This American Idol possessed a vocal foundation which was crafted by talent, discipline, tenacity, and Capricorn elbow grease.

There are 3 words that separate the toddlers from the grown ups in the realm of the human voice: “The National Anthem”.

You can either sing it or you can’t.

You can either make entire crowds look upwards to the flag with teary eyed awe or have everyone looking down with tears in their eyes from the vocal train wreck that never should have been put in front of a microphone in the first place.

The National Anthem is one of my favorite tools to gauge how much experience a singer has, as well as if they are a vessel of voice in their own right or a conglomeration made by a corporate record company.

This is NOT a song to be performed, especially in front of others, regardless if you sing a mean karaoke, do a great Gospel rendition of it in the shower that sounds stellar every time, or if you feel like being spontaneous and announce to your friends you want to “see where it goes”.

The National Anthem leaves the singer vibrantly alive or barely breathing. You are completely naked vocally and are left utterly alone during its entire duration. If you begin to show signs of trouble, there is no one there to save you from vocally drowning. There may be throngs of people all around while singing this piece, but there is nothing anyone can do if in the middle of it, your voice simply can’t go on.

Nor can you have your manager go over it again in the recording studio and clean up the multitudes of pitch problems or total absence of high, but just as importantly and just as often, low notes.

The National Anthem transcends musical genres, style categorization and popular fads. It doesn’t matter what kind of music you do, its only requirement is a solid voice with an even more solid foundation of vocal technique.

Whenever I am asked my favorite rendition of The National Anthem, I not only provide a name, but state that every aspiring singer should study this vocalist’s version of that most fiendish of sung pieces, since it is the culmination of a music career based on decades of incredibly hard work, unwavering tenacity, and well planned singing: Donna Summer singing both “The National Anthem” and “God Bless America” at the 2004 World Series at Fenway Park in Boston.

In astrology, Saturn is the planet of seasoned experience that can only be gained by one’s blood, sweat, and tears. This planet rules Time itself, and never grants its gifts too soon or ahead of schedule. As a matter of principle, Father Time prefers to delay the passage of sand through his hour glass so that experience can be fully gained before the arrival of notoriety or success.

Success can arrive by other means such as being in the right place at the right time, nepotism, or even sheer luck, but these are of no interest to Saturn. Saturn’s success is based primarily on the foundation of one’s mistakes and shortcomings and not just remembering to never repeat them, but transforming them to your most revered teachers. Instead of providing an environment of bounty as Lady Luck does, Saturn would rather see how well you do based on how little you are given along with how many problems he puts in front of you. Saturn’s version of success gives a healthy constitution to withstand the passage of Time so that you are not forgotten as quickly as you came, rather you are cherished and appreciated by others for your wisdom and rich experience.

Should it be any surprise, then, that Donna Summer is a daughter of Saturn?

Let’s take that Saturnine Time Table and apply it to a cross section of the population, namely those that are Saturn ruled, aka Capricorns:

All my Cappies out there – High School was the best, RIGHT??!!! (lowering Hi-5 due to the deafening sound of crickets)

The reason why my Goat Girls and Boys resisted waving their hands in the air like they just didn’t care is because unlike the other 11 signs of the Zodiac, Life for the Capricorn goes in reverse. Not just with their work, but in every facet of life the Capricorn pays their dues first.  Although there is hard toil involved, the children of Saturn usually gain valuable experience and overall wisdom before the rest of us.

Many people, even fans of La Summer, are not aware of the actual location Donna got her first break as well as where she first got her singing feet soaking wet by diving into the oceans of live theater and nightclubs.

NYC? LA?

Those locales would be far too easy, if only for the mere fact their primary language is English. In true Capricorn fashion, Donna Summer sang in musicals and opera such as “Godspell”, “Hair”, and “Porgy and Bess” along with keeping initial nightclub engagements at night, and by day, was trying to decipher her local butcher’s northern accent as he brusquely told her the price of Blutwurst while living in Munich, Germany.

Because Liebling, If you can make it here, you can make it uberall, I mean, anywhere!

