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Special iSSue:
Connecting with Our Food Richmond’s Ellwood Thompson’s Forrest Green Farm Maybe it’s Not your Mind Light of Lucia • Thrive • Infinite Energy Wire Wraps ... and more!
JUNE 2017
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letter From the
Publisher...
In the letter I wrote in the October 2016 issue I presented the case that those of us who hold a “spiritual, not religious” belief system or a modified religious affiliation, or seek holistic healing treatments, are no longer considered to be embracing an alternative belief system or living an alternative lifestyle. That really hit home when recently I was standing in front of a publication rack at the Charlottesville Wegman’s grocery store. My eyes settled on the bold typeface title of a Newsweek special edition, Spirituality Now. Doing a double-take, I saw listed subjects like, “Crystal Healing,” “Soul Channeling,” “Enlightenment 101: How to Find Peace,” and “Meditative Retreats.” Like a kid passing the strategically positioned candy display at checkout, I couldn’t reach for this 100-page publication fast enough. The contents, beautifully presented, were just brief introductions to the concepts covered, but the coverage was surprisingly complete. Articles titled “Harnessing Your Power,” “The History of Predicting Tomorrow,” “A Smudge for Your Spirit,” “What Goes Around” (karma), “Quieting the Mind,”, “Crystals for Everyday Wellness,” and “Homework for Your Soul,” among others, made me smile earto-ear as I realized that, yep, the day had come where spirituality had reach the attention of a news publication like Newsweek. They’re not in the business of printing magazines that they don’t think the public will buy in quantity. They do quite a bit of demographics work on the reading public. So, that validates the news reports I hear and the articles I read in major publications … spirituality has indeed grown to be on par with religion and is transforming our opinions and actions—our culture itself. Spirituality practices have become a mainstream way of life. Part of what that entails is the visceral urge to reconnect with this earth, i.e. using the bounty a healthy planet can provide to be healthier and nourish and heal. This means going back to eating foods that are not chemically treated from soil and pastures that are likewise not chemically treated. It also means using treatments and products that involve natural ingredients, not manufactured chemical manipulations. That’s what the feature articles in this issue are about —getting back to a connection with what is natural, as the soil offers everything we need. The features in this issue deal with people that are among those leading the way to and helping us with healthier lifestyles. Enjoy reading about healing emotionally through better nutrition, about a grocery store that champions sustainable products and has become a hub of a community, and about a married couple who taught themselves sustainable living, and who now help others achieve that goal. We are blessed that there are those who had the foresight and took the risks to enhance our spiritual growth and show us how to truly connect with our food, our earth, and each other. May you know Peace.
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Ray
exploring spirituality
Volume 2 Issue 3
june 2017
Publisher & editor
Ray Whitson AssociAte editor
Nicki Peasley coPy editor
Caroline Hirst GrAPhic desiGn
Déjà vu Design, Inc. Web & sociAl MediA
Hobby Parent contributinG Writers
Jocelyn Audet Deann Bishop Nick Lasky Hobby Parent Nicki Peasley Bobbie Ann Pimm Krista Rahm Rob Rahm Sheila Sheppard Ray Whitson sPeciAl contributors
Annie Hess Bill Rhode Juli Richardson
For advertising information please call (434) 972-9273 or email ads@exploreawareness.com Awareness LLC P.o. Box 85 north Garden, VA 22959 (434) 972-9273 editor@exploreawareness.com Copyright 2017 by Awareness llC. All rights reserved. no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the express written consent of the publisher. All pictorial material reproduced in this magazine, whether in a produced ad or by itself, has been accepted on the condition that it is with the knowledge and prior consent of the photographer or the artist concerned. As such, Awareness llC is not responsible for any infringement of copyright or otherwise arising out of publication thereof. the views and opinions expressed by the writers and advertisers do not necessarily represent those of ownership or management. the information contained herein is for informational purposes only and although every effort has been made to present accurate information, we do not in any way accept responsibility for the accuracy of or consequences from the use of this information or for the businesses and organizations presented herein.
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Contents awareness exploring spirituality june 2017
features
columns Spiritural Artistry Infinite Energy Wire Wraps By Ray whitson
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this little light of Mine By nicki Peasley
12
whole living
17
dReaMing with BoBBie ann
By kRista and RoB RahM
By BoBBie ann PiMM
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youR lucky staRs By nick lasky
50 Psychic PRofile Maybe it’s Not in Your regions Mind — It’s in Your 29 centRal viRginia Body Elizabeth Bain
Forrest Green Farm By Ray whitson
By jocelyn audet
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35
Elwood Thompson’s
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Feeding the Mind, Body, and Spirit of the Richmond Community By nicki Peasley
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noRtheRn viRginia
Sacred Circle Old Town Alexandria’s Jewel
PiedMont
The Light of Lucia By nicki Peasley
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southwesteRn viRginia
Thrive: mind • body • massage By deann BishoP
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tidewateR Freestyle Yoga and Paloma Healing By sheila shePPaRd
5 Reasons to Consider an
Energy Healer
www.exploreawareness.com
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This
Little Light of Mine My NEW GURU By Nicki Peasley
A
t the beginning of every year, I conduct an indepth analysis of my business. The business of ... ME. Ridiculous as it may sound, I am very formal about this ritual of gathering me, myself, and I (body, mind, and spirit) to take a look at HOW we’ve done over the past 12 months. (WHAT we’ve done is another meeting altogether, much easier to conduct with its black and white data ... but I digress). At this meeting, I invite my ego, my Higher Self, and a diverse cast of emotions to the table. I pull out all the reports I have written over the year (with the help of a vast array of gifted and very patient healers and teachers), and I consolidate them into one document that tells the story of the current state of my evolution. Me, myself, and I take a hard look at this detailed report of my most recently uncovered karmic imprints (a few past life me’s are also at the meeting); astrological insights and outlooks (oh, the intense combo of my Cancer Sun and Scorpio Rising); vital information from my acupuncturist (gotta unblock that chi in my Po soul); the multitude of messages channeled from beyond (so sorry to keep bugging you, Mom); personal applications of various models of human and soul development (turns out I’m a compensated schizoid type); and finally, the energetic dynamics of my familial relationships (in the process of scheduling conferences with each of my loved ones now). While this self-indulgent practice may carry traces of narcissism, I like to think it’s more a function of my personality as defined by the Enneagram. I’ve never put much stock into personality tests, but unlike similar tools that seem to diminish the power of human potential and our ability to change, the Enneagram serves to expand the lens into self and offer paths to a more integrated life. It turns out I’m a classic Romantic, a seeker with an insatiable and intense need to be special, loved, and understood, a 8
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perpetually unsatisfied drama queen whose creative muse is melancholy. And these are my positive qualities! Of course, my neurotic behavior could also be a symptom of my obsessive compulsive tendencies. I don’t have the hand-washing thing or the need to count ceiling tiles, but I do have an overwhelming infatuation with self-awareness and improvement, a passion for discovering the ultimate truths so that I can finally live life as an awakened being. In my ultimate fantasy, I shed all the dense layers of my humanness and move through the world as divine purity. I guess I want to be God when I grow up. (I do see the humor in that). Not only have I been cursed as an obsessive Romantic with a God complex, I also am an achievement junkie. I love nothing more than checking things off my list. But guess what? Seeking can never be checked off the list because there is always something else to discover and always another path toward growth. And awakening is not at all about effort. It’s about allowance, something I’m not so good at. So it looks like it’s all just one big, mean joke on me. Thanks, Universe. But even the cosmic laughter doesn’t deter me on my mission to understand and better myself. Nor does my family’s objections to my insanity. Mike and the kids walk on eggshells during this annual reflective time. They know all too well how this whole process unfolds ... the stacks of papers strewn across the kitchen table, carefully organized and not to be touched; the flashes of insight that launch me from dinner making to journal writing to furiously pitching burned meals and ordering out; and the inexplicable tears and incessant queries on how I could be a better mom and wife. Tell me, pleeeeeaaase. (That which does not kill them makes them stronger). Not surprisingly, once my ME document has been
Synastry is the art of relationship astrology, an illuminating study of how couples interact. adequately studied, I am exhausted. And so is my family. But we’re not done. Now we take on the task of selecting our words of the year, the words that will spark the next phase of our evolution, the words that are asking to be embodied by us in the coming year. yes, despite the eye rolling and deep sighing, this is a family affair and Mike and the kids play along nicely, their words arising with ease and conviction. And they don’t even do ME reports! For me, what begins as a simple search for a simple word unfolds into pages of potential words with short essays accompanying the finalists. My family listens patiently as I share my reflections and, from their objective feedback, my word of the year is born. With great enthusiasm and relief, I set this word in stone (literally and figuratively) and reclaim my sanity. But this year’s word came about differently. I was in the middle of my year-end review when my husband pushed my pause button on our 21st wedding anniversary. Let’s go have some fun, he said. Fun. OK, I said, I can have fun. In preparation for the fun, I printed out the synastry report I’d had done for Mike’s birthday the previous month. Synastry is the art of relationship astrology, an illuminating study of how couples interact. I’m sure this is just what Mike wanted for his birthday, a two-hour consultation on our marriage. And certainly, for our anniversary, he would want nothing more than to review the points of concern I highlighted in the 20-page report.
discontent with the beauty of what is right in front of me. I’m sorry, I tell my husband. He accepts my apology by waving the waitress over to order a lavender-encrusted crème brûlée. I put away the synastry and ground myself in the perfection of this moment. The crème brûlée is the best thing I’ve ever tasted. It actually brings tears to my eyes. As I savor the magic of this love scene, my word of the year reveals itself, without effort or fanfare. It just is. Right there. In the decadence of the crème brûlée, the elegance of the Frank Sinatra serenade, the warmth of my husband’s hand—RELAX. This one little word that Mike has been whispering (and sometimes screaming) in my ear for 21 years is really the best medicine for a soul such as mine. For within that word are the secrets to a joyful life—contentment, acceptance, presence, and fun, to name a few. Who knew? (Mike did). Being in a body is a gift ... why not relax into it and embrace the messiness of being human, especially since I probably won’t get to be God this time around. The big question now is how to relax. Mike suggests a bag of Cheetos and a marathon of the Gilmore Girls. I think I’ve found my new guru ...
