By Glennis Walters Smith   Sat, Oct 17, 2009

By Lisa Fehlen   Wed, Sep 30, 2009

There is no other entertainment quite like the sort one gets when conducting a Kombucha tasting demo. While it may seem strange to refer to it in this way, entertaining is the only way to describe the vast span of reactions and faces from new-comers and veterans alike when they take their first sip. For those who've never heard of it, approaching the table becomes an experience they won't soon forget. The reason for this is because there's nothing out there that is quite like Kombucha. Almost impossible to explain how it tastes with words, one has to just dive in and see for them selves what the buzz is all about. And a buzz it is. Many will describe an increase in energy as well as a sense of calm at the same time. This is because of the unique properties that make up Kombucha. Alright, so what exactly is it? Kombucha is a symbiotic culture of friendly yeast and amiable bacteria that live and thrive off the tannins and sugars in black tea. Kombucha offers a variety of health benefits yet to be seen anywhere else. While its main function is a liver detoxifier, the Kombucha organisms will go anywhere in the body that needs it and start working its magic.

High Country Kombucha gives us the perfect example of the magic that happens when you combine a dedicated team and an amazing product.  The company is a creation of co-founders Edward Rothbauer and master brewer, Steven Dickman. They started as a small group in a small kitchen, hand-funneling Kombucha into hundreds of bottles. Their goal was simple; get high-quality, organic, tasty Kombucha into the hands of anyone and everyone who showed interest. Their mission: To provide the highest quality products to promote health and well being. As it stood true back when they started, it stands even more true today. Their current home in Eagle, CO has already reached its production capacity in the few short years they've been there. Not only is High Country the only company currently bottling the light-sensitive tea in dark amber bottles, but they are also distinct in that each bottle contains four daily servings. Depending on preference and usage, a person can drink anywhere from a quarter to a full bottle at a time. These are only a couple of the ways in which High Country stands out above the rest. Demand is on the rise each day as more and more people experience the special uniqueness of High Country and realize the wealth of goodness that lives within each bottle.

High Country Kombucha teas are all 100% pure, organic, undiluted, and cultured at 6,500 feet elevation in the Rocky Mountains using the same traditional methods that were used in the Himalayas over 2,000 years ago. The ingredients added to create the flavors - Wild Root, Goji Berry, Ginger and Aloe - are all beneficial to various health needs, as well as extremely delicious. Spreading the good word about health and wellness and making a positive difference in the lives of many is the way High Country was started and the way they will always continue to grow. The reason is simple; we believe you will taste, feel, and enjoy the difference.

For more information, please visit High Country Kombucha's official site.

By Peter Russell   Wed, Sep 30, 2009

You create your own reality. Just "think positive," and you'll get yourself a new car, a great job, the perfect partner and lots of money. That's a message heard more and more frequently, most prominently in popular documentaries like The Secret, following the success of What the Bleep Do We Know!?

To offer concrete evidence for their claims, the filmmakers point to discoveries in quantum physics. But does physics really provide the proof for these claims?

Quantum physics describes the socalled "observer effect," which refers to the impact the mere act of observing can have on the phenomenon being observed. Physicists speak about this as the "collapse of the wave function." The wave function describes the probabilities of a particle being observed in any of its possible states. When an observation is made, the wave function "collapses" and the particle is observed in one particular state. A popular interpretation of this is that the act of observation affects physical reality, "freezing" it into a certain state. Hence the claim that you create your own reality, and the importance of holding a positive vision of a desired outcome.

The original formulation, however, put forward by Nobel Prize-winner Werner Heisenberg, states that is your knowledge of the system that collapses. Nothing in the real world actually changes; the only thing that changes is the uncertainty in your knowledge.

Nevertheless, there is a sense in which you do create your own reality: You create your own experience of reality. Take, for example, your ability to see. Light enters the eye, triggering nerve impulses that travel to the brain. There, these impulses are analyzed and put together into an image. You think you see the world, but what you're seeing is a reconstruction of the world. The same applies to all your senses: You hear your own listening, etcetera. In this way, you're creating your own perception of reality.

How you perceive reality depends in a large part on your attitude. A positive attitude is clearly a good starting point and may in part explain why things sometimes turn out the way you want.

I have discovered, for instance, that when I'm rested, centred and clear, things work out well. But I don't believe this is because I am "creating" the world around me. It happens because I have put myself into a good state of mind to pick up opportunities.

Another phenomenon from quantum physics that is often misunderstood is the issue of "non-locality." Quantum theorists predict that observations in one place can affect observations a long distance away. Einstein had rejected this as "ghostly action at a distance" and concluded something was wrong with quantum theory.

In the early 1980s, Alain Aspect, a French physicist, carried out the first experiments to test the prediction. He showed that when two particles are created with correlated quantum states (for example, both having the same spin) and are then separated by a long distance, their quantum states remain correlated. When Aspect measured the spin of one particle, causing its wave function to collapse into one particular state, he found that the wave function of the second particle collapsed into the same state, although there was no way the two particles could now affect each other. Because the correlation is instant, some people see this as proof of faster-than-lightcommunication, or of an undiscovered field beyond time and space through which we are all connected and through which we communicate.

Most physicists, however, tend not to jump to that conclusion so easily, because they don't fully understand how this phenomenon happens. They use terms like "entanglement," meaning that the relationship between the particles is somehow preserved over long distances.

There is a non-local relationship, which cannot be understood in our current way of thinking. Yes, something unusual is happening, but I don't think we should grasp hold of these phenomena from sub-atomic physics to explain what may be happening at our own level of existence.

I'm not saying we shouldn't think positively, or that we're not interconnected. All I'm saying is it's incorrect to use current physics research to validate these claims and it's highly misleading to present them as the ultimate truth, or the "Great Secret," of the universe. Such grand assertions give people a false sense of hope.

Moreover, the claim that we create our own realities may also be very unfair with respect to people who are ill or poor. The message of The Secret suggests they too are responsible for their own fate.

Does this mean that the thousands in Bangladesh made homeless by floods are suffering because they did not have a positive vision?

The strangest thing about such films is that they are parading spirituality, yet are, in fact, supporting the very opposite.

With their focus on acquiring material wealth, they reinforce the dangerous idea that whether or not you're happy and at peace in your life depends upon what you have, what you do and how other people see you.

Yet almost all the great spiritual teachers through time have said that whether you are happy ultimately depends on how you feel about yourself on the inside, not whether you have a nicer car or a better paying job than someone else.