From the 1970′s through the 90′s if an American singer wanted to prove to themselves, record companies, and big time agents they had what it took to establish a music career in either opera, jazz, or musical theater – they went to Germany. Back then, every semi-large German hamlet had a local “festpiel haus” which cranked out nightly performances ranging from Wagner’s “Ring Cycle” to “Grease” allowing many a singer much needed stage experience that they probably wouldn’t have gotten back in the States. However, German stage life was notorious for grinding singers (and more grotesquely their voices) into hamburger meat. If a singer’s audition was accepted, they performed in not only the show they were trying out for, but it was usually expected they would be singing 9-15 times a week in every production that particular Deutsche Theater was presenting for the entire season. German impresarios were well aware how hard most young American singers were willing to work and for barely any pay just so they could have the experience of performing a supporting lead role in a staged production in front of a live audience. Unfortunately, many American singers with budding talent would end up State bound after 6 or so months due to losing their voices from grueling overuse after singing 2, and on some days, 3 shows in one day!

Not so, if that American singer with budding talent is a Capricorn.

The work ethic of the Capricorn in whatever field they choose to labor within is rivaled by no other sign of the Zodiac! What the other signs whine about as “hard work” is what the Cappie does on their day off! Why? The source of the work ethic of the Capricorn can be reduced to 2 words – THE GOAL.

It doesn’t matter how high up or far off that goal may be, the young aspiring Capricorn will have their mind’s eye intensely focus on that distant goal as if it was a pinnacle flag on top of Mt. Everest and steadfastly climb up Mt. Ambition one step at a time. Like a mountain goat whose hooves have cautiously scaled each rocky step of the Andes, the Capricorn will work and work and work and work – honing their skills; making them knowledgeable and wise as their work experience brings them ever closer to their heart’s desire of tangible accomplishment.

Being Saturn ruled and one of the earth signs, the Capricorn inherently knows how much more longer, faster, and harder they can toil beyond the average Willy or Wanda Worker. The only competition that can truly threaten them is themselves. However, in the arenas of voice production and live theater performance, the Capricorn must temper their Ubermensch work ethic with earthy practicality through meticulous care of the voice.

Remember, Saturn prefers giving his merrit badges of experiential reward through an atmosphere of hardship and loss. Donna Summer’s monolithic music career began in the most Saturnine of ways. She initially did move to NYC from her native Boston in the late 1960′s, auditioning at every possible opportunity. True to Saturn’s form, when Donna thought her big break had come through the role of Sheila in the original casting of an out there but very exciting new musical called “Hair” – she lost the role at the last minute to Melba Moore.

But Saturn made sure things simply weren’t sung and done – Donna DID sing the role of Sheila, when she was later asked to be in the on-tour cast of “Hair” in Germany and Austria. The Capricorn’s mountainous Goal of having an established music career still existed, but for the next eight years of Donna Summer’s life the pinnacle flag was temporarily placed in the Alps instead of the Rockies.

Which leads us full circle back to a certain Capricorn singing, in the very cold air I might add, about “purple mountain’s majesties” and some other ditty called “The National Anthem” back in her home town some 40 or so years later…..

Listen to Donna sing those 2 pieces with the links below. The notes are not nervously staccato’d by a no name with no breath control nor are they all sloppily glued together by a lazy singer sans technique who claims to have “gospelized” their renditions of 2 of the most vocally challenging pieces to sing in front of a live audience.

Donna Summer sings both “The National Anthem” and “God Bless America” in the most full voiced and purest of tones. Each note is given vocal credence and respect by being clearly annunciated through a perfectly pitched vowel that only the most experienced of vocal techniques can produce!

Here’s the jaw dropping part – remember Life goes in reverse for the Capricorn? I would suggest re-listening to Donna sing again, but on the 2nd listen, be cognizant of the vocal fact that at the time of performance, Ms. Capricorn was just a few years shy of being 60 years old….

(Ms. Aguilera, you might want to take a few notes, I’m just sayin’.)

I’ll bid farewell to this vocal American treasure, who unto her solitary self, represents an entire era of music history to so many, by quoting the title of one of Donna’s biggest hits from 30 years ago which I propose should be the Goal-attaining theme song for every hard working Cappie out there:
SHE WORKS HARD FOR THE MONEY!

