Spiritual Media Blog

Health Tips to Heal Your Spirit

Posted by Matt Welsh

· February 22, 2019

Our spirits define who we are, how we feel and what we do. Our intuition is intertwined with our spirits and everything that protects us, our humanity, our love and our feelings are all linked to our spirit. So if we can exercise to keep our minds and bodies fit, why can’t we also use health tips to heal and strengthen our spirits? Through a series of interviews and visits to wellness clinics, we have discovered what has most helped those regenerate their spirits and how these inspirational people have managed to find what works best to keep our minds, bodies and spirits happy and content. Below are some of the greatest tips you will find to strengthening who you are in the simplest of ways.

Unlikely Meditation

Now, we have heard this one before but what many people don’t understand is that meditation can be a series of mindful distractions which don’t involve closing eyes and concentrating on breathing. As a matter of fact, many have admitted that a simple delight as small as reading a book, paging through a magazine or painting a canvas works as meditation for them. Putting this to test, many wellness spas and clinics actually encourage this saying it relaxes our spirits as well as our minds.

Hiking

Nature has had a healing effect on the majority of the human race since the beginning of time. It is a soothing and calming experience being out in a forested area. Combine exercise and nature and you have yourself one of the most effective spirit healing combinations to date. No medicines can compare to this.

Healthy Eating

Leave the sugars alone, find your natural source of fuel to keep your insides as clean as you can. Many times, after an unhealthy meal, people have claimed to feel slumpish or effected in a negative way which has an effect on their spirits. If you are craving sugar, help yourself to watermelons, apples or strawberries. Eliminate one unhealthy meal a day if you are already accustomed to eating heavy meals and replace that with a healthy recipe.

The Power of Positivity

Surround yourself with positive people. Politely decline invitations from toxic people. Retract yourself from a negative situation and hold your tongue when you find yourself in one. This is not an overnight feat, in fact, something like this could take anything from weeks to months to accomplish. This means making your inner circle a smaller one, not being a people pleaser, walking away from toxic friends no matter how long you have known each other for and lastly, this means sacrifice. Sacrifice is as good for the spirit as anything. It teaches you to love and leave, to walk away and it teaches you discipline. All of which is essential for healthy spiritual growth.

There are many more unconventional methods in which people can heal themselves or distract themselves. Click here to experience one of these unconventional methods or grab your nearest book and get lost in the pages and characters.

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Categories : New Media

Times2 : A Sci fi time travel comedy

Posted by Matt Welsh

· February 20, 2019

· No Comments

By Meilani Wenska, writer and producer of Times2

After having made several drama short films, with the last especially heavy on murder and angst, I decided to focus on the lighter side.

So I wrote Times2 for anyone who wants a good laugh! I truly believe in the healing and inspiring power of laughter and can watch my favorite comedy films over and over. In my script, a group of lab techs stumble through the joys and disasters of sending themselves back in time…to hang out with themselves!

I’m having a fundraising campaign for the short, and it’s near to the end. If you’d like to make a pledge and be in on the behind-the-scenes action, just follow this link!

https://www.seedandspark.com/fund/times2#story

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Categories : Movies

Can’t Quit Drinking? Read 10 Simple Tips to Stop Drinking

Posted by Matt Welsh

· February 19, 2019

· No Comments

Alcohol consumption isn’t harmful unless abused. There are health reasons to drink, and there are also health reasons to stop drinking. What usually starts as a social fad quickly degenerated into social plague and took its tolls on the abuser, family, and society. drinking problem in America has assumed a dangerous dimension according to the national institute on alcohol abuse and alcoholism claiming that over 15 million adults suffer from alcohol use disorder (AUD) including over 9 million men and more than 5 million women.

Why you should care about the drinking problem

Many lives have been shattered due to AUD crises in our society. Untimely death, dashed hope, severe economic problems, job loss and committing avoidable mistake due to uncontrolled use of alcohol is threatening many homes and national survival; thus, the need to learn how to stop alcohol cravings.

What are drinking problem signs to note?

SAMHSA (Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration) defines heavy drinking as “drinking five or more drinks on the same occasion or more days in the past 30 days.” For you to establish your drinking problem, you need to check yourself against the above definition of a drinking problem and see if you have been able to control your alcohol cravings or not.

Drinking problem help and drug rehabilitation center

While many abusers of alcohol often feel sober after a major crisis and vow to stop, they usually go back to their vomit. Experiences have shown that stopping alcohol abuse takes conscious efforts with the help of experts. Therefore, if you want an easy way to stop drinking, we recommend you turn to a drug rehabilitation center where the professionals can help.