Telling people they can achieve happiness by acquiring more things just reinforces the mindset that's leading us to extract more and more out of the planet and that will ultimately drive our culture to extinction. The Secret would have had a more powerful spiritual message if it had helped people realize this.

A change in consciousness is a change in perception—a change in how we see things. The real secret—and it's only a secret because we keep forgetting it—is that we always have a choice in how we see, experience and interpret reality. That is what determines whether or not you'll be happy and find peace.

By Kevin O' Donnell   Sat, Oct 17, 2009

Everyone who is active is an athlete. You don’t have to compete at world-class or professional levels in order to suffer from many of the same common injuries that affect these renowned athletes. What advantages higher level athletes have always had is access to better sports medicine and sports performance training methods and techniques than the average athlete.

The best way to fight sports injuries is to avoid them. This article will look at three common lower extremity injuries which occur in sports and some of the less common, but most effective, training methods athletes should use to prevent them.

Whether you’re a marathoner, ultimate frisbee player, or professional volleyball player, ankle sprains are going to happen. Most foot and ankle injuries are related to incomplete healing of prior hurts. These injuries are most often caused by the athlete being unable to control their body in the frontal plane. (side to side) Whether it is a weakness in the gluteus medius which controls the hip, vastus lateralis which controls the knee, or the peroneals which control the ankle; the weakest link is the area which usually gets injured. Many times this is the ankle, especially if an injury has already occurred at the site. How do we interrupt this cycle? We hop!

Exercise- Inside & Outside Hops

3 SETS OF HOPS PER LEG

Place an agility ladder on flat ground. Take off your shoes and perform this drill barefooted (more lower leg control). Facing forward, lift up your left foot off the ground and stand on your right foot. Hop sideways through the agility ladder to the end and then on back on the same leg. Repeat on the opposite foot. Make sure to keep an upright body position with the shoulder blades pulled back, and your eyes up.

Athletes who play sports which require continuous cutting and jumping know the abuse these sports impart on the knee joint. These sports may include trail running, soccer, and certainly skiing and snowboarding. The important thing to know is that most knee injuries are not caused by a lack of absolute strength in the quadriceps (the muscles on the anterior of the leg which extend the knee) but instead by an athlete being unable to control their deceleration. Knee injuries occur when athletes can not slow themselves down or produce a rapid change of direction under control.

Exercise - Plyometric Boxes (Jump to Height)

4 SETS OF 6-8 JUMPS

Standing in front of 18 to 24” plyometric box, practice jumping up onto the box. During take off, make sure your knees and feet stay in-line with your hips and that your patella’s tracks over your toes and do not move in toward the midline. Try to land quietly on the balls of your feet while immediately driving your hips down and to the back.

How many times have we seen athletes pull up while running and grab their hamstrings? These are the three muscles on the posterior of the leg responsible for among other things, flexing the knee. Due to this overuse stress, the hamstrings are prone to tighten up in order to protect themselves. Thus, flexibility training is needed. But how to stretch properly in order to actually achieve results? Long relaxed bouts of static stretching (stretch and hold) may increase general flexibility but it does not prepare the body for activity. Research has shown that this method is often detrimental to sport when performed prior to activity!

Instead try dynamic stretching prior to training. This is a type of flexibility training where you take the muscles through an active range of motion which makes the muscle work in its’ lengthened position rather than just returning to its’ normal length.

Exercise Walking Straight Leg March, Prone Handwalks

2 SETS OF 10 YARDS EACH

Walking straight leg march- With an upright body position, keep your right leg straight and bring it up in front of you in a marching motion. Use your opposite hand to reach straight toward the knee. Alternate legs while marching. Bring your leg up in a controlled motion, do not kick it up.

Prone Handwalks- Begin in a push-up position with arms and legs straight. Keeping your elbows and knees straight, slowly walk your feet towards your hands as far as they can go. Try to keep pressing down through your heels. Once your feet are as close as they can get (with knees straight), start walking your hands out in front of you. Repeat this inchworm motion for the above distance.

By John P. Milton   Wed, Sep 30, 2009

Commentary: Part one of a series.

Life long advocates for environmental protection are heartened by media attention recently given to global warming.  It's a vindication of sorts. Astute observers provide a more accurate description of this phenomenon as human induced climate disruption.  One such observer is John P. Milton.  His career as an ecologist spans five decades.  It is ironic and nearly inconceivable that, as a graduate student in the 1960's, he edited a policy statement from an international conference in Buenos Aires entitled "Future Implications of Increasing C02 Concentrations in the Atmosphere", clearly a cutting edge perspective for the early 1960's!  As society adjusts to the pressing ecological imperatives brought on by climate change, much remains to be done to bring human beings back into balance and harmony with Nature.  John remains on the leading edge of cultural transformation as a meditation teacher, spiritual awareness shaman and wilderness guide.

As the founder of Threshold Foundation Inc, Sacred Passage and The Way of Nature, he continues to provide innovative leadership to the environmental movement as one of its authentic elders.  In fact, his work is carving out a new model for our entire culture. While much has been done to protect wilderness for biodiversity, science and recreation, almost nothing has been done to preserve and protect land for it's inherent sacredness and undeniable essential value.  This is where the pioneering work of John Milton and his colleagues becomes critically important.  During this interview you will discover how and why John tirelessly inspires all of us to embrace new principles and practices to heal our relationship with Nature, repair the damage done and change the direction of our society.

Summary of Discussion Between Glennis Walters, Stephen Jay Smith & John Milton:

John began by sharing his perspective about the Sacred Land Trust and his discovery of ancient meditation seats in the San Luis Valley.  These "seats" are as old as 5,000 to 10,000 years.  They were fashioned by the early shaman of Colorado.  As a professional ecologist, author and University Professor of environmental studies, John was initially drawn to Colorado due to these extraordinary land formations in the San Luis Valley.

Prior to arriving in Colorado, John had done a great deal of research to lay the foundation for the Stockholm conference on the Environment in 1972.  This international gathering was conducted by Maurice Strong, with whom John collaborated.  It was the first major ecological conference of world leaders ever convened to evaluate human activity as it related to nature and the earth.  The question arose: What are we going to do about human development and it's impact on our Biosphere?  John's ecological research combined with his meditation and spiritual background led to his work with Hanna Strong's Manitou Foundation based in Crestone.  A small cluster of people worked to bring together a diversity of spiritual lineages and world traditions.  These groups were selected because they shared a common theme.  They all focus on liberation and enlightenment through rural mountain retreat practices and deep immersion in nature.   The underlining purpose and vision of the Manitou group was to demonstrate how these various spiritual groups could learn to live together in peace and harmony. The idea was to bring them close together; all living within a few miles from one another.  The group working with John and Hanna wanted to provide the world with a living demonstration of how these various traditions could work and live together in harmony.  Due to this "experiment" many people in Northern and Central Colorado have heard of Crestone by now.  In fact, it is developing a world- wide reputation as a center for extraordinary spiritual cultivation and healing.