DONNA SUMMER
December 31, 1948 – May 17, 2012
Rest in Peace, Donna. Sing with the seraphim and may Perpetual Light shine upon you!

Donna Summer Sings The National Anthem at The 2004 World Series, Fenway Park, Boston.

]]> http://www.MYSTICJOURNEYBOOKSTORE.COM/blog/2012/05/18/summertime-the-career-of-a-true-american-idol-a-capricorn-vocal-icon/feed/ 0 http://www.MYSTICJOURNEYBOOKSTORE.COM/blog/2012/05/15/2012-the-shift-the-power-of-ceremony-with-author-jack-allis/ http://www.MYSTICJOURNEYBOOKSTORE.COM/blog/2012/05/15/2012-the-shift-the-power-of-ceremony-with-author-jack-allis/#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 12:00:01 +0000 admin http://www.MYSTICJOURNEYBOOKSTORE.COM/blog/?p=1144 Continue reading →]]>  Greetings to the community of Mystic Journey Bookstore and people of Venice and surrounding areas. My name is Jack Allis. I am an author and spiritual teacher from mystical Mount Shasta in the mountains up north.

I would like to invite you to join me at Mystic Journey on Wednesday, May 23, from 7-9 PM, for a ceremonial presentation to celebrate and connect with the shifting energies of these times we are blessed to be living in. Strongly influenced by indigenous traditions, particularly my recent experiences with a traditional Mayan Wisdom Keeper, I am the author of Prophesy, Challenge & Blessing – Visions of 2012 & the Shift, as well as two DVD’s on this hottest of topics, the shift of the ages. In this presentation, which is entitled “2012 & the Shift – the Power of Ceremony,” I endeavor to demystify what is usually seen as such a complicated and confusing topic, and do so simply and concisely.
All the indigenous prophesies agree that this is not doomsday, but rather a monumental time of transformation, in which we are blessed with an opportunity to spiritually transform ourselves, and our world. This is not a time for talk, but for action – spiritual action. In this presentation, I endeavor to show how we can participate in this great transmutation through the use of ceremony, with audience participation. This involves connecting to spirit through prayer, music, drums, rattles and singing bowls, singing and chanting. Go ahead, sing along, as we let go of the old world, and ascend to the new, with the power of our vibration. 7-9 PM – Admission $10 –

Mystic Journey Bookstore is at 1319 Abbot Kinney Blvd. in Venice. For more information, go to www.mysticjourneybookstore.com or www.jackallis.com.

For many of us however, the transition from winter to spring can be a bit difficult and not as graceful as nature’s transition around us.

The qualities of spring are warm, moist, gentle, and unctuous and just like warmth melts the accumulated snow and ice of winter, the increased warmth in our body starts to loosen and liquefy the accumulated phlegm in the body.

We often find ourselves feeling heavy, sluggish, and perhaps experiencing the aggravated symptoms of allergies, colds, coughs, and even emotional dullness.

According to the science of Ayurveda, these symptoms are a common phenomena.   Understanding this cycle of nature and living in rhythm with the seasons helps us to prevent the common imbalances that occur.  Also, listening to the body is most important-your body’s
signs and symptoms are its way of communicating with you.

Just as you dress for the season, spring clean your home and make space for the this part of the cycle. We encourage you to eat and exercise appropriately for the season, bringing you closer to the balanced rhythms and cycles of nature.

Seasonal Seasoning

Jump start your day with a glass of warm water and a teaspoon   of honey (only add the honey once the water is at drinking temperature).

Spice up and season your meals with ginger, black pepper, long pepper. Use garlic, ginger and chili pepper in moderation.

Prepare tea with equal amount of cumin, coriander, and fennel and drink throughout the day.

Prepare and drink tea of equal parts dry ginger, black pepper, and cinnamon after each meal.

Enjoy a weekly one day juice fast with apples, pomegranate or berries – or a mixture of all three.

Daily Routines & Lifestyle

Enjoy and celebrate nature.

