October 2015 News

Happy Supermoon Lunar Eclipse Everyone! 

 We understand that many astrologers see this eclipse as a potent time for potential transformation, so we hope you set your intentions to take full positive advantage of it! Another short newsy newsletter this time: Sheryl just wanted to let you know about a special offer in her Mama Love shop.

 ————————————

NEW FROM MAMA LOVE (for a limited time)

Call it a mistake but it was an awesome mistake. I was tired, I wasn't focussing. And I wasn't feeling very confident. So what happens? I poured some of my "Doing New Things with Confidence" formula into my bottle of "Focussed Attention.” (They both have almost the same color blue label.) Oh no! So much money in ingredients just to be thrown away? I couldn't do it, so I let the blend marinate and walked away.

A few weeks later I started school and wanted something to help me relax and feel more confident while remaining alert and able to concentrate. Going to school again as an adult has its ups and downs. And then I realized I already have something for that! And it worked great. And it smells great, too—more complex than my normal blends with a combination of flowers, spice and vanilla.

So, if you don't mind getting an unlabeled product from Mama Love, you get to enjoy some, too. This is a special offer for a limited time only! And -- because I do not plan to invest in packaging for this like my other products -- it is not available wholesale. It is already for sale at a reduced price (about $3-6 off, depending on size). Click this link to take advantage of it: https://www.etsy.com/listing/249690929/flower-essence-aromatherapy-for-focused?ref=shop_home_active_1 

 Check out the rest of my shop at: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MamaLoveOrganics 

____________________________

WANTING SUPPORT FOR YOUR LUNAR ECLIPSE TRANSFORMATION?

We’re still available for spiritual counseling sessions, but if you want to work with both of us you’ll have to set up sessions for the evening or weekend. Paul, however, will likely have time in his schedule to work with people on his own during the week as well. You can set up a session by clicking here: http://www.healingcommunication.com/How_to_Make_an_Appointment_with_Spiritual_Counselors_and_Healers_Sheryl_Karas_and_Paul_Hood.html

 —————————————————————

Where to Find Our Artwork 

Going to be anywhere near Chico, CA for the next month? Paul has an art show of his photography and painting at Art Etc. Gallery at 122 W 3rd St, Chico, CA for the entire month of October.

Sheryl has a new online gallery where you can buy prints, framed prints and prints on canvas or on metal or acrylic on Fine Art America! She’s adding a few pieces a day and will probably be at it for weeks. Check it out! http://sheryl-karas.artistwebsites.com/

 You can also find our work…
In our joint Etsy shop... http://www.etsy.com/shop/PaulnSherylArt
Beautiful Photographic Prints by Paul Hood... http://PaulHood.imagekind.com/
Art notecards, T-shirts, mugs and other gifts featuring our images... http://www.zazzle.com/paulnsheryl*

 —————————————————————

Where to Find Our Videos

 http://www.youtube.com/user/healerteam

 —————————————————————

 Join Us On Facebook 
 We post little tidbits of inspiration and fun, information and news about what we're up to, things that don't fit in the newsletter and things that do. And it's an easy way to interact with what we post through comments and possibly discussions from time to time. Look up "Paul Hood" or "Sheryl Karas" or both. Mama Love has its own page. That's at http://www.facebook.com/MamaLoveProducts. Become a Fan -- be sure to sign up for notifications or you won't see anything in your feed! And be sure to let other people know about us, too! 

—————————————————————

Thanks for All Your Referrals! Simplest way to tell people about us? Forward this newsletter and include a note saying you like us. It's easy!

August Healing Communication & Mama Love News

Santa Cruz Sunset by Paul Hood, © 2008

Howling for Maddy

Tough week, especially for those in our original home town of Santa Cruz, CA. A little 8-year old girl named Maddy went missing, and the whole town got involved in trying to find her. She was found dead, a victim of a terrible crime, and her well-liked and trusted 15-year old neighbor was arrested for it with damning videotape as potential evidence. The shock and devastation for both families—and for much of the community—has been horrendous and all we’ve been able to think about for days.

