April 2009

Dear Friend,

We all hold a vital force that helps us forge

ahead during times of crisis. Author Robert Collier

says when things go smoothly, this vital force lies

dormant. But when life presents challenges, the

force awakens to the need.

I had the opportunity to utilize this force myself this month. My computer

crashed one day before I was to send the April issue to the printer. Every-

thing was gone. Talk about not being attached to outcomes! I literally

thought I would have to start with a clean slate.

A friend referred me to a computer technician. He couldn’t guarantee he’d

be able to retrieve the files. I released the hard drive to him and at the same

time released the publication. I knew that every obstacle holds the potential

for growth, so I decided to release the old, accept the new, and re-create my

reality (and the publication, if necessary). I knew that no matter what, all was

well. If I had to re-do the April issue, it would be a chance to create it from a

fresh perspective.

Fortunately, he was able to retrieve the majority of the files. The peace I

experienced during the wait, however, was liberating. I knew that no matter

what it would be okay. Sometimes we limit how much can come to us. When

life (literally or not) crashes around us it’s a chance to break free from those

limitations—because with a clean slate, anything is possible.

Starting over takes the courage of initiative, the ability to forge ahead, and

a knowledge of your innate power. And though a crisis holds the power to

ignite fear, what a blessing it is to instead feel the vital force that is who we

are when the need arises.

Jill Dutton

XXXXvolving

We Do Receive What We Do Receive What We Do Receive What We Do Receive What

We BelieveWe BelieveWe BelieveWe Believe

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Take Your Dreams from Take Your Dreams from Take Your Dreams from Take Your Dreams from

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April 2009 3 Evolving…

Xvolving Publisher Jill Dutton

Contributors Carmelita Davis-Beets, Bethany Klug, Jude LaClaire, Aluna Michaels, Sharon Rodriguez, Lidia Young, Wes Wingfield

Ad Sales Manager Connie “Crash” Humiston

913–322-3378 ~ [email protected]

Proofreader Judy Kirkpatrick

Evolving

913-944-1298

[email protected]

www.evolvingmagazine.com

Evolving© 2009 all rights reserved.

The opinions expressed are those of the

authors. Evolving makes no attempt to

be an alternative to or replacement for

psychiatric care.

Distribution by PDS, Inc.

Elana Gordon, KCUR health reporter, received

the MPHAA Radio Media Award for health cov-

erage. Gordon was nominated for the award by

the Kansas City Missouri Health Department who

had this to say about her work:

"Though a relatively recent hire at KCUR 89.3

FM, Ms. Gordon has been a welcome addition to

Kansas City radio media. Her focus on fair and accurate coverage of a variety of

health topics, including WIC, influenza, smoking ordinances, environmental health

inspections, and immunizations has improved media/agency relations and encour-

aged greater mutual interaction and trust.

Ms. Gordon has through her own personal efforts greatly increased the amount of

health coverage at KCUR; in her first 6 months there, she communicated with the

City of Kansas City, Mo., Health Department more than 85 times on more than 15

different health topics, each of which resulted in both air time and internet podcasts.

Celebrate Your

Mother Earth

Celebrate your Mother Earth this year by attending the EarthWalk and EarthFest.

These events are hosted by Bridging The Gap, a local not-for-profit organization

whose mission is to work to make the Kansas City region sustainable by connecting

environment, economy and community.

The 13th annual EarthWalk and EarthFest will take place on May 9th at Theis Park,

in the heart of Kansas City. The EarthWalk is a 2.5 mile green fundraising walk

along Brush Creek. Proceeds stay in Kansas City and support Bridging The Gap in

education outreach for environmental and sustainability issues. Join a team or be-

come a team captain and raise pledges for a chance to win local green prizes. Earth-

Walk begins at 10 a.m. with day-of registration beginning at 8 a.m. Pre-registration is

available online at www.earthdaykc.org or by calling 816-561-1061, ext. 128 to re-

quest a mail-in registration form.

Immediately following the EarthWalk, the 5th annual EarthFest will feature 5

Green Villages with planet-friendly exhibitors and vendors in a free festival from 11

a.m. to 4 p.m. inside Theis Park. Event-goers will explore 5 Green Villages which

will involve energy efficiency and other green practices for the home, eating local,

buying local, green transportation and the great outdoors. EarthFest 2009 features

interactive displays, workshops and product demos to help people explore and better

understand the relative impact of their different green choices.