What happens in drug rehabilitation centers?

If you spend your day drinking or getting drunk, you need to visit a drug rehabilitation center for help. A drug rehab center is a place where a scientific approach is taken to address the abuse of substances and help the abuser take control of their lives. The drug rehab professionals will help you identify the triggers and build your determination to avoid it. Ultimately, you will develop the ability to confront your problem and stop fallen prey to it. The center recognizes you need help and will use their professional training, group support and counseling to help you out of alcohol abuse.

10 Easy Ways to stop drinking

If you can’t stop drinking every night to the point you get drunk, all hope is not lost. While we strongly recommend you seek help at the drug rehabilitation center, you can also follow these 10 tips to stop drinking:

1. Be prepared to talk about it

If you can’t get a hold on yourself, perhaps your close relation can. When you discuss your drinking problem with a loved one, they can help you stop. Talking about it help you get someone to hold you accountable to yourself and remind you of your desire to quit drinking. Therefore, feel free to discuss your reason to stop and be ready to subject yourself to their counsel and help.

2. Recognize Triggers

Alcohol cravings like any other cravings have triggers. These are things that influence or cause you to want to take a bottle. Your job is to recognize your drink triggers and build your resolve to avoid them. Triggers can be internal such as stress, mood change, excitement, anxiety and so many other causes within you. Also, it can be external such as the influence of friends, place or people you associate with that can cause you to drink. What usually starts as a harmless gesture often lead to a binge and getting drunk.

3. Avoid High-Risk Situations

Since you know your triggers, it is up to you to avoid them. Any trigger situation is considered a high-risk, and you need to keep off. One way you could create high-risk is to keep drinks at home or go to a bar for a meeting. Avoid visiting a friend or family who may lead you into drinking. Keep off from places or people who will influence you to take “just a bottle.”

4. Avoid keeping alcohol at home or work

What you will not eat, do not smell it. If you want to end your drinking problem, it is best to not keep alcohol at home or in the office. The less you see it, the better you can keep off. While you are battling to keep a straight head and stop drinking, it is better if you avoid the sight of drinks where you can quickly grab it. Remove the temptation to drink, and you will be just fine!

5. No magic wand can help you, only you can

While a drug rehabilitation center is your best bet to stop drinking, the counselors need your help to make it work. Do not expect there is a magic to make you stop drinking, the solution is to follow a simple instruction, and all will be fine.

6. Food is Your Friend; Alcohol is Not

People with drinking problem have been known to have unhealthy food eating habit. They skip their meal and rarely eat healthily. If this is you, one way to curb your convulsive crave for alcohol and getting drunk is to increase your love for good food and eat as and when due. Eat early, don’t skip your lunch and make your dinner a must. Give quality time to eating and restrict yourself to taking only water after food.

7. Build Support Networks

The saying “show me your friends, I will tell you the person you are” remains valid in every drinking problem situation. More than 80% of people who abuse alcohol keep friends who drink a lot! If you desire to stop drinking, one of your efforts should be to find friends who don’t drink. This is why seeking help from drug rehab remains one of the best activities anyone wanting to overcome alcohol abuse must take. The rehab will introduce you to sobriety group where you will meet people who have won the battle against alcoholism and become your role model to quit drinking.

8. Enjoy Healthy Activities

Everything you do as someone genuinely seeking help to quit drinking should aim towards healthy activities. What are the activities you once enjoyed doing? Look for such past time and take the attention away from drinking. For people who drink, the problem is they have replaced their past joyful past time with drink, and because alcohol offers short term pleasure, they indulge in it. Why not reverse the trend and give yourself another activity that will take the place of alcohol. For instance, join neighbors who jog or play tennis and who don’t drink. Keeping up with them every time will take your passion away from alcohol because you will never see them drinking.

9. Give up or gradually reduce your alcohol intake?

You can stop drinking if you mean to do it! However, since you didn’t start in a day, don’t expect to quit so fast. You declared alcohol a problem because of your convulsive hook on it. Therefore, it takes time to go away. If you recognize this far well enough, you can give it time to stop gradually. If you are work with professionals, you will be programmed on gradual disengagement. Notwithstanding your situation, you should be able to cut down on alcohol drinking with time and ultimately stop, at the right time. If you are an every night drinker, begin skipping some nights and reduce the number of bottle or glass you take. Gradually reduce your drinking to compensation for specific work achievement. And finally, make your success to be not having a drink for a week and find some other rewards.

