is located a few inches above the pubic bone. To create healthy relationships and unleash hidden talents, naturally and intuitively, we must draw on our deepest knowing, our soul’s wisdom. By drawing on ancient wisdom, found deep within every part of your being, your future unfolds in perfect alignment with your purpose. Magically, colorful people, things, and experiences manifest in your life and the lives of those around you. • Power is the key aspect of the third chakra, more specifically, personal power. When we lose our power, we are vulnerable to falling into the role of victim. Of all the chakras, this third energy center takes the biggest hit if we feel personally violated because of its location right in our gut at the navel and near the solar plexus. Because this is the power center, if we can learn to harness and control our personal power we are far less likely to be affected by what other people do. • Love is the key aspect of the fourth chakra, located at our heart center, and can be defined as devotion. When we devote time in meditation, for example, we are in the critical mode of reciprocity. We are honoring our relationship with God by giving ourselves over, in devotion, while in our sacred place of stillness. And there is no greater love to be received than that which we are given during states of expansion. • Calmness is the key aspect of the fifth chakra, the throat chakra. Speaking

our truth sometimes makes us feel self-conscious. If we can learn to speak it joyfully, and from the heart, we realize that the authentic joy we hear is the voice of God. Therefore, one cannot fake joy. A calm heart induces joy. A calm voice allows the joy to sparkle. • Light and sound are the two aspects of the sixth chakra, the third eye chakra. Specifically, light, as seen in your mind’s eye during higher states of consciousness, and sound, as in the cosmic vibration of aum (om). When we sit in stillness and listen (sound) for guidance from a higher source, we gain clarity (light) in our purpose, our vision. We see the light. • Bliss is the ultimate state of joy and the key aspect of the seventh chakra, the crown chakra. Having a spiritual practice is the cornerstone of keeping the other chakras united. When we devote time to commune with Spirit on a regular basis, we find joy – bliss – in all areas of life. Yoga and meditation are two powerful ways to invite the eight aspects into your life and to integrate the chakras as a whole system. Yoga is not about how flexible you are but about finding union with a higher source, a higher awareness. These God aspects are the path to finding balance and wellness on all levels: mind, body, and spirit. Future Chakra Talk articles will focus on one specific chakra to help you learn more about both the positive and negative aspects of particular energy centers while gaining some in-depth tools for balancing each one.

Ruth Stender assists people in creating peace and wellness through easy-to-use meditation techniques and the practice of hands-on healing. Upon receiving her yoga teaching certification (March) services will include group and private yoga classes. Drawing on 23 years in the business world – and understanding that a company’s success is achieved through happy and healthy employees – Ruth also offers classes for the workplace. Ruth currently offers sessions at Pujari Center and East West Bookshop in Seattle and teaches meditation classes at Swedish Medical Center. www.seattleenergymedicine.com, (206) 708-3277.

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The Key Aspects of The Seven Major Chakras


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By Charles Creekmore

If you asked me 15 years ago what I wanted carved into my tombstone, my answer would have come straight from the heart: “So what?” Now I’m here to tell you that Henry David Thoreau answered this fundamental existential question more than 165 years ago. So What? So Walden. Thoreau gave us history’s best description of depression, unhappiness, and anxiety more than 150 years ago when he wrote in Walden that “The mass of [people] lead lives of quiet desperation.” Thoreau’s method for treating quiet desperation is even more fundamentally sound than the tight little cabin he built on Walden Pond. Live simply and wisely. Seek your muse in nature. Lead a mindful life. Regenerate your soul with spiritual energy. Challenge the status quo. Shun materialism and luxury. Meditate. And, faced with any problem, gauge fact or fiction with your own inner “realometer,” as he described intuition. Thoreau’s method was embodied by his cabin. In March of 1845, Thoreau borrowed an axe from Ralph Waldo Emerson and sauntered down to the woods by Walden Pond, near where he intended to build his 10-foot-by-15-foot cabin. There, as he described in Walden, he “began to cut down some tall arrowy white pines, still in their youth, for timber.” His axe blows, as they hewed and rippled into the tranquil air around Walden Pond, stirred up sound waves that still echo to this day. “I went to the woods,” Thoreau explained in Walden, “because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” I spent much of my early life flitting aimlessly through the disappointment, frustration, mayhem, and pathos of a much more complicated world than Walden Pond in 1845. After those early years adrift, I was motivated, like Thoreau, to rebel against the deeply shallow culture I saw in America. Like Thoreau, I thirsted after something truer, more meaningful, more plumb. But, unlike Thoreau, I didn’t know where to look. Then, in the fall of 2008, inspired by the dog-eared edition of Walden I kept beside my bed, I started building my own Walden-like shelter. Except mine was metaphysical, not physical. I asked myself, “What if you could build Thoreau’s cabin, complete with everything it means, in your head? And what

if you could live there for the rest of your life?” To build that mental structure, I recycled some of the symbolic lumber, bricks, and mortar from Thoreau’s own cabin. That is, his transcendentalism. The spiritual energy that was its basic tenet. His wonder of nature. The Buddhism he studied. Some meditation techniques he knew. Self-awareness. And his hankering for life’s essential truths.