StoneLion Puppet Theatre and other performers will delight children and adults

alike in entertainment with an earth-friendly message. Bring the family and join us

in celebrating our Mother Earth. To register for EarthWalk or learn more about

EarthFest, visit www.earthdaykc.org or call 816-561-1087 ext 128.


LUCID LIVING SEMINAR

May 4 & 5, 2009

6:00pm - 9:00pm

11420 Canterbury Circle, Leawood, Kansas 66211

$90 advanced sale / $100 at the door

Limited Seating: Only 30 Tickets Available

For more information visit www.timothyfrekekc.com or email

[email protected].

KCUR Health Reporter Wins Missouri

Public Health Association Media Award

This year, celebrate the Earth on

April 22 with a variety of environmen-

tally friendly—and fairly traded—

products at Ten Thousand Villages.

From recycled glass wine goblets to

plastic bag placemats, coiled newspaper

coasters and olive wood cutting boards,

eco-entertaining starts at Ten Thousand

Villages in downtown Overland Park,

KS.

“Throughout our store network

we’re hosting a celebration of Mother

Earth, and we’re encouraging our cus-

tomers to do their part in helping to

keep the planet ‘green’ by throwing an

eco-friendly party,” said Joyce

Burkholder, director of purchasing for

Ten Thousand Villages U.S. “From its

inception more than 60 years ago, Ten

Thousand Villages continues to become

increasingly conscious of the need to

marry the concept of fair trade with

healthy and environmentally sustain-

able business practices.”

Ten Thousand Villages contin-

ues to carry out a conscious approach

toward minimizing its environmental

impact.

Featuring products from more than

130 artisan groups in 38 countries, Ten

Thousand Villages consists of a net-

work of more than 155 retail outlets

throughout the United States selling

Ten Thousand Villages products. For

more than 60 years, Ten Thousand Vil-

lages has been establishing long-term

buying relationships in places where

skilled artisans lack opportunities for

stable income. All artisans are fairly

paid for their products.

Ten Thousand Villages. One Earth.

This lidded bowl was handcrafted by

artisans of the Women’s Multipur-

pose Cooperative in Baguio City, the

Philippines.

Local Author Releases Book

As a certified art therapist of over

thirty years, Avis Garrett-Baptist has

aided numerous patients in under-

standing their lives. The purpose of her

self-help autobiography is to help read-

ers enjoy life in a more creative way.

Evolving… 6 April 2009

This book consolidates a lot of infor-

mation in simple terms. Her goal is to

help readers get a clearer understand-

ing of how to confront complex issues

in their lives. The book explains how

Avis used these concepts to not only

help herself through life, but to help

many others.

Hard copies and soft copies are

available at www.amazon.com. For

m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n v i s i t :

www.avisgarrett.com.

Paperback: 108 pages

Publisher: Outskirts Press (June 14,

2008)

ISNB-10: 1432725440

ISBN-13: 978-1432725440


O’Brien Pharmacy and the Kansas City Holistic Centre

Old-time pharmacies are hard to find. Even harder to find is a modern pharmacy and holistic center with old-time habits and values. O’Brien Pharmacy and the Kansas City Holistic Centre, a merging of products and services, offers both. Started 47 years ago by Henry C. O’Brien and Harry M. Everett, O’Brien’s Pharmacy experienced many “firsts”. It was one of the first medical building phar-macies in the country; one of the first computerized pharmacies; and one of the first three in the country allowed to dispense AIDS medications. Lisa and Eric Everett continue the progressive tradition: “My Dad was a forward thinker and we’ve always tried to fol-low that practice,” Lisa Everett says.

This forward thinking, along with a desire to teach patients ways to get and stay healthy (rather than sim-ply treating symptoms), has caused the business to thrive. To further this mission, the Kansas City Holistic Centre opened in 2000. The Kansas City Holistic Centre provides a variety of natural health services. These include:

• Clinical Nutrition Consultations

• Classical Homeopathy

• Osteopathic Treatment

• Botanical/Herbal Medicine

• Counseling Services

• Natural Hormone Replacement

• Laboratory Assessment and Evaluation

The practitioners of the Kansas City Holistic Centre and O’Brien Pharmacy have a common mission: to provide an environment to partner with caring, skilled practitioners in weaving the tapestry of optimized health. They remain current on the most recent ad-vances in alternative medicine while maintaining an open and objective mind. They also consult with tradi-tional healthcare practitioners daily to blend the best of alternative medicine with allopathic medicine. The practitioners at the Kansas City Holistic Centre have varied talents. Lisa Everett, pharmacist and certi-

Never Miss An Issue!

