Take Ownership! by Deverick Martin I couldn’t help noticing two headlines from two unrelated articles in January issues of The Seattle Times that included the phrase "Feng Shui," and thinking that it was only a few years ago that Feng Shui was not a household term, but rather the exclusive purview of publications like The New Times. I am left wondering what could be presented on these pages in the coming years that will not only inspire our readers and provide practical steps for healthy approaches to living, but will also plant seeds that will blossom into positive headlines in the mainstream press and bless the lives of the greater population. What Is Life? by Michael Armenia In recent years, several intense debates have centered on human rights issues that, together, are forming a critical turning point in the evolution of human history. Because the debates on topics such as Roe vs. Wade and stem cell research have become extremely polarized into religious and secular views, the polemics have been naturally pro or con. The core of the debate, however, is still largely undefined: what is life? 2002 Marks 50th Anniversary of Paramahansa Yogananda’s Passing by Karen Lanza On September 19, 1920, The City of Sparta, the first post-World War I steamer from India to America, docked in the Boston harbor. Among the passengers who disembarked that day was a young monk of India’s venerable Swami Order. The monk knew no one in America; he was a complete stranger, but that would soon change. Within a decade, he would be known across the country, and in less than a century Paramahansa Yogananda would be hailed as the father of yoga in the West for his pioneering role in making known India’s ancient philosophy of yoga and its time-honored tradition of meditation. Healing the Economy by Robert E. Damashek I believe that the moment has arrived for American businesses to seek out and find a depth of oneness similar to that which our country is experiencing due to the tragedy of September 11, 2001. Personally, I feel that this unity must come from our ultimate love of and respect for each other as sparks of the divine. When it really hits home that we are all spiritually connected, and that our actions and energies work through those connections to affect all of life, then the stage will be set for the next phase of American leadership, industry, and prosperity. StarWatch by James Jarvis, M.A. By adding the universal year 2002 (2+0+0+2=4) to the third month of March, we come up with the vibration of 7. The 7 month is about taking the time to tune in to what has meaning in your life. It is a time for inner reflection, contemplation, and rest. Use this month to tap into what has meaning for you through art, meditation, being close to nature, and, if possible, retreat time. Look to see how you can create a harmonious balance between practical accomplishment and alone time for expanding your insights and creativity. Drawing on Your Strengths: Your Astrological Sun Sign by Pam Younghans In these times of uncertainty and change, it is more important than ever that each of us draws upon our personal strengths as a means of supporting ourselves, our loved ones, and the evolution of our planet. Through astrology, we can discover much about a basic strength and purpose that each one of us carries — through the symbology of our birth sign. Most of us know our sun sign; when I say, "I’m a Taurus," what I’m really saying is that from Earth’s perspective, the sun looked like it was in the constellation of Taurus at my birth. So the stereotypical question, "What’s your sign?" is actually a good starting point, because knowing someone’s "sun sign" tells a tremendous amount about what motivates and fulfills that person. Understanding Anger by Jim Stempel Both Jesus and the Buddha taught that the truth could set us free, but for many of us truth is an impossibility forever hidden by the elaborate, subversive arrangements of our own anger. Like the violent waves of a hurricane exploding upon a sandy beach, anger seems to pound upon us almost daily, buffeting us hither and yon in storms of anxiety and rage. Rethinking Heritage by Reginald Kimbrough A Circular Ruin is a tale of an old man who literally dreams a son to life. The dream occurs in the ruined sanctuary of a fire god, and requires an entire year of painstaking effort for the old man to complete. After his son has taken life and moved downstream, the old man realizes that he, too, was merely a dream when the fire god returns to absolve him of his labors. There’s a certain labyrinthine element to Borges’ tale that I enjoy. Ultimately, it is a story of how we eventually become our parents. I think I first read this story when I was 17, and for me it’s a reinforcing principle that inheritance of my parent’s dreams and labor is the familial force, which determines my heritage. Defining Humanitarian by Richard Eitel In the wake of the terrorist attacks on our great country, I was stuck on the East Coast trying to get home to my family in Seattle. As a seventy-plus grandfather of four, father of three, and husband of 43 years, I decided that instead of waiting for planes to fly again, I would drive across the country. I yearned for time to think about what was happening to our world. I thought and thought about what I could do, what we could do as citizens about this tragedy, beyond praying and sending money. Then, while taking a side trip to Mount Rushmore, I discovered this quotation from Theodore Roosevelt: "The first requisite of a good citizen in this Republic of ours is that he shall be able and willing to pull his weight. That he shall not be a mere passenger." Going Back to the Root by Dominique Glaub Transpersonal hypnotherapy goes beyond the personal level to address and heal any unwanted life pattern, emotional behavior, physical challenge, or current habit. It is a form of hypnotherapy that recognizes the soul-mind, the nonphysical part of you, as playing an intricate part in the therapeutic process, and uses the client's inner wisdom to go to the root cause of a current condition and direct the healing. Depending on the case, the hypnotic process involved in transpersonal hypnotherapy will take you back to life situations in either this life and/or other lifetimes. Unresolved issues from previous lifetimes often have a direct effect on your present one; those issues are usually related to the learning of soul lessons that keep reemerging lifetime after lifetime until mastered. Examining the karmic patterns of present and past lives makes it possible to trace a recurring condition or trauma like physical pain, difficult relationships, money problems, and depression in order to understand the connection a certain lifetime has with the current issue. The healing process is initiated once this connection has been established.