scm spring 2013
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SCMSedona Conscious Magazine
S pr i n g i S S u e 2 0 1 3
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Articles06 Transformational Astrology
by Henry Seltzer
11 Archetypes
by Carolyn Myss
14 Are You Using Knowledge or is Knowledge Using You?
by don Miguel Ruiz Jr.
16 The Seasons of Self: April- Awakening to the Miraculous
by Lynn Woodland
19 Living a More Conscious Life
by Dr. Jennifer Howard
22 Baked Egg Rolls - a recipe
by Corinne Casazza
23 Optimal Detox
by Christopher Vasey N.D.
25 The Keeper of the Diary (part 2)
by Judith Diana Winston
27 The Spirit of Simples
by Susun S Weed
29 Holistic Approach to Healing and Wellness
by Michael E. Goldberg
Sedona Conscious Magazine
PUBLISHERS
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Corinne Casazza
Michael E. Goldberg
Dr. Jennifer Howard
Indie Lee
Carolyn Myss
Chris Roe
don Miguel Ruiz Jr.
Henry Seltzer
Christopher Vasey N.D.
Susun S Weed
Judith Diana Winston
Lynn Woodland
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he astrology of March features
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Chiron
and Pluto. Mercury is still in retrograde
from late February, and only escapes its
retrograde shadow on the 6th of april.
Therefore the entire month of March
will be one that partakes at least to some
extent of the usual Mercury Retrograde
symptoms of missed connections, communication mishaps and
mechanical breakdowns. These interesting phenomena can
usually be traced to false assumptions or overlooking something
on the part of our own mental apparatus, and do not seem to
much affect those persons born with Mercury retrograde natally.
Venus, relationship planet and the astrological archetype
of beauty and the arts, is also highlighted this month, now in
Pisces and there conjuncting Neptune. The March 11th New
Moon in Pisces also conjuncts Venus, so that a softer and more
compassionate take on inter-personal connection is even more
than usual on our minds and in our hearts. additionally, with
the Mercury retrograde period ushering in a more thoughtful
attitude, the focus of our meditations will likely be the very
nature of our world as a relationship planet, as well as on our
various relationships, our soul’s life blood.
The same New Moon that features Venus is accompanied by
Mars leaving Pisces and entering into its own sign of aries, there
to come into closer and closer conjunction with Uranus as the
second half of this month unfolds. This brings a series of sudden
surprises and an extroverted counter-point to the internal energy
of the Mercury retrograde. The possibility of accidents cannot
be ruled out so that it is best to proceed with caution. We might
continue our month-long meditation by focusing on the many
ways that we bring one-pointed and self-motivated activity to
the altar that relationship provides. When we more closely look,
and look truly, we are able to recognize where indeed the very
structure of our lives must radically transform.
Meanwhile, Jupiter in Gemini, ruled by both Mercury and, in
esoteric terms, Venus, is once again the focus of a yod formation
from Saturn and Pluto – as was found at the time of the Winter
Solstice on the 21st of December, 2012, and also in the chart
for the New Year. Saturn with Pluto represents the radical
transformation of structures; our own, and in the life of the
surrounding collective. The Jupiter emphasis lends an optimistic
air to the proceedings as we continue to explore what we need
to do – both individually and as a society – to make the necessary
life changes that will enable us to get through this pivotal year,
recognizing it as one important turning point of a turbulent
decade.
Chiron, the Wounded Healer, is also very prominent in this
month’s configurations, being increasingly aspected by Jupiter,
and by retrograde Mercury as we make our way through March.
This indicates a primary focus on the challenges as well as the
rewards of this period. We are caught up in a struggle to accept
the necessity of massive change. There is also the realization
that, as we do go along with the flow of the cosmos working
itself out through our lives, our relationships must also undergo
continual adjustment and repair. It is important to recognize that
change opens the door to healing, and is vital, representing the
only way that we will be able to make our necessary transition
into wholeness.
TransformationalAstrology ApRiL 2013
TBY HEnRY SELTzER
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com 7
ARiES (MARCH 20-ApRiL 19)You are coming into your own, aries, although you might not yet know it. The recent cosmic emphasis implies
that in order that you take full advantage of your opportunities, it is more important than ever that you make
fundamental changes in your mission statement. You are in a good place to aim carefully, and it is vital that, as
you do, you take inner priorities more fully into account. With Mercury retrograde all month long, this is not the
time to push ahead without carefully thinking everything over, and from several different standpoints. You win
when you base your thoughts on your deeper feeling level, making use of the powerful intuitive information that
currently floods into your being. There, true information is to be found whenever you can make space and allow
it to come in.
TAURUS (ApRiL 20-MAY 19) It is a brand new world for you, Taurus, as the winter of your discontent begins to fade and you enter into a
springtime of renewed opportunity. You are benefiting from recent realizations regarding partnership priorities
and how these affect your world view, and, going forward, on your life in general. You are mulling over your
actual plans for a more vitalized soul future, but you are still learning how to navigate the incredibly powerful
mix of energies that swirl around you. Next month will be a better time to finalize important decisions that are
still coming into being – currently stewing in the reflections of a thoughtful March time frame. For now, you do
well to continue to watch and wait, and enjoy your growing confidence as well as the trepidation of anticipated
new birth.
GEMini (MAY 20-JUnE 20)This continues to be a powerful and an optimistic time for you, Gemini. You have been in an essentially
optimistic place, despite being put through the wringer lately. The transformational beat continues into the
heart of yet another intense year. You are coming now to a marked shift in your energies, with your ruler,
Mercury, retrograding through your sector of career path and productive works. You are entirely serious about
understanding your actual life mission, that which will make you not only successful but also happily so, and now
is the time to solidify those gains, as you pause to collect yourself. On into april it will be soon enough you to be
pressing ahead with a new mandate for a future that you can not only live with, but for.
CAnCER (JUnE 21-JULY 20) It’s an interesting time for you, Cancer. You know you’ve been through something major over these last few
weeks, and it is still ongoing, although it might be hard to pin it down exactly what it is. Your emotional center
has been rocked; there is an evolution that is taking place within you. The result over this current monthly cycle
is a new world view and new vision for where you are potentially heading. a deep exploration has come about
without specific planning, as though a hidden passage through the center of the earth had suddenly opened
up at your feet resulting in free fall. Where you will land only goddess knows, but it certainly won’t be Kansas
anymore, or anything at all like the place where you began.
LEO (JULY 21-AUG. 21) This is an interesting month of introspection, Leo, with the retrograde of Mercury through your sector of
personal evolution, and following the intensity of the last days of February when everything seemed to fall apart
only to pull together again in new ways. You have been caught up, for many weeks now, in the exploration of
your interior process, leading to a better, further, and deeper commitment to yourself. You are beginning to
entertain, in a new way, the idea that you include Spirit as a normal part of your waking life. It suddenly becomes
important that you allow family and relationship with others to rise nearer to the top of your priority list. You are
digging deep over this month and the next, first preparing, as you refine your purpose; and then, finally, as you
are ready, to act.
astrology
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ViRGO (AUG. 21-SEpT. 21) This is quite a time you are having here in the first few months of 2013, Virgo. Now, with six planets in
your relationship sector, including Mercury in retrograde, you are deeply committed to partnership concerns,
and also to refining and reformulating your viewpoint on life and love. This is a time of plumbing your spiritual
depths, and regarding relationship, of both rampant confusion and also the discovery of ethereal beauty
emerging, unannounced, between the lines of everyday occurrences. You could also be discovering that you
just can’t push the river, but must let it roll on with a life of its own to which you are merely witness. Even
though tempting, you might need to put the attractive magnet of outer world pursuits on hold this month as you
sort things out.