Have Evolving mailed to

your home or office each

month.

Subscriptions are just $24/

year.

Order online at

www.evolvingmagazine.com

Jude LaClaire, Ph.D., LCPC, LCSW provides

counseling services at the KC Holistic Centre.

Lisa Everett is a pharmacist and certified

clinical nutritionist.

fied clinical nutritionist, is an adjunct faculty member of the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Pharmacy and has served as a clinical instructor for the University of Kansas School of Medicine. Alicia John-son, NMD, is a Naturopathic Physician and acupunc-turist. Suzanne Alt, DO, has more than 20 years experi-ence in family practice medicine. And Jude LaClaire, Ph.D., LCPC, LSCW, assists people of all ages in find-ing their unique path to mental, physical and spiritual health. The pharmacy handles only the finest, most re-searched and therapeutic products. A committee of two pharmacists/clinical nutritionists and a doctor of pharmacy select their products. Criteria includes inde-pendent studies and research, therapeutics, bioavail-ability, purity of contents, dosing, reputation of the manufacturer, and cost. O’Brien Pharmacy and the Kansas City Holistic Centre focus on the whole person. The environment is also conducive to healing. Aesthetically pleasing, the sights and sounds of the center are calming. A waiting area with overstuffed chairs houses a bookstore. Foun-tains, exquisite artwork and earthy colors greet the visitor at every turn. Location: 5453 W. 61st Place, Mission, KS www.obrienrx.com www.kcholistic.com

By Bethany Klug, DO

Is it nature or nurture? It’s both,

and the Agouti mouse is showing

us why.

The Agouti mouse is fat with

yellow hair. It is prone to diabetes,

cancer and other degenerative dis-

eases, thus it is important to health

science. Sometimes an Agouti

mouse is born with mottled or dark

hair. That mouse isn’t as fat or as

disease prone; yet, these mice are

still genetically identical.

The difference is in their epige-

nome. Epigenome means “in addi-

tion to the genome,” and it tells a

gene what to do, and when and

where to do it. For example, it is

the epigenome that tells a cell to

become a skin cell and to do it on

your skin, not your brain. The epi-

genome is the chemical package

the DNA comes in. If the DNA is

well-packaged, then bad genes,

like the ones that make the Agouti

mouse fat and disease prone, can-

not be activated. Groups of atoms

called methyl groups are a key part

of this package.

If a gene has enough methyl

groups attached to it, it cannot be

turned on. “Enough” is the opera-

tive word. Too many or too few

methyl groups can cause harmful

genes to go into action. The hair

color of the Agouti mouse indicates

its methylation state. The Agouti

gene is not methylated and turned

on in the yellow mouse, leading to

a fat, disease-prone mouse. The

Agouti gene is fully methylated and

turned off in the dark mouse. In the

mottled mouse, some genes are

methylated and some aren’t.

Scientists at the Laboratory of

Epigenetics and Imprinting at Duke

University use the Agouti mouse to

study how maternal nutrition and

environmental exposure affect the

epigenome. They devised two ex-

periments. In the first, they ex-

posed Agouti mice to bisphenol A

(BPA), a common environmental

toxin found in plastics. In a recent

CDC study of around 400 people,

95% had detectible levels of BPA.

Yellow offspring predominated in

this study and their epigenome had

fewer methyl groups.

In the second experiment, they

exposed the Agouti mice to BPA,

but fed the mice a diet rich in

methyl groups. Methyl groups are

found in minimally processed whole

foods like cruciferous vegetables,

such as broccoli and kale, berries,

citrus, nuts, beans and whole

grains. Yellow offspring no longer

predominated and more brown,

thin mice were born. This effect

lasted for several generations, even

when the mice were not fed a

methyl group rich diet.

These studies prove that envi-

ronmental toxicity can be offset by

a nutrient-rich diet. We can turn on

healthy genes and turn off disease

genes. Moreover, it shows that how

Lessons from a Big Fat Mouse


we eat today affects the health of

future generations.

These studies show that we are

not hostage to our genes. What we

eat, environmental poisons and

even the way we treat each other

determines whether good genes

will reign over bad genes. We are

more responsible for our own

health and the health of future

generations than we ever thought.

