Book Review, "The Return of the Children of Light: Incan and Mayan Prophecies for a New World"

We are please to have a guest book review written by Mind Body Spirit Marketplace member Christina Dudley of Capricorn Soap Company.  Thank you very much Christina!  Sounds like a good read!

What does our future look like?  Are we progressing toward new horizons in our evolutionary process? Or are we regressing to a more base and debauched state, becoming a more primitive and darkened mankind?  These are the questions we need ask ourselves, especially if we are seekers of the Mysteries of Life.  These questions are brought to light and perhaps even answered by Judith Bluestone Polich in her work "The Return of the Children of Light:  Incan and Mayan Prophecies for a New World".

The book begins by telling the story of an Incan priestess and her fictional journey through the levels of priesthood, mirroring the historic renderings of what modern archaeologists believe were referred to as the Virgins of the Sun.  As we follow the story of the progression her enlightenment, Polich provides us with a rich array of background and historical data while at the same time entertaining and uplifting us.  The reader is easily drawn into the text.  By the time he or she has finished reading the brief fictional narrative, the remainder of the story beckons like a great mystery to solved.

Polich’s next task is to make the reader ask the questions: What does our future look like? And, exactly where are we headed?  Polich describes her own experience with the spiritual realms, taking into account a broad readership with Judeo-Christian upbringing.  She describes her own epiphanies and awakenings and provides detailed references from a variety of spiritual canons to back up her claim   that we are approaching a new day, a new age, and a new moment, wherein we will either claim our heritage as sons and daughters of the great light, or we will deny it  - the choice is ours alone to make.

This text was a delight to read and its relevancy is unquestionable for our time.  Not only is it entertaining, with its brief fictional narrative and personal anecdotes from Polich herself, but it demands the reader ask herself or himself the question:  what choice will I make?   "

Christina M. Dudley
Fine Soap Artisan
Capricorn Soap Company
http://www.capricornsoapcompany.com


The Return of the Children of the Light:  Incan and Mayan Prophecies for a New World by Judith Bluestone Polich was published by Bear and Company
This book is available at Amazon

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Essential Oils: Cold Relief

We continue our series on Essential Oils.  This week Karley Ziegler Mott discusses cold relief and shares some of her all natural recipes with us!

We have been discussing the use of Essential Oils the past couple of weeks in Aromatherapy. Last week we discussed ways to relax and relieve stress. Today, I would like to talk about easing the symptoms of colds and congestion through Aromatherapy.

I am going to share with you two great recipes to treat common symptoms such as stuffy and runny nose, congestion, cough, post nasal drip, etc.

Aromatherapy Milk Bath:

Today, we're going to indulge in a soothing bath treatment to help you with cold symptoms

When I'm in need of some R & R, I like to enjoy a milk bath. My favorite when I am feeling under the weather with a cold, congestion, or flu-like symptoms is my "decongestant" milk bath, which can be made in a large jar and refrigerated, or in small jars for one treatment. You can use mason jars, canning jars, or any clean and dry jar. Rinse out those plastics and feel free to reuse it to make this as well.

Why

a milk bath? Milk contains lactic acid, a form of alpha hydroxy acid (AHA). It helps to gently exfoliate the skin, and milk will also soften and nourish.

I like to use aromatherapy as much as I can to treat symptoms of stress and illness. It is being used more and more by alternative health practitioners to treat stress when used as a complementary therapy with traditional Western medicine. Of course, I believe in going to the doctor regular and in vaccinations to prevent illness, but I take a holistic approach along with traditional medicine.

This will fill a 4 ounce jar:

Start with 1/4 cup of goat's milk (you can buy Meyenberg Goat's Milk in many grocery stores or natural food grocery stores right in the refrigerated section. I really prefer the fresh version as opposed to powder. Powdered goat's milk doesn't work as well, in my opinion, as the fresh.

You can also use organic whole milk or buttermilk.

I then use 1/8 cup of steeped peppermint or chamomile tea. You can skip this and just use milk if you don't have any handy.

Then add in some fresh or dried peppermint. I use enough to fill a teaspoon. You can use more or less.