Go outdoors and tune into the beauty that nature has provided us with.

Wake up early (before 6 AM) and shake up the aggravated phlegm with a strong yoga practice or other brisk exercise.

Go to bed and sleep before 10 PM, which will support the body’s natural tendency to heal and purify itself.

Diet & nutrition

          Eat lighter regular meals on a steady routine; avoid heavy, oily foods, cold drinks, and ice cream. Limit dairy products and bananas, especially during the morning.

Include bitter, pungent and astringent foods in your diet; legumes such as split peas, red lentils, as well as garbanzo and pinto beans.

Include pungent vegetables such as radishes, and astringent greens such as spinach. Take special note to what is in season (at farmer’s markets) – it’s nature’s way of sending us a message.

Meat eaters should cut down on seafood, shellfish, and duck. Red meat should always be eaten in moderation.

Avoid taking nap during the day as it increases the qualities of heaviness and sluggishness.

Breathe Easily

          Regularly practice several breathing exercises (Pranayama) such as “bellows breath*” and “right nostril breathing.”

During Spring, try to practice the following breathing exercise on a regular basis. If you have any questions about this exercise, please email us.

*Bellows Breath is a stimulating breathing exercise that helps your
body release energizing chemicals, calm the mind, and increase
energy. It should NOT be performed on a full stomach.
Instructions:
-Your breathing should be free and clear – blow your nose to
unblock your nostrils and clear them from mucus.
-Sit on the floor cross-legged, or sit on a chair. Keep your spine,
back and neck aligned.
-Keep your mouth gently closed – this breathing exercise is
performed through the nose.
-Breathe in and out quickly and forcefully using short, rhythmic
breaths. Inhales and exhales should be performed with equal
force and length.
-Your stomach muscles should power the breathing – stomach
muscles expand with the inhale, and contract with the exhale
(like bellows). You can place your hand on your belly during the exercise.

You may feel slightly lightheaded, so start by doing this for 15
seconds only. With practice, slowly increase the length of the
exercise by 5 seconds each time.

Right nostril breathing is a very simple and revitalizing breathing
technique.
Instruction:
-Close the left nostril and inhale and exhale through right nostril
for 8-10 times
- And please always remember to “just breathe.” Breathing is
truly the most essential exercise we can perform. Not inhaling
enough oxygen or exhaling enough carbon dioxide, can have
consequences such as fatigue or mental fog.
- Deep breathing is a fast way to trigger your parasympathetic
nervous system, which some call the relaxation response.

Join Dr. Ram Tamang on Wednesday, May 16 from 7-9 pm as he discusses “Lessons in Balanced Health and Spirituality through Ayurveda” at Mystic Journey Bookstore.

It wasn’t until I was given a gift through seven brain tumors that I had the chance to think about my life, my journey, my decisions and where I was.  Just twelve months earlier I thought I had it all. I had a successful agency. My business was growing. I had a title that I was proud of. I also had a lifestyle that was killing me – had been killing me for several years without my even knowing about it.

In the months that it took me to recuperate, I had plenty of time to try and figure out what had happened. I spoke with doctors and professors. I spoke to Buddhist monks and priests. I learned about the brain and the human body. I learned about stress and cancer. I learned about the brain’s ability to change, what scientists now call plasticity. I also learned about a practice I had long since given up – meditation.

Where before I had learned to meditate as a part of my martial arts training, now I learned how to leverage my meditation as a tool to reduce my stress and minimize the distractions that kept
my life off track.  I learned that once I was free of the distractions I could guide my life in the direction I wanted it to go through the little choices I made every day without even thinking about
them.

I began to realize that the life I had been living was not my life, but the life everyone around me wanted me to have. I learned how the vast majority of our lives are lived in fear of the future and with regret for the past. Rarely were we living in awareness of the present. And this is the cause for many of the problems we all have.

As I began transforming my own life, I kept my notes from the doctors, the scientists, the monks and the priests I met with. These notes became my book,  ”The Simple Truth: Meditation for the
Modern World.” It is a guide for living your life based on YOUR OWN Simple Truth. It is also a guide for transforming your life into the one you were meant to live through the little choices you all make every day without even thinking about them. I discovered that anyone can do this to find the happiness and balance you want. The life you deserve.