The Agouti mouse studies require

that we re-think the place of ciga-

rettes, alcohol, fast food, soda pop,

energy drinks, refined oils, feed

lots and the myriad of processed

industrial foods that dominate our

grocery stores, school lunch pro-

grams and restaurants. In the light

of these studies, it seems unwise to

spend billions on suppressive drugs

and chemotherapy, when better

nutrition is cheaper and treats the

causes not the symptoms. Trials

aimed at curing cancer by increas-

ing methylation of the epigenome

are already underway. The Agouti

mouse studies provide support for

sweeping changes in agriculture,

mental health, health care, child

care, education and our prison sys-

tems.

These studies also demand that

we treat ourselves and each other

with love and care. Now why does it

take a big fat mouse to prove that?

Learn more about epigenetics

at Nova Science Now: http://

www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/

sciencenow/3411/02.html

Bethany Klug is a physician for whom

food is a doorway to personal, commu-

nity, and planetary health. Learn more

about her practice of “Restoring Health

with Holistic Medicine” at 913-642-

1900 and www.bethanyklug.com.

These studies prove that

environmental toxicity can be offset

by a nutrient-rich diet. We can turn

on healthy genes and turn off

disease genes.


Crisis or Challenge?

By Jude LaClaire, Ph.D.

A pessimist sees the difficulty in

every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in

every difficulty.

—Winston Churchill

Seeing problems as an opportunity or a difficulty, a crisis or a challenge, is a personal decision. Our perception of events is what shapes our attitude towards them. Winston Churchill was a man who endured a lonely child-hood, entered a career in the army serving during WWI, spent most of his life as a politician, and endured many successes and failures. Perhaps he learned the bit of wisdom he im-parts to us from those many experi-ences. He must have learned to see his difficulties as opportunities. I believe this is what distinguishes the optimist from the pessimist. We learn to see life with a lens that shows us a posi-tive outcome to any situation. It is well documented that people who expect good things to happen are healthier, happier and have better relationships. On the other hand peo-ple who are mistrustful, cynical and expect bad things to happen are less happy, suffer from more physical problems and do not have very good relationships. A recent study done at the Univer-sity of Pittsburgh looked at rates of death and chronic health conditions among participants of the Women's Health Initiative study. This study followed more than 100,000 women ages 50 and over since 1994. Each par-ticipant was given a questionnaire to reflect on her attitude towards life. It measured the tendency towards the belief and hope that life will turn out well or the tendency to expect the worst things from one’s life. The team led by Dr. Hilary Tindle found that optimists were less likely to have high blood pressure, diabetes or smoke cigarettes. They were 14% less likely to die from any cause than pessimists and 30% less likely to die from heart disease after eight years of follow up in the study. Women who were highly distrust-ful of other people, identified as

‘cynically hostile’ were 16% more likely to die during the study pe-riod—23% were more likely to die from cancer. This is consistent with previous studies indicating that attitude and beliefs are reflected in one’s physical and mental health. Most of us fit somewhere in that continuum from optimism to pessimism. On down days one might be more pessimistic and when feeling good would tend towards optimism. You probably have a pattern which you, or those who know you well, could help you identify. There is an online question-naire on www.queendom.com which will help you assess yourself. (The initial analysis is free and there is a fee for the “full” report.) In our current economic and social environment, it would be helpful to look in the mirror and see how we are doing on this continuum. Our physi-cal, emotional and relationship health depends on how we view the present “crisis” and what action we will take. If one sees these problems as having a bad outcome, the tendency is to freeze, do nothing and, possibly, be very depressed. On the other hand if one sees the possibility of a positive outcome and has confidence and hope for better things to come, positive action will be taken. Helen Keller, the amazing woman who inspires so many, said, “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” My wish is for you to find that “inner optimist” and join the other optimists in seeing the current personal and societal problems as challenges and opportunities.

Jude LaClaire, Ph.D., LCPC, LCSW is

a counselor, educator and author. For

counseling appointments, groups,

seminars, in-service training, Neuro-

behavioral Programs or speaker’s

bureau call 913-322-0023. For more

information on Jude LaClaire and the

Kansas City Holistic Centre go to

www.kcholistic.com. Email:

[email protected]

Doreen Rivera, Energy Healer

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The Body-Mind-Spirit

By Carmelita Davis-Beets

The body-mind-spirit connection…it’s some-

thing you’ve probably seen countless times in

advertisements and publications that have

something to do with alternative health prac-

tices. But have you ever stopped to consider

what the body-mind-spirit connection is really

all about?

It’s about living a life that’s in balance—

something that many people haven’t experi-

enced and may not know how to achieve.