10. Get professional help

I have mentioned this above, but I can’t say it enough; your best support for drinking problem is the drug rehabilitation center where you will meet the professionals to help you programmatically! The rehab understands the science of drinking and also knows the science to stop drinking. When you take a cookie from a kid, the experienced parent knows what to replace it with to prevent the child from crying. Therefore, the rehab will help you stop drinking without causing you additional emotional or psychological problem.

Conclusion

The addiction recovery program is everywhere, for people looking for drug rehab near me, check the website or talk to a health worker in your community for help. If you travel a lot and you think you are having a drinking problem, it is always good to seek help. Many have lost their lives to alcohol abuse, many homes have been ruined, and so many are right now suffering from drinking problem crises.

If you feel concerned and want to help someone, you can share this post or talk to us for more information for addiction treatment anywhere in the US.

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Categories : New Media

The Hidden Worlds

Posted by Matt Welsh

· February 18, 2019

· No Comments

By Sandra Ingerman

I have always loved working with children. Since the 1980s I have been teaching children of all ages how to perform shamanic journeys as this is such a powerful way to help children and young adults feel empowered by challenging life situations. Over the years I have also worked with children who needed healing work to retrieve their lost soul essence, to remove a spiritual blockage causing an illness, or to help children deal with nightmares.

I felt it was important to write a book that included not just how power animals can assist children of all ages, but also life practices that are the same taught to children in shamanic cultures. For how to navigate challenges of life, to live a life of harmony with nature, and where children are acknowledged for their gifts and strengths are all taught as early as possible to children living in indigenous cultures. Our children are our future and deserve a way to work with the personal and planetary challenges they are facing.

So I set my intention to write a beautiful book that would incorporate the practice of shamanic journeying and how to live in harmony with nature.

When I submitted The Hidden Worlds to my agent she said, “This is the worst book I have read of yours.” My agent was born to be a mother, and she knew this book would not capture the imagination of readers. It was too heavy on spiritual lessons with not enough of a story to draw the readers in.

It was clear that as I did not have children of my own, I did not understand how to write an engaging story.

I was leading a reunion of shamanic teachers I trained. And Katherine Wood and I had lunch together. Katherine had a long career as a school teacher, and through our long history together I knew her work with children was simply brilliant!

She agreed to work with me and take the story I had created to become an engaging teaching adventure for young adults. Then the magic began.

Initially Isaiah, the main character of the story, appeared to me in a dream. In the dream I could see that he was frail and quite sick. I could easily see how writing a story of how Grizzly Bear could befriend and bring guidance and healing to child who was ill would be a great start to the story.

Then I wanted to bring in other characters who had certain issues. I created Rose, George, and Magda who were all so different. Isaiah who was frail, George who had special needs, Rose who was Chinese was so angry about being adopted and fought so much at school, and Madga was so popular and a great soccer player. I paired them with Grizzly Bear, Octopus, Giraffe, and Panther to help them with their issues at home and with other students at school.

With Katherine’s help, we devised a story to bring more adventure into the book. For in the first draft I only had the characters meet each other and their power animals in their dreams—not enough intrigue for children to get hooked into the story. And I did not create much character development. Katherine with her knowledge of how children can act out in life and behave towards each other in school brought in the details of their stories and their personal challenges. She brought texture to the characters to make them alive so that readers could really relate to them and their struggles.

We came up with idea of the children meeting each other in a dream. And then during the day they met while wandering on their own during a break. They all found themselves at a pond that was filled with dead birds. This unlikely group of friends decided to become detectives to find out the source of the pollution. They did not tell their parents or any school officials what they were up to. By putting their heads together and also asking for help from their most trusted power animals they found that a toxic waste plant was disposing of poison illegally.

I have found that when crafting a story there is a point where the character’s lives deepen to the point that they take control of the plot. It was great for me to experience this as the four worked together to shut this plant down. The story took interesting twists as they developed respect for each other’s gifts, performed rescues, explored romance, confronted bullies, and resolved their conflicts with each other. I hope they will remind our readers of the limitless possibilities that are available in their own lives.

About the Author:

Sandra Ingerman, MA, is an award winning author of twelve books, including The Hidden Worlds and The Book of Ceremony: Shamanic Wisdom for Invoking the Sacred in Everyday Life. She is a world-renowned teacher of shamanism and has been teaching for more than 30 years. Sandra is recognized for bridging ancient cross-cultural healing methods into our modern culture, addressing the needs of our times. For more information, please visit https://sandraingermanbooks.com and follow the author on Facebook and Twitter.

