From the Publisher
One feature I would like to incorporate is a number of short (up to 500 words) stories from readers about how their lives have been blessed by The New Times. This publication has, since its inception, been a grassroots forum; a place where like-minded people can share inspiring experiences and offer helpful "how-to" information. Have you found any information here that was helpful, even life-changing? Did you participate in an activity that you found on these pages that made a difference in your life? I invite you to share your experiences in our special 200th edition this coming January.
Spirituality Is Not Enough:
SpiritWeaver:
Heather Ash has experienced much in this lifetime. She was featured in a National Geographic article for leading workshops on fire walking. She has taught everything from tarot to Wicca, Buddhism, the Christian mystery school, and many forms of shamanism. She is an apprentice of don Miguel Ruiz, M.D., and is very well versed in teaching the practical shamanic tradition that he shares. She has her own organization, SpiritWeavers, and she travels around sharing tools to allow us to awaken to our fullest potential, release our fears and learn to live in love. Lately, she has been coming to the Puget Sound region on a regular basis to teach Toltec shamanism and help establish a Toltec community in this region.
Healing and Body Memory Have you ever experienced doing really well under the care of an alternative medical provider, only to find that you suddenly got worse? If so, you might have been experiencing the resurfacing of a body memory.
StarWatch
Beings of Light:
I have come to love flowers so much more as I get older. I imagine it has something to do with their appearance during the warmth of summer. I associate them with flexibility, movement, warmth, and light. I have three flowers of which I’m especially fond and would like to share with you here. Chamomile, calendula, and lavender are the cheerleaders of our summer garden. Bursting forth in brilliant color, they each offer special gifts. I enjoy them because they ask so little of me and return so much to me in the garden, the kitchen, and the medicine chest.
Living the Good Life, Rent-Free Property caretaking has become increasingly popular in recent years. With theft and vandalism on the rise, many property owners, even in rural locations, are finding that it’s cost effective to find a caretaker to watch over their property.
Below Deck on Tanganyika The hot dust of Zambia surround my Land Rover in a thick ocher cloud, and since it was too hot to roll up the windows, the powdery brown haze billowed into the cab. After two weeks in parched Kasama Province, I was ready for a change, and reaching the ridge crest I saw my destination below: a cool green valley cradling a blue ribbon of water stretching to the horizon. Lake Tanganyika is the longest freshwater lake in the world, and I was looking forward to a leisurely 400-mile passage through Zambia, Congo, Tanzania, and Burundi. Little did I know I was also in for a surprising and joyous sacred experience.
The Art of Goddess Energy
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If you track details, you may have noticed a few months ago when we added the "our 190th issue" below the less reader-friendly "Vol. XVI, No. 10." At this point, we have delivered The New Times to our readers on schedule every month for 195 consecutive issues. I want to make our 200th issue very special by printing a special edition with special features.
Huston Smith has made a career of teaching and writing about the religious traditions of the world, not just as curiosities of archaic cultures, but as carriers of a timeless truth that is as relevant today as it was in ancient India and Mesopotamia. In his most recent book, Why Religion Matters: The Fate of the Human Spirit in an Age of Disbelief (HarperSanFrancisco, 2001), Smith seeks to "rehabilitate" a "traditional worldview" as a necessary ground for the human spirit in an age that suspects all claims to truth and yet trusts science as a bastion of verifiable knowledge.
This diminutive woman with her long ash-blond hair, delicate features, and soft voice is femininity in its perfection. She is full of surprises and great energy when she shares her life experiences and vision of spirituality in this modern age. She was raised in a rich spiritual tradition that combines the essence of all great religions, and she brings that knowledge and awareness to her work. When she speaks, you want to absorb every nugget of wisdom she shares.
By adding the universal year 2001 (2+0+0+1=3) to the 8th month of August, we come up with the vibration of 11/2. The main themes of "2" month are reflection, cooperation, and harmonization. We can achieve a great deal this month by bringing our lives into greater balance and harmony and through working in cooperation with others. In a "2" month, we learn to harmonize with life so that it becomes a cooperative effort rather than just an individual one. Use this month to reflect on the new life experiences and directions that you initiated last month. Ask yourself: What is the universal feedback that I am being given about the new directions that I have chosen?
Flowers. Flowers. Flowers.
My dream of becoming a full-time artist has been elusive for many years. My low self-esteem and self-worth, and not believing in myself on a deep level, has influenced my life. For a long time, my decisions have been based on the fear of not being able to make enough money to be financially secure enough to pursue my dream. I have stepped out and taken the risk of making a living with my art in the past with no success, so my past failures haunt me. Yet, once again, I find myself taking a leap of faith, risking all I have built in my current business, to a future that is unknown and appearing insecure.