Healing Communication News

February 2012 News

2012-02-02T20:48:00.001-08:00

Hi Everyone!

Happy Groundhog Day, Imbolc, Candlemas -- the perfect time for this month's newsletter about going beyond "backwards manifestation." Seeds are germinating under the ground but have you been sowing the right ones?

BREAKING THE PATTERN OF BACKWARDS MANIFESTATION

Frequently in our spiritual counseling and healing practice healing themes emerge. One client, and then two, and sometimes three in a row will complain of the same thing. One of the themes for this month has been backwards manifestation as a result of relatively recent and unhealed trauma.

Backwards manifestation is a label Paul and I have coined for manifesting the opposite of what you so fervently want. “Please, please, please!” goes the inner cry (consciously or not). “I’m SO scared. I’m so afraid of what’s going to happen! Please, God, help me!” Then you intend what you think you need (a new job, a new home, a new relationship) and all hell breaks loose as part of the arrangement. You get the job but the boss is a hellish bastard. Someone takes advantage of you. Maybe two or three jobs of the worst kind appear (something you’d hate but are willing to settle for anyway) and then those jobs fall through. People lose your resume, you send another and they lose it again! More and more hellish things occur, and on it goes. One backwards or insufficient manifestation after another.

You think: this manifestation stuff is a bunch of crap! Who came up with this belief system anyway? I’m intending as hard as I can and nothing goes right for me! This is bulls**t!

And then, little positive manifestations fall in through the cracks. You think “I’d really like a new cabinet to put my art supplies in but I can’t really afford to spend money on that” and like magic someone leaves a perfectly great one out by the dumpster by your apartment building the very next day that just needs some inexpensive hardware to fix. And it’s not the only thing that happens that week. Sometimes Paul and I manifest tiny miracles like that every day with no effort or even specific intent. It’s like a sign from the universe that this stuff really does work if you’d only have your head and heart in the right place!

So then you think: why is it so easy to manifest little things with no effort and we backwards manifest on the stuff that feels big to us? Ummmm... maybe because it feels too BIG?!!! As Paul likes to say: you can’t believe in the power of God, the power of the Universe (however you wish to think of it), and not believe in it at the same time and have manifestation work. If it feels too BIG to do and you believe in that then you’re not believing it could be EASY. So you manifest something less than easy -- if you manifest anything at all -- because that is what you unconsciously accept.

At the beginning of last month I realized I was sick of backwards manifesting on the “big” important stuff while getting ample evidence of the power of easy manifestation on everything else. I wanted to crack the code on this issue and turn it around. And, on cue, the universe supplied three examples of people with unresolved trauma needing help with the same thing. Unresolved trauma. People who had suffered serious accidents, death, financial disasters and loss and had been backwards manifesting on certain things they cared about ever since. And the very biggest pattern I saw was not even being able to believe or even dream about what they wanted instead.

Oh! Of course.

The three asked for and received very different forms of help. Spiritual counseling alone for one, flower essences alone for two others. Paul and I decided to use energy healing, spiritual counseling and flower essences for our own well-being (why not use everything we’ve got?) Within a couple of days dreams of what we had forgotten about flew back in, conditions one or both of us were accepting seemed completely unacceptable, and new choices and ideas spontaneously came to mind. It was FAST! Energizing. And then without us doing ANYTHING extra we received new client calls, made unexpected Mama Love sales, and sold some book downloads and artwork, too.

Coincidence? Or the outward manifestation of unresolved trauma being released?Based on past and current experience, I’d say it was the latter.

I once wanted to be a coach who helped people achieve their deepest hopes and dreams. I do have coaching training as well as a degree in Transpersonal Psychology under my belt. But what Paul and I have seen as spiritual counselors and healers using a broad spectrum of techniques is so remarkable -- especially when people are committed to their development over the long haul -- it feels like a gift whenever we get to do it.

We're taking new clients jointly now mostly on weekends, early evenings and one weekday a week. People wishing to work with Paul alone can arrange sessions on additional weekday afternoons as well.

Sheryl Karas, February 2012

–––––––––––

HAVE A SESSION!
The beginning of the year is always an excellent time to get some clarity on your life and support to create positive directions. Our spiritual counseling practice is up and running in-person in Chico, CA and, as always, by telephone (or Skype) all over the world. Our prices continue to be affordable with bottom of the sliding scale rates available to everyone regardless of income while we're in the process of getting re-established in a new place. http://www.healingcommunication.com/How_to_Make_an_Appointment_with_Spiritual_Counselors_and_Healers_Sheryl_Karas_and_Paul_Hood.html

–––––––––––

GET A COPY OF OUR LATEST BOOK FOR FREE
In solidarity with the 99% movement we are still offering the PDF download version of "Waking Up in the Great Recession Mormon Desert" FOR FREE to anyone who wants it. The print version and Kindle and Nook versions are still for sale but we want to see the message in this book carried far and wide so get yours by clicking here and send this link to anyone you think might be interested: http://www.healingcommunication.com/WAKING_UP_FILE.html

This book (in print form) and Sheryl's other books are available for sale at http://www.sherylkaras.com.

–––––––––––

WHERE TO FIND MAMA LOVE

http://www.mamaloveproducts.com

–––––––––––

WHERE TO FIND OUT VIDEOS

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

–––––––––––

YOU CAN 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*

–––––––––––

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!

January 2012 Newsletter

2012-01-03T22:26:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Happy 2012 to all of you!

As we head into the new year a lot of people's thoughts turn naturally to what 2012 will bring. The end of the Mayan calendar has a lot of people worried -- we're not among them -- but Sheryl, for one, does anticipate a great year of possibility. As ALL years / days are, of course! Every moment is a potential beginning. But human beings do tend to organize ourselves by the calendar, and collective beliefs and intentioning have great power. . . so what do we wish to create at this time in history and in our personal lives?

Before jumping in it might be worth noting that collectively we'll be celebrating the Year of the Water Dragon this year. Celebrating. Dragon years are often about success and opportunity. Coming together is what a Water Dragon can bring -- Harmony, one of the greatest Chinese virtues, is associated with a Water Dragon year. Other possibilities include conflicts of sorts as some things fail and fall apart so other, more beneficial, changes can take place! If you're part of a situation that has to be improved that's a great thing, provided, of course, that you can go with the change about to come. One word of advice from our own experience of rapidly changing life situations: LET GO! Believe in the possibility of an even better outcome than you can see right now and allow it to come.

We just moved again, by the way. Yes, AGAIN! We're still in Chico, CA but this time we moved to a much larger, nicer place right next door to Paul's dad who needed a great deal of caregiving attention in the past couple of months. Imagine: we all needed a place as close as possible and one opened up by the time we needed it RIGHT NEXT DOOR. We also really needed more space and always like to have an outdoor seating area and close access to nature and we manifested exactly that, too. A nature preserve is just a short walk away and a nice view of the Sierra foothills is practically outside our door.

Back to the coming year: a few shake-ups are likely to occur (as is often the case in a volatile election year) but not without a little fun. Focus most of all on how fun it will be to manifest what we'd like next. And "wouldn't it be great if. . . " Seriously, we don't ALWAYS seem to get what we want. Many of us have suffered great losses. It can be very easy to lose faith and think things like intentioning doesn't even remotely work! But sometimes what we need most takes a certain amount of footwork -- reshuffling the deck (which can seem almost catastrophic when you're in the midst of the shuffling). But then. . .an opportunity comes along you would not expect that you needed to be in a different place or mindset to accept. A new set of priorities soon emerges, one you would not have taken on in your previous circumstances. Or perhaps you just get to start anew and try again.

The new year reminds us to take time to look back on our lives, assess, reevaluate, pay attention to what has worked and what we'd like to do differently, to imagine what we'd like next, and intend it to come forth. A little advance planning, goal-setting and following through is often beneficial but don't be at all surprised if a lot of things just make sense to do-- like getting up every day anticipating positive shifts and intending the best all along the way.

-- Sheryl Karas, January 2012

–––––––––––

JUST FOR FUN: a recent example of instant manifestation Paul shared on Facebook this week. In his words:

"Things we've said this week: 'We should get another of these white plastic lawn chairs to go on the front porch. . . was nice to get that stereo as a gift, but I wish the interface was more user friendly. . . well, that plunger with the weird clear plastic handle barely worked, what's wrong with a plain wooden handle (me) and we should probably have a toilet plunger (Sheryl).' So on a short drive today we were given a white plastic lawn chair, drove a little further and saw two plungers on the sidewalk-- a regular and a toilet plunger (both with wooden handles) -- and when I pulled over there was a stereo receiver right next to me with nice simple buttons (Fisher RS 605, circa 1988). Crankin' the tunes right now in my headphones."

–––––––––––

HAVE A SESSION!
The beginning of the year is always an excellent time to get some clarity on your life and support to create positive directions. Our spiritual counseling practice is up and running in-person in Chico, CA and, as always, by telephone (or Skype) all over the world. Our prices continue to be affordable with bottom of the sliding scale rates available to everyone regardless of income while we're in the process of getting re-established in a new place. http://www.healingcommunication.com/How_to_Make_an_Appointment_with_Spiritual_Counselors_and_Healers_Sheryl_Karas_and_Paul_Hood.html

–––––––––––

GET A COPY OF OUR LATEST BOOK FOR FREE
In solidarity with the 99% movement we are still offering the PDF download version of "Waking Up in the Great Recession Mormon Desert" FOR FREE to anyone who wants it. The print version and Kindle and Nook versions are still for sale but we want to see the message in this book carried far and wide so get yours by clicking here and send this link to anyone you think might be interested: http://www.healingcommunication.com/WAKING_UP_FILE.html

This book (in print form) and Sheryl's other books are available for sale at http://www.sherylkaras.com.

–––––––––––

WHERE TO FIND MAMA LOVE

http://www.mamaloveproducts.com

–––––––––––

WHERE TO FIND OUT VIDEOS

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

–––––––––––

YOU CAN FIND OUR ARTWORK...

in our joint Etsy shop, on Imagekind and Zazzle.
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*

–––––––––––

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!

October News

2011-10-16T12:26:00.001-07:00

Hello Everybody,

What an interesting month October is turning out to be! The month of Libra (the scales of justice) has brought needed attention to the plight of the 99% of Americans who are not millionaires and especially to their children (and many others) who have been struggling in this Great Recession economy. The scales of justice carries a sword but to their credit the vast majority of the Occupy Wall Street protesters have managed to remain peaceful and nonviolent in demonstrations all across the country and around the world. Paul and I have been very engaged in supporting the efforts to get the word out about what's been happening online on our Facebook pages and individual blogs. Both having been real journalists ourselves it has felt essential to counter news blackouts, misleading reporting and sometimes outright lies with reports, videos and photographs from people in the thick of things. It's also been very inspiring because the coming together as a response to corporate and political corruption we're seeing today was predicted in our book (although we had NO idea of the form it would take).

We know many of you read this newsletter (if you do) most often because of the spiritual nature of what we most often try to present. But we believe this IS a spiritual happening unfolding and feel so strongly about the importance of this that we want to give away the PDF download version of "Waking Up in the Great Recession Mormon Desert" FOR FREE to anyone who wants it. The print version and Kindle and Nook versions are still for sale but we want to see the message in this book carried far and wide so get yours by clicking here and send this link to anyone you think might be interested: http://www.healingcommunication.com/WAKING_UP_FILE.html

No additional articles this month. The book IS the article. Enjoy it!

Thanks!

Sheryl and Paul

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

SESSIONS

We're continuing to offer everyone an opportunity to work with us at the bottom of our sliding scale. We also have 1/2 length sessions and short email consultations to make our services affordable and accessible.

Sheryl also has been trying something out through her Mama Love shop on Etsy she'd like to extend to everyone on our list: Flower Essence readings via email! What's a "flower essence reading"? Dowsing for guidance using the Flower Essence Repertory by the Flower Essence Society as a guide! Seriously. Sheryl's been designing formulas like this for years. And gets lots of insight and help for other people now as well. Try it! Find out what the "flowers" have to say for your highest well-being. A flower essence reading alone costs $15. A reading with a related Mama Love perfume (1 dram) is $25. If you'd prefer a custom made 1 oz formula along with the reading it will cost $32.

You can also do a session with Paul and ask for a flower essence formula from Sheryl to take the healing further. Similar costs apply.

http://www.healingcommunication.com/How_to_Make_an_Appointment_with_Spiritual_Counselors_and_Healers_Sheryl_Karas_and_Paul_Hood.html

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

WHERE TO FIND MAMA LOVE

http://www.mamaloveproducts.com

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

WHERE TO FIND OUT VIDEOS

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

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

YOU CAN FIND OUR ARTWORK...

in our joint Etsy shop. Check it out at http://www.etsy.com/shop/PaulnSherylArt

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

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!

September Newsletter

2011-09-06T23:14:00.000-07:00

Santa Cruz Lighthouse by Paul Hood

Hello Everybody,

Happy Labor Day! Hope your weekend was a good one. Ours was filled with lots of art and talk. Our latest art pieces from this weekend are in this newsletter. Enjoy!