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Categories : Books, Guest Posts

6 Tips for Continuing Bonds with People We’ve Lost

Posted by Matt Welsh

· February 15, 2019

· No Comments

As much as we want our loved ones to stay with us forever, sometimes life has other plans and decides to take them away. It’s something painful that could greatly influence your life in many ways. You’d do anything to maintain the bond, and while it seems impossible, there are ways through which you can do that.

Below are six tips on how to maintain your bonds with a loved one who has passed away.

Cremation Jewelry

You’ve probably heard about cremation and you know what the process involves. However, did you know that cremation jewelry is a thing nowadays? Turning ashes into diamonds is possible and makes it easier for you to keep the one you’ve lost closer.

Basically, once the ashes have become diamonds, they can be added to a ring, a necklace, etc., and then worn on a daily basis. This way, you can take them with you just everywhere, feeling their presence even if they aren’t physically there anymore.

Keep Something That Belonged to Them

Everyone has objects that they value, or just objects that they enjoy looking at, wearing, or having around. The one you’ve lost is no exception, as there must’ve been an object that belonged to them that is still there. Maybe they had a ring or necklace that they enjoyed very much. You can take the objects and keep them close, thus feeling the deceased one closer to you as well.

Keep Photos of Them

Photos are amazing because they capture a moment and allow you to look at it and remember it forever. Put some pictures of your loved one somewhere you can see them daily as a way to keep them in your thoughts. This way, you can maintain the bond you’ve shared.

Talk to Them

This may seem like a weird idea at first, but communication is something that makes you feel closer to other people. Even if your loved one isn’t physically there anymore, who’s to say you can’t talk to them? Especially when you’re still grieving over them, it’s a great way to get some comfort for the void you feel in your heart. If you want to continue the relationship with them, that’s easily done through talking.

Write Letters to Them

If talking doesn’t seem like the best option for you, you can always write to the deceased one. It can be through letters, a blog, or even a journal. What you write can be kept private, but it’s another communication method that will let you feel like you’re talking to your loved one.

Finish One of Their Projects

Has your loved one been working on a project, be it a book, song, or just anything in particular? If they did and they weren’t able to finish it, you can finish it for them. Pick up where they left off, and you will feel like sharing a bond once again.

Final Thoughts

When you want to keep the bond with a deceased one, it’s very much possible to do so. If you choose to wear cremation jewelry, that can be done with the help of Heart In Diamond. This business deals with helping people turn ashes to diamonds, thus creating jewelry that they can keep as a reminder. Moreover, talking to the deceased one, writing to them, or any other method mentioned above is a great way to maintain the connection, even after they’ve died.

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Categories : New Media

Q&A with Stephen Chong, author of Bodies of Consequence

Posted by Matt Welsh

· February 15, 2019

· 1 Comment

Q.1. What is Bodies of Consequence about and why did you write it?

‘Bodies of Consequence’ is a unique story that describes what happens to us when we pass on to the next realm. It explores our ‘evolution’ in the hereafter – as a consequence of the actions we took in life – told through the interwoven paths of three generations of a family.

I believe that each reader’s interpretation of the book will be very different. It will be flavoured by the depth and form of their religious and spiritual beliefs. It may even challenge one’s belief in the hereafter … who knows. Ultimately, it is a book about consequences of our actions on earth that go beyond the deeds themselves – and impact on people and situations that may never have been considered.

The story has its origin as a short story. One I had written a couple of years ago. About twelve months ago, I kept having these ‘inner promptings’ to write more. It was my inner-voice telling me that there was much more to do … so I listened … and I wrote. It was an irresistible force. It was a story that just had to be told … if you know what I mean?

Q.2. Two of the main characters were in the military. How did you get interested in writing about the military and Veterans and how did it influence the story?

Whilst the principle characters in Bodies of Consequence are in the military, my intention was not to write a book about war and death. My intention was to write a story about life. For me, the war settings in this novel are a metaphor for ‘everyday’ life. The actions we take, the choices we make, the effect (known or otherwise) of what we do to others … how we make them feel as a consequence of our actions. The book also confronts the necessity of ‘facing our own inner demons’.

I have used the military characters because they highlight the extremities of life under duress … the taking of another’s life, the devastating impact of war on families, the atrocities of war, etc.