Bud Wilson / Boulder Colorado September, 2007

JOHN MILTON: "When I first arrived in Crestone, it was a very small town, we had only just begun to bring in these spiritual groups.  It is through these small land grants and the establishment of mountain retreat centers that has contributed to what Crestone is today.  Each group represents a unique spiritual tradition or wisdom lineage.

My personal passion remains to provide a demonstration of how these lineages could grow and evolve together - learning from one another and exchanging their various practices, over time.  They could learn how to grow through this togetherness and communion.   Our underlying vision is for these groups to share concepts and principles and practices with one another.  We have a strong desire to demonstrate how these lineages can show all of us how to live in ecological harmony with the Earth. The land grants have gradually been given to various groups for a long period of time, actually for the past 20 to 25 year.  It is a long- term work in process.

It is our intention that these groups learn how to grow and evolve, based upon contact with one another rather than to draw inward and become further separated and isolated.  We've been giving gifts of land to establish retreat centers.  That was the underlying vision. My particular passion is to see how we can explore ways to develop a kind of spirituality with a deeper aspect of respect for the earth - a deep earth-honoring dimension within each spiritual tradition or discipline.  Obviously, today the degree to which humans are out of balance with Nature and one another has grown to an extreme.  It is clear, we simply can't continue to endlessly abuse the Earth or each other.  So, we asked all the lineages to make contributions and bring something to the table about how they can foster new ideas to bring humans into greater balance with Nature and the Earth.  It's a huge experiment we are doing there.

Glennis:  "Yes, that's huge"

John Milton: Well, we need to have spiritual traditions that are ecologically conscious and committed.  It is really important to bring this new view to our culture.   Our Sacred Passage group is one of the lineages there.  in a sense, we are one of the oldest and newest of the groups to arrive in Crestone after the Baptists and the Presbyterian church.

Glennis: "When did you arrive there"?

John Milton: Sacred Passage arrived in Crestone in 1979/80 - we are one of the first and only groups that has stated emphatically the Earth is the church, the temple and the synagogue.  Out of all the groups, Sacred Passage was the first to declare this concept publicly.  No buildings have been built, with the exception of a couple of out houses and a little cabin that was there when we acquired the land.  If buildings are ever built, they would be built on the perimeter of the land not in the heart of it.  If we ever do build something it would most likely be a library, built on the perimeter.   Human structures and Buildings are much less important than Nature - This is why the Sacred Passage program has borrowed the name "The Way of Nature" from the Tao te' Ching  which states that the Way of Nature is unchanging - it is the essence of source. Source is the formless, infinite, nameless foundation that underlies all being, all form and the dance of all existence.  So The Way of Nature and Sacred Passage, by honoring the land in that way, is making a clear statement that it is the inherent sacredness in the land that is far more important than buildings and temples.  These man-made structures can be helpful at times, but they are really far less important than the Earth herself - the ultimate church.

Glennis - Wow, did you see that Hawk just fly by?  There is the vision that is actually going out just as you are saying this now!

John Milton:  "Ah, yes, a very good sign - an nice exclamation point for what we are discussing. By honoring nature in the way we are demonstrating the true church and temple being Nature herself, rather than something constructed by men, we are attempting to bring people back to this awareness.  We are making a clear statement that the Earth is the primordial temple.  This is one of the reasons we call ourselves the Way of Nature.

Glennis:  In my own mind I'm thinking about Nature and Earth, our own Nature and the planet - How do you take the big picture and the small picture vision into a practical expression and educate people about the sacredness that we all have and is all around us?

John Milton: One of the things I found particularly inspiring was something I learned from the little bit of contact I've had with the old ancient Native American way - which, by the way, our site there in Crestone has many ancient sites on it.  There are many ancient meditation seats there that I was guided to discover. As I mentioned they are 5,000 to 10,000 years old.  They were previously never discovered.  Your readers are probably familiar with the Vision Quest process.  I've been doing vision quests since 1945, but this was an entirely new experience for me.  After doing a vision quest in that tradition, I woke up one morning and Mother Earth and Great Spirit and the spirit of the land just picked me up and exposed me to the sacred sites that were all around me, which I had not previously noticed. .  I just began to take a walk out on the land.  In a 12 hour period, I was introduced to a completely new view of Nature.  As you know, I've spent my entire life as an ecologist and I was one of the people who helped to birth the environmental movement.  But I still had no idea how profound and deep nature was from this standpoint.

Glennis:  So this was like an initiation for you on another level.

John Milton: Yes, I was actually guided from one meditation seat to another - literally, there are thousands there.  After this vision quest at the headwaters of our land, I was given an extraordinary gift In particular, here in North America the Native American traditions and shaman have the capacity to lift up the human spirit in a profound way and provide extraordinary levels of insights... unfortunately and tragically much of this was lost as a result of the catastrophes that have befallen the Native American Cultures. 

What we have done as a result of these discoveries of the beautifully and skillfully constructed mediation seats that work with the internal meridians of the body in a way that opens one to spiritual development.  I've never come across anything like this. After all my travels to sacred sites around the world, I've not come across a site anything close to this. 

Glennis:  What a gift!  Coming from you, a world traveler, that's saying a lot

John: It has been a challenge to fund raise in order to save this land.  We just don't have a tradition here in this country to protect land for this purpose.  So, we have now established a movement to honor the earth in a new way through our Sacred Land Trust. We tried to preserve the land in conventional ways, but experienced little to no success. 

Glennis:  If people want to learn more about this, they can visit www.sacredpassage.com

John: Yes, there is a link on our web site about all of this information.

Glennis & Stephen:  Speaking of additional information, you've recently released a new book:  Sky Above, Earth Below - Spritual Practice in Nature.  I understand it was published right here in Boulder by Sentient Publishing.

John:  Yes, the primary reason I wrote the book was to offer the twelve Sacred Passage Principles of Natural Liberation.  I feel it is important for our culture at this time. The principles lay out a natural progression that most individuals go through, when they embark on a spiritual path.  They represent a path for many, but often are revealed more like a matrix where someone can enter at any point.  When one embraces the principles, they begin to open up and unfold.  One of the values of having an all-denominational approach to spirituality, is that we get a chance to actually look back deeply at one's own path, whatever it may be, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic and take a look at their own lineage.