LiBRA (SEpT. 22-OCT. 22) You are seeking fulfillment amidst the ordinary, Libra. You are making a breakthrough to new levels of
understanding, of yourself and of where in the world your life could be heading, although the details are more
than a bit confusing, mystical and vague. Since Mercury is also retrograde until the first week of april, when
you take into account the period of the retrograde shadow, it may be best not to try too hard. You win if you
can wait to forge ahead with plans until you have a good sense of what you really want, down within the
deepest centers of your being. One stage of this evolving process, when significant others enter even more
into your picture, takes place with the Full Moon in your sign during the last week of March.
SCORpiO (OCT. 23-nOV. 21) This is an important time, Scorpio, when you are continuing to explore your inner world, and when you have
also been feeling your way into a better relationship with your own personal power. When you think that you
have the capability of exerting the most control is when, paradoxically, you have the very least. Over the course
of this current month, your self-expression and creativity is blazing up in a new fashion that takes your deep
unconscious process into better account, recognizing that at base, not everything you do is fully conscious.
You are on the way to affirming your path forward in a very different way, one that rather than the misplaced
conditioning of an era that has lost its relevance to your present understanding, takes soul purpose more firmly
into account.
SAGiTTARiUS (nOV. 22-DEC. 20) You are on a roll, Sagittarius, but it is not all easy. as an intense winter makes way for spring via the dynamic
transition point of the recent February 25th Full Moon, you are even more greatly focalized on important
interpersonal connections. These include relationships with significant others, and also those with home, family
and tribe; where you find that you are reviewing and renewing your priorities. There might be a better way
forward than you have previously attempted. This is correlates as well to the psychological basis of your
security, and you might find that in the course of these investigations you are discovering what makes you tick,
deep down inside. as you do, you gain a better grasp on a top-to-bottom integration that brings you into closer
connection with others and ultimately, with yourself.
CApRiCORn (DEC. 21-JAn. 19) This is an interesting time for you, Capricorn, especially for learning new things about yourself. a tremendous
transition period has been underway for many weeks, affecting how you see yourself moving forward into the
uncertainty of a changed and changing world, and you remain in the thick of it. There is a way that you have
never fully explored what might be termed soul purpose to the depth that you are exploring it now. You are
refining your perception of what this means in terms of life direction and how you can best respond. With
Mercury currently retrograde, it isn’t the time to push the river. The moment for more concerted action will
come mid-april. For now, it makes for the perfect time to write down your observations or to discuss them, and
to quietly watch and wait.
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com 9
Henry Seltzer, transformational astrologer and creator of the Timepassages astrology software, is based in Santa Cruz, California. An extended
look at this month’s star signs and a variety of astrology reports are available on his website. Henry also offers life enhancing private astrologi-
cal counseling. Call him at 831-425-3686, or visit his website at www.astrograph.com.
AQUARiUS (JAn. 20-FEB. 17) This is an important time of transition, aquarius, as you more fully explore public persona and simultaneously
your role as a creative and free individual. You are examining your position through the wrong end of a
telescope, looking in a new way at the details of how you live your life, and it becomes an excellent time to
journal or to meditate on these observations. You are very much in the physical world, and yet not really of
it. While still remaining the proving ground of practicality, your world has turned into a symbolic statement
of how you connect with others around you, and with your own inner universe. You see both these ideas in a
kind of double-vision that will drive you mad if insist on simple logic rather than choosing a mystical approach,
and simply enjoying the ride.
piSCES (FEB. 18-MARCH 19) This is a powerful time for you, Pisces, one of meditative reflection and self-definition. With the timing of
the recent very intense Full Moon in your opposite sign from the last week of February, and the simultaneous
retrograde of Mercury through your identity sector, you have turned an important corner. While still engaged
with the world, you are spending a large amount of your time simply thinking and feeling. There is a way that
you are becoming more aware that, along with recognizing scholarly sources of information, there are vast
realms of knowledge concealed within the intimations of your almost entirely unconscious deep intuition.
although you are gaily participating, socially interacting, this void of profound silence within you might be the
one thing that is really worth a listen.
earth-Keeper WeSAK
gathering
4-DAySMay 24-26
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May 27Sedona, Arizona
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www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com 10
ArcheTypes
"Life is an archetypal magic carpet ride through endless adventures meant to teach us about the hidden truths of
life and our place in the cosmic scheme."
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com 11
ith just three words—
Hero and Perfect
Mom—I would have
awakened in you two
complete archives of
myths and symbols that
you automatically asso-
ciate with those terms.
In seconds, these two people would cease to be strangers,
as your psyche wrapped them in stories, fairy tales, and your
own memories. The man would instantly take on the appear-
ance of a super-strong Hero able to face any adversary. De-
spite knowing nothing else about him, you would instantly
trust him. after all, Heroes don’t betray the women they’re
sent to rescue—at least not in the fairy tales we know and
love, right?
Consider the archetype of the Perfect Mom. You don’t
need to meet the woman I’m speaking about to flesh out an
idea of her in your imagination. The words Perfect Mom pack
a powerful punch, especially in our society, where we have
commercially enhanced this archetype beyond its already
deeply rooted sentimental meaning. The instant someone tells
you that a woman is a Perfect Mom, you immediately pic-
ture a great cook with a charming, well-ordered home, who
helps her kids with their homework, attends all their sporting
events, listens to their problems, hosts sleepovers with their
friends—and bakes brownies. Even if the words Perfect Mom
bring up painful associations with a not-so-perfect upbringing,
you still have the projection of the ideal Mother figure firmly
planted in your psyche.
So how do those words—Hero and Perfect Mom—com-
municate so much visual, emotional, intellectual, and mythic
spirituality
ArcheTypes
BY CAROLYn MYSS
if i said to you, “See that man over there? He’s my Hero,” or “That woman is the perfect Mom,” i know without a doubt that you would understand exactly what i was communicating to you about two people you had never met.
Excerpt
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com 12
information to us? They carry the power
they do because they are archetypes,
psychic power patterns in the uncon-
scious mind. although archetypes are
collective symbols that everyone in the
culture shares, they can also speak to
us individually, as personal archetypal
patterns that are the foundation of our
beliefs, drives, motivations, and ac-
tions, organizing and energizing all our
relationships in life. archetypes are the
power images we identify with as chil-
dren. The athlete or the artist or the
actor or the Princess or even, sad to
say, the Victim or the Vampire repre-
sents a complex of stories and myths
that we somehowimagine happening in
our own life. We are drawn to movies,
books, and video games with charac-
ters that represent our power images.
Little girls dress up as Princesses and
Wonder Woman, little boys as Batman
and Warriors. archetypal identification
begins early.
The ten archetypal patterns that re-
flect the power trends of our times are:
the advocate, the artist/Creative, the
athlete, the Caregiver, the Fashionista,
the Intellectual, the Queen/Executive,
the Rebel, the Spiritual Seeker, and the
Visionary. They all embody the primary
power issues that define women today,
including their underlying struggles with
personal empowerment. Ten years ago,
the list of defining archetypes would
have been different, and it may change
again ten years from now. But in the
world as we know it today, the mod-
ern woman is likely to consider herself
a Professional, or if not a Professional
then someone looking for her place in
the world. Today’s woman is also likely
to see herself as a Caregiver, whether
or not she is a mother. Her Caregiver
may have a rebellious streak, simply by
virtue of adapting to life in a world so
vastly different from the one in which
previous generations of women lived,
or she may be a woman in whom the
Rebel is a full-time force.
In addition to reflecting contem-
porary power themes, the ten arche-
types embody the more pressing per-
sonal challenges facing women today.
Women in particular face the challenge
of developing an inner sense of power
and personal identity. Without that es-
sential core of self-esteem, you will be
unable to hear your intuitive guidance.
