From the Publisher This issue marks the first issue of our 16th year of publishing. There are so many things going on for me. I'm putting a huge amount of energy into keeping my ship on course in the middle of a chaotic storm. Julia Butterfly and Luna's Legacy
Cleaning Up
Small Steps and Stumbles: an interview with Arran Stephens
Star Watch
Accessing Personal Power Through Hypnosis For as long as I can remember, hypnosis has been shrouded in mystery. Although much has been written about this ancient tool, it is still misunderstood. Hypnosis is simply an altered state of natural consciousness. To hypnotize is to lead or guide an individual into this altered state. Sacred Space: What it is and How to Incorporate in in Your Everyday Life
The Limits of Compassion These days, "compassion" is a popular buzzword used by spiritual leaders and politicians alike. Many (if not most) people would describe themselves as being compassionate, but what exactly does this mean? My Webster's Dictionary defines compassion as "a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by suffering or misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the pain or remove its cause." (Sympathy is likewise defined as "agreement in feeling."). These are not trivial sentiments, as they come with major implications for those of us who want to live authentic lives. Shadow Dance: Down and Dirty with Personal Growth
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by Deverick Martin
Can you imagine what it might be like to live for two years 180 feet above ground in a giant redwood tree? It's hard to imagine something that has never been done before, let alone do it, but this is exactly what Julia Butterfly did. Her accomplishment wasn't done for fun or to break a world record. She gave herself, surrendered her self, in an effort to save a 1000-year-old being from being killed, and she succeeded.
My in-laws' house is a mess. Now, I don't mean there are a few newspapers strewn about the floor. I mean it's a holy, unmitigated mess. A swamp of old yellow data sheets, used oil filters, and broken sawhorses has taken over the rec ("wreck"?) room; bits of wire coil serpentine in the corners and on the kitchen table; quarter-full cans of gasoline and bug spray fill the pantry; and the rusty framework of a single-engine airplane my wife's father once started to build takes up the garage so that all cars must reside in the street. The backyard is less than lovingly known as "Tetanus Park." It is a living homage to the inability to throw anything out.
Thirty-three years ago, Arran Stephens began a diary that was to form the foundation of his first book, Journey to the Luminous. An autobiographical tale that chronicles his spiritual journey from a pristine organic farm on Vancouver Island through the streets of California and to the feet of the spiritual adept Sant Kirpal Singh in India, Arran's story is filled with accounts of miraculous events and mystical experiences that inspired and fascinated me as I read it.
By adding the universal year 2000 (2+0+0+0=2) to the 6th month of June, we come up with the vibration of 8. The 8 month represents an opportunity to achieve greater mastery in our lives. It's a great month for taking a look at your goals and brainstorming new possibilities for accomplishing them that you might not have thought of before. Try to suspend the critic, the cynic, and the skeptic and move into new, uncharted territory.
The term "sacred space" has been used in all manner of books and metaphysical teachings, but what does it really mean, and what is its role? If you ask someone what "sacred space" means, you will get a true answer, but it is only true in terms of that individual's perspective. There really is no wrong answer. The importance of sacred space is not in its meaning, but in its significance in our lives.
A human life is a constellation of unique experiences and gifts that has never existed before and never will again. To be alive is the greatest blessing and a grave responsibility; the question is, How will I respond to the blessing? My soul is immortal, has lived here and elsewhere many times, yet the person I am now will live only this once. This one human life is my healing vehicle now, and though we live in a throwaway society, I don't believe the cosmos is made like that; the angels weep when a human life ends unfulfilled.