I wish you well on your journey, and hope that my experience can help you achieve your
dreams, without the need for a 12 hour surgery.

Namaste                                                                               

Join Jeff Cannon on May 15 as he reads from his book and holds a workshop on meditation. 7-9pm at Mystic Journey Bookstore.

By 1999, I had the idea to write a story in an effort to understand all of the psychic and intuitive experiences I had undergone. It was going to be a story about how spirit first came to exist in the
material world. I was prompted to study ancient spiritual traditions both as research for the book and as a way for my Capricorn mind to understand the basis for all the intuitive information I was
receiving from another source.

Something also told me that Mary Magdalene was to be a central part of this story. Odd, because I knew nothing at all about Mary Magdalene, and it seemed no one else did either at the turn
of the new century. I searched everywhere and found scant information about Magdalene, only enough to sense a great mystery behind this figure portrayed in the Bible in a way that begs you to ask, why is she even mentioned? I sensed she was like a teaser ad for a much bigger, unrevealed story.

Owing to lack of historical information, I began to channel a story involving Magdalene.  My primary work was still international luxury hotel development right up through 2009 so I researched and wrote the book in fragmentary scenes on long plane rides, which is why it took a decade to complete the book. Many told me I was crazy to pick this obscure figure and write a story that smacked of religious controversy if I ever wanted to have a successful novel.

But two startling streams converged in my odyssey halfway into the decade of 2000. First there was an explosion of information, books and articles on Magdalene almost as if the air had become charged with Magdalene particles.

Around this time I met Dan Brown just after the Da Vinci code was published. Dan’s portrayal of Magdalene was superficial, but he popularized her name and hinted at the suppressed alternative biblical story I had described in my manuscript.  In a way, he laid the paving stone for Magdalene awareness I would explore in more depth.

Secondly, I came across the Gnostic gospels, a suppressed body of work by the earliest of Christian mystics.  And lo and behold, the star disciple portrayed in these works was not St. Peter, but Mary Magdalene.

In fact, Jesus proclaims Magdalene to be his other half in the gospels, not in the physical sense as in the Da Vinci Code, but in the spiritual sense representing the yin/yang polarity of the universe. Many original actual Christians held Magdalene to be the embodiment of the Holy Spirit, the female aspect of God just as Jesus embodied the Christ spirit, the male aspect of God.

After studying the Gnostic gospels, I came to realize I had been like a student given a homework assignment I didn’t understand, and I was just beginning to catch on.

I discovered that a universal spiritual tradition once existed that spoke of ONE CONSCIOUSNESS that descended to create all that is, but the details surrounding this knowledge were obscured in the mists of time.

The Gnostic Gospels and other ancient texts spoke of a split in the manifested Godhead itself.  It was this schizophrenic split into two energies we call male and female that allowed individuality
to come into being, that created good and evil, that fostered all the wondrous shades of existence we call life.

And in the ancient texts, it was always the female aspect of the deity that broke the unity leading to the creation of matter and physical life as we know it.  The central tension, the very engine that drives our lives with purpose, lies in the effort of these two polarities, the male and female energies, seeking to reunify.

The story I discovered in the texts is that we are fragmented beings, incomplete parts broken off from a whole, and the breaking had everything to do with the feminine energy.

When spirit first descended into materiality and merged with physical forms on this planet, we were closer to the original feminine source of our origin. The world would have been magical to our early ancestors. Their young souls would have intuited and felt their way through the world immersed in the rhythms of Mother Nature. This is evidenced in world cultures prior to 3,000 BC.  The majority of earth’s cultures were feminine in orientation and matrilineal. They
worshipped the Great Goddess above all other deities.

But now spirit was encased in materiality and subject to the dangers of a physical world. Saber tooth tigers were chasing us around for lunch. Extreme climatic conditions and the need for food supplies now ruled our bodies. To survive, we began to analyze, categorize, and rationalize, and this was a male survival strategy to master our environment. It succeeded so well that we’re now practically destroying ourselves.

