Radical Knowing
Understanding Consciousness through Relationship
Christian de Quincey
Christian de Quincey makes a provocative claim: We are not who we think we are.
Instead, we are what we feel. Giving disciplined attention to feelings reveals the most
fundamental fact of life and reality: We are our relationships. Most of us think we
are individuals first and foremost who then come together to form relationships.
De Quincey turns this "obvious fact" on its head and shows that relationship comes
first, and that our individual sense of self—our "private" consciousness—actually
arises from shared consciousness.
$18.95, paper, 352 pgs., 6 x 9, 3 b/w illustrations, ISBN 1-59477-079-4
Founding Fathers, Secret Societies
Freemasons, Illuminati, Rosicrucians, and the Decoding of the Great Seal
Robert Hieronimus, Ph.D.
Very few of us know of the founders’ connections to the Freemasons, the Rosicrucians,
and other esoteric orders. In Founding Fathers, Secret Societies Robert Hieronimus
investigates these important connections and how their influence can be traced throughout our most significant national documents and symbols, especially the Great Seal.
Revised and Expanded Edition of America’s Secret Destiny.
$16.95, paper, 224 pgs., 6 x 9, 42 b/w illustrations, ISBN 1-59477-087-5
Fulcanelli and the Alchemical Revival
The Man Behind the Mystery of the Cathedrals
Geneviève Dubois
Sheds new light on the identity of the alchemist Fulcanelli. Provides new
understanding of the relationships between the most important figures of the
esoteric milieu of Paris in the first half of the 20th century. Includes a wealth
of rarely seen documents, photos, and letters.
$14.95, paper, 192 pgs., 6 x 9, 37 b&w illustrations, ISBN 1-59477-082-4
The Mystery Traditions
Secret Symbols and Sacred Art
James Wasserman
In The Mystery Traditions James Wasserman offers a full-color lexicon of occult
imagery drawn from the Kabbalah and tarot as well as the traditions of magic,
alchemy, and astrology, accompanied by commentary on each image’s
significance and the wisdom teachings from which it derives.
$19.95, paper, 160 pgs., 9 x 111/2, full-color throughout, ISBN 1-59477-088-3
The Reflexology Atlas
Bernard C. Kolster, M.D. and Astrid Waskowiak, M.D.
A fully illustrated and comprehensive reference guide to the many different kinds
of reflexology. Of all the ancient practices that have been revived by the growth of
alternative healing, reflexology is one of the most popular. It is easy to learn and can
be applied anywhere. This is the first reference guide to provide an overview of and
instructions for the many forms of reflexology.
$39.95, hardcover, 256 pgs., 10 x 13, full color throughout, ISBN 1-59477-066-2
Also available in paperback: $24.95, ISBN 1-59477-091-3
800-246-8648
InnerTraditions.com
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
3
EARTH STAR
CONTENTS
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
ON THE COVER
13 Thyroid Deficiency
Preventing A Metabolic Meltdown
by Raphael Kellman, M.D.
22 The Heart and Its Reasons
by David Servan-Schreiber, M.D., Ph.D.
30 The Power of Internal Martial Arts
Profile of An Internal Master
by B.K. Frantzis
38 The Movie Mystic
Stephen Simon’s Top Movie picks of 2005
by Stephen Simon
Page 30
FEATURES
6
Vision Tips
by Rosemary Gaddum Gordon, D.B.O., M.A.
16 Winter Skin Care Tips
by Jane Aransky
18 Down To Earth Astrology
by Tim Gunns
42 A Residence Awaiting Its New Owner
Cover Art
by Jean-Paul Avisse
For further information,
contact
Prestige Art Galleries,
3909 W. Howard, Skokie,
IL 60076. (874) 679-2555,
www.prestigeart.com.
For a free color brochure,
please send a S.A.S.E.
44 A Ghost in the House
by Ross Miller
49 You Can Change in A Moment of Time
by Marilou and Jerry Seavey
Page 22
50 Unknown White Male - A True Story
74 A New Look At the Cause of Colds & Flu’s
by Georgianna Donadio, D.C., M.Sc., Ph.D.
DEPARTMENTS
5
Up Front
36 Yoga Listings
46
Calendar of Events
51 Directory of Professional Services
68 Book Reviews
Page 38
4
EARTH STAR
72 Classified Marketplace
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
Jean-Paul Avisse
with his daughter, Marine
Earth Star Up Front
S
cientists say they have unearthed a clue to
solving the mystery of obsessive-compulsive
disorder—the trait characterized with humor
on the TV detective series “Monk.”
Now, researchers have demonstrated that each of
the three behaviors associated with OCD—handwashing, checking and hoarding—activates a different
brain region. The study was published in a recent
issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
David Mataix-Cols of the Institute of Psychiatry in
London and his colleagues found that patients with
hand-washing obsessions experienced activity in one
brain region when presented with thoughts of dirty
toilets and other germ-infested objects. The brains of
patients characterized as hoarder experienced activity
in a different brain region when presented with piles
of papers.
Checkers, who compulsively check on such things
as whether appliances have been turned of, experienced activity in yet another brain region when shown
pictures of kettles and irons. —Newsday
OCD Traits Linked To
Different Brain Regions
Women Eat 335 More Calories
A Day Than In 1971
report from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) says women are gaining weight
because they’re eating more than they did thirty years
ago, and the biggest culprit is simple carbohydrates such
as bagels, cookies, chips, and sodas. According to the
CDC, women consumed 335 extra calories a day—the equivalent of a
large chocolate chip cookie—in the year 2000, for a total intake of 1,877
calories. That’s up from 1,542 calories a day in 1971. (Men ate 168 more
calories a day, about the amount in a 12-ounce soda.) Those extra calories are going straight to Americans’ waistlines. Obesity rates jumped
from 14.5 percent of US adults in 1971 to 30.9 percent in 2000, said
CDC epidemiologist Jacqueline Wright. The government recommends
most women get around 1,600 calories a day. —Food & Fitness Advisor
A
Got Milk? Then You May Get Acne
C
hocolate and pizza may not be the biggest threats to your complexion. Milk—especially skim milk—may be, according to recent
research.
Women who reported drinking more than three servings of any type
of milk each day were 22% more likely to report having had severe acne
than those who drank only one or fewer servings daily, the researchers
report in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Women
who drank two or more daily servings of skim milk were 44% more likely to report having had severe acne. The results came from analysis of
survey responses from 47,335 women involved in an ongoing national
nurses health study. —Reuters
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
5
VI S I O N
By Rosemary Gaddum Gordon
D.B.O., M.A.
TIPS
Take your eyes for a walk
EARTH STAR
The Leading Magazine for Holistic Living in
New England & Los Angeles
EDITOR/PUBLISHER
Cody Bideaux
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
W
alks are refreshing.
We get outdoors,
fresh air and exercise. We walk the
dog. But are you
walking your eyes?
Eyes need exercise and fresh air too.
The trouble is that many people walk
along looking at the ground, or look
straight ahead at nothing in particular.
This is hard on the eyes because what
they love to do is move around and
explore the world. Eye muscles need a
variety of activities. They need to focus
in the distance as well as at near. Even
if you only have ten minutes between
here and there, your eyes can feel wonderfully revitalized when you use these
simple techniques:
Edge the horizon. Pretend you have an
invisible pencil at the end of your nose
and draw along the edge of the horizon
by moving your head. This may be
across a valley, at the end of the street or
high above you along the roof tops. Be
curious about the shape of that edge.
Notice what you are seeing. When it’s
cold and wintry outside, walk your eyes
all over the view from as big a window
as you can find. Encouraging the constant motion of your eyes helps them to
see well and prevents them from staring.
Take a dip in the sun. Healthy bodies
need some sunlight. For a special treat
take a Sun-dip. Sit or stand facing the
sun, close your eyes and slowly rotate
your head (as if you are saying No).
Notice the sensations on your eyelids of
brightness and warmth alternating with
the cooler, partial shade. Sunning for a
minute or so can really revive your eyes.
You can even do this in the car through
your open window as you wait for the
lights to change. Varying your exposure
to sun and shade exercises your iris
muscles and allows you to adjust to
these changes more quickly and easily.
Notice the apparent motion. As you
walk, be aware that the stationary
objects around you appear to move.
The things nearer to you, like a parked
car or a tree, seem to move past you
while the objects further away, like a
building or a hill, seem to move in the
same direction as you. Let yourself
notice this out of the corners of your
eyes. It will remind your visual system
to see the big picture and not to overfocus. If it feels unsettling at first, slow
down and sense into your body. Notice
the contact between your feet and the
ground. Then see if you can open to the
apparent motion again. People with
good vision see this way all the time.
I hope you will now enjoy your walks in
a whole new way. I know your eyes will
be happier, and they’ll see better too.
Holistic Vision Improvement
Cambridge, MA: (617) 354-8360
Eliot, ME: (207) 439-9821
www.visioneducators.com
6
EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
Tim Gunns
tgearthstar@aol.com
ADVERTISING OFFICES
BOSTON
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email: EarthStarM@aol.com
ADVERTISING MANAGERS
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Tim Gunns
DESIGN & PRODUCTION
Earthstar Productions
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Jane Aransky • Georgianna Donadio
B.K. Frantzis • Rosemary Gaddum Gordon
Tim Gunns • Raphael Kellman
Ross Miller • David Servan-Schrieber
Jerry Seavey • Marilou Seavey
Stephen Simon •
SUBMISSIONS
Manuscripts, artwork, and photographs
must be accompanied by a self-addressed,
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Earth Star Magazine, Copyright © 2006
by Earth Star Magazine Incorporated,
All Rights Reserved. No articles may be used
without written permission of the publisher
Volume XXVIII, No. 168 — February / March 2006
www.earthstarmag.com
Earth Star Up Front
SCIENTISTS SAY LEAD
KILLED BEETHOVEN
B
y focusing the most powerful X-ray beam in the
Western Hemisphere on six of Ludwig van
Beethoven’s hairs and a few pieces of his skull, scientists have gathered what they say is conclusive
evidence that the famous composer died of lead
poisoning.
The work, done at the Energy Department’s Argonne National
Laboratory outside of Chicago, confirms earlier hints that lead may
have caused Beethoven’s decades of poor health, which culminated in a long and painful death in 1827 at age fifty-six.
“There’s no doubt in my mind ... he was a victim of lead poisoning,” said Bill Walsh, an expert in forensic analysis and chief scientist at Pfeiffer Treatment Center in Warrenville, Ill., who led the study
with energy department researcher Ken Kemner.
A Classic Workout
small study recently reported in Heart and
Lung is not likely to change medical history
but maybe there’s something to learn here.
Thirty-three men and women with heart disease or
diabetes worked out on a treadmill for ten minutes
while listening to the Four Seasons by Vivaldi, a wonderfully melodic piece for string orchestra with moderate tempo and lots of brio. The next week they took
another turn on the machine without music. For all
participants, the exercise itself improved mood and
decreased depression, as measured by objective testing, which is not surprising. But the exercise done to
music also significantly improved mental function in a
post-exercise test.
If you find regular exercise boring, adding music
to your routine might not only liven things up, but possibly make you think more clearly. Conduct your own
experiment. If you’re not partial to Vivaldi, turn on
whatever turns you on. The Beatles. Jazz. Rogers and
Hart. Perhaps not Mozart’s Requiem, though—something cheerful would be best.
A
—U.C. Berkeley Wellness Letter
Still a mystery, however, is the source of Beethoven’s lead
exposure, which evidence now suggests occurred over many years.
Among the possibilities are his liberal indulgence in wine consumed from lead cups or perhaps a lifetime of medical treatments,
which in the 19th century were often laced with heavy metals.
One metal that was clearly absent was mercury, Walsh said—a
detail that weakens the hypothesis floated by some that Beethoven
had syphilis, which in those days was commonly treated with mercury.
“We found zero evidence of that,” Walsh said this week, “so it
was nice to exonerate him of that scurrilous possibility.”
The work was done at Argonne’s Advanced Photon Source, a
high-tech facility that sends subatomic particles sailing around a circular half-mile-long track at velocities up to 99.999% of the speed
of light.
Beethoven in his early twenties developed serious health problems, which grew worse over time and reflected many of the symptoms of lead poisoning, including severe stomach problems.
The composer was deaf by his late twenties, a problem of
questionable relevance because deafness has only rarely been
associated with lead poisoning.
But with his many health problems, it is not hard to imagine that
medicine itself may have done him in, said William Meredith, director of the Center for Beethoven Studies at San Jose State University.
—L.A. Times
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
7
Earth Star Up Front
Be Hair Now
German
study
p u b lished in the
British Journal of
Dermatology
shows that daily
usage of a topical
0.1 percent melatonin
solution
significantly
increases growth
after six months.
A
The Heart and Happiness
aughter may be good for your heart,
while depression can have effects
beyond merely your mood, raising
your risk of heart disease. That’s the
takeaway from two studies presented
at a meeting of the American College
of Cardiology, spotlighting the connections between psychological factors and heart health.
In one study, researchers at the University of
Maryland School of Medicine showed two movies—one
funny, one stress-inducing—to twenty healthy volunteers,
while testing their blood flow. After the stressful film,
blood flow was reduced in fourteen of the participants.
When laughing at the comedy, however, nineteen participants experienced improved circulation—an average of
twenty-two percent, similar to the benefits of exercise.
Despite the small sample size, the findings were
enough for lead researcher Michael Miller, MD, to venture, “We don’t recommend that you laugh and not exercise, but we do recommend that you try to laugh on a
regular basis.”
On the other hand, a second study by Duke
University researchers found that heart-failure patients
with mild depression had a forty-four percent greater risk
of dying than patients without depression. The study followed one thousand and five patients and factored out
other differences such as age, marital status, cardiac
function and root cause of heart failure. “We believe our
study appears to identify a group of these patients who
are at a higher risk for dying,” observed lead researcher
Wei Jiang, MD. Depressed patients, Dr. Jiang noted, tend
not to exercise or take medications properly, and are
more likely to smoke and eat unhealthfully.
L
8
EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
Winter Pick-Me-Ups
here are about a jazillion comedy web
sites on the Internet. Here are a few that
reliably crack us up: Theonion.com. Often
wicked, usually hilarious fake news. Bluedonut.com.
Look for their list of the one hundred funniest jokes of all
time. Modernhumor.com. Lots of entertaining humor
pieces. Still not laughing? Try playing a game of Twister.
We’ve heard it’s even funnier if you Crisco the mat first.
T
Organic Farming A Growth
Industry in Germany
esticide-free organic farming that pays attention to animal welfare is gaining more followers within Germany’s
farming community. 4.5% of Germany’s available agricultural land is now ecologically friendly. This eco-boom is creating around two thousand new jobs every year in Germany.
Within the European Union, only Italy plays a bigger role in
organic farming. And the market continues to grow. Between
January and March 2005 alone, organic farming turnover rose
by more than fifteen percent against the same period in 2004.
P
Feldenkrais Method® Training
Program – New York City
Beginning Summer/Fall 2005 • Monthly Introductory Workshops
Convenient Weekend Format • Manhattan Location
Program Director: David Zemach-Bersin
One of Moshe Feldenkrais’ Original Students
The Feldenkrais Method is an internationally recognized approach to human development,
learning and change. You will learn valuable tools for improving your health and well
being, and the knowledge and skills necessary to help others as a Feldenkrais Practitioner.
• Learn innovative and effective ways to improve posture, flexibility, coordination, vitality,
and ease of movement, regardless of age or physical ability.
• Enjoy profound psychological and emotional growth, and relief from pain and stress.
• Learn hundreds of effective techniques to help both adults and children with chronic
pain, orthopedic and neurological problems. Feldenkrais Practitioners maintain
independent practices and also work in physical therapy, psychotherapy, education,
ergonomics,gerontology,massage therapy,theater,dance,music,and athletic performance.
www.feldenkraistrainingprograms.com
I have long been intrigued by this subtle form
of retraining the nervous system, which I
recommend to patients whose movement has
been restricted by injury, cerebral palsy, stroke,
fibromyalgia, or chronic pain.
Andrew Weil, M.D.
David Zemach-Bersin is a master of all aspects
of the Feldenkrais Method and the outcome
is astounding.
Gisela Moellmann, Ph.D.,
Yale University
The Feldenkrais Method Training Program has
been a life changing experience. I have gained
an understanding of the human body that no
other discipline gave me and I am more effective with my clients.
Marek Wyszynski, PT,
Feldenkrais NYC Physical Therapy
For more information or to request a free
catalog of tapes and books call
800-482-3357
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
9
Learn Babaji’s Kriya Yoga
with M. GOVINDAN SATCHIDANANDA, author of the book
“BABAJI AND THE 18 SIDDHA KRIYA YOGA TRADITION”
in Rhode Island (April 7-9, 2006)
at The Providence Healing Arts, 297 Wickenden Street, Providence, Rhode Island
KRIYA YOGA is a scientific art of perfect God Truth Union and Self-Realization. It was revived by a great
Master of India, Babaji Nagaraj, as a synthesis of ancient teachings and is taught in a series of progressive
initiations. In this extraordinary weekend you will learn: 18 postures for greater health, the six phases of a
powerful breathing exercise and 7 techniques of meditation.
FRIDAY NIGHT April 7, introductory lecture from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, April 8-9, seminar from 9 A.M. to 5:30 P.M.
Visit our e-commerce www.babaji.ca for Publications on Kriya Yoga and the Yoga of the Siddhas.
Enroll in the Home study course: The Grace of Babaji’s Kriya Yoga.
For more information or to enroll in the weekend intensive course: Call Sherry at (401) 751-2050;
Email: provhearts@aol.com or call M. G. Satchidananda at 1-888-252-9642 or write: Kriya Yoga Publications,
196 Mountain Rd, P.O. Box 90, Eastman, Quebec, Canada J0E 1P0. Email: info@babaji - www.babaji.ca
20
Y EA RS O F
O U TS TA ND IN G H O LI S T I C H E AL TH CA RE F O R B O DY , MI ND , & S P I R I T
JOYCE FOLEY, BS, RN, LIC. ESTH
617-562-0606
20 years experience with Dr. Hauschka skin
care. Combining Homeopathy, diet, and
nutrition, Joyce treats the whole person.
TERRY HUNT, ED.D, LIC. PSYCH.
617-787-3511
Individual, couples, body-centered psychology
with sub-specialties in addiction disorder,
adolescents, and adult children of
dysfunctional families.
CHE
ONSTANCE
&LTERNATIVE
ASSOC.
617-787-5040
T
NATURALJONES
PATH A
617-787-5040
LeadingColon
New England
Colon
Hydrotherapy
Offering
Hydrotherapy,
Iridology,
Lymph
practice.Nutrtitional/Herbal
FDA-registered Education.
and disposable
Therapy,
I-ACT certified
staff.
Warm, clean,
environment.
equipment.
I-ACTsupportive
certified staff.
Warm, clean,
www.healthycleansing.com.
supportive environment.
TOM LARSON, D.C
617-783-2772
Chiropractic Physician. Low-force, energybased chiropractic CranioSacral therapy.
Applied kinesiology, Reiki, spiritual emotion
orientation. No cracking.
JEFF LEVIN, NMT, LMT
617-787-3142
20 years experience – treatment and teaching.
Neuromuscular, sports, and injury treatment,
incorporating reflexology, deep tissue, and hot
stone.
NEELY MERCURIO, LIC. AC.
617-254-8505
Licensed Acupuncturist with a western medical
background offering Chinese and Japanese
Acupuncture; delivering supportive treatments
for your healing process.
M
ADELINE
NOLDB
,P
H.D
617-787-2277
COUGAR
617-407-4565
SPIRIT
ODYWORKS
Offering
AcupressureasMassage
and Sotai
Over
20 Shiatsu
years experience
psychotherapist
Therapy
for relaxation,
pain relief and re-alignment.
and
seminar
leader. Organizational
behavior
To learn more
visit us atand
www.cougarspirit.com.
consultant;
executive
career transition
counseling.
18 years experience - relaxing, rejuvenating
bodywork to relieve pain and stress. Injury
rehabilitation, “Facelift Massage”, massage for
cancer patients. AMTA certified.
Licensed Acupuncturist providing Chinese and
Japanese styles of acupuncture and Shiatsu
massage. Gentle, compassionate, effective
treatments.
L
ROBERTS
, MA,
617-783-2992
KANGDON
AREN SHAW
RN, MSN
, CSLMT
, Lic. Ac. 617-513-5575
Neurofeedback
and classical
Extensive experience
in treatingbiofeedback
individuals with
psychotherapy,
in Individual
and Group
combined
with specializing
bodywork and
active relaxation
treatmentforforstress
peoplemanagement,
with Eating Disorders.
training
pain relief,
Additionally,
provides Acupuncture and Massage
improved
focus.
MONICA SIMPSON, NMT
617-783-5138
Skilled, caring massage therapy – alleviating
tension, pain and dysfunction; restoring
balance and inner peace. 19yrs experience,
AMTA certified.
Individual,
forfor
anxiety,
Individual,couples
couplestherapy
therapy
anxiety,
depression,
in body-oriented
depression,etc.;
etc.;specializing
specializing
in body-oriented,
psychotherapy
and clinical hypnosis.
Licensed,
expressive psychotherapy.
Licensed,
experienced
www.therapyforlifechange.com.
experiencedclinician.
clinician.
REZAKKAH NORINS, LMT
617-254-4088
CATHERINE THIBAULT, LIC. AC.
617-254-8505
617-571-1356
SHAWNA V CARBONI, MSW, LICSW 617-782-5020
therapy for musculoskeletal sports injuries.
Market Street Health
Center for Complementary Medicine and Holistic Therapies
Independent Practitioners
Ac u p u n c t u r e
Chi ro pr act ic
Colo n Hy dr ot he rap y
Co uns el in g
H o m e o p a th y
H y p n o th e r a p y
Market Street Health 214 Market Street Brighton, MA
10
EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
Mas sag e
Ne ur oma ss ag e
617-787-3511
P sy ch ot he ra py
Sk i n C a r e
Ref lex ol og y
www.mark e t s t r e e t h e a l t h . c o m
R ei ki
Earth Star Up Front
London Hails First
Hybrid Taxi
I
f you hail a taxi in London
you might be in for an unexpectedly quiet ride—that is,
if you are lucky enough to get the
first new Diesel Electric Hybrid,
developed by Azure Dynamics in
Toronto and London Taxis
International.
It is hoped the new taxi will cut
inner city pollution and have a
projected fuel savings of thirtyfive percent and emissions reduction of up to ninety percent.
The taxi automatically runs in
the most economic way, switching to electric mode a low
speeds. With the support of the
Energy Savings Trust and the
Department of Transport, LTI
hopes to have the new taxi in
production this year.
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
11
12
EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
THYROID
DEFICIENCY
Preventing
a Metabolic
Meltdown
By Raphael Kellman, MD
atigue, weight gain, insulin
resistance, depression, and
dementia are all associated
with the degenerative
aspects of aging. Yet many
of these symptoms may actually be
caused by hypothyroidism, which is
often overlooked and misdiagnosed. A
Simple thyroid stimulating hormone
(TSH) blood test can reveal your thyroid
status and help you avoid misdiagnosis
of these symptoms
An estimated five percent of
Americans suffer from hypothyroidism,
a deficiency of the thyroid gland, and
many go undiagnosed. Patients and their
doctors often disregard common symptoms, mistaking them for “normal” signs
of aging. In my integrative medical practice, I offer patients an alternative to suffering with symptoms that are eminently
treatable.
F
Role of the Thyroid
The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped
organ in the neck, located above the collarbone and below the Adam’s apple.
This tiny gland is vital to regulation of
the body’s metabolism. Made up of
small sacs, the thyroid is filled with an
iodine-rich protein called thyroglobulin,
along with the two thyroid hormones, T4
(tetraiodothyronine, or thyroxine) and
T3 (triiodothyronine). T3, the more
active of the two thyroid hormones, is
produced in much smaller amounts than
T4, which accounts for about ninetythree percent of the hormone produced.
Most of the T3 is created by conversion
from T4, which occurs in the liver and
kidneys.
The primary function of these two
hormones is to convert food into energy
and to regulate the body’s other systems.
A deficiency in the production (or
absorption) of thyroid hormones can
cause a global decline in the body’s
metabolic reactions and lead to a host of
symptoms, most commonly fatigue,
weight gain, low body temperature, dry
skin, and hair loss in the eyebrows. But
low thyroid function—that is, hypothyroidism—can also produce more farranging symptoms, potentially affecting
all of the body’s organs and cells. That is
why I make it a point to test a patient’s
thyroid levels whenever he or she presents with a common and often interrelated series of health problems.
The Testing Controversy
Diagnosing hypothyroidism has sparked
an ongoing debate in the medical community over what hormone levels constitute a hormone deficiency. Generally,
doctors use the TSH blood test to diagnose thyroid conditions. TSH is pro-
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
13
duced in the brain’s pituitary gland. A
pituitary that produces excess TSH indicates that the thyroid is functioning
below par and therefore requires more
stimulation than normal. The problem
lies in defining the standard range for
TSH levels. I have found that even at the
edges of the so-called “normal” range,
many patients suffer from untreated
hypothyroidism, with significantly
diminished health.
The reference ranges published by
various laboratories are subject to
change as new information becomes
available. In fact, the medical profession
always adjusts these ranges to reflect
new discoveries in clinical practice. For
example, while a total cholesterol level
of 300 mg/dL was once considered normal, we now know that that number is
far too high, and levels around 200
mg/dL are now recommended.
In 2002, the American Academy of
Clinical Endocrinology revised the normal range for TSH levels downward to
the current values of 0.2-5.5 mµ/ml.
From testing and treating patients who
present with significant health problems,
I and many other doctors believe that
this upper value is still too high. Studies
have shown that values of more than 4.0
mµ/ml increase the prevalence of heart
disease after correcting for other known
risk factors. Other research reveals that
people with TSH values of more than 2.0
mµ/ml have a higher risk of developing
overt hypothyroid disease over the next
twenty years. Research also links
hypothyroidism with high cholesterol.
When the level of TSH is over 1.9
mµ/ml, with concomitant high levels of
cholesterol, doctors should look for thyroid deficiency before treating the
patient with cholesterol-lowering drugs.
These findings all show a notable difference between the optimal TSH range
and the so-called “normal” range.
Even when tests reveal “normal”
TSH levels, I sometimes suspect the
presence of hypothyroidism, especially
in older patients, as thyroid deficiencies
often imitate age-related symptoms. In
such cases, I perform a stimulation test
using thyrotropin-releasing hormone
(TRH) to disclose low thyroid performance even if a blood test is normal. The
TRH stimulation test is conducted only
under the direct supervision of a physi-
14
EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
cian. The test requires the intravenous
injection of the hormone TRH with additional blood sampling before and after
the injection. The results of this test help
to distinguish between outright hypothyroidism and “subclinical” or developing
hypothyroidism. In some individuals
(and depending on the physician’s interpretation of the laboratory tests), outright hypothyroidism may take as long
as twenty years to develop. With the help
of measures such as the TRH stimulation
test, I am able to diagnose hypothyroidism when the onset of symptoms
(fatigue, weight gain, etc.) precedes
abnormal laboratory values. Early intervention thus may save patients from
years of needless suffering.
Additional tests to better determine the
significance of such symptoms include a
liver panel, a complete blood count
(CBC), a chemistry panel including a
cholesterol profile, the candida antibody
test, and a fasting insulin level.