What I have fabricated with these un-materialistic materials is the stuff of Walden, Thoreau’s dream of simple well-being for us all. Just as Thoreau used the natural resources around Walden Pond to raise his own house, I used Thoreau’s natural resources to raise my own consciousness, which was what his house signified anyway. My new cabin was built upon a foundation of Thoreau’s transcendentalism, which holds that an ideal spiritual state transcends the emotional turmoil triggered by culture and society. In the transcendental view, we achieve spiritual insight through personal intuition rather than religious doctrine. “Trust thyself,” as Emerson wrote in Self Reliance. “Every heart vibrates to that iron string.” My little cabin is framed by Buddhism’s simple but profound meditation techniques, capable of sheltering us from the pain, confusion, and disappointment of everyday life. Meditation is an architecture for living contentedly. Then I enclose this framework in the simple way of life practiced by Thoreau at Walden Pond, which serves as the rustic finishing carpentry. My inner cabin is wired with a constant flow of spiritual energy, most evident in natural wonders such as the Grand Canyon, but crackling through the circuitry of everywhere. We can open this flow of sacred current through simple mindfulness of nature and, second by second, transcend the apparent confusion and chaos of the world. Such is my blueprint, the mental structure, of my new home. It’s a method for the madness of the world. Continued on Page 10


I heard him shuffling towards me, before I felt his breath on my cheek. Even with my eyes closed, I knew who it was, and smiled. With a knee swollen from arthritis, he had an obvious limp and dragged his toe through the dirt. But it was not his gait that gave away his identity. It was his steady, warm, grounding presence.

By living in my new inner cabin, I feel as though I’m seeing the world through Thoreau’s own eyes in 1845. Thoreau approached Walden Pond with lightning-rod intensity. He yearned to hover above life, elevated by his own powerful intuition. He longed to find a more authentic meaning than the shallow ambitions hawked by what he called our “unwieldy and overgrown establishment.” He ached to cleave actuality from illusion. To ferret out substance in “a life frittered away by detail.” With such wisdom in mind, I am forever thankful, in a camel-passing-through-the-eye-of-a-needle sort of way, for how little I have. Most things are “much easier acquired than gotten rid of,” Thoreau teased. Accordingly, I have spent recent years downsizing my life and discarding all my prized possessions, whose only worth was the heavy burden of owning them. As Thoreau himself might have said with his passion for wordplay, I have forsaken all my valued keepsakes for the sake of keeping all my values. “My greatest skill is to want but little,” Thoreau cracked. “I found thus that I have been a rich man without any damage to my poverty.” With this article, I invite you to build Thoreau’s metaphysical cabin in your own head by going back to Walden. Like the axe borrowed by Thoreau to build his house, Walden lends you the tools to do it yourself in your own unique way. In his book, Thoreau imagines what we can each do to turn a humdrum life into his or her own personal Walden. And, in that noble endeavor, as transcendentalist poet

Walt Whitman characterized living a truly authentic life, “Your very flesh will become a great poem.”

This article is adapted from Charles Creekmore’s electronic book, Back to Walden, which is posted complete and free of charge on www.backtowalden.com/2010/6/the-practice-of-waldenism/” backtowalden.com. He is a widely published freelance writer and the author of a 2003 spiritual book, www.amazon.com/Zen-Art-Diabetes-Maintenance-Spiritual/dp/1580401201

Horsey Heaven

By Dr. Penny Lloyd

Some thought that it was cute that this horse left his herd to join our meditation group. Many giggled when they felt his breath tousling their hair. Others broke their meditation to stroke the velvet softness of his nose. But this wise old soul was a teacher to the very core of his being. And he was on a mission. At first, I too was curious why he had joined us. His huge body was only inches away. I could hear the flutter of his nostrils as he exhaled one deep breath after another. After awhile, I did the only thing that occurred to me to do. I relaxed even more, slowing and deepening my breath to match his. When I stopped trying to understand why he had joined our meditation group, it became clear. Soon I was adrift in a beautiful world without thought. It was that feeling like just before you drop off to sleep. Where you are so tired that you completely surrender. Only I did not fall asleep. Such a deep healing love was bathing me that it seemed unnecessary to sleep ever again. You could simply bask in it and feel the ache of being tired turn into a form of deep contentment. It was a place that held all of the answers to life’s big questions. Yet formulating a question caused a separation from the stillness. It lifted you out of that deep well, somewhat like waking out of a deep sleep. Thinking compromised the blissful feeling. I had entered a level of being that was so completely satisfying that there was nothing to do. Doing anything, using the mind in any capacity, detracted from it. I was adrift in a sea of peace, love, and contentment. Simply “being” was way more than enough. I wanted to stay there forever.

But the chimes rang, bringing me back to my chair. And I sat basking in the peaceful remnants of the experience, staring at the big old sorrel horse. There he stood, eyes glazed over, licking and chewing in contentment. He seemed perfectly at home in a meditation circle. I wondered if that is what animals did, when they were not playing or eating. If they spent their quiet time where I had just been, boredom was not an issue. Standing under a giant oak tree swishing flies was a pretty pleasant pastime, if you could visit deep being. I had been gifted with a brief glimpse into the world beyond words. It was an inkling of the place that we come from and return to. It was a sampling of the magnificence of which we really are. Through this experience, my smaller questions were replaced with a larger understanding. After a long quest to understand purpose, I knew that to “be” was the ultimate thing to “do.” Ask yourself: Are we the only species that is conscious of “being” and oneness with the whole universe? Who is to say? You decide as you watch horses interact with people. Are they bringing consciousness into all that they do? Have they picked up a new awareness of what they do from us? Is it all about being, doing, or is it an exquisite blend of the two? Is it possible that as a species, horses are already living heaven on earth?