Add in about 15 drops of peppermint essential oil, 15 drops of eucalyptus essential oil, and 10 drops of lemon essential oil. All are available at Mountain Rose Herbs or at your local natural foods store. Locally, Wegmans even has most of these in the Nature's Marketplace section.

Gently mix these with a wooden spoon and pour into your jar. You will most likely have room to add more milk before you put the top on.

I let this steep for a few hours. I then pour it under running hot water in the tub & light a couple of candles to soak away my cold symptoms.

This blend will store in the fridge for a couple days.

When you're ready to settle in for the night, I recommend using this homemade congestion relief balm:

Just use this as you would Vick's. It is especially effective when you rub it into your feet and cover with cotton socks. Do not put in your nose or mouth or near other mucous membranes.

This will make enough for about a 1 ounce jar, give or take a bit either way depending on spillage (which I often do).

4 teaspoons of Grated Beeswax (I use a cheese grater for this)

2 t. Shea Butter

8 t. Coconut Oil

2 t. Sweet Almond Oil

Essential Oils Needed: Eucalyptus, Rosemary, Lavender, Tea Tree, Sweet Orange

Note: If you do not have these supplies, read on. You can use cocoa butter or mango butter in exchange for shea. As for the oils, you can substitute rice bran, sunflower, safflower, soybean, olive, etc. Hemp Seed and Grapeseed are nice, too.

Melt the beeswax and oils over low to medium heat in a saucepan. Most recipes say you need a double boiler. You really do not to make this project at home.

Let cool for a moment when melted. Now add in your essential oils: 5 to 10 drops of eucalyptus, and up to 5 drops each of lavender, tea tree, and rosemary oils followed by 3 drops of sweet orange or lemon essential oil.

Pour quickly through a small funnel right into your pots. If you do not have one, you can carefully pour using a small pot if you have one.

Let cool. I let these sit for about 3 hours before capping.

Apply to the chest and to the feet? The feet? Yes! Anecdotal evidence suggests that applying congestion relief products to the feet and putting cotton socks over them helps the essential oils to penetrate and do their job more effectively. I do this on my boys and on me and it really helps us!

~As always, seek a medical professional for any symptoms you may be experiencing as I am not a doctor. This is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease or ailment.

--
~Karley

Karley Ziegler Mott

Editor, Chic & Green™:
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Chic & Green™ is a TODAY Show (NBC) Network Blog, an MSNBC Going Green Blog, and has been named a "Best Green Blog"!

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Related Posts:
Introduction to Essential Oils
Essential Oils and Relaxation

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Who was Saint Patrick?

Since I became involved in the Mind Body Spirit Marketplace my collection of reference material on a variety of subjects continues to grow.
Today is St. Patrick's Day.  I'm watching the sun coming out this morning (finally), the grass beginning to turn... and while putting on my green earrings and Celtic amulet I decided to thumb through "Saints Preserve Us" by Sean Kelly and Rosemary Rodgers to refresh my knowledge about St. Patrick.
The following reference was taken directly from book (which I would definitely recommend, by the way)...

enjoy your day!

~ diane

"Partick- March 17
 Patron of Ireland and Nigeria; Invoked Against the Snakes

Patrick wasn't Irish; he was Welsh-Italian.  His name wasn't Patrick, it was Succat.  He wasn't the first Christian missionary sent to Ireland-that was Saint Palladius.  And there were never any snakes in the country to begin with.  But aside from that, everything you know about Patrick is true.  He was declared by the Sacred Congregation of Rites to be the Patron of Nigeria in April 1961."

Essential Oils and Relaxation

Karley Ziegler Mott continues her discussion of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy in Part 2 of this
series.
_______________________________________

This week, I would like to discuss the use of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy to treat stress.

Everyone from time to time goes through stressful times. We have all been there. Whether it is something temporary--such as worrying about an upcoming test, or longer lasting such as an unhappy relationship, financial troubles, etc.--stress affects our bodies on so many levels.

If I were to ask you what the main symptom of stress is in terms of health, you might say "a headache." Tension headaches are a very common sign. Other signs, though, is a rapid heart rate, an increase in blood sugar levels, decreased energy, skin troubles ranging from paleness to breakouts, insomnia, and depression.