So there we were, sitting by candlelight at a fancy restaurant, holding hands and smiling at each other. And I pulled out the synastry. Let’s take a look at how we’re doing, Honey, I said lovingly as I proceeded to share how my Moon trine was aligning with his Mercury. The waitress, who picked up on Mike’s frustration before I did, kept that bourbon coming until I finally stopped talking and realized my husband wasn’t listening. RELAX, he exclaimed, in a volume louder than I liked but necessary to break through the madness of the scene. Honey, you’ve got to relax, he pleaded with those big, blue, irresistible eyes of his. I am relaxed, I said, leaning back in my chair, trying to look as easy-breezy as possible in this awkward moment with what felt like everyone in the restaurant staring at me. Mike took my hand and painted the picture of my crazy, in a way only he can. And I saw it, the bitter truth of it, in living color. A hopeless romantic, I am shamefully addicted to longing and suffering and inexcusably
An educator by trade, Nicki Peasley is a student and storyteller of life and a teacher of love, both inside and outside of the classroom. She lives in Richmond with her husband, three children, and their chocolate lab, George Bailey. www.exploreawareness.com
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WholE LIVING Connecting with the Earth By Krista and roB rahm
V
ermicomposting is the practice of using worms to turn waste into compost. Vermicomposting is fairly simple, inexpensive, and can be done in a small space like a plastic bin. You provide the worms, their feed, bedding, and home, and in return you will get a nutrient-dense soil amendment and the opportunity to recycle your kitchen scraps quickly. This is the ultimate reward that all gardeners strive for, a compost that contains nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium, iron, zinc, manganese, copper, boron, and aluminum. Not only that but it is cheap and easy to produce. The vermicompost can also greatly improve your soil structure as well as providing nutrients for your plants. awareness
• To compost/recycle your kitchen scraps. • To make better garden soil/loamy texture that allows nutrients to move freely, nourishing the plants and the other soil creatures. • To make a nutrient dense compost/fertilizer for the garden. • To raise worms to feed pets (e.g., birds, turtles, fish). • To raise worms for fishing bait. Things you need:
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Fertilize Your Garden
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Reasons to vermicompost:
exploring spirituality
• Drill and 1/16th drill bit. • A 10-gallon plastic storage container that is dark in color (not clear). • Red wiggler worms (Eisenia retina) (1 to 2 boxes per bin), which can be found at fishing stores, convenience stores near lakes and river areas, some Wal-Marts, Field & Stream, Bass Pro Shops, etc. • Bedding materials, which can include shredded newspaper, shredded copy paper, old bills, cut-up toilet paper or paper towel rolls, decaying leaves, grass clippings, hay/straw, coconut coir or peat moss. (Do not use glossy colored advertisement papers.) • 2 cups of compost or good quality soil—this is optional but I have found that it keeps the worms happy in their new bin and they start working on composting the bedding and scraps faster. • Water. • Food scraps.
STep 1: Drill many small holes in your 10-gallon plastic container on the bottom and on the lid. This allows airflow. Just be sure that the holes are smaller than the worms!
First, dig around and save the right amount of worms to start your next bin. If you look closely, you may even see worm eggs readying for the next generation. If you want the worms STep 2: Layer any combination of the bedding materials in your garden (they will be a healthy addition for the in the bin. I recommend soaking the shredded newspaper soil), you can just dump your bins into the gardens and in water (with a little compost added) for about 20 minutes incorporate it into the soil. Compost tea can also be made before assembling. Next, add the worms to the bin, placing from the vermicompost/worm castings. See Krista’s Korner them in the middle of the bedding. for the recipe. Finally, top the worm bin with a single solid section of FAQ’s moistened newspaper. This will allow for more darkness and will help retain moisture so you won’t need to water Where to store your worm bin? your bin as often. Temperature is the biggest consideration. Ideal is 55-80 degrees Fahrenheit and not in the direct sun (they will cook) or in a place the bin will fill with rainwater. Basements, decks, and barns make great locations. Place your bin on some boards or rocks to keep the air holes on the bottom open for aeration and drainage. Do I need to water my bin? Rarely, if at all. The material in your bin should be moist but not dripping wet when you squeeze a handful of material or soil. Many companies sell worm bins that have drainage catch systems. We have found that if water is running out of your bin then it is too wet for the worms to actually thrive and you might get gnats in the bin. The bedding material should be damp, but not at all soggy. Just check on the moisture level of your bin each time that you add scraps to the bin. If you need to add water just do so with a watering can. Will my worm bin smell? STep 3: Every few days feed your worms! When you feed No, a properly functioning worm bin should not smell of the worms, pull back the bedding and bury the scraps. anything but earth. If you should develop a foul smelling Worms eat all kinds of foods. They enjoy most vegetables, bin there are four main possibilities to check. fruits, eggshells, coffee grounds, and loose tea material or tea bags. We found that they especially enjoy banana 1. You may be overfeeding and the worms cannot keep up. Just cut back on the amount of things you add for a few peels, apples, broccoli, days. watermelon, cantaloupe, asparagus, and pumpkin, 2. The bin may not be getting enough airflow. If this is the and will devour those case, go in and loosen up the materials inside and maybe quickly. add a few more drilled air holes to the lid and topside of the bin. Things to avoid: dairy products, bones, meat, garlic, onions, spicy foods, pickled foods, potatoes, citrus peels and oil/butter.
STep 4: The vermicompost (worm castings) is usually ready in about 3 months. The newspaper, leaves etc. will be broken down and your soil will be crumbly and rich as shown here.
3. The bin may be too wet. Check that none of the air/ drainage holes are blocked. Loosen up the material inside and let it dry out some/don’t add any water or really moist materials for a few days. 4. Make sure you are not putting meat or dairy products in the bin that may cause a rotting smell. Also, be sure that you are not adding products that are coated in oils or butter as this may cause a smell and disrupt the decomposition cycle. www.exploreawareness.com
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Krista’s Korner VERMICOMPOST TEA 1. Dissolve 1 cup of compost (worm castings) from your bin into 1 gallon of nonchlorinated warm water. 2. Stir contents together thoroughly and then let sit. 3. Allow this mixture to steep for 24 to 48 hours. Stirring the liquid a few times a day to help break down and release the nutrients into the water. The longer that the compost has to dissolve in the water, the more nutrients that will be released. 4. After you are done steeping, you can water in your plants directly with your steeped compost tea or use as a foliar
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spray directly on the leaves of the plants. For best results, use your compost tea immediately after steeping. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. We recommend that you consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before using herbal products, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, or on any medications.
Krista and Rob Rahm purchased a farm in Louisa, Virginia, in 1992. After many years of learning to live off of the land, learning and using herbal medicine as their primary health care, and making farming their full-time occupation, the Rahms began a new mission to empower others with the knowledge to achieve Whole Living and supply products and classes to support this purpose. www. forrestgreenfarm.com. (540) 967-1165 Forrest Green Farm products can be purchased at our Market on the Farm or online mail ordering at http://www. forrestgreenfarm.com/store-sq/
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Four Quarters lnterFaith Sanctuary Earth Spirit and Earth Living in an agE of LimitS
“My Feet May Yet Be Wandering, But my heart has found a home. At the Center of Four Quarters ln a Ring of Standing Stone.” Upcoming 2017 festivals:
Wickerman ~ June 8-11 Drum ’N’ Splash~June 28-July 2 The Body Tribal ~ Aug 11-13
Stones Rising! ~ Aug 30-Sept 4 Samhain ~ October 27-29 Yule ~ December 15-17
Whether you are drawn to the ancient traditions of Earth Spirit or seeking a vibrant community of people from all walks of life; searching for a center of retreat or a place for ceremony... Here is Home.
Visit our website or call for more information regarding Festivals, Events, Moon Services, and our Lecture Series.
Request your free copy of our annual 72-page Wheel of the Year Desk Calendar!
Four Quarters Interfaith Sanctuary
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Visit us at www.4qf.org
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T H E H A KO M I M E T H O D Compassionate Self-Discovery
• Come alive in ways you never have before! • Let your body’s wisdom guide you to wholeness & healing • Finally work effectively with all aspects of yourself
www.compassionateselfawareness.com Jocelyn Pierce Audet CHP CRNC Virginia’s only Certified Hakomi Practitioner Charlottesville and Staunton offices Available by Skype & in person
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Body~Mind Integration & Healing Certified Mental Health Nutrition Coach Nutritional Therapy for Happiness & Well Being jocelyn@compassionateselfawareness.com 540.290.6138
Dreaming WITH
Bobbie Ann By BoBBie Ann Pimm
Do you dream in color? I know that I don’t usually recall dreaming in color, and yet I don’t usually remember dreaming in black and white either. Most people claim, as I do, that they can’t say for sure if their dreams are in color or black and white. In fact most dreams are in color, but color recollection diminishes dramatically upon awakening. So, don’t feel strange if you don’t remember if you dream in color— you’re not alone. What about those times you are sure an object in your dream was definitely red or green or blue? What does it mean? Colors, like other dream symbols, are very personal and you must decide what the color means to you. Different colors evoke different emotions and people are affected by color in varying degrees. In interpreting color in dreams you may also consider colors as they correspond to the main chakras. Each chakra stimulates a gland in our endocrine system, thereby affecting our health. So, colors may offer a warning about imbalances, illness, and overall emotional and physical health. When thinking about the colors in your dream, take into consideration the object in question. The color green may mean something different if it’s a green glass or a green carpet. Whether you normally dream in color or not, pay special attention to objects that are 1) a different color than what you would expect (e.g., a purple ceiling, a blue tree, a silver rose); or 2) in an unusual place (a red ring in the grass, an orange broom in the refrigerator). The following are suggested points to consider in interpreting color in your dreams and the chakras with which they are associated. Feel free to disregard any and all definitions if they do not feel “right” to you. You will likely have your own personal associations. Black – From a cultural perspective, the color black may symbolize evil, negativity, magic, sophistication, or
elegance. Black also covers up and hides what is below and is therefore also associated with secrets and the unknown. From a psychological perspective, it may represent Jung’s Shadow archetype or aspects of yourself that you deny or repress. Idioms that come to mind include: little black book, black and white, black eye, the pot calling the kettle black, and black-list. Blue – From a cultural perspective, blue may symbolize baby boys, masculinity, trust, honesty, and loyalty. Sadness and depression are often described as “feeling blue” or having the “blues.” Sky blue is the color of the (fifth) Throat Chakra, which is connected to the thyroid gland, the throat, shoulders, arms, and hands. It is associated with communication, language, and artistic expression. Idioms that come to mind include: blue chip, black and blue, blue collar, out of the blue, and true blue. Gold – Culturally, gold can symbolize wealth, success, prosperity, and extravagance. It can also represent winning or coming in first place (gold medal). Idioms that come to mind include: all that glitters isn’t gold, a gold-digger, a heart of gold, and good as gold. Green – Culturally, green is associated with balance, harmony, and growth. It is often associated with jealousy, as when we say someone is “green with envy.” We can also “get the green light” suggesting approval. Green is the color of the (fourth) Heart Chakra, which is connected to the thymus gland (immune system), the heart, lungs, and circulatory system (blood). It is associated with healing, our personal relationships, and our perceptions of love. Other idioms that come to mind include: green-thumb and greenhorn. Indigo (midnight blue) – Culturally, indigo is associated with New Age thinking, intuition, and perception. It is the color of the (sixth) Brow Chakra (The Third Eye), which is connected to the pituitary gland, the face, and temples. It is associated with intuition, perception, enlightenment, and the unconscious mind. The “Indigo Child” comes to mind. www.exploreawareness.com
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Orange – From a cultural perspective, orange is associated with warmth, energy, optimism, and happiness. The juiciness and health benefits of eating oranges also comes to mind. Orange is the color of the (second) Sacral (Abdominal) Chakra, which is connected to the reproductive system, the abdomen, and lumbar regions of the back. It is associated with physical want, need, and pleasure, including food and sex. The idiom “comparing apples and oranges” comes to mind, suggesting an unequal or unfair comparison. Pink – Culturally, pink is associated with baby girls, femininity, and matters of the heart. Other associations include unconditional love, nurturing, and understanding. Idioms that come to mind include: in the pink, a pink slip, and seeing pink elephants. Red – Culturally, red is associated with confidence, vitality, passion, anger, rage, wickedness, raciness, stopping, and warning. Red is the color of the (first) Root Chakra, which is connected to the adrenal gland and the elimination system. It is associated with security, survival, and trust — for most people this equates to money, home, and job. There are many ‘red’ idioms in the English language, including: a red-letter day, a red flag, red-faced, red tape, red carpet, and a red herring. Silver – Culturally, silver is the color of mirrors and is associated with self-reflection, memories, and illumination. It is also associated with coming in second place (silver medal). Idioms that come to mind include: silver spoon, silver tongue, silver lining and a silver platter. Violet (purple) – Culturally, purple is associated with royalty, dignity, and personal transformation. Violet is the color of the (seventh) Crown Chakra, which is connected to the pineal gland, the brain, and the entire nervous system. It is associated with our connection to Heaven, the Father, Spirit, the Divine, the “oneness” of the universe, the Collective Unconscious, the paternal figure, and authority. Idioms that come to mind include: a shrinking violet or purple prose. White – From a cultural perspective, white is associated with cleanliness, purity, and dignity. Idioms that come to mind include: a white elephant, black and white, little white lie, white flag, white collar, and white knight. Yellow – Culturally, yellow is associated with light, power, warmth, vigor, enthusiasm, cheerfulness, and cowardice. It is the color of the (third) Solar Plexus Chakra, which is 18 June 2017