Because the thyroid governs metabolic processes extending all the way
down to the cellular level, every organ
and system of the body can potentially
be affected by its dysfunction. For example, hypothyroidism can affect the digestive tract, leading to constipation. This
occurs when a sluggish metabolism
affects the cells lining the gut walls, in
turn slowing peristalsis, the contractions
that govern bowel movements. Slowed
metabolic activity in the brain can mani-
Symptoms of
Hypothyroidism
I generally prefer to observe patients
closely and assess their entire range of
symptoms to determine whether
hypothyroidism is a contributor to their
condition, and then to use blood tests to
confirm hypothyroidism. I first look for
deficiency, low metabolism or tiredness,
and weight gain, though there are many
other indicators. According to the pioneering physician Broda Barnes, author
of Hypothyroidism: The Unsuspected
Illness; there are at least forty-seven
symptoms of low thyroid function—
most of them overlooked by blood tests.
“The development and use of thyroid
function blood tests,” Barnes wrote, “left
many patients with clinical symptoms of
hypothyroidism undiagnosed and
untreated.” For this reason, Barnes estimates that up to thirty-four percent of
the adult population has some form of
thyroid deficiency.
In addition to fatigue, I have found
that symptoms may include depression,
dementia, decreased cognitive function
(“brain fog”), a weakening of the
immune system, constipation, weight
gain and fluid retention, irregular menstrual cycle, infection, discoloration of
the skin, hair loss, and drooping eyelids.
A sluggish thyroid can also be linked to
a fatty liver or high cholesterol, candida,
and low glucose and insulin levels. In
extreme cases, untreated hypothyroidism can cause anemia, low body
temperature, and heart failure.
fest as lowered mood and depression, the
result of a decreased production of
neurotransmitters. Nerve cells that are
not firing well may produce decreased
cognitive function. In fact, many elderly
people with hypothyroidism have been
misdiagnosed as suffering from dementia.
One of my patients, a seventy-eightyear old woman who was progressively
declining at home, had lost overall function, was tired and forgetful, and could
not remember the names of those close
to her. Routine tests for TSH showed her
to be in the “normal” range, and her doctors had concluded that she was suffering from “beginning dementia,” an alltoo-common mis-diagnosis in the elderly. Suspecting hypothyroidism, I tested
her and then started her on low doses of
thyroid hormone, to which she immediately responded. Her memory returned
and her overall function improved dra-
matically. “I feel like I was rescued from
the dead,” she told me. Although many
patients with subclinical hypothyroidism
show no symptomatic improvement
upon treatment according to the medical
literature, it is impossible to refute this
anecdotal observation. It is tragic that so
many elderly patients are considered
untreatable and dismissed as “over the
hill” when their symptoms, due to
hypothyroidism, can be alleviated with
hormone treatment.
Thyroid dysfunction can also contribute to insulin resistance, especially
among overweight people, and in such
cases is often a precursor to diabetes.
Insulin, produced by the pancreas,
results in the storage of excessive calories. But in insulin resistance, the cells
become less responsive to the action of
insulin. The body therefore produces
more and more insulin as a result, trying
to maintain normal blood sugar levels, a
condition known as hyperinsulinemia.
High insulin levels also stimulate
appetite: when glucose levels drop, the
insulin sends a signal to the brain to keep
the food coming. Thus, you begin to eat
when you least need to, with intractable
weight gain being the result. A high
insulin output over many years because
of poor diet can cause the pancreas to
“burn out” and insulin output to drop,
resulting in diabetes. A number of studies suggest that hypothyroidism is associated with diabetes mellitus.
The connection between the thyroid
and the hypothalamus-pituitary axis
results in three different types of
hypothyroidism. Primary hypothyroidism arises from a deficiency in the
thyroid itself, while secondary and tertiary hypothyroidism involve the pituitary
and hypothalamus, respectively. In tertiary hypothyroidism, the hypothalamus
shuts down protectively in response to
stress, producing low levels of thyroid
hormone. Often linked to chronic fatigue
syndrome and fibromyalgia, this condition can cause low body temperatures, a
tendency toward infections, and the
other metabolic consequences of low
thyroid. It has been suggested that problems with the mitochondria, the cellular
structures that furnish us with energy,
may cause this suppression of the hypothalamus. Since dysfunction of the mitochondria is also a result of hypothy-
roidism, here again we have an example
of how processes behave reciprocally in
the body.
Weight gain is an effect of hypothyroidism that can similarly become a
cause. In response to the metabolic
slowdown and corresponding weight
gain, patients may lower their caloric
intake, which in turn can lower production of T3, initiating a vicious cycle in
which the basal metabolic rate slows and
leads to even more weight gain. I use the
little-known Achilles Tendon Reflex
Recovery Test and the Barnes Basal
Temperature as measures of deficient
conversion of T4 to T3 to ascertain
whether hypothyroidism is implicated in
cases of obesity. In addition to those
previously mentioned, several other
blood tests also gauge T3 and T4 levels,
including the reverse T3, T3 uptake, T4,
and complete thyroid panel tests.
Thyroid and Hormonal
Imbalances
Thyroid function is intimately tied to
adrenal function, which reciprocally acts
to stimulate the pituitary, where TSH is
produced. If the adrenals are not working well, the thyroid and pituitary often
will be affected. Adrenal imbalances can
be measured via cortisol levels. Stress
tends to raise cortisol levels, increasing
insulin and thereby leading, in some
cases, to insulin resistance and overproduction of cortisol, as measured by the
saliva test, thus signaling trouble for the
thyroid. Excess cortisol causes a
decrease in thyroid expression by leading to diminished conversion of T4 into
T3, the active hormone.
A
progesterone-estrogen
imbalance can
similarly interfere with thyroid
function as well
as result from
diminished thyroid
function.
Estrogen
and
thyroid hormone
have
opposite
effects: estrogen
causes calories to
be turned into fat,
and thyroid hormone causes fat calories to be turned
into energy. So when progesterone is
low and estrogen is dominant (even
when TSH blood levels are normal), if
symptoms of hypothyroidism are present, high estrogen levels could be the
cause: Weight gain can also upset the
progesterone-estrogen balance. To counteract this effect of estrogen, I generally
recommend the use of topical progesterone creams. Higher levels of progesterone activate estrogen receptor sites in
the body and cause the estrogen to be
used before it can do harm. The progesterone-estrogen balance can be determined by a monthly saliva test or by
progesterone and estrogen blood tests.
Autoimmune Thyroid
Disease
Low progesterone in women between
the ages of thirty and fifty may lead to
autoimmune
hypothyroiditis,
or
Hashimoto’s disease, as a consequence
of immune stimulation by the dominant
estrogen. In this condition, the body’s
immune system develops antibodies to
thyroid cell components, resulting in
self-destruction of the thyroid gland;
specifically, antibodies to thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin are generated
pathologically. Twenty-five percent of
such cases may also result from a genetic predisposition. This attack by the
immune system on the thyroid results in
damage to the cellular mitochondria, the
energy producers in the cytoplasm, and
the progressive destruction of the thyroid itself. Stress can also provoke this
mitochondrial response, which in turn
can result in other types of inflammation
Continued on page 63
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
15
Tips for Helping
Your Skin
Survive Winter
J
ane Aransky, a skin care specialist
for more than twenty-five years,
has seen and heard it all when it
comes to skin problems.
Once the temperatures dip below freezing, her clients at La Residencia Spa in
Newton, Massachusetts complain of
tight, dry, itchy, blotchy facial skin.
Degrees vary, of course. In some cases,
skin merely looks “dull” and telltale
signs of aging appear exaggerated; in
other cases, skin can actually hurt.
The following round-up simple skin care
tips, adhered to during winter’s harshest
months (January through March), can
help prevent or alleviate most common
skin worries.
Naturally, a regular regime of professional facials, if you can afford it, also
helps tremendously to keep skin clean,
clear and hydrated, so seek out a spa that
employs a licensed aesthetician and ask
what he or she recommends for you.
1) Drink plenty of water ! Eight 8ounce glasses a day is optimal.
Hydration begins on the inside and
works its way out. This cannot be
stressed enough.
2) Alcohol and caffeine can both zap
hydration, so limit coffee consumption
on
cold days, and go easy on the hot toddies
and cocktails.
3) Buy a humidifier and use it while you
sleep. Steam can undo the drying effects
of most home heating systems. Your
16
EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
skin, your hair and sinuses will thank
you. There’s generally no good reason
why you can’t bring a humidifier into
your office, as well. As an inexpensive
alternative, simply place a pan of water
near radiators. It’s evaporation adds a
small but essential amount of moisture
into the air over the course of several
hours.
4) Winter sun, reflected off snow and
ice, can be just as damaging to facial
skin as summer sun. Get into the habit
of using an SPF #15 or higher sunscreen
OVER your moisturizer every day
before you go outdoors. If you are a skiier, you may want to consider buying a
ski mask before a day on the slopes.
Naturally, a slathering of moisiturizer
underneath will help even more.
5) Avoid using products that contain
alcohol or clay, both of which tend to
draw moisture from the skin. If you are
in the habit of using toners or masks, buy
ones that do not indicate these ingredients on the label, even if you need to
change brands for winter vs. summer
use.
For average skins showings signs of
cold-weather-related dryness, Jane recommends the following basic routine:
Massage skin with a creamy, gentle
cleanser and rinse well using tepid
(never hot) water. Blot dry with a soft
towel.
If your skin is oily, products containing alphahydroxy acids will help the
skin rid itself of dead cells, which not
only clog pores, but contribute to that
“dull” look one sees in winter. Once
dead skin cells have vanished, moisturizers can penetrate more effectively.
Another way to accelerate this
process is by using an exfoliant containing small granules that act as “scrubbers.” Use a gentle one formulated for
sensitive skin.
Apply a gel made from hyaluronic
acid before you apply your moisturizer—it will help the skin to better absorb
humectants.
Look for moisturizers that contain
Vitamins A and C. These natural anitoxidants provide triple skincare action by:
preventing and repairing damage to the
skin from free radicals in the environment ... balancing skin’s natural toxicity
,,, and gently stimulating collagen production.
Finally, Jane strongly suggests using a
facial mask formulated for dry skin
twice a week in order to soften dry skin
and keep it hydrated. Simply follow the
directions on the package for best
results.
Remember, you don’t need to spend a
fortune on skin care products as long as
they contain the right ingredients, and
are used religiously. It’s easy to get into
a healthy skin care regime, and you’ll be
encouraged to continue once you begin
to see the beautiful results. It takes just
a few minutes a day to keep skin looking
youthful and radiant—not only during
winter—but for life.
La Residencia Spa is located at 336
Elliot Street in Newton, MA. 617-2442280, www.laresidenciaspa.com.
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
17
FEBRUARY - MARCH 2006
A
mystery-making conjunction between Mercury
and Neptune occurs on February 1st, when dreams
and meditations could provide helpful and timely
insights. Creative imagery practices can also be fulfilling
now. However, from a purely practical stand point, it may not
be easy to separate reality from illusion so avoid signing
important papers or making important decisions till after the
3rd. A square (90°aspect) between Mercury and Jupiter,
which peaks around the same time, further admonishes us to
remain skeptical of proposals made now, as key elements,
facts or items of information may not be available, or are perhaps being deliberately concealed. All is not as it seems.
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EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
After a rare, six-week retrograde phase, in which key relationships and personal finances came under greater scrutiny,
Venus, planet of love and luck, turns direct on February
3rd, at 16°02’Capricorn. Tangible progress is now possible in
affairs of the heart, partnerships and money matters, though in
this serious-minded earth sign, the inclinations of the goddess
of love are more towards business pursuits than romantic
expression.
Wander through your personal field of dreams regarding
ambitions or life direction on and around the 5th, when the
sun, representing one’s creative life force, makes its annual
conjunction with mystical Neptune in progressive Aquarius.
Connect with those who share your visions for the future, or
who can provide the necessary resources to make a professional dream come true. Extra patience and caution may be
called for under this beguiling celestial influence, in conversation or in traffic, as both communications and travel could
bring frustrations. Even so, intuitive insights may be there for
the asking, for those open and receptive.
The fiery Leo full moon on February12th, opposing the
Aquarius sun, may highlight a pressing need for creative selfexpression, perhaps in ways that reflect one’s evolving values,
and that could also contribute substantially to one’s revenue
stream. Oh, what joy that notion may evoke! With the lunation axis in square (90°) to a slowly separating Mars-Jupiter
opposition in the money signs of Taurus and Scorpio, respectively, forming a grand cross pattern in fixed signs, you may
be keen to break new ground where revenue production is
concerned. To this end, share your progressive new ideas with
friends and colleagues, they could provide the emotional and
moral support you may also be in need of now.
Down To Earth Astrology
After a protracted six-month stay in
earthy Taurus the red planet, Mars,
enters the airy environs of tropical
Gemini on the 17th, vigorously stimulating the intellect over the next two
months. The proper use and direction of
one’s creative energies during this transit can offset the potential for restlessness, or excessive mental-chatter.
When the sun enters watery Pisces on
the 18th, psychic faculties quicken, so
tune-in to your dreams and meditations
for guidance or inspiration. Balance
what you put “out there” in helping others with some quality quiet time spent
by yourself.
The typically sanguine, dreamy energies
associated with the Pisces new moon
(27th) are considerably more highly
charged by the close conjunction of
Uranus, heightening our perceptions,
while inspiring creativity and innovation. A tight square aspect between
Mercury and Pluto allows for the
absorption of new truths and understanding, and perhaps startling revelations, during the course of this lunar
cycle. The quest for emotional, spiritual,
and cultural harmony could receive a
higher priority now. This would also be
an appropriate juncture at which to
begin a dream diary.
February 28th is also Mardi Gras in hurricane torn New Orleans. Will we witness the resurrection of this once vibrant
party town? The Big Easy is after all a
sun sign Scorpio, governed by Pluto,
ruler of death and rebirth, currently
posited conjunct the Galactic Heart
Center at 27°Sagittarius—the central
point in our Milky Way galaxy from
which a higher source of information
and inspiration is said to emanate. With
action planet Mars, co-ruler of Scorpio,
in trine to Chiron, associated with healing deep wounds, there are powerful
elements in place at this time that could
support innovative efforts to quickly
rebuild the city’s infrastructure and
revivify the community. Let the good
times roll!
The annual conjunction of the sun and
Uranus occurs early on March 1st, stimulating interest in science, spiritual
“technologies,” and innovative television programming. Revolutionize your
business or career strategies to incorporate new and improved methodologies.
Investigate new technology and computer software, particularly to increase
work efficiency. Allow creative selfexpression free rein.
between Jupiter and Neptune perfects
on the Ides of March (15th), as unrealistic or inflated expectations are possible,
while escapism could be rife.
Nonetheless, this planetary pairing can
impart a powerful spiritual influence.
Don’t be taken in by any false prophets
or dogma!
Mercury stations retrograde on March
2nd in 27°Pisces, and will remain in
reverse mode until March 25th. Many of
the cosmically savvy may already know
the drill, but in brief, plans, signings, or
arrangements of any importance should
be implemented prior to this
period...unless you like surprise endings! However, while Mercury is retrograde, you may safely make revisions or
otherwise go over previously covered
territory for inconsistencies or errors.
Mercury retrograde in Pisces particularly favors psychic detectives!
A moon wobble phase begins March
16th through April 1st, peaking as the
sun squares the moon’s nodes on March
24. Greater than normal potential exists
for seismic activity, anomalous weather,
unusual events and eccentric, unconventional behavior during this period.
When giant Jupiter stations retrograde
on March 4th (till July 5th) in 19° of
Scorpio, its expansive energies are
intensified for several days, all the more
so because it closely opposes the moon,
while square to Neptune—forming a
fixed sign t-square. Tensions may rise
over financial concerns, or a difference
in values. Exercise more patience now
in your dealings with others. In order to
make progress, be more tolerant of others’ beliefs and philosophies. Resist a
“holier than thou” attitude.
Hope Springs eternal at the vernal equinox on March 20th as the sun enters
Aries, the sign of hope, commencing
Earth’s natural cycle through the zodiac,
when Mother Nature bursts forth into
life, pulsating with the vibrant energy of
Mars (the Aries ruler), causing the sap
to rise, the juices to flow, and new
growth begins. As a rule. However, with
Mars in Gemini square Uranus in
Pisces, and Piscean co-rulers Jupiter and
Neptune in square, as prominently featured aspect patterns in the equinox
chart, the weather this spring may be
wetter, windier and whackier than usual,
keeping nature on the hop.
A volatile square between Mars and
Uranus occurs on March 11th suggesting a need to exercise caution now, as
nervous irritability can quickly lead to
accidents, or explosive outbursts. Avoid
acting on impulse.
A lunar eclipse occurs on the 14th as the
full moon culminates in 25° of detailoriented Virgo, opposite the Pisces sun.
The lunation axis is closely t-squared by
Pluto, ominously conjunct the Galactic
Heart Center at 27°Sagittarius, suggesting that, in order for us to progress on
our path in life, there may be residue, or
habits, from the past that we’d be wellserved by releasing now.
Keep a firm grip on reality when the
second in a series of three squares
The sun square’s Pluto early on St.
Patrick’s Day (17th), a celestial signal
that it’s time to change behavior patterns
that no longer work or serve one’s best
interests, as holding on to them will
only make life more difficult.
The dynamic Aries new moon on March
29th is also a total solar eclipse, indicating the end of a chapter, while sowing
seeds for new personal beginnings in the
life area indicated by the location of the
eclipse in your natal chart. The Vernal
Equinox theme of initiation and new
beginnings continues throughout this
lunar cycle. Prepare to launch new personal projects now.
Following is a general overview of how
the transiting planetary trends for
Febuary/March 2006 apply to each
sun sign. If you know your rising sign
(Ascendant), read that, too, for additional insights.
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
19
Down To Earth Astrology
Aries
(March 20—April 19)
While the activities of many Aries natives may be
focused on wealth-production as this forecast
period begins, your mind may be on your future
plans, and perhaps making a cherished dream a reality in the
months ahead. Set aside blocks of quality time for yourself in
the weeks ahead for some quiet contemplation, and tune in to
the inspiration and innovative ideas that could, quite suddenly,
impinge upon your conscious awareness in moments of
stillness. There can be pure genius here—it’s like you have a
direct line to the creative source, but it may take patience, a
quality that could be in short supply once your sign’s ruling
planet, Mars, enters Gemini on the 17th. With the arrival of the
vernal equinox, and the sun’s entry into your sign on March
20th, you’ll be fired up and raring to go with a creative project.
This is, after all, the most energizing time of year for Ramclan members, when your enthusiasm and drive can overcome
the most stubborn opposition. What’s more, support for your
endeavors could come from unexpected sources.
Taurus
(April 19—May 20)
Professional or educational interests may be
uppermost in your mind as this forecast period
begins, when your drive to succeed in a particular field of
endeavor could be powerfully fuelled by the pressing need to
boost your income base. A partner, friend, or family member
could be particularly helpful to you in your personal quest.
When your sign’s ruling planet, Venus, resumes direct motion
on February 3rd, after a rare six-week retrograde phase during
which key relationships may have been put to the test, your
prospects for love, luck, and a greater understanding of your
place in the world, appear bright. Indeed, Venus will be riding
high in your solar chart through March, well-aspected for much
of the time, so put yourself about in professional and social circles as much as possible, be visible, and don’t be afraid to blow
your own trumpet when the situation arises. Your passions are
aroused during March as Venus trines Mars, and for those
available, there’s the possibility of a new romance.
Gemini
(May 20—June 21)
Flights of fancy may inspire many versatile
Gemini natives to spread their wings and fly
towards new horizons, if only intellectually, early in this forecast period, as your sign’s ruling planet, Mercury, links up
with the sun and Neptune in your solar ninth house of the
higher mind. Some Twins-clan members seeking more fulfillment from their work may be contemplating a change of
career path, and might actually make a sudden move around
mid-February, or at least make a decision. Be sure to let significant others, friends, or family members in on your intentions, as they could be supportive of your efforts to expand
your interests. Fiery Mars enters your sign on February 17th
for a two-month stay, greatly increasing your drive and enthusiasm for novelty in your life. Adequate physical outlets for
this additional surge of energy are essential to ameliorate
excessive mental chatter. February’s Pisces new moon (28th)
in your solar tenth house of career sows seeds for new professional beginnings for you to nurture and nourish in the weeks
ahead. This theme of personal improvement continues apace
throughout March, positively impacting your self-esteem.
20
EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
Cancer
(June 21—July22)
Efforts to rejuvenate your financial affairs receive
a high priority early in this forecast period, with
the sun, Mercury, Neptune, and the major asteroid, Chiron (healer of old wounds), congregating in your solar
eighth house of mutual assets, while serious Saturn occupies
your solar second sector of personal income. As a result of
pressing needs, and in light of new understandings, your values and priorities are changing, as you look to the future with
hope, and a renewed sense of ambition. February’s Pisces new
moon (28th) in your solar ninth house could inspire some
Crab-clan members to share their wisdom and knowledge by
penning a novel, an exposé, or movie script, or lecturing on a
topic dear to your heart. Your inner life could become more
active following Mars’ entry into Gemini and your solar
twelfth house on February 17th. Your dreams may be particularly vivid and colorful over the next couple of months, and
could provide insights into the source of some of your deepest
fears. There is much potential for healing now. March’s Aries
new moon (29th) sows seeds for new beginnings in your solar
tenth house of career, when a new professional opportunity
could offer the financial stability you seek.
Leo
(July 22—August 22)
Relationships are in the spotlight as this forecast
period gets underway, when the demands or needs
of significant others in your life could cut into your personal
time or work schedule. Being flexible does not come easily to
most fixed sign natives; however, your willingness to cooperate
with partners or loved ones now will go a long way towards
maintaining peace, harmony and stability in your life. Mars
enters Gemini and your solar eleventh house on February 17th
for a two-month stay, powerfully stimulating your sense of
ambition, and inspiring bold new plans for the future, which
you may view as a means of reinventing or rejuvenating
yourself. Ensure that your financial house is in good order, as
there could be sudden fluctuations in your revenue stream,
especially during March. Avoid unwise speculation; play only
the safe bets now. With Saturn in the early degrees of your sign,
hovering close to your solar ascendant throughout this forecast
period, Lion-clan members are admonished to be on your best
behavior, and to conduct your affairs with the utmost propriety.
Virgo
(August 22—September 22)
Where does the time go? The lives of many Virgo
natives may seem to be virtually consumed by
work these days. However, what appears to be in question is
whether your present vocational pursuits bring you the
creative satisfaction you need or the financial rewards you feel
you deserve for your labors? When fiery Mars enters your
solar tenth house of career on February 17th for a two-month
stay, new professional options could come your way, while
your ambition, and drive to succeed in life, receive a huge
boost. A key relationship may have to adjust to any changes in
your work, or your schedule. However, during Mercury’s
retrograde phase (March 2–25), which occurs in your solar
seventh house, you will have the opportunity to discuss the
pros and cons and reach an agreement. The dynamic Aries
new moon on March 29th encourages new beginnings and
regeneration. During this four-week cycle, set aside some
quiet time in which to consider what you feel would be the
ideal career path for you at this stage in your life.
Down To Earth Astrology
Libra
(September 22—October 23)
The creative efforts of many Libra natives may be
spurred on by a need to increase your earnings
early in this forecast period. Mars and Jupiter have been
occupying the money houses of your solar chart for close to
six months now, generating tension, but also hope and
optimism that your revenue stream will stabilize if you
continue to put in the work, enabling you to plan and build for
the future. When your sign’s ruling planet, Venus, turns direct
on February 3rd, after a rare six-week retrograde phase—
during which key relationships may have been put to the test,
particularly where finances are concerned—your prospects for
love, luck, and harmony improve significantly. If you’ve been
considering a change of employment, the Pisces new Moon in
your solar sixth house on February 28th sows seeds for new
beginnings in the workplace for you to nurture and nourish in
the weeks ahead. In order to gain the necessary support to
attain an ambition, some enterprising Scales-clan members
may enter into a formal partnership or alliance in the spring.
Scorpio
(October 23—November 21)
There’s planetary activity in each of the four cardinal houses in your solar chart as this forecast period
begins, a sure sign that life’s anything but dull these days. With
your sign’s co-ruling planets, Pluto and Mars, occupying your
second and seventh solar houses respectively, money and relationships will, no doubt, be highly charged life areas with
which many Scorpio natives will have to contend during
February. But the focus of activity just now appears to be in the
home, where some creative changes may be taking place. Some
amongst your clan may be undergoing what might be termed an
emotional epiphany, which could help you to clarify your professional or career priorities. Certainly, with Saturn currently
retrograde in your solar tenth house, this would be an appropriate juncture at which to reconsider the professional path
you’re on. Your creative powers and ability to manifest are in
overdrive throughout this forecast period; visualization techniques can be particularly effective now.
Sagittarius
(November 21—December 21)
While your sign’s ruling planet, Jupiter, remains
in your solar twelfth house (through Nov 23),
your dreams and hopes for the future may seem like they’re on
hold, even though progress is being made in other areas of
your life. You may be in two minds about the direction you
want your life to take. There’s a part of you that would dearly
love to make a fresh start, and yet, what you already have and
know offers safety and security. After Mars enters Gemini and
your solar seventh house for a two-month stay on February
17th, there’s potential for conflict with a partner over a
domestic issue. When confronted with a choice, take the high
road. It’s tried, it’s true, and it’s good karma! The fiery Aries
new moon on March 29th is more your speed, you feel more
like you’re in your element now. Creative ideas flow more
freely. Indeed, your greatest challenge may be simply to
harness them.
Capricorn
(December 21—January 19)
With serious Saturn, your sign’s ruling planet,
retrograde in your solar eighth house, and Pluto
edging ever nearer to your solar ascendant, deep thoughts
about your own mortality and vulnerabilities occur to you
from time to time. When the going gets tough, you bury
yourself in your work; you feel good when you’re being
industrious and productive, as many of your sign will be now,
and throughout this forecast period. Of course, you’re
perfectly capable of having fun and being non-productive, too.
No sweat. However, the chances are, most Mountain Goatclan members are going to be gainfully employed and making
money, especially if Mars in Gemini (after February 17th) in
your solar sixth house has anything to do with it. Some
Capricorn natives will consider changing their surroundings,
probably because it fits in with their future plans. The wise
will not burn any bridges.
Aquarius
(January 19—February 18)
The vibrancy with which this forecast period
begins could inspire acts of great generosity from
some Aquarius natives. There’s a keen edge to your
humanitarian nature these days, courtesy of Chiron’s influence
on your solar ascendant. This would be a good time to make
peace and mend fences. Jupiter in your solar tenth house of
career has big things in store for you as the year progresses.
You could further your cause by cultivating relationships with
influential groups and individuals that share your professional
objectives. Seek innovative ways to generate more income
during March; a wise and well-placed friend could be of help.
Implement or disseminate any bright new ideas in the weeks
following the dynamic Aries new moon on March 29th. Your
pioneering spirit is coming to the fore, so you may have to
make more of an effort to cooperate with colleagues or
collaborators.
Pisces
(February 18—March 20)
With your sign’s ruling planet, Neptune, in your
solar twelfth house and in mutual reception with
Uranus, your solar twelfth house ruler, currently in your sign,
you could feel like a fish out of water from time to time during
this forecast period. However, your ability to adapt,
chameleon-like, to different or changing environments is an
innate Piscean forté, one that could serve you well in the
coming weeks. February’s new moon (28th) conjunct Uranus
in your sign and solar first house increases your drive, energy
level, and initiative, and offers potential for a radical new
personal beginning in the weeks ahead. Your intuition could be
frighteningly sharp now; use it to guide your decisions.
March’s Aries new moon (29th) in your solar second house
sharpens your money-making instincts. Indeed, you could
manifest a new and steady source of income through a
professional contact or affiliation in the coming weeks.