How do you make sense of such a horrific tragedy?  Is there any such thing as meaningless suffering? How do we come to terms with this kind of pain—our own and that of others?

One person I know, who did not know either family, has found herself screaming in agony. She described it as feeling like she tapped into the collective consciousness of the entire community—or certainly the pain of the mothers involved. I’ve been haunted by the screams of the mothers myself. Many people in Santa Cruz participated in a group howling (Maddy loved wolves) as the full moon rose last night. 

Not able to sleep, all my usual tricks of no use, I finally decided to send healing to all involved, to add to the healing I know was being sent by many others. One of my teachers, Jeanine Sande, wrote on my Facebook page “Love, love, love.” Send love. And remember to be loving with your own friends and family and with yourself.

Another Santa Cruzan on my Facebook feed just a few minutes ago posted her latest gorgeous photo of the sun shining in a beautiful blue sky with blue ocean waves underneath. A typical Santa Cruz day at the beach. It made me feel joyful to see it. It is still the same beautiful place.

That’s the great paradox of the lives we live. The fact is that, right now, there is always somebody screaming in agony because their little boy or girl—their bright shining star—is gone. That has not changed, whether we hear about it or not, that’s always happening. And at the same time, somewhere, the sun will also be shining, there will be waves on the beach, and stars in the sky. And now there is one called Maddy.

We somehow are here to live it all, to find a way to find joy and meaning despite the suffering. And love—to help others and help ourselves begin again when we have to and carry on.

————————————————————— 

Spiritual Counseling and Healing with Paul and Sheryl

It currently costs the same to work with one or both of us ($100/hour). Time to set up a session?… http://www.healingcommunication.com/How_to_Make_an_Appointment_with_Spiritual_Counselors_and_Healers_Sheryl_Karas_and_Paul_Hood.html

—————————————————————

Mama Love News— Lots of New Products

As always, email newsletter subscribers get 10% off in my Mama Love shop on Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/MamaLoveOrganics). Please subscribe by clicking the link at the right and we'll send you the coupon code. 

I’ve been busy. Earlier this summer I announced that I was planning to discontinue my healing triple strength perfume balms. That is still true but I’ve always wanted a product line strong enough to be used as true perfume. So I’m now making my formulas available in a triple strength version in a 5 ml roller bottle. Like the perfume balms, these are far less likely to spill. You can easily carry them in your purse and use them as you like throughout the day. 

I still have few perfume balms, at their new below-retail price. Those will be available until they are gone except for “Releasing Worry and Fear.” One of my customers contacted me to ask if I would ever consider making it again. She likes the other versions of this formula but says nothing helps her chronic anxiety like that perfume balm. And I knew that I still had a few empty jars and all the ingredients needed to make some. So that is back in stock! Until it isn’t anymore. (One more batch and my jars will be gone.) But that’s one reason why I now have the triple strength roller bottles instead.

I am also making my original strength formulas available in a 5 ml roller bottle as well. My original 1 dram formulas in regular bottles are still available—I like to pour a little in my hands to rub on a sore back or use for a gentle massage before bed. But those roller bottles are SO convenient, and they fit pretty well on the same Mama Love jackets I’ve been using all along so now that is an option you can choose when you buy them in my Etsy shop (see below).

One more thing: I am making a lot of the ingredients I’ve been using—or planned to use—available as do-it-yourself supplies in my Etsy shop as well. You’ll find a variety of unscented bath salts that you can use as is or with one of my Mama Love formulas for a great healing home spa retreat. And a wide variety of herb tea ingredients for making your own herbal blends.

My Etsy shop is starting to be the main shop where I’ll be selling Mama Love products online. It is the only place where I’ll be selling products I’m experimenting with or supplies. You’ll find the shop arranged by category on the lefthand side of the page. If you know exactly what you’re looking for, you can type the name in the search box at the top. 