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connected to the pancreas, all of the abdominal organs, the muscular system, and the skin. It is associated with power, control, and freedom. Idioms that come to mind include: yellow brick road, yellow dog, yellow light, yellow-bellied, and yellow journalism. Dreamworking technique If you are still unsure about what a color means to you, try the following technique: Take a crayon, marker, or pencil in the color you are unsure of and, after clearing your mind, just write with it. Don’t think about what you are writing, think about the color, and just write for a few minutes. Read over what you have written. What emotions come up? Do any memories arise from the past? Use the colored crayon, marker, or pencil and write about the object of that color from your dream in question for a few minutes. What emotions arise in writing and reading what you have written? Are any memories triggered? Take the colored crayon, marker, or pencil and draw the object. What are you feeling as you are drawing? What emotions arise in drawing the object? Are any memories triggered? Now think back over the past few days. When did you last feel this same emotion? Can you relate this emotion to the dream and to something within yourself or your life? If you have enough time, try doing the above with many different colors and see what emotions you associate with different colors. Request for dreams for interpretation Do you have a particular dream or dream symbol you need help with that you are willing to share? If so, please send it to me at: awareness@bobbieann.net. Be aware that your name and contact info will be kept confidential, but your dream (or parts of it) and any comments or interpretations I offer may be printed. ‘Til next time … Happy Dreaming!! Bobbie Ann Pimm lives in Albemarle County. She is a dream educator and the author of Notes from a Dreamer…on Dreaming: A Personal Journey in Dream Interpretation, available at createspace.com (paperback) and Amazon.com (paperback and Kindle). She is also a consultant for dreamscloud.com and a member of the International Association for the Study of Dreams (www.asdreams.org).
www.exploreawareness.com
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Spiritual Artistry
Infinite Energy Wire Wraps By Ray Whitson
Caity Carleton
C
aity Carleton began creating her unique and exquisite jewelry in December 2014. Since she was 4 years old, she has been collecting gemstones as a hobby, and as a young adult began studying the meanings and healing purposes of those stones. A friend showed her a wire rap pendant and she was smitten! She watched a tutorial to learn how to create these pieces, but added her own intuitive twist to the design and wound up with a piece completely different from what was being taught. She had discovered a love for creating beauty with the stones with which she felt so completely connected. In April 2015, she founded Infinite Energy Wire Wraps,
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LLC, and since then has created and sold hundreds of her designs to people across the country. Her process begins with finding the stones and crystals that resonate with her; she says that sometimes they find her. Her personal favorite stones are Moonstone, Kyanite, Labradorite, and Moldavite. She is constantly on the lookout for new stones, adding them to her wire wrapping toolbox while waiting for the right moment to work with them. Some she develops into pendants immediately, while others may take up to a year for the design to present itself to her. She knows when it is time as when looking at the stone she sees in her mind’s eye
Her process begins with finding the stones and crystals that resonate with her; she says that sometimes they find her. the wire wrapping into the design it wants and needs. Sometimes the design even comes in her dreams. The results are worth the wait. It can take up to 12 hours to complete some pieces, depending on the intricacy of the design. After it is created, she places the pendant in a crystal-singing bowl to both clear the energy of the stone and also to raise the vibration to match that of the owner that is coming for it. Being Reiki certified, she sits with it to infuse it with Reiki energy and receives a message of its purpose so she can put that in the description of the piece and give it a name. Some people read the descriptions first to see what draws them, while others look to see what intuitively speaks to them. Often people select pendants containing stones that they normally wouldn’t choose— Caity suggests that is when the pendant chooses the
person instead of the other way around. Based out of Manassas, Caity works from a shop in her home. She is the General Manager of the Infinite Energy Holistic Center in Old Town Manassas, where some of her pendants are available. You can view the wide assortment of her work at www.etsy.com/shop/InfiniteEnergyWW, www.facebook.com/InfiniteEnergyWireWraps/, or www.instagram.com/infinite.energy.ww/. Her pieces generally range from $30 to $180. Ray Whitson is a 20 year resident of the Charlottesville area and has been on an evolving spiritual journey during that time. He is a writer and is the publisher of this magazine.
experience t he art of intentional creativity Painting Workshops • Art Journaling Classes • Creative Coaching Sessions Social Painting Soirees with a Red Thread Twist Building a Creative Community & Transformative Tribe
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creative juice for your soul Disclaimer: No experience necessary. Let’s discover your creative bones together. www.exploreawareness.com
June 2017
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Maybe it’s Not in Your Mind — It’s in Your Body? the connection between food and mood By Jocelyn Audet
Why aren’t we happy? Our culture is awash in depression and all its intimate relatives: anxiety, sadness, grief, fear and isolation. Between the years 1999 and 2012, the use of antidepressants nearly doubled. And their use keeps climbing—we are somehow losing our ability to feel emotionally whole and happy. What if the biggest contributor to this explosion of mental health problems is that we live in a depleted world where we literally can’t get the raw materials for making happiness within us? What do we need to lift the clouds of sadness, angst, and stress in which so many of us exist? There are, of course, the reasons I’ve written about before in past articles—the lack of intimate connection, empathy for ourselves and others, and the loving presence we may have never gotten in our childhoods—the absence of which contribute to our feelings of alienation and sadness. But we are above all organic creatures functioning on a physical molecular level, and we are in constant exchange, on a physical level, with our environment—the besieged and beautiful earth. Inside our body our biochemistry is the seedbed for our emotional moods. And the maker of our moods is the delicate combining of countless nutrients and chemical reactions within the mitochondria and synapses of our brain. This miraculous creation of emotions is utterly dependent on what we take in from our foods. And this
Inside our body our biochemistry is the seedbed for our emotional moods. 22
Did you know there are oranges in Florida that have no detectable amount of vitamin C? Or that a head of broccoli now has 50% fewer nutrients than the one your grandmother ate? may be, for many of us, where the biggest decrease in our ability to feel happy has occurred. We’re just not getting what we need any more from what we eat. Did you know there are oranges in Florida that have no detectable amount of vitamin C? Or that a head of broccoli now has 50% fewer nutrients than the one your grandmother ate? And there is more. That churning in your gut—the nervous stomach and gastric distress—is more than just an inconvenience or purely physical phenomena. The beneficial colonies of bacteria in your gut are now known to produce over 95% of the serotonin that is produced in your body. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter molecule that is essential to feel happiness and contentment. These symbiotic bacteria colonizing us are known as our microbiome. This microbiome is a 10 to 1 ratio of bacteria to each human cell that exists in our body. Incredibly, we are mostly them, they are not us! When we play in the dirt as children soil organisms enter us and for the rest of our lives help us to metabolize the foods that we eat, and even the emotions we feel. In a recent experiment, sterile mice given the gastric bacteria of depressed-acting mice became depressed acting themselves. We have now discovered that we are connected to the earth in ways that seem almost fantastical. We truly are a village. Our moods and our well-being are not solely an outcome of our thoughts; the beneficial microorganisms within us can affect our actual emotions. There is even proof that when we are over-colonized by certain fungus and bacteria they will cause us to crave things they survive on—like sugar and starches. From our depleted food sources, our body and brain struggle to make the neurotransmitters, like serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin that allow us to feel positive about living and ourselves. But it is increasingly hard to get the needed nutrients for the building blocks of positive emotions as they are barely present anymore in the supermarket apple or egg we eat. As a result, in our body’s desperation to get these nutrients we crave food even when we are full. We are overfed and undernourished, literally starving for the inflow of nutrients that have shrunken to nearly nothing in our polluted food supply.
So what can we do? We can support ourselves on all levels, both emotional and physical. On the physical level we can repair our gastrointestinal tract by giving it the bacteria we should
coexist with. We can supplement with micronutrients and eat nutrient-dense food sourced from our farmers’ markets or local health food store. All these efforts help us get the micronutrients we need to create the neurotransmitters that support the chemistry of happiness in our brains. This can break the cycle of suffering. An older client I worked with had been suffering from depression since she was a child. Her childhood had been painful and emotionally abusive. Despite decades of therapy and some progress, the atmosphere of internal sadness she lived in still persisted. Her gut often gurgled uncomfortably and she woke up regularly in the middle of the night in fear and anxiety. Gently and compassionately we worked on the emotional level by providing the empathy and connection the wounded parts of her longed for. But, just as importantly, we began to heal the physical terrain inside of her by replenishing her body with nutrients to heal her inflamed gut. Her gut became more capable of absorbing and converting amino acids to help her produce the neurotransmitters that had been so devastatingly depleted during her childhood experiences— that they had never fully built up again. Her basic mood began to improve. We also discovered, through testing, that she had an above average need for zinc. When this nutrient was added to her supplementation, her internal sky suddenly brightened with a feeling of inherent happiness that she could not remember ever having experienced before. Our minds, bodies, and hearts need care on many levels. Sometimes what is missing for our deepest healing is a fine tuning and support of the complex biochemistry of emotional well-being. We are now living in a time when that knowledge is available and can help us to create the happiness we long for. Jocelyn Pierce Audet is a Somaticallyoriented therapist and a Certified Hakomi Practitioner. Her background includes many decades of study in the fields of spirituality, psychology, holistic health and functional wellness. She continues to attend trainings through the Hakomi Institute in Boulder, Colorado. She is also certified as a Mental Health Nutrition Coach with the Alliance for Addiction Solutions. She can be reached through compassionateselfawareness.com. www.exploreawareness.com
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Feeding the Mind, Body, and Spirit of the Richmond Community By Nicki Peasley
Richmond’s Ellwood Thompson’s is moRE than a locally owned and independently operated natural food market. It’s moRE than an invaluable resource and education center for nutrition and health. And it’s moRE than an inviting and unique community gathering space, adorned with local and soulful art. 24 June 2017
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E
llwood Thompson’s is a movement, designed to feed the mind, body, and spirit of the Richmond community. And it’s been gaining momentum since it opened in 1989 as a small shop near the intersection of Libbie and Patterson Avenues. For almost 24 years, it has been in its current location on the edge of Carytown, at the corner of Ellwood and Thompson. Now a 20,000-square-foot, thriving, multi-layered enterprise of goodness, Ellwood Thompson’s is waking people up to the spirituality of food, the essence of community, and the art of breaking good bread together. Ellwood Thompson’s (ET, as it’s called by regulars) is dedicated, first and foremost, to bringing customers fresh, local, and organic food from farmers and producers who adhere to the strictest environmental and socially responsible standards. ET’s pledge to bring customers the best in food and product quality includes (but is
certainly not limited to) a definition of local as being within a 100-mile radius, a 100% non-GMO policy, and a refusal to carry factory-farmed meat or dairy products or any product containing high fructose corn syrup. ET does its research and empowers customers with current information impacting food and product quality. This kind of transparency gives ET shoppers the confidence to make optimum choices for themselves and their families. Rick Hood, sole owner of Ellwood Thompson’s since 2002, did not set out to be a local grocer and food activist. A real estate Owner Rick Hood investor and manager with a background in architecture, Rick was initially involved as the financial partner of the original City Market with Eric Walters. When Walters left to pursue other interests, Rick realized that what started as a business decision had grown into a passion for natural food, the environment, and the Richmond community.