You won’t trust the Intellectual in you
as it engages with new ideas. You will
tune out the Fashionista archetype
when it sprinkles your imagination with
ideas about creating a new line of cloth-
ing or jewelry. You will dismiss the in-
tuitive instructions or suggestions as if
they were a bad dream, with a thought
like I could never do that. What if I fail?
or some other excuse coming from low
self-esteem. Few forces in life have
the positive authority of genuine self-
esteem, or the negative effect of a lack
of self-esteem.
archetypal patterns filter into every
aspect of your life. Your archetypes in-
fluence your spending habits, how you
shop, and what you buy or not. They
influence the quality of your relation-
ships, and who you are attracted to and
why. and they influence recurring is-
sues: arguments you seem to have over
and over, difficulties at work that keep
cropping up, and other patterns that re-
peat themselves. anything that repeats
is a clue to what archetypes are oper-
ating in your life. You identify your ar-
chetypes in your stories, your patterns,
your fears, your talents—all the things
that are constant in your nature. What
would you say is “typical” of you? How
do other people describe you? (If you’re
up for it, ask your friends for help with
this. You would be surprised by what
you can learn about yourself.) The more
you know about how archetypes work,
the more easily you can observe their
influence on your thoughts, your atti-
tudes, your behavior, and your personal
myths and symbols.
Once you connect with an archetype
that you know is genuinely you, it will
inspire you to find out about other ar-
chetypes that may be influencing your
life. Connecting with an archetype is
a bridge to your true Self, to who you
really are. You are far more than your
personality, more than your habits,
more than your achievements. You are
an infinitely complex human being with
stories and myths and dreams—and
ambitions of cosmic proportions. Don’t
waste time underestimating yourself.
Dream big. Use your archetypes. If
you’re an artist, make art. If you’re a
Visionary, imagine something the fu-
ture needs, then join forces with an
Entrepreneur to make a venture out of
it. Use the energy of your archetype to
express the true reason you were born.
Life was never meant to be safe. It
was meant to be lived right to the end.
There are inner riches awaiting you in
the archetypal domain. Life is an arche-
typal magic carpet ride through endless
adventures meant to teach us about the
hidden truths of life and our place in the
cosmic scheme.
This excerpt is taken from the book
Archetypes by Carolyn Myss.
it is published by Hay House and available
online at: www.hayhouse.com
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com 13
1 2 3 4
fun
natural Mood Lighting
WiTH inDiE LEE
Why burn toxic synthetic materials, or exorbitantly priced soy and bees wax, when the perfect citrus mood-lighting is sitting in your compost?
How to make it:1. Cut clementine in half.
2. Carefully peel skin off as a whole.
3. Twist the inside into a wick.
4. Fill with a bit of olive oil.
5. Light and enjoy!
*indie Tip: Cut a small design in the top half of the peel to make a creative candle lid!
5
Clementines are for Lovers: Natural Citrus Candle Sans Wax
you need: 1 Clementine and Olive Oil
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com 14
began my apprenticeship
into my family’s tradition in
San Diego, California, when
I was fourteen years old. My
seventy-nine-year-old grand-
mother, Madre Sarita, was
my teacher and the spiritual
head of our family. She was
a curandera, a faith healer
who helped people in her
small temple in Barrio Logan,
a neighborhood in San Diego, with the
power of her faith in God and love. Since
my father was a medical doctor, the jux-
taposition of the two forms of healing
allowed me to see our tradition through
different points of view.
Though she spoke no English, my
grandmother gave sermons and lectures
across the country. My apprenticeship
began with translating my grandmoth-
er’s lectures from Spanish to English. For
many years, I awkwardly stumbled over
her words, and my grandmother would
just look at me and laugh.
One day, she asked me if I knew why I
stumbled. I had all sorts of answers: you
are speaking too quickly, you don’t give
me a chance to catch up, some words
don’t have a direct translation. . . . She
just looked at me silently for a few mo-
ments and then asked, “are you using
knowledge, or is knowledge using you?”
I looked at her blankly. She continued,
“When you translate, you try to express
my words through what you already
Are you using knowledge, or is knowledge using you?
iBY don MiGUEL RUiz JR.
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com 15
know, what you think is true. You do not hear me; you hear
yourself. Imagine doing the same thing every single moment
in life. If you are looking through life and translating it as it
goes along, you will miss out on living it. But if you learn to
listen to life, you will always be able to express the words as
they come. Your knowledge has to become a tool that you will
use to guide you through life but that can also be put aside,.
Do not let knowledge translate everything you experience.”
I nodded in response, but it didn’t dawn on me until many
years later what my grandmother was truly talking about.
Throughout life, we constantly narrate, or commentate on,
everything we do, say, see, touch, smell, taste, and hear. as
natural storytellers, we continuously keep the plot moving
forward, sometimes missing millions of subplots that are de-
veloping on their own. It is like taking a sip of wine and say-
ing, “It’s a bit dry; it has definitely aged well, but I can taste
the bark. I’ve had better.” Instead of simply experiencing the
joy and flavors of the wine, we are analyzing the flavor, try-
ing to break it down and fit it into a context and language we
already know. In doing this, we miss out on much of the actual
experience.
This is a simple example of how we narrate life—explain-
ing it, but, more importantly, justifying and judging it. Instead
of taking an experience for what it is, we create a story to
make it fit our beliefs. During Madre Sarita’s talks, I had to
completely shut down my thoughts, because if my mind’s
commentary got in the way, I would miss out on her mes-
sage. With this simple process, my grandmother showed me
that if we only see the world through the filters of our pre-
conceptions, we are going to miss out on actually living. after
much practice, I eventually learned to close my eyes, shut out
the world that existed outside my head, and translate every
single word she said accurately.
Seeing beyond our filters—our accumulated knowledge
and beliefs—does not always come naturally. We have spent
years growing attached to them in various degrees, and they
feel safe. Whatever we become attached to can begin to
shape our future experiences and limit our perception of what
exists outside our vocabulary. Like blinders on a horse, our
attached beliefs limit our vision, and this in turn limits our per-
ceived direction in life. The stronger our level of attachment,
the less we can see.
Think about your set of attached beliefs as a unique melody
repeating itself in your mind. In a way, we are constantly try-
ing to force our melody—the one we have become accus-
tomed to hearing—onto other melodies, without realizing that
often the melody is not our own, and perhaps it’s not even
the one we want to be playing. If we continue playing only
what we know, never opening ourselves to listen to the other
songs flowing around us, we are letting our attachment to our
particular melody control us. Instead, choose to listen to other
melodies playing. Perhaps you will contribute to them, add-
ing a harmony or a bass line and just seeing where the music
takes you. By letting go of your attachment to what you think
the melody should be, you open yourself to the potential to
create a unique and beautiful song of your own composition
or a collaboration that can be shared with others.
Excerpted from The Five Levels of Attachment: Toltec Wisdom for a
Modern World by don Miguel Ruiz, Jr.
© 2013 Hierophant publishing, distributed by Red Wheel/Weiser.
now available at Amazon.com and Bn.com.
feature
don Miguel Ruiz, Jris a nagual, or a Toltec Master of Transformation.
He is a direct descendant of the Toltecs of the
Eagle night lineage, and is the son of don Miguel Ruiz,
author of The Four Agreements.
He lives in Sacramento, California with his wife
and two children.
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com 16
e’ve entered the season
where light is on the rise,
growing stronger every
day, and it can’t help but
touch us all and get our
energy moving, even if we
don’t consider ourselves
terribly attuned to nature,
even if we never garden, even if it’s still Minnesota-cold out
(as it is where I live). When light is rising, we know it in our
bones. at the very least, we find we don’t need our Seasonal
affective Disorder lamps as often and notice our houseplants
going wild. Every year this time, the presence of light awak-
ens us in any number of obvious as well as deep, primal ways.