But, for me, the characters could have been an accountant, stockbroker, or a plumber – but I guess that would not have been quite as dramatic.

Q.3. You chose to write this novel, where did the inspiration for the characters and the story come from?

You know, Matt, this is my fifth published book and my usual modus operandi is, before commencing, to map out and plan the structure and characters so that I know where the story is heading. The amazing thing was, in this case, I had no idea.

When I sat down to plot and plan and do my ‘mind-map’. Nothing came – I had a blank page before me. It was like, ‘Okay, you want me to write this book, but what do you want me to write?’.

What transpired after that was I just sat, not really knowing what or whom I was going to write about. I just let it ‘evolve’. If I tried to look too far ahead into the story’s development I couldn’t see anything. Each time I just sat and allowed the story to evolve in its own way. It was quite a wonderful journey in the unfolding … I really never knew what I was going to write before I actually did it. In many ways, I believe the story to be divinely inspired. I would often finish a chapter or a segment and go, “Oh, my God, where did that come from?”.

Having said that, I did take initial inspiration from a movie. It was a movie about an actual war veteran – a sniper who was a hero to his nation. What impacted me about the movie was the Veterans’ willingness to, at all costs, protect his buddies and to take actions that he believed were the ‘right thing to do’. It portrayed how he was willing to stridently ‘face his maker’ for the consequences of his actions. In other words, he was willing to take the actions of a sniper in the belief that what he did was right. In many ways, this movie gave me the inspiration to write a story about heaven and what happens after we pass on to the next realm.

Q. 4. Bodies of Consequence focuses on life-after-death experiences. What exactly does that mean? And, what do you think happens to us after we die and what influenced your beliefs?

Do you remember, on page 106, Matthew Cooper experiences dolorous pain when he confronts ‘the disfigured man’? The man he shot and caused so much pain after he ‘missed’ … he did not kill him, rather, the man survived in pain.

This example underlines one of the two foundational premises that support the book. The first is, “We are all one”. This arises from the tenet, “What you sow, so shall you reap”. What we cause to effect in others, so shall we experience … this is because I believe, we are all one in spirit. In other words, we must face/confront and be accountable to the consequences of our actions … in life as it is in heaven … how else can we evolve into love? … to realize who we really are. This is eternal life’s greatest paradox, ‘love returning unto itself’.

The other important descriptor of heaven in the book is that ‘there is ‘no escape, no obfuscation’ … in eternal life’s review, there is no hiding. We must face the consequences of all our actions.

I firmly believe that when we die, we undergo a ‘life review’. That is to say, we experience all that we did to others. Do you remember in the book I use the analogy of being inside a kaleidoscope and that really important events shine brightly and become ‘irresistible’? This signifies that these particular ‘experiences’ are ones crucial to our evolution … our evolvement in love.

My life has been blessed with having contact with a number of ‘spiritual masters’. My system of beliefs has formed as a consequence of my many interactions and readings of these great beings. In the book, I talk much about ‘the music’ – this, for me, is the ‘Hand of God’ – we are never absent the music, only awareness of its presence.

Q.5. What evidence or support do you have for your beliefs about life-after- death?

With ‘Bodies of Consequence’ I am not trying to convince or convert anybody to my system of beliefs. I merely portray them through the medium of story. It is not a book based on ‘evidence’. The wonder of this story is that it has many levels. It combines the literal with the allegorical, but it also delves into the depths of the metaphysical and mystical where the reader can feel and deeply experience their own truth.

Q.6. What did you learn about yourself as you wrote the book?

The interesting thing that has transpired since writing the book is that my own beliefs have become deeper, more enhanced. It is as if the colours have become more vivid, more alive than they ever were. It has brought a unique focus on each individual moment – everything is important, nothing insignificant.

The other really interesting thing the book has done for me is that I now have no fear – no fear of what lies behind the veil (of death). I am alive to the consequences of a life well lived and an awareness that each moment (on earth) is a precious jewel.

Q.7. What are you hoping others will learn or take away from your book?

The words and stories in ‘Bodies of Consequence’ are from a source I can only assume works in our favour – to help us in some way or other. To prepare us for the consequences of the actions we have taken in this life we have chosen. Deep within my being, I know this to be so.

If readers of the book seek to change for the better their lives and the circumstances of the people who cross their path, then, so much the better. If enough people do the same then the world becomes a preferred place and the individual has fulfilled their divine purpose, both in the here and the hereafter. Let the small ripple of love become a tsunami – after all, we often do not know the consequences of our actions.