“I am the product of a generation that focuses on achievement, the bottom line, and competition,” Rick shares. “But this business has shifted me ... my consciousness is evolving, there’s a need to explore and find the meaning of life. It feels so good to be in a business that allows me to go deep, build relationships, and live my values.” On my last visit to Ellwood Thompson’s, I slowed my typical shopping pace to truly experience the ET vibe. Walking into the produce section is a sensory celebration—the vivid colors, the earthy scents. And the photos, hanging overhead, of the local farms and farmers responsible for this organic bounty, are like an invitation to join the real food revolution.
Walking into the produce section is a sensory celebration—the vivid colors, the earthy scents.
I am reminded of Rick’s comments about the value of conscious eating, “When you choose the broccoli or kale that is grown by your local farmer, when you take in the energy of the sun, water, and soil of the community you live in, when you support local, value-based growers and grocers, you become connected to health and to life in rich and valuable way.”
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I take a moment to honor that connection, fill my cart with some green goodness, and allow my nose to lead me to the extensive bulk section of fresh grains, spices, herbs, and coffee. I make a mental note to bring my own containers next time to take advantage of the health and money saving incentives offered here. As I fill my three-gallon water jug at the water station, I witness people truly enjoying their shopping experience. There is smiling and humming and hugging in the aisles—a stark contrast to the typical rushed and industrial climate of the national chain stores.
I know that whatever I put in my cart, from cereal to paper products to artisan cheese, has already been thoroughly examined to ensure the highest standards.
Around the corner, I find myself in a haven of supplements and body care products. ET is as passionate about the quality of what people put on their bodies as what they put in them. The “Nourish” experts are busy answering customer questions and offering guidance. As a lucky receiver of this guidance, I know that ET’s friendly and knowledgeable assistance in
this area is unparalleled. Jutta Bracy, who has worked in the Nourish Department since 2009 and has managed the department for two years, confirms ET’s commitment to products of the highest integrity and purity. She shares, “I love my job, especially my co-workers and our customers who come from all walks of life and represent the great diversity of the Richmond community. I enjoy the talks I have with our customers, which often lead me to learn as much as it gives me the opportunity to point out directions that may help improve their quality of life.” Indeed, after speaking with Jutta, she suggested a turmeric supplement for my achy joints that is working wonders already!
Through the aisles, I pick up a few staples, noticing that I’m not at all compelled to read labels. I know that whatever I put in my cart, from cereal to paper products to artisan cheese, has already been thoroughly examined
Ellwood Thompson’s Stewards 26 June 2017
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to ensure the highest standards. As I browse the meat and seafood selections, I’m confident that my choices in these departments support the ethical and humane treatment of animals. Throughout the store, I am greeted and guided by ET “stewards” as owner Rick Hood calls his staff. A steward, Rick explains, is a person who has a passion and cares about the future. “We hire stewards that are conscious of the Earth, its resources, and the beings populating it. They are encouraged to be active in the community and lead by example.” From the cashiers to the department managers to the in-house health coach, it is obvious that ET stewards embody the mission and values of their workplace. One of the most well-known stewards at ET is Executive Chef Todd Johnson. He is a culinary genius, catering to specialty diets (vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, low sodium) and to those who simply crave delicious and real food. ET’s hot bar, salad bar, raw bar, soups, wraps, and sushi could hardly disappoint the most discerning of palates. In the spirit of transparency, all ingredients are listed beside each amazing creation and Chef Todd and his stewards are always available for questions. Chef Todd shares his philosophy, “We keep it simple, creating dishes with eight ingredients or less. The farmer’s food is the highlight. Soil is a flavor. That’s what makes the food taste good.” He continues, speaking of his work as a way of life, a commitment to feeding his community with consciousness, “This is nothing new. It’s what our great grandfathers did. We’re just fixing what we screwed up ... getting back to our farms, back to our roots.” ET also features the Green and Grind (for juice and coffee lovers) and an in-house bakery (for the healthy sweet tooth). I’m a big fan of the Immune Booster, a juice concoction made with beets, carrots, ginger, pineapple, and garlic, that has rescued me from illness on more than one occasion. And
I can’t leave the store without a homemade classic chocolate chip cookie (all in the name of health, of course). In addition to its passionate commitment to real food, ET is equally ardent about the environment. ET is proud of its policies and practices that include recycling and composting stations, rain barrels, solar panels, a BPAfree environment, a no-plastic bag policy, eco-friendly food containers and signage, and “envirocredit” for those choosing environmentally friendly means of transportation to the store. Rick states, “This is a precious and fragile world that we’ve been so fortunate to be born into. We want to preserve it for the next generation.” Community is most certainly the backbone of the ET enterprise. Rick shares his definition of community as that which “results from the love and caring for all those that participate in our business including our family, neighbors, and the city of Richmond as a whole. Even other independent grocers! It’s about getting out of yourself and doing what’s best for your fellow human being.” In 2014, in an effort to grow the local food movement and gather like-minded businesses around a shared mission, Rick started the Local Food Group. This informal round table has since grown into a dynamic collaboration among local farmers, grocers, and restaurateurs. With its new name, Real Local RVA, this group of activists is raising awareness around the local food movement and advocating for small farms and independent businesses to have a greater economic impact in Richmond. Rick asserts, “Instead of many small food businesses competing among ourselves, we believe that we are stronger collaborating to help each other, thereby strengthening our community.” Further celebrating the spirit of community, one Sunday every month Ellwood Thompson’s donates 5% of that day’s sales to local nonprofits and organizations.
Community is most certainly the backbone of the ET enterprise. www.exploreawareness.com
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Further celebrating the spirit of community, one Sunday every month Ellwood Thompson’s donates 5% of that day’s sales to local nonprofits and organizations.
Volunteers from these local nonprofits join staff members to help bag groceries, do carry-outs, and speak with customers about their organizations and their role in the community. On each of these Sundays, between 2,500 and 3,500 dollars are raised for inspiring local nonprofits like Shalom Farms, Chrysalis Institute, and the Children’s Home Society.
wellness and holistic practices.”
My husband and I landed at The Beet after a Thursday evening shopping spree. It was a Healthy and Happy Hour with our Specialty Earth bowls from the Create Bar (I highly recommend The Hipster), and a couple of Legend Browns from the bar bar. Local musicians Charles Arthur and Alan Parker strummed Combining its enthusiasm for soothing tunes like “Blackbird” community and the environment, underneath large scale portraits ET has also started a Wooden of bestselling author and Nickel Program, designed food activist Michael Pollan Donation to local nonprofit Chrysalis Institute to promote the recycling of and local organic farmer and shopping bags and help local environmental champion Amy charitable organizations. When Hicks. Parker’s son Dash joined customers bring their own bag, the jam session, entertaining a they receive two wooden nickels diverse crowd of drinkers and (that will be changed out for real diners, families and loners, ones at the end of each quarter) writers and readers, and one to pass on to to organizations like little dancer. I closed my eyes to UnBoundRVA and The RVA enjoy the sweet rendition of “My Environmental Film Festival. Favorite Things,” forgetting I was Dropping those nickels in jars for charity is yet another in a market until being gently roused by the faint sound of interactive and impactful way ET is engaging customers the juicer working its magic at the Green and Grind. with its powerful mission. It was in that moment of gratitude for my happy belly, my The newest movement in ET’s mission to educate and build opened mind, and my lightened spirit, that I became a part community is a dining and event space called The Beet. of the family, the movement, the revolution that is Ellwood Fostering the mission, “be vocal, eat local,” The Beet offers Thompson’s. local beer and wine, a Richmond-inspired environment to For more information, visit ET’s website at http:// enjoy a wholesome and delicious ET meal, and a gathering ellwoodthompsons.com/ place for exchanging ideas and building relationships. The space holds classes open to the public on topics like An educator by trade, Nicki Peasley is a bionutrient-rich foods, natural solutions for anxiety and student and storyteller of life and a teacher depression, and wellness-oriented weight loss; it is also of love, both inside and outside of the available for private bookings. Rick offers, “We’re proud classroom. She lives in Richmond with that ET has become ground zero for people who want to her husband, three children, and their reduce stress in their lives and deepen the conversation about chocolate lab, George Bailey. 28 June 2017
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Photo cRedit MaRc LangeLieR
Forrest Green Farm louisA By Ray Whitson
After losing most of our connections to our food sources in only the past few generations, the unstoppable momentum of the local sourcing and sustainable living movements has produced the occasional exemplary oasis that is Krista and rob rahm’s forrest green farm. the only thing as strong as the bond between these two modern day pioneers is the bond they have developed with their land. that bond harkens back to what has been true for most of human history, that survival was totally dependent on a harmonious relationship between humans and the earth. Krista and rob have taken that to a unique and sustainable level.
meeting and instantly connecting in a Pennsylvania high school, Krista and rob went to separate colleges where rob earned a degree in mechanical engineering and Krista one in mall marketing, just as the ‘90s recession began the downhill slide of malls. After marrying, they looked for a place with open land where they could raise a family and grow much of their own food ‌ though neither had any more expertise than family gardens. they decided to move to Virginia in 1992 and focused on finding a farm to fit their desires, as farms were reasonably priced
Miniature Hereford cows www.exploreawareness.com
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It was at this time that Krista and Rob decided to let go of fear and devote all of their time and efforts to sustainable farming. at that time. finding what they wanted in louisa, they had no intention of actually “farming,” but, along with raising a few cows and chickens, began growing their own food in an ever-expanding garden.