Of course, the true rebirth of light happened at the win-
ter solstice, the darkest day of the year. Yet, winter light is a
quiet power, both dormant and pregnant, like the time after
conception but before birth. Spring, on the other hand, is for
“hatching.” Easter brings with it a riot of candy eggs, baby
animals, and Jesus rising from the dead, as Christian symbol-
ism blends with earlier, earth-based, traditions of the solar
sun being on the rise.
This energy of birth and beginnings is exciting, fresh, and
a bit fragile. There’s an openness and child-like innocence to
it; a sense of the world being new and that anything is pos-
sible. What better time to consciously cultivate this energy of
excitement, fresh perspective, and willing suspension of dis-
belief, not as a naive first step on the way to a painful crash,
but as a creative force? What better time to open ourselves
to miracles?
If the pure presence of spring isn’t enough to open your
jaded mind to the possibility of miracles, try wading into some
of the mind-boggling findings of relativity theory and quan-
tum physics over the last century. Science is now showing us
a remarkable new definition of reality in which time and space
aren’t fixed, matter isn’t solid and the very nature of matter
changes according to the expectations of those observing it.
We’re seeing that consciousness in and of itself has the power
to affect the physical realm and that minds are joined beyond
the limits of time and space. To quote one of the pioneers of
W
t h e s e a s o n s o f
SelfApril: Awakening to the Miraculous
BY LYnn WOODLAnD
The Spring equinox, the official beginning of spring, happened in the third month of March, marking the point where, for the first time in six months, light and darkness are equal.
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com 17
quantum physics, Erwin Schrodinger, on the nature of con-
sciousness, “the overall number of minds is just one.” (a good
starter book on new science is Taking the Quantum Leap, by
Fred alan Wolf.)
But this article isn’t just about the mysteries of time, space
and matter. It’s an opportunity to explore and experience
these mysteries first hand. It’s an invitation to suspend disbe-
lief, allow your mind to be boggled and take a leap out of the
box of what you think you know because what follows is an
exercise in miracle-making.
Going back to Erwin Schrodinger’s idea of “One Mind” and
combining that with mounting evidence of the mind’s power
to affect matter (on this, check out physicist Helmut Schmidt’s
research with random events generators, for starters), and
then throwing in what we’re beginning to know about the flu-
idity of time and space (thank you, Einstein), take a little leap
of imagination and consider that, simply through your inten-
tion to do so, you could connect with every other mind who
has read, is reading, or will read this article. Imagine that,
beyond the illusionary limitations of time and space, together
we could (perhaps have already?) form a powerful, syner-
gistic force of Mind capable of moving proverbial mountains
of matter. (Why not? It’s been documented that prayer said
anonymously, sight unseen, on another’s behalf has a statisti-
cally relevant, positive impact on physical health. Check out
the book, Healing Words, by Larry Dossey, M.D. for more on
this.)
So, if you’re still with me, stop for a moment and really
imagine this. Envision your mind joining with the minds of all
who have read, are reading and will read this article. Imagine
inspiration
Lynn Woodlandis creator of The Miracles Course, and author of
Making Miracles—Create new Realities for Your Life and
Our World, from namaste publishing.
Email her at [email protected] with your comments
and to receive a free video download on the new prosperity.
More at www.LynnWoodland.com.
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com 18
us joining in a common intent that every reader now expe-
riences something miraculous this month. (What’s “miracu-
lous?” I think of it as something better than we expected,
perhaps didn’t believe to be possible, always win/win, and
often showing up through serendipity rather than effort.)
as your mind follows along here, already you’ve become
more than a passive reader—you’ve entered the process
and begun to reshape matter, starting a healing ripple for
yourself and countless others you will never know.
Picture this joined consciousness as clear, beautiful, and
only positive—an ocean of pure potential having the power
to do great good and incapable of doing harm. Imagine that
beyond time and space we’ve formed a synergistic, only-
for-good, creative force, ready to be directed. You can add
your own mind power to this in any way your imagination
might suggest: aim a beam of light from your heart to this
collective pool and see it grow brighter; hold a heart-felt
intention that these many others who you’ll never know
now receive whatever highest good best serves them; or
simply think and say this to yourself. Imagine you believe
this is true even if you don’t. The power of our conscious-
ness magnifies whatever we give consistent attention to so
simply holding in mind an imagined reality is akin to plant-
ing a seed. Bringing it to mind repeatedly provides the sun
and water that nurture its growth.
Now, all that’s left is to have faith. Faith means expect-
ing success and seeing signs of it everywhere and in ev-
erything. It’s not a matter of hoping and wishing, which
keeps our attention focused on something that isn’t here
yet. “Faith” is when we’re so certain the future will unfold
perfectly, we feel no need to be attached to it at all. Con-
sequently, faith keeps us very present and at peace in the
moment. Once we’ve stopped trying to worry the future
into being, the miraculous present happens, with grace and
serendipity.
Instead of looking for signs of your success, which is
tinged with an attitude of prove-it-to-me doubt, this month
practice finding signs of success. It’s a little like being on
an Easter egg hunt. You know without any doubt the eggs
are out there. Some may be so obvious you’ll practically
step on them, while some you might have to peek behind
bushes and rocks to uncover. Play lightly with the possibil-
ity of miracles this month and see what shows up when you
least expect it!
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com 19
Living a
More Conscious LiFe
guiding light
hen you’re living a more
conscious life, you’re be-
ing with yourself and for
yourself deeply, moment
by moment. No matter
how attractive quick and
easy solutions seem, last-
ing change can’t happen in
the time it takes to deliver a pizza. It takes time, attention, and
commitment to address and heal the layers of who we are
and grow in consciousness.
So, what is conscious living?
To be conscious means to observe what’s present, and im-
plies being awake or awakening to your deeper truth, an in-
ner realization, or circumstance. Living a conscious life means
having the willingness, curiosity, and courage to stay present
to your thoughts and feelings, to the meeting point of body,
emotion, mind, and spirit. It means staying present to the im-
pact you have on others and your environment, as well as the
choices available to you. To live a conscious life—to be awake
and aware—is to be gloriously alive!
We experience life in degrees. You can choose where to
place your attention and intention, creating a life that feels
better than it does now. You can grow, change, and deepen
your ability to navigate life. You can expand and illuminate
your experience of consciousness. You can mature toward
greater integration and wholeness.
From the deepest sense of ourselves, our inner life longs
to be experienced, understood, and validated. It’s rich with
nuance and complexity, and meant to be sipped and savored.
It’s not meant to be swallowed a week at a time, controlled by
our past programming and endless “to do” lists. Slow down,
take a deep breath, and truly feel life. Every moment, even a
painful one, contains gifts of wisdom and joy if we’re willing
to remain conscious.
Living consciously includes uncovering, grieving, and
working through your historical childhood difficulties, along
with the programming they created. It’s your job to return
W
BY DR. JEnniFER HOWARD
When you’re living a more conscious life, you’re being with yourself and for yourself deeply, moment by moment.
An excerpt from Your Ultimate Life plan: How to Deeply Transform Your Everyday Experience and Create Changes That Last, by Dr. Jennifer Howard.
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com 20
to your blocks, those stubborn problems that keep you from
experiencing your wholeness and embracing your potentials.
as you identify and heal them you create change. This opens
the door to the emergence of your real self.
You might be thinking, “Grieve my childhood difficulties?!
Is that even possible? Won’t that take forever? Why should
I go through all that effort? What problems will it solve?” To
understand why it’s needed, let me ask you a few questions:
are you living the life you’ve always dreamed of?
Often, from a young age, we have an idea of the kind of life
we want to live. We have specific goals in some areas, others
we paint with broader strokes, and some goals change with
time. Do you feel your life expresses your deepest desire? are
you moving toward your greatest vision of life?
are you the person you want to be?
When you reflect on who you’re being in life, you may dis-
cover you’re suppressing important qualities and traits while
expressing others that don’t feel like the real you. are you be-
ing your authentic, empowered self much of the time?