Dr. Penny is a veterinarian and nature guide, teaching the skills to connect deeper with animals and nature for mutual healing benefits. She may be reached at ConnectionTheBestMedicine.comBACK to WALDEN


in the fall of 2008, inspired by the dog-eared edition of Walden he kept beside his bed, Charles Creekmore asked himself, “What if you could build Thoreau’s cabin, complete with everything it means, in your head? And what if you could live there for the rest of your life?” Photo by Elizabeth Pols


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Awake in the WorldEssential Energy Medicine for 108 Practices to Live a Divinely Inspired Lifeby Debra MoffittLlewellyn Worldwide

This little book would be a great companion during the next year and beyond. It contains 108 essays with each one offering a practice or ritual to help actualize the concept into the reader’s life. Based on ancient wisdom from many different traditions, the ideas are varied and can appeal to different people in different situations. The chapters are divided into areas such as peace of mind, at work and in the world, discovering God, and relationships. Within each of these, there are sections such as have a laugh, raise vibrations with a mantra or centering prayer, listen, and the one-minute mind training. Written with great compassion and wisdom, this book is certain to be used many times over and treasured as a wise

three sets of 12 cards each: Planet cards, the Zodiac Sign cards, and the House cards. The main way to use the deck is to think of a question or issue in your life and then choose one card from each set. The Planet card will tell you which part of your personality is involved in the issue. The Zodiac Sign card will tell you the influence around you or the Universal energies. And the House card will tell you the area of your life affected by your question. The accompanying book gives a one-page explanation for each card. Then it is up to you to assess the meanings and stop or pull more cards. There are many different ways to use the deck to gain clarity on an issue or just to have some fun.

Wabi Sabi LoveThe Ancient Art of Finding Perfect Love in Imperfect RelationshipsBy Arielle FordHarperOne

February is the perfect month to read about love and relationships. Many people want to find their soul mate because they think this would be a perfect relationship. Not so, says Arielle Ford. These are some of the most difficult relationships.Based on the Japanese aesthetic of finding beauty in imperfection known as “Wabi Sabi,” this book helps you learn to love your partner’s imperfections as well as their high points. Relationships start off great when two people are newly in love. As time goes on, however, each other’s habits and shortcomings can cause friction and, in many cases, a breakup. Wabi Sabi Love is about leaning into your partner’s imperfections as they lean into yours and find the beauty in one another. Filled with stories and exercises, this is an interesting, inspirational, and thought-provoking book that can help couples stay together once the shine of the relationship wears off.

Shining TrueBy Amy JanelleMusical CD

The first time I listened to this enchanting solo piano album, I made a few notes about how it made me feel: floating in space... cotton candy softness.. .clouds... heart opening...dreaming. This is Amy’s first album and it

is truly a delight. There’s an innocence and warmth that feels like the artist’s soul is reaching out through the speakers embracing you. Technically, Janelle makes great use of syncopation in an unobtrusive way. The music is perfect for massage, writing, reiki, daydreaming, or just sitting with. There are a few lovely vocals on the album which adds to its depth and feeling of intimacy. If you enjoy inspirational, relaxing piano music, this album is one you will want to have.

The Qi Healing KitEnergy Practices for Health and VitalityBy Lee HoldenSounds True

Lee Holden is a qi gong master and well-known television personality who has appeared on PBS stations. He is also a doctor of Chinese medicine, a licensed acupuncturist, and an international instructor in qi gong, meditation, t’ai chi, and stress management. Consisting of a DVD, two CDs, 20 cards, and a 51-page workbook, this is a kit that you can use to create your own system of healing body, mind, or spirit. Qi is our essential life-force energy and both Taoist and Buddhist schools of thought have focused on studying the power of qi. Use of this kit will help you become more aware of your qi and learn how to make it stronger. The DVD offers support for relieving pain or for physical healing. The CDs are geared for spiritual or emotional support with guided meditations such as The Healing Sounds, the Microcosmic Orbit, and the Dissolving Meditation with Inner Smile. The kit is amazingly well-done with great attention to detail while being very compact and easy to assimilate. If you’re looking for a home-based system of energy work this would be an excellent set to work with.

friend who offers sound counsel along the spiritual path.

Brain PowerImprove Your Mind as You AgeMichael J. Gelb and Kelly HowellNew World Library

Modern science has discovered that our mental capacity is meant to improve with age and that, although some brain cells do die, we can generate new cells. This means we can continue to learn during our entire lifetime and that our brains can change and grow. In this book, we’re given techniques that will help to activate unused areas of the brain, tone our mental muscles, and enhance all our capabilities. Besides what you would expect about having a positive attitude, getting exercise, and eating good food, we’re given techniques and technologies to re-wire the brain and optimize mental performance. There’s an internet link given where the reader can download a Brain Sync Audio program. It’s very enjoyable and is designed to balance the brain hemispheres and optimize mental performance. This is a fascinating book with a ton of great information no matter how young or old a person is. All of us can benefit by having a more fit brain that leads to a happier and more productive life.

Astrology Reading CardsYour Personal Guidance from the StarsBy Alison Chester-Lambert Illustrations by Richard CrookesFindhorn Press

A visual and tactile feast, this new card and book set is stunning while being fun and insightful. And you don’t have to know anything about astrology to use or enjoy it. In fact, it can teach you basic astrology while you use it. The deck of 36 cards is divided into

On The BookshelfBOOK, MEDIA AND PRODUCT REVIEWS

Reviewed by Krysta Gibson

What are Nonpharmacologic

Ways to Treat Hypertension?

An anti-inflammatory diet is the foundation of treatment for hypertension. This means a nutrient-dense food plan that consists primarily of fruits and high fiber, non-starch vegetables of a rainbow of colors, cold water fish, foods which are high in magnesium and

potassium, nuts and seeds, small amounts of lean meat from free range or grass-fed animals and non-animal protein. Decrease salt and utilize other spices and herbs. Some of my favorite herbs include basil, oregano, saffron, turmeric, and a variety of Indian curry blends. Consider eating four celery stalks a day or drink celery juice. Exercise to reduce hypertension is a combination of resistance training and aerobic exercise. I recommend 30 minutes of aerobic exercise and 30 minutes of resistance training, making sure to include both upper and lower body muscles six days a week. If you are new to exercise, start slow and see a physical trainer to help you with resistance training. Weight loss of eight to ten pounds will result in a reduction of blood pressure 7/5mm Hg and increase the benefit of other lifestyle changes. It is even more important to decrease waist circumference. Take time to breathe, relax, and get eight hours of sleep. If you smoke, stop smoking and you will reduce vasoconstriction, sympathetic nervous system activity, inflammation, carbon monoxide levels, and oxidative stress. If you discontinue or limit caffeine, then you will reduce vasoconstriction. Studies demonstrate consistent reductions in blood pressure with CoQ10, which also improves insulin sensitivity. I recommend 100mg as preventative and that dose can increase up to 360mg. CoQ10 reduces oxidative stress. Free radicals injure blood vessels by causing them to constrict and hence increase blood pressure. Fish oil reduces blood pressure, lowers cholesterol, and improves insulin sensitivity. I recommend two-three grams per day. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. I recommend 2000mg a day.