Free range chickens with guard dog
going to native American powwows and watched how they took care of themselves with native herbs. not only did she devour everything she could read on herbs, she studied with the native Americans, and also with local herbalist Kathleen maier (see www. sacredplanttraditions.com). Krista began using online courses and started traveling to day-trip conferences to learn about herbs. it wasn’t long before she realized she had an intuitive gift to connect with the plants themselves, supplementing her knowledge by developing a natural understanding of the best nutritional and healing properties they offered. their family simply didn’t get sick. As this was unfolding for Krista, necessity became motivation for rob to learn how to better utilize their land as having one income with a growing family proved a constant struggle financially. now the mid2000s, rob was working 70-80 hours a week and having to keep up a constant search for manufacturing employment as American manufacturing was now in its steep decline. the outlook was bleak, but at least the family was eating well and healthy. rob was continually learning more about cattle, chickens, hay, and pasture management, all with sustainability and respect for the land being paramount.
rob found employment but with the decline in malls and mall traffic at that time Krista was unable to add to their income. As such, she devoted herself to modern sustainability by learning all she could about essentially living off the land by growing their food, cooking everything from scratch, canning for the winter, and using herbal remedies to maintain good health. together, rob and Krista learned all they could from books, studied gardening shows (in particular one with elliott coleman, author of the still relevant 1989 book The New Organic Grower), and talked with “old timers” at local farmers’ markets. Before long, they grew almost all of their food in their garden and did only minimal grocery shopping. they went as far as learning how to grow and eat seasonally to support human organs in the most beneficial way.
then came the devastating 2008 recession. once again, a manufacturing plant closed from under him. it was at this time that Krista and rob decided to let go of fear and devote all of their time and efforts to sustainable farming. it was a tough transition with no steady paycheck, no insurance, no assurance that the monthly mortgage payment would be made, and no start-up cash. All they knew for sure was that they could eat because of their garden and animals. they were modern day pioneers and their sacred connection to their land was the faith that drove them.
soon, they started a family with Krista home schooling the children. By this time she had developed a true gift for understanding and working with herbs, both for nutritional as well as medicinal purposes. she started
rob started raising more chickens and cows, started selling more eggs, they started growing more plants for sale in their one greenhouse, attended more farmers’ markets, and continued learning all they could about
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this new life they had chosen. People coming to the farm started asking to purchase the mixes, rubs, salves, sprays and seasonings that Krista had developed for family use with the herbs she grew. today they offer over 100 such items on their website and in the market on the farm. in 2009, they got a big break when a chef at mas, a popular charlottesville restaurant, called to see if they could provide him with their pasture-raised chickens and eggs. soon, other local chefs started requesting their wholesome products. Word had spread of exactly how they were farming and the results seen in these products. Word of mouth started bringing people from all over as the organic movement continued building. the rahms were offering heirloom vegetables and varieties of herbs hardly found anywhere else. At that time, they were growing about 2,000 plants in their greenhouses … today they’re growing 25,000-30,000 plants. During this time, people began asking Krista and rob to create classes to share what they had learned in providing for themselves. they developed a program called “Whole living from the ground up” and that has evolved into three separate yearly courses of increasingly advanced techniques. it all revolves around a holistic approach to nutrition and health, living with the cycles of nature, just as Krista and rob do. (see the website listing at the end of this article to review class schedules.) By 2010, they had more confidence in their own sustainability and in making a living by farming and teaching others to live sustainably. By 2012, they had learned to grow leafy greens in their greenhouses in the winter. this led to development of a forrest green farm community supported Agriculture (csA) program that now stretches to richmond. the csA allows people to buy into programs that can provide, on a monthly basis, fresh produce, eggs, chickens, beef, and herbs. the rahms strive to go beyond the term “organic” in everything forrest green farm offers as big agriculture has lobbied hard to bring down the standards needed to qualify for “organic” labeling. the cows they raise are miniature Herefords, which have a smaller sized
Market on the Farm www.exploreawareness.com
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Experience farm life as it should be.
Inside one of five year-round greenhouses 32 June 2017
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Rob teaching “Whole Living from the Ground Up� class
Central Virginia
They genuinely want to help others connect to the Earth in a sustainable and equitable way.
Products display - more at www.forrestgreenfarm.com
frame thus using less water and feed while producing a higher beef yield. the chickens are truly “pasture raised” as they are moved about 12 feet daily to feed on fresh bugs and seeds and plants, leaving behind a nutrient rich soil that produces noticeably lush pasture grass. the eggs have a rich yellow color to the yokes that will surprise you the first time you use them. today, there are five greenhouses growing produce and bedding plants 12 months a year. there is a market on the farm that offers all their products. forrest green farm is a private farm, but Krista and rob invite people to come if to do no more than walk the gardens and roads, experiencing farm life as it should be. they urge you to pack a lunch and bring your children to let them see where their food comes from and the proper way to grow it. they are sincere in wanting to give back to people by passing on the knowledge they’ve worked so hard to gain and utilize. As a matter of fact, the rahms want to keep the integrity of their products and way of life by keeping the farm and its production at the size it is today. (if you do take them up on their invitation, explore the farm, but please do respect the privacy of their home and yard.) Krista and rob took a big risk to create a way of life that requires extremely hard work and constant alertness and attentiveness to the land, but they wouldn’t have it any other way. they genuinely want to help others connect to the earth in a sustainable and equitable way. this publication is blessed to have Krista and rob write
Rob & Krista Rahm
the popular “Whole living; connecting with the earth” column in every issue. You can visit www.issuu.com/ awarenessexploringspirituality to read any of their columns that you may have missed. to learn more about forrest green farm and all it has to offer, please visit their website at www.forrestgreenfarm. com. they are located at 2317 evergreen rd., louisa, 23093. forrest green farm is a unique place. You’ll feel a special energy when you’re on it. i can’t help but believe that energy is the land loving Krista and rob as much as they love it. Ray Whitson is a 20 year resident of the Charlottesville area and has been on an evolving spiritual journey during that time. He is a writer and is the publisher of this magazine.
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This popular arTicle firsT appeared in our January 2016 issue
Sacred Circle
old Town alexandria’s Jewel T h e r e ’ s a v i b r a n T aT m o s p h e r e To old Town alexandria with unique shops and restaurants lining its blocks, but the real jewel is a wonderful retail spirituality center, sacred Circle. owners anysia oswald and Tom singer opened their store in august 2008 to an outpouring of gratitude by customers accustomed to the lack of such an operation in alexandria. anysia’s and Tom’s own decades-long personal spiritual quests provided the insights needed to build what is now an expansive offering of myriad products and services filling the needs of virtually all spiritual
paths and beliefs. it is not just a store, it is a true service to the community. To get a good feel for the professionalism anysia and Tom bring to this endeavor, visit www.sacredcirclebooks. com to find one of the most beautifully crafted websites you’ll come across. note the upcoming events on the home page and under the “events” tab. That alone shows the dedication they have to offering diverse programs and information for spiritual growth. The store is warm and inviting, with working fireplaces in the 200-yearwww.exploreawareness.com
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old building adding to the charm of the interior. Wellstocked shelves hold items such as many varieties of crystals and stones, candles and incense for all needs, smudge, herbs, oils, statuary, ritual and altar items, magical supplies, divination materials, health and beauty items, apparel, jewelry, books, CD selections, and much more. Check out “products” on the website for a more complete listing. in addition, there is a rotating series of professional psychics and healer practitioners available both in the store and by phone. They are all personally screened by anysia and Tom, as well as accredited by the better business bureau. You can check the “services” tab on the website to review the credentials of each. most sessions are offered in 15-, 30-, 45-, or 60-minute increments.
sacred Circle is easy to get to by metro or beltway, and the dedication to its customers even extends to a diagram under the “Find Us” tab that shows where there is free parking for blocks around the store! (if you are not familiar with old Town alexandria, make sure you use the parking kiosks on and adjacent to King street for metered parking.) This is as complete a spirituality center as you could need. store hours are Tuesday–saturday 11 a.m.–7 p.m., and sunday 1 p.m.–5 p.m. if you happen to be there when anysia and Tom are working, be sure to say, “hello.” These are some genuinely kind and caring people.
Tom and Anysia at the Chalice Well.
scheduling an appointment is recommended. To show you how concerned anysia and Tom are about providing quality in all that they do, their website includes a piece about how to spot a psychic scam. That’s real commitment to the community! Upstairs there are rooms where classes, workshops, and consultations take place. Check the “events” tab for current listings. There’s a lot going on each week. 36 June 2017
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Next Dimension Healing
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piedmont
The Light of Lucia rIchmoNd By Nicki Peasley
I met LucIa WILLIams through the lovely christine mingus, a friend and former co-worker at sabot at stony Point school. christine reached out to me to share a serendipitous experience she had on an expedition in Larus Park with her students. upon arriving at the creek, she discovered a young man meditating on a rock. at first oblivious to the hoots and howls of the children racing around him, this peaceful sitter came to engage with them, sharing a bit of his story ... and all of his Light. “You’ve got to meet this guy, Nicki. he’s one of your people,” christine told me. and so, a couple weeks later, I returned to the forest to visit with former students and met Lucia. christine was right. I immediately felt a connection 38 June 2017
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to this human—his smile, his warmth, his authenticity, his candor. he naturally tuned into my soul story and very respectfully shared his insights and counsel. Within the first moments of our meeting, there was no doubt that Lucia Williams was a gifted telepathic-medium. a selfproclaimed “truth speaker,” he unfolded his story with humility and passion, and the many layers of his offerings emerged. From a long line of psychic healers, Lucia explained how source bestowed upon him the power of White Fire healing during his own time of hardship. “I suppose creator deemed it appropriate for me to reconnect with the gift through my own experience of self-healing and evolution.” It Healing session
this sacred power allows Lucia to intuitively see and energetically restore the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual bodies of those in his care. In addition, he offers suggestions for plant and herb supplements to magnify and sustain his healing imprint. (his serendipitous meeting with christine and her students occurred during his search for a specific type of mushroom found in Larus Park). Lucia has also recently started giving diet consultations, based on his own study of nutrition and what he sees during his white fire sessions. “It’s all about rejuvenating the body to its original vibrancy.” I wanted some of that and, right after a bout with the flu, arranged for a session with Lucia. It was perfect timing, not only for my physical body, but for my whole depleted being. on Lucia’s table, I felt waves of warmth mixed with what I sensed as a cool mist. there was a gentle cracking open around my heart chakra that allowed for a sweet release of tears. and, at the end, a child-like joy washed over me like an invitation to come back to the luster that life has to offer. the experience felt like reintegration of body and soul. after the session, Lucia shared the past-life visions and messages from beyond that surfaced during the healing, as well as his nutritional recommendations for my physical and emotional health. I also experienced one of Lucia’s group healing sessions at Natural Path meditation center in richmond’s West end. an inspiring speaker, Lucia set the audience at ease with a warm invitation to “full joy,” and no attachment to outcome. Within this healing matrix, Lucia held us individually and collectively, opening us to our own spiritual wisdom and internal guidance, as well as channeling balancing and renewing energy on the cellular and soul level. after the transmission, members of the group shared their potent experiences. comments included descriptions of “a tingling crown chakra,” “the comforting fragrance of jasmine,” “falling into the body from space,” and “being held by the universe and then containing it.” after each contribution to the discussion, Lucia offered a specific insight or some guidance for that participant. he concluded the session with his signature, “In case you haven’t heard it today, I love you.” and there was no doubt he meant it. among his other efforts, Lucia is the author of The Wise Soul: The Musings of a Man, in the Spirit of Wisdom, a book designed to enlighten and inspire the human potential for awakening, available at amazon.com. he leads intuitive practice groups and is also a guest speaker giving psychic development lectures in human spirituality classes at Vcu. Lucia also offers remote healing sessions by phone. he is a musician, as well, acting as lead vocalist for the band chiefs of all tribes. Its mission? to share unity,
consciousness, and love through the universal language of music. In addition, Lucia is the host of To The Light with Lucia, a local cable television show that just aired its second season, available on comcast channel 95, Verizon channel 36. You can catch past episodes on Lucia’s Youtube channel (linked to his website below). With an emphasis on education, healing, and enlightenment, the program features several segments including a focus on a particular spiritual practice or theme, an interview with a local light worker (someone sharing their light in one capacity or another), a teaching about a medicinal plant or herb, and live on-air readings.