Tim Gunns is an astrological consultant, conference
coordinator and producer, new age market and speaker
consultant to the entertainment industry, and formerly
program director of the national Whole Life Expos.
Tim prepares personalized no-nonsense interpretations of Natal Horoscopes ($40), Future
Forecast Transit Reports ($75 for 1 full year),
and Relationship Compatibility Reports ($45).
Shipping is free. Private consultations with Tim
by phone may also be scheduled, which must
be pre-paid and scheduled in advance. Send:
Name (as you'd like it to appear on the chart), Date of Birth,
Time (as close as possible), Place of Birth (city/country, etc.)
for each person, and your return address, phone# and payment to: Tim Gunns, 1247 Lincoln Blvd., #195, Santa Monica,
CA 90401. To schedule an appointment Call: (310) 281-7882.
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
21
“Goodbye,” said the fox.
“Here is my secret. It’s
quite simple:
one sees clearly only with
the heart.”
—Antoine De Saint-Exupery,
The Little Prince
Translated by Richard Howard
The
Heart
and Its Reasons
By David Servan-Schreiber, M.D., Ph.D.
T
he conductor Herbert von Karajan once said that he lived only for music.
He probably did not know how true that would turn out to be: He died the same year that he retired after
thirty years directing the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. But what is even more surprising is that two
Austrian psychologists could have predicted it. Twelve years earlier, they had examined how the maestro’s heart reacted as he pursued various activities. The greatest variations in von Karajan’s heart rate
were recorded while he was conducting a particularly emotional passage from Beethoven’s Lenora
Overture No.3. In fact he had only to hear this particular passage again in order to experience practically
the same acceleration in his heartbeat.
In that composition, other passages are far more physically demanding. Yet they provoked only a slight increase in von
Karajan’s heart rate. As for his other activities, von Karajan seemed to take them less to heart, so to speak. Whether he was
landing his private plane or simulating an emergency re-takeoff, his heart hardly seemed to notice. Karajan’s heart was given
22
EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
over entirely to music. And when the
maestro gave up music, his heart gave
out.
Who has not heard the story of an
elderly neighbor who died a few months
after his wife? Or a great aunt whose
death followed soon after the loss of her
son? It was commonly said that they had
“died of a broken heart.” Medical science used to treat such descriptions with
disdain, attributing these incidents to
simple coincidence. Only recently, over
the last twenty years, have several teams
of cardiologists and psychiatrists taken a
close look at such “anecdotes.” They
have discovered that stress is possibly an
even greater risk factor for heart disease
than smoking. They have also found that
an episode of depression coming within
six months of a myocardial infarction is
a more accurate predictor of death than
most measurements of heart function.
When the emotional brain is out of
order, the heart suffers and wears out.
But the most astonishing discovery of all
is that this relationship works both ways.
The proper functioning of the heart turns
out to influence the brain as well. Some
cardiologists and neurologists go so far
as to refer to a “heart-brain system” that
cannot be dissociated.
If there were a medication capable of
harmonizing this intimate interplay
between the heart and brain, it would
have beneficial effects on the whole
body. This miracle drug might slow
down aging, reduce stress and fatigue,
overcome anxiety, and shield us from
depression. At night, it would help us to
sleep better, and in the daytime, to function more effectively, enhancing our
capacities for concentration and performance. Above all, by adjusting the
balance between the brain and the rest of
the body, the drug would help us foster
the sense of “flow” that is synonymous
with well-being. This one medication
could be an antihypertensive, an anxiolytic (anti-anxiety drug) and an antidepressant all in one. If such a medication existed, not a single doctor would
fail to prescribe it.
Alas, this miracle drug does not yet
exist. Or does it? A simple and effective
method available to all of us seems to
create the very conditions essential for
harmony between the brain and heart.
Although this method has only recently
been described, several studies have
already shown beneficial effects. Good
for the body as well as the emotions of
those who have mastered it, this
method’s effects even include a partial
reversal of physiological aging. To
understand how it works, we first need
to briefly examine how the heart-brain
system functions.
The Heart of Emotions
We experience emotions in our body, not
in our head. Already in 1890, William
James, a Harvard professor and the
father of American psychology, wrote
that an emotion was first of all a physical state and only accessorily a perception in the
brain. He based
his conclusions
on the ordinary
experience of
emotions.
Don’t we speak
of fear as “having your heart
in your throat?”
or of gaiety as
feeling “lighthearted?” or of
bad temper as
“bile?” It would
be a mistake to
consider these
expressions as mere figures of speech.
They are fairly exact representations of
what we experience when we find ourselves in different emotional states.
In fact, only recently was it discovered that the digestive system and the
heart have their own network of tens of
thousands of neurons that act like “small
brains” in the body. Like individual
regions in the brain itself (so-called
“nuclei”), these local brains have their
own perceptions. Though their processing capacities are limited, these groups
of neurons are also capable of adapting
their behavior according to these perceptions, and even of changing their
responses as a result of their expenence—that is, in a certain sense, of creating their own memories.
Besides possessing its own network
of semiautonomous neurons, the heart is
also a small hormone factory. It produces its own supply of adrenalin, which
it releases when it needs to function at
maximum capacity. The heart makes and
controls the release of another hormone,
ANF (atrial natriuretic factor), which
regulates blood pressure. It secretes its
own reserves of oxytocin, often called
the love peptide. (This hormone is
released into the blood, for example,
when a mother breastfeeds her child,
during courtship, and with orgasms.) All
these hormones act directly on the brain.
Finally, the heart may affect the whole
organism through the variations of its
electromagnetic field, which can be
detected several feet away from the
body, but whose significance we do not
yet understand.
Clearly, the references to the heart in
the words we use to describe our emotions are more than mere metaphors. The
heart perceives and feels. It partly sets its
own course of action. And when it
expresses itself, it influences the physiology of our whole body, including the
brain.
To Marie, these considerations were
far from theoretical. At fifty, she had
been suffering for several years from
sudden anxiety attacks, which could
catch her by surprise anywhere and anytime. First, her heart would start to beat
too fast, much too fast. One day at a
party, her heart started to race. To keep
from falling, she had to hang on to the
arm of a man she didn’t even know. This
constant uncertainty about the way her
heart would react made her very uncomfortable. She began to restrict her activities. After the cocktail party incident,
she stopped going out unless she was
accompanied by her daughter or close
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
23
friends. She no longer drove alone to her
country house for fear of her heart, in
her words, “giving out.”
Marie had no idea what set off these
attacks. It was as if her heart decided all
of a sudden that it was terrified of something she was not aware of. Her thoughts
then became confused and anxious and
she started to feel shaky on her legs.
Her cardiologist diagnosed a “mitral
valve prolapse,” a mild affliction, which,
she was told, should give her nothing to
worry about. He prescribed beta-blocker
medication to prevent her heart from
racing, but this led to fatigue and gave
her nightmares. She made the decision
to stop taking her medicine, without
telling her doctor.
When she came to see me, I had just
read an article in the American journal
of Psychiatry showing how patients with
such symptoms often responded well to
treatment with antidepressants, as if the
uncontrolled acceleration originated in
the brain rather than with the abnormal
valve. Unfortunately, my treatment was
scarcely more effective than my cardiologist colleague’s. Besides, Marie was
very unhappy about the extra pounds she
put on because of her new medication.
Marie’s heart calmed down only when
she learned to tame it directly. I would
almost say, “when she learned to listen
and speak to it.”
The relationship between the emotional brain and the “small brain” in the
heart is one of the keys to emotional
mastery. By learning—literally—how to
control our heart, we learn how to gain
mastery of our emotional brain, and vice
versa. The strongest relationship
between the heart and the emotional
brain is a diffuse two-way communication network known as the “autonomic
peripheral nervous system.” This is part
of the nervous system that—beyond our
conscious control—regulates the functioning of our organs.
The autonomic nervous system is
made up of two branches, beginning at
the emotional brain and spreading
throughout the body. The “sympathetic”
branch releases adrenalin and noradrenalin, regulating reactions of “fight or
flight.” The autonomic nervous system’s
activity speeds up the heart rate. The
other branch, called “parasympathetic,”
releases a different neurotransmitter—
24
EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
acetylcholine—that promotes states of
relaxation and calm, and slows down the
heart.
In mammals, these two systems—
the accelerator and the brake—are constantly in balance. That balance is what
enables mammals to adapt very rapidly
to the vast potential for changes that
may occur in their environment. When a
rabbit is safely chewing on the grass in
front of its hole, it can stop at any
moment, raise its head, prick up its ears
scan the horizon like radar, and sniff the
air to detect a predator’s presence. Once
the danger signal has vanished, it quickly goes back to its meal.
Only mammals have such a flexible
physiology. To negotiate the unforeseen
twists and turns of existence, we need
both a brake and an accelerator. They
need to be in perfect working order, and
they have to be equally strong to counterbalance each other, if the need arises.
According to researcher Stephen
Porges, Ph.D., of the University of
Maryland, the delicate balance between
the two branches of the autonomic nervous system has enabled mammals to
develop increasingly complex social
relations in the course of evolution. The
most complex among them seems to be
love relationships, especially the particularly delicate phase of courtship. When
a man or woman in whom we are interested looks at us and our heart beats
wildly or we start to blush, it is because
our sympathetic system has stepped on
the accelerator, perhaps a little too
much. If we take a deep breath to recover our poise and carry on the conversation, we have just pressed on the
parasympathetic brake a bit. Without
Continued on Page 27
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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
25
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EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
these constant adjustments, courtship
would be chaotic. Such is often the case
with adolescents, who have trouble mastering the balance of their autonomic
nervous system.
But the heart does more than simply
react to the influence of the central nervous system: It also sends out nerve fibers
back to the base of the skull where they
modulate brain activity. Besides releasing hormones, regulating blood pressure, and influencing the body’s magnetic field, the “small brain” in the heart
can thus act on the emotional brain via
these direct nerve connections. And
when the heart loses its balance, the
emotional brain is immediately affected.
That may be precisely what Marie was
experiencing.
We can witness this interplay
between the emotional brain and the
heart in the constant variability of the
normal heart rate. Because the two
branches of the autonomic nervous system are always in equilibrium, they are
continually in the process of speeding up
and slowing down the heart. That change
is why the interval between two successive heartbeats is never identical. This
heart rate variability is perfectly healthy;
in fact, it’s a sign of the proper functioning of the brake and the accelerator, and
thus of our overall physiological system.
It has nothing in common with the
“arrhythmias” (abnormal heart rhythms)
that some patients suffer from. To the
contrary, the sudden, violent accelerations lasting several minutes known as
“tachycardia,” or those which come with
anxiety attacks, are symptoms of an
abnormal situation where the heart is no
longer responding to modulation from
the parasympathetic brake.
On the opposite extreme, when the
heart beats like a metronome without the
slightest variability, the situation is particularly serious. Obstetricians were the
first to recognize it: During childbirth,
they learned to keep a very close eye on
any fetus with an excessively regular
heart rate because it suggests a potentially fatal problem. We now know that this
is true of adults as well. The heart begins
to beat with such great regularity only
when we approach death.
Chaos and Coherence
I discovered my
own
“heartbrain system” on
the display of a
laptop computer.
The tip of my
finger
was
slipped into a
ring connected
to the machine.
The computer
simply measured the interval
between each
heartbeat detected on the pad of
my index finger. When the interval was a
little shorter—my heart having beaten a
little faster—a blue line on the screen
went up a notch. When the interval was
longer—my heart having slowed down a
little—the line turned back down.
On the screen, I saw the blue line
zigzagging up and down for no apparent
reason. With each heartbeat, my heart
seemed to be making adjustments. But
there was no structure in the peaks and
dips as my heart accelerated and slowed
down. The curve looked like a series of
crests in a distant mountain range. Even
if my heart was beating an average of 62
beats a minute, it could climb to seventy
and drop back down to fifty-five from
one moment to the next, for no discernable reason.
The technician reassured me. This
zigzag was, she said, the normal pattern
of heart rate variability. She then asked
me to start counting aloud: “Subtract 9
from 1,356, then continue subtracting 9
from each new figure you get….” While
this task was not too hard to do, being
put to the test in front of a small group of
observers who were there, like me, to
satisfy their curiosity about the machine
was
not
particularly
pleasant.
Immediately, to my great surprise, the
curve became even more jagged and the
average number of heartbeats jumped to
seventy-two. Ten beats more a minute,
simply because I was handling a few figures! What an energy guzzler, the brain!
Or perhaps it was the stress of having to
do arithmetic in public?
The curve had become even more
irregular as my heartbeat accelerated, so
the cause was likely to be anxiety rather
than mere mental effort, the technician
explained. Yet I did not feel anything.
She then asked me to focus my attention
on my heart and to bring to mind a pleasant or happy memory. I was surprised by
her request. I knew that she was coaching me to calm down. But generally,
reaching a state of inner calm using the
techniques of meditation or relaxation
requires that you empty your mind, not
think about pleasant memories. But I did
what she asked, and in a few seconds the
line on the screen changed radically: The
sharp turns, the mountains and valleys,
had changed into a series of gentle
wavelets, and then stronger waves that
were regular, smooth, and shapely. My
heart seemed to alternate between a gentle accelerating and slowing down. Its
rate ebbed and flowed with the calm
rhythm of waves lapping the shore. Like
an athlete who tenses and relaxes his
muscles before making an effort, my
heart seemed to be confidently showing
that it could do both and as often as it
wanted to. The window at the bottom of
the screen indicated that my physiology
had gone from one hundred percent
“chaos” to eighty percent “coherence.”
And all I had had to do to produce this
result was to recall a pleasant memory
while concentrating on my heart!
Over the past ten years, software like
the program I have just described has
become capable of demonstrating two
characteristic modes of variation in cardiac rhythm—chaos and coherence.
Usually variations are weak and “chaotic.” The heart steps on the accelerator
and puts on the brake erratically; the pattern of beats is jumbled, disorderly. On
the other hand, when heart rate variability is strong and healthy, the phases of
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
27
accelerating and slowing down alternate
rapidly and regularly. This produces the
image of a harmonious wave, which is
appropriately described as “coherence”
of heart rate variability.
Between birth, when it is greatest,
and the time of approaching death, when
it is slightest, the variability of our heart
rate declines about three percent a year.
Our physiology loses its flexibility little
by little and finds it harder and harder to
adapt to the variations in our physical
and emotional surroundings. This loss of
variability is a sign of aging. When variability declines, it is partly because we
are not maintaining our physiological
brake, the healthy “tone” of our parasympathetic system. Like an unused
muscle, this system atrophies progressively over the years. Meanwhile, we
never stop using our accelerator—the
sympathetic system. Thus, after decades
of this mode of operation, our physiology has become like a car that can suddenly pick up speed or coast downhill in
neutral but has become virtually incapable of adjusting to road turns. The
decline in heart rate variability correlates
with an entire set of health problems
related to stress and aging: high blood
pressure, heart failure, complications
from diabetes, myocardial infarctions,
arrhythmias, sudden death, and even
cancer. And studies published in such
prestigious and authoritative journals as
The Lancet and Circulation (the journal
published by the American Heart
Association)
confirm
this.
In
Circulation, James Nolan, M.D., and his
colleagues concluded a study of 433
patients with moderate heart failure with
the following statement: “A reduction in
SDNN (heart rate variability) identifies
patients at high risk of death and is a better predictor of death due to progressive
heart failure than other conventional
clinical measurements.”
When variability has ceased, when
the heart no longer responds to our emotions and, above all, when it can no
longer “slow down” appropriately, death
is near.
A Day in Charles’s Life
At forty, Charles is the manager of an
important department store. He has
climbed the corporate ladder and he is
perfectly comfortable in his field. The
only problem is that for months he has
suffered from “palpitations.” They cause
him considerable worry and have led
him to see several cardiologists, who
have not succeeded in helping him. He
has now reached the point where he has
made up his mind to stop practicing
sports. He is afraid he might set off an
attack that would lead him once more to
the emergency room. He also keeps an
eye on himself when he makes love to
his wife for fear of straining his heart. In
his opinion, his working conditions are
“perfectly normal” and “not exceptionally stressful.” He nevertheless
explains, in the course of our sessions,
that he’s thinking of resigning from his
prestigious position. The reality is that
the president of the corporation is often
contemptuous and cynical. Although
Charles has functioned well in this competitive—often aggressive—setting, he
has remained a sensitive person who is
wounded by the harsh, disagreeable
comments of his president. Moreover, as
often happens, the president’s cynicism
rubs off on all the other members of the
team: Charles’s colleagues in marketing,
advertising, and finance maintain chilly
relations with each other and are often
abrasive in their remarks.
Charles agreed to record the variability of his heart rate over a twenty-fourhour period. In order to analyze the
results, he had to write down his different activities throughout the day.
Interpreting the outcome was not very
difficult. At eleven in the morning, calm,
concentrated, and efficient, he was
choosing photographs for a catalogue,
seated at his desk. His heart rhythm
demonstrated healthy coherence. Then,
at noon, his heart rhythm shifted into a
chaos mode, in addition to speeding up
by about twelve beats a minute. At that
moment, he was heading toward his
president’s office. One minute later, his
heart was beating even faster and the
chaos was total. That state was to prevail
for two hours: He had just been told that
the development strategy he had taken a
number of weeks to prepare was “worthless.” If he was not capable of organizing
it more clearly, perhaps he should hand
the project over to someone else to take
care of. After leaving the president’s
office, Charles had a typical episode of
palpitations that forced him to leave the
building to calm down.
In the afternoon, Charles had a meeting. The recording showed another
episode of chaos lasting more than thirty
minutes. When I questioned him,
Charles was first incapable of remembering what could have brought it on.
Upon reflection, though, he recalled that
the marketing director had commented,
without looking at him, that the look and
feel of the catalogs currently being produced didn’t fit the new image the store
was trying to promote. But when he was
back in his office, the chaos abated and
gave way to a relative coherence. At that
moment, Charles was busy reviewing a
production plan he had great faith in. In
a traffic jam on his way home that
evening, his irritation brought on another episode of chaos. Once he arrived
home, he embraced his wife and children, and that was followed by a tenminute phase of coherence. Why only
ten minutes? Because after that, Charles
turned on the television to watch the
news.
Different research has shown that
negative emotions, such as anger, anxiety, sadness, and even ordinary worries,
reduce cardiac variability the most and
sow chaos in our physiology. In contrast,
positive emotions, like joy, gratitude,
and, especially, love, appear to promote
the greatest coherence. Within a few seconds, these emotions induce a wave of
coherence immediately visible in the
recording of cardiac frequency. For
Charles, as for the rest of us, the chaotic
passages in our daily physiology produce a real loss of vital energy. In a
study involving several thousand executives from large European corporations,
more than seventy percent of them
described themselves as “tired,” either
“most of the time” or “all the time.” And
fifty percent of them frankly said they
were “exhausted.” How can competent
and enthusiastic men and women, whose
work is an essential part of their identity,
get to this point? It may be precisely the
accumulation of chaotic passages they
hardly notice. These daily aggressions to
their emotional balance, when sustained
over the long term, drain their energy,
which may lead to dreaming of a different job or, in our personal realm, of
another family, another life.
Continued on page 64
28
EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
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29
Profile of an
Internal Master
Wang Shu Jin—Incredible Chi
B.K. Frantzis
I
30
n the summer of 1968, I traveled to Taiwan from
Japan in search of the internal arts ba gua master
Wang Shu Jin, who was widely considered to be
one of the best empty-hand fighters in Asia. I
tracked down Wang’s class, which met at the
EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
By B.K. Frantzis
amphitheater shell in the park in Taichung at five-thirty
in the morning. There were many people in the park at
that hour, doing all sorts of things, including Shaolin
gung fu, karate, tai chi, and badminton. Some individuals hung from branches of trees, stretching themselves,
some just strolled, others were playing saxophones. I
was absorbed in this surreal scene, pondering the meeting of ancient China with the twentieth century, when a
massive man in white pajamas came waddling down the
street carrying two bird cages. It was Wang Shu Jin, a
rotund senior citizen supporting 250 to 300 pounds on
his 5-foot, 8-inch frame.
I was nineteen then, a recognized young karate
champion, and had brought with me a traditional gift of
respect for Wang: a substantial amount of high-quality
ginseng. At our initial meeting, Wang did not hesitate to
express his low regard for karate, telling me in no uncertain terms that, “karate is only fit for fighting old women
and children.” As karate had been a large part of my life
and my passion at the time, this off-hand remark insulted me to the core. I was forced to swallow my indignation, though. In our ensuing sparring, Wang defeated
me thoroughly on every occasion, tapping me lightly at
will all over my body to demonstrate his easy circumvention of my defenses. Despite my best efforts and
despite Wang’s enormous girth, his ba gua chang enabled
him to effortlessly evade all my blows and end up behind
me at will.
To graphically show me there was much to learn, he
allowed me, after several days of study with him, to
strike him with full power anywhere on his body. I put all
the force at my command into these strikes, but they
might as well have been the blows of a three-year-old. I
kicked him in the knees and groin without effect, hit him
in the neck and elbowed his ribs. Like many ba gua masters, he had the ability to absorb blows without injury.
When I kicked him in the shin, my foot hurt long after-
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
31
He could also place his fingers lightly on your chest, and if he
decided to project a little chi, he could throw you effortlessly against
a wall or put you in such pain that you thought you were going to die,
even though his hand did not move more than a fraction of an inch.
ward. When I drove my fist into his
belly it felt as if the blow had broken
my wrist. Wang would often tap me
on the head during sparring just to
demonstrate how easy it would have
been for him to demolish me. One
time, in fact, he tapped me lightly on
the head, dropping me to the ground
instantly. I sat there in utter surprise,
feeling as if I had just been jolted by
a high-voltage electrical current.
After a while, I could tell he
was getting bored with my low level
of skill and my inability to hurt him.
Sometimes, he would grab me with
his arms and bounce me three or four
times back and forth off his stomach
like a yo-yo, my feet flying in the air.
Then Wang would snap me back. I
later heard that, as a young man in
challenge matches on the Mainland,
Wang had actually broken opponents’ spines in this manner. Years
later, I learned from another teacher
that the only defense against this
technique was to turn sideways so
your hip bone and not your stomach
made contact with his formidable
belly. Otherwise, you were finished.
Following my enlightening, if
disconcerting, initial exposure to
Wang’s abilities, I wanted nothing
more than to study his ba gua, which
he himself had learned from Chang
Chao-Tung, who was known as a
student of Tung Hai Chuan, the man
credited with making ba gua chang
public in the late nineteenth century.
Wang decided to test my sincerity
before he accepted me as a student.
He gruffly ordered me to assume the
ba gua chang posture called Wild
Goose Leaves the Flock and maintain it until further notice. This static
posture calls for one leg to be raised
to waist height as the torso is coiled
to one side, and both arms are
extended. As instructed, I assumed
the posture. Holding it minute after
32
EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
minute, I collapsed several times,
and each time Wang’s assistant
immediately drenched me with a
bucket of cold water and ordered me
to resume the posture. After two
hours of this trial, a smiling Wang
agreed to accept me as his student.
What was Wang testing? Was it my
commitment, ability to endure hardship, sincerity, or craziness (that is,
passion for the martial arts)? Perhaps
it was all of these.
Wang’s fighting skills were
astounding. Notwithstanding his age
and his weight, Wang was unbelievably agile, lightning fast, in excellent
health, and had incredible physical
power. In the West, we assume that,
if people are fat, they cannot be fit,
must be clumsy and slow, and must
be uncomfortable with their image.
Wang certainly showed this stereotype to be inaccurate. He was perfectly at ease with himself. Wang
commonly took on full-contact, noholds-barred challenges from the
best fighters in Japan and Southeast
Asia, and always won. When into his
eighties, he could beat the toughest
young men. On cold practice days,
his students would stand around him
to warm their hands, as if he were a
stove—a testament to his amazing
level of chi development. It was
from Wang that I first learned how to
use chi to create a high level of
health and vitality He also showed
me how to use chi to generate power
for fighting.
Wang was a deep believer in
chi. At our first meeting, he said to
me, “I can eat more than you, I can
have more sex than you, and I can
fight better than you, but you call
yourself healthy Well, young man,
there is a lot more to being healthy
than being young, and it all comes
down to how much chi you have.”
His words affected my nineteen-
year-old mind sufficiently to cause a
significant shift in my Western way
of thinking about the reality of the
body and how it works. Wang, it
turned out, was also experienced in
Taoist meditation, and was an active
and knowledgeable master of Taoist
sexual energy practices. He taught
these subjects to only a select few.
His students were formidable
fighters themselves. The level of
skill of his students revealed perhaps
more about the effectiveness of the
internal arts than Wang’s abilities.
They illustrated that Wang was not
superhuman, but had a superior combination of talent, dedication, and
ability to provide quality instruction.
When I started studying with Wang,
several of his students, from fifteen
to seventy years of age, beat the
stuffing out me. I could not believe
it! Men and women both were able
to hit me with no pulling of my
punches. For a proud nineteen-yearold karate champion to be given a
hard time in a fight with an old
woman was a bitter pill to swallow.
Some of the older people had been
with Wang for just a few years. They
trounced me so much that first day I
felt like quitting. I remember distinctly thinking, what are they going
to do next, bring out a small child to
beat me up?
Many of Wang’s students started late in life. In fact, one of Wang’s
specialties was taking on people in
their fifties and sixties who had all
sorts of physical problems and making them healthy and strong. At that
time in Taiwan, elderly people had
little to fear from random violence
since the police were particularly
rough on anyone who victimized
them. Accordingly, Wang’s elderly
students did not initially come to
him
to
learn
self-defense.
Nonetheless, even though these
older students started studying with
Wang purely for health reasons,
they still became good fighters
because that training was part of
Wang’s programs.
In Taiwan, I talked with some
of Wang’s students who were in
their fifties and had only recently
begun to study ba gua with no previous martial arts experience. They
came to Wang because they had
started to become impotent or were
suffering from chronic diseases.
After practicing ba gua, their impotence was reversed and their health,
reflexes, and clarity of mind
improved markedly. Their chronic
illnesses either vanished completely
or lessened.
Wang’s students constantly
tried to find their own chi, thereby
opening up the energy channels of
their bodies. They would try to
replicate the feeling of the chi of a
blow Wang delivered to them in a
watered-down but still shocking
manner. Wang was expert at projecting chi. He could issue enormous power that you could feel and
be hurt by even when his hand
began moving from only slightly
away from your body. He could
also place his fingers lightly on
your chest, and if he decided to
project a little chi, he could throw
you effortlessly against a wall or
put you in such pain that you
thought you were going to die, even
though his hand did not move more
than a fraction of an inch. This ability to bring all of one’s power to a
single point instantaneously is one
of the techniques that the art of ba
gua develops. When this methodology is explained, it sounds very
clinical, but when the theory is
applied to your body things can be
tremendously exhilarating or frightening. Absorbing such chi power
can feel like a pleasant gust of wind
or a thunderbolt.
When I first started doing Rou
Shou (the ba gua two-person equivalent of Push Hands in tai chi) with
Wang in 1968, he would touch me
and I would go flying. Ten years
later, the last time I saw Wang in
Taichung, I was again given the
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at every
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and
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for August)
Allston,
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02134.
All are welcome.
at the Johannes Kelpius
Lodge
AMORC,
13 Clevemont
Avenue, Allston, MA 02134.
For further information call
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or visit: www.rosicrucian.org/local/ab/johanneskelpius.html
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
33
KINDNESS CURES
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EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
privilege of doing Rou Shou with
him. From the methodologies I had
learned from Wang himself and
from what I had learned in the intervening years from other masters, I
was now just barely able to evade
Wang’s power. Wang could not get
me as he had done so easily before.