But the cycling polarities of male/female energies were always in operation. In the Gnostic gospels, the Christ says the two must become one to realize the Kingdom of Heaven.  In fact, the
texts revealed that the Christ spirit incarnated to reunite with Magdalene, the Holy Spirit, and rescue his counterpart feminine force lost in an alien dimension of physical materiality.

I came to realize that 2012 is about the FEMININE ENERGY reemerging, recycling, not to replace the male dominated vibration but to bring it into balance. It’s a cosmic story of the spiritual evolution of consciousness. We went through our primitive intuitive phase, then our analytic rational phase and now we are at the phase of conjunction where we reunite our left and right brain energies into an operating symmetry.

Maslow called it becoming an actualized human being, Jung called it individuation and Jesus called it the two becoming one again. The evidence of this shift in consciousness in 2012 is admittedly elusive in scientific terms, but I’ll relate a couple of telling personal anecdotes.

I’ve been attending alternative living expos  since the 70’s. Every psychic or consciousness event I went to was 99% women and me. Guys just didn’t do such touchy, feely stuff. Today, every event is close to 50/50.

The odyssey of my book is another example.  I had to self-publish my book. No one wanted to touch a genre-bending novel by a first time author on such an exotic, potentially controversial subject.  After numerous years in development, out of nowhere in the first 3 months of 2012, I have received half a dozen serious calls from Hollywood and ended up in a movie deal. Simultaneously, I now have a major publisher that wants the book.

That Hollywood types and conservative publishers would come together and understand this project in 2012 would not have happened even a few years ago.

And I came to realize that the true story all along was not about Mary Magdalene the person, but Mary Magdalene as  the feminine archetype that was manifesting itself in ways that would transform us as human beings by transforming our ability to perceive reality with different eyes.

The feminine energy of intuitive heart based perception is rising and it’s moving us on. It is our hope, it is our future. It will transform our abilities to penetrate the higher dimensions from which we originated. Ultimately, we will realize that we are the fingers of the divine touching the face of this world. Our purpose is to spiritualize the material and bring the experience of the material
back to spirit.

Join Peter Canova at Mystic Journey Bookstore on Saturday, May 12 at 7pm as he discusses “Quantum Spirituality: Living in a Holographic Universe” and signs his book 7-time Award-Winning Novel “Pope Annalisa,” now contracted to be turned into a major motion picture from the creators of “Black Swan.”

“Understanding where we fit, in relation to others.”

The I CHING is also known as the “book of changes” and it is consulted as an oracle, much like tarot cards or runes. The goal of the I CHING is to inform us about our exact  circumstances, and how we can best react or adapt to them.

Its symbolism is based in nature and therefore it is accessible to everyone. Thousands of years ago, scholars in ancient China observed nature and adapted this wisdom to how we function in
society.

Here is one way to think about the I CHING.  It is sort of like a Chinese version of your daily horoscope. Instead of describing the motion of the planets, the I CHING will tell you if it a good
moment to “cross the great stream” (travel, or start a new project with people in a different city/country) “talk to the great man” (approach your boss with a great new idea, or meet someone
important), for example.

So how does it work? Many years ago, sages looked at tortoise shells to look for cues regarding the future. The most common way to consult the I CHING in modern times is to use 3 coins.
I like using quarters – but three silver dollars or pennies or dimes etc can also be used. The important thing is that the coins be the same size and shape. (They do not, however, have to all be from the same year.) The coins are thrown 6 times, with the first time creating the bottom line of the hexagram. From there, you work your way up, counting the number of heads/tails from each throw.

(In the workshop we will cast the coins three times and each person will create a tri-gram. I will explain how to convert the heads/tails into the yin/yang lines. Just for fun, the chart is below!)

The beauty of the I CHING is that it understands the importance of group dynamics. It helps us realize our “place” in society at any given moment. Are people expecting us to lead, or follow? Take action, or sit and wait?

I find that it is perfect counterpoint to our American culture which emphasizes individuality and individual achievement. In order to accomplish anything big and important, we need to all
work together!