I immediately felt a connection to this human—his smile, his warmth, his authenticity, his candor. unlike many spiritual healers and teachers, Lucia is quite young. this is perhaps one of the reasons his teaching feels so accessible, especially for those just beginning to consider a spiritual path. Lucia has started to mentor young people who have been gifted with psychic and healing abilities. “We need these children to help humanity,” he said, “to help us remember who we are.” Lucia is working on a children’s book to shed awareness on and validate the growing number of children who are awakening to their gifts of energetic perception. “When I was a kid, I felt I needed to hide my gifts,” he said. “I hope my book will help parents navigate this new landscape with their highly sensitive and intuitive children.” Look for God Made Me Special, Can’t you See? on amazon, coming soon. While Lucia is well accomplished for his short incarnation, he has big dreams for his future. Included in his vision is a school for children that promotes awakening through natural and sustainable living, individual and community healing, and love. Whatever his future holds, there is certain to be a lot of that. For more information and to contact Lucia, visit www.lightoflucia.com.
An educator by trade, Nicki Peasley is a student and storyteller of life and a teacher of love, both inside and outside of the classroom. She lives in Richmond with her husband, three children, and their chocolate lab, George Bailey.
www.exploreawareness.com
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seems many healers endure their own dark night of the soul as a means to deepen their gift and strengthen their resolve to serve others.
Southwestern Virginia
THRIVE
mind • body • massage RoAnoke By Deann Bishop
CURIOUS CULTIVATION: May We Thrive! “Picture damp mornings on a Virginia farm: warm chicken eggs in the coop, a tractor engine sputtering to life in the background. Decades ago, young Rita Johnson was following her daddy through the barns and the fields, pouring grain for the animals, lugging tobacco leaves to the wagon. Tending, digging and gathering. An early commitment to potential: What wants to grow? What needs to be fed? What longs for encouragement? … What longs to THRIVE …? Today, I enter the treatment room where Rita’s soft Southern twang, her firm, 40 June 2017
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gently massaging hands, and the sweet, subtle aromas of plant and flower oils elicit the same sense of fertile ground. What will want to happen in this session? What will be invited to move? To change? These questions lie in the transformation potential Rita seeks in partnership with her clients. Her realm today still holds the comfort of farmland, the promise of an open field, the spirit of a home where a sprout that craves knowing its potential can move up into light. Session by Rita Johnson
take home. Rooted and grounded, yet offering the promise of rising up and forward, the session takes the foundations of my spirit and gives fertilization to change.
Rita’s work has the character of curious cultivation. Rita says that to personally remain in a curious wonder is her most delightful and rewarding experience of practice. This guided her through many years of professional trainings, crafting the qualities that she learned growing up. It is a far cry from the mundane chores on a farm, perhaps, yet definitely emerges from the fertile soil of her passion. Her credentials are impressive: • Board Certified Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork - National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. • Certified Massage Therapist - Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Health Professions. • Certified Pregnancy Massage Therapist - Nurturing the Mother (Prenatal/Labor/Postpartum/Infant Massage). • Certified Reflexologist - Advanced Balance Reflexology. • Aroma-Acupoint Therapy. • Graduate/Student-Practitioner of the Hakomi Method - The Hakomi Institute. All of these skills are blended together to provide deep relief to her clients’ physical and emotional patterns and pain. In each session, she offers customized bodywork, essential oil aromatherapy and some self-care strategy suggestions to
Thrive treatment room
It is clear to me that Rita has watered her intuitive and tactile senses with the same organic principles of expansion, contraction, and growth, and that she now maintains the capacity to elicit a childlike awe from me that allows my own potential to flourish. emerging from the session, I have an updated vision of what was lying dormant, if not painfully stuck, which now seems refreshed and replenished. Thrive / mind.body.massage is located at 7726 Williamson Rd., Suite 102, Roanoke, VA 24019. You can contact Rita at (540) 420-4840, or by email at thrive. mindbodymassage@gmail.com. For more information, visit www.thrivemindbodymassage.com and https:// www.facebook.com/thrivemindbodymassage/. Deann Bishop is a licensed acupuncturist and Chinese herb specialist. She practices both privately at her home clinic, Blue Ridge Acupuncture in Troutville, and is owner and staff acupuncturist at Roanoke Community Acupuncture. In conjunction with her background in Chinese medicine, she produces healing remedies under the brand name MetalDogMedicine. A native of Rockbridge County, she chases her passion for writing, Buddhist meditation, Hakomi therapy and Chinese herb oils while holding service to several spoiled cats. www.exploreawareness.com
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Southwestern Virginia
Although I am somewhat weary and exhausted by the elaborations of daily life, Rita solidly stands in welcome of this energy in me and, simultaneously, hints at the possibility for movement and flow. I spread my aching body on the table and hear my burdened mind take a long sigh.
tidewater
ALL PHoto cREDIt SHARon SILvEY
Freestyle Yoga and Paloma Healing caPe charLeS BY SHEILA SHEPPARD
When I moved from rIchmond back to my roots on the eastern Shore of virginia a few years ago, I mourned the loss of my community. I was sure that the tiny historic town of cape charles, nestled on the chesapeake bay amidst acres of farmland, could not offer me the yoga, reiki, and holistic wellness that had become such a central part of my self-care. I was going through immense changes in my personal life and career, and had a baby to boot. I felt alone. then I met debra bosna of freestyle Yoga. She had recently relocated from Philadelphia, where she taught yoga for 17 years. Whenever I could find a babysitter, I slipped away to debra’s serene studio in 42 June 2017
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the nearby town of cheriton. She offered a full schedule of classes, ranging from restorative to vinyasa to her own blend, slow-flow. She even offered a mommy and me series (she always greeted the babies first). “breathe so that it captures your full attention,” debra said in her calm but powerful voice, and so I did. the thousands of thoughts just had to wait. debra gave me permission to have the one and only experience I needed to have at that moment. Some poses released grief. others made me feel victorious. one pose in particular always made me feel afraid: wheel pose, in which you Sheila in session
Something else began to capture my attention during my visits to freestyle Yoga: in the back hallway of the studio was a little room that was just the right size for a massage table. Since 2010, I had studied reiki, a Japanese healing modality, with barbara davis of turning Point counseling and training in richmond, and had recently begun studying Guided Imagery and music (GIm), a form of experiential therapy that accesses the subconscious mind. I told debra I had been thinking of opening a practice. I could hardly believe it when she offered to let me use the room. thus, Paloma healing was born. every time I gave a session, I felt that I was offering something truly helpful for those ready to do the work. I discovered an existing community of like-minded people, open to a holistic approach to wellness.
self-perceptions, making room for love and creativity. I realized reiki and GIm could support anyone, no matter their religious beliefs. I couldn’t be a coward and let fear hold me back from offering these modalities to others in my community. one day debra called me and invited me to move with her from cheriton into a new studio in cape charles, a storefront on one of the primary commercial streets that gets quite a bit of foot traffic, especially in the summer months. I knew it was time to step forward into my business. debra and I talked about the many workshops we planned to offer and the ways we could collaborate to create this light-hearted space for yoga and holistic wellness in our community. the next day I went to yoga class, feeling sad about leaving behind the cheriton studio that had become a second home. toward the end of the practice, debra led us toward wheel pose. I felt that familiar fear in my chest. “can I give you a little assist?” asked debra. I nodded yes.
She positioned my hands so I could Still, I was afraid of what some people experience the heart opening benefits would think. I remembered how I of the pose. I was going to go for it had first perceived reiki: strange, and Debra instructing this time. possibly not in line with my catholic upbringing, although I learned later that many priests and and I did. as I arched my body upward I felt the walls nuns incorporate it as a part of their ministry. Who was I to falling away to reveal the full expansiveness of the world offer healing, especially in my hometown? I wanted to hide, around me. I was exactly where I needed to be. offering my services through word of mouth only. debra could relate, knowing that people often misconstrue yoga freestyle Yoga offers a full schedule of classes monday– Saturday as well as yoga therapy by appointment. for for a religion when instead it is a way to enhance your life. details visit www.thefreestyleyoga.com or call/text (757) I reminded myself how much reiki and GIm had helped 607-7172. Paloma healing offers private appointments monday–Saturday and occasional group workshops. book online at palomahealing.com or call/text (804) 652-9901. the studio is located at 22 Strawberry St., cape charles, just a few blocks from the beach on the chesapeake bay.
“Breathe so that it captures your full attention,” Debra said in her calm but powerful voice, and so I did.
me. every time I experienced a reiki session I visualized an empty gas tank getting fully refueled. I began tuning into emotions I had been repressing and slowly woke up to how I wanted to live and contribute to others. GIm allowed me to let go of resentments, old patterns, and harmful
Sheila Sheppard is a Reiki and GIM practitioner with Paloma Healing in Cape Charles on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. She is also a violinist and musician, and is pursuing her MFA in creative writing from Old Dominion University. She has a live-in spiritual teacher named Aven, her 3-year-old daughter. www.exploreawareness.com
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arch the entire body up from the floor, supported only by your hands and feet. If I got into it at all, I would come down from it immediately, heart pounding. debra let me go at my own pace.