When I am stressed out, my skin just looks tired. My heart will race. My shoulders will tense up and have knots. I think we've all experiences these symptoms before. Then there's insomnia. If I am stressed, I go to bed and then my mind starts zooming from issue to issue and I cannot relax. Then I worry that I'll be tired the next day for not sleeping well. It's quite a cycle. It's at that time when I experience those symptoms that I realize I really need to get more in touch with my tranquil side once again.

Using Essential Oils can help relieve the symptoms of stress and find our way back to that peaceful and relaxed state. Ideally, you'll also be using exercise, meditation, and healthy eating to help things along as well.

The most well known oil for relaxation and stress relief is Lavender.

I am beginning with this oil because it is, perhaps, the most well known of the Essential Oils.

Lavender, or Lavandula Angustifolia, is commonly grown throughout Europe, particularly in Bulgaria, France, and England. It can be grown here, though. I live in New York and our climate really isn't the best for growing an abundance of beautiful lavender. That is not to say it cannot be done, though. This fragrant herb is just lovely. It works well on its own or can be used in blends to enchance its effects.

Lavender, though, does much more than smell nice. A scientific research team at Texas A & M University conducted a study to measure a human's response to odor. Study participants were asleep and given EEG tests. This study was conducted in 1992 and had interesting results. It showed that Lavender Essential Oil essentially lulled the participants to sleep sooner.

Lavender, though, isn't the only beneficial Essential Oil when it comes to relaxation.

Chamomile is another. Chamomile, or Anthemis Nobilis, is distilled from dried flowers of the chamomile plant. Its usage dates back to ancient Egypt. Chamomile usually is found in England, North America and in most southern parts of Europe. You often hear people saying to have some chamomile tea if you need to relax a bit. Why? This Essential Oil has been shown to calm nervous personalities, anger and irritability, and anxiety. It is very soothing. I'll talk more about this another week, but just as it calms the mood, it calms even troubled skin.


Lemon Essential Oil is another relaxing oil. This is surprising to many people, as Lemon (Citrus Limonum) can also be energizing. When combined with other Essential Oils, it can be wonderfully stress-relieving. It improves mental clarity and can even "lift" heavy emotions when used in conjunction with oils in a blend. Lemon calm help relieve the symptoms of tension and migraine headaches as well. Lemon Essential Oil originated in India.

Ginger (Zingiber Officinale) is said to have originated in India. It also comes from the West Indies, Africa, and China. This warming oil is often used to treat muscle aches and pains and I have personally found it helpful to me when I had knots in my shoulder blades and back and need to relax and de-stress. I have found it to be particularly helpful in a recipe I am going to share with you today down below.

Cedarwood is another beneficial oil, but isn't talked about as much as the others. Cedarwood, or Cedrus Atlantica, is commonly grown in Morocco, among other countries in the area. While it is woodsy and not something you'd think of as a relaxing oil, it actually is known by aromatherapists as a gentle sedative and can help to calm symptoms of anxiety.


How can you reap the benefits of the Essential Oils I have mentioned?

You can gently and carefully add some of them to a handkerchief and take a small sniff. You can put some in a carrier oil and apply a dab or two to the skin. Personally, I like an aromatherapy spray.

Today I would like to share a recipe with you. It is for a popular product I once offered in my skin care line. Dreamland Pillow Mist combines stress-relieving essential oils into a synergistic blend and will provide the great benefits of aromatherapy.

You can spray this right on your linens. I spray it on my pillowcases, sheets, and curtains. I spray it on unscented dryer sheets and even place it underneath my mattress pad. This recipe is gentle, so you can even spritz a bit on (spot test for sensitivity first, please) and enjoy its effects.

One of my favorite relaxation ideas is to spray this on my towels, pop them in the dryer while I am in the tub, and then when I come out I have warm towels and aromatherapy.

Here is the recipe:

2 ounces of distilled water
2 ounces of witch hazel hydrosol/distillate (this is alcohol free)
15 drops lavender essential oil
10 drops lemon essential oil
10 drops ginger essential oil
4-5 drops Cedarwood Essential Oil

Combine in a bottle. This makes just over 4 ounces. You can divide it into 1 ounce or 2 ounce bottles with misting spray tops.