Is there a persistent complaint, pain, or longing in your life
you’ve yet to heal?
Sometimes, no matter how much we work on ourselves,
we encounter the same inner obstacles again and again.
are you living and feeling fulfilled by your deepest mission
in life, serving others, and making a difference?
We’re here to contribute to the world in our own unique
Dr. Jennifer Howard is a licensed psychotherapist,
energy healer, and spiritual teacher. She’s the author
of Your Ultimate Life plan: How to Deeply Transform
Your Everyday Experience and Create Changes That
Last, Huffington post blogger and the host of the
weekly radio talk show, A Conscious Life. Visit her
website, www.DrJenniferHoward.com, for medita-
tions, articles, and free gifts.
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com 21
way. Sometimes that contribution makes big waves, and
sometimes our expression of service is quiet, subtle, or deep-
ly personal. Each is as important in its own way. are you mak-
ing the difference you know you can?
are you satisfied and fulfilled in your relationships?
This is an area in which we often compromise, give in to
resignation, and feel we’ve gotten the best we can get. are
you frustrated and unfulfilled in your personal and profession-
al relationships?
Is your work aligned with your life-path, and are you satis-
fied with your progress?
are you doing what you’re burning to do? Does your pro-
fessional life (your job or your business) express who you au-
thentically are in the world? are you achieving the results you
want?
Living a conscious life changes your everyday experience
in measurable ways. You’ll find greater ease, resilience, con-
tentment, and success. as you learn to be present to physical
sensations, emotional feelings, and thoughts, you’ll develop
ego strength, and move more comfortably with the ups and
downs of life. You’ll be well on your way to walking the con-
scious life path, embodying greater freedom and happiness.
You’ll relax into the most subtle and profound realms of
awareness, the inner silent still point in consciousness—
the silence that feeds body and soul. Father Thomas Keat-
ing, in his book Invitation to Love, said, “Silence is God’s
first language; everything else is a poor translation. In
order to hear that language, we must learn to be still and
to rest in God.”
Conscious Living 2.0™ practices can lead you into wisdom
and inner silence. Some might call this opening more fully to
God, Wisdom, or unified consciousness. I like to call it “en-
lightening-ment,” meaning that for most of us enlightenment
is not a destination or graduation into a permanent higher
state of consciousness, but a moment-by-moment experience
constantly fluctuating between degrees of wholeness and lim-
ited consciousness.
Once we’ve experienced and embodied this enlighten-
ment, whether for a moment or more, the time spent in this
impersonal state, stillness, spaciousness, silence, or whole-
ness leaves its mark on us forever. You probably know what
I mean, and can feel it as you read. When we travel that ter-
ritory, our capacity grows. We’re a little more relaxed and a
little less fearful, more compassionate toward ourselves and
others. We’re more attentive to our lives and the still small
voice within.
In the book Buddha Standard Time, Lama Surya Das de-
fines enlightenment as a “deep flash of awakening to the
knowledge that we are much more than our time and space-
bound material selves living in a material world. Some people
awaken to enlightenment by Grace, seemingly without effort,
but most of us stay obsessively stuck in the past or the future,
running our mental trains backward and forward in that track
every minute of the day.” Yet, he goes on to say, “Each mo-
ment is intersected by a realm of infinite spaciousness and
timelessness, known in Tibetan as shicha, the Eternal Now.”
It’s possible to be excited about life, even on a bad day,
when you’re doing what you came here to do! Fulfilling your
mission—the one unique to you—is possible; I’m doing it, and
I’ve helped many others do it too. You can feel happier than
you ever thought possible!
One realizes that all of existence is a manifestation of consciousness; that ultimately everything is made out
of consciousness.—A.H. Almaas
Reprinted, with permission of the publisher, from YOUR ULTIMaTE
LIFE PLaN: HOW TO DEEPLY TRaNSFORM YOUR EVERYDaY
EXPERIENCE aND CREaTE CHaNGES THaT LaST © 2013 Dr. Jennifer
Howard. Published by New Page Books a division of Career Press,
Pompton Plains, NJ. 800-227-3371. all rights reserved.
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com 22
Don’t worry about putting the egg rolls together, the
egg roll wrappers have instructions on the back complete with a diagram.
These are a foolproof appetizer!
• In a large non-stick skillet or wok, cook the chicken over medium high
heat until cooked through. Drain and set aside.
• In the same skillet heat the sesame oil add carrots, leeks, bean
sprouts, bok choy and garlic. Cook over medium heat until cooked
through. add chicken back to the skillet.
• In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon of water with soy sauce, brown
sugar and pepper flakes if using. Whisk in the corn starch. Pour into
chicken/vegetable mixture and toss well. Remove from heat.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Place one egg roll wrapper on work surface. Spoon a scant ¼ cup
chicken/veggie mixture in the middle of the wrapper. Fold both
sides toward the center and roll tightly. Use water to keep the seam
closed. Place on non-stick baking sheet with seam side up. (Note:
egg rolls can be frozen at this point).
• Repeat the process for the remaining mixture. Bake until golden
brown, about 15 minutes, turning halfway through.
1 pound ground chicken
2 cups grated carrots
¼ cup sliced leeks
1 ½ cups drained bean sprouts
1 cup chopped bok choy
3 garlic cloves crushed
1 T fresh ginger grated
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
2T reduced sodium soy sauce
2T dark sesame oil
2T cup dark brown sugar
1T pus 1t corn starch
20 egg roll wrappers
Baked egg rolls
These egg rolls have so much taste and crunch, your guests won’t suspect they’re healthy! The dark sesame oil and fresh ginger combine to really increase the flavor profile.
nourish
BY CORinnE CASAzzA
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com 23
Detoxnatural health
o p t i m a lc h a p t e r 4
BY CHRiSTOpHER VASEY n.D.
THE DiFFEREnT iLLnESSES CAUSED BY COLLOiDAL
AnD CRYSTALLinE TOxinS. Simply knowing that dis-
eases are primarily due to the accumulation of toxins in the
body is a good thing on its own. However, it is even better to
know how to tell the difference between those diseases that
are caused by colloidal wastes and those created by crystal-
line wastes.
So what do we need to learn in order to best apply this
knowledge?
The first step consists of observing what excretory organ is
most affected by the disease. Overloads of one kind of waste
will target very specific excretory organs. The other elimina-
tory organs will be spared completely as they do not handle
the waste products in question. For example, an excess of col-
loidal wastes can overwork and make several of the excretory
organs that handle these toxins sick; such as the liver and the
intestines. But the effects of this overload will have no bearing
whatsoever on the organs that eliminate crystalline wastes
from the body: the kidneys and sudoriferous (sweat) glands.
This is why, when the liver and intestines are afflicted, we are
seeing evidence of a colloidal disease (as these organs spe-
cialize in the elimination of colloidal wastes). When the liver or
sudoriferous glands are suffering from illness, we are seeing
signs of diseases caused by crystalline wastes (as these are
the organs that are intended to eliminate crystals from the
body). The second way to tell what kind of illness is present-
-colloidal or crystalline--consists of observing two symptoms:
discharge and pain.
DiSCHARGE Colloidal wastes contain a certain quantity of
water and are discharged from the body by the respiratory
tract (in the form of colds, bronchitis, and so on), by the se-
baceous glands (whiteheads and oozing eczema), and the in-
testines (in the form of stools). Crystals are basically hard, dry
wastes. When there is an excess amount of crystalline waste
in the body, they form deposits in the tissues. For example,
these deposits can appear in the joints (arthritis), in the skin
(eczema), on the walls of the blood vessels (arterioscleroisis),
or in the kidneys (kidney stones).
pAin When an excess of crystal toxins exists, they will
compress the tissues, rub against them too energetically, or
outright injure them. Crystals are hard and have an angular
structure with sharp edges. When they remain stagnant in the
body they easily injure the cells by scratching, pricking, and
piercing them. at the onset, they will be perceived only as
an irritant. Over time, lesions will occur. The inflammation of
the tissues makes them extremely sensitive and all the more
receptive to pain.