Achieving balance starts with a holistic per-

spective of what life is all about here on earth.

We are physical beings, as well as emotional be-

ings and spiritual beings. It’s easy to focus on

the physical manifestations of health because we

can touch and feel our bodies. Most of the time,

we have a pretty good understanding of our

physical state of health. We know when we’re full

of energy, dying of thirst, so full we can’t eat

another bite, or in need of a good night’s sleep.

And we can describe sore throats, tummy aches,

stubbed toes and even mysterious symptoms.

It’s often much more difficult to understand,

much less describe, what’s happening in our

minds and souls. Yet our emotional and spiritual

states are intricately intertwined with our physi-

cal state of being.

The key to health and happiness is balance.

Think about trees. To grow and thrive, trees

need air, water, soil, sunshine and a healthy en-

vironment. Not air or water or soil or sunshine or

a healthy environment. They need all of these

things—in balance. We must have a balance of

many things as well, including air, water, sun-

shine, nourishment, sleep, friendship, and love,

or we will get sick.

I encourage you to eat as healthfully as pos-

sible, exercise regularly, stay positive, and em-

brace feelings of calmness and serenity. You’ll

minimize, and more likely prevent, the possibil-

ity of becoming seriously ill. Even those geneti-

cally predisposed to heart disease, cancer and

diabetes can completely tip the scales in their

favor by paying close attention to the body,

mind and spirit because balance is key to dis-

ease prevention.

Don’t ignore what your body, mind and spirit

tell you. If you pay attention, you’ll know when

you’re out of balance. If you don’t take care of

your emotional pain, it very well may manifest

itself in a physical way. Harboring feelings of

anger, shame or resentment are harmful to your

soul and this, too, can cause serious physical

problems. Be courageous! Be brave! Find out

what’s truly going on in your heart, mind and

soul, and embrace it.

Shine the light on your soul. Seek ways to

feel your best, emotionally. Learn to live a bal-

anced life focused on love and acceptance. If you

need guidance in your quest to live a balanced

life, consider working with a natural healer who

can help you on this important journey. Wher-

ever you are on the continuum of balance, strive

for continued growth. You’ll gain a new lease on

life!

Carmelita Davis-Beets is the founder and

president of the Midwest Institute of Natural

Healing, located at 5518 N. Antioch Road in

Kansas City, Mo. The school offers courses of

study in Holistic Nutrition Consulting, and Body

Somatic Therapy—-a unique method of struc-

tural integration bodywork that is tailored to

address the physical and emotional issues of

each person. Carmelita can be reached at

816-453-3577, or

[email protected].

Don’t ignore what your

body, mind and spirit tell

you. If you pay attention,

you’ll know when you’re out

of balance.

Miss the March issue of

Evolving? View it on-line at

www.evolvingmagazine.com.

Also on-line:

• Take part in our reader survey

• Post a comment/suggestion

• Purchase a subscription

• View our writer’s guidelines

• Read the current issue

• Check out our media kit

Xvolving A Guide for Conscious Living


Founding mother of the Temple,

Priestess Kim Oursler offers:

Intuitive Spiritual Counseling

Tarot Card Readings

Holistic Healing with Herbs

Shamanic Journey with Sacred Stones

Energy Healing

Past Life Journeys

BlessingWay Ceremony for Babies & Children

Classes, Ceremony, and Ritual

Please visit our calendar of upcoming events at www.Goddess.meetup.com/287 or

email us at [email protected]. (816) 510-4391.

The Temple of the Goddess celebrates

our ever-evolving spiritual journey to

the center of our Soul's Light and

provides a sacred container to explore

your supernatural gifts and

experience conscious community.

Evolving

May Theme: Healthy Dining—Contact Connie to place your ad—[email protected]

try, I can never keep this weight off.”) If there are things in your life that you have wanted to change but haven’t, it may be useful to have a coach help you get off that familiar hamster wheel that most people have running in their minds on a pretty regular basis. Creating a different point of view or rede-fining your relationship with yourself can al-low you to tap into more positive energy. This can be the key to finding the courage to shift ineffective behaviors—in other words to evolve.