Our American culture likes to celebrate the extraordinary. We like the biggest, the brightest, the perfect 10, and the best-seller. But when we observe nature, we see that extraordinary days
don’t happen very often. Only twice a year, day and night are in perfect balance (spring and fall equinox) and twice a year during the solstices when we have the longest day or longest night.
Sometimes it feels like American culture wants the “summer solstice” every day, which, of course, is impossible!

On a personal level, we will each have our own “summer solstice” moments and our own “winter solstice” moments in the course of our lifetimes… The I CHING helps us recognize when the universe is giving us all “green lights”! In this way, we can maximize our progress.

At the same time, there will be occasions when we can make progress in “small things” but not “big things”.  Being aware of this can minimize our frustration and wasted efforts.

The study of the I CHING is connected to Taoism, which can be described as the “study of nature and natural patterns/rhythms”. Although it is not exactly a religious book, it does need to
be respected. The 64 hexagrams provide 4,096 different possible readings!

How often should the I CHING be consulted? Perhaps once every couple of days, once a week, or every few weeks. It is my personal belief that the I CHING is never wrong, and it will
call to you when the time is right. It will tell you what you need to know, regardless of your question. And yes, one of the possible readings says “Quit bothering me! I have answered this
question already. Be patient and leave me alone.”

The I CHING can be a very valuable friend, and its wisdom has had a huge impact on my life. I am delighted to share this knowledge with you!

Join Sadia Carone as she introduces and explores the I CHING during her workshop on May 8 from 7-9pm at Mystic Journey Bookstore.

The depth of human potential goes beyond the surface of our being, beyond words and time, beyond the intellectual constructs of mind. The real depths of human potential are within.  There are many rituals from different cultures that provide opportunities for us to reach within. Yet, regardless of the culture or ceremony, they all have one thing in common; they create a shift in our awareness, a shift between our mind and our body, a shift in our relationship with the world around us. This natural shift creates a synchronicity within our being and provides the proper environment for us to access our fullest potential.  Hypnosis provides the gateway to this higher power, allowing access to subconscious awareness and direction with full conscious awareness. Since hypnosis is natural, everyone can learn to experience and benefit from it.What if you could learn how to eliminate insomnia, change negative habits of food, alcohol or cigarette addiction, create natural anesthesia for pain control, promote greater physical health, create emotional balance and ease, increase self confidence, strengthen your spirituality, enhance your athletic abilities, eliminate allergies, fears, panic attacks, stomach problems, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, motion sickness, skin problems or asthma? What if all that you needed to accomplish these incredible changes was your own mind and body?

Skills of self-hypnosis allow you to enter a world of unlimited potential.  As you learn to access and direct your subconscious mind, you can direct your body, your thoughts, your feelings, your behaviors and your life, in new and positive directions.

Please join Mystic Journey Bookstore in welcoming Roberta Swartz, Clinical Hypnotherapist for this empowering presentation and workshop, “Self-Hypnosis for CreatingHealth: The Mind Body Connection.” You’ll learn about the the subconscious mind and themind-body connection. We’ll explore subconscious emotional beliefs that create blocks and learn effective ways to break through self imposed limitations. This workshop can provide you with tangible ways to have a fuller response in life including physical wellness, emotional peace and spiritual evolution.  Join the thousands of people who have achieved positive results with these natural mind abilities. You’ll be pleased with the quality and quantity of information that you’ll receive in this interesting and stimulating workshop!  Regardless of your age, culture, or religious beliefs, you can acquire these natural skills.

“As you learn to quiet your mind and your body, you can learn to help yourself.  Here in this peaceful place of being, you can create the perfect environment to support, stimulate, and direct your body’s natural healing process.”

By: Roberta A. Swartz, Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist

Join Roberta as she discusses her new book “Me, Myself and Mind” on Wednesday, May 2 at 7pm at Mystic Journey Bookstore.