Q.8. Anything else?

I have also written ‘Bodies of Consequence’ into a feature-film screenplay. But only God-knows if it will be produced into film. We shall see what the divine unfolds.

Stephen Chong M.Ed. 14 February 2019

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Categories : Books, Exclusive Interviews

A Talk with Marc Lesser, author of Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader

Posted by Matt Welsh

· February 12, 2019

· No Comments

Marc Lesser is a CEO, Zen teacher, author, and leads trainings and talks worldwide. He has led mindfulness and emotional intelligence programs at many of the world’s leading businesses and organizations including Google, SAP, Genentech, and Kaiser. He is currently CEO of ZBA Associates, a company providing mindfulness-based leadership trainings and creating community by supporting ongoing groups. Previously, he served as CEO and co-founder of the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute, whose core programs he helped develop within Google. Marc was a resident of the San Francisco Zen Center for 10 years and former director of Tassajara, Zen Mountain Center. He currently leads Mill Valley Zen, a weekly meditation group. Marc has an MBA degree from New York University. More information at MarcLesser.net.

**I don’t love my work and I feel stuck. What practice is going to help me with this?

If you don’t love your work and feel stuck, you are not alone. A 2015 Gallup poll found that less than a third of all U.S. workers feel engaged in their work. Even those who absolutely love their work, don’t always love their work and feel stuck at times. A core mindfulness practice is to pay attention to what is – to your thoughts and feelings and the quality of your time at work and in all parts of your life. Noticing what is, without criticizing and judging is an excellent place to start. Experiment with paying attention to what isn’t working as well as envisioning what actions might you take to move toward enjoying and appreciating your work, even a little bit more.

**There is a lack of trust in my workplace. What might I do?

Lack of trust is easy. I sometimes say that if you are not building trust you are building cynicism. We humans by nature are cautious and doubting creatures. Creating trust in your workplace means that people need to care about one another, to admit mistakes, and be vulnerable. I suggest starting with you – what can you do to trust yourself and trust others more?

**What is the essence of mindful leadership and how will it help me to manage change and the stress and pressures of my daily work? (continued)

One way to describe the essence of mindful leadership is through the Seven Practices I describe in my book. Any one of them can shift the way you work – to manage change and stress, and help you be a more aware, creative, and compassionate leader. What are these practices: Love the work; Do the work; Don’t be an expert; Connect to your pain; Connect to the pain of others; Depend on others; and, Keep making it simpler. Pick one and practice it each day.

**I’m unable to turn off my work when I get home. It’s wrecking my family life. What do you suggest?

One practice for finding more calm in the midst of activity is to be more aware of how you use your energy at work. In between periods of focus and intensity, take a few minutes to stop and rest, to notice your breath and body. Then at the end of the day, take a few minutes to stop, relax, and breathe. Be conscious about letting go of your work and shift your focus toward taking care of yourself and being with your family.

**I want to have a meditation practice but don’t have time. What do you suggest?

Start with a daily practice that you can do, even if it is three breaths a day. Once you have established that practice, explore a meditation practice of five minutes a day. Another strategy is to sit with others, once a week, for 20 – 30 minutes.

**What do Google and Zen monasteries have in common when it comes to leadership?

They represent different facets of mindful leadership. Google represents precision and scale. Zen represents presence and creativity. At the center, of course, is that work at Google or in a Zen monastery is all about people – people wanting to produce the best results possible, to develop each other, and to help others.

**Where did these seven practices originate?

These seven practices were first taught by Zen teacher Norman Fischer. I was CEO of the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute and invited Norman to address a group of Google employees who were being trained as mindfulness teachers. These practices were Norman’s instructions for principles and practices for teaching mindfulness. I adopted them for practices for becoming a more mindful leader and practices for living a more engaged and creative life.

**Why does Google embrace mindfulness and mindful leadership?

Google understands the importance of cultivating high performing leaders and high performing teams. They made tremendous effort to study what supports great leaders and great teams and found that mindfulness practices are a central factor in supporting both.

**What is a practice? Is it the same as a habit?

A practice is a combination of an intention, an aspiration, and an action. It is something that you do as a way of cultivating useful, positive traits. A practice can also be described as the way you live your life. It may contain a habit but is usually broader and deeper.

**What has been your biggest success in bringing mindful leadership into organizations?

One success has been with Google where many thousands of employees have been trained in mindfulness. There is a good deal of data to support the positive impact of these trainings in cultivating wellbeing as well as business results.