Vitamin K2 prevents arterial calcification. The recommended dose is 45 micrograms. Magnesium helps to relax the muscle walls of the arteries, causes vasodilation, is an important co-factor in many enzymatic systems and is crucial for reactions involving ATP, the energy of the cell. I recommend 300mg-600mg at night. Hawthorne, which grows locally, is one of my favorite remedies for the heart and circulation. It improves circulation and has a relaxing effect on the nervous system. Energetically, Hawthorne vitalizes the heart and restores the spirit to those overburdened with the demands of life.

Are you At-Home in Your Heart? An open heart means we are in touch with and share our feelings. There is a passion for life, an avenue where we can express ourselves, and contribute in a way that is meaningful. Love directs our thoughts and behavior and we notice more of the things we appreciate and express that gratitude. I encourage each of you to reflect on the holistic health of your heart and embrace life whole heartedly.

Steven Vazquez, the founder of Emotional TransformationTherapy (The Light box) will be speaking and giving a demonstration in Seattle at Bastyr University on Feb. 2, 2012 from 5-8 p.m. and will be doing a workshop, Friday, Feb. 3 at the Holiday Inn in Seattle-Seatac.

Moira Fitzpatrick is a naturopathic physician and licensed clinical psycho-logist, who practices in the Northgate area of Seattle. She practices functional medicine and is a primary care provider. Dr. Fitzpatrick can be reached at (206) 525-5576, www.theemeraldcenter.com.


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Make an appointment with Deborah Forrest at Essence Energetics Certified Practitioner of Matrix Energetics, NLP and Hypnotherapy

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Helping people heal... for a lifetime.

It is February and a time to look at what touches our hearts, how our heart is working and how it affects the life-giving blood being pumped throughout our bodies. High blood pressure causes wear and tear on the heart and is detrimental to the vascular system. Systolic blood pressure, the top number on a blood pressure reading, reflects the amount of pressure needed to open the aortic valve with each contraction of the heart. The contraction of the heart squeezes most of the blood out of the heart and into the arteries. The diastolic blood pressure reflects the muscle tone in the blood vessels that support the blood moving through the arteries. This occurs when the heart relaxes, a time period when the heart refills with blood for the next contraction. The muscle cells of the heart stretch during this period to allow for the heart to fill with blood in preparation for another contraction. This whole process requires energy in the form of ATP, which is the energy of the cell. There needs to be a balance of systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Hypertension is defined as a blood pressure of 140/90 mm/Hg, which is a measure of pressure. Whenever there is increased resistance in peripheral blood vessels, there are changes in the vascular structure, specifically the endothelial cells. Consequently there is constriction of blood vessels, inflammation, too many free radicals, stiffening of the arteries and atherosclerosis.

What Causes Endothelial Dysfunction?

There are many contributors some of which include insulin resistance, inflammatory

All’sWellHealth for Body,

Mind, Spiritby Moira Fitzpatrick, PhD, ND

Hypertension: Take Time To Attend To Your Heart

Reiki in SeattleREIKI CIRCLE

sponsored by Seattle Metaphysical Library:2nd & 4th Thursday of the month, 7:30 pm

Also, Reiki classes available including Usui, Karuna, Seichim (SSR) classes & The Reconnection®

Now is Fitness Center, 1918 Terry Ave.Don Gordon 206-322-8789 • Donation $5-$20www.reikiinseattle.com

conditions, an overactive immune system, smoking, hyperlipidemia, increased sympathetic and decreased parasympathetic nervous system activity, or stress without enough relaxation. Hypertension affects 33% of individuals over the age of 20 in this country. It is thought to be due to an interaction of the genetics and the environment.

Can Hypertension be Treated Without Medications?

When an individual has a mild elevation in blood pressure without significant risk factors or diabetes, congestive heart failure, previous MI or cerebrovascular event , coronary heart disease, renal insufficiency, or other compelling issues, then I recommend a trial of three to six months to stabilize blood pressure. Even when an individual is taking medications, I recommend lifestyle changes, nutrition, exercise and micronutrients so as to utilize the lowest effective dose of medications.

What is the Goal in Treating Hypertension?

To prevent damage to organs and protect the blood vessels.


Understand your animal friend

Martha Norwalk is an animal behavior therapist with over 35 years of professional experience and service. She also hosts her own radio show, Martha Norwalk’s Animal World, Sunday mornings on Alternative Talk AM 1150. She is available for private sessions, either in your home or over the phone. With her holistic approach, Martha can help you understand your animal friends and solve any behavior, training or healing issues that they might be having. Martha’s rates are surprisingly affordable so call now for a free/no obligation telephone evaluation.

Martha’s Canine, Feline and All Creature Counseling

360-217-7258www.marthanorwalk.com [email protected]

By Frank Ra

Resolutions are often associated with the New Year. However, any serious commitment to make a lasting change in your life is a resolution. A resolution is different from a goal. A goal is usually a one-time accomplishment (e.g.: “I want to read this book”), while a resolution is sustained over time (“I want to read at least one book per week for most of my life”). I offer you some inspirations, together with a practical implementation: keeping a dream journal.Some Background: Identify Patterns

in Previous ResolutionsWhat were your previous resolutions about? How successful were they? Which successful approaches can you replicate from the past, and which ones need to be improved? In my case, a pattern emerged very clearly; being a writing-aholic, most of my resolutions have been about writing. A blog first, then a book. The experience of writing is transformational, so I decided to repeat it in a dream journal format that I can share with my wife.