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

FINDING A NEW WAY

An interesting theme presented itself -- rather “insisted” itself -- to us this month. Insisted? Yes. You see, I expected to put in an excerpt from our latest book, "Waking Up in the Great Recession Mormon Desert", about claiming the change you wish to make in your life. (You can still read that one if you like!) It was about believing so strongly in the change you wish to make that you can’t believe you don’t deserve to have it! It was about really going for it and intending, not just wishing, but actually believing you’re going to succeed.

Alrighty then, that sounded like a great newsletter theme but why then, did the following theme intrude itself instead? It popped up over and over in sessions we did with clients, on posts we read on Facebook, news articles, conversations with friends: “I really wanted to do ‘this’ with my life but... I need to take a break from cartooning because I hurt my hands.” “I can’t afford to do my art full-time anymore because I can’t pay my rent.” “My boyfriend left me and won’t return my calls.” “Someone I love is sick and needs me now.” “A hurricane just destroyed my house.” Etc., etc.

What happens to those cherished hopes and dreams when life intrudes instead?

Paul took a first crack at this in a free write recently:

“A friend of mine on Facebook misses being a cartoonist. He said so. Right back at him came an unsolicited philosophical response. I mean, I think he just meant to say what he missed. He didn’t want a suggestion, or an answer, but here one came. Worse yet, it sounded very close to Yoda’s “Do or do not, there is no try” from the old Star Wars movie. So my friend answered pretty politely at first, but when that didn’t get through: “Your Yoda platitudes sound nice and simple, but they are too simple.” Because my friend has a repetitive motion injury specific to drawing. He can do everything else, just not that. Not for awhile anyway. But he misses it, and that’s all he wanted to say. Doing a lot of drawing made him have to stop doing that one thing that he really liked, and there was likely no way around that. There’s not much you can say and he wasn’t asking for anyone to say anything. Maybe we should really telegraph it when we’re feeling that way, like “I don’t want anyone to answer, I’m just going to announce something.“ And I think that would work, because people always want to help, and sometimes we don’t want them to.

Later on in the day I walked outside just after a car crash occurred several yards from my house. Those involved weren’t even out of their cars yet. It was a rear end collision; hit hard enough to push that car into the car in front but nobody was injured. The responsible party was pretty upset, started to cry a little. Everybody had their cell phones out, so we knew help was on the way. It was all women there. A young woman from one of the cars that had been hit walked over to the woman who had hit the other cars, put her hand on her shoulder and said, “It’s OK. It’s just cars.” I think that did help. It helped me. I wanted to see and hear that, and know how amazingly civilized people can be.”

I recently received a newsletter discussing the importance of not resisting what is. Sure, you might want things to be another way and it’s perfectly okay to admit it. But sometimes the most important thing to come out of a bad situation is recognition of what’s essential, what’s really most important to us after all. You know, “it’s ok, it’s just cars.” We’re alive and well, that’s the important thing!

That doesn’t mean that those cherished hopes and dreams are a mistake, but maybe the most important things are to cherish what you have today, to accept what’s happening now and build (or rebuild) from there, or to decide to do something that helps you bring more of what you’re capable of to the forefront. Something you’d never choose if the doors you wished were open weren’t closed to you right now. Life gets more interesting with a little rediscovery and redirecting. Sometimes the undiscovered territory ends up being the most interesting place to be of all.

-- Sheryl Karas with Paul Hood

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

SESSIONS

We're continuing to offer everyone an opportunity to work with us at the bottom of our sliding scale. We also have 1/2 length sessions and short email consultations to make our services affordable and accessible.

Sheryl also has been trying something out through her Mama Love shop on Etsy she'd like to extend to everyone on our list: Flower Essence readings via email! What's a "flower essence reading"? Dowsing for guidance using the Flower Essence Repertory by the Flower Essence Society as a guide! Seriously. Sheryl's been designing formulas like this for years. And gets lots of insight and help for other people now as well. Try it! Find out what the "flowers" have to say for your highest well-being. A flower essence reading alone costs $15. A reading with a related Mama Love perfume (1 dram) is $25. If you'd prefer a custom made 1 oz formula along with the reading it will cost $32.

You can also do a session with Paul and ask for a flower essence formula from Sheryl to take the healing further. Similar costs apply.

http://www.healingcommunication.com/How_to_Make_an_Appointment_with_Spiritual_Counselors_and_Healers_Sheryl_Karas_and_Paul_Hood.html

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

OUR LATEST BOOK -- WAKING UP IN THE GREAT RECESSION MORMON DESERT

We're getting excellent feedback on our latest book. You can get an autographed copy directly from us here. You can also buy a very affordable downloadable pdf version there or get it on the Nook At Barnes and Noble or on the Kindle on Amazon.com. We understand that Google Books will be making copies available as well sometime soon.

Do us a favor? If you've read the book and like it, could you write a review please for Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com? We don't have any customer reviews yet and really could use some!

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

YOU CAN FIND THE ARTWORK FROM THIS NEWSLETTER BLOG POST...

in our joint Etsy shop. Check it out at http://www.etsy.com/shop/PaulnSherylArt

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

WHERE TO FIND MAMA LOVE

http://www.mamaloveproducts.com

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

WHERE TO FIND OUT 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!

Psychedelic Sunflower by Sheryl Karas

August 2011 Healing Communication News

2011-08-05T13:56:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,

WE HAVE A NEW BOOK! It's called WAKING UP IN THE GREAT RECESSION MORMON DESERT and we'd like you all to have one. This has been a long time in the making but we think it's worth it and the great people who reviewed an advance copy of it seem to agree. For example, David Spangler who was the previous director of Findhorn and has sometimes been called the father of the New Age movement had this to say:

This book is a winner. It has everything a good book should have: suspense, excitement, pathos, joy, laughter—-lots of laughter—and great characters you care about and can genuinely root for! And it's non-fiction! But what it has most is love and wisdom. Profound, heart-opening love and wisdom. It is hands down one of the best books on spirituality and its role in meeting the challenges of our time that I have read. And did I say that it's funny, too? Be good to yourself and read this book. Be good to your friends and buy them a copy. ~ David Spangler, author of FACING THE FUTURE and SUBTLE WORLDS: AN EXPLORER'S FIELD NOTES.

We're the "great characters", by the way. The book is a memoir and it follows our path from our original home in the beautiful New Age, ultra-progressive town of Santa Cruz, CA to a predominantly ultra-conservative Republican Mormon community in the eastern Arizona high desert. The timing is immediately after the election of Barack Obama and the passage of Proposition 8 (the law repealing gay marriage in California). The result is at turns poignant and funny and eventually leads to a spiritual wake-up call that shows the importance of connecting the political and the personal in our task of developing spiritually on the planet.

Read more about it and get your copy here.

It's available as an inexpensive instant pdf download or as an autographed physical book, both directly from us. It is also available on the Kindle and soon other places as well. The only places you won't find it (yet) are in bookstores because we can't afford a big print run and can't get the wholesale price low enough. So, hey, now you know that all the profit from the sales of these books goes directly to us.

And that leads us to another thing we wanted to say...

-----

It Takes a Village to Get the Word Out About a Self-Published Book

And we could use your help. Maybe you're not interested in this book but certainly there are a few people on your list, in your book clubs, or in your communities who would be. Tell them, would you? Forward this newsletter or give them this link: http://www.healingcommunication.com/myproducts/Waking_Up_In_The_Great_Recession_Mormon_Desert,_Book_by_Sheryl_Karas_with_Paul_Hood.html

Who Would Be Most Interested?

Memoir lovers, and lovers of true-life adventures.
People curious about us.
People who love storytelling mixed with humor and philosophy.

Self-employed people.
Artists and writers.
Alternative health practitioners.

Gays and lesbians, their allies, people who support gay rights.
Santa Cruz folks, Californians, people from Arizona.
People making community online, marketing their goods and services online, or those attempting it.

People who care about community, love, peace, and social justice.
People concerned about the horribly polarized political scene, and what might shift things.
People living through their own Great Recession sagas.

Spiritual but not religious folks, New Age thinkers, meditators, Hindus, Pagans, Buddhists, progressive Christians, Jews, Mormons and anyone who cares about freedom of religion (or freedom not to have one).
People who still care about life purpose and wanting to contribute to the highest good of all concerned.

-----

Sessions with Sheryl and Paul

We're continuing to offer our services separately as well as a team and continue to offer people (old clients or new ones) an opportunity to have a session with one or both of us at the bottom of our sliding scale regardless of income. Money is tight for a lot of people and we always have wanted to make our services as accessible as possible (while making a living, too). We're also offering short email consults which are especially useful for inexpensively trying our work out without committing to a longer session right away. Click here to make an appointment with one or both of us now.

------

Our Joint Etsy Shop...

is filling up with great photos and artwork from our new book. Check them out at http://www.etsy.com/shop/PaulnSherylArt

------

Where to Find Mama Love Flower Essence Aromatherapy
http://www.mamaloveproducts.com

------

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!

July Newsletter 2011

2011-07-03T19:57:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,

We'd like to thank all those who decided to take advantage of two new options we just started offering this past month: 1) sessions with one of us instead of with us both working as a team and 2) short email sessions. The feedback has been excellent and interesting. We believed working as a team was a special thing and for many people it has been. But some people find so much attention at once overwhelming -- offering more conventional one-on-one sessions was a plus. We also didn't realize the value in short email consultations before! Some people like time to process the information they receive in small chunks. They also need a way to try our services out without jumping into a bigger commitment right from the start. We like doing it so we'll be continuing with that, too. We're also continuing to give anyone who wants to do a phone or in-person session a chance to do so at the bottom of our sliding scale regardless of income. Click here to make an appointment with one or both of us now.

One theme for us this year -- and lots of people on our list -- is the lesson in having things go wrong, not getting what you want, working really hard over a very long period of time only to be forced to do something else. But I can't help but realize that this isn't the first time for me-- a lot of us who were in Santa Cruz in October 1989 when the Loma Prieta earthquake hit know the meaning of having your plans dashed or redirected! But then it was a clear-cut case of "Act of God" or at least "Act of Planet". This economic crisis isn't really a lot different -- the vast majority of people who have faced job loss, foreclosure, and downsizing were not at fault -- and yet the inability for so many people to simply jump back in and put things back in order right away hits like a blow to the solar plexus, it dredges up issues of self-esteem. Failure and the ease with which we get up again afterward has a lot to do with upbringing and societal conditioning. Paul shares his thoughts in our newsletter article for this month.

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

THE FAILURE OF LARRY CROWNE

So, we go to see the new Tom Hanks movie figuring on some light entertainment. And for the most part, it was. However there was a moment so horrifying that I can scarcely believe that the movie was not rated a hard “R”, “NC-17”, or the dreaded “NR”. The story is moving along quite nicely and then, right out of the blue, a perfectly good cheesecake, a boxed cheesecake no less, is violently thrown against a door. It’s very graphic. The cake fairly explodes, and then oozes down the door. I was beside myself, and yet, I couldn’t look away. The movie continued on of course, but what was Tom Hanks thinking? This is a family film! All I could think to do for the next hour was to keep repeating to myself, “It’s not a real cheesecake, it’s not a real cheesecake, it’s a movie cheesecake.” Thank God it wasn’t a blueberry cheesecake. Even Hollywood has SOME limits.

Seriously though, we did watch the movie. There was a cheesecake scene. I’ve seen some pretty good Tom Hanks movies but this wasn’t one of them. Same goes for some other Hollywood actors who end up with too much creative control on a pet project. We all have our limits. Other times, it all comes together. “The Apostle” for example is an awesome film and was the pet project of Robert Duvall. To be fair, “That Thing You Do” written and directed by Tom Hanks in 1996 was a really good film. But on any given day, week or year things can go different ways, and in fact, that’s exactly what I think Tom Hanks was trying to address in this latest film. It’s a “human” picture, and a lot of human mistakes were made in making it. They meant well, and it shows. Sometimes that’s enough. OK, not this time, but even though I sat through a bad movie I’m not sorry that I did. I’m a little sorry for Tom that he made it but I’m not sorry he made it. Also, I know that he can do better, and I suspect that he will.

Wouldn’t it be great if we celebrated the failures as much as the colossal successes? “Wow man! Did you see how badly you blew that one? That was awesome! I honestly don’t think you could do any worse if you were hogtied, blindfolded and completely unconscious. On a scale of one to ten that was negative fifteen. If my four year old kid painted a picture like that, I’d give him a time out. Listen, you need to go to the cemetery and dig up every artist who ever lived and make a personal apology to their lifeless bodies. Right on, man! Do another!”

Yes, that would be great. Because we'd never be afraid to try something for fear that we might fail. Because in the end it's not about pass or fail anyway. As Jim Morrison once said, "No one here gets out alive." So it's all about how we choose to live our lives. Are we good to each other? Did we care? Did we try to do the right thing? I'm thinking that's what Larry Crowne was all about and what Tom Hanks was about in making the film, so for that he earns my applause.