Enjoy...and be well rested!

--
~Karley

Karley Ziegler Mott
Editor, Chic & Green™:
http://chicandgreendaily.com

On Twitter:
http://twitter.com/ChicandGreen

Chic & Green™ is a TODAY Show (NBC) Network Blog, an MSNBC Going Green Blog, and has been named a "Best Green Blog"!

Check out my handmade line of jewelry, Loubird Handmade™



***The beautiful Aromatherapy Necklaces pictured are by by Galleria di Giani.. Visit this great shop on Etsy for more information on these and other wonderful necklace designs.  

Related Posts:
Introduction to Essential Oils

Introduction to Essential Oils

We are very pleased to begin this series of articles on Essential Oils by Karley Ziegler Mott.  Karley is the author of the award winning blog "Chic and Green".  She is also a long time advocate for natural health and beauty care.   Although Karley recently retired her own skin care line, KZM Facial Care, to begin creating a line of handmade jewelry... she has continued on her quest educating the public on the ingredients found in commercially made skin care products.
I can't think of a more knowledgeable person to have writing these articles for us.
Thank you Karley!

If any readers have questions for Karley...please feel free to post them in the "comments" section under the blog posts.  She's be happy to answer them.!  enjoy!

~ diane

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Today begins our journey in a series about essential oils and aromatherapy. There are so many wonderful essential oils available today, and many have multiple benefits. We'll learn a brief history of aromatherapy, discuss the difference between essential oils and fragrance oils, and also share some wonderful recipes using essential oils.

What are Essential Oils? The term "essential oil" is a bit misleading, truth be told. An essential oil is actually a concentrated compound and not an oil at all. These compounds come from various parts of plants. They can be extracted from flowers, bark, resin, leaves, roots, and peels. They are typically extracted through a method called distillation. Distillation can occur chemically or through steam and you really want them to be steam distilled. It is not always an easy process, as it is sometimes much more difficult to extract these natural compounds. You can tell how easily an essential oil is distilled by the cost. The more expensive the essential oil, the more difficult it was to extract the natural compounds from the plant. 

Essential Oils are very concentrated and need to be diluted prior to usage in almost every instance. The most common method is by adding Essential Oils to what is known as a Carrier Oil. Adding the concentrated Essential Oils to Grapeseed Oil, Olive Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Safflower Oil, Avocado Oil, etc. makes it easy to reap the benefits of Aromatherapy because you can apply the oil right to your body.

Essential Oils are the backbone of a practice known as Aromatherapy.

Quite simply, Aromatherapy is the practice of using Essential Oils in order to promote wellness and good health. Aromatherapy used one of our key senses, that of smell. Your nerve receptors, once hit with a fragrance, send a message right up to something called the Limbic System. This is within the brain and it essentially processes a scent and gives you a certain reaction. This is the system that triggers emotional responses to fragrance. Many people associate a certain scent with a person or memory.

Whenever I smell a certain department store perfume, I am reminded of my late grandmother. She always wore it when I was a child and even though she is gone, I instantly think of her when I smell it. When I smell tulips, I am always reminded of the garden I played in at my childhood home. The salty scent of ocean air reminds me of the summer we lived in Coastal Gerogia planning our wedding. 

Before I further discuss Essential Oils and using them for Aromatherapy, I would like to clear up a common area of confusion.

A common misconception is that popular Fragrance Oils are basically the same as Essential Oils. This could not be more false. Well over 95% of an actual finished Fragrance Oil comes from petrochemicals (crude oil) and are hazardous to your health. These oils are created in a lab and are made to mimic a particular scent. You can buy bottles of synthetic fragrance oil in every type of scent these days--from rose to chocolate chip cookies to pumpkin to the scent of pizza and popcorn. It is important to remember that these highly scented oils serve no benefit, are completely synthetic, and may be very harmful. Even though much has been done to raise awareness of certain toxins, synthetic fragrance oils often contain a deadly range of toxins known as phthalates. 

Beginning next week, we will look at certain Essential Oils, from the most popular to the lesser known. I will discuss them with you at length and then share a recipe using Essential Oil blends. I will devote each "chapter" to certain ways to use the Oils--ranging from cold and congestion relief to relaxation to stress relief to energy boosting and so much more.