The principles begin to inform that lineage at a deeper level, individuals begin to see certain universal truths that their lineage contains but they also begin to see: "Ah ha," my lineage does this but also that lineage does it over there, and that lineage also contains the same truth and so does that one and so on and so on.  People become much less likely to kill each other over the language of their faith.  The rigidity of their belief systems soften.  Is that an important issue these days or is it not? That is one of the main reasons I wrote this book, to help provide a simple, clear, concise language that people may find easy to relate to and understand.  The words are easy to understand, it's not complicated.  It is not trying to be a super intellectual book that tries to explain everything and provide all the answers.  If successful, people begin to see the commonality of their own beliefs and their own spiritual values and principles. If this book is successful in this, then, the motivation to fight each other, complain about each other and "dis" each other and put each other down, fades away. People see we are all striving to be happy, we are all striving to live lives that have some degree of peace and harmony.  I believe it is the Dalai Lama who suggests that we all share in common a desire to be happy. We all share the same fundamental life journey.  We all strive to relieve our own suffering and the suffering of those we are close to.  It doesn't mean someone has to abandon his own lineage or spiritual path to do this.

 Although, I do have a number of students that work dynamically with these twelve principles, as an ongoing path of spiritual cultivation toward liberation.  But for others, they can look back at the natural progression or perhaps a "matrix" that most people go through toward spiritual transformation and awakening - since it doesn't require a linear progression, one can enter the process at any point along the matrix that anyone can connect with and then it all begins to open or unfold.  With this path or matrix of the twelve principles, individuals can take a look at their own lineage.  People can look at the tradition that they are a part of.  This begins to inform people and that tradition at a much deeper level - so they can begin to see certain universal principles that their lineage contains, but they can come to the realization that AH HA,---  Ah, my lineage does this, but so does that tradition over there and that one does too!  And so there is much less of a tendency to kill one another over the language.  Is that an important issue these days, or what?  That is one of the reasons I did this, to provide a simple, clear language that lays this out for people.   I intentionally wrote this book to be easy to understand, it is not intended to be a super intellectual book that is trying to explain everything.  I'm really pretty simple minded.  If the book was too complicated, I'd be suspicious of it!  One of the main reasons I did this was to provide very clear and simple language to articulate this idea - that we all share the same fundamental life journey.

Our collective challenge is to provide a way to help see back into the original liberated essence of all religion. It is not always easy to recognize the common ground shared by all religious lineages. This Sacred Passage process informs the participants in any given religion to be more accepting of other paths and traditions.  Commonality of religious principles is revealed through the Sacred Passage process.  Plus those people who are not drawn to an organized religion but still feel a strong spiritual pull benefit greatly.

Another reason to write this book is to provide a very clear guide to reconnecting to the Earth and Nature and give a set of practices and process to begin to connect directly to nature and mother earth again to begin to shift their process outside in nature for prayer, ceremony and practice with the true church of the Earth... this gives ethical, moral and spiritual depth to our society in order to build a coherent set of values that is currently lacking in our culture. 

If we don't have this foundation, our society flounders. We are driven by economic and political expediency that is not grounded with any reverence for ecological principles. It is obvious today that we are not honoring the integrity and sacredness of nature.  It is time to establish a global culture with a primary spiritual focus harmonizing with nature that gives us a sustainable, legal, moral and ethical basis from which to make decisions about how we spend our human energy and financial resources. POTENTIALLY, THERE IS A GREAT BENEFIT TO GLOBAL CULTURE.  WE HAVE FOUND WHEN PEOPLE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS, COMBINED WITH A WILDERNESS SOLO - THEY TOUCH DEEPLY INTO THE FUNDAMENTAL ESSENCE OF THEMSELVES.  THEY COME OUT OF THIS EXPERIENCE WITH BRILLIANT IDEAS ABOUT HOW TO BUILD, CREATIVELY, NEW WAYS TO ESTABLISH A SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY.  ALL THE ELEMENTS THAT GO INTO CULTURE BECOME CLEAR TO PEOPLE.  A RAPID REBIRTHING OCCURS AND FRESH NEW INSIGHTS ARISE.  SPECIFICALLY, PEOPLE DISCOVER HOW TO HEAL THEIR OWN RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE AND OTHERS.  

Interview by Glennis Walters & Stephen Jay Smith - Editing and introductory commentary by Bud Wilson.

By Arielle Ford   Sat, Nov 07, 2009

Dr. Wayne Dyer Opens Up About His Film, His Life

Dr. Wayne Dyer, who is affectionately called the "father of motivation" by his fans, began his career as an author in the early 1970’s by traveling the country alone and selling his first book, Your Erroneous Zones, from the trunk of his car. That book went on to sell more than 30 million copies, and became the best selling book of the 1970’s.

Despite a childhood spent in orphanages and foster homes, he has overcome many obstacles to make his dreams come true. Today, he spends much of his time showing others how to do the same.

As an internationally renowned author and speaker in the field of self-development, he has written more than 30 books, 18 of which have been national bestsellers. Several of his books have been featured as PBS specials, which has resulted in raising over $150 million for national public television.

There is now a film that encompasses his core teachings, The Shift, which is available through SpiritualCinemaCircle.com.  Dr. Dyer appears as himself, along with a star-studded cast.   In The Shift we discover that every life has a turning point, a shift, a choice to make about what really matters.

AF: What’s the most important, life-changing thing that you’d like people to walk away with after seeing this film?

WD: That everyone has a dharma, a destiny, a “calling of the soul.” Every bird, every tree, every person comes into this world with something it is destined to do. All of the creatures on the planet don’t get confused about this. They are what they are.

Human beings, because they take on a false self, or ego, start to believe that what they do or what they have defines them. The Shift illustrates that when you are at peace and you let go, you will be guided into your dharma. You will be living a life of meaning rather than ambition. That is the “shift.”

AF: What’s a memory that stands out about the making of the movie?

WD: At one point, after I had done a scene many times, I realized that I was trying too hard. I was trying to be an actor and remember my lines. Then I remembered that the words in the script were guidelines. I just needed to be myself. At that moment the movie shifted from being a trial to allowing myself to just be me.

AF: What are some of your all-time favorite movies that have touched or inspired you?

WD: My very favorite is Déjà Vu by Henry Jaglom (featured in Spiritual Cinema Circle’s Vol. 10 – 2007) I’ve seen it 50 times. This film opens up all the possibilities about life, love and fate — you begin to realize that this universe has endless possibilities. Brother Sun, Sister Moon, the story of St. Francis of Assisi is my second favorite movie. I also loved Forrest Gump and A Man for All Seasons

AF: You’ve recently been diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. What can you share about this experience?