This fact made me ecstatic. It was
like graduating to a higher level of
the art form. I was finally able to do
those things I’d dreamed about for
ten long years, which was what
fueled the Big Mistake. At one
point, I wanted to see if I could now
match Wang’s power, bearing in
mind his advanced age of eighty
plus. My body language challenged
him. In response, he sent a burst of
energy into my torso that lodged in
the muscles between my shoulder
blades. It took three months of
intensive bodywork and acupuncture to clear it out and make the
pain go away This was not a pulled
muscle but a ball of energy Wang
had buried deep inside my body.
Clearly, there were yet more
advanced levels for me to learn. On
one hand, that was an exciting
prospect and, on the other, a good
reminder never to get too swelled a
head.
Wang would mostly teach by
showing a movement that students
would watch and copy as best they
could. He emphasized deep, relaxed
breathing and a powerful belly. He
would also physically position a
student’s body to correct faults in
body posture and internal alignments. His chi and internal power
were so obvious and strong that one
could get a tangible physical sense
of the type of chi he was transmitting. As mentioned, he would
demonstrate what the chi of the
technique was like by physically
hitting the student, using just
enough force for the student to be in
no doubt as to what had occurred.
Alternatively he would use fa Jin to
project the type of power into your
body that he wanted you to feel, so
that you could tell what his chi was
like. This action of projecting chi
into a student was typical of all the
genuine fighting internal martial art
masters I personally met in China.
They believed that merely teaching
technique visually was insufficient.
It was their position that, if they
were genuinely going to teach
someone, they had to let the student
feel the subtle and gross realities of
what different types of internal
power were like. They believed this
necessary for the student to be
capable of re-creating the techniques for self-defense. Wang’s students would try to replicate his chi
with as much creativity as they
could.
Wang’s teaching was mostly
by example and relatively nonspecific. His main concern was
whether or not you could manifest
power, or chi. This teaching method
gave few precise details about
exactly how one was to accomplish
this replication. Wang’s basic
advice was to practice. He would
recommend repetitively practicing
certain moves, such as the Single
Palm Change or the first movement
of hsing-i called “Splitting” for
hours and hours on end. “Practice,”
he would say “and skill will come
naturally.” I took him at his word.
B.K. Frantzis will be teaching a
weekend seminar, The Art of Breathing
While Moving, March 24-26, at Brookline
Tai Chi, 1615 Beacon Street, Brookline
MA. For more information call (617) 2772975 or visit www.brooklinetaichi.com.
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35
CLASSES IN YOUR AREA
Allston
Bridgewater
Jamaica Plain
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40 Penniman St., Allston, MA 02134
617-782-4410 – www.rockcitybody.com
Yoga for all levels and stages of life.
Certified Kripalu instructors. Theraputic
yoga, Pilates, Belly Dance, Massage.
Center for Stress Management/
Maha Yoga Center, Diane Lagadec
4 Central Sq.
508-697-3273 and 508-697-3592
mahayoga@juno.com
www.mahayogacenter.com
Hatha & Ashtanga Yoga, Teacher Training,
Meditation, Massage.
Blissful Monkey Yoga Studio
Terri Haller & Kerry Jordan, Directors
663 Centre Street
617-522-4411, www.blissfulmonkey.com
Yoga and Pilates for all ages and abilities.
Arlington
The Arlington Center
Chip Hartranft, Director
369 Mass. Ave., Arlington, MA 02474
781-316-0282 – www.arlingtoncenter.org
Powerful integration of movement & mindfulness
with Chip; also Kripalu, Iyengar, Ashtanga,
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Yoga in the Back Bay
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617-247-3552
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Bronwen Murphy, experienced & creative
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most Weds & Thurs 5:30pm-7:00pm
617-661-1779 for information,
877-439-5465 to register
To List you Yoga practice
or studio on this page
call (617) 498-0265
36
EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
Brighton
Ayurvedic Rehabilitation Center
Loretta Levitz
103 Bennett Street, Brighton, MA 02135
617-782-1727
ayurvedicrehabilitationcenter.com
Ayurvedic yoga, adapted yoga.
Framingham
Center for Yoga
Lisa A. Megidesh, MS, RYT, director
393 Worcester Rd.
508-620-YOGA (9462)
www.centerforyoga.us
Kripalu and other styles, all levels, all ages.
Bikram Yoga Framingham
855 Worcester Rd., #18 Trolley Square
508-820-9642
www.YogaFramingham.com
Intro-special: 2 classes for $10.
Beginning Yoga Series.
Hamilton
Iron Crow Yoga Studio
Mary Hunt, Director
161 Bay Road (Rte 1A N.) Hamilton, MA
978-468-3390 - www.ironcrowyoga.com
Astanga/Vinyasa/Power yoga/Pilates,
Teacher Training
Manchester, MA
(North Shore) — Kim Valeri
Yogaspirit Studios
P.O. Box 2337, S. Hamilton, MA 01982
978-927-0099 www.yogaspiritstudios.com
Yoga Teacher Certifications, CT, MA, ME, NH.
Peabody
Alternative Therapy Center of Peabody
Deborah Kako, M.Ed., LMHC,
24 Main Street, Peabody, MA
978-532-7440 - www.yogaatc.com
yogaatc@aol.com Beginner & mixed levels
Kripalu-certified RYT, Art Therapy,
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1555 Hancock St.
617-328-9642
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Beginning Yoga Series.
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28 Rice Ave, Revere, MA 02151
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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
37
The Movie Mystic
FAVORITE FILMS OF 2005
Welcome to the start of the 4th year of
the Movie Mystic column!!!
y criteria for inclusion in this
special yearly double column
is that the films must fit into
the definition of Spiritual Cinema that
we use for choosing films to distribute
through the Spiritual Cinema Circle:
films that ask who we are and why we
are here—and films that help us feel
better about human beings. It’s that last
phrase—feeling better about being
human—that made 2005 one of the
toughest years ever for me to come up
with five films. I can enthusiastically
recommend the five films below but I’m
glad I didn’t have to list even one
more—I couldn’t have done it! When I
look at most of the mainstream critics’
favorites, I just wince at the dark, cynical view of human nature that most of
the films on those lists portray.
There were some films I really
respected in many ways in 2005 that I
just couldn’t bring myself to include on
the list. Personally, I was fascinated by
Woody Allen’s Match Point and greatly
respected Brokeback Mountain; however, neither of those films made me feel
better about being human. In fact, their
lingering effect was just the opposite. I
also had great fun watching Peter
Jackson’s dazzling remake of King
Kong but it reminded me more than ever
about our cruelty to animals in the world
and . . . it was just SO sad!
While I don’t quarrel with anyone’s
opinion about film, I also find it inappropriate to call any
film or performance
“Best”.
Our
responses to films
are so completely
subjective that I try
to steer clear of
calling
films
“good” or “bad.”
We just know what
we like or don’t like
and that obviously
is a totally personal
M
38
EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
decision for each of us.
That all being said, here are brief
capsules of my five favorites for the
year. (Some of the comments below are
excerpted from previous Movie Mystic
columns on the particular films.)
T
his film is opening around most
of the USA in February and was
my personal favorite film of
2005. (It opened for one week in 2005
to qualify for Academy consideration.)
Talk about feeling good about
being human!
Anthony Hopkins stars in this true
story about a wonderful character from
New Zealand named Burt Munro who,
in the 1960s, became a local celebrity in
his small town by building and racing a
By Stephen Simon
vintage 1920s motorcycle called an
“Indian”.
His dream is to somehow raise
enough money to get himself and his
beloved “Indian” to the Bonneville Salt
Flats in Utah to try to set a land speed
record.
Hopkins is absolutely
and lovably delightful in
the lead role, so much so
that I found myself grinning for almost the entire
film. Beyond the sheer fun
of watching this extraordinary actor
playing with glee a man pursuing his
lifelong dream, there is also a powerful,
timely, and uplifting message in the
film.
As the first wave of the Baby Boom
Generation begins to reach 60 in 2006,
many of us may think that our days of
pursuing the dreams of our life are
behind us. That it may be time to put
those notions aside and just be practical
about whom and where we are. Indian
reminds us, however, that, unlike milk
cartons, dreams do NOT have expiration
dates. The film encourages us to be
aware that we can manifest our dreams,
our goals, and our heart’s desires at any
time, no matter what the apparent obstacles might be and regardless of our
chronological age.
I absolutely loved this film and I
hope you will find it soon in a theater
near you.
T
he Upside Of Anger (now on
DVD) jumps into our hearts as a
powerful whirlwind of emotions
and fascinating, provocative questions
about family and the elusive emotion of
anger with which most of us seem to
flirt on a daily basis. (If you commute to
work in a big city, that sentence might
better read “hourly basis.”)
The story revolves around a woman
(Joan Allen) who awakens one morning
to find that her husband, with no warning, has simply gone, never to return.
With four daughters to raise, she slips—
The Movie Mystic
down uncharted paths.
Admitting one’s failures
to the world, and, most
T
actually, plunges—into a world of
anger, bitterness, and the solace of daily
bottles of vodka. Her neighbor (Kevin
Costner) becomes fascinated with Allen
and her daughters and the film, totally
based in character and emotions, plays
out in the relationships among all of
them.
Ultimately, the situation facing all
the characters in the film turns out to be
a moment of grace, one of those times in
life when, in retrospect, we realize that
our lives have been redirected by a powerful and seemingly invisible universal
force. In her magnificent new book, The
Unmistakable Touch of Grace, Cheryl
Richardson defines these moments:
“Every event we experience and
every person we meet has been put in
our path for a reason. When we awaken
to this fundamental truth, we begin to
understand that a benevolent force of
energy is available to guide and direct
our lives. I call this energy the unmistakable touch of grace.”
The Upside Of Anger is a classic
film in Spiritual Cinema in that it
reminds us of how wonderful films can
be when they trust the intelligence of
their audience.
his is one of the
most underrated
and under appreciated films of 2005.
(Now on DVD)
Written and directed
by the incredibly talented
(Jerry Maguire) Cameron
Crowe, Elizabethtown
centers on a young man
(Orlando Bloom) who
makes a colossal mistake
at his job that causes his
company to lose hundreds of millions of dollars. Despondent, humiliated, and then dumped by his girlfriend,
he even contemplates taking his own life
until he is called by his mother and sister and told that his father has died and
that he has to go to a small town in
Kentucky to make the funeral arrangements. On his way, he meets a very
quirky flight attendant (the enchanting
Kirsten Dunst) who....
Doesn’t sound like a romantic comedy, does it? But it certainly is! The
relationship that blooms (pun intended)
between the two young people is loving,
real, and very touching.
Even more importantly, the film
contains a powerful and very uplifting
message for young people about failing
in life. Just as The World’s Fastest
Indian illustrates that dreams never have
to expire, Elizabethtown shows young
people that failure is a part of life, particularly for those who dare to venture
importantly, to oneself, is one of the
hallmarks of wisdom. Failure
at a job or relationship does
not make us a failure; rather, it
means that we are fulfilling
our mission on the planet.
Trying. Learning. Evolving.
Elizabethtown was
savaged by most mainstream
critics but I found it to be
enchanting, entertaining, fun,
loving, whimsical, and totally
charming. Add to all that a
wonderful message about
courage and perseverance,
and you have one of my favorite films of
2005.
MARCH of the
PENGUINS
S
ome of the strangest things happened when I went to see March
Of The Penguins. Was I dreaming, was it real, or had Rod Serling been
resurrected just for me that day to take
me back into The Twilight Zone?
First of all, I noted that the theater
was packed for a Friday afternoon matinee—but that the audience DIDN’T
consist mostly of teenagers. In fact, they
were the smallest audience segment.
Amazingly enough, it was a very diverse
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
39
The Movie Mystic
group, comprised of families with kids,
seniors with friends and family, and
plenty of middle-aged folks like me (I’m
59 and, yes, I know I won’t live to be
118 so, technically, I’m way past middle-aged, but 60 is indeed the new 40 so,
mentally and emotionally, I’m far less
than middle-aged—so there!). Literally,
the range was from 5 or 6 years old all
the way up to 80 or so.
Imagine that.
Next, except for the laughter and
delightful sighs that naturally emanated
from responses to the charm and whimsy of the film, the theater was quiet for
the entire movie. No cell phones, no
people talking to those in nearby seats,
just respectful and rapt attention to the
screen.
Imagine that.
Next, the film itself was an amazing, beautifully written and utterly compelling story that was gloriously narrated with style, wit, and panache by
the inestimable Morgan Freeman.
There were no movie stars, and I
had read no tabloid sensationalism
about the actors nor stories about
bloated budgets and egos, and, as
far as I could tell anyway, none of
the actors had undergone face lifts,
liposuction, or measurement
“enhancements”.
Imagine that.
Next, there were no car crash40
EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
es, no special effects, and there was no
violence against men, women, or children. Where there was an indication of
violence or sexuality, it was merely suggested in the most tasteful of ways and
left entirely to the imagination of everyone in the audience.
Imagine that.
When the film was over, there was
generous applause from the audience
and then we all quietly and politely filed
out with smiles on our faces and, for
many of us, tears of joy in our eyes.
Imagine all that and you have
March Of The Penguins.
When Penguins was finished, I left
feeling something special for the first
time in a long time after leaving a film. I
felt wonderful about being human, conscious, and alive.
Imagine THAT.
B
allroom and Penguins are the
most recent examples of the
evolution of the entertainment
potential of documentaries. Filmmakers
who before might have focused their
prodigious story-telling talents on feature films are now telling compelling
and inspiring stories in documentary
form and we, the audience, are being
treated to some new and wonderful
visions of who we can be as a humanity
when we operate at our very best.
The story of Ballroom centers on a
program for 5th Graders in New York
schools which actually requires the kids
to at least participate in a ballroom dancing program. Those who excel become
part of the school team that competes in
an area-wide competition, leading to the
ultimate crowning of a championship
team. The film follows several teams of
10 year olds as they begin their tentative
“steps” in dances such as the swing and
the rumba and, most importantly, it illustrates how the program itself elevates the
awareness of the young people to teamwork, etiquette, peer respect, and discipline.
The film is also a beautiful and
inspiring portrait of the unsung, underpaid, and under-appreciated teachers
who every day lead our children into
their futures. The teachers in Mad Hot
Ballroom seem acutely aware of the positive potential of their young students
and every frame of the film is a
fitting tribute to those teachers
who care so deeply for and
believe so completely in the
young people whose lives they
help mold every day.
Mad Hot Ballroom inspires us
to see the beauty and potential of our
humanity. As long as there are people
such as teachers who devote their lives
to encouraging and leading our children.....and as long as there are young
people who strive to be the best that they
can be.....we will continue to evolve into
the exalted state of our humanity of
which we have always dreamed.
Stephen Simon
(Stephen Simon produced such films as
Somewhere in Time and What Dreams May Come
and has just directed and produced the film version of Neale Donald Walsch’s Conversations
with God. www.Cwgthemovie.com. He also cofounded The Spiritual Cinema Circle
<http://www.spiritualcinemacircle.com/>
Stephen welcomes your comments by email:
Stephen @spiritualcinemacircle.com)
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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
41
A
Healing
Residence
Awaiting its New Owner
T
ucked away in Newbury,
Mass., a seaport town bordering Newburyport and
just a few miles from
Plum Island, is a healing
sanctuary where thousands of people
from around the world have traveled to
be healed. Not unlike those who travel
to the ends of the globe to see healers
like John of God, people were attracted
to see and be transformed by the healing hands and sacred words of Rhonda
Lenair.
Her European-style residence,
replete with a special healing room that
overlooks a statue-laden cobblestone
patio, still exudes the powerful energy
that has allowed so many people to
leave her presence, having their issues
resolved. The residence retains the
power and energy that Rhonda has lovingly poured into reviving the home
and property and making it a healing
center of renown; the Sanctuary, as it is
lovingly called, is now for sale.
42
EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
In 2004, Rhonda established
another Healing Center in Vermont,
where she now resides and continues to
heal those that follow the over 30,000
clients who have been transformed by
Lenair’s sacred healing experience. It is
here and through Ms.
Lenair’s healings that
they meet their own
consciousness and are
renewed in the purity
of self(s). (self(s) is
the joining of all self
(all creation) through
one self.)
Many
articles
have been written
about Lenair’s miraculous work; none of
those articles fails to
mention the beauty, peacefulness, tranquility, and sacred space that complements and catalyzes one’s transformation. The property now awaits its next
incarnation through its special new
owner(s). The
Sanctuary has
had
national
exposure on The
Discovery
Network
and
was mentioned
in many outstanding publications as an
integral part of
Lenair’s work
and
healing
practice;
it’s
grace frames the
healings
that
took place there.
One is invited to the front entrance
of the home and greeted by massive old
granite steps; walk through the stone
archway and old forged iron gates to
the cobble-stoned walkway that leads
to the granite-framed entrance. This
stone covered property brings fond
travel memories to most who visit
there. Depending on the part of the
multi-faceted property one views,
visions of England, Ireland, France,
Portugal or Italy emerge. The soaring
stone walls on the side of the hidden
property are draped in spring and summer with wisteria and silver lace vines
and framed by a red bud and flowering
cherry trees. The various gardens in
bloom are reminiscent of Monet’s garden of Giverney. Lavender, Russian
sage, thyme and heather infuse the gardens with pungent fragrances; unusual
perennials of monkshood, larkspur and
bluebells grace the surrounds.
Amidst the garden is the water
fountain pool, with Hebe - the Goddess
of Healing, Youth and Beauty; one can
wander over the Corinthian granite
patio with 12 foot stone fireplace wait-
ing to warm the hands during a cool
winter night or lend up its flames for
outdoor cooking. The 18-foot stone
garden sanctuary, it’s interior ceiling
structure modeled after the Trinity
Church in Boston, is the centerpiece of
one of the piazza areas. It has its own
special “auric presence” and reverberating sounds if one meditates and chants
within its stone walls; Gothic framed
openings expose niche views of the different parts of the property.
This area, just one of many among
the almost 2 acres lush with mature
plantings and majestic oak, chestnut,
hemlock, pine and flowering cherry
trees, is adjacent to the outdoor covered
dining area just outside the large country kitchen. There are additional
Corinthian granite patios in this area
with a variety of seating – double sided
stone benches, curved benches and a
variety of wrought iron seating. In fact,
the outdoor seating on this property
comfortably accommodates over 50
guests. Clients often would be seen sitting in contemplation
and peace around the
property,
waiting
their turn to be seen
by the renown healer
and medical intuitive
whose work has been
compared to that of
the
“Sleeping
Prophet”
Edgar
Cayce.
Other outdoor
features of this
breathtaking property – elements that
were carefully selected for their quality
and integration ability within the ambience of its perimeter
– include a variety of iron and old
wrought iron fencing and gates, variegated stone walls, walkways and handchiseled stone archways. Old goat urns,
a spectacular 5-foot iron urn and unique
planters are found at almost every turn.
Set back from the road by 200 feet, the
property is framed and made private
and safe by tall and proud pine varieties. The home becomes invisible from
passerby’s, yet is most accessible to and
from the major Route 95 highway.
Nearby Newburyport with its
active harbor,
quaint Plum
Island with its
beautiful
beaches and
the
Parker
R i v e r
National
Wildlife
Refuge, and
the many boutiques, shops
and excellent
restaurants,
make
this
property
a
desirable get-a-way from big city life.
It’s a place to relax, rejuvenate and contemplate and an environment that
encourages this state of mind.
The envisioned person, practice, or
organization that lovingly would
acquire the residence next would ideally pay special homage to the property –
the residence, the land and the spirit
that resides within. As anyone would
tell you who has spent anytime at the
property, it is impossible not to be
soothed and feel protected, be it in the
residence or on the grounds.
The layout of the 3,900 square
foot, three level residence adapts to
many different scenarios. It was, and is
now set up ideally for a small practice.
Ideal for a healer of any background –
massage therapist, acupuncturist,
reflexologist, polarity practitioner or
any bodyworker or group of holistic
practitioners - would find the space
most inviting, as would traditional prac-
tices such as psychotherapists. All
would find the environment most
adaptable and soothing for client and
doctor or practitioner alike; writers,
artists, musicians, and other creative
expressive artists would also prosper
and flourish here, or perhaps, just a loving soul.
The residence is approved for 5
bedrooms and its usage is versatile; it
could be divided into a main house and
a lower-level apartment
(which would make a very
comfortable and accessible
in-law home), as it had been
in past incarnations. There
are four bathrooms and two
kitchens. The lower level area
includes a beveled glass 4season conservatory, bathroom with shower, kitchen,
bedroom, spare room, dining
room, stone fireplace in the
living room with olive wood
walls and various stone and
tile flooring. There are calming and serene views from
every window on this level.
The rest of the home and property must
be seen to be appreciated; for further
information about this unique property,
visit www.lenair.com/thesanctuary.
There will be special showings in
advance of a ‘sealed bid auction’ of the
property; please call Bill Barrows at
Coldwell Banker (800-516-0177) to
arrange a showing, for further information and a brochure. Additionally, if
you’re looking for information about
Rhonda’s healing practice, visit
www.lenair.com or call 888-412-8392
and ask for Barry.
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
43
A Ghost in
the House
by Ross Miller
aily, it seems, we’re
being bombarded by TV
shows and stories about
ghosts, haunted houses,
mediums talking to the
dead, and other strange phenomenon.
Despite the fact that it’s become common TV fare, most people are still in
denial about anything to do with the
spirit realm.
D
But ghosts and haunted houses do exist!
In fact they’re more common than you
might think. As a psychic medium, pastlife regression therapist, and healer, I
regularly get phone calls or emails asking me if I can get rid of ghosts; and I’m
sure I’m not the only psychic medium
out there receiving these types of
requests.
The good news is that the average runof-the-mill ghost is generally harmless.
They don’t throw people out of thirdstory windows or try to bludgeon them
with a meat cleaver while sleeping, as
Hollywood would like us to believe.
The other good news is that ghosts can
be healed and removed from any location quite easily. Even better, because
there are no time or space limitations in
the spiritual realm, a knowledgeable
psychic healer can rid a home of a ghost
by either visiting the location or through
long-distance healing from their office
or by phone.
One particularly interesting haunting
was brought to my attention earlier this
44
EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
year. I had just arrived at my office when
I got a call from a woman who was desperate to see me. Carrie told me that she
had been having difficulty sleeping for
several weeks. “Every night I wake up
and hear heavy breathing in the room,”
she said. “Could it be your husband?” I
asked. “No, I’m a single mother, and my
two young children sleep down the hall.
That’s not all,” she said, “The TV and
the lights are constantly turning on and
off for no reason. I also get weird hangup calls from Canada, and I don’t know
anyone in Canada.”
“Are there any other strange things
going on in your house?” I asked her.
“Well, whenever my dog and cat come
inside the house they become very tense
and cautious, and the only time they’ll
stay downstairs is to eat. As soon as
they’re done, they immediately run back
upstairs as if they’re afraid of something.
Occasionally, I’ve also noticed one or
two freezing cold spots inside the house,
and if I happen to walk through one of
these areas, I get a really weird feeling
all over my body.
“Hmm,” I said, “It sounds like it could
be a ghost.”
Three days later Carrie arrived at my
office; her eyes looked sallow and tired
from not having slept. As Carrie sat
comfortably in a chair facing me, I
briefly described what we’d be doing
during the next hour. I explained that
not only would we be healing and releasing the ghost from her house, but we’d
also be healing her as well.
I closed my eyes and began to tune into
Carrie’s situation psychically. Almost
immediately, I started to feel the various
spirit guides and angels that typically
advise me on such matters fluttering
around my head. Images and words
began flooding my brain as they
explained to me that a ghost named Lisa
was living in Carrie’s house. It was
Lisa, they informed me, who was causing the loud breathing sounds at night as
well as all the mischievous, weird happenings with the TV, the lights, and the
phone. My spirit guides and angels went
on to tell me that Lisa had died in the
house 80 years earlier of consumption.
Lisa was 37 years old at the time and
didn’t want to leave her beloved home.
Unlike Lisa the ghost, when most of us
die, our soul, which looks like a little
ball of light, leaves our physical body
and briefly enters the astral plane which
is a spiritual way station. While in the
astral plane, a person’s soul might float
around its former earthly body for
awhile, or it might check in on certain
relatives in order to say good-bye, until
it finally realizes that it’s dead. Usually,
at that point the soul feels itself being
drawn up into the White Light—God’s
loving, healing energy.
A ghost, as it turns out, is nothing more
than a soul who, for one reason or anoth-
er, remains on the astral plane, instead of
going into the White Light as it should.
Based on my personal experience interacting with the spirit realm, the primary
reason ghosts remain on the astral plane
is because they don’t realize they’re
dead.
This is exactly what happened with Lisa
the ghost, who was haunting Carrie’s
home. She was so fixated on not wanting to leave that she obsessively ignored
the positive pull of the White Light and
stayed stuck in this astral or limbo state
while floating up and down the stairwells, through the bedrooms and the
main parlor of her beautiful Victorian
home.
So what to do? After calling in all of
Carrie’s spirit guides and angels as well
as my own, I led Carrie through a quick
meditation in which our angels and
guides cleansed and healed Carrie’s
body, her aura (the spiritual light surrounding her body), and her chakras
(energy centers), with golden light. We
then asked our spirit guides and angels
to transmit celestial healing light
through our bodies and out our hands to
Lisa the ghost. After healing Lisa’s soul
of all of its negativity from past and cur-
rent-life traumas,
as well as releasing her from her
attachment to her
earthly home, we
asked her spirit
guides and angels,
as well as her
deceased
loved
ones, to surround
her with their love
and guide her into
the White Light.
needs to realize that time is very different on the astral plane. One hundred
years in earth time seems like only a few
months on the astral plane. Since many
ghosts stay attached to a home or a
building for several hundred years, like
Lisa, they’re periodically forced to deal
with new families moving into “their”
home. Worse yet, they have to put up
with the newcomers’ annoying habits
and taste in décor. It’s no wonder that
the inhabiting ghosts sometimes get
upset and “haunt” us.
Within seconds of
completing
the
healing, we both
sensed that Lisa
had successfully
gone into the
White Light. My
guides verified it
verbally,
and
Carrie experienced
a sense of glowing
lightness when she
pictured her home in her mind.
However, no matter whether these
ghosts are the harmless, quiet type or the
mischievous, boisterous type, the important thing to realize is that they can all be
healed and sent into the White Light
with the help of a little good old-fashioned loving, healing energy. But, then
again, can’t we all?
Additional verification came two days
later when Carrie called to tell me that
when she got home, her dog and cat both
ate downstairs and then stayed downstairs, which they had never done before.
She also mentioned that the loud breathing had stopped and that she was finally
able to sleep through the night.
*****
Ross Miller is a professional psychic, medium, past-life regression therapist, and healer.
He has been advising and healing people
worldwide for over 25 years. Ross offers
private sessions as well as workshops in psychic development, dream interpretation, spiritual healing, and angel communication. His
practice is in Newton, MA. For more information or to schedule an appointment (either
by telephone or in person) call Ross at 617527-3583
or
visit
his
website:
www.TheMysticWay.com.
The reason so many ghosts like Lisa
exist is because many of us don’t believe
in life after death. When the soul separates from the body, it seems to many of
these souls that they’re still alive. After
all, they can still see and hear the people
around them! However, when they try to
communicate with the living, and we
don’t respond, these same souls often
become very confused, frustrated, and
lonely. Since people aren’t taught that
they should go into the White Light
when they die in order to be cleansed
and healed, they will often mistakenly
focus their attention on their former
earthly possessions, and their friends
and relatives who are still alive. This,
unfortunately, causes them to remain on
the astral plane.