Conversely, colloidal wastes do not possess any of these
effects whatsoever and do not cause pain. Their lack of struc-
ture sharply reduces any possibility of tissue injury. Being soft
and malleable, they do not change the shape of the tissues
with which they come into contact, and do not tear or injure
them like crystals. To the contrary, they change shape to adapt
to that of their environment.
Christopher Vasey, n.D., is a naturopath specializing in detoxification and rejuvenation. He is the
author of The Acid-Alkaline Diet for Optimum Health, The naturopathic Way, The Water prescription,
The Whey prescription, and The Detox Mono Diet. He lives near Montreux, Switzerland.
Optimal Detox: How to Cleanse Your Body of Colloidal and Crystalline Toxins by Christopher Vasey, N.D., © 2013 Healing arts Press. Reprinted with permission from the publisher Inner Traditions International.
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com 24
BY CHRiS ROE
poetry
Sanctuary
Shafts of lightThrough cathedral windows.
Dappled shadeUpon the leavesBeneath my feet.
Bird songIn the branches above.
In the distanceHind and fawn
Cross the forest track.The sweet fragrance of autumn
Fills the misty air.
A gentle breezeMoving colours
To the forest floor.
So preciousSuch beauty,
So hard to find
Such peaceful sanctuary.
The above poems are from my self-published collection of work, entitled “in Search of Silence” more details of which can be seen on my website
at www.silentflightpublications.co.uk
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com 25
November 29It is the six-month
anniversary of my being discovered in the desert, but it feels more like a year. Last night I had a very strange experience. During the night I
was awakened from a deep sleep, or what felt like a deep sleep, buy a high pitched whirring sound. As I opened my eyes and sat up, I thought Rashid was standing by the side of my cot. I blinked to clear my vision then realized it was not Rashid, but rather a tall figure whose facial features were almost completely hidden by the deeply draped hood of its long dark robes. Only the eyes showed, like two brilliant bus stars in a night sky. The scent of roses filled the air, and although there was no light, the phantom was illuminated by a greenish-gold glow that seemed to emanate from within the col of its robe and surround it like a halo.
The keeper of sacred travels
opened my mouth to speak but before I
could utter a sound, the apparition put a
finger to its lips, signaling silence. It then
spoke in a low, clear masculine voice.
"I have very little time, so I want you to
listen carefully, David. Yes, that is your name,
and you are at the center of warring forces that
you have no way of understanding at this time.
You could say that you are, but a great storm
rages around you. For now, you must take
what I am about to tell you on faith. You must
trust that I am here to help you. Later, you will
remember who I am, and all of this will begin to
make sense.
"It is important for you to know that there
exists an ancient drama, older even than
Mankind. It is a drama in which you now play
a pivotal role. In fact, it is one in which at an
earlier time you yourself chose to participate.
You have long since forgotten that decision,
but it has not forgotten you. How you handle
the tasks ahead will determine the future of the
Hu-man Race as you know it, as well as that of
Planet Earth, itself.
"There has been a clamp put on your memo-
ry while the warring forces were aligning their
positions. That clamp is now being loosened,
and you will begin to remember things quite
naturally and quite quickly. at first, you may feel
overwhelmed by so much information coming
back to you at once, but there is a Spiritual Law
in place that states, 'We are never given more
than we can handle.' I have known you for a
very long time and I know how strong you are.
Whatever emotions you may experience in the
ipART 2BY JUDiTH DiAnA WinSTOn
the diary
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com 26
coming weeks and months, keep in mind what I have just said."
I focused on the Great Crystal and, like a camera coming in
for a close-up, saw the Earth growing large before me. It was
green and blue and fresh. I saw strange and unusual forms of
plant and animal life that have never been seen by present day
human eyes. There were giant plants that moved of their own
volition and great flying creatures with golden feathers. Their
wings spanned twenty feet and glistened in the sunlight as they
glided sleekly and gracefully through strangely colored skies.
I saw the stuff of myths - giant griffins and winged horses.
Before my eyes, great silver spaceships and flying discs were
carrying many types of Star Beings, some similar in appearance
to those in the room. I saw them land on Earth and materialize
whole cities, even instant architectural wonders, out of barren
rock. I watched as they transported giant boulders, first by mak-
ing them weightless, then easily moving them and finally plac-
ing them gently and precisely into position. Once in place, the
boulders resumed their former massive weight.
The Star Beings were able to perform these feats effortless-
ly by collectively focusing the vast power of both their minds
and voices. at times, in order to sound a particular tone, they
enhanced their voices by using small machines. During those
times, their voices rose in unison to such a high and harmonious
level of vibration that they could suspend gravity. They were
also able to create extensive rock carvings by projecting an im-
age directly from their minds onto the rough face of the rock.
among the variety of creatures I saw in the crystal were
the great apes, those associated with the ancestry of Man.
I watched as some of them became illuminated by the glowing
light and were transformed, beaching more and more Hu-man-
like.
I saw other life forms that cam into being in a different way-
exactly as they had in my dream in the arab village. They began
as pure light. as time passed, they grew more and more solid,
then more and more dense. Eventually, they became humans.
I watched as two highly developed civilizations emerged
and later, vanished. The first Root Race was destroyed and the
second one simply disappeared. This second Root Race, the
Lemurians, occupied a magical island-continent located in the
Pacific Ocean. Only a very small part of its land mass continued
in physical form when the island sank beneath the sea, and most
of its inhabitants vanished.
The Lemurians were a highly spiritual, proud and beautiful
race. They were unique in the history of the Earth, because they
had bodies that were never entirely physical in the sense that
ours are. They had the ability to transform from an almost-solid
state into a state of pure energy—and back again—at will.
Before the Lemurian civilization ended and its inhabitants dis-
appeared, I saw them encode thousands of tiny "seed crystals"
with information- spiritual, historical and technical- that would
be helpful to future generations. They were able to program the
crystals in such a way that their data would be available in a
time-release, energy pattern. Then, according to The Plan, they
scattered the crystals over the face of the Earth, insuring that
they would be found by future generations.
"The Plan!" My mind flashed back to what zev Moab had
told me about a plan laid out for Planet Earth before the arrival
of Hu-mankind. Could this be a part of that same plan? I pushed
these thoughts away. It was hard enough to keep up with the
images flashing in the crystal. I forced my mind to refocus and
saw that when the Lemurians' purpose here was complete and
their island was about to sink into the sea, they had lifted en
masse, with some specific exceptions, and departed the plane of
Earth, never again to incarnate in physical form. Those few who
chose to remain behind, as guides and guardians for the genera-
tions of humans that would follow, established settlements in
the mountains of Tibet.
Images from the giant crystal faded and I had a moment to
close my eyes, but once I opened them, events passed quickly.
after a time, the images began to slow down and I was wit-
nessing what seemed like a somewhat familiar scene. It was the
civilization of atlantis with its sophisticated technologies. I saw
Beings of the same race as the Twelve sitting with me now. They
were Galactic Visitors, Pleiadeans, who were working with the
atlantean priests. They wanted to teach the priests what they
knew about Earth's powerful geometric grids and its natural
electro-magnetic energy patterns.
Before long, the peoples of atlantis appeared. The general
population was made up of many different types of Hu-mans.
Some were extremely tall, others exceedingly small. The hues
of their skin were as varied as the colors of the rainbow. This
was a result of the genetic seeding and intermingling of a great
variety of extraterrestrial races. although the greatest number
of them had light skin and red hair, they all blended together into
a beautiful medley of color, size and shape.