Competent may not mean confident My client Sylvia, a manager, was very un-comfortable speaking up in a group when her peers and boss were present. Although very competent—she managed her department well and had great ideas for her team—she continued to keep quiet in meetings with management. “What if I look stupid?” she said. “What if what I have to say is not that brilliant or use-ful?” Sylvia decided to get help when she found herself in danger of being passed over for pro-motions because she was not perceived as a strong leader. Because she believed that she really deserved a promotion, Sylvia was moti-vated to challenge her old patterns. Through the help of coaching, she identi-fied small steps that would allow her to build a new interpersonal muscle—such as openly expressing her ideas in meetings. With each step she was able to discuss her accomplish-ments and get valuable feedback, which gave her the confidence to keep going. “It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be,” she said. “I didn’t die and someone actu-ally came up to me after a meeting and wanted to know more about something I brought up.”

Get a champion on your side Your relationship with your coach can be among the most powerful in your life. Imag-ine having a mentor and cheerleader who is totally in

By Lidia Young

Self-help books and videos about the secret laws of the universe are ubiquitous today. But they may offer more than they can deliver. They don’t come with motivation, follow-through or encouragement. While it is useful to contemplate how to improve your situa-tion, you may need something more to moti-vate you. Focused support will help you make the leap so you can achieve the life of your dreams. A life coach can assist you to develop a customized roadmap and the right mindset to create and manifest the life you want.

Success may not mean happiness Dan, a client, had always wanted to own his own business. Even though he was suc-cessful in climbing the corporate ladder, he wasn’t all that happy. “What I really love is building things and making old homes beautiful.” He renovated several houses over the years in his spare time. They sold quickly when prospective home owners saw the craftsman-ship and beauty of his work. But he was not sure he could turn his hobby into a successful business. With the help of coaching he learned to trust the strong feelings he had about wanting to change directions in his ca-reer. Over time he made the transition from a corporate job to a career in remodeling that was deeply satisfying and ultimately finan-cially successful.

Change how you think What do you want in your life? What brings you real joy? Where is your life out of balance? Life coaches help you answer these questions and assist you in getting out of your own way. For most people, ineffective thinking can become habitual and circular. We tend to keep thinking the same things over and over again. (“Why can’t I have a boss who values my work?” “I’ll never meet the love of my life, so why bother?” “No matter how hard I


Take Your Dreams from Vision to Reality:

Get a Champion on Your Side

How to choose a coach

• Contact several coaches and speak with them.

Since it is such a personal process, it is impor-

tant to feel comfortable with your coach. Find

one with whom you have rapport. Do you feel

the coach understood your concerns? Did they

have a clear sense of what you want to accom-

plish?

• Make sure your coach is experienced. Find out

how long they have been in the field and

whether they do coaching full time. Ask for

references.

• If you have a specific need, be sure you have a

coach that has the background and credentials

in that area.

• Get clarity on the fees and what services are

offered. Does the coach charge by the hour? By

the month? What kind of commitment is in-

volved? It is important that a coach be invested

in the process working for you more than in

getting you to sign a contract.

• Trust your gut. If the coach is a good fit for

you, you should have some meaningful in-

sights within the first session.

• A great resource for finding a coach is the

H e a r t l a nd Coa c h e s A s s o c i a t i o n :

www.heartlandcoaches.org.

your corner. Someone who is devoted to under-

standing what is important to you and helping

you discover how to get more out of your life.

In addition to support, coaches offer accountabil-

ity. It is often easier to let yourself down than to

break an agreement with a coach who is invested

in your happiness and success. If Sylvia had not

had a coach, it would have been easy for her to

promise herself she would speak up at the next

meeting, something she had said to herself hun-

dreds of times before.

Sylvia discovered that her new-found strength

in expressing her views also carried over into her

personal life. She found herself creating healthier

boundaries with her husband and children. This

was a result of her improved self esteem and the

belief that she deserved more joy in her day-to-

day experiences.

find the stillness within me because I let go of the counting. Then I noticed that I started finding places like a quiet room to find that stillness within me. I felt peaceful. Next I created a room in my home that became my meditation room. My family did not understand why I would want to meditate. I found that the chaos did not affect me as much. The meditation or inner communication was what I had been seeking. While I was learn-ing to meditate I picked up a book by Ram Dass, Journey of awakening; A Meditator’s Guidebook. He had such great experiences and I wanted those experiences myself. Well, I almost quit meditating because I was not having the same experiences as Ram Dass. What I learned was that I would have my own. There were changes going on around me. Not all of them felt or looked good. My oldest son left home and I didn’t know where he went. When I meditated on him, I found that I was not as worried about him. I felt a sense of peace about him. I eventually got out of my marriage. Not just be-cause of meditation or inner commu-nication, it was part of the change that needed to happen a long time before it did. Within a year of my divorce, I flew overseas, got a raise at work, and was able to pay my bills on time every month. I did not think I could do all of this on my own! One of my first experiences travel-ing was a trip to Athens, Greece. I was meditating every chance I got. In the ruins of the Gateway to the city, I heard to go to classes with a psychic. I had heard of the psychic from my work friends but had never seen her. When I returned home I found out that the psychic was holding classes and of course I started going. I was letting go more and more and step-ping out into the unknown. I learned about astrology, auras, automatic writing, Chakras, past life regression, lucid dreams, Psychome-try, and Tarot readings. My teacher was doing psychic fairs and she en-couraged me to do them too. I was nervous. I had changed jobs and was