To understand this ghostly realm one
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
45
CALENDAR
events workshops
festivals classes
FEBRUARY
2/11: EOL Intuitive Enhancement (5) Practice Discernment to Achieve Universal
Consciousness & Activate the Sacred Heart.
Fifth class in series; prerequisite: EOL
Workshops 1-4. Presented by EOL Founders
Sue and Aaron Singleton. 9.6 Contact Hours.
Details: Visit www.TheWayToBalance.com;
(978( 834-0341.
2/18-2/19: Reiki I Certification with John
Harvey Gray and Lourdes Gray, Ph.D.,
Rindge, NH. Awaken your healing skills
studying with the longest-practicing Reiki
Master in the West. Two days of learning,
hands-on practice and no cut corners certifies you immediately to work on yourself,
others and pets. 16.0 CEUs Visa/MC. Call
(603) 899-3288, www.reiki.mv.com.
MARCH
3/3-3/5: Boston Healing Tao is hosting
Master Wei Lun Huang on March 3rd - 5th
46
EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
Top Photo
2/18: Carnaval Brasileiro comes to
Boston! 9:00pm, Sat., Feb. 18, at The
Castle at Park Plaza, Tickets $44, $49 at
the door. Ticketweb (800) 965-4827.
for a powerful weekend of Ba-Gua Chi Kung
& Palm Changes. Call: (978) 371-1410 x3 or
visit www.bostonhealingtao.com.
3/4: Experience your Past Lives with John
Harvey Gray and Lourdes Gray, Ph.D.,
Rindge, NH. The same popular seminar John
gave for years at the Maine Healing Arts
Festival and Interface. Three regressions are
provided. Your subconscious selects the dates
and places and protects
you from bringing back
any uncomfortable emotions. $75.Visa/MC. Call
(603) 899-3288 or visit:
www.reiki.mv.com.
3/5: Learn to See Auras
with Lourdes Gray,
Ph.D., CCHT, Rindge,
NH. Auras contain information about physical,
mental and emotional
states. We will show you
what to look for, and how
to develop your inner vision to see auras
around people, animals and plants anytime
you wish. The process is surprisingly easy!
$125 tuition includes practice tape, manual
and your Kirlian photograph. Visa/MC. Call
(603) 899-3288 or visit: www.reiki.mv.com.
3/11: Silent Meditation: Saturday, March
11, 9:30am to 1:30pm, Scandinavian Living
2/10-2/11: Flamenco guitar virtuoso Juanito
Pascual presents two evenings of music and dance at
the MFA on March 10th and 11th.
Earth Star Calendar
Center, 206 Waltham St., W. Newton. Come
for a morning of silent meditation. Two meditation sessions will be preceded by video
instructions and followed by a light vegetarian lunch. No experience necessary. Free.
This is a Science of Spirituality program. For
more information (after February 12):
www.newengsos.org; newenginfo@sos.org;
(781) 444-9013.
3/18-3/19: Reiki I Certification with John
Harvey Gray and Lourdes Gray, Ph.D.,
Rindge,NH. Awaken your healing skills
studying with the longest-practicing Reiki
Master in the West. Two days of learning,
hands-on practice and no cut corners certifies you immediately to work on yourself,
others and pets. 16.0 CEUs Visa/MC. (603)
899-3288 www.reiki.mv.com.
3/11: Reiki Certification. Wilton, NH.
Libby Barnett, MSW. 26 years experience.
Reiki Energy Medicine co-author. Notebook,
pin, certificate awarded. Visa/MC accepted.
CEU's. Call 1-888-REIKI-4-U or (603) 6542787. Reiki II: 3/12.
3/25: Psychic Development, Past Lives, &
Angel Workshop with Ross Miller, psychic
medium, regression therapist, healer. In this
unique, experiential workshop you’ll learn
how to identify your guardian angels and
spirit guides by name and receive guidance
from them; feel your aura and give aura healings; rediscover your past lives; give psychic
readings to others and more. Saturday,
10:00am-5:00pm, Newton, MA. To register
for the workshop or to schedule a psychic or
past-life reading in person or over the phone
with Ross Miller. (617) 527-3583 or visit
www.TheMysticWay.com.
3/11: EOL Intuitive Enhancement (6) –
Heighten Discernment to Increase Intuitive
Accuracy and Release Emotional Charges.
Sixth class in series; prerequisite: EOL
Workshops 1-5. Presented by EOL Founders
Sue and Aaron Singleton. Early-Pay discount before February 24; 9.6 Contact
Hours. Details: (978) 834-0341. Visit
www.TheWayToBalance.com.
3/25-3/26: EOL Emotional Release
Acupressure Workshop, Level I, Module
2. Laypersons as well as experienced practitioners will learn highly-effective point
sequences to increase cellular resonance and
release emotions and emotional patterns.
Discover and practice head, neck, arm and
shoulder releases, explore dialoguing with
the body to achieve Emotional Release, and
more! Presented by EOL Founders Sue and
Aaron Singleton. EarlyPay discount available before March 10. Details: Visit
www.TheWayToBalance.com; 978 8340341.
UPCOMING
3/24-3/26: martial arts master
B.K. Frantzis will be teaching a
weekend seminar, The Art of
Breathing While Moving, March 2426, at Brookline Tai Chi, 1615
Beacon Street, Brookline MA. For
more information or to register call
(617) 277-2975 or visit their website:
www.brooklinetaichi.com.
3/18: Reiki Certification. Watertown, MA.
Libby Barnett, MSW. 26 years experience..
Reiki Energy Medicine co-author. Notebook,
pin, certificate awarded. Visa/MC accepted.
CEU's. Call 1-888-REIKI-4-U or (603) 6542787. Reiki II: 3/19.
4/22-4/23: Reiki I Certification with John
Harvey Gray and Lourdes Gray, Ph.D.,
Rindge,NH. Awaken your healing skills
studying with the longest-practicing Reiki
Master in the West. Two days of learning,
hands-on practice and no cut corners certifies you immediately to work on yourself,
others and pets. 16.0 CEUs Visa/MC. (603)
899-3288 www.reiki.mv.com.
5/13: Reiki Certification, Wilton, NH.
Libby Barnett, MSW. 26 years experience.
Reiki Energy Medicine co-author. Notebook,
pin, certificate awarded. Visa/MC accepted.
CEU's. Call 1-888-REIKI-4-U or (603) 6542787. Reiki II: 5/14.
5/20: Reiki Certification, Watertown, MA.
Libby Barnett, MSW. 26 years experience.
Reiki Energy Medicine co-author. Notebook,
pin, certificate awarded. Visa/MC accepted.
CEU's. Call 1-888-REIKI-4-U or (603) 6542787. Reiki II: 5/21.
3/30:
An
Evening
with
Malidoma Somé Honoring The
Healing Wisdom of Africa,
Thursday, March 30, 2006,
7:00pm, $12. 115 Greenough
Street, Brookline MA. For Tickets
call (617) 730-2700, or on-line at
www.brooklineadulted.org/.
Upcoming workshops at the Charles River
School of Shiatsu: 2/17, Tuina: Infertility
and Menopause with Bill Helm. 2/26,
Psychosomatic Shen Disturbances with
Kiiko Matsumoto. CEU’s available. Contact:
Charles River School of Shiatsu, (617) 8684585 or email:
info@CharlesRiverShiatsu.com.
ONGOING
Inner Circle, a 9-month group process for
personal development. Meets every other
Wednesday in Watertown. Contact The Inner
Arts Institute at (617) 926-1301 or visit
www.innerartsinstitue.com.
Shamanic Drumming Circle, founded
1993. Usually Second and Fourth Fridays of
every month, 7:00pm. Quaker meetinghouse, Cambridge. Open to all, but please call
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
47
Earth Star Calendar
Vision Quests & Soul
Retreats in beautiful
southern Vermont for
people in transition, seeking renewal, healing,
direction.
Through
Council,
ritual,
Purification Lodge, and
solos connect with soul,
others, nature, and spirit.
(802)
896-6271;
www@schoolofnaturalwonder.org.
Drumming Circle with
Kristine Malpica (of
Mr. and Mrs. Clark and Percy is a highlight of the
exhibition “David Hockney Portraits” on view in Imagine Studios) on third
Friday of each month.
the Gund Gallery from Feb 28–May 14, 2006.
7:00pm-8:30pm. Center
for Spiritual Development, 15 Kenoza Ave,
first for full details and directions. Terrence
Haverhill, MA. (978) 372-5173.
(978) 952-2704 or Emily (781) 641-3980.
Buddhist Meditation Group with Peg
Travers, Ordained Priest, Buddha Heart USA,
Sunday evenings, Haverhill, MA, 5:00pm6:00pm. Learn and practice the ancient arts of
meditation, chanting, QiGong, Buddhist Yoga
& Reiki. Call the Center for Spiritual
Development, Haverhill MA, (978) 372-5173
or online @www.uuhaverhill.org/happenings.
Workshops for Pain Management and
Improved Wellness. Offerings for
Bodyworkers, athletes, Personal Trainers,
Coaches and general pain-sufferers. Check
website: web.maynard.ma.us/biz/bmassage,
or call Barry Bailey at (978) 897-0110 for
information and brochure of current offerings.
Support group for Caregivers and Family
Members who have loved ones dealing with a
Mental Illness. First Thursday of the month
7:00pm-8:30pm. Center for Spiritual
Development, Haverhill, MA. See website:
www.uuhaverhill.org/ happenings.
Interested In Whole Health continuing
education or Career Training? Attend a
free introductory Whole Health education
class at the New England School of Whole
Health Education. NESWHE offers CEUs
and on-going continuing education certificate programs for medical professionals as
well are our unique Whole Health focused
Career Trainings in Medical Assisting, and
Life-Work Coaching. Classes are conducted
on Saturdays, in Boston, at the New England
Medical Center, Stearns Auditorium. For
audit availability and further information
about Whole Health career trainings, visit us
at www.wholehealtheducation.org, or call
toll free 1-888-354-HEAL (4325).
Advanced Training And Supervision
Group, for those who have a basic understanding of breath work or another body oriented therapeutic approach. Meets every
other Friday from 11:00am-1:00pm. in
Watertown. Contact The Inner Arts Institute
at (617) 926-1301 or visit
www.innerartsinstitute.com.
Legendary art curator Henry Geldzahler,
seated
in
Henry
Geldzahler
and
Christopher Scott (1969) by David
Hockney, is featured in Who Gets to Call
It Art? On view in the Gund Gallery from
Feb 28–May 14.
48
EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
Ongoing Classes in Shamballa
Multidimensional Healing and
Healing Art offered at the Natick
Community Organic Farm, by
Joyce Cerutti. SMH may be
thought of as an expansion of the
energies we know as Reiki. No
prior attunements necessary.
Healing Art classes offered for
both individuals and families, combining energy healing and art healing for greater benefit. Call for
dates, times, and further information. Intuitive healing paintings
also available. (508) 380-8273.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Degas to Picasso:
Modern Masters
January 18 – July 23, 2006
Torf Gallery, Lower Rotunda,
Trustman
This exhibition will survey the MFA’s
collection of European painting, sculpture, and graphic arts from 1900
through the 1960’s. Beginning with the
late works of the Impressionists
(Degas, Monet, Cézanne) and postImpressionists (Gauguin, Redon,
Rodin, Maillol) the exhibition will
explore clusters of works by major figures in 20th-century Europe. German
and Austrian Expressionism will be
shown in paintings, prints, and sculpture by Kokoschka, Kirchner, Nolde,
Beckmann,
Kollwitz,
and
their
Norwegian mentor Munch. The School
of Paris will be represented with great
paintings, graphics, and bronze sculpture by Matisse, as well as lesserknown figures such as Berman,
Despiau, and Zadkine. Surrealism will
be explored through the works of Miró,
his friend Calder, and the Belgians
Magritte and Delvaux. A major group of
works by Picasso in virtually every
medium will be presented, ranging from
early drawings and prints to paintings
and graphics from the last decade of his
career.
You Can
Change
in a
Moment
of Time
by Marilou and Jerry Seavey
hen asked, “What
would you like to
have or to change in
your life right now?”
The personal trainer
wanted to give up coffee and sugar... the
massage therapist wanted to recognize
the love that was present in her life and
put an end to her painful jealousy... the
nurse wanted take better care of herself
and to lose weight... the student wanted
more effective ways to recall what she
was studying... the healer wanted to
resolve inner-conflicts... the sales person
wanted to be confident, motivated and
get over his fear of rejection... the parent
wanted to be better able to have a positive influence on his children... and the
psychologist wanted to feel her life was
more purposeful. Each wanted to have
useful and positive change in their life.
Change is the key word. For the past
25 years NLP has been teaching people
how to change—quickly and painlessly.
Since a lot of other organizations and
disciplines make the same promise, how
is NLP any different? The difference is
in the effectiveness and elegance of the
techniques taught by NLP.
The
name
Neuro-Linguistic-
W
Programing stands for what is believed
to be the basic process used by all human
beings to create, transfer, guide and
modify any behavior. That is, behavior is
programmed by a precise, specific
sequencing of our inner pictures, sounds,
feelings, smells and tastes — whether
that behavior involves making a decision, throwing a football, smiling at a
member of the opposite sex, feeling
prosperous, relaxing, learning anything
or just thinking. NLP has been called a
technology because it provides unique
tools for helping people to achieve higher levels of personal effectiveness and
self-mastery, not only in critical areas of
self awareness and personal relations but
in important competency areas such as
achievement orientation, thinking styles
and self-management.
Today it is well accepted that success, satisfaction and fulfillment in life,
personally and professionally, can be self
directed and self-influenced and the
skills to achieve this can be learned. And,
when it comes to the field of personal
and interpersonal skill development,
NLP offers powerful yet simple and
practical step-by-step methods for
expanding choice in what you can do, for
changing behaviors and for achieving
positive results in any area of your life.
This is possible because most of our
experience, our emotions and positive
skills as well as limitations, are a direct
result of our mental processes—our
thinking. A good example of a limitation
based on thoughts is a person who says
that they are afraid of flying. But what
they are saying is not actually true
because in the middle of a flight nobody
ever says, “I hope this plane stops flying,
right now.” Their fear is not that the
plane is flying, their real fear is that the
plane may stop flying... before they get
to the airport! And they mentally
rehearse that worst-case scenario over
and over. Our fears come from the mental images that we continuously run in
our mind and the meaning that we put on
our experience—even if that meaning is
often inaccurate.
For example in the situation of flying; after the plane lifts off the runway
there may be a noise, a little thump as the
wheels fold up into the under-carriage of
the airplane. If a person thinks, “What
was that sound? Something is wrong!”
and they create horrible pictures in their
mind causing their body to activate the
Continued on page 66
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
49
If All Your Memories Completely Disappeared
… Who Would You Be?
New Documentary Feature Film Explores Identity By Telling
Provocative, True Story of Doug Bruce
“ If you encode [experiences],
and then remember them in a
specific way … then create
this personal history which is
a bazaar of myths, of truths, of
embellishments … a hodgepodge of distortions. If that
makes up who we are, then
who are we, really? … Do you
know?” —Doug Bruce
or thousands of years, seekers have pursued the admonition, “Know thyself,” as
the ultimate path to Selfrealization or enlightenment. Thought originally to be inscribed
on the Sun god Apollo’s Oracle of
Delphi temple in ancient Greece, this
primal notion of self-inquiry—seeking
the answer to the question, “Who am
I?”—is always current, always contemporary. Today’s most significant expression of this age-old force is the constant
popularity of spiritual and personal
development books, most notably repre-
F
sented at the moment by Eckhart Tolle,
whose The Power of Now has sold millions of copies in many languages worldwide. Tolle is just the most broadly recognized modern embodiment of the path
advanced powerfully by Ramana
Maharshi from the early 1900’s until his
death in1950. Maharshi was considered
by many to be the greatest saint of the
20th Century.
Now, bringing the quest as current
as the news on television ….
In a stunning, but unintended, modernday expression of this perennial search
for identity, one New Yorker had his feet
held firmly to the flames. Sometime
between 8pm on July 1st and 7am on
July 3rd, 2003, Doug Bruce lost himself.
That morning, riding alone on a New
York subway headed towards Coney
Island, he could not remember his name,
where he worked, who his friends were,
how much money he had in his bank
account. He was without his identity.
Two MRIs, two CAT scans, 26
blood tests and an army of psychiatrists
could not properly diagnose what turned
out to be the rarest and most startling
form of memory loss: retrograde amneContinued on page 67
50
EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
directory
New England’s Premier
Professional Resource Guide
category
Astrological Consulting ....................52
Bookstores & Awareness Centers ...52
Centers ...............................................53
Classes ...............................................53
Healing & Bodywork .........................54
Health Resorts ...................................57
Herbs ..................................................58
Holistic Health ...................................58
Human PotentiaL ...............................58
Medical Health Care Services ..........58
Metaphysics .......................................59
Professional Services .......................59
Psychics .............................................59
Psychology & Transformation .........60
Readings ............................................61
Schools & Institutes ..........................61
Yoga ....................................................62
Profiles of businesses,
centers and individuals
that offer holistic services
that nurture and support
the body, mind and soul.
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
51
ASTROLOGICAL CONSULTING
“Eric Linter is one of the best astrologers on the East Coast!”
excerpt from the best selling book, 1001 Ways to Be Romantic
ERIC
LINTER
ASTROLOGER
Eric’s readings give you the information you need to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.
Experience first hand what thousands of
satisfied clients have called “extraordinary,”
better than my therapist,” and “a profound
and enlightening experience.” His insight
and guidance will help you choose the right
direction for your relationships, career and
finances, family, health, and spiritual growth.
Eric has been an astrological counselor
to individuals, couples and businesses for
over twenty-five years. His specialties
include relationship dynamics, timing career
moves and enhancing personal creativity.
He has appeared on WCVB TV’s Chronicle
and been quoted in the Boston Globe and
Newton Tab. Consultations are available in
person, by telephone, or on audio cassette. Eric also offers classes, lectures and readings at social gatherings
and special events. For more information
or to schedule an appointment, please
call:
(617) 524-5275.
email EricLinter@aol.com
Astrology and Esoteric Psychology — Monique Pommier
Twelvefold science of the twelvefold soul,
Astrology illuminates the unique landscape of a psyche – inner characters and
dynamics, gifts and directions – and charts
the course of a life, timing new developments
and uncovering their purposes.
As an esoteric astrologer and counselor, I
focus on the evolutionary meaning of per-
sonal, relational and spiritual challenges, and
offer insights and methods that elicit transformative perspectives and facilitate self-actualisation.
By accessing the deeper order of your
life you gain the freedom to appreciate its
complexities and the power to participate in
your evolution.
My background includes an MS and
PhD in Esoteric Psychology and Philosophy.
Jungian psychology, Eastern and Western traditions have been key foundations in my
eighteen years of consulting and teaching.
To inquire about services, classes, or
publications, please call:
(617) 524-7072
BOOKSTORES & AWARENESS CENTERS
Yo-Be Inspiration Shop
Come find clothes,
books, music, incense,
aura soma, crystals,
unique gifts from local
artists and great companies around the world
(617) 876-4448
52
EARTH STAR
to inspire you to live your
best life. Massage, yoga
and other healing treatments also available.
Great Sale with some
items up to 50% off!
Browse with a cup of tea or play with your kids in our children’s
nook, listen to music demos, have a Tarot, Astrology or Reiki
session, take a class to enrich your whole life, celebrate the
Pagan Wheel of the Year holidays...
You may even rent our meeting space for your own event!
We are here, as we have been for over 25 years, to support you in
your quest for spirit, purpose, healing, community...
BOOKS • GIFTS • CLASSES • COUNSELING
• AUTHOR AND PERFORMER EVENTS
• SPIRITUAL AND MAGICAL EXPLORATION
• Crystals • Jewelry • Statuary • Altar & Magical Supplies
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
Located in the Trolley Square
shopping center (around the
back inside the Bikram Yoga
Studio) at 855 Worcester Rd
Framingham. Visit: Yo-Be.com
or call 508-820-9642 for
information.
NEW LOCATION!
1971 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02140
www.unicornbooks.org
e-mail unicornbooks@juno.com
MON-FRI 10-7 • SAT 10-6 • SUN 12-5
• 2 minutes from Porter Square T
BOOKSTORES & AWARENESS CENTERS continued
Enchantments
10 Boothbay House Hill
Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538
207-633-4992
Largest New Age Store in New England!
We’ve knocked through a wall and doubled our space! New coffee, tea and
dessert bar with eye-of-newt scones.
enlarged clothing section featuring
Geetah & Sacred Threads; Celtic &
Renaissance-style clothing, including
reversible floor-length capes in velvet
and satin; Dirks, knives & swords; Crystal
balls and bowls; Scrying mirrors & wiccan supplies; Magic wands; Magic spells;
Harry Potter; Candles, candles & more
candles. Eastern incense & Native
American sage, cedar & juniper; Drums
& rainsticks; Large variety of pipes &
Grateful Dead memorabilia; Extensive
New Age/metaphysical book section;
300+ tarot decks; runes; Egyptian
canopic jars & statuary; Eastern religious
items & statuary–Buddha, Ganesh, Quan
Yin; Fabulous fountains & fantasy statuary of all kinds; angels & fairies, puppets
& dolls, dragons, frogs, & gargoyles;
Meyda Tiffany lamps; Hundreds of
chimes; Cards & calendars; Crystals, jewelry, gems & minerals; Massage & essential oils; Henna; Body jewelry; Tapes &
CDs; Psychic readings. Don’t miss our
second store “Enchantment Too” right
across the street!!!
Open daily . . . call for hours!
Visit our website:
www.enchantments.bz
CENTERS
Institute For Personal Development, Inc.
A Kriya Yoga Ashram
652 Lafayette Rd. - Hampton, NH 03842-3348
1-603-929-0303
contact@ipdtransform.com
IPD Web Site - http://www.ipdtransform.com
Kriya Yoga is a complete holistic health management system
Classes, Courses, and Personal Training
Private Residential Retreat & Personalized Programs
Weekends and longer plans available as low as $44 a night
Call toll free 1-888-545-8597 ask for:
Kenneth Toy (Swami Jayananda)
Call for Prices on your personal program
Uniting Science with Religion
The Center for Spiritual Development
Building a better world by accepting one another and
encouraging spiritual growth...
We offer Meditation Groups, Yoga, Reiki, Support Groups, Women’s Spirituality,
Book Discussions, Drumming Circles, Stephen Simon’s Spiritual Cinema,
Parenting Classes, Holiday Support Workshops, and much, much more!
Visit us online at: www.uuhaverhill.org/happenings for a full list of programs
and see the Celendar in this issue for current & ongoing events.
New Age Gift Shop
Books & Music
Crystals & Jewlery
Incense & Candles
Aromatherapy & Tools
Gift Certificates
Learning Center
Workshops, Yoga Classes,
Reiki Training, Readings,
Aura Imaging
Holistic Healing Center
Usui & Karuna Reki
Hypnotherapy & EMDR
Channeling, Reflexology
Massage, Polarity
Programs are held at
the Church at Monument Square
15 Kenoza Avenue
Haverhill, MA 01830
978-372-5173
website: www.uuhaverhill.org
a Welcoming Unitarian
Universalist Organization
118 Washington St. (Rt. 138)
North Easton, MA 02356
508-230-3680
Web http://members.aol.com/womenwis
Hrs: M-F 10-8pm,
Sat 10-5pm, Sun 12-5pm
CLASSES
YOGAspirit® Studios is a 200/500
hour Teacher Training Certification
school dedicated to the training
and support of yoga teachers and
their students, providing National
standards and recognition for
yoga professionals. Both 200 and
500 hour trainings are registered
programs of the National Yoga
Alliance (YA) for qualification as a
Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT).
Training centers are located in
Connecticut,
Massachusetts
(Boston and N. Shore), Maine and
New Hampshire. Retreat Format
trainings also offered.
Kim Valeri, RYT, Founder and
Director of YOGAspirit®, certifying and
mentoring teachers since 1999.
YOGAspirit® Studios
P.O. Box 2337, S. Hamilton, MA 01982
Tel: (978) 927-0099
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
53
CLASSES continued
“Reiki speaks to our heart and deepens our connection to self and others.”
Libby is a gifted, knowledgeable Reiki
Master with 26 years experience. She is
coauthor of Reiki Energy Medicine,
Bringing Healing Touch into Home,
Hospital, and Hospice - over 55,000 copies
sold in seven languages.
©
Use Reiki to create more joy and ease in
your life. Let Libby’s warm, heart-centered approach help you to take your next
step toward self-love and inner peace.
Reiki brings balance and harmony, supporting you doing the work you were
born to do. Reiki facilitates transitions,
promotes creativity and wisdom, and
accelerates spiritual growth, helping you
manifest your magnificance.
Libby Barnett, MSW
Reiki Master
“Love is the healer and
Reiki is love.”
Libby has taught medical and nursing
students at Harvard, Brown, Tufts, and
Yale as well as staff at Massachusetts
General, Beth Israel, Mt Auburn,
Emerson,
Dartmouth-Hitchcock,
Southern New Hampshire, New York
Foundling, and New York Columbia
Presbyterian. Libby was featured in a Reiki
segment for the PBS nationally televised
series, Body and Soul. For the past seven
years, Libby has conducted Reiki classes at
the University of Maryland School of
Social Work and at Kripalu Center for
Yoga and Health. One of Libby’s current
passions is teaching hospice staff and volunteers. Fueled by Reiki energy, their healing touch is enhanced, affording greater
effectiveness in calming agitation, soothing
pain and providing comfort.
In class, a powerful slide presentation captures the essence of Reiki. You hear the
Reiki story, receive attunements and practice giving and receiving Reiki. You leave
class with an illustrated notebook, certificate, and pin, fully trained and certified to
do Reiki on yourself, family, friends, and
pets.
“My commitment to teach the Usui System
of Reiki Healing in the authentic, traditional manner inspired me to visit Japan
to retrace the roots of Reiki. I am dedicated to teaching this sacred healing art to
promote health and conscious living on the
planet. I invite you to give yourself the gift
of Reiki. It is an easy, effective way to love,
heal, and empower yourself. I look forward
to meeting you and sharing Reiki.”
Watertown, MA Classes
March 18 or May 20
Wilton, NH Classes
March 11 or May 13 or June 10
To register, call the Reiki Healing
Connection: 1-888-REIKI-4-U
(1-888-734-5448) or (603) 654-2787.
Visa/MC accepted. Social Work and
Nursing CEU’s available. Reiki Master
Training information avaliable on request.
Reiki Healing Connection • phone (603) 654-2787 • fax (603) 654-2771 • email reiki@reikienergy.com • www.reikienergy.com
HEALING & BODYWORK
Betty Solbjor has been practicing and
teaching Reiki since 1996, and in 2002
became a Karuna Reiki® Master and a Bach
Foundation Registered Practitioner. She has
extensive experience using Reiki on both
people and animals to gently treat many illnesses and emotional problems. A Reiki
session brings about a deep sense of relaxBetty L. Solbjor, BFRP ation and inner peace. This, combined with
Ms. Solbjor’s use of Magnified Healing,
Usui Reiki Master
crystal singing bowls, guided meditation and
Karuna Reiki® Master
Bach Flower Essences®, can help restore balance and harmony to body, mind and soul.
Classes for all levels of Reiki, as well as
Karuna Reiki® are also offered.
Treatments and classes are available at
my office in Waltham or at your location
(mileage charge may apply). Call or email to schedule an appointment or
inquire about classes.