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

On a related note, Conan O'Brien delivered an interesting commencement address at Dartmouth College this year. It starts off with the typical funny stuff but about 2/3 of the way in he chooses to impart words of wisdom about the experience of failure, loss and disappointment and the gifts it brings. Kind of like what the Tom Hanks movie was all about despite the execution. Check it out. It's pretty good.

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

NEW FROM MAMA LOVE!!!

Soothing Angry Skin Body, Bath and Massage Oil -

A lot of us know that stress and upset can make our skin problems way worse. I originally designed this for two people with shingles who reported that the problem came about during a long-standing downturn in their lives-- it helped them tremendously and helped their tendency to be angry and upset, too. Then I tried it for a hot itchy rash that appeared after months of growing anger and frustration. Worked wonders for me as well!

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

We Have Art and Books Available Online

Healing Communication Press: http://stores.lulu.com/healingcommunicationpress
Art notecards, T-shirts, mugs and other gifts featuring our images... http://www.zazzle.com/paulnsheryl*
Beautiful Photographic Prints by Paul Hood... http://PaulHood.imagekind.com/
Beautiful Photographic Prints and Artwork by Sheryl Karas...http://sherylkaras.imagekind.com

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

Where to Find Our Videos

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

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

Be a Fan!

We've recently joined the world of 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. Check us out at http://tinyurl.com/HealingCommunication . Check Mama Love out 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 Healing Communication News

2011-06-10T16:28:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

We've moved back to California—Chico, CA, the City of Trees! And what a magnificent, lush, green, City of Trees it is. Beautiful big trees of every sort lining almost every street—it's like living in a giant arboretum. Paul has family here and has lived here on and off but it's very new to Sheryl. How'd we choose Chico? Well, it appears to have been waiting all along but we didn't think of it. Instead we chose to accept a job as live-in innkeepers in Grass Valley, thinking we'd each work part time at that while building our practice and other businesses up, drove partly across the country to get there, only to have the job whisked away before we could even begin! Luckily, Chico is just an hour and a half away and Paul's dad was there to see us through. Talk about needing to live in the moment and do what the universe puts in front of you! Flower Essence fans and other curious people might like the article Sheryl posted about Green-Cross Gentian and having the strength to carry on that she posted on her blog here. It's especially applicable for those who have been uprooted and need to connect to a new home.

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

NEW!!! Spiritual Counseling and Healing Sessions

To help us get our practice restarted we've added a bunch of new options to our website. The two of us have always chosen to work as a team -- it's been fun for us but not necessarily what everyone wishes we would do. We now offer our services separately as well as together and offer short sessions, even mini-email consultations as a way to check us out without breaking the bank. We had to alter our fees as a result, and to make things even more accessible we're now offering EVERYBODY an opportunity to work with us at the bottom of our sliding scale regardless of income. Check our "Make an Appointment" page to find something that fits your budget.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

NEW!!! Intuitive Flower Readings

What do the "flowers" have to say about key issues in your growth and development at the current time?

Relationships, career, health, etc -- there's at least one flower essence that can be used as a guide.

As an experienced spiritual counselor, healer and flower essence practitioner Sheryl has been using flowers as an aid for her emotional, spiritual (and physical) health and well-being for many years. She's always been intuitively guided in the work she does... offering flower readings are a way to give you a taste of it in a fun and hopefully accessible way.

$15 for a brief look at one issue in your life via email
$25 for the same thing with the appropriate Mama Love Perfume (or one of your choice)

See the bottom of her Mama Love Products Page.

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

NEW!!! Red Hot NAKED Mama Love

:-) Hee-hee. Thought that might get your attention! Here's the story:

"Hey Mama Love! You're all about value and the environment and all that good stuff. How come you sell these products with all this packaging I have to throw away?"

"Well, that's what sells it. People think they're cute and buy them as gifts for their friends!"

"I don't, I buy them for myself. I don't want the packaging--I love your stuff anyway. Why not save yourself the trouble and me the expense and give me my Mama NAKED?!"

"Gasp! Um... okay. I still put them in bottles, label and shrinkwrap them but the rest of it is gone -- no cute jacket with info about the product and a cute Healer Mama on it. If that's for you, you get a big discount!"

$9.59 each, $56 for six, $110 for one of each (set of 12)

Look for "NAKED Mama Love" in the Products section of Sheryl's Mama Love website.

And if you prefer your hot Mama all gussied up.... you still can for $12.99 including shipping to the U.S. or Canada.

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

NEW!!! Our Artwork and Funny Words on All Kinds of Stuff

We've got a lot of new products in our Zazzle shop where you can buy our art and silly sayings (and serious sayings) on t-shirts, mugs, greeting cards, posters, all sorts of stuff. Even iPhone and iPad cases and —- can you believe this? —- custom made Keds high top sneakers and low top shoes. Visit our shop here: http://www.zazzle.com/paulnsheryl*

A small sampling of our newest stuff:

Reach

Red Zinnia

Peace and Love and All That Jazz

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

We Have More Art and Books Available Online

Healing Communication Press
Art notecards, T-shirts, mugs and other gifts featuring our images.
Beautiful Photographic Prints by Paul Hood.
Beautiful Photographic Prints and Artwork by Sheryl Karas.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Where to Find Our Videos

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

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

Be a Fan!

We've recently joined the world of 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. Check us out at http://tinyurl.com/HealingCommunication . Check Mama Love out 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!

March Healing Communication News

2011-03-09T11:24:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

Well, it seems like we've been out of touch for awhile but that's because we've had way too much going on.

We've moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico and it looks like very soon we'll probably be moving again. Down the street or back to California? We're right on that fence right now, it depends on how a few things play out. So bear with us! Once we know for sure we'll send out an announcement as soon as possible but in the meantime we're having an online moving sale to raise some cash and, perhaps, lighten our load.

First off, several of my Mama Love flower essence aromatherapy formulas were damaged traveling back and forth across the country. The product is still great but the packaging is scuffed, torn or bent. I'm making these available at $8.00 each including shipping instead of $14 in my Etsy shop. They're available THIS WEEK ONLY and then I have to shut the shop down temporarily so we can manage whatever our next move is going to be. Friends on Facebook have already been buying them so act fast because the ones you want at this price might soon be gone. http://www.etsy.com/shop/MamaLovePerfume

Also, we've marked down the fine art glass pendants and handmade silk and faux fur evening bags we've been selling in our other Etsy shop. The pendants were $24.99. Now they're $16.50 including shipping. The evening bags were $35 and now there are just 4 left at $19.50. Again they're available THIS WEEK ONLY and then we have to temporarily close that shop, too! http://www.etsy.com/shop/PaulnSherylArt

I've also been adjusting prices in our print-on-demand bookshop. This is a more permanent change. We've joined the modern age when it comes to e-books...or at least we're trying to be up-to-date. When we first opened that shop the advice was to keep the price of e-books more in line with the cost of print so as not to hurt regular book sales. But, of course, the cost of print-on-demand items of any sort are higher than mass market so it puts our work out of reach for a lot of folks. So we're rectifying that situation. Our e-book downloads are now $2.99 for "Changing the World One Relationship at a Time" and $4.99 for "The Spiritual Journey of Family Caregiving." You'll find them at http://stores.lulu.com/healingcommunicationpress

And our article this month?

An excerpt from "The Spiritual Journey of Family Caregiving" about why our way of helping people as spiritual counselors mattered in the work I did as consultant for families dealing with Alzheimer's Disease and other forms of dementia.

Respecting the Sanctity of a Human Being

by Sheryl Karas

I'm going to start by being honest: becoming a Family Caregiving Consultant was never part of my game plan. I went to school to get a Masters Degree in Transpersonal Psychology, sometimes thought of as Spiritual Psychology, and intended to do private practice personal coaching, lead support groups and teach workshops for a living. I thought of myself as an entrepreneur. Instead I ran out of money before I got started and had to find a regular job. Doing office work and leading support groups at the Alzheimer's Association was the only one I found and I was none too pleased about it. I knew nothing about Alzheimer's Disease and hated the idea of doing office work but figured the support group training would help while I figured out what to do next.

The first day the executive director handed me a copy of "The 36-Hour Day", a horrifyingly depressing book considered at the time to be the Alzheimer's "Caregiving Bible." She had me watch some videos on Alzheimer's Disease and two weeks later left me alone in charge of the office while she went to get something to eat.

I had a big stack of paperwork and filing to do on my desk and was sitting there dejectedly trying to imagine how a Masters degree was going to be of any use in this when the phone rang. The man on the other end was involved in a family argument about how to take care of his dad. He said his father lived alone on a ranch far out in the country and had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease.

The father had lived in that house his entire life and always said that he would rather wander out into the woods and die like all natural born creatures than to be shut up in a nursing home away from the place he loved at the end of his life. But now his relatives were refusing to honor his wishes. None of them could leave their families and jobs to live with him and they were all fighting about how (or if) they should take him away and have him placed. I suggested a few services they might take advantage of but spent most of the call listening and helping the caller sort out his feelings about the ethics of following through on his own request.

A day or two later I was left alone again and received a call from a woman taking care of her mother who was having what people in the field call a "catastrophic incident". She was extremely agitated, screaming obscenities, and was accusing the caregiver of trying to steal from her. The woman on the phone was at wit's end and said "I've had enough of this—YOU talk to her!!" and, to my horror, handed the phone to her ranting mother. Keep in mind I had NO training at this point beyond a basic introduction, had never talked to a person with dementia in my life, and had no idea of what to do.

I listened to the mother's rage and vitriolic screaming for a few minutes, freaked out silently for awhile, and finally thought "this isn't what I get paid to do." I interrupted the raving and said the first thing that came into my head. "Mrs. So and So, could you help me with something?" Immediately, Mrs. So and So snapped out of her rage. "Of course, dear! What can I do for you?"

Then I didn't know what to say so I stammered out the truth. "I'm brand new on this job and I don't know how to help you and I have SO much I have to do! Could we do something else?"

"Absolutely!" she said. "Don't you worry about a thing. I'll take care of it." And then she hung up the phone.

About twenty minutes later the caregiver called back. "You're a miracle worker! What did you do? She's been happy and sitting quietly reading a book upside down ever since."

I was stunned. I didn't know why what I did worked but I never forgot it. By asking the patient to take care of me, by treating her with respect and letting her feel like she still had value, I somehow got through.

From that point on I realized how my Transpersonal Psychology background was going to matter in the work I had taken on to do. One client after another asked for "practical" help but the help that made the biggest difference was listening and honoring each person's sanctity as a human being.

---

You can read this book as an e-book download on your own computer or on any e-book reader that can read pdf files for just $4.99. Or buy a conventional print version if you like. Here's a link: http://stores.lulu.com/healingcommunicationpress

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

Spiritual Counseling and Healing Sessions

Available now!
http://www.healingcommunication.com/How_to_Make_an_Appointment_with_Spiritual_Counselors_and_Healers_Sheryl_Karas_and_Paul_Hood.html

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

We Have Books and Art Available Online

Healing Communication Press: http://stores.lulu.com/healingcommunicationpress
Art notecards, T-shirts, mugs and other gifts featuring our images... http://www.zazzle.com/paulnsheryl?rf=238549309058651585
Beautiful Photographic Prints by Paul Hood... http://PaulHood.imagekind.com/
Beautiful Photographic Prints and Artwork by Sheryl Karas... http://sherylkaras.imagekind.com

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

Where to Find Our Videos

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

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

Be a Fan!

We've recently joined the world of 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. Check us out at http://tinyurl.com/HealingCommunication . Check Mama Love out 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!

Winter Solstice 2010

2010-12-20T20:12:00.000-08:00

Our most recent fortune cookies (Paul ate two).

Hello Everyone!

In Cottonwood, AZ today Paul and I went on an “explore” and wound up going for a hike by a river under a magnificent shelter of cottonwood trees and aspens, all bare except for bunches of bright green mistletoe. Today is the Winter Solstice. It will also be a lunar eclipse of a full moon, the first time this has happened on Winter Solstice in more than 350 years.

An astrologer acquaintance of mine says that tonight is a potent time to release any darkness that holds you back, to let go of any old pattern, grief or pain that has been interfering with manifesting your true life’s purpose. In so-doing you can rekindle your inner fire and plant a new, more positive vision for the coming year.

Anyone who knows Paul and me realizes that we’re not immune to having life issues of our own. Who is? In particular, the topic of “home” has been more than an obsession for the past several years. “Go home” my inner guidance has been saying a very long time. But today, walking under the mistletoe I had a bit of a revelation: is there really any “home” that exists outside ourselves at this point in time?