I look forward to talking with you all again next week. Our first topic will be Essential Oils and relaxation.

-- ~Karley

Karley Ziegler Mott


Editor, Chic & Green™:
http://chicandgreendaily.com

On Twitter:
http://twitter.com/ChicandGreen

Chic & Green™ is a TODAY Show (NBC) Network Blog, an MSNBC Going Green Blog, and has been named a "Best Green Blog"!

Check out my handmade line of jewelry, Loubird Handmade™

Related Posts:
Essential Oils and Relaxation
Aromatherapy on the Go

An Interview with Author Abigail Carter on her Book, "The Alchemy of Loss: A Young Widow's Transformation"

Whenever I hear the phrase "resilience of the human spirit", I think about Abigail Carter.  I hope you will enjoy this interview with her as much as I did. 
On a personal note; yes, we were one of the families she mentioned who hung with her “in the trenches” during those long dark days.

To the Carter/Dack/Boland family…I raise my glass and wish you well!
                                                                                      ~ diane fergurson

1. For those who may not be familiar with the premise of your book, will you give us a brief overview?

-Essentially my book is about my journey after the loss of my husband on 9/11. Its about discovering the silver lining that can be a part of grief, and the opportunities that loss can offer if you choose to see and take them. It delves into the morass of grief, the messiness of family relationships during a loss, raising grieving kids in the process and coming out the other end.

 2.  "Coming out the other end" involves healing.  What have you learned about the healing process over the last 8 1/2 years?

-Grief and healing do not necessarily go together. In many ways I am not sure anyone ever truly heals from grief. I sort of think of it as one of those diseases that lies in remission and then strikes again when you least expect it.

Here are some other things I have learned about grief:

• Grief doesn’t have “stages” that follow a specified progression as in the Kubler-Ross stages of grief. You can feel both anger and numbness at the same time. You can be in denial and acceptance at once as well. And no matter how hard one tries to avoid it, anger and grief go hand in hand.
• You can’t “put off” grief. It will eventually find you one way or another
• Grief can settle in the body and form a kind of muscle memory that is reluctant to let go and can be quite painful in a literal sense
• Loss can act as a sort of defibrillator that awakens you to new possibilities. Suddenly life seems too short to put off dreams or desires; perceptions of others no longer matter as they once did; priorities change dramatically. It can be a frighteningly liberating experience. I know people whose entire personalities have changed after loss.
• Views on spirituality are often questioned and revised sometimes resulting in a deeper understanding of faith, fate and a more open and accepting attitude towards spirituality in general.
• Grief often brings out creativity in people as they shed societal handicaps and become more independent and non-conformist.
• In general, grief spurs us to appreciate life.

   3. If you feel that people never really heal from grief, then tell us about your remission process. What has helped you?  Writing the book, speaking engagements, working with others who have experienced loss? You've done all these things over the years. What have you learned that may benefit others? 

-Certainly writing the book was extremely cathartic and I recommend everyone experiencing grief to write their experiences down, even if it’s just in a journal. Its amazing the perspective it gives you, even if you are writing years after the fact. I often started writing about one thing and found myself writing about something I hadn’t even thought of and having lots of “aha” moments along the way.

Helping others has also been amazing. From my book I have gotten so many emails from people who my book has touched. These are often very personal emails from people telling me things that they have not told another living soul. I feel very honored by that and encourage them to keep writing me. I also volunteer and am on the Board of The Healing Center in Seattle which is a place for grieving families to come and get support. I work with a group of people who are a few years out from their loss, a group we call the “Perspectives” group, named for the notion that we are no longer looking back at our loss, but have now turned and are looking forward to what’s next. The group has had some life altering affects on people.

And yes, I have also done a few speaking engagements. I have spoken to caregivers of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) which was very powerful given that the people I was speaking to hadn’t yet experienced their loss, but were preparing for it. I also spoke to a group of social workers and caregivers who work with the bereaved in many different ways about the silver lining side of grief, something one of the other speakers dubbed “Post Traumatic Growth” which I found incredibly apt.