Treatments: $60/one-hour session
(longer duration sessions available)
(781) 258-7712 Waltham, MA
Classes (private or group):
email: betty@reikiflowers.com
web: www.reikiflowers.com
• Reiki I: $150
• Reiki II: $150
• Advanced Reiki/Reiki Master Intensive: $600
• Karuna Reiki® Master: $750
Member, International Association of Reiki
Professionals and Better Business Bureau®,
Serving Eastern Masschusetts
Change your life in ways you have always dreamed!
Give yourself the gift of full empowerment and improved health
22 STRAND DNA
ACTIVATION
Your DNA holds the master plan for
your life purpose and divine potential.
Through this sacred process your 22
strands of DNA are activated and
strengthened, while unwanted debris
from the DNA structure is cleared.
YOUR HIGHEST POTENTIAL
BECOMES YOUR REALITY!
Further benefits include: gained energy,
clarity and focus, a stronger immune
system, the use of more of your brain.
Benefits your nerves, blood, skin, muscles and respiratory system. This activation helps you to discover new talents
and abilities, releases unconscious patterns, facilitates clearing of genetic and
Core Integration - M.Feldenkrais
TE
GRA
TIO N
“Strengthening from the inside out - the way your body was meant to be”
N
CO E I
R
54
EARTH STAR
New DVD (80 mins) Free with Enrollment
or buy at $75, By Josef DellaGrotte,
therapist and trainer
Personal Body Mastery Training Program
Assessment, therapy, and improvement
through movement-exercise education.
Improve everyday life activities for lifelong wellness.
50-100 hours: individual sessions, seminars,
classes, dvd’s.
Personal or Practitioner Certification Training
Curriculum/Learning:
•
The 15 principal exercises using Feldenkrais
awareness through movement®.
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
•
The six primary core movement pathways:
map and directions
• Most valuable integrative aerobic exercise:
walking, plus principles of heart health:
• Psychophysical exercises, breathing and relaxation.
• (For practitioners) How to bodyread, assess,
apply precision hands-on, and design strategic
exercise programs.
Personal Training Program:
6/10 months, $1050/$1550.
Teacher Training Certification: 200+ total hours,
$3500. Plus - Certificate of Competency
in MFeldenkrais principles available.
family karmic patterns and enables you
to bring in and hold more LIGHT in your
physical body. This activation is a huge
acceleration step on your personal
path. Also available: Energy Clearing,
karmic Matrix, Life coaching and More.
CLAIRE LUFT - HEART'S SINGING
HEALING CENTER
Woburn, MA 781-281-2888
www.heartssinging.com
Trainer: Josef DellaGrotte, PhD., LMHC, LMT,
Feldenkrais trainer, practitioner,
Information/monthly seminars, weekly classes:
Somatic Training Institute, Stow, MA
1-978-461-0221 or 1-800-873-2398
Location:
Bodymind Integration Center,
Watertown, MA.
dellagrotte-somatic@comcast.net
see demo video at:
www.dellagrotte-somatic.com
HEALING & BODYWORK continued
America’s Most Experienced Reiki Teachers
John Harvey Gray has been a Reiki
Master instructor since 1976, actively
teaching and practicing Reiki longer
than any other living teacher in the
West.
He took his entire Reiki training with
Hawayo Takata, who brought Reiki to
the West from Japan. John has conducted over 850 Reiki workshops, teaching
more than 15,000 students, and was
named the 1994 Interface Presenter of
the Year.
Lourdes Gray, Ph.D., his wife, is a
Reiki Master instructor certified by John.
brings years of extensive experience
John Harvey Gray She
using Reiki to treat degenerative diseases
& Lourdes Gray, Ph.D. such as arthritis, cancer, HIV/AIDS, as
well as emotional problems.
(16.6 CEU credits available.)
• Feb 18-19
Rindge, NH
• Mar 18-19
Rindge, NH
• Apr 22-23
Rindge, NH
Read our new book!
Hand To Hand
Available now at reiki.mv.com, local bookstores
and Amazon.com
Advanced Classes (2nd Degree)
• Feb 25-26
Rindge, NH
• Mar 25-26
Rindge, NH
• Apr 29-30
Rindge, NH
THE JOHN HARVEY GRAY
CENTER FOR REIKI HEALING
15 Dolly Lane, Rindge, NH 03461
Other Workshops
• Feb 4-5
Learn To Meditate
with Hemi-Sync®
Rindge, NH
• Mar 4
Past Life Regressions
Rindge, NH
Learn To See Auras
Rindge, NH
• Mar 5
KAPSOS DEEP MUSCLE
THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE
is body work that gives you, in a very real
way, a "new body." It has provided my
basic approach to a client's body since
1985. Working across and at angles to
muscle fibers to release trauma in muscles
and attachments, this deep technique has
brought clients welcome and long lasting
benefits. The Kapsos deep muscle technique alone is dramatically effective.
NEW
BODY
Questions? Call or write for information
about workshops or private Reiki sessions. Third Degree/Master Instructor
training available.
Basic Classes (1st Degree)
New BodyMindSpirit
Always intuitively guided in this work at
the physical level, studies with healers
such as Barbara Brennan and Dr. Robert
Jaffe, and my own continuing inner opening have profoundly expanded the work I
603/899-3288
Register online! www.reiki.mv.com
Visa/MC accepted for all courses.
Contact Hours available
now may do in any session, touching body,
mind, and spirit.
For example, energy techniques at the
beginning of a session may identify the
inner child or other past aspect that your
psyche is presenting to you for healing at
this time. The session that follows, both
physically and energetically, may then
address and release trauma from the specific “time” in your life.
Or, there are days during your transformative process when gentle nurturing feels
essential. Slow lymphatic massage or delicate facials, along with energy balancing,
can restore and ground you. It is also my
great joy to teach people simple physical
and energetic techniques they can use to
help themselves and others.
The Natural Path
Alternative, Inc.
Services Offered:
• Colon Hydrotherapy is a safe, effective method of removing waste from the
large intestine, without the use of drugs.
By introducing filtered and temperatureregulated water into the colon, the waste
is softened and loosened, resulting in
evacuation through natural peristalsis.
• I-ACT Certified Practitioners
• FDA Registered Instruments
• Abdominal and Pressure Point
Energy Healer
Certified Hypnotherapist
Reiki Master
(617) 436-3777
Sliding Scale
George W. Mephis, Ph.D.
Market Street Health
214 Market Street
Brighton, MA 02135
1-888-464-3363
www.hypnoenergetic.com
help move the lymphatic system, an integral part of our immune system. HighFrequency and Manual Therapy available.
• 10-Day Cleanse Program
• 30-Day Detox/Rejuvenation Program
The Natural Path Alternative, Inc.
214 Market Street
Brighton, MA 02135
Over 20 years of colon hydrotherapy experience
Mark Levin
Devoted to Helping You Feel Better
technique stimulates the brain to produce more pleasure hormones, naturally
creating a positive state of consciousness and at the same time erasing the
negative memories related to addictive
behavior. Mr. Mephis helps people
quit smoking in one session, lose
weight and control their appetite,
eliminate pain, stress, anxiety,
Massage during session
• Iridology is the science and practice of
analyzing the Iris, pupil and sclera of the eye
to determine inherited and accumulated
health patterns. Herbal consultation included.
• Herbal/Nutritional Consultation in
which an herbalist/pharmacist with over 10
years of experience creates individualized
cleansing, fasting, and wellness programs
using herbs specified for the client.
• Lymphatic Therapy is a therapy used to
For information and appointment
call:
depression, addictive behavior and
various other physical disorders in
a unique and miraculous way.
Stop Smoking in One Session & Lose Weight Naturally
George W. Mephis, Ph.D., worldrenowned Russian healer and spiritual
teacher with 25 years of experience in helping people stop smoking, lose weight
and achieve freedom from addiction slavery.
He has been called The Miraclemaker
for his phenomenal ability to cure incurable
diseases. He is the founder of the HypnoGeorge W. Mephis, Ph.D. Energetic Movement. This powerful
CONSTANCE MCGRATH
• Kapsos Deep Muscle Therapy
• Kripalu Bodywork/
Polarity Energy Balancing
• Lymphatic Massage
• Facial Massage
• Reiki I and II
• Certified by American
Massage Therapy Association
617-787-5040
www.healthycleansing.com
colonics@earthlink.net
Mark Levin was able to create very powerful For an office appointment or to place
healing processes for hundreds of satisfied a remote healing request please call
clients both within physical realm of his office
and remotely throughout entire world.
617-779-8765
Specializes in: Hypnotherapy, Reiki, Polarity
There are many clinically documented cases of
Therapy, white light healing, remote healing.
spontaneous healing performed by him.
By combining traditional healing methods
121 B. Tremont Street, Suite #19
such as Reiki, hypnosis, polarity therapy with
Brighton, MA
his original white light healing therapy,
In urgent cases, please call
617-233-3986
Major credit cards accepted.
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
55
HEALING & BODYWORK continued
ENERGY HEALINGS & INTUITIVE READINGS
Do you want to be an active participant in
your well-being?
Awakening Touch will activate the natural
movement and unfoldment of the body and
psyche towards its own health and fulfillment.
Intuitive Readings provide information,
answers and tools that will enhance your life.
Both are:
• Healing • Empowering
• Interactive • Educational
Cheryl Wright, BSE
Guiding you towards:
• Enhanced self-awareness
• Physical & emotional well-being
• Release of core cellular memories
Cheryl Wright is a spiritual healer,
advanced clairvoyant & energy
worker. Trained in body harmony,
unlimited body & breath, reiki, psychic healing, and Chinese energetic
medicine.
Sessions in person or by phone.
Providing Insight & Healing Into:
• Health and dis-ease
• Relationships
• Overall quality of life
• Spiritual awareness
• All aspects of your life
617-448-8749
Offering:
• Transformational bodywork
• Energy healings
• Clairvoyant readings
www.awakeningtouch.com
cheryl@awakeningtouch.com
Offices in Watertown, MA & Providence, RI
Holistic Vision Improvement
Rosemary Gaddum Gordon,
DBO, MA
How we see can be affected by
our frame of mind, state of
health, and environment. In
response to Life we may begin to overfocus at one distance and lose clarity at
another, or exhaust our eyes so they can't
focus comfortably anywhere, or even let
one eye drift in and out. These adaptations
may become chronic. We use muscles to
focus our eyes. You can learn techniques
to relax and coordinate them so that you
can see comfortably and clearly again.
Your dependence on glasses or contacts can be prevented, eliminated, or
reduced. Rosemary draws on her twenty years experience and training in
orthoptics, the Bates' Method, Gestalt
Psychotherapy, and EducationalKinesthetics to form a comprehensive
approach to vision improvement. She
offers individual and group sessions for
adults and children.
Rolfing® produces lasting improvements in
posture, breathing, movement, and overall
relaxation. The Rolfer uses manual pressure
to help you feel into and let go of rigidities in
the connective tissue that wraps every muscle and bone. As you let go the tissue
changes state, becoming more elastic and
conductive of energy. This enhances freedom of movement, sensation, and circulation. Rolfing is done in specific patterns
throughout the body to allow a more erect
posture, easier breathing, improved balance, and more graceful movement. These
changes lead to a more positive self-image
and increased confidence. Once elasticity
has been restored it will remain unless the
Eric Jacobson, Ph.D.
is re-injured subjected to emotional
®
Rolfing * Craniosacral Therapy area
trauma or very long-term tension, so the
Psychotherapy
benefits are relatively permanent.
Bliss Transformation
56
EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
CAMBRIDGE, MA
(617) 354-8360
and
ELIOT, ME
NEAR PORTSMOUTH, NH
(207) 439-9821
Other Benefits:
Increases ability to sense emotions and
other energetic states.
Releases negative emotional memories.
Accelerates progress in psychotherapy
or spiritual practice.
Restores flexibility and circulation to
scar tissue and joints, both post-injury
and post-surgical.
Craniosacral Therapy gently increases
the mobility of the bones in the head, spine
and pelvis. This is especially effective in
relieving cranial compression from head
injuries. Patterns of distress and dysfunction going back as far as birth and childhood can be treayed. Benefits include relief
from chronic pain and tension in then head,
neck, or lower back, and the release of
negative emotional memories.
Bliss Transformation
Bliss Transformation is a means of
healing your whole life and being, of
“getting” from “here” to “there”.
ImaKariel offers both Healing and
Life Purpose/Career Coaching to
assist you on your path, your spiral of
self-mastery in the Light. We clear
whatever is energetically blocking
the flow in your life so that you can
manifest your dreams! Each session
ROSEMARY GADDUM GORDON,
D.B.O., M.A.
My Background includes training in
Rolfing with Ida Rolf, and in
Craniosacral Therapy with John
Upledger. I am a graduate of the
Gestalt Training Center of San Diego
and the Cambridge Family Institute
and have a private practice in psychotherapy. I have worked in these
modalities in the Boston area for the
past thirty years.
For free literature or an appointment:
781-643-6874
10 Ramsdell Court,
Arlington, MA 02476
www.eric-jacobson.com
- First Session Free!
is a unique experience of reading and
healing work at the same time. Your
free will is respected on every level, so
you are present for and consciously
surrender to your own wholeness.
Through Bliss Transformation you are
empowered to heal yourself. Mention
this ad to receive your first reading and
healing session FREE, and half off your
second session!
Phone sessions are available.
Blessings!
ImaKariel
617-694-0994
www.energetichealingtherapy.com
HEALING & BODYWORK continued
Rolfing© is a deep bodywork method
developed by Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D., in the
1940's, which frees, releases and
reshapes the body to bring it towards
greater balance and verticality.
Through Rolfing©, body structure is
restored and improved, stress is
reduced, and movement becomes more
fluid, efficient, and graceful. Freedom
and range of movement are enhanced,
and breathing becomes fuller and easier.
As out of balance parts of the body
are brought into alignment, chronic
aches and pains often disappear. Gravity
becomes an ally, rather than an enemy; it
is no longer an effort to hold oneself up.
Rolfing
In addition to the physical results, Dennis Bailey, Marshfield (South Shore):
(617) 472-2699
clients often experience the release of old
emotional traumas, an enhanced self Garret Whitney, Brighton, Concord,
image, increased spontaneity of expres(978) 371-2188
sion and increased agility to be assertive Eric Jacobson, Arlington:
and nurturing in relationships.
(781) 643-6874
For information about Rolfing contact Beate Gottschlich, Cambridge:
these certified practitioners:
(617) 661-9291
Boston Area Rolfer Group:
• Comprehensive Treatment Plans for
Disease, Illness and Symptomology
• Deep Tissue Massage Therapy
• Gravity- Flow Colonic Hydrotherapy
• Whole Body Therapy Analysis
• Tissue Mineral Hair Analysis
• Acupuncture & Oriental Healing
• Internal Herbal Cleansing Programs
• Women’s Naturopathic Advice
• European Spa Foot Reflexology
• In-House Clinical Herbal Lab
• Food-Based Treatment Options
• Polarity Energetic Therapy & SomatoEmotional Release
• Highly individualized and personalized
approach to healing.
Boston’s Oldest Holistic Clinic
provides Ancient Therapies
for Modern Times in a relaxed,
personalized environment.
We have treated more than
3,000 people and more than
500 diseases
We can help you...
Out of State:
Aline Newton, Cambridge:
Kevin Frank, Holderness, Concord, NH;
(617) 661-6409
Norwich, VT: (603) 968-9585
William Redpath, Bedford, Cambridge:
Bruce Dow, Concord, NH: (603) 225-3595
(781) 861-0184
Laura Curry, Wakefield, Concord:
Mary Staggs, Mystic, CT: (860) 536-0750
(781) 492-7653
We believe that nature is the very
essence of life on this planet. We try
to include all the options nature provides in addressing the healing needs of
our patients, clients and friends. We can
actually answer your questions over the
phone, by e-mail or in person. We provide evaluation and treatment in Boston,
London & Geneva by appointment. We
encourage you to change your life and
your body… today.
Please see www.isisboston.com
for comprehensive
information about our
treatment options
ISIS Holistic Clinic
& Herbal Apothecary
1652 Beacon Street
Brookline
617.734.4708
Open 7 days a week.
actualization of your truth;
ness to emerge in 3D.
To serve God and humanity in the
• balance chakras, increasing ground- • implant/extraction of crystals/stones,
highest and best accord.
edness, stress reduction, emotional
For twelve years, I have practiced vibraintegration, unconditional love, intutional healing, integrating established
ition, harmony, and universal connecmodalities (reiki, polarity, aromatherapy,
tion;
crystals) with alternative energy
•
release
negative patterns, eliminating
work–Molecular Cellular Restructuring
fear, increasing joy, improving relationTherapy, Axialtonal Therapy, and the
ships, and advancing growth.
Diamond Galaxy assists with personal
•
assistance with “Walk-In” Integration;
growth. I can help you:
• Axiatonal Light Grid Therapy is using
• unblock/mobilize energy, enhancing
energy to consciously make physical
health/well-being; facilitating developchanges in the body. What Axiatonal
ment/ maintenance of your center; and
work does is re-calibrate you as a
promoting realization, expression, and
clearer receptor for your consciousThis is an ancient & sacred modality
recently reintroduced to humanity by
Spiritual Master & World Teacher Derek
O'Neill. As amazing as it sounds the
Masters tell us the Rising Star actually
encompasses all healing modalities that
are present on the planet at this time,
plus a lot more...
The Rising Star
Healing System
Through this healing system you will:
• Remove misqualified or negative ener
gies from the chakras and the 7 body
systems, allowing your being to clear
•
•
•
•
Reiki & Energy Healing
Healing Sessions
Healing Clinics
Workshops & Events
Wellness Packages
Physical illnesses, injuries or emotional
issues prevent us from leading full, whole lives.
Wellness is achieved when mind, body and
spirit work as one.
Spirit Earth offers combined healing
modalities to help you achieve wellness.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
awakening full potential as a light body.
Andrea teaches The Diamond Galaxy
Workshops, which assists with Light Body
Integration and the clearing of old behavior patterns.
For information or appointment, please
call: Andrea T. Slesinger
THE HEALING CONNECTION
Phone: 781-438-2200
Fax: 978-774-7844
Email: kelemeri@flash.net
www.jasarahessences.com
and heal on all levels and open to
your true self
Gain access to yor 5th dimensional
lightbody
Activates as many strands of DNA
that you are ready for
Connect with yor highest consciousness
Begin to open your 4th eye — the
Masters Eye
Rejuvinate your body on all levels
Rejuvinate all cells of your body within
one week
Begin and expand the ascension
process on all levels: soul, spirit
and physical
• Helps to create Unity Consciousness
This healing system has enormous
significence to the planet, with the
potential to bring about Unity and
profound planetary shifts.
Modalities offered:
Spirit Earth Healing
• Angelic Healing • Reiki
• Kwan Yin Magnified Healing
• Pranic Healing Methods
• Energy Healing • Chakra Clearing
• Physical Relaxation
• Guided Visualization
• Energy Balancing • Distance Healing
“Where You Come First”
CLAIRE LUFT - HEART'S
SINGING HEALING CENTER
Rev.
Woburn, MA 781-281-2888
www.heartssinging.com
661 Massachusetts Ave., Suite 8
Arlington, MA.
Call today at
617-515-8826 or
www.spiritearthhealing.com
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
57
HEALTH RESORTS
Richmond Sauna
& Bed and Breakfast
Welcome to our unique, clothing
optional retreat. Experience the pleasures
of authentic Finnish sauna, a wonderfully
large outdoor hot tub, and a heated,
enclosed pool.
Reconnect and rejuvenate in our
relaxed intimate space, open year round.
In winter have a playful roll in the snow
after a hot sauna. In summer sunbathe au
naturel or take a cool dip in the pool.
A crossroads for New England’s holistic and sauna culture, we’ve welcomed
individuals and couples from all lifestyles for
28 years. 7 rooms available in our 150 year
old Captain’s house B&B. X-Country skiing, hiking, beaches, restaurants nearby.
Smoke-free, no pets please.
Spaces for workshops or outdoor social
gatherings.
Driving directions: Exit 6A off the
Maine Turnpike onto 295 North, take exit 43,
Richmond. Turn left at end of ramp, go left 1
mile, turn left on Route 138, then take immediate left on Dingley Road, we're the first house
on the left.
Richmond Corner Sauna
81 Dingley Road
Richmond, ME 04357
(207) 737-4752
1-800-400-5751
www.RichmondSauna.com
HERBS
HOLISTIC HEALTH
Holistic Health Evaluation Questionnaire
(In the privacy of your our home, via mail)
All Natural Weight Loss Programs
Vitamins and Minerals,
Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils
High Antioxidant Wolf Berry Juice
kblifestyles@comcast.net
Holistic Health Practitioners
Bill and Kathy
In Home Test Kits
(In the privacy of your our home, via mail)
Check for proper levels of Male, Female, Mineral,
Performance, Antioxidant, Stress and Sleep
hormones to better balance your body's needs.
KB Life Styles
PO Box 1857, Tewksbury, Ma 01876
Fax: (978) 640-8891
www.kblifestyles.com
HUMAN POTENTIAL
IntegralHypnosis.com
• Hypnotherapy
• Philosophical Counseling
• Group Hypnotherapy
• Philosophy Discussion Groups
Hypnosis is a state of heightened and
focused consciousness in which the
mind is made more receptive to positive,
therapeutic suggestion. Weight loss,
motivation, anxiety, and optimal performance are only some of the many applications of hypnotherapy.
As a certified hypnotherapist and a
philosophical counselor Arthur Schwartz
integrates philosophical techniques with
hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy and philo-
sophical counseling sessions are available separately or may be combined.
Philosophical disciplines ranging from
Taoism to pragmatism are employed
towards the realization of greater clarity
and harmony of mind.
In addition to private sessions, group
hypnosis sessions and philosophy discussion groups are offered each month.
Visit www.IntegralHypnosis.com or
call for more information.
Arthur Schwartz, Ph.D.
Hypnotherapist and
Philosophical Counselor
279 Massachusetts Avenue
Arlington, MA 02474
617-824-4289
Free Initial Consultation
MEDICAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES
At M.A.S.H. we feel that complementary
Main St. Animal Services of Hopkinton medicine is state of the art health care for
your pet. We offer homeopathy, acupuncture, nutrition, chiropractic care, body
work, physical therapy, and Reiki as part
of your pet’s whole health program. Our
caring staff is dedicated to guiding you
toward total health for your pet.
Now offerinig ozone therapy.
Est. 1983
Margo Roman D.V.M. is a 1978 graduate of
Tuskegee Veterinary School. She interned at
Angell Memorial and was on the teaching staff
Main Street Animal
at Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine. She
Services of Hopkinton
studied homeopathy with Luc DeShepper of
the Renaissance Institute of Classical
www.mashvet.com
Homeopathy. Dr. Roman is a member of the
Homeopathic, Holistic &
American Veterinary Medical Association and
the American Holistic Veterinary Medical
Traditional Veterinary Medicine
Association as well as International Veterinary
Acupuncture Society and Massachusetts
Margo Roman, D.V.M.
We are truly a whole health center, Veterinary Medical Association. Dr. Roman has
also offering surgery, diagnostics, completed Tufts Veterinary advanced Herbal (508) 435-4077 or (508) 435-MASH
and Chiropractic courses.
vaccination/titering, and x-Rays.
72W. Main St. - Hopkinton, MA
Please call for a holistic consultation today!
58
EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
MEDICAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES continued
Holistic Dental Practice grows to Biologic and Physiologic Dentistry
Herbert S. Yolin, D.D.S.
“I am committed to helping people
keep all their teeth all their lives.”
Dentistry for the 21st Century — Today!
Gum surgery is history, say goodbye to
the drill, the pain, the noise and the needle.
Miracle Bite Tabs™ (MBT) &
Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT),
are used to treat Dental Distress Syndrome
(DDS) as written about by Dr. Hans Selye
MD, Dr. Fonder, a dentist, & others.
Your teeth and jaws are an extension
of your brain and spinal cord. Any imbalances caused by improper alignment of
the jaw (commonly referred to as dental
proprioception) can play a major role in
all disease and pain. Faulty dental proprioception can cause improper neurological feedback to the brain affecting
most, if not all body functions. Temporary
relief is easy and inexpensive, and can
enhance your present treatment whether
it is Chiropractic, Acupuncture,
Massage, Physical or Neural Therapy,
Pain Management, and TMD/TMJ.
There are over 230 positive studies from
81 universities in 37 countries involving
24 different dental procedures with an
astounding 94% success rate. This
included procedures as sensitive teeth,
pain control, speed of healing, periodontal disease, and others.
Carisolv™ a 5 yr. old gel from Sweden,
approved by the FDA(2001) that softens
decay so it can be scraped out without
drilling, causing less pain and discomfort.
Add this to Micro-dentistry and Air
Abrasion and it becomes true needle
free, mercury free filling procedure.
Dr. Yolin has offered an alternative to
traditional periodontal surgery for more
then 15 years and now adds a Soft
Tissue Laser for enhancing the sterilizing of the diseased gum pockets. He
is a certified member of the Academy of
Laser Dentistry (exam based). Phase
contrast microscopy, bacterial cultures
and anti-microbial natural oils are used
in the never ending commitment to
avoiding unnecessary gum surgery.
Mercury (Hg) in your saliva from
chewing? Take the chewing test and
have your saliva analyzed for Hg at a
very reasonable cost. You may not need
them removed. Defective amalgams are
removed following IAOMT protocol.
Dr. Yolin has been trained in the
specialty of Prosthetic Dentistry but does
not limit his practice. He utilizes hypnotherapy for dental phobic, cosmetic
dentistry, oral devices for snoring and
sleep apnea, 28 years experience in
treating head/neck facial pain syndrome,
metal free crowns wherever possible,
and extensive training in dental implantology.
His treatment philosophy is
based on the fact that at the end of every
tooth is a human being and although he
fixes teeth, he treats human beings. And
that will never change.
Call for a courtesy consultation
and share the excitement at:
Northeast Dental Associates
Herbert S. Yolin, D.D.S.
1842 Beacon Street, Brookline, MA 02146
(617) 730-8989
DrYolin.com
a mercury free office
METAPHYSICS
Experience The Healing Power of
Christ Church Unity
is affiliated with Unity
School of Christianity ,
publisher of the Daily
Word and Silent Unity
Music, Prayer & Meditation
Wednesdays 7:00 p.m.
Cnr. Colchester & Chapel Sts.
Brookline, MA 02446
Sunday Service
11:00 AM
Daily Word Discussion Sundays
10:00 AM
(at the Longwood T on the Green Line
D Train)
Listen to Our Radio Program “Peace Be Still”
Sundays 11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m
Christ Church Unity
WBIX 1060 AM
617-232-4548
www.unityboston.org
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Not Therapy. Not Coaching. Not Open-Ended Treatment.
Solutions for the Real You from You
Multi-disciplinary, intuitive and transformative personal and business
problem-solving and counseling for individuals, families and businesses.
Marc Weinreich
• Are you at an important decision-making crossroad?
• Do you need guidance with identifying and implementing meaningful
solutions for root changes?
• Are you unclear about a personal, family or business relationship or goal?
• Are you seeking insight and/or direction for a specific problem, circumstance
or emotion?
M.A., M. Phil., J.D.
A Confidential and Safe Environment for Personal and Professional Growth
Telephone and Office Consultations
on a Sliding Scale
Offices in Metropolitan Boston, MA
and Keene, NH
Telephone: 617-512-8063
Email: marc2@earthlink.net
http://home.earthlink.net/~marc2/home
PSYCHICS
Ross Miller
Psychic Counselor
ROSS M ILLER has been giving psychic
and past-life readings for over 23 years
both in New England and the West
Coast. During a reading, he communicates telepathically with his numerous
angels and spirit guides who read and
interpret the client’s aura (the spiritual
light surrounding one’s physical body).