An old family story came to mind. My grandparents came to the United States as a result of the Russian pogroms when the Jews were forced from their homes at the turn of last century. Imagine “Fiddler on the Roof” minus the singing. My grandfather came to this country first, got a job and sent for his young wife after he saved enough money. After she arrived he wanted to take her out for her first American meal and ordered shrimp which is forbidden under Kosher Jewish law. She was horrified but her husband said “This is your new home! This is what people eat here!” She replied “No! My body is my home.”

“Go home”. I tried it my grandmother’s way. I walked under the trees, visualized myself “at home” in my own skin and came back to myself, breathing, just being. And for the first time in a very long time it felt alright.

Mistletoe grows in the branches of trees and is one of the symbols of Christmas, probably because it is evergreen. But it is also a real life manifestation of “home”. A wide variety of birds use mistletoe for a nest. And not only that, the birds are responsible for the mistletoe being there. Mistletoe finds its way to the tops of these trees through bird droppings. Seriously. Mistletoe is what is known as a hemiparasitic plant. It can thrive quite well like other plants on its own and would not ordinarily be found growing in the branches of other shrubs or trees except via the process of having been deposited there in bird feces. The plant then sends roots into the tree itself in order to survive in what would otherwise be a foreign environment.

This is an extremely rare occurrence in the plant kingdom. Such a surprising ability to not only survive but thrive in such a situation, especially while staying evergreen, makes mistletoe a profound example of Nature’s fertility. Not only that, in places where mistletoe abounds other species become more fertile and abundant as well because mistletoe not only provides housing but food (berries and foliage) for a wide variety of animals and birds. Mistletoe is a symbol of God’s love (or the Goddess’ love in Nordic pagan tradition) and whoever stands under the mistletoe is under Divine protection. No harm will come of them, only a kiss, the symbol of love, fertility and everlasting life.

Paul and I have had quite a few “looking for home” adventures and mishaps in the time we’ve been together. It’s obviously time to change this but we have learned at least one thing: no matter where we go, no matter where we are, we’re always “at home” with each other!

Remember to steal a kiss under the mistletoe this holiday season.

-- Sheryl Karas M.A.

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

Spiritual Counseling and Healing Sessions

Available now!
http://www.healingcommunication.com/How_to_Make_an_Appointment_with_Spiritual_Counselors_and_Healers_Sheryl_Karas_and_Paul_Hood.html

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

Mama Love Flower Essence Aromatherapy
http://www.mamaloveproducts.com

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

We Have Books and Art Available Online
Healing Communication Press: http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=1759553
Art notecards, T-shirts, mugs and other gifts featuring our images... http://www.zazzle.com/paulnsheryl?rf=238549309058651585
Beautiful Photographic Prints by Paul Hood... http://PaulHood.imagekind.com/

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

Where to Find Our Videos

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

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

Be a Fan!

We've recently joined the world of 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. Check us out at http://tinyurl.com/HealingCommunication . Check Mama Love out 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!

November Healing Communication News

2010-11-07T08:40:00.000-08:00

River Corner by Paul Hood

Hi Everybody,

It's been a long time, we know. We're still in great transition, currently in Massachusetts in a strange little place called Turners Falls. Our internet connections are sporadic -- I'm writing this from a laundromat with wifi -- and that makes us extremely focused on what we need to be doing now and not on the things we've done before. Hence, the utter lack of email communication! People who have joined us on Facebook will have read what we want to share in this email but after I wrote this last night we both felt it was time to open the lines of communication back up and draw you all in, too.

We came to Massachusetts in the strangest of ways. We got guidance to come here for "long term success". We, at this point, believe we needed to be given a few lessons. Not the fun kind...we hear there's some kind of intense Pluto transition (transformation and rebirth after examining hard issues from our pasts). But we're here now and making use of it. If we wind up here so be it. If we don't... please understand it was a step of benefit on the way for all concerned. We've already been given opportunities to help other people here locally in-person through what we've learned.

Sharing that succinctly in written form, so far, isn't so clear. Key thoughts: the importance of putting your physical needs first in order to preserve the ability to do what you're here to do. Too many healers and people called to spiritual service (ourselves included) put the greater mission -- one's life purpose -- first. So be it... and yet what we do on the material level is equally important. The intersection of heaven and earth, bringing the Godhead down, the material aspect of the spiritual depends on a solid connection with ALL that is. Physical existence, not just transcendence, is essential given that we are meant to BE HERE NOW.

Yeah, we can talk the spiritual rhetoric. But who says you can't transcend your existence as a used car salesman? Who says you can't light up someone's life with a smile and kind word while working at McDonald's? We're struggling with this right now. Jobs that reflect that kind of experience we believed we were here to find have not been easy to find. So we're examining a lot of past beliefs we've carried while trying to do what needs to be done.

Some sharing from what we've posted on Facebook:

Standing at a crossroad metaphysically, standing at a crossroads on the street, I saw a sign for local public access TV and said "Paul, let's go over there!" We met a couple of guys hanging out in front of the building. One was a black wheelchair bound man who identified himself as a Cherokee chief who said something we needed to hear at that moment about using conventional means to gain entrance and the ultimate freedom to do what we're here for. He handed us a baggie of Herkimer diamonds which he called a blessing and "seeds of light". He asked us to "plant them", to plant the seeds of light wherever we go.

True story. It happened here in Turner's Falls this week.
Turners Falls is a strange place, a place in extreme transition .... just like Paul and me (which is probably why we wound up here at this point in time). In 1676 Captain William Turner and his men massacred 300 Indians who were camped there, presumably this was near a sacred place. Was Turners Falls cursed after that?

People here think so. The grand plans intended for this spot by white people -- as evidenced by the very beautiful churches and now historic buildings-- never came to pass. Others were tried and failed. There are abandoned mills, boarded up buildings. Turners Falls was once called the "Bucket of Blood" because of the level of violent crime and alcoholism here.

About five years ago local community members, spurred by a movement to revitalize the historic district, asked the Cherokee chief we met to help facilitate a Reconciliation Healing which many of the town people attended. Since then (and actually slightly before when the idea was still being conceived) everyone says the town has started to come back to life. Town people ALL agree "Turners is coming up." It's not hard to see that the dour character of the place has glimmers of light breaking through. There's now a beautiful art gallery of photography with world class exhibits, a restored opera house with lots of wonderful community theater, new community centers of all sorts, a move to revitalize the area through arts, culture and community intervention. You can see the revitalization starting to happen. The rebirth is in full swing but its also clearly still ramping up.

Spirituality and intent in action but you need to focus on that in order to stay involved with the magic. The rest of what you might see could bring you down!

I guess that's what I wanted to share with you (and for me) during this time of extremely challenging transition so many of us are going through. Focus on those glimmers of light, water them, reconcile with what's been broken, allow the healing to take hold.

-- Sheryl Karas M.A.

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

Spiritual Counseling and Healing Sessions

PLEASE bear with us during this time. If you don't live near Turners Falls we might need to talk with you via skype in a cafe or someplace else. We will probably need time to set something appropriate up in advance (so no last minute "can you help me right now!" types of calls). But we are open to what's possible...feel free to give us a call.
http://www.healingcommunication.com/How_to_Make_an_Appointment_with_Spiritual_Counselors_and_Healers_Sheryl_Karas_and_Paul_Hood.html

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

Mama Love Flower Essence Aromatherapy

I have perfume with me now so I can and will fill orders at least for a couple of more weeks from this location. Check out my website at http://www.mamaloveproducts.com to make a purchase for yourself or for the holidays for someone you love!

Or contact the retail stores that carry my flower essence aromatherapy products instead:
http://www.healingcommunication.com/mamaloveproducts/stores.html

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

We Have Books and Art Available Online
Healing Communication Press: http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=1759553
Art notecards, T-shirts, mugs and other gifts featuring our images... http://www.zazzle.com/paulnsheryl?rf=238549309058651585
Beautiful Photographic Prints by Paul Hood... http://PaulHood.imagekind.com/

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

Where to Find Our Videos

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

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

Be a Fan!

We've recently joined the world of 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. Check us out at http://tinyurl.com/HealingCommunication . Check Mama Love out 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!

Big Healing Communication News!

2010-07-31T19:16:00.000-07:00

Hello Everybody,

A strange thing happened on the way to writing this newsletter. It was Paul's turn this time and he chose the topic of being faced by your nemesis, that thorniest of opponents against whom you just have to lay down your arms. He wrote copious notes but somehow the article would just not materialize. So he sent his notes to me (Sheryl) and, because I had been confronting a nemesis of my own recently, suggested maybe I could do something with it. No such luck. We both spent a fair bit of time, wrote lots and lots, and in the end came up with nothing. The perfect example of a nemesis in process!

On the other hand, it's not like we have nothing to announce. And if we wrote too much about the nemesis we wouldn't really be focusing on what we most want to impart. So lay down your arms, Paul and Sheryl! Tell us that something else!

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

Sheryl's Book, Changing the World One Relationship At A Time: Transformational Listening For Mutual Support & Empowerment, Is Back In Print!

Changing the World One Relationship at a Time was Sheryl's second book. It came out in 1998 through Crossing Press. New copies of the book haven't been available for some time but recently we heard that even used copies have become hard to come by. So today we're announcing that it is in print again both as a print-on-demand book for $16.49 or as an e-book download for $8.59 through our very own Healing Communication Press.

This is what people had to say about the book when it first came out:

Want to change your life? Get together with a trusted friend and spend an allotted amount of time each week focusing on truly listening to one another. “Changing the World” teaches readers the needed skills for connecting with others, starting on a personal level and advancing to the community and the world beyond. —Sandra I. Smith, Midwest Book Review

I highly recommend this book. Karas provides tools we need to improve the quality of our lives. Her examples, exercises, and meditations teach us how to listen constructively which leads to improved health, happiness, and a sense of well being. —Barbara Hoberman Levine, author of Your Body Believes Every Word You Say

And here's what the back cover has to say:

When the cost of counseling is higher than ever and insurance is less likely to cover it, when people are searching for community and healthy practices to sustain it, the need for simple easy-to-do peer counseling and relationship skills are more important than ever. The re-release of Changing the World One Relationship at a Time: Transformational Listening for Mutual Support & Empowerment could not have come at a better time. Spiritual counselor Sheryl Karas M.A. has written a clear concise and highly readable book to help couples, families, friends and communities help each other through troubled times.

Learn

Basic attentive listening skills
Approaches for effectively working with emotional issues
How to stay centered around other people’s emotions
How to work with personal and societal projections
Techniques for working with racism, sexism and other societal oppressions
How to create your own support groups
Exercises, guided meditations and more

Author Bio: Sheryl Karas M.A. has a Masters degree in Transpersonal Psychology and 30 years of experience providing informal counseling in a variety of settings. From 1984-1998 Sheryl was a practitioner of Re-evaluation Counseling, a form of peer counseling (co-counseling) where participants learn to exchange mutual support. She taught co-counseling classes and later went on to teach the teachers and certify new ones. When Sheryl developed a more spiritual perspective some of the practices of Re-evaluation Counseling no longer seemed to fit. Changing the World combines some of the most accessible techniques from Transpersonal Psychology with the peer counseling instruction she taught before.

Buy the book now by clicking here.

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

Interested In Getting Transformational One-Way Support?
Give our recession-sensitive sliding scale a try.

For some time now we've been getting the message that it's time to lay down our arms about what to charge once again. (Long time clients know this has been a long time issue.) We're going back to our roots: pay whatever you can afford on our sliding scale of $50-250, regardless of income. We know the recession has hit a lot of people hard. Maybe your income hasn't changed but your savings or retirement account is long gone. Maybe you're needing to tighten your belt and make choices you never thought you'd have to face. Most sliding scales are based on current income. Ours is not!

Before deciding what to pay search your heart. Choose the fee you think you should pay and feel inside. Are you anxious? "I can't afford this! What if I want another one? I certainly can't afford more than one session at this price!" NO PROBLEM. Choose a lower number. On the other hand, do you feel guilty? "They're really good, I can afford more than this." Add a bit more. Or maybe you're in both places at once? "I think I should pay more but I really can't right now." You don't have to! Send us a tip or donation later if you feel so inspired. If you can't be bothered with an exercise like this—you just want to know what to pay and be done with it—our flat fee remains the same. $150/hour for the two of us to share, $75 for an additional 30 minutes.

SPECIAL NOTE TO NEW PEOPLE: We ask for payment in advance but you've never had a session with us before! We know that puts you in an especially challenging position. How do you know what a session with us is really worth? Pay at the bottom. If you think we're awesome, get online after the session is over and send us a tip.

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

More Books By Sheryl Karas

THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY OF FAMILY CAREGIVING
For five years, ending in 2005, I worked as a Family Caregiving Consultant at the Alzheimer's Association and Del Mar Caregiver Resource Center helping families taking care of loved ones with incurable progressive memory loss and dementia. Trying to find services needed to provide basic care is what brought people in to see me first, but as the caregivers became more ensconced in their caregiving roles inevitably emotional and spiritual issues would become their primary concerns. My role shifted to providing a combination of practical and spiritual care. During this period I wrote a caregiver newsletter every month and this book is the result.