Margaretta McIlvaine Energy Practitioner
Emotional Healing & Self-Transformation Gain clarity and self-confidence Transcend difficult life issues Connect with inner guidance Move towards peace and self-actualization
Phone, skype and in-person sessions available mm@bbtw.org (434) 293 - 9708 More information at www.bbtw.org
44 June 2017
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I would love to help you make your next move into or out of the Charlottesville area. Give me a call and lets put the power of Montague, Miller & Co and Leading RE behind your next move! ~Pam Whorley PA M W HOR L E Y 434.227.2414 pamwhorleyrealtor@gmail.com
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Your LuckY StarS Introducing the Dwarf Planet Eris and its Affect on America By Nick Lasky
C
haos, discord, strife: these are all things with which the Greek Goddess Eris is associated. A common strategy most of us employ is to ignore this kind of energy and simply hope to be spared. However, it is the very act of ignoring Eris and this energy that brings about her shenanigans, as seen in her mythology and her astrology. Currently, Eris is lined up in a very significant astrological relationship with the planet Uranus, provoking an especially chaotic impact upon the United States and humanity this year. Astronomical background: Eris was discovered in 2005 and is the second-largest dwarf planet in our solar system. It was actually the discovery of Eris that ultimately led astronomers to demote Pluto to a dwarf planet. This already gives you the picture that she likes to cause trouble. Eris takes about 560 years to orbit the Sun, a little over twice as long as Pluto’s revolution time. Due to her elliptical orbit, she spends about 120 years or about 1/5 of her cycle in the sign of Aries. The mythology of Eris: Eris is the sister of Mars, God of War. The most famous myth about Eris is the story of how she incited the Trojan War. As the myth goes, all of the gods and goddesses had been invited to a great wedding, all except Eris, due to her chaotic and disagreeable nature. Angry about being snubbed, she threw a golden 46 June 2017
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apple in the midst of the wedding from her hiding place with an inscription “To the fairest.” This sparked great competition amongst the goddesses. Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite all laid claim to the title, each of them feeling that they were the most deserving. Zeus, who was given the task of picking the winner, opted not to anger any of the three and passed the buck to Paris, a shepherd, who then was given the power to decide. All of the goddesses attempted to bribe Paris with a gift in order to sway his vote. Hera offered political and military power, Athena offered great wisdom, and Aphrodite offered the most beautiful woman in the world—Helen of Troy. Unsurprisingly, Paris chose Aphrodite so that he could have the beautiful Helen. Helen was then taken from her husband, Menelaus of Sparta. Naturally, Menelaus was none too pleased and set out with a great army to retrieve his wife, thus starting the Trojan War. Eris in astrology: Eris represents the feminine warrior spirit within all of us, and especially in women. When trying to understand and capture the essence of Eris, the writer William Congreve’s famous idiom comes to mind: “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” But Eris does not merely represent a woman who is angry. As seen in the myth, Eris represents the shadow part of our psyche that, when feeling abandoned or ignored, will act out in the most mischievous and dirty kind of way. Due to the deep pain she holds, she manipulates others in order to take people down and see them suffer. Eris is the coworker who gossips behind everyone’s back in
an attempt to pit everyone against each other and watch all hell break loose. Eris is a NASTY WOMAN. That being said, it is important to keep in mind that if Eris, or that part of your psyche, is honored, she will not act out and cause these sorts of problems. It is only when she is suppressed that her fury erupts. In the myth, as a result of being excluded, she became manipulative. If you acknowledge her out in the open, she will not operate behind the scenes and cause mayhem. Eris demands respect and acknowledgment. Eris and Uranus in the sky now: Currently Eris is conjunct (lined up with) the planet Uranus in the sky. Uranus represents shock, rebellion, and revolution. They are both in the sign of Aries, directing the two planets to be extra aggressive, assertive, and initiatory.
Eris represents the feminine warrior spirit within all of us, and especially in women.
What do you get when you bring the scorned goddess of chaos together with rebellious Uranus in the sign of fighting: The Women’s March on Washington. You get a powerful uprising of defiant women who are angry and ready to do something about it. Madonna so elegantly personified Eris at the march when she spouted that she had thought about blowing up the White House. And Ashley Judd certainly channeled Eris when she read 19-year-old Nina Donovan’s fiery “I’m a Nasty Woman” speech. The combination of these energies brings the “nasty women” to the street to protest. In addition to the Women’s March, you may be watching chaos and discord run rampant throughout American society at this time. This configuration will unleash intense protests, revolutionary uprisings, and just plain old craziness in general. The exact conjunction of these two planets was in the middle of March. At the time of writing this article (January), I can only imagine that this explosive energy will come to some sort of head at that time. Eris and Uranus in Aries in history: Due to Eris’s extremely elliptical orbit, this conjunction is actually the
second to happen in this cycle of Eris being in the sign Aries. The first in this cycle occurred from 1927– 1928. The very next year America experienced the great stock market crash of 1929, and this time period also saw the rise of Adolf Hitler. On the positive spectrum, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic in 1928. As for revolutionary energy, both Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929) and Fidel Castro (1927) were born around this time with Uranus and Eris conjunct in Aries. If you take things back even further, the previous cycle of Eris and Uranus conjunctions in Aries took place from 1426–1430 and 1515– 1516. During these conjunctions, Joan of Arc, a mystic and heroine of France, rose to great prominence during the Hundred Years’ War. In 1515, Teresa of Ávila, a revolutionary female mystic in the Roman Catholic Church, was born. And soon after, in 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses, which many consider to have started the Protestant Reformation.
So how to deal with this intense, chaotic energy? Acknowledge your shadow self instead of avoiding the pain. Remember to honor your own feminine energy, whether you are a woman or a man. And don’t be afraid to let your nasty woman come out if she needs to. Note for Seasoned Astrologers: Transiting Eris and Uranus are squaring the United States’s natal Mercury, which speaks to the major conflicts going on between the government and the media, as well as a big emphasis on trade deals and negotiations. Nick Lasky is a professional astrologer, psychic, and healer at the Aquarian Bookshop in Richmond. Nick is the founder of the Society of Awakening Souls, an organization at UVA and the Aquarian Bookshop for students seeking spiritual awakening. Contact Nick at www.aquarianbookshop.com. www.exploreawareness.com
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CENTRAL VIRGIN
AquaFloat
Inspiration and healing with stillness BY RAY WHITSON
NORTHERN VIRGINIA
WHAT THE STAFF HAD TOLD ME IN THE pre-float review was true … I wasn’t floating very long before I realized that there was little-to-no distinction between my body, the water, and the air in the tank. Periodically during the 90-minute float session I had to curl my fingers just to be sure they were still there! I comfortably floated in complete darkness and the only thing I heard was the internal sound of my breathing. With the complete stillness, my thoughts slowed and my brain became more of a consciousness and less of a computer analyzing input from my eyes, ears, nose, and skin. Tranquil … that’s the state I moved into. Everything in the Charlottesville AquaFloat 38 January 2016
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facility from the reception area to the serene tank rooms is designed to help you get to that level, effortlessly. Floating in contained tanks has been around since the mid-1950s when neuroscientist Dr. John C. Lilly developed it for research in sensory deprivation. It became commercially popular during the 1970s as a way to reach an “altered state” without drugs, but declined in popularity until breakthroughs in relaxation research and sanitation methods caused a sudden spike in the practice about a decade ago. Reputable research has shown floating addresses mental and Owner Ted O’Neill
exploring spirituality
NOW OFFERING Directory Advertising in your Regional Section!
Light Works
Complete Spiritual Healing MANASSAS WHEN YOU ENTER THE BUILDING at 9116 Center St. in Manassas you’ll find two sets of stairs, one at the front and the other down a hallway at the rear, with each leading to separate areas of suites. It seems appropriate given the dual missions of Light Works and owner Juli Richardson that this center should occupy space at the top of both stairways.
THE PIEDMONT
The mission statement of Light Works is, “Achieving Health through Mind, Body, & Spirit,” which Juli embodies as a complete spiritual healer: a Reiki master teacher and practitioner, a certified psychic medium, and a certified Angel Messenger. Her unassuming manner belies the training and gifts she possesses and offers in her practice and center. 40 July 2016
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Suite 208 (at the top of the rear stairs) has a reception area, Reiki treatment room, and very comfortable and embracing space where readings are done. Tastefully decorated, every aspect of these three rooms conveys the most peaceful atmosphere that allows you to relax, even if it’s your first time having a Reiki session or a psychic reading. There are wonderful axioms on the walls that also help put you in the mood of being open and receptive to healing and to any forthcoming information. Juli states on her website that often times Spirit (including angels and departed loved ones) will step forward not only during a reading, but also during a Reiki healing session.
exploring spirituality
STILL REACHING STATEWIDE READERSHIP!!
Aquarian Bookshop Richmond
and excitement. As John puts it, “I fell in love with the Aquarian the first time I walked in and met Lacy. I am still in love with the wonder and magic of the Aquarian. It is a privilege to be part of this creative spiritual community.” The current motto of the shop is “There is always something NEW at the Aquarian!” The shop is always evolving and constantly rotating new and exciting merchandise. This is all possible due to “V,” the Aquarian’s interior designer and store manager. Coming from New York City, V brings his own unique style and creativity to the Aquarian, all the while running a very disciplined business. The Aquarian is known for its selection of crystals,
has been a centerpiece of Richmond’s metaphysical community for over 30 years. Lacy and Jim Holzgrefe opened the shop in 1983. Under their ownership, the Aquarian became Richmond’s “meeting place for the New Age.” Since then, the Aquarian has changed ownership twice and is currently owned by one of America’s premier psychics and the star of Court TV’s “Haunting Evidence,” John J. Oliver. Under John’s direction, the Aquarian Bookshop has evolved into arguably one of the top metaphysical shops anywhere.