Visit Mama Love on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/MamaLoveOrganics

—————————————————————

Where to Find Our Artwork

In our joint Etsy shop... http://www.etsy.com/shop/PaulnSherylArt

Beautiful Photographic Prints by Paul Hood... http://PaulHood.imagekind.com/

Beautiful Photographic Prints and Artwork by Sheryl Karas... http://sherylkaras.imagekind.com

Art notecards, T-shirts, mugs and other gifts featuring our images... http://www.zazzle.com/paulnsheryl*

—————————————————————

Where to Find Our Videos

http://www.youtube.com/user/healerteam

—————————————————————

 Join Us On Facebook

We post little tidbits of inspiration and fun, information and news about what we're up to, things that don't fit in the newsletter and things that do. And it's an easy way to interact with what we post through comments and possibly discussions from time to time. Look up "Paul Hood" or "Sheryl Karas" or both. Mama Love has its own page. That's at http://www.facebook.com/MamaLoveProducts. Become a Fan and be sure to let other people know about us, too!

—————————————————————

Thanks for All Your Referrals!

Simplest way to tell people about us? Forward this newsletter and include a note saying you like us. It's easy! 

June 2015 Newsletter

Hello Everybody!

Short and sweet. Mama Love has a new special. Triple strength flower essence aromatherapy perfume balms. I’ve had these for about a year or more and they’re quite awesome. Little pots of perfume strength healing balms that are semi-solid and can’t tip over. I love them and carry one or two in my handbag and have several on my bedside table all the time. They’re great. . . but I don’t like making them.

Sooo. . . I’m no longer offering them wholesale and I’ve dropped my retail price by $9. Plus if you subscribe to this newsletter via email— send me an email with your preferred email address — I'll send you a coupon code you can use at checkout in my Etsy shop to get an additional 10% off everything you purchase there, including these balms, so that’s quite the deal!

When these are gone, they’re gone! And my most popular formula “Releasing Worry and Fear” is already sold out. So don’t delay. Get them while I’ve got ‘em. (They make a great gift… hint, hint.)

The perfume balm section of my Etsy shop is at https://www.etsy.com/shop/MamaLoveOrganics?section_id=10472279&ref=shopsection_leftnav_6.
The home page of my shop is at https://www.etsy.com/shop/MamaLoveOrganics

—————————————————————
Spiritual Counseling and Healing with Paul and Sheryl

It currently costs the same to work with one or both of us ($100/hour). Time to set up a session?… http://www.healingcommunication.com/How_to_Make_an_Appointment_with_Spiritual_Counselors_and_Healers_Sheryl_Karas_and_Paul_Hood.html
—————————————————————
Where to Find Our Artwork

In our joint Etsy shop... http://www.etsy.com/shop/PaulnSherylArt
Beautiful Photographic Prints by Paul Hood... http://PaulHood.imagekind.com/
Beautiful Photographic Prints and Artwork by Sheryl Karas... http://sherylkaras.imagekind.com
Art notecards, T-shirts, mugs and other gifts featuring our images... http://www.zazzle.com/paulnsheryl*

—————————————————————
Where to Find Our Videos

http://www.youtube.com/user/healerteam

—————————————————————
 Join Us On Facebook

We post little tidbits of inspiration and fun, information and news about what we're up to, things that don't fit in the newsletter and things that do. And it's an easy way to interact with what we post through comments and possibly discussions from time to time. Look up "Paul Hood" or "Sheryl Karas" or both. Mama Love has its own page. That's at http://www.facebook.com/MamaLoveProducts. Become a Fan and be sure to let other people know about us, too!

—————————————————————
Thanks for All Your Referrals!

Simplest way to tell people about us? Forward this newsletter and include a note saying you like us. It's easy!

Healing Communication and Mama Love News

Call of the Heyoka, © 2014 Sheryl Karas

Happy May!