WD: When you come into this world with big dharma, you get big challenges. This is just another one of them. As a child I lived in an orphanage. My parents left me when I was little. My wife left me. I have had serious addictions in my life that I have let go of. I will be able to understand it, make it work for me, and help other people. I haven’t judged it or been angry with it. I am not worried about healing it. I am working to live with it. I think when you fight anything, you weaken yourself. I am inviting it to stay in peace and harmony with me or leave. It’s up to it. It’s just another life force. Elisabeth Kubler Ross said, “When you shield the mountain from the windstorms, you will never see the beauty of the carving.”

You can receive The Shiftplus three great short films for FREE when you sign up for a trial membership of Spiritual Cinema Circle (just pay a small shipping fee). This is the only DVD service dedicated to films about love, compassion and inspiration. Simply go to: JoinSCC.com

For more information about Wayne Dyer, his books and workshops, please visit DrWayneDyer.com.

By Glennis Walters Smith   Fri, Sep 17, 2010

Dr. Paul Ray, What made you the Visionary you are Today?

I've been a social researcher for 45 years, and almost from the beginning I branched out from my base in sociology, anthropology and economics to include a field that those academic disciplines didn't know how to think about: ecology and ecological sustainability. I've been concerned about the possible destruction of ecosystems and of major portions of life on earth all that time, and concerned about the role of human cultures, societies and economies in making that happen.

Fairly early on, by the mid-Sixties, I "saw" intuitively, or if you were to speak in spiritual terms, had a revelation, that we need a whole new kind of civilization if we are to be able to turn toward ecologically sustainable practices. So I've been a macro-sociology researcher with a strong bent toward better practical policy research, and toward activism. I was a professor of planning at the University of Michigan, then Chief of Policy Research on Energy Conservation for the Canadian government, and then had my own business as a market researcher focused on what it would take to change values and lifestyles toward sustainability among American households. So I've been in academe, government and business trying to get a handle on what it would take. And my research led to finding that the Cultural Creatives are out there, 50-60 million adults in the US and 80-90 million more in Europe. They are capable of making that change.

I've also been on a spiritual path for over 30 years, and taught meditation as a hobby. So I combined my sense of needing a new civilization with asking what it would take to create and support a change in consciousness for the whole population of the Western world. I seem to have spanned some arc of macro-scale social consciousness and a more inner, meditative way of life for all those 30 years... and rarely have I felt comfortable with that stretch. I'm aware of how thin and poor the supports for spirituality are in the West. One of the distortions of our world that most bothers me is that so many spiritual people have the comfortable delusion that if they just sit on their cushions and meditate, that will be enough. It's not remotely enough. We are all needed now at this time of planetary crisis, especially those of us who are more conscious.

Dr. Paul Ray, What advice would you give our readers about their evolving individual consciousness, and the cultural an planetary consciousness?

I'm an all out advocate for creating a Planetary Wisdom Culture. It is clear to me that this expresses a higher purpose for humanity, and that we must consciously participate in bringing it about. A wise culture will engage in actions that are ecologically sustainable, good for the long run, able to create our own survival after a couple of centuries of ecological folly. A wise culture will also provide cultural support for the development of whole and sane human beings and for their psycho-spiritual development. My contention is that the latter isn’t really possible without the cultural supports for maturation over the whole human life cycle, probably with initiations. Jim Garrison and I are writing a book together on "The Emerging Planetary Wisdom Culture." Our further contention is that humanity is now headed toward planetary integration, and a planetary supersystem. The carrier population for the new development is Cultural Creatives. If they are indeed in every world city, and across most of Europe and North America, and at the core of all the new social and consciousness movements, they are the leading edge of cultural change. The key problem is they are unaware of their own numbers. The media don’t show them their own faces because this conflicts with the Modernist worldview of the media.

By Kim St. Claire   Sat, Oct 17, 2009

I have been feeding my dog the Bones And Raw Food (BARF) diet for over 11 years. Once thought of as an unconventional diet, it has become accepted as the preferred way to care for our animals.

In the wild, dogs and cats only consume uncooked food. This includes innards, bones, vegetables, grains, and meats. Feeding our companion animals, as close as we can, to what they were originally designed to digest is truly best. Animals fed raw diets will take a new leash on life, and live happier, healthier and longer lives.

Feeding your pet a fresher more natural diet takes a little time and effort. I have seen phenomenal changes in my client's pets when they have switched to raw or BARF diets. Some of the changes have been the elimination of allergies, more resilient skin tone, shinier coat, better breath, weight reduction and behavioral changes. I highly recommend the following books for reference on this subject, Scared Poopless, The Barf Diet and The Natural Guide to Feeding Your Pet.

It's best to start with small amounts added to their dry food and gradually wean them off the kibble. A good amount to introduce is about 3-4 Tablespoons daily. Many people give up because they see a change in the consistency of their pet's elimination, however this is a very normal change. It may take up to three weeks for the digestive system to adjust, but your dog will thank you for it.

Here is a sample canine recipe. Please remember these are basic guidelines and individual needs may vary by age, existing health, and weight.

An average adult dog's caloric intake for 10 lbs. would be 410 calories, whereas an 80 lb. dog would be 1800 calories. There are also pre-made frozen raw foods available at some pet stores.

Canine Healthy Oats

2 lbs. raw ground turkey

8 C raw rolled oats

¼ C broccoli

2 cloves minced garlic

¼ C vegetable oil (flax, olive, or sunflower)

6,000 milligrams calcium powder

400 units Vitamin E

Daily ration 5 cups-1x a day for an average 60 lb. dog

After mixing ingredients, put daily rations in baggies. Freeze, and after each meal, pull out the next day's meal to defrost. You'll be amazed by the transformation in your dog's vitality.

By Stephen Jay Smith   Sat, Oct 17, 2009

As you know , Gary, I have read your two best selling books- “Disappearance of the Universe” and “Your Immortal Reality” and have attended several of your Seminars. I have enjoyed what you have had to say, immensely. It has been both fun and enlightening. However, for those of our readers who have never heard of your books, or “ A Course in Miracles” upon which your books are based , can you describe the meanings of the book titles and their underlying themes?