Focus on What Matters: In The Medium and Longer Term

What do you see yourself being/doing both in the short and medium term? We spend one-third of our lives sleeping, so we better do it well. The quality and quantity of our sleeping deeply influences the quality of our awake life. Plus, as a meditator, the opportunity to extend a deeper awareness beyond the awakened state is an opportunity I can no longer pass.

Clarify Your Doubts In addition to the subjective satisfaction of keeping your resolution, are there commonly accepted rewards mentioned by people who took it? Is there any side-effect? After the initial enthusiasm about having a dream journal, I started to wonder if know-ing my dreams were “under observation” would influence the quality of my sleep. And, indeed, for the first few nights, the quality of sleep may be different. However, it returns to normality after a few days at most. That’ s what I call the “Big Brother’s house effect:” knowing to be observed may make us self-conscious for a bit, however then we return to normal behaviour.

The Power of Positive Phrasing: Being What You Want, Not Only

Away from the Unwanted If I say “Do not laugh,” what do you visualize? Probably, yourself laughing. Or the sound of it. Or the feeling of release in your body which comes with a hearty laugh. Positive resolutions focused on your actions (being/doing what you want to do) are more powerful than negative resolutions (moving away from something), which are focused on what you do not want to do because your attention goes on the words you use.

More Rituals, Less “Self-Control” Which rituals can you incorporate in your daily life to support your resolution? Is there any existing habit which would be better to remove because it is obstructing? I could rely on my self-control to stick to my dream journal. However, I found it more effective to give myself a routine. When I wake up in the morning, I drink a glass of water, sit, and then write today’s page of my dream journal.

Share The Ride Can you think of anyone who may like to embrace the same resolution as you? Can you think of someone who is likely to make a resolution, so you can meet regularly and share successes and challenges? My wife and I agreed that we can share our dreams with each other anytime, if we so desire, especially if they are funny or particularly meaningful. However, there is no pressure to do so.

Making a Meaningful Resolution: Keeping a Dream Journal

Embrace Diversity What can you learn from other people who are making similar resolutions? What can you learn from the people who are sharing the resolution with you? Especially if you implement your resolution with a partner or friend, you will be surprised by how many ways there are to achieve the same result. Love this diversity. After a few days, it became very evident that my wife and I have different approaches to keeping a dream journal. She is using an artistic, nice notebook. I have a plain one. We both have our reasons for doing this. She prefers to write more details, I just make a bullet list. Even if a given approach does not necessarily apply to your context and personality, give yourself time to appreciate the richness of the approaches available.

Support Your Resolution With Proper Eating and Exercising

No matter if your resolution is focused on being even fitter or on something else, you benefit from feeding your body and mind with appropriate food, in appropriate quantities, and by exercising. This ensures you have full energy to devote to your resolution.

Enjoy Last but not least, enjoy the ride. If your resolution is an entertaining one, that is even easier. If your commitment is a demanding one, appreciate the benefit it brings you each step along the path, and also the long-term advantages.

Frank Ra is a dharma instructor, and well-being coach. He is the author of “A Course in Happiness” and blogs on www.amareway.org. He has visited more than 30 countries and 80 cities, exploring different ways of living a joyful life, before settling in British Columbia, Canada. His work has been featured on North American, Asian and European media.

Shift Your Thinking - Change Your Shape

Shape ShiftersA Mind-Body Approach to Weight Mastery

Presented by Lani Nicholls, Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist

(360) 393-6919 or [email protected] Now Forming to Start in Mid-February

Call or Email for More Details

Frank Ra says the value of keeping a dream journal makes sense because the quality and quantity of our sleeping deeply influences the quality of our waking life.


For information about Good Company, call 425-356-7237www.newspiritjournal.com/GoodCompany

Join us for lunch and good company!A Monthly Gathering of People Of Positive InfluencePeople of Positive Influence (PPIs) are those who are living their lives in such a way as to be a positive influence on the world around them. It doesn’t matter what kind of work you do or where you do it. If you are helping to make the world a better place, if you are reading New Spirit Journal,you are a PPI! Join us for a monthly network gathering.

• Everett: First Tues.: February 7, March 6, April 3, 11:30-1 p.m. Alfy’s Pizza, 2317 Broadway, Everett - Salad bar and lunch specials. You don’t have to eat to join us but if you don’t eat, please do not bring in any outside food or drinks with you, at Alfy’s request.

• Monroe: Third Tues.: February 21, March 20, April 17, 11:30-1 p.m. NEW LOCATION! GOLDEN CITY BUFFET 1407 W. Main St. (W. Main & 179th), Monroe, WA 98272 360-805-0888 (for directions only) (Please no outside food or drinks.)

Now you can participate in the monthly Good Company Club marketing support call being sponsored by Marty Marsh, marketing coach, author and speaker (www.martymarsh.com). Join in this call either by telephone or computer and network with other Soul Proprietors. For details and to sign up for the free calls, go to http://innersuccesscircle.com

GOOD COMPANY: A relaxed networking lunch where we gather to share great food and even greater company. We visit, network, and make referrals. Find out why some people say this is their favorite networking group! Sponsored by Krysta Gibson and Rhonda Dicksion of New Spirit Journal

New Spirit Journal14911 Chain Lake Rd., #431, Monroe, WA 98272www.newspiritjournal.com(206) 799-7753 • (425) 356-7237Publisher and Co-editor: Krysta [email protected] and Co-editor: Rhonda [email protected]

All content ©2011 by New Spirit JournalISSN: 1930-370X

Columnists:Krysta Gibson, Moira Fitzpatrick, Ph.D., N.D., Martha Norwalk, Ruth Stender

New Spirit Journal is a monthly publication dedicated to self-empowerment, joyful co-creation, and thoughtful Earth stewardship so that everyone can reach his or her maximum potential.