THE SOLSTICE EVERGREEN: THE HISTORY, FOLKLORE AND ORIGINS OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE
The evergreen has been a potent pagan symbol in almost every culture, from prehistoric Japan to Northern Africa, from Native America to Medieval Germany. The Solstice Evergreen explores the rich spiritual heritage of this ancient symbol in depth and includes a great many myths, legends,and folk tales from across the globe as well as dozens of black and white illustrations. Gathered together in this book for the first time, this rich collection of mythology presents a unique perspective spanning many cultures and centuries.

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

WHERE TO FIND OUR ART

Beautiful Photographic Prints by Paul Hood... http://PaulHood.imagekind.com/
Art and Photography by Sheryl Karas... http://SherylKaras.imagekind.com/
Art notecards, T-shirts, mugs and other gifts featuring our images... http://www.zazzle.com/paulnsheryl?rf=238549309058651585
Brand New Shop (Pendants featuring our art and photography, handmade evening bags, more items to come)... http://www.etsy.com/shop/paulnsherylart

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

WHERE TO FIND OUR VIDEOS

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

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

BE A FAN!

We've recently joined the world of 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. Check us out at http://tinyurl.com/HealingCommunication . Check Mama Love out 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!

July Recession Special!

2010-07-01T21:28:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody!

We're keeping the newsletter short and sweet this time. Usually we don't do a July newsletter at all (don't know why, it just works out that way.) But this time we want to announce a special:

For the month of July only, we're offering everybody sessions at the bottom of our sliding scale, regardless of your income. That's $30 for a 1/2 hour, $50 for an hour, and $75 for an hour and a half. Our normal sliding scale is $50 - 250 for an hour. Our regular flat fee is $150 so if you've never had a session with us before or haven't had a session in a while this is the time!

After July we're making our income-sensitive sliding scale a need-sensitive one. We realize that even people who appear to make a decent living on paper frequently have extenuating circumstances, unusual expenses and -- these days -- serious concerns about their financial well-being. So we're going back to our roots: choose whatever you can afford, no questions asked. If you want to pay more later you can. If you can't, you don't have to!

And for those of you who hate having to decide for yourselves what to pay... close your eyes, if you've had a session with us before you know what it's worth but where are you at financially yourself? Pick a number: does it hurt to pay that much? Then the number is too high. Shift it down. Do you feel guilty, like the number really isn't high enough? Shift up! Can't afford that? Pay less now and send us a tip later! Can't be bothered with this exercise? Then pay the flat fee of $150 and be done with it. It's your choice!

Click here to make an appointment with us now!

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

BOOKS HAND-AUTOGRAPHED BY THE AUTHOR (Sheryl Karas)

THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY OF FAMILY CAREGIVING --
For five years, ending in 2005, I worked as a Family Caregiving Consultant at the Alzheimer's Association and Del Mar Caregiver Resource Center helping families taking care of loved ones with incurable progressive memory loss and dementia. Trying to find services needed to provide basic care is what brought people in to see me first, but as the caregivers became more ensconced in their caregiving roles inevitably emotional and spiritual issues would become their primary concerns. My role shifted to providing a combination of practical and spiritual care. During this period I wrote a caregiver newsletter every month and this book is the result.

Unsigned copies of "The Spiritual Journey" and a nice variety of journals featuring our photography are also available online at http://stores.lulu.com/healingcommunicationpress .

THE SOLSTICE EVERGREEN: THE HISTORY, FOLKLORE AND ORIGINS OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE --
The evergreen has been a potent pagan symbol in almost every culture, from prehistoric Japan to Northern Africa, from Native America to Medieval Germany. The Solstice Evergreen explores the rich spiritual heritage of this ancient symbol in depth and includes a great many myths, legends,and folk tales from across the globe as well as dozens of black and white illustrations. Gathered together in this book for the first time, this rich collection of mythology presents a unique perspective spanning many cultures and centuries.

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

WHERE TO FIND OUR ART

Beautiful Photographic Prints by Paul Hood... http://PaulHood.imagekind.com/
Art and Photography by Sheryl Karas... http://SherylKaras.imagekind.com/
Art notecards, T-shirts, mugs and other gifts featuring our images... http://www.zazzle.com/paulnsheryl?rf=238549309058651585
Brand New Shop (Pendants featuring our art and photography, more items to come)... http://www.etsy.com/shop/paulnsherylart

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

WHERE TO FIND OUR VIDEOS

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

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

BE A FAN!

We've recently joined the world of 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. Check us out at http://tinyurl.com/HealingCommunication . Check Mama Love out 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 2010 News

2010-06-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

Hello Everybody,

This month's newsletter is written by Sheryl. Hope you find it helpful!

--------

THE GULF OIL CRISIS AND TAKING A LONGER VIEW

An odd thing happened for me in recent weeks. After months of being highly activated in a political way—writing articles, signing petitions, circulating informative videos on Facebook and participating in sometimes highly charged discussions on all kinds of subjects—the BP oil catastrophe occurred and I found myself just watching. Not shocked, not screaming, not in pain. I’m watching with a kind of absolute belief that this was required, horribly yet inexplicably required.

This is an unusual position for me to take. In my own life I’m not so sanguine when awful things occur. Paul and I can go absolutely ballistic over things as simple as a missed communication. We meditate, we know the importance and useful application of a quiet mind and a positively expectant mental attitude, but we’re flawed creatures susceptible to the winds of pain and misfortune like anyone else. But not on this one.

Some part of me thinks the world will come back into balance because of this. That BP and Exxon and anyone else who wants to convince us to “drill, baby, drill” will not be allowed to run the show without proof that a catastrophe like this —and it will be a big one—can never occur. The devastation will guarantee it stays fresh in our minds. They can’t keep the news media in the dark forever and the longer this situation builds up the worse the consequences will be. Awful news for all concerned. But — in the long haul, obviously not now— could this be the best news possible for the world?

People on my Facebook list are grieving and freaking out as they should be. It’s on the world news every night. It’s a catastrophe of major importance. People’s lives are being ruined, people’s livelihoods will never be the same. The emotional devastation of thousands of dead animals and fish washing up to shore covered with sludge hasn’t yet occurred, and everyone is praying for the creatures to steer far away. And yet we know the truth: the coastline is already being impacted and lots of animals, birds and fish will likely never return again.

When a wound occurs we don’t let it fester. We disinfect and bind it up as best we can. BP might not have a clue of how to do that with this one and, yet, they HAVE to. And not because we’re demanding it and not just because they will benefit. The entire oil industry is at stake. That’s why Paul and I are not in the group of increasingly vocal activists calling for their heads—their heads are about to start to rolling already. I’m not celebrating exactly—I’m not that cruel, I’m not that mindless of the heartbreak already occurring—but I keep thinking that a gate to addressing the peak oil crisis that was once locked and blockaded by big oil interests is now open.

In case you haven’t been keeping up on “peak oil”, that’s why a lot of things have been taking place. We only have a few short years of onshore oil reserves left in the United States. That’s why there has been a mad scramble to get oil from other places. Off shore oil drilling and protracted wars in the Middle East are just two examples. Even if you throw away the ecological and human devastation involved in such an approach, continuing to focus on oil alone is ridiculously inadequate for the crisis already upon us. And yet big business interests have blocked or bought and deliberately underfunded solar, wind and other alternative technologies for decades! And while they, with Sarah Palin and John McCain's help, have been successfully convincing large numbers of working people in our own country that supporting the oil companies is good for everyone else, most people rarely see those riches for themselves. On the contrary and shall I say “coincidentally”, I received an email while I was writing this article from a man visiting Equatorial Guinea, an extremely poverty-stricken country in Africa that is rich in oil reserves being exported to other countries. The average citizen of this country makes no more than $1/ day while the oil companies make billions and the people they pay off make millions. The president of Guinea's son, for example, supposedly makes only $60,000 /year but somehow was able to buy a $35 million mansion in Malibu, CA in which to live. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6129992.stm)

Luckily we do still have enough time but the wake-up required to stop the madness and make us take stock of what we really should do now had to be enormous. The BP catastrophe might not even be big enough.

HEALING THE HEART

So how do we cope with this? 1) Understand that big crisis involves big sacrifice. This crisis is not just about sea creatures and people living in the Gulf—it's much much more serious than that. The upshot is that we won’t be able to do things the same way now. 2) Understand that through crisis the world can come to a higher understanding. Sometimes the only way out of a devastating situation is to go through it and come out the other side, sadder but wiser and more willing to make the changes that have to be done. 3) Be well in your own heart. Believe there will be another day and another with which to heal this. Enjoy each moment as an opportunity. And know that you’re not alone.

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

COPING WITH TROUBLED TIMES IN YOUR OWN LIFE

SPIRITUAL COUNSELING
A spiritual counseling and healing session can help you gain clarity and support to find your way. Unless you're in eastern Arizona we're doing all our sessions via telephone these days but it works really well that way. Sliding scale fees make our sessions affordable. Click here to make an appointment now.

FLOWER ESSENCE AROMATHERAPY
The first Mama Love formula I ever made was called Mama Love for Troubled Times because using it helped me feel as safe and secure as a baby being held in my mother's arms. It's a good thing, too, because the life I had had up to that point was being dismantled and I needed to find the emotional balance to pick up the pieces and carry on. Not only that, it smelled wonderful, with ingredients like Rose and Jasmine that you'd find in the best perfume. My formulas are actually made to aromatherapy standards which means they're safe to be used more extensively than conventional perfume but they're designed with both aromatherapy and perfume sensibilities to make them enjoyable to use. Combine flower essence healing with a spiritual counseling session and you have an effective program for healing that can't be beat!

Mama Love for Troubled Times can be found by clicking here.

Or visit the Mama Love website to find all the formulas I make.

--------

BOOKS HAND-AUTOGRAPHED BY THE AUTHOR (Sheryl Karas)

THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY OF FAMILY CAREGIVING --
For five years, ending in 2005, I worked as a Family Caregiving Consultant at the Alzheimer's Association and Del Mar Caregiver Resource Center helping families taking care of loved ones with incurable progressive memory loss and dementia. Trying to find services needed to provide basic care is what brought people in to see me first, but as the caregivers became more ensconced in their caregiving roles inevitably emotional and spiritual issues would become their primary concerns. My role shifted to providing a combination of practical and spiritual care. During this period I wrote a caregiver newsletter every month and this book is the result.

Unsigned copies of "The Spiritual Journey" and a nice variety of journals featuring our photography are also available online at http://stores.lulu.com/healingcommunicationpress .

THE SOLSTICE EVERGREEN: THE HISTORY, FOLKLORE AND ORIGINS OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE
The evergreen has been a potent pagan symbol in almost every culture, from prehistoric Japan to Northern Africa, from Native America to Medieval Germany. The Solstice Evergreen explores the rich spiritual heritage of this ancient symbol in depth and includes a great many myths, legends,and folk tales from across the globe as well as dozens of black and white illustrations. Gathered together in this book for the first time, this rich collection of mythology presents a unique perspective spanning many cultures and centuries.

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

WHERE TO FIND OUR ART

Beautiful Photographic Prints by Paul Hood... http://PaulHood.imagekind.com/
Art and Photography by Sheryl Karas... http://SherylKaras.imagekind.com/
Art notecards, T-shirts, mugs and other gifts featuring our images... http://www.zazzle.com/paulnsheryl
Brand New Shop (Pendants featuring our art and photography, more items to come)... http://www.etsy.com/shop/paulnsherylart

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

WHERE TO FIND OUR VIDEOS

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

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

BE A FAN!

We've recently joined the world of 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. Check us out at http://tinyurl.com/HealingCommunication . Check Mama Love out 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!

May 2010 Healing Communication News

2010-05-03T20:50:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody!

Happy May! What's on our minds these days? The news, making decisions, being ourselves, and learning to trust despite living in times beset with frauds and deception. Who can you trust? Can you trust anything? What would Krishnamurti say? Here is Paul's latest take:

GUARDING AGAINST YOUR OWN PERCEPTIONS AND TRUSTING YOURSELF ANYWAY

by Paul Hood

A friend of mine recently quoted Krishnamurti: “The fact is there is nothing that you can trust; and that is a terrible fact, whether you like it or not. Psychologically there is nothing in the world, that you can put your faith, your trust, or your belief in. Neither your gods, nor your science can save you, can bring you psychological certainty; and you have to accept that you can trust in absolutely nothing.”

Then my friend asked whether friends of hers agreed with the statement or not. Well, right off the bat I could bet that the sun is going to rise tomorrow and every day for the rest of my life and win that bet. Sure, one day it won’t rise, but likely that will happen long after I’m dead anyway. Ok, so 400 million years in the future some guy is going to get up at 7am, look out the window at the sky in complete horror, wave his six tentacles frantically and shout telepathically to all who can hear “I should have listened to Krishnamurti, noooooo!”