42 April 2016
TIDEWATER
Upon entering the Aquarian, it feels as if you have been transported to another world full of magic, wonder, awareness
Business Card Size (3.5w xx2.375h) (3.45 2.35)
exploring spirituality
AVAILABLE ONLY WITH 3X INSERTION
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Deosil
Spiritual Music
SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA
VIRGINIA BEACH ORIGINALLY FROM NORFOLK, Dylan Patrick Smith, known by his metaphysical performance name, Deosil, is a performer, composer, audio engineer, metaphysical practitioner, and an open-minded spiritual being who channels his music from a higher realm. Pronounced ‘de-o-sil’ or ‘je-zil,’ Deosil is derived from ancient Celtic and loosely translates as “in the direction of the sun.” He has been practicing the art of healing through sound for over 10 years. With two music degrees in classical piano studies and a background in jazz piano, arrangement, and electronic keyboard programming, Deosil incorporates his musical knowledge and experience in every sound he creates. His own private production 48 July 2016
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company, Other Realm Music, was established in 2005, and along with healing and metaphysical CDs, he has also published two solo piano CDs. His fascination with meditation, Buddhist chanting, sound healing, and audio therapy has allowed listeners around the world to be engaged in his signature ethereal sounds. His music has reached as far as Australia, through licensing of specific tracks used for instructional yoga DVDs. Most of his music centers around long, sustained chords with sub frequency undertones that help to balance both hemispheres of the brain. He also has been working on brain wave musical patterns that stimulate and induce states of relaxation. There is always piano
exploring spirituality
Local Roots
A Farm-To-Table Restaurant BY RAY WHITSON
RESTAURANTS IN GENERAL NOURISH THE BODY, but there are a select few that also nourish the spirit. Local Roots, at 1314 Grandin Rd. in Roanoke, is one of those. Owner Diane Elliot has channeled her dedication to local, sustainable agriculture into a wonderful dining and learning experience. Not only is every item on Executive Chef Matthew Lintz’s menu inventive, interesting, and (judging from my party’s orders) delicious, but also you can be assured that it is all from local sources and is seasonal, just the way we were meant to eat. As it says on the website, www.localrootsrestaurant. com, “Sun-ripened tomatoes in the summer, hearty root vegetables in the
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winter – we serve what is fresh and natural at the peak of its flavor.” This means that the menu is constantly changing and each visit can bring exciting new offerings to choose from. Diane’s son Rives conceived the concept and opened Local Roots Café in December 2007. It took two years of detailed preparation to remodel the site, purchase the equipment, have furniture made locally, and build a network of local farmers. She purchased the restaurant from Rives on March 21, 2009 (intentionally on the Spring Equinox) and eventually moved it to a larger space in a charming area of the city known as Grandin Village. Of note, the location is directly across from the
awareness
Lotus Healing Center
$175 EACH INSERTION
Roanoke
Angels Whispering Light
BY RAY WHITSON
Angel Message Sessions • guiding you when in need of direction,
THE PROFESSIONALS AT LOTUS HEALING CENTER believe that mind, body, and spirit need to heal together as a whole. The application of this principle has developed in a most unique way into a “full service” concept at their thriving Roanoke facility. Partners Janet Spitzer, M.D. and Leigh Powell, L.P.C. opened Lotus Healing Center in September 2016 at 1901 Denniston Ave. SW in Roanoke. As soon as you enter the space, you’ll sense the peace that is reflected in the tastefully decorated waiting rooms and offices as well as in the holistic modalities offered there. Margaretta McIlvaine
Not only does she serve the Southwestern Virginia area, but she also receives referrals from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, New York when teams there determine that her form of treatment is what’s best for a particular patient. • comforting you when in need of support,
• celebrating with you when in times of rejoicing, and • whispering words of love always.
Contact “B” on my webpage at
www.AngelsWhisperingLight.com
by filling out the form in the Angel Message Session section by
Energy Practitioner
“As soon as you enter the space, you’ll sense the peace Emotional Self-Transformation that is reflected in Healing the &tastefully decorated waiting rooms and offices as well as in the holistic modalities offered there.” Gain clarity and self-confidence Transcend difficult life issues Connect with inner guidance Move towards peace and self-actualization
Phone, skype and in-person sessions available mm@bbtw.org (434) 293 - 9708 More information at www.bbtw.org
Janet is a licensed medical physician who now works Zenbarn Digital Studio primarily through medical acupuncture. (In Virginia there is 2d Design & Illustration a clear licensing distinction with non-M.D. practitioners * Reasonable Rates titled only as “acupuncturist.”) In this way, she blends * Quick Turnaround * File and Conversion the best of western holistic medical practices for * Content Creation Digital or care Physicalfor Art her patients. Indeed, the optimum in *health * Call or email to get of her integrative and medical she says she now estimate approach, or rates * Portfolio online at www.zenbarn.us heals “primarily with needles instead of prescriptions.” Acupuncture works by promoting maximum energy circulation in the body. Every acupuncture point connects Contact Anne: zenbarnstudios@gmail.com 434 227 8068 with physical, emotional, spiritual activation, with Worksand near Charlottesville, Virginia each of those deriving what is most needed for healing.
Waiting room
OCEANSIDE RESIDENCE 12th floor penthouse
401 Atlantic Avenue, Unit 1204
Call (434) 972.9273 or email ads@exploreawareness.com on the Atlantic Ocean right on the Boardwalk, in Virginia Beach
dmunds SusieE REALTOR®
B E AC H L I V I N G AT I T S B E S T Call or Text: (757) 718-1970 SusieEdmunds@HowardHanna.com
Amazing views from this 2 story Penthouse with 6 balconies! Sunrise and sunsets! Relax and choose your view! Beautifully renovated with open/ light floor plan. Building has been refurbished inside and out with state of the art fitness equipment, pool, parking garage and guest rooms! Offered at $1,095,000
take a virtual tour at:
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This is not intended as a solicitation for real estate services if you are currently represented by another broker as a seller or buyer. While information is deemed accurate, it is not guaranteed.
2304 Kleen Street, Virginia Beach, VA 23451
Acupuncture treatment room
www.exploreawareness.com
exploring spirituality
SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA • DIRECTORY
BY FRANKIE WINTERWOOD
AQUARIAN BOOKSHOP
October 2016
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Valerie Sargent
Certified Hypnotherapist & Akashic Records Reader
Present moment guidance for the life experience you desire.
Hypnotherapist, Akashic Records Reader & Intuitive Healer. Guided by
• Hypnotherapy • Hypnotherapy/Akashic Records • Intuitive Healing/Energy Work • Custom-made Intuitive Soul Portraits • Monthly Group Akashic Readings
www.thefigleaf.net
Valerie is a Certified
her intuition, Valerie is able to hypnotize you while in your Akashic Records.
703.615.2220 thefigleaf444@gmail.com
Available via phone and Skype
Human Design BringTheForth YourSystem Light
We each have a unique design. Find out yours with the Human Design System. This system is able to show us our individual design through a synthesis of bio-mechanics, science, cosmology, and profound esoteric knowledge.
Basicabout Hatha Yoga Classes What will you learn yourself?
* Geared towards beginners & returning practitioners * Offering gentle poses with minimal physical stress * Improve flexibility, posture, strength and balance Experience
v
the joy of being you
To learn about our Personal Reading Services, please contact Anne-Marie at adujany@cstone.net, Margaretta McIlvaine - Certified Yoga Instructor
Classes at Bridge Between the Worlds Retreat Center 434 823-1385 Check website for class schedules and workshops (434) 293 - 9708 www.bbtw.org
www.exploreawareness.com
June 2017
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Psychic Profile Name: Elizabeth Bain Location: Charlottesville (works mostly by phone) Contact Information: (434) 249-9786 elizabeth@elizabethbain.net Hours: Varied (please check website) Rate: $50 per 30-minute session; $90 per hour session Experience: Elizabeth started the journey into her work as an intuitive energy guide 15 years ago. Inspired by her varied roles as herb gardener, yoga instructor, Reiki practitioner, massage therapist, and student of animal communication and intuition, she ultimately claimed her gifts and started her practice in 2012. Review: Elizabeth serves all animals—people, cats, dogs, horses, birds, and more. Whether exploring the energetic patterns of an individual or clearing and balancing the connecting lines between all members of a household, Elizabeth guides her clients to new levels of understanding and healing. Deeply honoring the multispecies family, Elizabeth offers support through varied Life transitions. She also facilitates house clearings to support buying, selling, or renovating a home, and she creates alignment between one’s home base and other areas of life. In her free time, Elizabeth can often be found outside birding and walking the foothills and mountains of central Virginia with her dog, Lilly. “Walking is a practice of remembering we are not separate from nature,” she says.
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awareness
exploring spirituality
“I draw on the wisdom of animals plants, and elements of all realms in my healing work.” Elizabeth speaks of birds as her greatest allies and the truest reflection of her gift, shape shifting and flying through different elements with ease. Elizabeth and I met by phone, her preferred method of practice. After a year of seeking and being, I did not have a specific intention for the session. Elizabeth responded with an invitation to simply relax and expand into my true essence. She began by drawing a card from her Crystal Ally deck, a gemstone based Oracle divination and healing tool. I immediately felt the resonance of the bloodstone and its corresponding element and emotional associations. Elizabeth then led me through a guided meditation into my heart space, offering the perfect images to elicit an opening into my Truth. Her language was direct and intentional; her cadence warm and nurturing. I emerged from the meditation with a deep peace and an even deeper connection to myself. After the meditation, Elizabeth encouraged me to tap into my own internal guidance before offering her own interpretation of the “download” received. This empowering invitation allowed me to own my insight and plan the next steps into my unfolding. My experience was truly a divine collaboration between Elizabeth, myself, and Spirit. It was an embodied remembering of my Truth and a reminder that I am whole. Thank you, Elizabeth, for your intuitive guidance ... and your wisdom. In addition to readings, Elizabeth offers classes and guided meditations by phone and online. For more information, visit www.elizabethbain.net.
Bridge Between the Worlds Spiritual Retreat Center Charlottesville,Virginia
Multipurpose Facilities Transformational Classes Relaxing Spa Offerings Private Lodging Available A Serene Venue for Seminars, Personal Retreats and Weddings
Contact us at www.bbtw.org
(434) 293-9708 www.exploreawareness.com
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HEART CARE HEART HOME HOME CARE SERVING RICHMONDAREA AREA SERVING THE THE GREATER GREATER RICHMOND OUR SENIOR SERVICES SERVICESINCLUDE INCLUDE OUR SENIOR •• • • • • • •
bathing bathing toileting dressing changing hearing aid assistance assistance medication reminders reminders grooming
laundry,bed bedlinen linenchange change •• laundry, mealpreparation preparation •• meal errands •• errands outings •• outings activities •• activities companioncare care •• companion •• light lighthousekeeping housekeeping
HeartHome HomeCare Carecelebrated celebratedits itsseventh seventh year year in January of Heart of 2017. 2017. In Inaafield fieldsuch suchasaselder eldercare, care,I I cannotafford affordtototurn turnaadeaf deafear earto toaapoor poor work work ethic. ethic. Employees cannot Employeeswho whoput puttheir theirenergy energytogether togetherwith with mine to make a positive change in the lives of our senior clients are respected and rewarded. mine to make a positive change in the lives of our senior clients are respected and rewarded. OUR OUR STORY STORY After an encounter with LOVE on 8/23/04, I sought out my purpose for being on After an encounter with LOVE on 8/23/04, I sought out my purpose for being on the planet for this lifetime. It became clear that I was to work with seniors. In the planet for this lifetime. It became clear that I was to work with seniors. In 2005, I began serving seniors in facilities and privately in their homes. By 2010, 2005, I began serving seniors in facilities and privately in their homes. By 2010, I had more clients than I could handle alone. I knew the Universe was working I had more clients than I could handle alone. I knew the Universe was working on my behalf and would provide the assistance necessary for starting a home on my behalf and would provide the assistance necessary for starting a home care agency. It was thrilling to see everything come together with minimal care agency. It was thrilling to see everything come together with minimal effort on my part. I surrendered to the Divine design and asked for guidance, effort on my part. I surrendered to the and for guidance, provision and a connection to those whoDivine woulddesign be a part ofasked this great plan. provision and a connection to those who would be a part of this great plan.
Heart Home Care is an agency you can trust. I cannot promise there will never be bumps, Heart Home Care is an agency you can trust. I cannot promise there will never be bumps, however, I can promise to smooth the bumps out quickly with Divine solutions. however, I can promise to smooth the bumps out quickly with Divine solutions.
Call today 804-614-6193 and learn more about Heart Home Care CallYou today about Heart Home Care can804-614-6193 also visit us onand the learn web atmore www.heartelderlycare.com You can also visit us on the web at www.heartelderlycare.com