Ross also communicates with the
client’s own angels and spirit guides
(most people have several of each).
These angels and spirit guides then
convey the information that is most
needed or desired by the client.
All of Ross’s readings are positive and constructive in nature. In addition to answering all of your personal questions pertaining to love, health, relationships, soul
mates, business, career, relocation, dream
interpretation, parents, children, and pets,
he covers topics as diverse as: your life’s
purpose, your undiscovered talents, as
well as your past incarnations and how
they relate to this life. Ross can also help
you to identify and communicate with your
own guardian angels and spirit guides.
Ross also offers workshops in psychic
development and angel communication.
Ross is available for individual readings
in person or over the phone.
For more information
or to schedule an appointment,
please call:
Ross Miller
1075 Washington St.
Newton, MA 02465
(617) 527-3583
Email: ross@TheMysticWay.com
Website: www.TheMysticWay.com
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
59
PSYCHICS continued
PSYCHIC READINGS AND INTUITIVE LIFE COACHING
New Zealand Native, Shannar, has traveled
extensively throughout the world sharing her gifts
of the Sacred Language of Light. From a very
early age Shannar was aware that the other
realms were contacting and working with her,
this began her own spiritual journey into the other
worlds through Clairvoyance/Clairaudience and
Mediumship for Grief Therapy. Her psychic ability has touched the hearts of all her clients both in
the USA and Overseas and her varied live experiences have greatly assisted those that have
sought her Life Coaching methods.
The Sacred Language of Light is a very special
tool for resolving our patterns by connecting with the
cellular memory and healing the agreements that we
made in this and past lives. The Sacred Language of
Light comes through in the special pieces of symbolic art form known as the pictographs. Each pictograph is a Star Gate Map into our cellular encodings and contains Sacred Geometry, Symbols,
Musical Harmonics, Ancient and Star Languages.
Shannar is able to speak the Sacred Language,
hears the stories in poetry form and performs the
pictograph symbols with her hands.
Readings
Life Coaching
Grief Counseling
Workshops
Performances
ProductsAvailable
For further information:
1-888-394-9099
www.sacredlifestyles.com
Astrologer and Clairvoyant – Serena Wright-Taylor
Serena gives readings that touch your
soul. She blends the ancient wisdom of
Vedic astrology with her remarkable intuition to help you use perfect timing to bring
joy and fruition to all areas of your life.
She is highly sought after by celebrities,
business executives, speakers, and authors.
She has made numerous appearances on
TV and radio and you may have recently
heard her name on Coast to Coast AM.
Serena has been gifted since childhood
with the ability to see many dimensions of
life. She has spent many years in spiritual
practice and enjoys working on her own
healing and evolvement so that her service
to others is of the highest quality.
“Serena’s work is extraordinary—a stunning
blend of mind, heart, and soul.” Says Judith
Orloff, M.D., author and clairvoyant psychiatrist
Serena gives readings by
telephone all over the country.
Serena Wright-Taylor
310-335-5617
Website: www.vimana.org
PSYCHOLOGY & TRANSFORMATION
Bioenergetic Analysis & Clinical Hypnosis
Shawna V. Carboni
LICSW, DCSW
Just as pastel and watercolor are different mediums for an artist to create art,
Bioenergetic Analysis and Clinical
Hypnosis are different mediums for
doing psychotherapy. Bioenergetic
Analysis, one of the first body-oriented
psychotherapies, is rooted in psychoanalytic and developmental theory. It focuses
on how body structure, breathing patterns, and bound-up energy express
one's history and personality and may limit
expression and aliveness in the present.
Clinical Hypnosis to most people's surprise is not about going to
sleep or surrendering control. Instead,
it's an experience of inner absorption
and intentional concentration when one
uses the powers of imagination and
suggestion to facilitate positive change.
Both Bioenergetic Analysis & Clinical
Hypnosis dip below daily thoughts and
words to access insight and wisdom
just beneath ordinary awareness. This
enriches the therapy process in creative
Therapy Should Take Hours Not Years
Read What Former Clients Say About Ross Miller
Migraines, a Thing of the Past...
“I can’t believe you got rid of my migraines. At
first I didn’t believe you when you said it was
due to a past life when I was a soldier and got
shot in the head. No wonder the doctors couldn’t help me.” —Donna M., Hartford, CT
Anger, Grief & Guilt Transformed...
“In the course of one (two-hour) session
with Ross, I was able to release and heal
the deep, dark feelings of anger, grief, guilt
and shame that had their origins in several of my past lives." —Brian D., Cranston, RI
Depression and Anxiety Attacks Gone...
“Dear Ross, I’m going to name my first child
after you. You’ve succeeded where 8 years of
therapists and innumerable pain medications
have failed. My depression and anxiety attacks
are gone, gone, gone. Forever grateful.”
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Ross Miller
off of drugs and alcohol. She’s a completely
Regression Therapist changed person.”
—Sharon K., Manchester, NH
60
EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
Agoraphobia Cured...
“A long overdue thank you. My agoraphobia (fear of being in public places) is completely gone. In addition, I’ve started exercising and eating better, and I’ve lost 30
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ways. What's most important is understanding the therapeutic needs of each
individual and being able to offer
options and guidance.
Shawna V. Carboni, LICSW, DCSW,
is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social
Worker with almost 20 years experience,
a Certified Bioenergetic Therapist and
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For more information, visit or call
www.therapyforlifechange.com
in Boston
617-782-5020
What is Regression Therapy? To go back
in time (without the use of hypnosis) to the
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or heal it. This might entail going back to
past lives or earlier parts of your current life.
For the past 25 years Ross Miller has been
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their fears, anxiety attacks, depression, anger,
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1075 Washington St., Newton, MA 02465
(617) 527-3583
Email: ross@TheMysticWay.com
Website: www.TheMysticWay.com
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SCHOOLS & INSTITUTES continued
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62
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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
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Thyroid, Continued from page 15
and allergies. To improve mitochondrial
function, we use N-acetylcysteine (a
precursor to glutathione), coenzyme
Q10, and alpha lipoic acid, an antioxidant for liver and nerve health that also
works to regenerate coenzyme Q10.
This treatment also improves cholesterol
and fat levels in the liver, and helps the
gall bladder.
Looking for the Cause
In addition to treating both symptoms
and organic dysfunction, it is important
to identify and eliminate all other possible causative factors. These may
include: Iodine deficiencies. Iodine is an
important component of T4 and T3.
Although dietary iodine deficiencies are
now almost nonexistent in the US, some
people need to supplement their iodine
intake with kelp, seaweed, or iodine
tablets. Iodine is also found in dietary
supplements such as Thyroid & LTyrosine Complex™ capsules, which
contain other trace minerals needed for
optimal endocrine function—such as
iodine, magnesium, zinc, copper, and
manganese—as well as tyrosine, the precursor to thyroid hormone.
Toxicity/heavy metals. Metal toxicity, determined by hair analysis, can be
addressed with chelation, both intravenous and oral. Selenium supplementation can also help remove
heavy metals by working in conjunction
with glutathione peroxidase, a compound found in asparagus, garlic, and
mushrooms. A blood test can determine
if selenium supplementation is needed;
if so, there are several options, including Semethylselenocysteine caps.
Candida. Candida is detected using
stool testing for overgrowth of yeast and
yeast antibodies. Eliminating yeast,
sugar, and wheat from the diet helps to
starve out candida. People suffering
from this disorder should eliminate even
honey and fruit sugars from their diet at
first, and then slowly reintroduce them
into the diet later. Twinlab Yeast Fighters
include biotin, fiber, acidophilus, and
herbs to support a healthy intestinal
environment.
Environmental Radiation. Radiation
can cause free-radical damage to the
thyroid, as has happened in Ukraine as a
result of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor
disaster. The cell mitochondria are also prone
to free radical damage.
I recommend turning
off cell phones and
unplugging
bedside
electronic and electrical
devices (including the
telephone) at night,
even though these
devices produce relatively low levels of
radiation. Because electromagnetic radiation
in food can also be
problematic, eating organic food whenever possible is also recommended.
Treating Hypothyroidism
Conventional treatment calls for patients
to take an oral, synthetic form of T4.
Synthroid®, the most popular such medication, is used by about eight million
Americans. Especially in older people
for whom the side effects can be more
problematic, it is important to advance
the dosage slowly until TSH blood levels
return to normal. This medication usually must be taken for life.
I have discovered that many people
respond better to Armour® Thyroid,
which is desiccated porcine thyroid. A
recent article in the New England
Journal of Medicine claimed greater
improvements in mood and brain function with Armour® Thyroid than with
Synthroid®. I recommend starting treatment with a dose of 60-120 mg of
Armour® desiccated thyroid, and then
retestmg in a month.
One of my patients, a woman in her
early forties, complained of fatigue
along with dry scalp and hair loss. She
had gained ten pounds and had irregular
periods of depression. Because her
blood test results were in the “normal”
range, she went from doctor to doctor,
until one physician prescribed birth control pills and Prozac®. When she consulted me, I noticed that her TSH level
was 3 mµ/ml; this score, though considered to be within the normal range, may
indicate low thyroid. I treated her empirically with Armour® Thyroid. I also tested her adrenals and found that they were
hypofunctioning, and thus prescribed
ashwagandha and Panax ginseng. Two
weeks after treatment, the woman
regained her energy and told me, “I have
my life back!” The weight also disappeared—she dropped ten pounds in
eight weeks, her skin returned to normal,
and her mood lifted.
Vitamin Supplements
Natural supplements for thyroid problems include vitamins A, B complex,
B12, C, and E; coenzyme Q10; and
especially the minerals magnesium,
manganese, selenium, and zinc.
Deficiencies of any of these minerals
can prevent the conversion of T4 to T3
and should be corrected. Sufficient protein, iodine and especially the amino
acid tyrosine are necessary to make T4
in the thyroid gland.
Conclusion
The causes and effects of hypothyroidism are interrelated. Healthy thyroid
function depends on the action of other
glands, and many key processes in turn
depend on healthy thyroid function.
Using integrative medicine to treat these
interrelated functional areas can offer
patients tremendous benefits.
Dr Raphael Kellman is director of the
Kellman Center for Progressive
Medicine in New York City. He can be
reached at (212) 532-0600 or by visiting
the center’s website (www.kellmancenter.com). His latest book, Gut Reactions,
is published by Random House.
Reprinted with permission from Life
Extension
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
63
Instinct To Heal... Continued from page 28
Happily, in contrast with our experiences with chaos, we all experience passages of coherence as well. They do not
necessarily stand out as crowning
moments of existence, such as instants
of ecstasy or rapture, that leave a mark.
In a laboratory in California where cardiac coherence is researched, Josh, the
twelve-year-old son of one of the engineers, often stopped in to see his father
and his team. He always brought along
Mabel, his Labrador. One day, the engineers had the idea of measuring Josh and
Mabel’s cardiac coherence. Away from
each other, Josh and Mabel were in a
perfectly ordinary half-chaotic, halfcoherent state. As soon as they were
together, they were both in a state of
coherence. If they were then separated,
the coherence vanished once again,
almost immediately. For Josh and
Mabel, merely being together generated
coherence. They must have felt it intuitively, because they were inseparable.
To them, being together was surely not
an extraordinary experience, but simply
one that constantly nurtured their emotional being, something that did them
good. Something that meant that Josh
never wondered if he should spend his
life with a different dog, or Mabel with a
different master. Their relationship
brought them an inner coherence; it
sounded a chord in their hearts.
The state of cardiac coherence influences other physiological rhythms. In
particular, the natural variability in
blood pressure and in respiratory
rhythms rapidly synchronizes with cardiac coherence. These three systems
operate in unison.
This phenomenon is comparable to
the phase alignment of light waves in a
laser beam, which, for that very reason,
is called “coherence.” This alignment
provides the laser with its energy and
power. A hundred-watt lightbulb dissipates its energy in every direction and
loses its effectiveness, but when focused
into a beam and phase-aligned, this same
amount of light can pierce a sheet of
metal. The coherence of cardiac variability may save energy in the same manner.
This focusing of energy is probably why,
six months after a training session in
cardiac coherence, eighty percent of the
executives cited above no longer said
they were “exhausted.” Only one in six
64
EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
of those who earlier stated they suffered
from insomnia still had trouble sleeping.
Only one in eight who had described
themselves as “tense” continued to do
so. Reducing the useless waste of energy
may really be all that is needed to restore
natural vitality.
In Charles’s case, a few computeraided training sessions in coherence
enabled him to control his palpitations.
There’s nothing magic or mysterious
about his progress. Every day, he did a
few exercises by himself to practice
experiencing the feelings in his chest
that go with coherence, and in between,
he remembered to evoke these same
feelings whenever he started noticing
tension building up in the course of his
day. By doing so, he considerably reinforced the balance of his sympathetic
and parasympathetic systems. In other
words, he strengthened and adjusted the
timing of his physiological brake.
Like a well-trained athlete’s muscles, once this brake is “in shape,” it
becomes increasingly easy to use. With a
finely tuned brake that can be counted
on to work at all times, our physiology
does not skid out of control, even when
outside circumstances are difficult. Two
months after his first session, Charles
was once again practicing sports and
making love to his wife with the enthusiasm that their relationship deserved.
Facing his president, he had learned to
remain focused on the sensations in his
chest in order to maintain his coherence
and to prevent his physiology from getting carried away. In fact, he was now
able to answer with more tact. He could
also find the words to neutralize his colleagues’ aggression without being defensive
Stress Management
In laboratory experiences, coherence
enables the brain to work faster and
more accurately. In everyday life, we
experience this as a state in which our
ideas flow naturally and effortlessly: We
easily find the words to say what we
want to say, and our movements are sure
and effective. It is also a state in which
we adapt easily to unforeseen circumstances, whatever they may be. Our
physiology is in balance open on the
world, capable of finding solutions as
the need arises. Coherence, therefore, is
not a state of relaxation in the conventional sense of the word: It does not
require that we cut ourselves off from
the world, nor does it mean that our surroundings have to be static or even calm.
On the contrary, in the state of coherence, we have a better hold on the outside world. You could almost say that
while in coherence, we grapple hand-tohand with exterior circumstances, but it
is a harmonious, not hostile, engagement.
For example, a study of five-year-old
children whose parents had divorced
helped researchers in Seattle demon-
strate the impact of the children’s physiological balance on their future development. Three years later, those whose cardiac variability was greatest before the
divorce—and who thus had the greatest
capacity to achieve coherence—were by
far the least affected by the family
breakup. These children were also the
ones who had preserved the greatest
capacity for showing affection, for cooperation with others, as well as for concentration in their schoolwork.
Celeste explained to me how she
used the coherence of her cardiac
rhythm very clearly. At the age of nine,
she was terrified at the idea of changing
schools. A few weeks before the first day
of school, she started to bite her nails,
refused to play with her little sister, and
even got up several times during the
night. When I asked what situations
made her most want to bite her nails, she
replied immediately, “When I think
about the new school.” Still, she learned
very quickly, as often happens with children, to focus her mind in order to control her heart rhythm (as the computer
software confirmed). Some time later,
she told me that she was fitting into the
new school very well: “When I’m
stressed, I just go into my heart and talk
to the little fairy inside. She tells me that
everything is going to be fine and sometimes she even tells me what I should say
or what I ought to do.” I smiled as I listened to her. Wouldn’t we all like to have
a little fairy always at our side?
Managing Stress with
the Heart
The concept of cardiac coherence and
the fact that it is possible to learn to easily control it runs completely counter to
conventional wisdom regarding stress
management. We know that chronic
stress produces anxiety and depression.
It also has a negative impact on the
body: insomnia, wrinkles, high blood
pressure, palpitations, backache, skin
and digestive problems, chronic infections, infertility, sexual impotence, all
caused or worsened by stress.
Ultimately, chronic stress affects social
relations and professional performance
by promoting irritability, poor capacity
for listening to others, weaker concentration, withdrawal, and loss of team
spirit. These symptoms are typical of
what is generally referred to as
“burnout.” While this term is frequently
applied to work, it just as commonly
results from feeling trapped in an emotional relationship that saps all our energy. In such situations, the most common
reaction is usually to focus on external
conditions. People say, “If only I could
change my situation, I would feel much
better about myself and my body would
function better.” In the meantime, we
grit our teeth. We look forward to the
coming weekend or vacation. We dream
of better days “afterwards.” Everything
will work out “after I have finally finished school ... after I get another job . .
. after the children leave home . . . after
I’ve left my husband . . . after I retire….”
Unfortunately, things rarely work out
like that. Similar problems are likely to
resurface in our new situation. The
dream of a Garden of Eden a little further down the road, at the next crossing,
quickly becomes our main way of dealing with stress once again. Sadly, we
often carry on like this till the day of our
death.
Research on the benefits of cardiac
coherence leads to a radically different
conclusion: The problem has to be
turned on its head. Instead of perpetually trying to produce ideal external circumstances we must begin by controlling what is inside-our physiology. By
reducing physiological chaos and maximizing coherence, we automatically feel
better immediately. We
improve our relations
with others, our concentration, our performance,
and our bottom line.
Progressively, the ideal
circumstances we are
constantly seeking begin
to come about on their
own, but this phenomenon is almost a byproduct, a secondary benefit of coherence. Once
we have mastered our
own inner being, what
happens in the world outside has less of a grip on
us. And we actually have
a better grip on our world.
Software programs
that measure coherence in
cardiac rhythm are used for research on
the heart-brain system, but they can also
be used to demonstrate to anyone who
doubts that one’s heart would instantly
react to one’s emotional state. However,
it is perfectly possible to create coherence within the self without a computer
and to immediately feel its benefits in
everyday life. To do so, you simply learn
how to live with heart coherence.
Reprinted from: The Instinct to Heal: Curing
Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Without
Drugs and Without Talk Therapy by David
Servan-Schreiber, M.D., Ph.D. (c) 2003,
2004 by David Servan-Schreiber. Permission
granted by Rodale, Inc., Emmaus, PA 18098.
Available wherever books are sold or directly from the publisher by calling (800) 8484735 or visit their website at www.rodalestore.com.
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
65
NLP...Continued from page 49
fight-or-flight mechanism. There is no
way to fight or flee so it ends up as fear
and stress. And that distress has an
effect on whether they will enjoy the
flight and look forward to the next one
or feel so anxious that they will try to
find ways to avoid a next flight altogether.
But sitting right beside them might
be a person who thinks, “Well, this
means the plane is on it’s way and
we’re safe,” and then starts anticipating
being with the friends or family that are
waiting for them at their destination or
maybe a business opportunity that is
there. These thoughts will cause them
to feel good and they relax.
We are always influencing our self
and others. As in the above example
much of our influence happens from
our unconscious intentions. You cannot
not have an influence. Imagine going to
a party or meeting and then remaining
perfectly still, not saying or doing anything. Even a lack of behavior has
tremendous influence on others. Most
everyone is quite familiar with “The
Look”, that silent but deadly visual
message that we got from our parents,
teachers, partners or maybe you have
perfected the “Look” to influence
someone. So the real question is—
when you communicate with your self,
with customers/clients, family or literally anyone—are you getting your outcome or are you impeding your outcome?
Everyone has their own, unique
map or model of the world. To create
change for our self or to communicate
effectively with others, it is essential to
find out how we, and others structure
our inner map of the world and how
those reality maps represent our experience and understanding of the outer
world. Since our subjective interpretation of experience will determine our
objective reactions, having a greater
understanding of how we make meaning will have a direct impact on making
our message clear and our lives
enriched.
One of the ways we convert our
experience into symbols and convey it
to our selves and others is through language. The following question was
asked of Dr. Milton Erickson, the world
famous hypnotherapist: “Are you aware
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EARTH STAR
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of the way in which you use your
words?” He replied: “I certainly am,
and I want to emphasize the importance
of that awareness in all of you. In any
work, you are going to use words to
influence the psychological life of an
individual today; you are going to use
words to influence his/her organic life
today; you are going to also influence
his/her psychological and organic life
twenty years from now. So you had
better know what you are saying. You
had better be willing to reflect upon the
words you use, to wonder what their
meanings are, and to seek out and
understand their many associations.”
Our thoughts determine how we
feel, what we say and the actions we
take in life. Our thinking influences the
results we get in our lives by:
• how specific and well-thought out
are our outcomes and goals
• how we are thinking comes across
in what we say to people, the tone
and delivery of our words and how
and what we say to people affects
them and what they think, say and do
and perhaps most importantly, our
beliefs (deep structure thought patterns) influence what we think about
our life experience which in turn
affects what we say to ourselves and
that affects our results as well as our
health and well-being.
NLP is the science of studying success,
and then ‘re-programming’ the software
of your mind to produce immediate and
positive change in all areas of your life.
NLP offers you the most powerful and
practical tools available for changing
beliefs and for achieving rapid results
in behavioral changes, developing new
skills, communications, relationships,
goal setting, and your personal and professional development. Like riding a
bicycle, it cannot be learned from reading books, listening to audio CD’s or
viewing videos. It is best taught in a
hands-on, experiential learning environment, using a blend of lecture, live
demonstrations, and supervised exercises, in a highly supportive atmosphere. NLP Practitioner training provides the opportunity to learn the Art
and Science of mastering your mind,
emotions and motivations to ultimately
create your destiny by tapping into your
unconscious resources and awakening
your full potential.
All pathways to mastership and
spiritual development express the need
to heal and release the past if it is holding us back. Using the most advanced
mental and emotional clearing procedures NLP Practitioners learn techniques for freeing one’s self from the
weight of the past and to begin to live a
new and vibrant life.
As one of the originators of NLP
stated, “We were born happy. We do not
need a reason for happiness; it is our
natural state! Conditioning has caused
us to believe that we need a reason to be
happy, that we need to do something or
receive another’s approval to be happy.
NLP is not about therapy, it is not about
marketing, it is not about hypnosis.
NLP is about freedom! Freedom from
all the conditioning and learned beliefs
that are governing our lives.”
To be fully who you are capable of
becoming, your nervous system must
be clear of not just who you are, but
also who you are not. By greater contact of your conscious mind with your
‘infinite consciousness’ (unconscious
mind and Higher Self) you are transformed. Planetary healing begins with
personal healing.
Marilou and Jerry Seavey, founders of
MindBridge Trainings, are certified NLP
Master Practitioners and Trainers and have
been teaching NLP in the Boston area and
worldwide for more than 20 years. Authors
of Universal Mind Power, a best-seller program from the world’s leader in audio training programs, Nightingale-Conant, they
have trained with some of the brightest
minds in the field of personal development
and NLP. www.mindbridgetrainings.com,
1-800 307-9026. Please see Ad on Page 12.
Unknown... Continued from page 50
sia. Was Bruce the victim of a robbery
resulting in a slight head injury, or the
effects of a small cyst on his pituitary
gland? Or perhaps, was Bruce subconsciously reacting to the death of his
mother a few years before?
Who are we without our memories?
All great questions posed by filmmaker
Rupert Murray in his spellbinding new
documentary feature film, Unknown
White Male, chronicling Bruce’s
extraordinary journey. But the crux of
this engaging and profoundly unnerving movie is not the why, but the what.
As the movie’s poster poses, Imagine if
your entire memory was suddenly
wiped away. Who would you be?
Would you be relieved to be free from
the consequences of past errors in judgment? Would you be terrified? Would
you be excited by the possibility of creating a whole new life for yourself?
How about … all of the above.
Filmmaker Murray, who had been
a longtime friend of Bruce’s before the
accident, empathetically walks us
through Bruce’s quest, recreating the
scenes of his remarkable experience in
2003. He assembles dozens of childhood photos, decades of home videos,
extensive interviews with family members, friends, ex-girlfriends, psychiatrists, neurologists, and philosophers—
and the pervasive and touching participation of Bruce himself.
We watch as Bruce constructs a
new life by retaining what he admires
about his former self while casting off
what—and whom—he dislikes. It is at
once a nightmare and a dream come
true: a chance at rebirth.
We see Bruce, now 35, play catch
up with popular culture and current
events, experience the serenity of a
“first” snowfall and the bombast of fireworks. And we watch him reconstruct
relationships with family members he
does not recognize, and fall in love with
a woman who knows only the postaccident version of her lover. A highliving, jet-setting Brit, Doug Bruce had
been a successful stockbroker and party
boy living the good life in Manhattan.
He and his friends enjoyed social and
adventuresome forays to London, Paris,
South America, the Caribbean and elsewhere. In 1999, however, Bruce left
behind this lucrative career. Living in a
loft in New York’s East Village, he was
fascinated by photography and had
been studying the medium for two
years. It was a profound and portentous
career choice, since photography is, to
some extent, the art of capturing the
past, of capturing memories. Bruce is
still struggling to discover who he is.
Mary Warnock, the famous British
philosopher who saw the film in the
edit process, asked the key question
about Doug:
“He was the same man as he was
before the catastrophe, but is he the
same person?” “I have asked people
what I was like before the accident,”
says Bruce, “but their memories of me
are so diverse that, if anything, it makes
it more confusing. I don’t know myself.
Maybe in a few years when I have more
experience of life, and if my memory
doesn’t come back, I’ll be able look
back and have a clearer idea.” There is
a chance he may never gain a full
understanding of who he was. Memory
loss forces us to challenge our understanding of experience, of reason, of
reality. It may take a profound, intimate, creative event to help Bruce
either fully realize his former self or
shape his new personality.
Bruce is quite reflective about not
only his journey but how this film has
affected that journey. “This film has
altered who I am, especially as it represents the majority of my remembered
life,” he says. “I think it has been a
learning curve for me, about many
things, and so it must have subconsciously affected me. However I think
that my core would have been the
same.” Bruce recently graduated from a
photography program and is currently
working on a portfolio of portraits.
Memory loss has often been used
as a narrative device in fiction films,
from “Spellbound” to “Memento” to
“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless
Mind.” However, in Unknown White
Male director Rupert Murray seizes on
this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to
closely examine the evaporation of
memory, the nature of memory itself
and, indeed, the nature of personal
identity. It is a real-life psychological
and biological mystery.
Unknown White Male was one of
the most acclaimed discoveries at the
2005 Sundance Film Festival, has gone
on to intrigue crowds at the Los
Angeles, Chicago and Seattle Film
Festivals, and is opening in major U.S.
markets in mid-February, 2006, then
rolling out across the country. It is
another offering in the emerging genre
of films having to do with consciousness and spirituality, a genre that some
have dubbed “spiritual cinema.” The
genre was given an enormous boost in
2004 by the great success of the indie
hybrid-documentary hit, “What the
Bleep Do We Know?!”
Director Rupert Murray has been a documentary filmmaker since he was a
child, constantly capturing his family
and friends on film with a Super 8 camera. Some of this early footage was
folded into Unknown White Male.
Murray’s first job in film was making
five-minute market research videos for
advertising agencies. Now he produces
documentaries and series, mostly for
British television. “All of my home
movies, and the sort of handmade way I
make films, all of these techniques I
have been learning came to fruition in
this film,” he says.
Unknown White Male has profoundly affected Bruce’s astonishing journey. As a seeker, it will probably affect
yours, too. For more information, visit
http://www.unknownwhitemale.com.
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
67
Winter Reading
Science, Soul and the
Spirit of Nature
Leading Thinkers on the
Restoration of Man and Creation
Irene van Lippe-Biesterfeld
With Jessica van Tijn
In Science, Soul and the Spirit of Nature,
Irene van Lippe-Biesterfeld, princess of the
Netherlands, interviews twelve respected
visionary thinkers, representing all continents, about their deep connection with
Earth and their views on the relationship
between humanity and the natural world.