Another aspect of the healing process is that most people, when faced with emotions that feel hurtful or uncomfortable to them, subconsciously make up a story about themselves. For example, a child whose mother yelled at them for reasons they didn’t understand when they were five is likely to make up a story about their self. Usually these stories take on some version of “I’m not worthy” or “I’m not good enough”. Then, every situation in life becomes an opportunity to expand on and reinforce this belief. Think of it as a table, and each situation that reinforces the belief becomes another leg holding up the table. If you can agree that we reap what we internally believe about ourselves and about life, than you can agree that it can be very limiting to be having these beliefs swimming around under the surface in our subconscious mind. And it has been said that at least 80% of who we are and what we manifest is directed by our subconscious mind.

The beauty of EFT (stands for “Emotional Freedom Technique) is that once trace down these “root causes” in the subconscious mind, we can eliminate the disruption in the body’s energy field (all negative emotions cause a disruption in the body’s energy field) that were created when the original event happened. We can also go in and knock down “table legs” that are holding up the belief that is holding them back. In its place, we instill new positive, affirmative beliefs that are more reflective of the truth and desires of the individual. The results are usually nothing short of miraculous, which is why I am so excited to be an EFT practitioner.

As for the results of my current workshop; two members showed up on the first day. One has stuck around, and lost 8-9 lbs since the first class. We have focused 90% on healing root causes. In her own words “I’m not trying very hard, I just don’t have the desire to eat as much anymore”.  In May, two more members will be joining her for the last session.

Moving forward, I plan to start a workshop called “Manifesting Miracles using EFT” that will cover more than just weight loss, because it can be used for anything.  Stay tuned for details.

*a technique derived from hypnosis that doesn’t require the client going “under” and reveal the true cause of a problem so as to be able to heal at it the Source)

I started my 12 Step journey just shy of my 24th birthday, which makes it more than 26 years now that I have been in recovery from addiction to drugs and alcohol.

Even though I was so young when I came in, the horror I experienced in my ten years of active addiction were enough: enough to reduce me to a soulless, morally bankrupt, physically battered version of my former light-hearted and loving self.

And the more chemicals I layered on, the more I buried any insight or wisdom that might save me from the wreck I had become.

Even the events that sent me stumbling into my first 12-step meeting werenʼt enough to convince me that my problems were of my own making; I still believed that if the rest of the world would behave, that I wouldnʼt need to drink and drug so much.
So I stopped not for the beautiful dream of what my life could be like free of my addictions, but to get away from the horror I created with every person, place, and thing I touched. I came in because I was out of answers. Out of people who would put up with me. Out of money. Out of hope.
I never dreamed that the shakiest of reasons for leaving one life behind would lead to one of such joy, peace, and certainty. But Iʼm jumping ahead.
Within 12-Step program literature is the promise of how our lives will transform if we work the steps. It is very clear about how that happens, using words like “painstaking,” “searching,”“fearless,” and “honest.”
One of those “promises,” if we are indeed painstaking, is that “we will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us,” which on first reading, interested and confused me at the same time.
Up to that point, I thought my ability to jump out of the worst of harms way, always in the nick of time, and manipulate situations to my advantage was intuition at its finest.

And I thought that handling bafflements meant judging, dissing, and dismissing anything that didnʼt jibe with my crazy way of being.
I discovered that real intuition was the ability to see what is right and useful, regardless of personal benefit, a skill, it turns out, that had been with me all along, pinned under a fine avalanche of drugs, alcohol, and ego.
But how to dig out from under that trash heap and not just claim, but start using my “sixth sense,” for good instead of evil?

What it took was repeatedly working the 12 steps to not only clear the wreckage of my past, but also of my mind.  I have learned to be calm, to trust the God of my understanding, to pray and to meditate, and as a result, have laid the ground from which innate awareness can arise.
And over time, this intuition grows stronger and stronger, and with it comes a deeper devotion than ever to where and how I can best serve others.
This commitment to service, particularly on behalf of other alcoholics and addicts, wasnʼt what I set out to do in recovery; by doing the work, it slowly but surely became what my heart is set on.  And with service as my first focus, there is practically nothing left to be baffled about.

I hope you will join us for my special event on April 27th at Mystic Journey Bookstore to discuss these tools for developing serenity and insight; whether youʼre in recovery or not, you will love ourconversation about the freedom, happiness, and joy they will bring you.  Jenifer Madson