This has been a very busy time period for Sheryl in regards to art. She’s participating in four shows in Chico at once right now, three of them juried, one an internationally juried show. And she’s even sold two pieces. Pretty fun and exciting! That means our minds haven’t been on promoting our businesses as much. . . but you didn’t want so much email in your inbox, did you?

Interestingly, the two pieces that sold were visual expressions of spiritual ideas so the newsletter this month is about one of those: the Heyoka or sacred clown, (see photo above).

Call of the Heyoka

The Heyoka play a special role for the Lakota tribe, one of the native tribes of the Great Plains in the United States. In Sheryl’s painting a couple (I guess you could say that personally represents the two of us), rides a horse backwards over mountains in the sky. The Heyoka ride horses backwards or behave in other backwards ways to satirize social conventions and make people think about what they are doing. They joke around but also have a serious role to play. They ask difficult questions or say things other people are afraid to say. Their work is healing—they make people laugh during hard times—but they also make people think. “Is this the way I mean to be going? (Is my horse going in the right direction?) Should I really be believing my fear or shame based beliefs? Are the rules I’ve been living by healthy ones? Is it time to re-examine the way I’ve been doing or thinking about things?”

Big questions!

The Heyoka is also sometimes thought to have something in common with The Fool or Jester in the Tarot. The Fool is so busy looking skyward to Heaven that he is dangerously close to walking off the edge of a cliff. Luckily, he is protected by a faithful little dog who nips at his heels and warns him to get out of harm’s way. In Sheryl’s painting the dog is represented in some respects by a safety net. Some might argue that such a net could get in the way of flying—and to some extent it does. But, as many of our clients know, we don’t advocate ungrounded spiritual practice. We’re too intellectual and practical for that! The Fool, however, is a positive card most of the time. It doesn’t mean you are being foolish. It means the time is right to go on an adventure, to try something different, do something new. But make sure you pay attention to where you are going while you attempt to get there!

By the way, Sheryl's original painting above has already sold but prints are available in our Etsy shop.

—————————————————————

Spiritual Counseling and Healing with Paul and Sheryl

It currently costs the same to work with one or both of us ($100/hour). Time to set up a session?

—————————————————————

Where to Find Our Artwork

In our joint Etsy shop... http://www.etsy.com/shop/PaulnSherylArt
Beautiful Photographic Prints by Paul Hood... http://PaulHood.imagekind.com/
Beautiful Photographic Prints and Artwork by Sheryl Karas... http://sherylkaras.imagekind.com
Art notecards, T-shirts, mugs and other gifts featuring our images... http://www.zazzle.com/paulnsheryl*

—————————————————————

Where to Find Our Videos

http://www.youtube.com/user/healerteam

—————————————————————

 Join Us On Facebook

We post little tidbits of inspiration and fun, information and news about what we're up to, things that don't fit in the newsletter and things that do. And it's an easy way to interact with what we post through comments and possibly discussions from time to time. Look up "Paul Hood" or "Sheryl Karas" or both. Mama Love has its own page. That's at http://www.facebook.com/MamaLoveProducts. Become a Fan and be sure to let other people know about us, too!

—————————————————————

Thanks for All Your Referrals!

Simplest way to tell people about us? Forward this newsletter and include a note saying you like us. It's easy!

Happy New Year 2015!

Happy New Year!

Every year at this time we can’t help but think about how the previous year was and what we’d like for the coming year. Some people do resolutions, some people do intentions, but it’s hard to pass up the convention altogether. And we’re no different. It’s about hope after all, faith underneath that. Even if the past has been difficult, tomorrow is another day. That's always true but there’s something powerful about participating in a communal worldwide ritual period of prayer and intention whether it's as secular for you as a calendar with goals written on it or as spiritual as a candle lit with a fervent prayer. Let us know if we can support you along the way!