Presented as a series of thought-provoking
conversations, this book delves deeply into
the many conceptions we hold about
nature, showing that while we have made great strides in the area of
its preservation, we must now take the next step toward ensuring its
survival. Each contributor adds insights into the urgent change in consciousness that we must adopt in order to heal and restore the holistic relationship between humans and Earth that was emblematic of the
first peoples. Together these voices remind us that separation from and
destruction of nature is a destruction of ourselves.
Bear & Company. Paper, $18.00.
Holland’s Grimoire of
Magickal Correspondences
By Eileen Holland
Author and Wiccan priestess Eileen Holland
spent many years collecting and cataloging
magickal correspondences from traditions
and cultures around the world. Holland’s
Grimoire of Magickal Correspondences is the
ultimate resource for witches, magicians and
shamans, Druids, Wiccans and Santerians.
More than five hundred topics are included,
arranged alphabetically by intent. Topics
range from Ability, Abundance and Abuse to
Youth, Zeal and Zodiac. An excellent compendium and resource for all
things magickal.
101 Ways to Have
True Love in Your Life
By Daphne Rose Kingma
Whether you’re looking for love or looking
to rekindle love, “Love Doctor” Daphne
Rose Kingma saves the day or at least gives
you the knowledge required to find, keep,
and foster what nearly every one of us
desires—true love. In 101 Ways to Have True Love in Your Life Kingma,
a psychotherapist with 25-years experience, leads us into the principles of “Loving Yourself,” which provide the foundation for everything
to come. “Preparing for Love” and “Psychology and Understanding of
Love” set the stage for the deeper “Communicating with the Person
You Love” and ultimately, the powerful and intimate “Stoking the Fire.”
Instead of telling us where to go in search of love, she tells us what to
do so love might more readily find us.
Conari Press. Hardcover, $12.95.
The Four Spiritual Laws
of Prosperity
A Simple Guide to Unlimited Abundance
By Edwene Gaines
Edwene Gaines knows what it’s like to live with
fear and deprivation. A cynical person with barely
a dollar to her name, a young daughter to feed,
and no vision for her future, she embarked on a
soul-searching journey that enabled her to turn
her life around. Today she lives a life of affluence
that is also rich in happiness and purpose. An
ordained Unity minister since 1979, Gaines made a commitment to
share the four spiritual laws—or guiding principles—that set her on the
road to recovery and that continue to inspire her today. These four
spiritual laws which shatter the myth that success results only from
hard work, exacting plans, and driving ambition, form the core of
Gaines’s workshops and are outlined in this book.
Rodale. Hardcover, $18.95.
New Page Books/ Career Press. Paper, $18.99.
Hidden Language Codes
Discard a Weak Language of Doubt
and Excuse; Acquire a Vocabulary of
Power and Sovereignty
By R. Neville Johnston
When R. Neville Johnston was shot three times
in 1977, he died. But he came back knowing
some things he hadn’t known before. That the
universe is made up of vibrations for one. And
that some of the most meaningful vibrations
are the words we use in everyday thought and
speech. Obviously it behooves us to choose
our words with care so we can create the life
we want. Hidden Language Codes is a book about thought. Where we
go in life is directly related to our mastery and command of our thoughts
and our language. In evolving, we naturally change the way we think. A
method of accelerating this process is to change the very words we
think with. This book is the key to learning words that will improve our
lives and giving up the ones that hold us back.
Weiser Books. Paper, $14.95.
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EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
The Fasting Handbook
Dining from an Empty Bowl
By Jeremy Safron
For anyone living in this modern world, it is
impossible to escape the toxins everywhere in
our air, water, and food, as well as the visual and
noise pollution that fill our minds with advertising, srress, and fear. Over time, these toxins
build up and lead to a myriad of health problems. Fasting allows the body to heal itself. It is
the practice of cleansing that allows people to press the reset button
on their bodies and life. In The Fasting Handbook, Jeremy Safron presents a variety of fasts such as water, juice, soup, and raw foods, as well
as healthy ways to cleanse certain parts of the body, from internal
organs to eyes, ears, nose, skin, and blood. There are also fasts in
which people can go for a period without speaking, working, interacting with people or the media, and more. Safron also offers fasting
assistants such as herbal baths, yoga, music, sweats, and meditation.
Celestial Arts. Paper, $11.95.
Winter Reading
Afterlife Encounters
Ordinary People, Extraordinary
Experiences
By Dianne Arcangel
Foreword by Gary E. Schwartz, Ph.D.
Receiving communications from the
dead is a normal, common experience?
Who says? It’s all in a new book by
Dianne Arcangel, a former hospice
chaplain, psychotherapist for a psychiatric hospital, and director of the
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Center in
Houston. Arcangel wrote Afterlife
Encounters to share the results and stories from her landmark five-year, international study of people who
have had life-changing visitations from their deceased loved ones.
Afterlife Encounters combines inspiring personal accounts with impressive research showing the profound healing effects of afterlife contact
for people in grief. Arcangel categorizes the types of afterlife encounters people experience, gives six conditions for evidence of survival
beyond bodily death, and provides wise guidance for helping the
bereaved come to terms with their loss.
Hampton Roads. Paper, $15.95.
Magickal Crafts
By Kristin Madden and Liz Roberts
Filled with beautiful, magickal crafts and delicious
recipes, Magickal Crafts is a book for everyone,
from experienced crafispeople to those that are
all thumbs. You’ll learn how to become open to
your own creativity and allow it to manifest, and
to make unique crafts for celebrations marked on
the Wheel of Life. Madden and Roberts show us
how to create special gifts and mouth-watering
delicacies, or design and wear fun clothes, as
well as body oils and henna body art. There are
also dozens of photos to guide the reader through the projects.
What the Bleep
Do We Know?!
Discovering the Endless
Possibilities for Altering
Your Everyday Reality
By William Arntz, Betsy Chasse
and Mark Vicente
What the Bleep Do We Know?! Is a
book of amazing science. With the
help of more than a dozen research
and theoretical scientists, it takes the
reader through the looking glass of
quantum physics into a universe that
is more bizarre and alive than ever
imagined. Then it takes you beyond, into the outer edges of our scientific
knowledge of consciousness perception, body chemistry and brain structure.
What is thought made of? What is reality made of? And most importantly, how
does a thought change the nature of reality? This is a book that shows you not
the path, but the endless possibilities.
Health Communications, Inc. Hardcover, $26.95.
How Animals Talk
And Other Pleasant Studies
of Birds and Beasts
By William J. Long
Foreword by Rupert Sheldrake
Preface by Marc Bekoff
Many sources have commented on the silent
communication abilities of pets, but never before
and not since the first publication of this classic
book in 1919 has the subject of animal telepathy
in the wild been so fully researched. How
Animals Talk explores the phenomenon of vocal, silent, and even
motionless communication among animals. Long explores numerous
examples of animal behavior that defy conventional explanation, and
seen in the context of his work, unexplained human abilities such as
telepathy and premonition seem normal rather then paranormal.
Bear & Company. Paper, $18.00.
New Page Books. Paper, $14.99.
Harvest for Hope
A Guide to Mindful Eating
By Jane Goodall
With Gary McAvoy and Gail Hudson
The renowned scientist who fundamentally changed the way we view primates
and our relationship with the animal kingdom now turns her attention to an
incredibly important and deeply personal
issue—taking a stand for a more sustainable world. In this provocative and
encouraging book, Jane Goodall sounds
a clarion call to Western society, urging us
to take a hard look at the food we produce and consume—and showing us
how easy it is to create positive change.
Warner Books. Hardcover, $24.95.
I Ching for Beginners
A Modern Interpretation
of the Ancient Oracle
By Mark McElroy
Offering guidance to emperors, generals, and
kings for millennia, the I Ching remains a powerful oracle and continues to shape the consciousness and fate of one of Earth’s oldest
and most vibrant civilizations—China. However,
many Western seekers find its symbolism and
outdated metaphors a challenge to interpret.
Mark McElroy reverently recasts the I Ching’s
ancient ideas into everyday terms, making it
fast and easy to apply its enduring wisdom to contemporary life. For
each of the I Ching’s sixty-four passages, McElroy provides a summary, study questions, and keywords, and explains how the message
relates to relationships, love, work, and projects. Also included are
directions for creating and interpreting hexagrams.
Llewellyn. Paper, $1 2.95.
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
69
New Rules
Polite Musings from a Timid Observer
By Bill Maher
On the forefront of today’s most influential
comedians, Bill Maher is one of the few who
can shape public debate, making people laugh
while opening their eyes to the sobering truth of
what’s really happening around them. New
Rules: Polite Musings from a Timid Observer is a
collection of brand new editorials setting forth
Maher’s inimitable rules for a better world. With
his trademark incisiveness and wit, Maher tackles everything from the serious to the absurd, skewering the people,
politicians, and little annoyances in life that make him angry, exasperated, and downright baffled. New Rules is Maher’s hilarious and
thought provoking attempt at bringing back those old-fashioned time
wasters: courtesy, consideration, and common sense.
Rodale. Hardcover, $24.95.
The Fog
A Never Before Published Theory
of the Bermuda Triangle
By Rob MacGregor and Bruce Gernon
Is there an explanation for the thousands of
people who have disappeared in the Bermuda
Triangle? What can we learn from Charles
Lindbergh, Christopher Columbus, and Bruce
Gernon—the co-author of this book—who have
survived their frightening encounters in this
region? The Fog presents Gernon’s exciting
new theory of the Bermuda Triangle, based
upon his firsthand experiences, reports of other
survivors, and scientific research. Gernon and MacGregor intelligently
discuss how a meteorological phenomenon, electronic fog, may
explain the bizarre occurrences in this region: equipment malfunctions,
disorientation among pilots, and time distortions. They also explore the
fascinating history of this infamous region and its potential link to
Atlantis, UFO sightings, and a secret navy base on Andros Island.
Llewellyn. Paperback , $12.95.
Floral Acupuncture
Applying the Flower Essences
of Dr. Bach to Acupuncture Sites
by Deborah Craydon, C.F.E.P.,
& Warren Bellows, Lic.Ac.
In Floral Acupuncture, the first book to
link the flower essences of Dr. Bach
to acupuncture points, certified flower
essence
practitioner
Deborah
Graydon and licensed acupuncturist
Warren Bellows have combined their
expertise to present an innovative and
highly effective holistic method to
treat body, mind, and spirit. Floral Acupuncture thoroughly explains this
groundbreaking form of alternative healing. The process is simple and
effective. By applying floral essences to acupuncture points and following the careful instruction of this practical manual, everyone can
experience the healing benefits of acupuncture gently and efficiently
with flowers instead of needles. The book provides instructions for
application and self-diagnosis, and includes treatments for common
conditions such as stress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Beautifully
illustrated with full-color photography.
The Crossing Press. Paper, $16.95.
Sudden Awakening
Into Direct Realization
By Eli Jaxon-Bear
Sudden Awakening is based on ancient teachings and years of contemplation, and puts spiritual awakening in a larger context of the next
evolutionary leap for humankind and the possibility of stopping the destruction of the world. It
is a practical guide for those who have already
had deep experiences but want to be established in the truth in the midst of every day life.
Eli Jaxon-Bear, a teacher in the self-realization
lineage of Sri Ramana Maharshi, offers insight into the nature of the true
spiritual quest and shows the traps and confirming signs along the way.
H.J. Kramer. Paper, $12.95.
Addiction to Love
Overcoming Obsession and Dependency
in Relationships
By Susan Peabody
Hope and recovery are lifelines for any addict. For
love addicts, that support can be found in Addiction
to Love: Overcoming Obsession and Dependency in
Relationships. Newly revised and updated, it
remains the resource for any love addict who is
desperate for help. A recovering love addict herself,
Peabody speaks from the heart of experience as
she describes in explicit detail the variety of ways this disorder plays
out, from the obsessively doting love addict to the addict who can’t
disentangle from an unhealthy, destructive relationship. Addiction to
Love is not a dry analysis of the psychological underpinnings of love
addiction, but rather a straightforward explanation of this painful disorder and what can be done to help the afflicted. This easy-to-follow
recovery program makes it possible for anyone to create nurturing,
safe, and fulfilling relationships.
Celestial Arts. Paper, $12.95.
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EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
Oracles Of The Dead
Ancient Techniques for
Predicting the Future
By Robert Temple
Many methods for predicting the future, such as
tarot, runes, the I Ching, and other divinatory oracles, can be traced back to ancient cultures. Robert
Temple examines the Creek and Roman traditions
and techniques of divination and compares them to
those of ancient China. He reveals the real physical
location of the “hell” of the ancient Creeks—known
in antiquity as the Oracle of the Dead and used for seances intended to
contact the spirits of the dead—and provides photographs from his explorations there. Relating them to the ancient belief in the Oracle of the Dead,
Temple examines the various mysteries associated with Delphi and the
other oracles of the ancient world and explains how they were used to
allow visitors to experience contact with the divine. Furthermore, his examination of the Chinese oracular system shows how the latest developments
in science are validating the system of the I Ching.
Destiny Books. Paper, $19.95.
Ecoshamanism
Sacred Practices of Unity,
Power and Earth Healing
By James Endredy
In a society riddled with rampant consumerism and unsustainable technologies, it’s easy for everyone, including
shamans, to lose touch with the natural
world. In Ecoshamanism, James Endredy
presents a new philosophy of shamanic
practice designed to deliver well-being
and spiritual harmony to all of us by reinforcing our own relationship
with the natural world. The result and culmination of years of research
and experience with shamanic traditions from around the globe,
Ecoshamanism brings to the forefront of modern thought the hidden
gems found in the vast banks of indigenous knowledge, and encourages all of us to seek healthier and saner lives by honoring and supporting the physical planet we live on and all its bounty. Endredy discusses what Shamanism is and isn’t and introduces Earth Education as
a hybrid of environmentalism.
Llewellyn. Paper, $19.95.
Chakra Tonics
Essential Elixirs for the Mind, Body, and Spirit
By Elise Marie Collins
Elise Collins has created the perfect guide and
recipe book of smoothies, teas, and tonics to
help us transform our overall health and vitality.
Her restorative recipes contain powerful superfoods, herbs, minerals, and ph-balanced liquids
designed to nourish the physical body and revitalize its central energy system—the chakras. In
Chakra Tonics, Collins outlines a brief description of the chakras and addresses the source of health problems in our
energetic bodies, describing how the tonics assist the subtle body and
chakras to release stale energy that, if not processed, can lead to disease and illness. She also describes ways to use these healthful drinks
in combination with yoga techniques in an ongoing preventative manner or in conjunction with a specific meditation, visualization, or affirmation to enhance its power.
Conari Press. Paper, $9.95.
The New American Ultimate
Dream Dictionary
By Joan Seaman & Tom Philbin
This A to Z guide defines over 3,000 terms so you
can better understand your dreams, your unconscious, and yourself. The New American Ultimate
Dream Dictionary by Joan Seaman & Tom Philbin, is
a collection of definitions born from a wide variety of
sources. Many were inspired by the research of
renowned psychiatric thinkers like Jung and Freud.
The handbook is thorough and easy-to-use: simply look up the
objects and emotions seen and experienced in your dream, contemplate their different thought-provoking meanings, and put them
together like pieces of a puzzle. With so many symbols explained,
many with multiple meanings, this user-friendly tool may be one of the
most comprehensive dream resources to ever hit the shelves.
New American Library. Paper, $14.00.
Beyond The Indigo Children
The New Children and the
Coming of the Fifth World
By P. M. H. Atwater, L.H.D.
According to prophecy, the fifth sun or fifth
world of the Mayan calendar moves into
ascension on December 21, 2012. This
date represents a “gateway” of planetary
development that will open humanity to
new ways of living and new worlds of
opportunity. Ancient traditions have foretold that our successful passage through
this gateway depends on the “fifth root
race”—new stock in the human gene
pool—destined to help us through the exciting and massive changes
ahead. P. M. H. Atwater illuminates the characteristics of the extraordinary “new children” of the fifth root race, those brilliant and irreverent kids born since 1982. She explores the relationship of the new
children to the prophecies in the Mayan calendar and other traditions,
providing extensive background information about the seven root
races and the great shifting of consciousness already underway. She
also discusses the phenomenon of soaring intelligence and undeveloped potential and provides concrete guidance and tools for those
who seek to understand and help the new children achieve their full
potential. Beyond the Indigo Children is the first major study of today’s
children, and their place in our rapidly changing world, that combines
objective research with mystical revelation and prophecy.
Bear & Company. Paper, $16.00.
Blackfoot Physics
A Journey into the
Native American Universe
By F. David Peat
One summer in the 1980s, theoretical physicist F. David Peat went to a
Blackfoot Sun Dance ceremony.
Having spent all of his life steeped in
and influenced by linear Western
science, he was entranced by the
Native American worldview and,
through dialogue circles between
scientists and native elders, he
began to explore it in greater depth.
Blackfoot Physics is the account of
his discoveries. In an edifying synthesis of anthropology, history, metaphysics, cosmology, and quantum
theory, Peat compares the medicines, the myths, the languages—the
entire perceptions of reality of the Western and indigenous peoples.
What becomes apparent is the amazing resemblance between indigenous teachings and some of the insights that are emerging from modern science, a congruence that is as enlightening about the physical
universe as it is about the circular evolution of humanity’s understanding. Through Peat’s insightful observations, he extends our understanding of ourselves, our understanding of the universe, and how the
two intersect in a meaningful vision of human life in relation to a greater
reality. Blackfoot Physics is a book that will captivate anyone with an
interest in the relationship between science, spirituality, and the different ways of knowing.
Weiser Books. Paper, $18.95.
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
71
AROMATHERAPY
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ASTROLOGY
Personalized Astrology Charts by mail.
Natal Horoscopes ($40); Future Forecast
Transit Reports ($75 for 1 full year, $50 for
6-months, $35 for 3-months); and two
kinds of Relationship Compatibility Reports:
the basic Compatability Report, and the
Composite Relationship Report ($45 each,
or both Reports for $75). Send Name (as
you'd like it to appear on the chart), Date of
Birth, Time of Birth (as close as possible),
Place of Birth (city/country, etc.) for each
person, payment (checks only) and return
address & phone# to: Tim Gunns, 1247
Lincoln Blvd., #195, Santa Monica CA
90401. (310) 281-7882..
Horoscopes
Get Your
and
Personal
astrology
Astro
reports
Value-Pack
provide a
for just $62
window
on your
Includes a
potential...
Natal Horoscope
and your
plus a
future!
6-month Future Forecast
Transit Report (40-50 pages)
(specify which month to begin)
Send Name, Date of Birth, Time of Birth (as
close as possible), Place of Birth (city/country,
etc.) for each person, payment and return
address & phone# to: Tim Gunns, 1247
Lincoln Blvd., #195, Santa Monica, CA
90401. (310) 281-7882.
Shipping is FREE
72
EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
CANDLES
100% PURE
BEESWAX CANDLES
no chemicals, no metals
solid pillars, votives, tealights,
stars, hearts, moons & more
classic, scented (essential oils),
or pressed flower designs
Bring healthy light & the magic of bees
to your sacred spaces.
Starlight Creations, Acton, MA
(978) 264-9480
bee_candles@yahoo.com
HEALING
REPAIR RECHARGE RENEW !
Unblock trapped energy that holds you
back and keeps you from moving forward
in your life. Let me help you find a new
balance and zeal to actualize the goals and
dreams you have always yearned for.
Most clients report a new untapped
energy after only one session.
SANDIE - Energy Practitioner
(617) 230-0725
COUNSELING
HELP WANTED
Holistic Counseling
Sales Associates Wanted
Prayer to Shamanism,
Chi Kung,Homeopathy.
Release subtle stresses and conflicts.
Follow Your Bliss.
Work with Your Greater Self.
Overcome Barriers.
Mark Berland
Earth Star magazine is looking for
independent, motivated and experienced sales people to work part- or fulltime from your own home. Generous
30% commission. Flexible hours.
Davis Square, Somerville
(617) 498-0265
617-625-5593
E-mail: earthstarm@aol.com
Serving Boston for 30 years
Homeopathic Counseling Program for
psychotherapists, counselors, anyone
considering a career in homeopathy,
meets one weekend a month, at Lesley
University in Cambridge. Teleosis School
of Homeopathy, (617) 547-8500,
info@teleosis.org, www.teleosis.org.
INSTRUCTION
Tai Chi, Chi Gung (Qigong) is taught in
7-week sessions at Brookline Tai Chi. Call
for our course brochure and information.
Free sample class. (617) 277-2975.
DOLPHIN SWIMS
Wild Dolphin Swims. Experience The
Human-Dolphin Connection: ecstatic and
meditative Caribbean Island retreats, yoga,
healthy food, Sacred Journeys, Atlantis
Stones, warm ocean, deserted beaches.
photos/
special
programs
www.wildquest.com
EDUCATION
BeautyWay Seminars with Venerable
Dhyani Ywahoo. “To purify one’s view, to
see the world in good relationship: conceptualize the ideal, visualize, communicate and do it.” Inspired by Native
American and Tibetan Buddhism. Studies
offered monthly. www.sunray.org.
An Earth Star
Classified Display Ad
will get your
business
or product
noticed
This 2” x 2-1/4” Ad is just $85
617-498-0265
CLASSIFIED
ORDER FORM
MEDITATION
SPACE AVAILABLE
Rudrakasha,
beautiful vibrational
tools for Meditation, Yoga, Personal
Adornment, Healing, Alignment, GF SS
14K Rudrakasha Japa Malas, Gemstone
Prayer Beads, Nine Planet Astrological
Jewelry, Protect and Hold your Yogic
Energy, www.rudrakasha.com.
WATERTOWN SQUARE. The Bodymind
Integration Center has quiet, sunny
offices for a full or part-time practitioner.
$300 - $575. Also large attractive carpeted workshop and part-time office space
rentals, weekend, or weekdays. Call
Michael Jaro @ (617) 926-9171.
CLASSIFIED DISPLAY ADS
OPPORTUNITIES
Arlington MA. Offices for practitioners
and other professionals. Excellent location.
Waiting room. Outdoor signage available.
$435-$465 month includes utilities.
(781) 316-1589.
Harvard Square / Cambridge: New
School of Music has a large classroom
for rent - Yoga Classes, Book Clubs,
Meetings, Workshops, Seminars! Outside
Harvard Sq. near Mt. Auburn Hospital,
FREE parking lot, rug, A/C. Call 617-4928105 or email info@cambridgemusic.org
for rates. Visit http://www.newschoolofmusic.org.
Frequency Discount
We offer a 10% discount for three
or more insertions when paid in
advance; 15% for six insertions
when pre-paid.
SPIRITUAL
Classified Line Ads are $1.50 per
word with a minimum of 20 words.
The first 2 to 5 words will be printed in bold face at no extra charge.
Potential vegan pizza-sub chain in
Boston seeks partners, especially with
business/restaurant skills. We aim to
change public eating habits while earning
a living. 617-472-1524 veganearth@verizon.net.
The New Fat Loss Patch!!!
Lose fat & inches with this ayurvedic
& homeopathic wellness patch.
Business opportunity with
in-service-training & retail sales.
Susan Wadia-Ells, PhD.
(866) 490-7888
(978) 526-8702
www.TheWiseOnes.com
ThePatch@verizon.net
CLASSIFIED LINE ADS
Every word or number separated
by a space is considered a separate word. Each 10-digit phone
number is considered one word.
Email and website addresses are
each counted as three words.
assortment of books, crystals, gifts,
clothes, jewelry, aromatherapy,
music, aura soma, The Vibe
Machine, readings and much more to
inspire your mind, body and spirit.
Located in the front of Bikram Yoga
Framingham at 855 Worcester Rd.
in Trolley Square, around the back.
(508) 820-9642 or www.Yo-Be.com.
WRITING COACH
will get your business
or product noticed
Call: 617-498-0265
2-1/4” w x 1” h = $55
2-1/4” w x 2” h = $85
2-1/4” w x 3” h = $115
Word Count
Yo-Be Spirit shop with complete
An Earth Star
Classified Display Ad
You can place your Classified Ad
three ways - Email, fax or by mail.
Please include your name,
address and phone number.
Get Support! Create clear vision and
focus for completing projects. Fall in love
with words, explore voice and personal
expression, with published writer, experienced coach, “midwife” for creative
process. Call Nadine Boughton at
(781) 391-1704.
PAYMENT
All Ads must be pre-paid.
We accept Visa, MasterCard, and
Discover Card.
Make check or money order
payable to Earth Star Magazine.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Phone: (617) 498-0265
Fax: (617) 498-0266
Email: EarthstarM@aol.com
Mailing Address:
Earthstar Magazine
1247 Lincoln Blvd., #580
Santa Monica, CA 90401.
www.earthstarmag.com
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
EARTH STAR
73
Health Information for the Whole Person™
A New Look At the Cause of
Colds & Flu’s
By Georgianna Donadio, D.C., M.Sc., Ph.D.
T
he medical explanation
for cold and flu symptoms
identifies viruses and bacteria as the culprits for our
fever, achy body and
runny nose. What is not often explained
is the influence our environment, emotional states and our spirituality have on
whether we are vulnerable to
getting sick – or not! To understand the cause and effect of
colds and flu, we have to have a
larger perspective on the factors that contribute to whether
or not we get sick or stay well.
When dealing with colds and
flu here are some simple things
to pay attention to.
Your Spirituality
The renowned anthropologist and writer,
Joseph Campbell, stated that “all human
beings have three essential questions we
seek to answer: Why am I here? What is
the purpose of my life?, and Where do I
go when I die?” In order to answer these
questions we must form our worldview,
Your Emotions
Abraham Maslow identified
that aside from basic survival
and safety needs, we possess an
innate drive to belong, develop
self-esteem and actualize our
authentic selves. While it might
seem that exposure to more
people is an invitation for
viruses to make us sick, a study
conducted by the University of
Pittsburgh found the exact
opposite might be true.
According to the study, people
with one to three social roles such as
parent, child, friend, etc., are over four
times more likely to get sick than those
with six or more social roles. This may
be caused by the relationship between
the immune system and the self-esteem
we experience as a result of our interactions with others. The more positive
social interactions we experience, the
greater our self-esteem and the more we
enhance our immune function.
74
EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2006
a set of values also referred to as our
spirituality. Spirituality can be broadly
defined as the things we hold, important
and sacred, the relationship we form
with others and with the world around
us. One of the most important aspects of
our spirituality and creating a life of
meaning and fulfillment is to set boundaries. The boundaries we set are codes
of conduct relating to how we behave
toward ourselves and others, how we eat,
work exercise and live. All of these
actions have a profound effect on our
health and well-being.
Your Bodily Environment
Our bodies have both an internal and
external environment we need to be
mindful of. Externally, the amount of
noise, stress, pollution, weather
and amount of exertion or work
we do affects our health directly
through our internal nervous and
immune systems. Our internal
chemical environment allows or
prevents germs from finding a
friendly home in our blood
stream, allowing them to multiply and spread. It is important to
make the connection between
how we are crafting our internal
environment with what we are
eating, drinking, how much rest
and sleep we get, as well as the
thoughts, both positive or negative that we are thinking each
day.
There is no single cause of
any health condition. Colds and
flu’s are multi-dimensional
because we as human beings are
multidimensional. By understanding and applying the emotional, spiritual and environmental cause and effects of colds and
flu’s you can prevent them from affecting your life.
Georgianna Donadio D.C., M.Sc., Ph.D., has
conducted a private practice in Whole Person
Health Care since 1976 and is the Founder
and Director of The New England School of
Whole Health Education. For more information, visit www.wholehealtheducation.org.
Coming to Theaters Near You - February 2006
For more information visit:
www.whatthebleep.com