The atlantean Prince-Priest a-Ta emerged from the crowd.
He was wearing robe-like metallic clothing with small crystals
woven into the fabric. I realized I had glimpsed him in my long-
ago dream in the village near the Sphinx. He was the one who
had floated above the waves and watched in horror as the island
of atlantis disappeared beneath the waves. Now my dream be-
gan to make sense—I knew I was Prince a-Ta in that past life.
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com 27
inspiration
WHY USE SiMpLES? Most
herbalists I have met—whether
from China or Japan, Eastern or Western
Europe, australia or North america— use
herbs in combinations. Simplers, like myself,
don't. Why?
Because I believe that herbal medicine
is people's medicine, I seek to make
herbal medicine simple: as simple
as one herb at a time. Because
people worry about interactions
between the drugs they take and
herbs, I keep it simple: with sim-
ples, interactions are simple to observe, and
simpler to avoid. Because empowerment in
health care is difficult, I want to offer others
easy, safe herbal remedies: and what could be
easier, or safer, than a simple?
SiMpLES MAKE ME THinK. When I was
just getting started with herbs, one thing that
confounded me was the many choices I had
when I began to match symptoms to the herbs
that relieved them. If someone had a cough
should I use garden sage or wild cherry bark
or pine sap or mullein or coltsfoot (to name
only a few of the many choices)? One way out
of this dilemma was to use them all. I made
many cough syrups that contained every anti-
cough herb that I could collect. and they all
worked.
as I got more sophisticated in my herbal us-
age, and especially after I completed a course
on homeopathy, I began to see that each herb
had a specific personality, a specific way of
acting. I realized I couldn't notice the indi-
vidual actions of the herbs when they were
combined.
It felt daring at first to use just one herb.
Would wild cherry bark tincture all by itself be
enough to quell that child's cough? Yes! Would
mullein infusion alone really reduce a person's
asthmatic and allergic reactions? Yes! Would
sage soaked in honey for six weeks ease a
sore throat? Yes! Each herb that I tried as a
simple was successful. They all worked, not
just together, but by themselves.
The more I used individual herbs the more I
came to know them as individuals. The more I
used simples, the simpler and more successful
BY SUSUn S WEED
What is a Simple? A "simple" is one herb used at a time. A "simpler" is an herbalist who generally uses herbs
one at a time, rather than in combinations.
t h e s p i r i t o fHealing Wise:
Simples
Susun Weed, green witch and
wise woman, is a teacher with
a joyous spirit, a powerful
presence, and an encyclopedic
knowledge of herbs and health.
Ms. Weed's four herbal medi-
cine books focus on women's
health topics including: meno-
pause, childbearing, and breast
health. www.susunweed.com
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com 28
my remedies became. The more I used one herb at a time, the
more I learned about how that herb worked, and didn't work.
SiMpLES ARE inTiMATE. When we use one herb at a time,
we come to know that herb, we become intimate with that
herb. Just as we become intimate with each other by spend-
ing time one-on-one, tete-a-tete, simply together, we become
closer to the herbs when we use them as simples.
Becoming intimate with an herb or a person helps us build trust.
How reliable is the effect of this herb? When? How? Where
does it fail? Using simples helps us build a web of green allies
that we trust deeply. Simples help us feel more powerful. They
help abate our fears, simply, safely.
SiMpLES ARE SUBTLE. Using one herb at a time gives us
unparalleled opportunities to observe and make use of the
subtle differences that are at the heart of herbal medicine.
When we use simples we are more likely to notice the many
variables that affect each herb: including where it grows, the
years's weather, how we harvest it, our preparation, and the
dosage.1 The many variables within one plant insure that our
simple remedy nonetheless touches many aspects of a person
and heals deeply.
One apprentice tinctured motherwort flowering tops weekly
through its blooming period. She reported that the tinctures
made from the younger flower stalks had a stronger effect on
the uterus; while those made from the older flower stalks, when
the plant was going to seed, had a stronger effect on the heart.
SiMpLES GiVE ME pOWER. Using one herb at a time helps
me feel more certain that my remedy has an active value, not
just a placebo value. Using one plant at a time, and local ones
at that, reassures me that my herbal medicine cannot be legis-
lated away. Using one plant at a time allows me to build trust
in my remedies. Using one plant at a time is a subversive act, a
reclaiming of simple health care.
Combinations erode my power, activate my "victim persona,"
and lead me to believe that herbal medicine is best left to the
experts.
FROM COMpLEx TO SiMpLE. Take the challenge! Use sim-
ples instead of complex formulae. Let's rework some herbal
remedies and get a sense of how simple it can be.
The anti-cancer formula Essiac contains arctium lappa (bur-
dock), Rheum palmatum (rhubarb), Ulmus fulva (slippery elm),
and Rumex acetosella (sheep sorrel). Rhubarb root has no pos-
sible use against cancer; it is a purgative whose repeated use
can "aggravate constipation." Slippery elm bark also has no
possible anti-cancer properties and has no doubt been added to
counter some of the detrimental effects of the rhubarb. Sheep
sorrel juice is so caustic that it has been used to burn off skin
cancers, but it would likely do more harm to the kidneys than to
any cancer if ingested regularly. Leaving us with a great anti-
cancer simple: burdock root. One that I have found superbly
effective in reversing dysplasias and precancerous conditions.
a John Lust formula for relief of coughs 2 contains agropyron
repens (witch grass), Pimpinella anisum (aniseed), Glycyrrhiza
glabra (licorice), Inula helenium (elecampane root), Pulmonaria
officinalis (lungwort), Thymus species (thyme herb), (murillo
bark) 3, Chondrus crispus (irish moss), Lobelia inflata (lobelia
herb). Witch grass has little or no effect on coughs; it is an emol-
lient diuretic whose dismissal from this group would leave no
hole. anise seeds are also not known to have an anti-pertussive
effect; although they do taste good, we can do without them.
Lobelia can bring more oxygen to the blood, but is certainly not
an herb I would ever add to a cough mixture, so I will leave it
out here. Licorice is a demulcent expectorant that can be most
helpful for those with a dry cough; however, I do use it for a
variety of reasons, among them its exotic origins and its cloy-
ingly sweet taste. Lungwort is, as its name implies, a pectoral,
but its effect is rather mild, and its place in the Boraginaceae
family gives me pause.
How much pyrrolizidine alkaloid might it contain? Thyme, and
its more common anti-cough cousin garden sage, contains es-
sential oils that could both quiet a cough and counter infection
in the throat. a strong tea or a tincture of either could be our
simple. Irish moss is, a specific to soothe coughs and a nutri-
tive in addition, would also make an excellent simple. But it is
elecampane that I would crown. It is not only a specific to curb
coughing, it counters infection well, and tonifies lung tissues.
Several small doses of a tincture of elecampane root should
quiet a cough in a few hours. SiMpLES ARE FUn. GiVE
THEM A TRY.
Footnotes:1. among the many variables, I have especially noticed that the tinctures that I make with fresh plants are many times more effective than tinctures made from dried plants. My elders tell me that preparations of common plants growing in uncommon places will be stronger as well. Many herbalists are aware of certain areas of their land that nurture plants that are particularly potent medicines.2. John Lust. The Herb Book. 1974. Bantam.3. Note that this formula, as is frequently the case, contains an "exotic" herb which Mr. Lust does not include in the 500+ herbs in his book, nor does he give us a botanical name for the plant, leaving us literally unable to prepare his formula as presented.
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com 29
Approach
wellness
lternative medicine is based on body’s natural ability to heal and prevent disease. alter-
native medicine is based on the premise that health is impacted by the conscious and
subconscious mind, the energy body and the physical body. Thoughts, energy and emo-
tions affect health. They impact the health of the body. Thoughts, energy and emotions
drive physical reality toward disease or wellness. Disease or wellness then becomes a
choice – much like happiness or unhappiness.