Readers are responsible for their own decisions when reading the publication, contacting advertisers, or otherwise pursuing their path through life.

Advertisers are responsible for the claims they make and are expected tooperate in good faith, tell the truth about their work or products, and treat their clients and customers fairly.

Articles are due by the first Friday of the month.

Ads are due by the second Friday of the month.

New Spirit Journal is distributed the last week of each month for the following month. Advertising rates and writer’s guidelines are available upon request or can be viewed at www.newspiritjournal. com. Sample copies will be sent for $2. Visa and Mastercard are accepted. Subscriptions are available for $21.70/one-year bulk rate. Washington State sales tax is included.

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How to Have Great Relationships

with whom we can have the perfect relationship. If we only find this one person, we can have a blissfully happy life. What a huge expectation to put on another person or on a relationship. I have known people with wonderfully loving and happy relationships who had plenty of differences and plenty of bumps in the road. Their relationships are perfectly imperfect. Giving breathing room for the relationship to be alive with ups and downs allows us to be real, to be human with all our imperfections. And it lets the other

people in our lives be their gloriously imperfect selves as well. Remember love. Too often, love is seen as an emotion where we feel positive about the other person. Real love is much more than feelings. It is a commitment about how we view and treat other people. It is more about our actions and thoughts instead of only warm feelings. I left love to the last because this is obviously the basis of positive relationships of all kinds. When we remember to love unconditionally, relationships become much easier because they are not based on simple human thoughts and feelings.

There’s a lot more that can be written about relationships. There are even a few articles in this issue of New Spirit Journal that talk about this more. Spend some time exploring the nuances of your various relationships and see where you could improve your approach to others instead of always expecting them to change their approach to you!

Krysta is the publisher of New Spirit Journal and is also an author and teacher. Learn more about her at www.krystagibson.com.

By Eric Munro

Spiritual joy is our natural state. Many religions, though, refer to deeply uplifting experiences as “supernatural.” They are really not “super” but normal. It’s just that most of us spend our time in a sub-natural, less than blissful state. Finding our way back to spiritual joy doesn’t have to be complicated.Combining elements of key spiritual techniques produces a wondrously simple, effective practice to help one “get in the habit” of living in spiritual joy.

Consider these: 1. Loving God. This is the greatest commandment and ultimately the most practical and effective spiritual technique for communing with God in spiritual joy. Many times, though, when trying to improve ourselves, complexity enters and the greatest commandment, or call to action, is overlooked. 2. Gratitude. Every spiritual and religious tradition emphasizes gratitude. Contemporary research has documented the positive effects of gratitude. 3. Breath. Deep breathing is a mainstay of many meditation techniques. Much research has shown the positive physical and emotional effects of deep, diaphramatic breathing. 4. Mantra repetition. Mentally repeating a name of God calms the mind and helps keep it from wandering off on random thoughts. Love breathing is a technique that combines all these. Start by sitting (or standing) up straight, push your chest slightly out, this helps energize the heart area. Inhale deeply, but don’t strain. On the inhale feel love energy come into your chest or heart area. When exhaling, mentally say “God” or some other word that is spiritually meaningful to you. On the exhale feel you and God are loving each other for an intense moment right at the end of the exhale. Love God with deep gratitude for love. We can practice gratitude in many ways and for many things. But the greatest thing is God’s love, so practice gratitude for it. Or, if it is easier at first, remember some loving feeling you felt for someone and be grateful to God

for that love. God is very grateful for any love we send to God. Likewise we should be grateful for any love we receive. Loving gratitude between God and you can become wondrously self-reinforcing. While this practice can be done anytime, it is good to dedicate at least 10 minutes a day, where all you do is the practice. Sitting down in a living room, at a park, in a car are all good locations. While walking is an excellent time to practice. In addition to a dedicated 10 minute time, commuting, shopping, standing in line are all great additional times to practice. One important concept in this practice is to coax your mind into stillness, not try to force it quickly. This can mean when you start, allow yourself to look around while love breathing, then over several minutes as you become calmer, look around less and less. Until finally you are just looking at a fixed spot and deeply sharing love with God. With a sincere long term practice, loving God and feeling spiritual joy can become habitualized to your breath. Indeed feeling spiritual upliftment and joy can be just a few breaths away.

Eric Munro, retired from high-tech, is writing Love Breathing, Experience Divine Joy with Every Breath You Breathe. It outlines techniques that link loving God with the breath to form a practical spiritual discipline that can be utilized throughout the day. A free book draft, which further details this practice, is available for reading and downloading at www.howtoLoveGod.org.

Love Breathing: Experience Joy with Every Breath


the NWPsychic FairsSpirit & Alternative Health

– Admission Free –3 Locations - Every Month Kent: 1st Saturday Mill Creek: 2nd Saturday Bel Red: 3rd Saturdaywww.nwpsychicfairs.com

425-562-4777

Astrology Churches &Spiritual HomesUNITY is an open-minded, accepting spiritual community that honors all paths to God and helps people discover and live their spiritual potential and pur-pose. A positive alternative to negative religion, Unity seeks to apply the teach-ings of Jesus as well as other spiritual masters. www.unity.org. 800-248-6489.

CENTERS OF LIGHT teaches Christian mysticism and finding truth through experiences, not dogma. One-on-one teacher/student relationships offer the personal counseling and love that is rarely found elsewhere. Spiritual communities support each other with integrity, honesty and joy. www.centersoflight.org

THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY encour-ages open-minded inquiry into world religions, philosophy, science, and the arts in order to understand the wisdom of the ages, respect the unity of all life, and help people explore spiritual self-transformation. Offerings includes classes, workshops, and bookstores named Quest Bookshop. www.theosophicalsociety.org. 630-668-1571.