By Sharon Rodriguez An emerging pattern started to appear in my clients. They wanted to know how to contact their loved ones who passed away. They also wanted to know about objects appearing in their homes without explanation. They wanted to know how I did Tarot Reading or how I did energy work. They wanted to know how to get in-formation on their own. To answer these questions I share my journey of inner communication and letting go. My spiritual journey started over 20 years ago when my life was in chaos. My marriage was falling apart; my children were acting out; my job was not the right one for me. There was no relief! At least I didn’t feel or see any relief. I felt like I was going to ex-plode. I cried much of the time. Noth-ing was working, or so I thought. My relief showed up in the most unusual way. Some friends at work told me about an astrologer that they were seeing. She was fabulous they said. I would never think of going to an astrologer. It was against my up-bringing, principles, and common sense. Besides, my father was raised in an era where this was considered black magic. He told me to stay away from people who did this. My chaotic world got worse. I let go and went to the astrologer. There were two major pieces of information that came out of that first meeting. One, she taught me about meditation—going within my-self to find my answers. She also told me that I had my own natural spiri-tual abilities. Meditation was something I was willing to work with. I was skeptical of having my own abilities. For medi-tation she said to breathe in to the count of four and breathe out to the count of four. At first my mind would not settle down. I kept thinking of things I had to do for the family or for work. I went back to her and said “I can’t do meditation.” I told her that my thoughts kept interrupting me. She said to keep at it. I did and after a while I found that I was able to focus on my breath more and more. I could

afraid that people at work would see me. Finally, I told some of them what I was doing and they went to class with me or asked me to practice with them. The fairs became another prac-tice place for me. I learned so much with each fair I did. The money was never the focus—a good thing because I did not make much money. My ex-periences were worth more than the money. On one of my overseas trips I went to Egypt. During my meditation I heard that I would have a significant experience. I thought it would be in Egypt when I did Psychometry on the great Pyramids or walking through the ancient ruins. My significant ex-perience happened during the layover in Paris, France. I was traveling with two friends and one of them knew about the psychic lessons I was taking, the other one did not. When we ar-rived in Paris we all agreed to go sightseeing instead of going to sleep. Our time zone had thrown off our sleep schedule and we arrived in the middle of the night according to cen-tral time zone. We saw the great Notre-Dame Cathedral, Sacra Cour, and the outside of the Louvre. We went to the top of the Eiffel tower. We ate French food in an outdoor café! It was a full day. I told my friends that if the hotel had a massage person, I would get a massage. I had never had a massage and it felt appropriate to have one in Europe. The hotel did have a massage person, a sweet little old man. After our dinner, I went to him. During the massage, I saw a vision of myself be-ing prepared for a ceremony in an-cient Egypt. When I was finished I


found my one friend outside the door. She was nervous about what I was doing. I was glad she was there. I wanted to tell the massage person, that he had to have glowing hands. I did not speak French and he did not speak much English. My friend trans-lated for us. The massage person said that it was my energy. I was one of five people he had experienced this type of energy with in his 15-year ca-reer. His comments about energy did not make sense to me until many years later when I did Reiki and At-tunement energy work. Because of the questions I received from my clients and my experiences of inner communication, plus letting go, I now facilitate others learning about their own abilities. I walk beside them as they communicate with their loved ones who have passed away or learn about their ability to communicate through energy or learn about ex-changing energy through Reiki energy work. I also facilitate others with learning about the different modalities to express their abilities. Sharon Rodriguez, ADL is a Reiki Master Teacher, Certified Attunement Prac-tioner, who has integrated her 20 plus

years of natural energy healing work and coaching into her classes. Sharon has

taught classes at Unity Church of Over-land Park, American University, and

Aquarius. She guided a group of women to Greece for a Goddess Journey. She has conducted energy sessions interna-tionally. To sign up for classes, private

sessions, or to have her at your next event call 913-406-7064 or email: srodrigu-

[email protected].