There are a lot of things which we can trust on a day to day basis. There’s risk involved in trusting, but it’s usually worth it. Like a lot of quotes taken out of context, I think that the one above loses something in the translation. The thing which strikes me most about this brief quote, however, is how wrong it is, and what really jumps out is how much one cannot trust Krishnamurti, a pretty well renowned philosophical/spiritual teacher and speaker. Had he worded it differently, I can see it making some degree of sense -- if he had limited this more to intangible things which we believe and place our trust in but can’t really prove -- but he didn’t. Speaking in absolutes usually draws a lot of arguments. Big boo-boo on the part of Krishnamurti then; but the guy gave thousands of talks across his 90 year lifetime so don’t you think he’d make an error now and then? A one-star quote doesn’t negate all of his five-star quotes. I went through something similar recently with a two minute video titled “Why People Get Sick”. Well, there’s a lot of reasons why people get sick and two minutes isn’t enough time to explain them all. Unfortunately it’s our third most popular video -- way ahead of much better ones.

Lately I’m seeing just how much past experiences, powers of discretion, intellect and other factors can skew not only our perceptions but the conclusions that we make based upon those perceptions. All of which lead to opinions which we then automatically trust. It’s a matter of habit. This takes me right back to the Krishnamurti quote: if we can’t trust ourselves, then who, or what can we trust? Can we actually trust, then, anything? After all everything comes through the lens of the self, and so we are in no way objective. All experience is subjective, but that’s what really gives life meaning anyway: the passionate, the subjective, the personal. Being involved with a capital “I” is what we really want to hear about. We all know how much importance we give to the first hand experience, the eye witness. . . how many times have we seen the phrase “I have 20 years experience in this area” used to give tangible credence to an opinion? Wouldn’t it be far more “objective” to see a thing with brand new and totally inexperienced eyes? What do we do when we seek an outside perspective? We invite a friend to render an opinion on something that they, in theory, aren’t involved in. But guess what, they’re involved with us. They’d rather agree than disagree with us. They’d rather take our side. And who describes the very thing that we want an “objective” opinion on? We do. Our objective friend only gets the information that we feed to them. So maybe it’s true that we can’t trust anything, but I wouldn’t trust that.

In my humble opinion Krishnamurti is dead wrong, but he’s right too. The sun does not rise and set on Krishnamurti, but then again, the sun doesn’t rise and set at all --- the earth turns around on its axis and gives us that illusion. A useful illusion though, and we can’t go around doubting ourselves at every turn. We’d be paralyzed. And when it comes to advice regarding “fire” I would rather trust the advice of a highly trained and opinionated blacksmith, than that of the completely objective toddler discovering it for the first time. Even though both might offer me a summation including the word “ouch”. . . what would a fire-walker tell me? Purify yourself. Bless the bed of coals. Trust and surrender completely to the power of God and you will not be harmed. Something like that.

Lately the message that I’ve been getting through my own experience seems to be one of temperance. Trust yourself, but not too much. There may be larger forces at work. Hold things a little more lightly. Be aware that your past experiences may amount to baggage, and baggage can weigh you down, slow you down -- and in extreme cases -- bury you entirely. Without baggage however, where am I going to keep my undies? And I do want undies. Nice, clean white undies. We all like that. Except when we don’t. I trust that God will in general keep me in undies if I do my part -- my weird, flawed, subjective, human part.

I have another friend who wrote a whole song called “Go Commando” about not wearing any underwear. I saw him perform it live for the first time in front of a pretty decent sized audience. The song went on and on and on. It was hilarious. The longer it ran the funnier it got, because who in their right mind would do twelve verses about not wearing underwear? Plus, he’s a terrible singer. Off key almost all the time. Seriously, when he hits the right note, it’s an accident. The guitar playing isn’t much better. Yet he sings and plays with great exuberance and enthusiasm. He’s highly prolific too. Audiences love him, but what would a music teacher say? Here is what makes him great: he’s so bad that he does not even know he’s bad (Or does he?). From his point of view, he might even be great for a lot of different reasons which I don’t agree with. I’ve never actually asked him what he thinks of his own singing and playing, but I’ve always wondered if he were to hear another person singing way off key, would he know. . . and would it matter?

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

OUR LATEST VIDEOS
http://www.healingcommunication.com/videos.html

Recent topics include The Spiritual Benefits of Loss, Transcending Polarity, and follow-ups to Paul's popular earlier video on Kundalini awakening.

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

INTERESTED IN A SESSION?

We do telephone sessions with people all over the world. Visit our "Make an Appointment" page to make your appointment now.

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

MAMA LOVE PERFUME
Sheryl has a line of Reiki-infused Flower Essence Aromatherapy products for a wide variety of healing purposes. You can find them at http://www.mamaloveproducts.com.

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

BOOKS HAND-AUTOGRAPHED BY THE AUTHOR (Sheryl Karas)

THE SOLSTICE EVERGREEN: THE HISTORY, FOLKLORE AND ORIGINS OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE --
The evergreen has been a potent pagan symbol in almost every culture, from prehistoric Japan to Northern Africa, from Native America to Medieval Germany. The Solstice Evergreen explores the rich spiritual heritage of this ancient symbol in depth and includes a great many myths, legends,and folk tales from across the globe as well as dozens of black and white illustrations. Gathered together in this book for the first time, this rich collection of mythology presents a unique perspective spanning many cultures and centuries.

THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY OF FAMILY CAREGIVING --
For five years, ending in 2005, I worked as a Family Caregiving Consultant at the Alzheimer's Association and Del Mar Caregiver Resource Center helping families taking care of loved ones with incurable progressive memory loss and dementia. Trying to find services needed to provide basic care is what brought people in to see me first, but as the caregivers became more ensconced in their caregiving roles inevitably emotional and spiritual issues would become their primary concerns. My role shifted to providing a combination of practical and spiritual care. During this period I wrote a caregiver newsletter every month and this book is the result.

Unsigned copies of "The Spiritual Journey" and a nice variety of journals featuring our photography are also available online at http://stores.lulu.com/healingcommunicationpress .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WHERE TO FIND OUR ART

Beautiful Photographic Prints by Paul Hood
Art and Photography by Sheryl Karas
Art notecards, T-shirts, mugs and other gifts featuring our images
Brand New Shop (Pendants featuring our art and photography and more)

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

BE A FAN!

We've recently joined the world of 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. Check us out at http://tinyurl.com/HealingCommunication . Check Mama Love out 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!

April 2010 Healing Communication News

2010-04-01T15:19:00.000-07:00

Jackrabbit and Cottontail on Sugarfoot Ranch

Happy Spring!

Here comes Peter Cottontail,
Hoppin' down the bunny trail,
Hippity, hoppity,
Easter's on its way.

The rabbits have started appearing again! First on our horizon were the giant jack rabbits. In fact, Sher and I walked out from the house and stood about ten feet away from “Harvey” who didn’t move, run, or seem afraid of us at all. That’s when we knew Spring had arrived. That, and the freaking pollen. We’re welcoming in the Springtime with an allergy to Juniper pollen, which we’re absolutely surrounded by for miles and miles. This comes in on a wave of illness: bronchitis, and the majority of the household on meds for stuff which has lingered on and off since Christmas. Yuch. Springtime: Yay! “Sneeze, sneeze…. blow nose, cough cough, did you take your pill yet?” We’re seeing a few cottontails now too, and while everyone here is on the mend, some of the Southern States are enjoying a second visitation from the swine flu. Count your blessings for what you’ve got and what you haven't got.

Yes, Spring is generally seen as the time for rebirth and resurrection. For some, the end of a long cold Winter and maybe a few hardships. The hope arrives with the change of season, but maybe not instantaneously. It’s a process of awakening and shaking off the cold. Sheryl writes about that in this issue of our newsletter below.

The birds are back too, twittering and chirping. No sign yet of the hummingbirds, but several other varieties are back-- including some sparrows who learned how to drink from the hummingbird feeder and are looking quite happy with their sugar water treats. So, of course, we get what Easter is about: eggs, bunnies-- it’s all about fertility and rebirth in one way or another: hope for a new life. In the midst of this, however, we’re a very divided country right now. In all my life I never heard the word “progressive” used to describe people who are supposedly out to destroy this country. Weird. Just odd. Most of all my hope for the veritable Springtime involves peace, harmony, love and understanding in our future. An end to cold, harsh words and hasty, ignorant judgments of others. Let those icy winds just blow away.

--Paul Hood

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

Moving Towards Resurrection
by Sheryl Karas M.A.

As I was thinking about this month's newsletter I was aware that Passover has begun and Easter is right around the corner, the season of resurrection, so to speak. Few people who are not Jewish realize that Passover is not just about the exodus of the Jews from Egypt. The Jews were not allowed to enter the Promised Land until the previous generation of slaves had died off and wandered for 40 years in the desert as a result. The next generation, released from the shackles their parents carried physically, spiritually and psychologically, were the only ones allowed to pass on through.

What this means for us today, I think, is highly significant. A lot of people worry that in 2012 the world as we know it may come to an end. Paul and I doubt that the apocalypse is on its way, but we are certainly going through a period of rapid change and the world as we once knew it has come to an end for many of us already. In the last five years alone whole industries have come crashing down and many others are on the brink. If you once worked in the newspaper industry, as Paul and I once did, you know what I mean. If you just had your technical support job outsourced to India, you really know what I mean!

And look at what's happening in the greater political scene. Since Barack Obama entered office it's as if the entire right wing has gone crazy! And it's more than a little frightening to see how enraged people act when they are stuck in the throes of fear. If you are a proponent of change and happen to be in an industry benefiting from the changes that have been happening, celebrate! But before you do, have a little compassion for those who are terrified and perhaps seeing things they once depended on for their sense of well-being crumble before their eyes. Whether you care or not about the institutions that are likely to fail in the wake of what's happening in our world today, think about the individual humans who once depended on these institutions. Think about the changes that whole communities have gone through in the past and you'll have an inkling of what's happening for the whole world right now.

Have you seen the movie or play "Fiddler on the Roof"? I took my grandmother to see the movie when it first came out and she was wide-eyed to see her life experience portrayed so vividly on the big screen. In the movie the Jewish people of the tiny rural village of Anatevka are forcibly removed from their homes by the pogroms, the Russian holocaust that happened at the beginning of the 20th century. But before that happens the play explores the cultural changes that were already coming about at that time. The old traditional way of life the Jews had in that village was already threatened by new mores that the younger generation was eager to embrace. Changes like marrying for love instead of through arranged marriages within the faith, changes like marrying someone outside the faith, and political forces like the Communist Revolution that were perhaps the driving force behind the pogroms in the first place. Older generation Jews to this day often say that intermarriage and the collapse of the old Jewish mores were more of a threat to the Jewish way of life than the holocaust itself. Speaking for myself, I wouldn't want to go back to that old way of life for anything! But if you watch that movie or see a good version of the play the horror and pain and struggle involved with those changes was horrifying. It took at least a generation -- the coming of my generation -- before the benefits outweighed the suffering that came before.

That's the point I wanted to make. We're going through massive changes right now and some of the old mores are dying hard. For good reason I might add. If you've been in the catbird seat because you grew up in the right cultural background, race, financial circumstances, etc. you might not like what's happening one little bit. If you've bought into the idea that you could rise from poverty if you followed the old Republican way you know what team you're on whether the Democratic proposals and reforms benefit you or not. If you're Christian you might not like someone who looks like he might be Muslim telling you what to believe. If you're black that might look like racism. But if you're white and scared your fears might be about retribution and losing everything your family members may have been working so very hard to create.

From one perspective the concerns other people have might look foolish, racist or misguided. But if you are the ones watching your children be influenced by things you don't want them to believe, if you believe your way of life is threatened, and worse still, if you have lost a job and have no idea what's going to replace it it doesn't matter what "side" you're on! You're terrified. You don't know what way to go and it might seem like fighting for what was true before is the only truth you can hold onto. But the real truth is that when your boat is in the rapids the worst thing you could do is attempt to turn around and fight your way back upstream. You might think you don't like where this boat is headed. You might need to get yourself to the closest shore. But you can't go back to exactly the way things were before. You either get yourself to safety as quickly as possible or stay on the boat, using all the resources at your disposal, and hope you end up someplace good.

My own experience is that if you're frightened—if you just lost a job or feel terrified about the state of the world and the part you can possibly play in it, if you need to make a big change and don't know how to do it—get yourself to a safe shore and take a breather. Look around a bit, meditate, allow new ideas and possibilities to come in. Most of all grieve for what you may be leaving behind so you can allow in a new point of view. Let go. Then take a look around. Perhaps you'll need to learn some new skills, take a class or meet people who have already made the changes you need to make. The people you need most might be just a step or two ahead of you. But if they can glimpse a clear horizon from where they are that you can't yet see that's where you need to be. Go there. Get to a higher vantage point so you can take in the longer view. And then you'll know what you need to do and whether the river is really where you most need to be.