**What has been your biggest failure? And what did you learn from it?

Ah, so many failures! Hard to say which is my biggest. I love the quote by Michael Jordan, perhaps the world’s greatest basketball player ever who said that he fails, over and over again, and that is why he succeeds.

*********

Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader:
Lessons from Google and a Zen Monastery Kitchen, By Marc Lesser
Foreword by Daniel J. Siegel, MD
Category: Self-help / Business
Pub. Date: February 12, 2019
Price: $16.95 / Trade Paper
Pages: 224
ISBN: 978-1-60868-519-6
Published by New World Library
Distributed by Publishers Group West

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Categories : Books, Exclusive Interviews

Book of Eli movie review

Posted by Matt Welsh

· February 8, 2019

· No Comments

Eli The Book of Eli is a movie about a man, Eli, (Denzel Washington) who hears an inner voice telling him to carry a Sacred book “West” in a post-apocalyptic, desolate and violent world. Eli does not question this calling even though he is being offered nothing in return, except for protection. Eli’s willingness to carry out his mission is put to the test throughout his journey numerous times as people try to kill him and a companion (Mila Kunis) he is traveling with in an attempt to take the book from him. His inner calling has guided him to navigate and overcome a world filled with violence. Now, he must find the strength to meet this challenge head on.

I was skeptical going into this movie because I thought it was just going to be some science-fiction, action-film about an apocalyptic world. However, I am glad I saw The Book of Eli. One message in the movie that really resonated with me is the willingness to trust and fight for your inner callings simply for the sake of serving some higher purpose. Eli is driven by his inner voice to carry a Sacred book to the West. He does not know exactly why he is being guided to do this, but he does it because deep down he knows it’s the right thing to do.

Additionally, Eli continues to trust even though he has not reached his destination after a long and arduous journey. In one scene, a companion he is with asks him how long he has been traveling. Eli tells her that it has been 30 years and she replies, “Do you think you might be lost?” But, Eli continues to trust that he is not lost and that he will be protected if he carries out his calling to bring the book to the West. This scene inspires us to continue to trust that we will be protected if we follow our callings — even though it may appear that we are lost.

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Categories : Movies

Tags : Book of Eli, Book of Eli movie review, spiritual blog

A Life Worth Living

Posted by Matt Welsh

· January 31, 2019

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By Daniel Wittler

I was 18 when I tried my first drug. I stayed away from them all during high school while playing baseball, I was actually very afraid of drugs during that time. My first week of college however, somebody in my dorm had a joint rolled with pot and offered it to me, I didn’t think twice about it. From that day on I wanted to be stoned every single day, day and night. I found something that took away my mental anguish and problems momentarily. I’ve been looking for something to do that my whole life. I lasted in college for another 3 semesters and before I knew it, I was moving back home and I could not of been more ashamed of myself. In October of 2008 I was offered some percocet from a friend of a friend and I again, didn’t think twice and said yes.

Once I started taking opiates I was hooked almost instantly and formed a habit within a month. I was a slave to the drug in no time and all of a sudden had a new full-time job that required me to not only make sure I can find drugs every single day, but required me to have the money for such an expensive habit. It is an ugly time when an addict needs his drugs but does not have money, I personally turned to stealing money from my mother, my mother who has always loved me unconditionally and always been there for me. It crushes me inside to think of it. I got caught by her around 2010 and that is when I was sent to my dual-diagnosis treatment center.

I never had a bad experience in rehab, I have been to several and was always respectful and compliant. The issues would come once I discharged from treatment. I was suggested to do certain similar things each time I went. Get a sponsor, go to meetings, work the steps, and I would always be told to surrender. I gladly welcomed the knowledge to anyone who gave it to me but once I was on my own outside of treatment I did not actively do much of it. This started an ugly 5 year cycle between being in treatment, going to half way, getting kicked out and being homeless and then back to treatment again. I maintained some decent stints of sobriety but nothing would stick. I was not giving it my all.

My last time in treatment I had a therapist who made it clear that I had to be ‘all-in’ in recovery otherwise I would be falling flat on my face the rest of my life. I was someone who gave everything a half measure. It was the most common thread in all my life. Once I made the decision to go all-in with recovery it was a game changer. All in meant not only taking all suggestions but following through and doing them ASAP. It also meant I had to be honest not only with everyone in my life but especially myself. I finally felt what it meant to surrender, it meant my life is no longer up to my decisions but to those who god puts in my life and to where ever the universe takes me. It is a wild concept but once I accepted these things, life got a lot better. It was not a coincidence. Please, if you are struggling, ask someone for help, someone with your best interest and has some experience getting sober. They will never steer you wrong. Life is so worth living after years of feeling like it was not.