All this to say, that although it can be very emotional helping others through their grief, it can also be incredibly rewarding and life affirming.

4. One of the things which I found so interesting in the book was your ability to describe having to take on the roll of a juggler.  On one hand you had death and widowhood to deal with, then layered on top there was the circus associated with being a 911 widow.  Your family thrown into the mix presented a whole other set of interesting, sometimes humorous issues.  Deciding to date again and making the decision to move away from the New York area...what is your perspective on all of this looking back?
   It really is quite a unique slice of life during a specific period of time (as they say).

-Yes, that period in my life was really crazy. I honestly don’t know how I got through it. Partly it was grief that got me through – there is a period where you are sort of in shock and there was a long period where I felt quite detached, like I was sort of a stranger looking into someone else’s life, not really having a say in the direction it took. I remember often thinking, “huh. These people are acting really crazy. I sure wish I could help them.” The odd thing was, it was incredibly liberating. I didn’t have to take responsibility for everyone, something that I had spent my life doing.

After that effect wore off, I remember thinking I just had to put one foot in front of the other which is how I managed to get from day to day. I wasn’t really able to plan ahead, I just got through each day.

There was a period of freedom too, where my mantra was “life is short,” where I felt I had to experience life to the fullest. This was the period when I dated and ultimately moved from New Jersey to Seattle. The move, though also had to do with trying to escape all my drama, and my identity as a 9/11 widow. In that respect the move has been a really good thing.

These days, I think I have managed to simplify my life. Its easier too now that the kids are older. I find I prefer quiet much more than I used to (though that may simply be an effect of getting old!). The down side of this though, is that I have become a bit of a hermit (typical of a writer’s life I suppose), which perhaps a way of countering all the past drama. I do worry about it sometimes too, that maybe some of that early detachment is creeping back in. I suspect this detachment though has to do with the overload of responsibility I have on an ongoing basis – sometimes I just need to check out for a while.

5. Do you feel moving out of the New York area was beneficial for you and your family?
   If so, how?

-Yes, moving has been beneficial for a bunch of reasons. One, obviously was to escape the cloud of 9/11 that was, and probably still is to a certain extent, pervasive there. I seemed to bump into it everywhere I went. As well, the house that we had lived in as a family, though at first comforting had begun to feel sort of tomb-like, and I felt that if I stayed, I would become stuck in my 9/11 widow identity. The entire community seemed to know our family’s history, and I worried that the kids would grow up always being “9/11” kids.

In Seattle, the event was very removed for people here. They were much less traumatized by it, so we are able to live in relative anonymity with regards to the event. Many of the people we know don’t know our history or if they do, it doesn’t have the same heart-wrenching response that it does in NY/NJ. Just recently, Olivia’s class was studying the book “The Kite Runner” where the events of 9/11 are mentioned. There was a big discussion about 9/11 where towards the end, Olivia finally confessed her history much to the shock of her teacher and class. Some of the kids even thought she was lying. It was a huge leap for her to do that, as it is something she doesn’t talk about very much. I felt that had we stayed in Montclair, we always would have been treated as “special” in some way, and my gut told me that that would be detrimental to the kids. Either they would expect to always be treated differently or that they would feel pressure to always behave a certain way. It may have been a false premise, but it was something I worried about. In Seattle, they able to just be normal kids.

The downside was that we gave up a great deal of support that the community offered, which really hasn’t been replaced. We had some incredible caregivers in the form of therapists and doctors and widow communities that were integral to our survival in those first years. Giving those people up was very difficult. Also, many of our friends hung with me “in the trenches” so to speak, which provided a strong bond of friendship. I miss those easy friendships a great deal and I know the kids do too. But I know through the experience of moving as much as we did that good friends remain in your life no matter where you live.

6.  Any new books or articles in the works?

-Well, I had a lot of requests to write a sequel which I would love to do, but I doubt that I would be able to sell it to a publisher. It turns out that people won’t buy anything that they perceive to be a 9/11 memoir. Even though my memoir was so much more than 9/11 -- its really a self-help book on recovering from grief -- the 9/11 thing is an albatross when it comes to selling it. The book, oddly enough was far more successful in Canada, Holland and Australia than it ever was in the US.