A Course in Miracles is a modern spiritual classic that was published in the early 1970’s. It is a channeled work that was given to Helen Schucman, a research psychologist in New York City. The “Voice” that dictated ACIM is Jesus. Helen heard the voice over a period of seven years and would take it down in shorthand. Then she would read it to her colleague, Bill Thetford and he would type it up. In the Course, Jesus clarifies his original teaching that has been distorted over the years. A Course in Miracles is not designed to bring forth a new organization obsessed with changing the world of dreams instead of the mind of the dreamer. It is a self-study, one-on-one metamorphosis into Christ that is done at the level of the mind between you and Jesus or you and the Holy Spirit if you prefer to think that way. Either one will do. This puts you in the fortunate position where you can learn much more from the master than you could have two thousand years ago.

My books are a continuation of the teachings of the Course and also a clarification. A Course in Miracles is beautifully written, much of it in Shakespearean blank verse and can be quite a daunting challenge to read and understand. My teachers wanted to present the Courses’ wisdom in an absolutely clear and unmistakable way. I have spoken with so many people who tell me they had been studying ACIM for twenty or thirty years but it wasn’t until they read The Disappearance of the Universe that it all finally made perfect sense. It’s very gratifying for me to see what a change these books are making in people’s lives in a very real way.

One recurring theme in your books and seminars is the importance of “ Forgiveness” in our lives. Can you describe how the forgiveness described in your books differs from the “ Forgiveness” found in the Judeo-Christian ethic?

The new kind of forgiveness that is taught in A Course in Miracles says: “Forgiveness does not pardon sins and make them real. It sees there was no sin, and in that view are all your sins forgiven”. I might add that only in that view are all your sins forgiven, because ACIM also says “As you see him, you will see yourself.”

This is not your parent’s spirituality. This is more in keeping with the new physics, which tells us that everything is connected and we are not separate from each other.

The world that we are seeing is a projection that is coming from our own unconscious mind, and it is actually symbolic of the idea that we’ve separated our self from our Source. With forgiveness, we undo that thought of separation by forgiving people because they haven’t really done anything, and in that view, forgiveness is justified.

Your natural inheritance is nothing less than the kingdom of heaven and being one with God. That is the greatest experience that you can have, and it is possible to have that experience even while you appear to be living here in this world. True Forgiveness is the key.

Another recurring theme is the concept of love vs. fear. Can you tell our readers what this inner conflict is really all about?

A major teaching of A Course In Miracles states: “Love is the opposite of fear but what is all-encompassing can have no opposite”. Love is the thought system of the Holy Spirit and fear is the thought system of the ego and is not real. Love alone is real and it’s our job learn how to remove the blockages to the awareness of love’s presence. Real love is not the conditional love of this world which the Course calls “special love”. The love of the Holy Spirit is quite a different thing. Our one remaining choice in this world is to decide which thought system we want to follow. Do we choose Love and the thought system of the Holy Spirit or do we choose fear and remain under the false thought system of the ego?

All of us have “special relationships” in our lives. Could you tell us why we seem to have so many “challenges” surrounding these relationships? They seem to be a focus of many of our inner fears and loves. Where is this inner conflict coming from?

Our special relationships with our partners, parents, children, co-workers and others close to us are here to help us choose forgiveness and awaken from this dream of duality and separation that we feel as a deep inner longing to return to our loving Source. No one can push our buttons like those closest to us. Through practicing true forgiveness we can get to a point where instead of reacting to others “out there” we can remember who we really are which is pure spirit and chose to forgive instead. I’m not saying it’s easy, it’s not. It’s hard to forgive others when blame them for causing us pain and suffering. But with practice we can learn to see everyone as they really are which is also pure spirit. We learn the truth that how we see our brothers and sisters is how we will come to see ourselves. If they’re guilty then we’re guilty but if they’re innocent then we’re innocent. Over time, this practice removes the unconscious guilt in our minds and we become aware of Love’s presence. We are more able to hear the Holy Spirit’s guidance and experience an inspired life of peace and joy.

In your books you have extensive conversations with your enlightened masters, Arten and Pursah, who suddenly appeared to you in your living room. These masters have been through many incarnations. Since we are all one spirit, really, do these incarnations have any real meaning? If so, please explain.

My Teachers appeared to me as people because they wanted our conversations to be human. They knew that if they looked like normal people to me then I would be able to accept and understand their teachings and that the books that came from our conversations would be understandable to others. Their bodies as such we no more real than any other bodies because anything that can be perceived is a projection coming from our unconscious mind. We project the world we see and then react to it. But the Holy Spirit has a use for everything we think we see, and that is to use it to get us home. So yes, in reality we are all one spirit but is that how we actually experience life? What we long for is the experience of oneness with God. The Course says: “yet there is no answer; only an experience. Seek only this and do not let theology delay you.”

How has your life changed since you suddenly became a best selling author? What advice would you give to our readers who have aspirations of becoming best selling authors, also?

My life has changed dramatically. I travel more than 100,000 miles each year and speak to hundreds of people nearly every week of the year at seminars around the world. In the last 3 years I’ve been to nearly every state in the US, all across Canada, Australia and Europe. The Disappearance of the Universe has already been translated into 16 languages and I just moved from the East Coast where I’ve lived all of my life to sunny Southern California. I’m in the new movie Living Luminaries: The Serious Business of Happiness that will be out this summer on Spiritual Cinema Circle and I’m working on a third book and a screenplay for The Disappearance of the Universe. So far, it’s been a wild ride!

It’s hard for me to give advice to aspiring authors because I had a ridiculously easy time getting my first book published. I started out with a very small publishing company but within a short period of time, The Disappearance of the Universe came to the attention of Hay House, the largest publishing house for spiritual titles in the world and they now publish my books. So my advice would have to be: learn True Prayer. Practice it every day. You will be guided very specifically as to what you should do. But you have to practice!

By Jamie Allison   Sat, Oct 17, 2009

Everything needs a tune up to run smoothly. Think about how your tires wear out when they are out of alignment. Now think about how your body wears out when it is out of alignment!

We would not consider making our precious cars run for mile after mile without the all important oil change, tire rotation, 60,000 mile check up, but when our bodies start to act up, we just brush it off as all the accumulated years, even if not that many years have accumulated!

Misalignment is a part of being human. Before you start to bemoan your lot, think of it as an opportunity. If everything worked perfectly all the time and if every physical endeavor came without having to work at it, where would the joy be? Where would the sense of accomplishment lie?

If everything were perfect all the time how would we even recognize this perfection? We need contrast to appreciate and understand the world around us. We live in a binary world were creation exists in sets of contrary complements. This gives rise to this and that; here and there; now and then; up and down; hot and cold; you get my drift.