The article this month is actually a piece Sheryl wrote for the painting class both of us attended last semester. Sheryl found that class very challenging emotionally and, as usual when it comes to healing work, she chose to meditate on what to do her final project on. What, she asked, would be most beneficial for her (and others) on the artist path? The flower essence Lady Slipper came to mind, and, to fill the assignment, she wrote about what the essence is used for before painting it. It seemed appropriate for the New Year, so we’re sharing it with all of you. If you want to see an image of the finished painting, there it is above!

All the best to you and yours in the coming year from...

Paul and Sheryl

--------------------------------------

Lady Slippers on the Path

In the wild, the Lady Slipper is a rare and increasingly endangered species. With its ecosystem and well-being severely encroached upon by the modern world, it's amazing that we can actually still find them. They were rare when I was a child and had them pointed out to me on a science walk through the local woods. We were told to love them from a distance — to never touch them or attempt to bring one home. They die when they are picked and are very difficult to cultivate except under very particular conditions.

It seems a fragile plant. It even takes a long time to bloom — 16 years is not unheard of. And yet a plant that has found a protected spot in its preferred location can live 50 years! Only found in northern climates, you are in for a surprise if you do happen to come across one. They are wonderful, large and beautiful orchids, rare to see anywhere outside of a hothouse environment.

Lady Slippers hold a special place in my heart. I use them in the flower essence aromatherapy oil I make called "Manifesting Life Purpose," one of my favorites because the Jasmine in it smells amazing! The Lady Slipper — the one used as a flower essence is called the Showy Lady Slipper — is also known as The Queen. It calls to a person when they feel estranged from their higher purpose and inner authority. Pulled by the external expectations of the modern world, family conditioning, fear of criticism, concern about doing "the right thing," the desire to fit in, the desire to please, the Lady Slipper calls: "You need me!"

The Lady Slipper helps a person integrate their spiritual purpose within the confines of their daily work. How do you find that protected place in your soul where you can express your highest callings despite the encroachment of the modern world and your desire to remain whole within it? So important to artists and sensitive types of all sorts, the Lady Slipper helps you find that safe place to regain your composure, strength and inspiration. It helps you go within to hear the murmurings of your inner callings despite the external noise and internalized messages from the world around. By helping to calm sensitivity, anxiety and depression, it supports you to follow the dictates of your heart while keeping body and soul intact. To bring your fullest self to whatever you do, you are guided by this plant to walk the path with spiritual purpose and integrity.

 --------------------------------------

Want Some Mama Love?

All newsletter subscribers are eligible for a 10% discount in Sheryl's Etsy shop throughout this coming year. Use the coupon code you will find in the email version of this newsletter. Or sign up for the newsletter by sending an email to Sheryl asking to be signed up. She'll send you the code in her reply.

 --------------------------------------

Looking for a Spiritual Counseling and Healing Session?

Make an appointment at http://www.healingcommunication.com/How_to_Make_an_Appointment_with_Spiritual_Counselors_and_Healers_Sheryl_Karas_and_Paul_Hood.html

 --------------------------------------

WHERE TO FIND OUR ARTWORK

In our joint Etsy shop... http://www.etsy.com/shop/PaulnSherylArt
Beautiful Photographic Prints by Paul Hood... http://PaulHood.imagekind.com/
Beautiful Photographic Prints and Artwork by Sheryl Karas... http://sherylkaras.imagekind.com
Art notecards, T-shirts, mugs and other gifts featuring our images... http://www.zazzle.com/paulnsheryl*

—————————————————————

WHERE TO FIND OUR VIDEOS

http://www.youtube.com/user/healerteam

—————————————————————

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK

We post little tidbits of inspiration and fun, information and news about what we're up to, things that don't fit in the newsletter and things that do. And it's an easy way to interact with what we post through comments and possibly discussions from time to time. Look up "Paul Hood" or "Sheryl Karas" or both. Mama Love has its own page. That's at http://www.facebook.com/MamaLoveProducts. Become a Fan and be sure to let other people know about us, too!

—————————————————————

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR REFERRALS!
Simplest way to tell people about us? Forward this newsletter and include a note saying you like us. It's easy!