Because of this, I am working on a fictional novel written from the perspective of a dead husband. I wanted to be able to delve into post loss relationships, what grief is like after the first year, and some of the issues around raising kids who have experienced early trauma and I am trying this out as a vehicle. Its been much harder to write than the memoir, but also a little more fun. I get to imagine a place where dead people go when they die. My ghost is very human-like and must rehash his life. It gets fun when he tries to set his wife up on dates that don’t go so well.

    7.  Well that sound like it would leave itself open to all kinds of possibilities! 
Since you are veering in that direction, you have also had many interesting incidents "from the other side" since this chapter in your life occurred.  Would you care to share any for our readers?
In addition, what insight have you gained from these experiences?
How did it impact your spirituality?

-Sure. There were a number of incidences, but here are a couple:

I guess the first one was about 10 days after 9/11 when there was still talk of people surviving in air pockets and we still held out that tiny bit of hope. It was 4am and I was lying in bed imagining Arron beside me, when the hall light suddenly went on. I got up thinking Olivia might have gotten out of bed, but she was sound asleep and then I thought perhaps my brother had stumbled in from the city really late, but there was no noise from him (and he didn’t get back until the next morning) and as I stood there, I just knew it was Arron, telling me he was gone.

On our wedding anniversary, a year after his death, Olivia and I were sitting and eating dinner. Carter had fallen asleep on the couch. It was very quiet, when suddenly the CD player came on. The CD that we had last played was Macy Gray, which had been our family favorite, and Olivia knew all the words to most of the songs. We just sat there amazed as Macy Gray sang to us and Olivia pointed to the ceiling, and I nodded and we just kept eating to the music.

I also have had quite a few very uncanny readings from Psychics.

I don’t know if we just manifest these incidents because we need to believe that our loved ones still exist in some way, or if there really is life beyond death, but I do know that believing there was life after death comforted me a great deal. I think I sort of believed in reincarnation and life beyond death before 9/11 but these and many other serendipitous experiences certainly solidified that belief. I still struggle with the idea of fate and whether it’s predetermined or not, though if I was to embrace a psychic’s view of life-after-death dogma, then I suppose I would need to accept that we map out our fate ahead of each lifetime on earth, making it both predetermined and self-directed. I’m still a little wobbly on that one, but I like its ability to embrace both theories at once.

I do like the thought of Arron up there guiding me in my decisions in a helpful sort of way, though I have to say that the encounters from beyond have dropped off dramatically since moving to Seattle. Perhaps I am just stronger now and need him less, which is a good thing. But I wouldn’t mind him dropping by a little more often.

Thank you for the interview...
If you would ever like to do a guest blog spot for the Mind Body Spirit Odyssey, we'd love to read more from you!

Abigail’s book is available through “Amazon”

You can also visit her website at http://www.abigailcarter.com

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Abigail Carter wrote The Alchemy of Loss: A Young Widow’s Transformation  after her husband’s death in the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001. Toronto's Globe and Mail calls it “Eloquent and honest. . . and listed the book as one of it’s top 100 books of 2008.  A Canadian National Bestseller, The Alchemy of Loss is also published in Australia, the United States and translated into Dutch. Carter’s work has appeared in SELF magazine, Reader’s Digest Canada, MSN.com and MORE.com. Abigail moved from New Jersey to Seattle in 2005, where she now lives with her two children.

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Love, Friendship and Art: Smith and Mapplethorpe

We were sent some books the other day that had just been published. As I opened the box and flipped them over the majority of the titles didn't really interest me...except one. The book with the great cover photo of 2 kids standing at an amusement park. The title: "Just Kids" by Patti Smith.  "Just Kids" is a beautifully written memoir from artist/musician/writer Patti Smith in which she reflects on her relationship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe.

The book begins when the two were in their late teens and concludes with Mapplethorpe's passing. It is a simple, beautiful story about two people who connected with each other when they were young and naive, grew in separate directions, but still retained an inner, lasting bond that transcended way beyond sexuality and time.   Smith's writing is a melody. It sings and glides and dances as you turn the pages of the book. I started thumbing though the book in the kitchen standing propped against the sink...an hour later I looked up after my initial "quick read" with a big..." oh wow".