This binary existence sets us up for an either/or world. An either/or world sets us up to participate in a zero sum game. If you win, I must then loose. If you have enough I must be lacking. This zero sum game gives rise to feeling of lack, envy, fear, resentment, the list goes on and on.

We can participate in our binary world in one of two ways. We can struggle with the opposites and feel as if we are constantly participating in a battle or we can embrace the opposites and move into a BOTH world. There is no zero sum game in a BOTH world. This is a world of abundance and light. This is a world where there is enough. Fear, envy and resentment can be replaced with contentment and joy, if we choose.

Sounds crazy?

How can this be possible?

It is not as hard as you may think. There is a catch, however, you must participate, you must be accountable, you must long to live fully and deeply and realize your dreams. There is work to do and only you can do it for yourself.

How is this work done? We start with that which is most familiar, our body. We learn to recognize our tendencies. We then decide to be open to learning how to bring these inherent tendencies into balance. The Anusara Yoga Universal Principles of Alignment hold the key. There is a technique to embracing this binary world of our bodies. At first this technique will alleviate the aches and pains that come with the years. By embodying balanced action we start to shift ourselves at the cellular level. We experience first hand that a BOTH world can and does exist because we are doing it with our bodies. If possible in the seemingly set and solid flesh of the body, why not in the ephemeral world of thoughts and emotions?

Just as the body has built in inherent tendencies, our minds do as well. We all know this, think of the knee jerk reactions we have to certain, most likely reoccurring, events in our lives. Until we recognize the tendencies, the tendencies and emotions own us and run our lives.

Balanced action in the body leads to clarity of mind and openness of heart. This clarity and openness makes a space between events in our lives and the ability to handle the events. Without the space we react, we become the victim of the events. With this space we respond and create our world. In this space, ask; does this serve me or the Universal good, or BOTH? Each time you choose BOTH, you illuminate not just your world, but the whole universe. Sure this takes practice. Do you know of anything that is worth doing well that does not?

Every time you recognize a tendency, whether of body, mind or heart and pause to replace the tendency with something life affirming, you bring more light into your life. By this I suggest that you become the creator of your life. You create a life that is abundance. That is enough. That does fulfill your heart's desire. A life rich with meaningful accomplishments and full of contentment.

The next time you take an Anusara Yoga class, be more attuned to the opportunity of embracing those contrary complements. Your body will thank you, as will your heart and mind. If you can make a shift in your very real and solid body, why not in all aspects of your life? You just have to want to participate and be open to the guidance being offered.

By   Sat, Oct 17, 2009

This is my first column from the Hell Yeah Church Of Love and Miracles for The Guide to Health and healing. I am Jane Stansfield and I started the Hell Yeah Church of Love and Miracles in 2008. The credo of the church is that all things are possible. We want to raise the consciousness and vibration of everyone when they walk in the room. Its non traditional and non denominational. We start out with an amazing rock band that kicks ass and gets it going. I use to manage Peter Mayer Jimmy Buffett's lead guitarist and travel on the road with several of the Coral Reefers and produce their gigs. Anyway When Peter Mayer would wail on his guitar it would send us through the ethers.

That's what I wanted to do with this church just bring it up a notch. Then I take the stage and give a ten minute talk so not to wear anyone out and then we open it up to the people to share their miracles and then end with another powerful song and then Hell Yeah and off for a great week...

Here is a follow up of what went on in our first service and it was miraculous. There were miracles abound going on. I was so grateful for all of it.

First I introduced myself and told the congregation what to expect for the hour. I then had my rock & roll band play two songs. The first one was called "Dragon Fly" which has a story behind it and then the second song "Revolution" by the Beatles. These songs took everyone through the ethers thats for sure. I then talked for tens minutes about who I was and what I wanted for this Church. I told them that five years ago I started the Key West Music festival that took a year to put together.

The Sunday morning before the event I turned on the TV and the movie "Field Of Dreams" was on and I cried. Build it and they will come. Have the faith Jane and they came. Now five years later and I am now putting this church together and the Sunday before the service I turn on the TV and the last ten minutes of Field Of Dreams is on and of course I cried. I went out and bought the DVD.. I told them about the conference I met you at and that we are here to follow our dreams. We are meant to surrender to them they are out purpose and our gift to the universe when we allow them to flow through us.

After my ten minute talk I opened it to the room for anyone to share their dreams, inspirations , miracles. The room lit up. First a woman that lives here started with her story about her being in a plane crash in 1993. There were on board 350 people and they were flying from Denver to Chicago. The plane crashed in Iowa and 155 people walked out of a corn field alive. She had just seen the movie a Field Of Dreams the week before her crash. Another person spoke about her dad being hit by a truck this summer in Cape Cod and she rushed to his side before he died and she wrapped around his injured head a shawl that she had from her business called Peace Mantle. Every item carries the intention of peace in every thread. She stayed with him till he died and until they carried him away.

Several others spoke of their dreams but the last person to speak was a young man Tom from the rock band . He spoke softly that he hadn't said much to anyone in the last four weeks of his mothers death but felt it was time and the right place to open up. He also said that last night he and his girl friend watched Field Of Dreams. It was amazing and so beautiful what was happening.

I then mentioned I had a gift of a tee shirts for everyone and there would be two more songs from the band to be played and Hell yeah!

At the end Leslie the lady that had the shawl that she rapped around her dad's head while he was dying she took it off her shoulders and put it around Tom's neck and told him it was a gift from his mom. It doesn't get any better. Tom gave us all such a long hug.

My youngest son Jeffrey from Portland was there and he said later that service he thought was for Tom, what a beautiful thought. We raised the vibration that's for sure and more services to come with more stories.

By Dr. Ted Wissink   Sat, Oct 17, 2009

1. What is integrative medicine?

The belief at the core of integrative medicine and many of the modalities used in a patient's treatment using integrative medicine is the body's innate ability to heal. This healing is thought to come from within the patient rather than the physician, which goes against what is we often learn in medical school about "curing" or "fixing" a disease. Integrative medicine attempts to change the standard medical model from sickness to health in a very patient-centered method.

The therapeutic relationship between the physician and patient fosters the innate healing process as the physician acknowledges a patient's preferences for certain treatments in recommending a treatment plan. One of the main focuses of integrative medicine is on prevention and lifestyle modification to improve physical and emotional well being in patients. Five areas of prevention often addressed in a visit include:

• nutrition
• periodic screening
• stress management
• physical activity
• spirituality

Integrative medicine is often used synonymously with complementary and alternative medicine, but it involves more than just adding something to conventional medical treatments. Modalities such as acupuncture, botanical medicine, chiropractic and osteopathic manipulation, naturopathy, homeopathy, and conventional allopathic medicine assist an integrative physician in taking a holistic approach to the patient. Integrative physicians have the goal of not providing all of these different modalities themselves, but to have the knowledge and experience to safely guide a patient down a road to becoming more healthy in body, mind, and spirit.