In terms of the longer view from a social change or political point of view: understand that a lot of this country is wandering in the desert. Some of us may have been let go from oppressive situations but, like the Jewish slaves who were freed to find their way to the Promised Land in ancient days, a lot of us might prefer slavery to the uncertain solutions that may or may not lie ahead. According to the Old Testament, the Jewish people made it all the way to the Land of Canaan but were afraid to walk in. Despite all that had come before—manna from Heaven, the parting of the Red Sea, the release from Egypt— they fell into fear and disarray right at the gates of the Promised Land and lost their way. That's the "slave" mentality: it couldn't possibly be good, it couldn't possibly turn out for the best, we couldn't possibly receive what we most need. Have some compassion for yourself and others. If you're not in a good place now let go of the shore, swim with the current, keep your head above water and look for higher ground. Believe in the most positive solutions. And when find yourself in that higher, more positive state, go forward, see who is with you, join forces and help whoever else you can along the way.

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

OUR LATEST VIDEOS
http://www.healingcommunication.com/videos.html

Recent topics include The Spiritual Benefits of Loss, Transcending Polarity, and follow-ups to Paul's popular earlier video on Kundalini awakening.

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

INTERESTED IN A SESSION?

We do telephone sessions with people all over the world. Visit our "Make an Appointment" page to make your appointment now!

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

MAMA LOVE PERFUME
Sheryl has a line of Reiki-infused Flower Essence Aromatherapy products for a wide variety of healing purposes. You can find them at http://www.mamaloveproducts.com.

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

BOOKS HAND-AUTOGRAPHED BY THE AUTHOR (Sheryl Karas)

THE SOLSTICE EVERGREEN: THE HISTORY, FOLKLORE AND ORIGINS OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE --
The evergreen has been a potent pagan symbol in almost every culture, from prehistoric Japan to Northern Africa, from Native America to Medieval Germany. The Solstice Evergreen explores the rich spiritual heritage of this ancient symbol in depth and includes a great many myths, legends,and folk tales from across the globe as well as dozens of black and white illustrations. Gathered together in this book for the first time, this rich collection of mythology presents a unique perspective spanning many cultures and centuries.

THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY OF FAMILY CAREGIVING --
For five years, ending in 2005, I worked as a Family Caregiving Consultant at the Alzheimer's Association and Del Mar Caregiver Resource Center helping families taking care of loved ones with incurable progressive memory loss and dementia. Trying to find services needed to provide basic care is what brought people in to see me first, but as the caregivers became more ensconced in their caregiving roles inevitably emotional and spiritual issues would become their primary concerns. My role shifted to providing a combination of practical and spiritual care. During this period I wrote a caregiver newsletter every month and this book is the result.

Unsigned copies of "The Spiritual Journey" and a nice variety of journals featuring our photography are also available online at http://stores.lulu.com/healingcommunicationpress .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WHERE TO FIND OUR ART

Beautiful Photographic Prints by Paul Hood... http://PaulHood.imagekind.com/
Art and Photography by Sheryl Karas... http://SherylKaras.imagekind.com/
Art notecards, T-shirts, mugs and other gifts featuring our images... http://www.zazzle.com/paulnsheryl
Brand New Shop (Pendants featuring our art and photography, more items to come)... http://www.etsy.com/shop/paulnsherylart

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

BE A FAN!

We've recently joined the world of 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. Check us out at http://tinyurl.com/HealingCommunication . Check Mama Love out 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!

March 2010 News

2010-03-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

Hello Everybody!

What's new this month is VIDEO! Thanks for joining us online.

Since we're about to let go of the season of death and head into the celebration of resurrection —Easter and the less well known pagan holidays that came before that—our theme for this month is the Spiritual Benefits of Loss and how to heal enough to allow for the rebirth so many of us want so much right now.

We start with a video featuring Paul speaking on this topic.

Here's some more insight on the same topic inspired by the world of flower essences:

Sagebrush Flower Essence for When Life Strips You to the Essentials

by Sheryl Karas M.A.

When a person is over-identified with aspects of its “ego self”—that small self that is part of the past and never the future—sometimes we need to cleanse the spirit of all those past attachments so life can be truly transformed and made new. There are times that try people’s souls. We become so attached to possessions, lifestyle, social recognition, external things that we think express who we are but in reality can help hold us back from what we can become. Last year's recession brought job loss, business losses, bankruptcy and home foreclosure to a lot of people. Others have lost family and friends. It's hard to feel spiritual when you’re stripped of so much but a lot of people turn to spirit in times like these.

So is there any spiritual purpose in experiences like this? Sure! But when people you love are in the midst of the crisis it's probably not the right time to discuss it -- at least not if you want things to remain civil. This week, however, Paul and I have been taking the time to look at this key issue. Spirituality isn't always about living "The Secret" and getting what you want, at least not right away. Sometimes it is about loss and that's painful! But from the highest spiritual perspective it’s hard for a purpose. To give up the past is often a blessing, not a curse. It frees you to new experience, to create what you’re longing for without a death wish related to past beliefs and old ideas of “right living” attached. When you are stripped to the essentials, you see so clearly what matters most. You never let go of your essential soul purpose. That’s what you see and that’s what you have left to build upon and grow.

In Flower Essence Therapy, Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) is used to help people who have been essentially stripped of a lot of what they hold dear. Sagebrush lives in the desert in the harshest of conditions. We see it growing along the road where Paul and I live now and it's quite beautiful. In the summer and fall it has tiny yellow flowers that grow in bunches near the ends of the branches and it has hairy but stiff silvery grey-green leaves that are lobed like an oak leaf. It can grow to almost 4 feet tall but, unless living near a source of running water, most tend to stay a lot smaller, usually 1-2 feet.

Artemisia tridentata is part of the asteraceae or Sunflower family which, for flower essence purposes, indicates that it carries some of the same characteristics of other flowers in that family. For example, the small flower heads are actually a composite of many individual flowers clumped together so they look like one. The Asteraceae flower family is also known as "compositae" for this very reason. Most of the species in this family are also sun-loving plants, with strong, sturdy, long-lasting stems and branches. Richard Katz of the Flower Essence Society has written about this plant family. He says flower essences from this family deal with themes of spiritual integration, wholeness, integrity and the development of the spiritual Self.

Sagebrush has been used for spiritual purposes by Native peoples throughout the Southwest for millennia. It's the most common herb used in smudging, an ancient practice intended to clear negative toxic energy from around an individual or in an environment. It was also used medicinally to rid the body of parasites, stop internal bleeding and aid in the healing of infection.

The Sagebrush plant group Artemisia is named for Artemisia II, the sister and wife of king Mausolus, the ancient ruler of Caria in southwestern Anatolia. Artemis is also the name of the ancient sun god Apollo's sister, the goddess of the moon, the hunt and wild nature. Queen Artemis showed a lot of her namesake's spirit in the years after her husband's death. She took over the throne and brilliantly defended her country from marauding invaders who hoped to take advantage of the situation. Unfortunately she is far more well-known for her extraordinary grief at his passing. She is said to have mixed her husband’s ashes in her drink, and to have gradually pined away during the two years that she survived him. She had a giant monument built in his honor that was once listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The word "mausoleum" comes from this. But she was also a botanist and medical researcher and that's why the plant group is named after her. Think of someone who couldn't let go of her life long attachment to her brother/husband and you'll get the gist of what Sagebrush flower essence is meant to help one overcome. It helps one find a new self-identity when the old one is now gone.

Ready to be reborn? Smile, lighten up, Spring is almost here. And what better way to celebrate than with newborn baby goats! Sheryl took the photographs in this next video at Harley Farms in Pescadero, CA. If you've never been there when these wonderful fun-loving creatures are born, March is the month to go do it!

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

MORE NEW STUFF!

Are you interested in learning about Kundalini awakening? Paul did a video about that long ago that you might have seen already. If not you can see it here . We've received lots of questions about that ever since so we finally have done a video to address them. It's broken up into 3 short parts.

"Kundalini Part 2"
"Kundalini 3"
"Kundalini 4, The Last Word"

Paul also did a nice talk on Transcending Polarity which includes some insight into Yin and Yang and American politics! Lots of helpful Buddhist principles as well. We think you'll find it interesting.

Transcending Polarity Part 1
Transcending Polarity Part 2
Transcending Polarity Part 3

And finally we found some clips from more than a year and a half ago featuring Paul as well.

Taking Your Spiritual Life Seriously
The Ideal and the Real
It's Not About Fixing Everything

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

INTERESTED IN A SESSION?

We do telephone sessions with people all over the world. Visit our "Make an Appointment" page to make your appointment now.

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

MAMA LOVE PERFUME

Sheryl has a line of Reiki-infused Flower Essence Aromatherapy products for a wide variety of healing purposes. You can find them at http://www.mamaloveproducts.com.

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

BOOKS HAND-AUTOGRAPHED BY THE AUTHOR (Sheryl Karas)

THE SOLSTICE EVERGREEN: THE HISTORY, FOLKLORE AND ORIGINS OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE
The evergreen has been a potent pagan symbol in almost every culture, from prehistoric Japan to Northern Africa, from Native America to Medieval Germany. The Solstice Evergreen explores the rich spiritual heritage of this ancient symbol in depth and includes a great many myths, legends,and folk tales from across the globe as well as dozens of black and white illustrations. Gathered together in this book for the first time, this rich collection of mythology presents a unique perspective spanning many cultures and centuries.

THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY OF FAMILY CAREGIVING --
For five years, ending in 2005, I worked as a Family Caregiving Consultant at the Alzheimer's Association and Del Mar Caregiver Resource Center helping families taking care of loved ones with incurable progressive memory loss and dementia. Trying to find services needed to provide basic care is what brought people in to see me first, but as the caregivers became more ensconced in their caregiving roles inevitably emotional and spiritual issues would become their primary concerns. My role shifted to providing a combination of practical and spiritual care. During this period I wrote a caregiver newsletter every month and this book is the result.

Unsigned copies of "The Spiritual Journey" and a nice variety of journals featuring our photography are also available online at http://stores.lulu.com/healingcommunicationpress .

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

WHERE TO FIND OUR ART

Beautiful Photographic Prints by Paul Hood
Art and Photography by Sheryl Karas
Art notecards, T-shirts, mugs and other gifts featuring our images
Brand New Shop (Pendants featuring our art and photography, more items to come)

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

WHERE TO FIND ALL OUR VIDEOS

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

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

BE A FAN!

We've recently joined the world of 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. Check us out at http://tinyurl.com/HealingCommunication .

Check Mama Love out 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!

February 2010 Newsletter

2010-02-01T19:17:00.000-08:00

Hello Everybody!

Kali Ma and Unconditional Love

A friend of mine brought up recently how important it is to "Remember to love your family and friends for the individuals they are, not for who you think they can become." And I added: nor for who you think they should be.

The conversation went into some unexpected directions including an extended discussion of the Hindu Goddess "Kali". Specifically about her aspect as a destroyer of demons and her tendency, once released, to get carried away. I had to throw in a joke, of course: "Unconditional love for Kali. She kills demons. She drinks their blood. She dances on corpses. But she's not all bad. She has a pretty smile and she's fun at parties."

Just what is it about Kali that makes her the most worshipped Goddess in the Hindu Pantheon? I mean, she is a bad-ass. She's basically the kind of fearsome foe to demons that you might expect her to be: the right tool for the job. Not being Hindu, I don't actually know what all those Indians are thinking. But I decided to interpret it like this:

"She was created with infinite power, think of it as elemental, the very epitome of power. Once unleashed, she is capable of ending all existence. And that ecstasy of destruction is equal to the bliss of ultimate love and creation. In her un-leashed state, Kali no longer discriminates about what she destroys. That is why she is depicted dancing joyfully upon the corpse of her lover. It's a depiction of pure power without discretion.

"It no longer matters what triggered her wrath, she is as beyond that as she is beyond any limitation including choices as to who is the enemy and who is not. And since, ultimately, we are all one, there is no difference. That's why if you invoke Kali you are just as likely to experience her presence as an attack on the self as you are to witness it as a powerful and overwhelming vengeful assault on others, because it's the same thing."

You get it, right? Discretion is not her forté. She does not stop to judge nor censor herself in her work. She was, in this aspect, not created to be loving, kind or understanding. And as there are many different types of demons to be overcome, she just goes nuts and destroys everything in her path, lest she be incomplete in her task.

In other words, Kali is a girl you want on your side when you really need a warrior. But, look out, because what exactly is "your side"?

Do you love the President of the United States whenever he does exactly what you want him to do? Is that the condition? How about your kids, your husband or wife? How about gay people? "Sure, as long as they don't get married--- yikes." That's the deal with unconditional love. It just does not involve judgment. It's all inclusive.