Regardless of what you may think of Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe as artists, it's an undeniable fact they they defined a specific period of time in art and music history. They pushed boundaries and broke barriers. Their work forced people to open their eyes and their hearts. They also encouraged a whole generation of creative souls to express themselves more fully and completely. Anyone who is an artist, lived during that period of time or even have children who are currently artists, will relate to this book very easily. Others will simply enjoy a wonderful story about love, friendship and connection.

Although it may seem an odd choice to some, the reason I wanted to review "Just Kids" for the
Mind Body Spirit Odyssey  was because of the unstated, underlying spiritual questions it generated for me. Why are we connected to some people so deeply in life? What are the reasons that we are brought together with a specific person? To help each other? To complete a specific tasks together in this lifetime? To learn from each other? To set an example for other people? Break new ground? I don't know the answers...no one does for sure....but it is definitely an interesting subject to ponder now and again.

I really recommend this enchanting book.... Just Kids available at Amazon.
Ecco books/Harper Collins Publishers

~ diane

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Cairn Building

We recently profiled the work of jewelry artisan Mannybeads in the daily spotlight feature on our Mind Body Spirit Facebook Fan Page. It occurred to me after I wrote the piece that many people may not be familiar with what a Cairn is. I recalled a beautiful blog post that Manny had written some time back discussing Cairn history and how this exquisite art form relates to her work. Manny was kind enough to let us republish her piece.

Manny's wonderful jewelry can be found at:

Manny's Etsy Shop:  http://www.mannybeads.etsy.com

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Cairns have been used for centuries as path markers and landmarks. I first happened upon them many years ago when hiking in the Green Mountains. There they are at service...courteously pointing the way when it might otherwise be unclear.

There is a place on Monhegan called "Pebble Beach" and Cairns there are intuitively stacked by visitors to artistic effect. The word "Pebble" is deceiving...The expanse of beach at this favorite spot for seals and the likes of us is filled with large, smooth, round, oval, and oblong rocks...big rocks. They are so perfectly smoothed from the passage of time, earth-plates shifting, and the infinite movement of water, water, water that you just want to wrap your body around them...especially if they've been soaking in the afternoon sun. They are the most beautiful rocks I have ever seen.

When we land on the island it isn't too long before we head for Pebble Beach. When we arrive at "Pebble" we have a ritual of looking for our favorites and shouting out to each other "here it is", "I found Mosaic Rock" or "here's Speckled Egg". After saying hello to old friends, propping them, adjusting them, removing the ever encroaching wild sweet pea, we almost unconsciously and silently begin Cairn building.

Sometimes my partners' family will join us. They have grown to love the island and they are delighted and appreciative Monhegan-ers and we delight in sharing it with them. They are an interesting tribe of creators, my in-laws...painters, mobile-makers, sculptors, writers...and Cairn-stackers. We often vacation together and share a love of rocky beaches, water and woods.

As a day spent on pebble beach is approaching it's twilight I look around me and see the most amazing rock-stacks. They are all around...stacks and stacks of rocks ascending from large, capable anchor to smaller stone, held aloft. I like to think that each of the cairns we create serves to mark these moments of our creative joy together and delight in the stacks as we wander about each to the others' smiling, complementing, asking questions about choice and technique and success at balancing a seemingly impossible stack. Of course there is also a bit of variation...Our physics inspired and mathematical artist Andrew will have inevitably created a number of perfectly balanced arches with a well-settled center stone marrying the left, and the right legs of the structure.

I am a happy soul amongst this group as my own "tribe" has no apparent fiber that leans toward the artistic. These folks are known to break into song, dance and poetic recitation! My mother in law never travels without a stack of poetry books, sketch pads and song books. It is deceiving, however...the heft of her bag would suggest she's well provisioned. Truth be told said "heft" rarely includes a stitch of clothing. Now we rely on her to bring the evening entertainment and we pack a few extra t-shirts and shorts.

My new Cairn designs are inspired by these art-spirited folk. They have helped to crack open my own artistic spirit in unabashed and delight-filled ways. I can't imagine better company for cairn building...or singing...or dancing...

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