2. If one is having physical pain, how does one know which allopathic and/or holistic route to choose?

The modality or combination of modalities one chooses would depend on the source of pain. With acute pain from an infection, trauma, or surgery, there are many powerful medications in our allopathic pharmacies that will help patients tremendously. One problem with these medications, however, is systemic side effects. Narcotic pain medications are powerful but have neurologic side effects that make it difficult to perform one's daily activities like working and driving. In addition, many of these medications have the potential for abuse and dependence.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAID's) like ibuprofen are often used by patients because they are available over-the-counter, but carry the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding and renal failure if taken chronically. If all a person needs is something short term to gain comfort while the body heals, these can still be good options. But for longer-term pain, other modalities of many kinds used along or in combination offer good treatment options. Chinese medicine with the combination of acupuncture and herbs can successfully address many types of pain, including pain from arthritis which allopathic medicine does not treat very well.

For musculoskeletal pain including back pain, osteopathic and chiropractic manipulation can be very helpful. Mind-body medicine including guided imagery and hypnosis are very powerful for treating pain conditions if the person is open to these modalities.

By Arielle Ford   Sat, Oct 17, 2009

Alanis Morissette has earned seven Grammy awards. But you might not know about another honor she's proud of: a Global Tolerance Award from the Friends of the United Nations, for promoting tolerance through her art and in her daily life. And, merging ecoactivism with her greatest talents, she's lending her voice to a whole other brand of entertainment: She narrated The Great Warming, which some have praised as the best film yet about global warming.

We caught up with Alanis and asked how she walks her green talk, taps her creativity, and more.

How do you live green?

I have solar panels and drive a hybrid or my motorcycle. I rarely use air conditioning these days. I am using less and less products that harm the environment. And I’m working with a costume designer who is designing some beautiful pieces made from recycled clothing and hemp.

I have shut lights off in my house compulsively since I was a little kid! I recycle, and I say no to bags as often as I can when I shop.

I do the best I can without beating myself up; I am evolving in my choices each day. I’m inspired by my many friends who live off the grid and live off their land. They are true inspirations to me.

Your work says a lot about how "awake and aware" you are spiritually, too. Was there a moment when that first started happening?

There is no one moment that I can attribute to my awakening, as I still feel myself awakening as we speak. I’m convinced it may take more than this lifetime for me to do it. There have been several moments in which I have felt myself being alchemically transmuted by the heat of pain. I can attribute every rock-bottom experience as an opportunity for my phoenix to rise, so to speak.

But my awakening moments include navigating wildfire of fame when it hit me ... learning how to be a better lover in relationships ... going to India and getting off the radar ... reading my ass off all the time ... spiritual teachers like Debbie Ford, Harville Hendrix, Margaret Paul, Byron Katie, Eckhart Tolle, Pia Mellody …. So many writers and teachers who have shed light on the darks places that had left me feeling separate from life and people. Taking responsibility for my own needs and wants and carving out my values has been invaluable in my sense of connection. I see the bridging of the human and the divine as the most exciting “job” I have on this planet in this lifetime.

How do you manage stress?

Solitude. And silence. For hours. Reading something inspiring before I even get out of bed in the morning. Swimming alone.

How do you stay fit?

I get very bored quite easily. I am a dabbler. And, I consider myself a nature girl. I love to surf. Do yoga. Dance five rhythms. Hike. Bicycle. Kick box. Swim in the ocean. Trampoline. Play volleyball and basketball. I’ve done mini triathlons. I jump all over the place. And my body feels better than it’s ever felt.

Who or what is your muse?

Life experience informs everything I ever write. Commenting on different relationships. Watching my life unfold like a witness, watching people, I live to observe and then comment. I love distilling things that feel complicated to me into a four-minute song. I have written songs before, many times, that wind up speaking directly to the future me.

What's next from Alanis?

Just finished a record entitled “flavors of entanglement”. (I love it!) Am recording 8 or so “b-sides” or extra songs. I'm planning a small tour with Q & A’s … I want to get more and more interactive and engage in dialogue with people. I'm also meeting tons of new people, developing my website, nurturing relationships ... generally growing like a weed.

Re-published courtesy of Gaiam Community. For more stories like this please visit www.gaiam.com/trends

Press contact: Arielle Ford 858 454 3314 af@fordsisters.com

By Ellen DiNucci M.A.   Sat, Oct 17, 2009

Many successful CEOs rely on their intuition, according to a Harvard Business Review article. Whether negotiating with colleagues, building corporate structures, or investing in the right companies, business executives who stay ahead of the game rely on their "gut" instincts. Furthermore, other professionals such as scientists, writers, and educators use intuition to produce innovative products and procedures.

As a trainer I teach clients to become aware of their intuition and how to keep this channel open and flowing. One of my clients relies on his intuition for decision-making and forming strategic alliances with other business executives. To help this process, he first creates a receptive state by relaxing his muscles, slowing his breath and reducing mind chatter through a short meditation. Then, he poses a question to his "wise" self and receives first impressions free of analysis through his mind's ear, his dominant intuitive mode. Afterwards he asks if there is any more information about his question. He then writes down his impressions, formulates a new plan, brainstorms with his business partner, then presents a proposal to his potential new business associate. He has formed many important business relationships this way.

Picking up information on a distant situation whether in the future, present or past is an innate ability we all possess. According to the modern physics theories of nonlocality and the zero point field, the mind is not restricted by time and space and is interconnected with all living things by an unseen energy field.

To stimulate your intuition, try this exercise. Find a quiet place to sit with eyes open or closed, uncrossing the arms and legs. Breathe slowly and deeply feeling your belly rise and fall with each breath. Imagine or sense your head, arms, legs and torso becoming long, loose and flexible, as your breath continues to slow. When you feel open and relaxed, ask your higher, wise self to have a seat before you. Pose your question to him or her. Then let go of the question. Notice what impressions come to you through any of your senses.

If at first you don't notice anything, it is perfectly normal. Don't worry. You have an inner wise self that might need a little nurturing. Regular practice helps. Try doing the above exercise each morning before you go about your day and during times when you need a little extra help in decision-making. The more you practice the more you'll see your intuition blossom and become an automatic, conscious part of who you are.