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Daniel Wittler is a writer in recovery from South Florida. He is passionate about sharing his story to show that absolutely anyone can get sober provided they are ready to take the correct actions.

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Categories : Guest Posts

Why I Wrote The Burn Zone by Renee Linnell

Posted by Matt Welsh

· January 29, 2019

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In Her Image Photography

I wrote The Burn Zone as a catharsis; I had to get the story out of me. Dr. Maya Angelou once said, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” I believe she is right. The story was consuming me. It was tearing me apart from within. I was filled with anger and hatred and confusion and I had to let it go. So I wrote. And wrote and wrote and wrote. I vomited all of it onto paper. Over and over and over again. The same scenarios, the same pain, the same periods of my life. I wrote hate letters that I never sent. I screamed into pillows. I wrote letters to God. Over 700 pages I wrote. And it helped. The heaviness began to lift. The anger began to abate. The fits of rage dissipated. The overwhelming sadness turned to hope.

As this happened I began to speak bits of my story to loved ones. I began to share what I went through, what I signed up for. People were shocked, amazed, and . . . impressed. I began to realize my story had worth. I began to realize it was a story of strength; a story of the fight of the human spirit; a story of uncovering my True Self from deep within the shattered pile of a whole lifetime’s worth of rubble. As I spoke my story I began to get a consistent similar response, “You have to write a book.” It was then that I realized I had been writing a book; it was then that I made the decision to publish what I had written.

But, it wasn’t easy. Reading through my journals was painful. Reliving those stories, those states of mind, was sickening. However, I kept doing it. Because as I did it I realized I had inscribed a map. It was a description of what so many of us (I may even venture to say all of us) do as we create a life to please others. And it was a map, a stepping stone path, out, back to authenticity. I realized I hadto print and share my story; even if it helped only one other person.

I suppose my background as a seeker and as a Buddhist monk influenced my writing in that I felt safe being raw. Vulnerable. “In my defenselessness my safety lies,” says The Course in Miracles. I took it to heart. And it has been liberating. Publishing my whole story is so freeing because I get to just be me. And it turns out I’m really good at being me. I sucked at being the versions of me I thought I was supposed to be to please my parents, my teachers, my friends, the rest of the world; but it’s actually not much effort at all to just be me. I had a great writing teacher in high school who taught us all the rules of grammar, but then encouraged us to break them. So, you will notice I break a lot of writing rules, but I write the way I would tell a story. Thought by thought, sentence by sentence. Again, authenticity. This is the way I would tell you a story if we were face to face in my living room; why should I write it any other way?

It is my sincere desire that readers would feel liberated after reading my book. I love to imagine the little child within them smiling, finally feeling like s/he gets to call the shots. I love the idea of my readers making the commitment to love and nurture themselves; to treat themselves to the little joys in life that they love. I would love for my readers to finally let go of shame; to start claiming and even celebrating their stories. Especially the “skeletons in the closet.” I imagine shackles around the soul being removed; the shackles of shame, the shackles of not-forgiving, the shackles of wishing this or that never happened. I love imagining the spirits of my readers dancing around in the joy and wonder of their Earth Walk. Changing their mental paradigms to believing their life has been a wild adventure instead of lugging around the baggage of regret. I love imagining the flames within their hearts, the light within, igniting. And I would love for my readers to pull up to the surface, and feel safe in the exposing of, the parts of them that make them different. I would love for them to put my book down knowing their difference is their destiny and feeling ready to show and tell the world about their story, their fight of the human spirit, all that they have gone through, all that they have learned. I would love for them to discover the exhilarating freedom that comes with forgiving all of it, embracing their battle scars, and using those scars to go out in the world and fulfill their true Divine Purpose.

About the Author:

Renee Linnell is the author of The Burn Zone (She Writes Press). She is a serial entrepreneur who has founded and cofounded five companies and has an Executive Masters in Business Administration from New York University. Currently she is working on starting a publishing company to give people from diverse walks of life an opportunity to tell their stories. She divides her time between Colorado and Southern California. For more information, please visit https://reneelinnell.com and follow Renee on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Categories : Books, Guest Posts