So, any approach to healing and prevention that does not deal with energy, thoughts and
emotions will not prevent or heal disease. Healing and prevention requires good mental
and emotional health as well as physical health. Holistic uses a mind-body-spirit approach
to health and wellness and focuses on natural means.
alternative medicine gets to the root causes of disease and tries to eliminate or minimize
them. The goal of alternative medicine is to heal and prevent disease. Generally speaking,
the root causes of most diseases are stress and negativity, toxicity and vitamin and min-
eral deficiencies. all of these causes wreck havoc on the body and our immune system and they drain our energy. alternative
medicine works to stabilize the body, conserve and boost our energy and boost our immune system.
alternative medicine works with the energy body—i.e., the energy that infuses each cell of the body. It views the free flow
of life force energy and oxygen through the body (through the bloodstream) as critical to good health. This requires us to re-
duce stress and negativity, achieve and maintain peace of mind and inner peace and raise one’s vibrations. This requires inner
Alternative medicine is based on body’s natural ability to heal and prevent disease.
BY MiCHAEL E. GOLDBERG
A
to Healing and Wellness.
Holistic
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com 30
peace, optimism and happiness. Techniques to achieve these
mental and emotional states include Reiki, meditation, yoga,
dance, exercise, massage and acupuncture. Good posture is
also important. Good posture is critical to the flow of energy
and oxygen throughout the body.
alternative medicine views negative energy as the first
cause of disease. Most negative energy comes from our own
negative and rigid beliefs, negative thoughts and emotions. It
comes from ego and from hurting and deceiving others (the
energy we generate is the energy we get back).
Negative energy blockages and energy attachments
prevent the free flow of life force energy in the body. They
prevent the high vibrations needed for good health. So, it is
necessary to remove these blockages and attachments. This
requires meditation, prayer and visualization work. Reiki/en-
ergy healing and acupuncture will also help. It requires us to
live in balance and harmony and enjoy our lives. It requires
us to reduce stress and avoid negative and toxic people and
environments. It requires us to avoid conflict and drama and
seek ongoing peace of mind and inner peace and to stop neg-
ative thoughts. It requires us to focus on what makes us feel
positive and happy and not what gets us upset or stressed
out. It requires us to focus on our blessings and not on prob-
lems and what we want or lack. It requires us to focus on the
moment, on tasks and on the details of process and plans –
not money, people or things.
alternative medicine requires us to focus on a feeling of
health and wellness and not illness. alternative medicine
works with the conscious and subconscious mind. Good health
and prevention require positive and open beliefs and positive
thoughts. This is achieved through meditation - mindfulness
meditation, white light meditation and emptiness/zone-out
meditation
The alternative approach teaches us to be mindful of our
thoughts and emotions. It teaches us to move them from
negative to positive. Negative thoughts are often caused by
rigid and negative beliefs. Many rigid and negative beliefs are
held at the subconscious level. They were adopted as part of
our response to traumas and life experience. Subconscious
and conscious beliefs can be changed to change thoughts and
thought patterns.
Subconscious beliefs can be changed from negative be-
liefs to positive beliefs through positive affirmation exercises.
Brain chemistry can be adjusted with sound, music, light, and
color therapy. alpha, beta, delta and theta brain wave medi-
tation music with binaural beat will help improve brain chem-
istry. This will have a positive impact on physical and mental
health.
alternative medicine focuses on the need for nutrition for
good health. Good nutrition consists of vitamins and minerals
that replenish the body. alternative medicine views food as
medicine. The optimal diet in the alternative world is a high
www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com 31
nutrient diet (mostly fresh, non-starchy vegetables and some
fruit, berries, nuts and seeds). Fresh vegetables, fruit, berries,
nuts and seeds have the fiber our bodies need as well. Or-
ganic is best. Some protein is fine, but animal protein should
be limited and organic. You can also get protein from beans,
nuts, seeds, legumes, eggs and fish. at least 80% of your diet
should consist of whole, fresh vegetables, fruit, berries, nuts
and seeds. Green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale
along with beets, broccoli and other fresh whole vegetables
help boost one’s energy and immune system. Use super foods
such as chlorella, spirulina, wheatgrass and garlic. They help
boost your energy and immune system.
or starch, eat whole grains, whole potatoes and whole
yams along with whole grain pasta, because they contain fi-
ber and nutrients. The alternative
approach advocates that we do
not eat prepared, packaged and
junk foods. These foods contain
toxins (chemical preservatives),
refined sugar and sodium. They do
not contain much nutrition or fiber.
The alternative approach recom-
mends that we eliminate or greatly
reduce our consumption of refined
sugar and starches and eliminate
trans- fats.
So, the alternative approach
advocates that we focus on natu-
ral, whole food and greatly reduce
our intake of processed foods
(because they lack nutrition and
contain chemicals).
a multi vitamin is good, but, pur-
suant to holistic research, it is not
enough to give you the vitamins and minerals you need for
good health even if you are on a high nutrient diet. This is be-
cause the nutritional value of fresh and frozen vegetables, fruits
and berries has been depleted due to depletion of nutrients in
the soil.
Holistic research indicates the benefits of taking good sized
dose of vitamin a, B-Complex, C, D3, E and K1 and K2. Holistic
research indicates the benefits of trace minerals supplements.
You can get trace minerals in liquid, colloidal form. Some of
the essential trace minerals include iron, zinc, manganese, po-
tassium, magnesium, copper, iodine, selenium, molybdenum,
chromium, calcium, sulfur, cobalt, nickel, boron, beryllium, so-
dium, copper, tin, silicon, vanadium, fluorine.
also, holistic research indicates the benefits of taking (i)
antioxidants (Co Q 10, green tea and green tea extract and
resveritrol are good), (ii) adaptogens (such as cordyceps, mi-
ataki, reishi and shitaki mushrooms -whole or supplements),
astragalus, (iii) anti inflammatory supplements such as fish oil
and (iv) protein/amino acid supplements. These will help pre-
vent and repair the damage to your cells done by oxidation/
free radicals and inflammation and help build more muscle
tissue, while boosting one’s energy and immune system.
When your energy is low, holistic research indicates the
benefits of Echinacea and Siberian or asian Ginseng, astraga-
lus and asian Mushrooms and asian Mushroom supplements
(i..e, reishi, cordyceps ,shitaki and miataki mushrooms).
Drink plenty of filtered water. Some prescribe at least
eight, eight ounce glasses of wa-
ter per day. Put fresh squeezed
lemon or lime in your water. Many
recommend that you boil and filter
tap water before drinking it. This
is because there are chemicals in
tap water.
Reduce your exposure to chemi-
cals in what you wear, what you
ingest and what you put on your
body. Detoxify the body, by purg-
ing it of stored toxins with milk
thistle and dandelion and warm
water with fresh lemon and sea
salt/Himalayan salt.
The body needs exercise. So,
get plenty of exercise. at the very
least, walk two to three miles a
day. When sitting for long periods,
stretch your legs and body and get
up and move around or exercise. This helps distribute oxygen
and life force energy through your body.
Breathe more deeply and take a lot more deep breaths to
draw the maximum amount of oxygen into your lungs.
alternative medicine views nature as the primary source of
prevention and healing. It focuses on reducing our consump-
tion of chemicals and boosting our consumption of natural
products such as whole foods and herbs. This will help boost
your energy and immune system to heal and prevent disease.
Michael E. Goldberg
is a Reiki Master and Life and Health
Coach and Author of The Road to
Healing, Good Health and Wellness
(available on amazon.com, kindle and
barnes and noble.com), End of Mood
Disorders (available on amazon.com
and barnes and noble.com) and The
Road to Happiness, available for free
at www.theroad2happiness.com and
the Facebook page entitled The Road
to Happiness.