Churches &Spiritual HomesFIRST SPIRITUALIST CHURCH OF PUYALLUP Sunday Service 11am ,314 second ST SE Puyallup WA 98372 253-845-4444 All are Welcome, A Spiritual Pick me up every Sunday. Come as you Are. Just Behind City Hall in Downtown Puyallup www.firstspiritualistchurchofpuyallup.com or on facebook at puyallup spiritualist church

ANANDA CHURCH OF SELF-REALIZATION founded by Swami Kriyananda, direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda ia a movement based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda that helps you bring God into your life through meditation and spiri-tual living. Offers classes, services, Living Wisdom Schools, and spiritual communi-ties in the United States, India, and Italy. www.ananda.org. Call 530-478-7560.

SELF-REALIZATION FELLOWSHIP founded by Paramahansa Yogananda and based on the teachings he brought to the West from India in the early 20th century. Centers offer services, classes, and fellowship teaching that the pur-pose of life is the evolution, through self-effort, of man’s limited mortal consciousness into God Consciousness. www.yogananda-srf-org. 323-225-2471.

Events, Classes,& WorkshopsFEBRUARY 7GOOD COMPANY NETWORKING LUNCH. Join us for lunch and network-ing. Cost is the price of your lunch. Everett location: First Tuesday of the month:11:30-1 p.m. Alfy’s Pizza, 2317 Broadway, Everett. Salad bar and lunch specials. You don’t have to eat to join us but please do not bring in any outside food or drinks with you, at Alfy’s request. No reservations required. 425-356-7237.

FEBRUARY 21GOOD COMPANY NETWORKING LUNCH! Join us for lunch and network-ing. Cost is the price of your lunch. 11:30-1:00, GOLDEN CITY BUFFET, 1407 West Main Street, Monroe, WA 98272. Chinese buffett and lunch specials. You don’t have to eat to join us but if you don’t eat, please do not bring in any outside food or drinks with you. No reservations required. More infomation can be found at www.newspiritjournal.com. 425-356-7237.

SUN. FEB. 26, 1PMENERGY TECHNIQUES FOR HEALING YOURSELF Workshop, at East West Bookshop, $15. More info: www.PsychicAwakeningsSeattle.com.

MARCH 3CREATING AND BLESSING SACRED SPACES. Author Margaret McGee and spiritual director Roberta Hiday offer practices for de-cluttering and blessing sacred space at home and in community. A spring retreat centered in historic Port Townsend. Pilgrimage Port Townsend, www.pilgrimagept.com. 360-301-5284.

Events, Classes,& WorkshopsMARCH 7, 1011:11 LIVING TRUE EVENTS: Talk, 3/7/12, 7-8 pm & Workshop, 3/10/12, 2-9 pm. Ascension Into Light Foundation, 1222 S Weller St, Seattle. See http://www.astrolog.org/1111/workshop.htm.

For RentLARGE CLASSROOM SPACE FOR RENT! ~1440 sq ft ~ centrally located 420 E. Pike ~ attached parking garage with low fees ~ small kitchenette ~ tables, chairs, whiteboards avail ~ $250/day, $125 half day ~ call for details. 206-552-6523

Life Coaching BRENDA MILLER, RADICAL AWARENESS® COACH, assists people to feel fulfilled and at peace as they journey toward peak performance, bet-ter relationships, job satisfaction, and forgiveness of self and others. Call to discover what’s possible: 206-529-8282.

Classified Ads are only $15 for 20 words or less, each additional word 75¢. To advertise, send your ad to New Spirit Journal at 14911 Chain Lake Road, #431, Monroe, WA 98272 or place your ad online at www.newspiritjournal.com

NEWSpirit JOURNALClassified AdsOngoing Events,Classes, GroupsFREE SAHAJ MARG MEDITATION for human perfection through yogic transmission. Ph (206) 522-2502.

REIKI TRAINING AND CIRCLE. Free Reiki Circle 2nd Sunday of every month. Level I & II Classes plus 3-month Master and one-year Master Teacher Training programs. Free Mini-sessions. Northwest Reiki Center (425) 736-6980. www.nwreikicenter.org

MOVING INTO PRESENCE NOW! Ongoing Nia, 5 Stages of Self Healing, Contemplative Dance, Breema, and Martial Movement classes in Greenwood. Practices to attune mind, emotions, and spirit to the body, enhancing awareness and vitality. Every body welcome. 206-876-0896

USE YOUR INTUITION TO know and heal yourself. Learn a conscious active form of meditation you can do anywhere. Take the Level 1 class or con-tinue to take all 8. www.intuitivemind.org/courses

RED CEDAR CIRCLE - SiSiWiss Song, Prayer, Drumming, Teachings (Pacific NW Coast). Wednesdays 7:30-9:30pm, Interfaith Community Church (base-ment), Ballard, Seattle 206-683-1378

Psychic FairPSYCHIC FAIR - SATURDAY FEB 18TH 10-4PM First Spiritualist Church of Puyallup Readings Healings bazaar, www.firstspiritualistchurchofpuyallup.com - 253-845-4444, 341 Second St Puyallup , Just Behind City Hall

Churches &Spiritual HomesCHURCH OF DIVINE MAN is a non-profit organization focused on spiritual freedom. The emphasis is on teaching spiritual techniques to allow spirit to awaken and create consciously in the physical world. These techniques and teachings are based upon ancient wisdom and presented in a modern-day format. Take charge of your spiritual creativity by meditating with purpose. www.c-d-m.org or call 425-258-1449.

UNITED CENTERS FOR SPIRITUAL LIVING based on the teachings of Ernest Holmes. Offers classes, workshops, ser-vices, and fellowship focused on positive living within a spiritual framework . www.unitedcentersforspiritualliving.org. 720-496-1370.