Questions on a Spiritual

Journey


by Wesley H. Wingfield

The decisions we make lead to the outcomes

that form the core of our life experiences. We

make the decisions we make based on the ques-

tions we ask. We ask those questions based in

large part on our values and beliefs. So we re-

ceive what we believe based on our values and

beliefs.

Essentially we get where we are based on the

way we think. When we are blocked or find it

challenging to get to where we want to be then

what can we do? We have to believe that change

is possible but it will not happen by itself. The

road to success may be a long one, but proper

planning can help to create a shortcut for you.

Try these six simple questions:

1. Where am I?

2. Where do I want to be? Dream, wish, be am-

bitious!

3. How will I get there? Visualize the actual

steps. Make them challenging and be ready to

adjust as needed.

4. What is my arrival time? Prioritize your goals

to create your timeline.

5. Who can help me get there? Tap into your

greatest resource ... other people.

6. What will it cost? You're probably looking at

an investment of time, money, and emotion.

As in athletics, a Coach is an individual who

through observation and analysis provides guid-

ance with the intent of improving performance.

The Coach is able to observe and perceive things

the individual or group of individuals cannot see

themselves. By providing this sort of observa-

tional feedback, performance can be improved

by those desiring to bring about a state change.

This "state change" is a process of "becoming".

By this definition Coaches are pursuing a couple

of things with and for their clients:

First—To have a structured method or ap-

proach to help those being coached move toward

and attain the changes they desire but not

through teaching specific new facts or skills.

Second—To assist the person being coached

accomplish a lasting transformation by changing

the way a person thinks or how their mind and

body work together.

What we believe and receive is based on the

decisions we make. Over fifty years of scientific

research has revealed that there are three dis-

tinct styles of decision making. Each of us can

make decisions in these three ways, but we tend

to develop a preference for one more than the

others. This preference becomes a subconscious

force, affecting the decisions we make on a daily

basis and shaping how we perceive the world

around us and ourselves.

The three decisional styles are the personal,

the practical, and the analytical.

The Personal Style:The Personal Style:The Personal Style:The Personal Style: People with a preference

for this style of making decisions tend to see the

world from a personal point of view, or with con-

cern for the individuals involved. They see people

in a unique, individual light and are more con-

cerned about others than the results and theory.

This involves a personal involvement with, con-

centration on, or investment in people. To this

style, the world is filled with people needing to

be understood.

The Practical Style:The Practical Style:The Practical Style:The Practical Style: People with a preference

for this style of making decisions tend to see

things in a very practical, no nonsense, real-

world, task-oriented manner. They are more

concerned with results than others and theory.

They see people in comparative ways as they re-

late to others. To this style, the world is an ob-

jective waiting to be achieved.

The Analytical Style:The Analytical Style:The Analytical Style:The Analytical Style: People with a preference

for this style of making decisions tend to see the

world from a theoretical perspective, more in an

abstract way than a concrete one. They see peo-

ple as part of a system and tend to think in very

black and white terms. They are more concerned

with thinking about things and analysis than ac-

tual results or personal concerns of others. To

this style, the world is a problem to be explored

and solved.

To some extent we are all capable of making

all three kinds of decisions, but our preference

tends to be for one more than the other two. We

all have different balances of these three styles;

that's what makes our decisions and actions dif-

ferent from each other's. These ways of making

decisions, and how we use them, are at the core

of who we are.

The questions we ask and the decisions we

make are behind our preferences, our strengths,

and our weaknesses. It is this understanding of

your individual strengths and weaknesses that

will enable a Coach to help you to affect change

in your life and achieve greater personal success.

It is only by first understanding something that

we are then able to change and improve it.

I never cease to be amazed at the power of

the coaching process to draw out the skills or

talent that was previously hidden within an indi-

vidual, and which invariably finds a way to solve

a problem previously thought unsolvable, and

reach goals once thought unreachable. When you

change the way you think and make different

decisions, you can invent the future you always

knew was there!

Wes Wingfield is a Certified Coach and President

of Highest Ambition LLC, helping people and

organizations get to where they want to be. Wes

is also a 32° Scottish Rite Freemason and active

in several lodges in the Kansas City area.

http://www.highestambition.com

816-589-6138.

We Do Receive What

We Believe

April 2009

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