WICCA: Aquarian Tabernacle Church, open to all. Free monthly Lunar celebra-tions, classes, other events. For more information call 360-793-1945. www.aquatabch.org.

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Massage, Body WorkFEEL THE DIFFERENCE AT CIRCLE GREEN Renew your Energy and Optimism with the healing touch of Usui Reiki - Free Aromatherapy. Contact Shannon (425) 377-9790 www.circlegreen.org

Ongoing Events,Classes, GroupsTHE ASCENSION INTO LIGHT FOUNDATION - Seattle. Classes, Workshops, Events. Kriya Yoga, Cosmic Cafe MeetUp, Speakers, Music, Psychic Development, Socializing, UFO DAY, more! See our display ad in this issue. Visit our site for schedule details. www.TheAscensionIntoLightFoundation.org Melanie: 206-356-6356

SPIRITUAL HEALING CLINIC, FREE. Observe, receive, practice. All energy healing methods. First Sundays. Kirkland, WA. “Amplifying Divine Light in All”Church, (425)466-4001.

Training REIKI CERTIFICATION TRAINING CLASSES: Level II: February 11 and 18; Level III: March 10 and 17. Call for detailed information. Preregistration required. Bainbridge Island. 206-384-7081. [email protected]

REIKI HOME STUDY Learn at your own pace, personal attunement, ongoing support from a qualified Reiki Master www.circlegreen.org

HEAL YOUR LIFE® TRAINING. Become a licensed Heal Your Life® workshop leader in the philosophy of Louise Hay. Complete manuals and materials provided. Feb. 26 - March 4, 2012. San Diego. www.healyourlifetraining.com

Ads for March are due Friday, February 10.

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Experience FREE HEALING SESSIONS and the powerful Twin Hearts Meditation at the Pranic Healing clinic in West Seattle

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Introduction - Rapid Self Healing, Feb 5• Accelerate your body’s ability to heal itself • Learn to quickly flush stress and energize your body • Stop negative people from draining your energy • Fill yourself with Divine Love, Peace and Bliss

Introduction - Relationship Healing, Feb 5• Prepare for Valentine’s Day! • Understand energetic connections and communication • Stop negative energetic conditions and connections • Powerful meditation to build the “Heart connection”

Pranic Healing® Level I, Feb 24-25• Principles of Self-Recovery and Life Force • Methods to assess the energy field and chakras • Preventative healing • Energy First Aid and Healing Children • Step-by-step healing for common ailments • Experience Inner Peace and Emotional Healing • Self Healing – Heal and recharge yourself • Distant Healing

Advanced Pranic Healing® Level II, Feb 25-26• Properties and guidelines for color pranas• Advanced assessment techniques• Rapid healing of fresh wounds, broken bones• Healing for cancer, AIDS, other severe ailments• Regenerating organs, cartilage, eyes, etc.'And much more...

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We all have multiple relationships of many different kinds. From the moment of conception, we are energetically tied to another human being and from that time onward our lives are interwoven with that of others. The way we relate to other people has a lot to do with the degree of happiness and satisfaction we have in our lives so it makes sense to try to relate in a positive way. This, of course, isn’t always easy to do. Some people think that if only they meet their soul mate, all will be well. Life will suddenly take on a rosy hue and all the bumps in our path will suddenly become smooth. Not true, of course. A soul mate is someone we are bonded with at the soul level and with whom we have unfinished business, and that is not always of a positive nature! Soul mates don’t just appear in the romantic realm, either. We can have parents, siblings, bosses, staff, and friends who are soul mates. And these relationships can be stormy or serene. Although I don’t consider myself a relationship expert, I have certainly had a lot of different kinds of relationships in my life, some long-term and others shorter, and I have experienced and witnessed some things that seem to support positive relationships as well as some things that can injure them. Here are a few tips I can share. Give up the need to be right, even when you know you are! This is one of most important things we can do in any relationship. By not having to be right, we open space in the relationship for new information and energy to flow. This allows us to really listen to and receive another person. When two people do this in the relationship, it allows a new dimension to form. Instead of you and me, it can become us. This can be tricky if the relationship is one at work and the discussion is happening with someone who works for you. How could they be right and not you? They can be. Great bosses know they don’t know everything. Many wonderful ideas have flowed from

How to Have Great Relationships

employees to managers. Allow that the other person might have some information you don’t have and be open to the

possibility that they are right. This posture of giving up the need to be right puts a new aura of respect into any relationship. Allowing the idea that the other person could be right instead of you, tells that person that you respect them and their life history. Respect goes a long way towards forging a great relationship. Look for similarities instead of differences and be willing to compromise. We’re all a lot more alike than we care to admit. When we can find the places where we are the same as other people, we can build from that base to then go on to accept and appreciate our differences. Far too often, we focus on our differences, especially in closer relationships where preferences come into sharper focus. One

person might like to travel a lot and the other doesn’t. One might enjoy eating out a lot while the other would rather stay home and cook. In the first example, maybe there are ways to compromise. The place where the two people agree is on taking some time away from work. Focus on that aspect where you agree; you both want some time off work. Then figure out ways to do this that satisfies both parties. Take some vacations where you travel. But take others where you stay close to home and enjoy short day trips or even just hang around the house and read or play. In the second example, both people probably enjoy trying new foods. Focus on that enjoyment and then work out ways to enjoy some different foods both in restaurants as well as cooking at home. Stay away from black and white thinking. This is a sure-fire way to have disagreeements and troubles. Statements such as “You always.....” or “You never....” set the stage for bickering. What is probably true is “You usually...” or “You sometimes....”. The other person is far more likely to listen when each gives some wiggle room for the other’s behavior, ideas, or preferences. Remember, there is no perfect relationship. Television and movies have led us to believe that there is one person

Living The Good Life

by Krysta Gibson

Continued on page 14

FEBRUARY 2012

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