I pretty much thank my lucky stars that most people don't ask me about my personal beliefs before they book a counseling session with Sheryl and I because I could not explain it. It's as expansive as it can be, my belief system. It's the right tool for the job. No, I'm not perfect, of course not. By striving to be expansive I've already excluded anybody with a more focused and finite belief set. Well, too bad, sorry, because no matter what, none of us can be all things to all people. We just want to be accepted for who we are, and we might as well return the favor starting with the people closest to us. But I can't think of a single reason not to extend that out to everyone. Take your own stand though, it's a free country, and Kali is waiting in the wings to hear what you decide.

-- Paul Hood

When I read Paul's newsletter entry this month the thought that popped into my mind was "is unconditional love possible in all cases"? I know that for me it would be very hard to love someone who hurt me or people I love. And yet I also know that that is where forgiveness comes in. That return to a state of grace, that state where unconditional love can flow, is one of the main benefits of the practice. Paul told me that he knows of a family that was actually able to forgive and then befriend a man who murdered one of their children. In honor of the Hallmark celebration of love coming up this month I looked online to find that story and instead found many. Here's a link to just one.

--Sheryl Karas

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

INTERESTED IN A SESSION? (We promise not to invoke Kali!)

We do telephone sessions with people all over the world. Visit our "Make an Appointment" page to make your appointment now.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MAMA LOVE PERFUME

Sheryl has a line of Reiki-infused Flower Essence Aromatherapy products for a wide variety of healing purposes. You can find them at http://www.mamaloveproducts.com.

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

BOOKS HAND-AUTOGRAPHED BY THE AUTHOR (Sheryl Karas)

THE SOLSTICE EVERGREEN: THE HISTORY, FOLKLORE AND ORIGINS OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE --
The evergreen has been a potent pagan symbol in almost every culture, from prehistoric Japan to Northern Africa, from Native America to Medieval Germany. The Solstice Evergreen explores the rich spiritual heritage of this ancient symbol in depth and includes a great many myths, legends,and folk tales from across the globe as well as dozens of black and white illustrations. Gathered together in this book for the first time, this rich collection of mythology presents a unique perspective spanning many cultures and centuries.

THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY OF FAMILY CAREGIVING --
For five years, ending in 2005, I worked as a Family Caregiving Consultant at the Alzheimer's Association and Del Mar Caregiver Resource Center helping families taking care of loved ones with incurable progressive memory loss and dementia. Trying to find services needed to provide basic care is what brought people in to see me first, but as the caregivers became more ensconced in their caregiving roles inevitably emotional and spiritual issues would become their primary concerns. My role shifted to providing a combination of practical and spiritual care. During this period I wrote a caregiver newsletter every month and this book is the result.

Unsigned copies of "The Spiritual Journey" and a nice variety of journals featuring our photography are also available online at http://stores.lulu.com/healingcommunicationpress .

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

WHERE TO FIND OUR ART

Beautiful Photographic Prints by Paul Hood... http://PaulHood.imagekind.com/
Art and Photography by Sheryl Karas... http://SherylKaras.imagekind.com/
Art notecards, T-shirts, mugs and other gifts featuring our images... http://www.zazzle.com/paulnsheryl
Brand New Shop (Pendants featuring our art and photography, more items to come)... http://www.etsy.com/shop/paulnsherylart

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

WHERE TO FIND OUR VIDEOS

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

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

BE A FAN!

We've recently joined the world of 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. Check us out at http://tinyurl.com/HealingCommunication . Check Mama Love out 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!

New Year's Wishes - Jan. 2010

2010-01-01T14:05:00.000-08:00

Beautiful music by Libana is featured in this lovely video. Thanks, Marie, for sharing it with us! Enjoy!

Hello Everybody, Happy New Year!

Hard newsletter to write this time around. New Year's eve, traditionally New Year's resolution time. Out with the old, in with the new...when it doesn't feel quite like the previous year is done with its hold on us, not by a long shot yet.

Some people we see on Facebook have been planning rituals to literally throw the old year away -- smashing rituals, throwing away rituals. Perhaps good ideas in the sense of setting an intention that the painful realities we've all been going through as a nation be over and done with. But perhaps a more hopeful agenda might be set if we were to recognize that these harsh realities were a painful yet important waking up, shaking us out of compliance with a painful yet frequently unquestioned status quo. The problems aren't going away if we decide to just watch as powerful interests manipulate the public for private gain, not here, not in Iraq or Afghanistan, not anywhere in the world today.

As I'm writing this I am well aware that most people on our list, including ourselves, have been hit terribly by the economic consequences of our world's previous choices and that, if there's anything we all want to see happen in 2010, it's for the global economic crisis to be set right again. The guidance I continually receive on this is that it will not come to pass until we take our Law of Attraction / manifestation skills up a notch in terms of conscious awareness of how connected we are as individuals to the care of the planet as a whole. The Me Generation's legacy of "me first, mine, who cares about yours" has got to end. If we don't understand that what we do affects the world as a whole soon the whole thing comes crashing down. It already has for more than a few of us already.

One thing you learn when you live way out in the desert is how important the belief is that we're all in this together. Not a day goes by, it seems, when locally at least we don't hear about some effort to help another local family or individual in need. That caring even extends to Paul and me as we walk the dirt roads in the country surrounding our house. People aren't used to seeing people going for a walk this far out in the wilderness -- there's nothing, they think, to walk to! So they always stop to make sure we're okay and don't need help in any way. It's nice. We like that but it pointed out something to us. That never happened to us anyplace else we have ever chosen to live.

We also had the recent experience of having a pipe on the outside of the household water tank freeze so we were without running water for a day or two. This felt traumatic for Paul and me, not used to country living off the grid without public utilities. But we all came through it okay and when free-flowing water was once again restored we celebrated! We were grateful for something we had simply taken for granted days before. Not anymore. Now we know what more than half the planet lives with as a painful reality of their daily existence -- the importance of a roof over one's head with clean, good to drink running water, food to eat, electricity (even if we have to make it ourselves) and the basic necessities of life. We're fortunate to have that no matter how much we may be suffering the loss of other finer stuffs. As this year comes to a close and a new one begins I want to encourage everyone on our list to take a few minutes to be thankful for what we do have and to manifest gratefulness for the necessities of the lessons we've been receiving of late. It helps keep our perspective and the priorities that should be accessible to everyone on the planet clear.

What are we doing what we do for? What priorities do we want to set for the coming year as a planet? We need to allow that to settle into our consciousnesses and then decide what we all want to be doing personally for ourselves and the world as a whole.

--Sheryl Karas

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

INTERESTED IN A SESSION?

We do telephone sessions with people all over the world. Visit our "Make an Appointment" page to make your appointment now.

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

BE A FAN!

We've recently joined the world of 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. Check us out at http://tinyurl.com/HealingCommunication . Check Mama Love out at http://www.facebook.com/MamaLoveProducts. Become a Fan and be sure to let other people know about us, too!

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

BOOKS HAND-AUTOGRAPHED BY THE AUTHOR (Sheryl Karas)

THE SOLSTICE EVERGREEN: THE HISTORY, FOLKLORE AND ORIGINS OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE --
The evergreen has been a potent pagan symbol in almost every culture, from prehistoric Japan to Northern Africa, from Native America to Medieval Germany. The Solstice Evergreen explores the rich spiritual heritage of this ancient symbol in depth and includes a great many myths, legends,and folk tales from across the globe as well as dozens of black and white illustrations. Gathered together in this book for the first time, this rich collection of mythology presents a unique perspective spanning many cultures and centuries.

THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY OF FAMILY CAREGIVING --
For five years, ending in 2005, I worked as a Family Caregiving Consultant at the Alzheimer's Association and Del Mar Caregiver Resource Center helping families taking care of loved ones with incurable progressive memory loss and dementia. Trying to find services needed to provide basic care is what brought people in to see me first, but as the caregivers became more ensconced in their caregiving roles inevitably emotional and spiritual issues would become their primary concerns. My role shifted to providing a combination of practical and spiritual care. During this period I wrote a caregiver newsletter every month and this book is the result.

Unsigned copies of "The Spiritual Journey" and a nice variety of journals featuring our photography are also available online at http://stores.lulu.com/healingcommunicationpress .

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

WHERE TO FIND OUR ART

Beautiful Photographic Prints by Paul Hood... http://PaulHood.imagekind.com/
Art and Photography by Sheryl Karas... http://SherylKaras.imagekind.com/
Art notecards, T-shirts, mugs and other gifts featuring our images... http://www.zazzle.com/paulnsheryl*
Brand New Shop (Pendants featuring our art and photography, more items to come)... http://www.etsy.com/shop/paulnsherylart

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

WHERE TO FIND OUR VIDEOS

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

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

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!

December Newsletter 2009

2009-12-06T10:02:00.000-08:00

Hello Everybody,

It's gotten icy cold in the Arizona high desert. It went down to 4 degrees last night, might be colder tonight. Winter isn't officially upon us-- that doesn't happen until the longest night of the year, Winter Solstice, December 21st-- but it feels like winter around here. It's been making us pause and think about the meaning of the season. Not the reason for Christmas but the reason ALL cultures around the world mark the passing of the longest night and many of them celebrate with lights and gifts and stories around the fire. It's about believing in the return of the light in the darkest night. It's about "salvation" in its original sense: protection or deliverance from harm. It's about hope regardless of whether you believe in a human Savior's birth or a nature-based one. It's an affirmation of that belief in the continuation of life on Earth and a celebration of all we hold most dear— family, friends, love and sharing. Peace on Earth, goodwill towards men ... and women... and, with any luck, all the creatures of the Earth as well.

From Sheryl's first book, The Solstice Evergreen: The History, Folklore and Origins of the Christmas Tree:

WHY THE EVERGREEN TREES NEVER LOSE THEIR LEAVES
Contemporary retelling of an old legend, country of origin unknown

As you know, every year the birds fly south for the winter. They’re very happy living up north in the spring, summer and fall, but in October and November when the rest of us are busy with Halloween costumes and football and looking forward to our Thanksgiving dinners, the birds start to dream about Florida. They feel that nippy autumn breeze that we all find so refreshing and they immediately have a vision of white sandy beaches and palm trees. As they hunt for the last fruits of the summer harvest their hunger brings back memories of the wonderful berries they had on their last winter vacation, and pretty soon the urge to go becomes irresistable. So, they gather together in small groups, which makes the trip more fun, and fly and fly until they feel the warm air and smell the mouth-watering aromas of their favorite winter vacation spot. It’s something they simply must do and none of them ever miss it.

That is, except for one year a very long time ago. That was the year a little bluebird broke her wing and could not fly. The others waited as long as they could but when the air got frosty and it started to snow they all flew away, leaving their injured friend behind. She jumped and flapped her one healthy wing as hard as she could but, as much as she wanted to, she just could not make the journey. She finally had to give up and figure out how she was going to survive the winter all by herself in the snow and ice.

It was terribly cold and the tiny bird was hungry and afraid. She made her way to the warmest place she could find—the forest—and asked the trees for help.

The first tree she came to was a birch. "Oh, pretty birch tree," she said, "my wing is broken, and my friends have flown away. May I live with you in your branches until they come back for me?"

"No! Certainly not!" answered the birch tree, drawing her green leaves back in disgust."I can’t have the likes of you in my beautiful branches. Go away!”

"The birch is not a very strong tree," said the bluebird to herself, "Maybe, I’m too heavy for her. I’ll ask the oak instead." So the bird said: "Great oak tree, you are so strong, would you let me live with you until my friends come back in the springtime?"

"In the springtime!" cried the oak. "That is a long time from now. I can’t trust you to be in my branches so long! You might eat some of my acorns. And don’t say you won’t. I know your kind. All birds are alike—always eating whatever they can get. Be off with you!"

"Maybe the willow will take pity on me," thought the bird, and said: "Please, gentle willow, my wing is broken, and I could not fly south with the other birds. May I live in your branches until the springtime?"

The willow did not look gentle just then because when she heard that request, she drew herself up proudly and said: "Excuse me? I don’t know you, and we willows never converse with strangers without a formal introduction. It is quite likely there are trees somewhere that will take in strange birds, but I’m not one of them. Leave me at once."

Poor little bluebird did not know what to do. Her wing was not well enough to fly, but she hopped away as best she could. Before long, however, she heard a voice.

"Bluebird, bluebird," it said, "where are you going?"

"I don’t know," answered the bird sadly. "and I’m so cold."

"Come right here, then," said the friendly spruce tree, for it was her voice that had called. "You can live on my warmest branch all winter if you want."

"Really? You’ll let me do that?" asked the little bird eagerly.

"Of course," answered the kind-hearted spruce tree. "If your friends have flown away, you need the trees to help you. Here, hop up to this branch where my leaves are thick and soft."

Just then another tree spoke up.

"My branches are not very thick," said the friendly pine tree, "but I am big and strong, and I can keep you and the spruce safe from the North Wind."

"I can help, too," said a little juniper tree. "I can give you berries all winter long, and you know how good juniper berries are."

So the spruce gave the lonely bluebird a home; the pine kept the cold North Wind away; and the juniper gave her berries to eat. The other trees looked on and gossiped among themselves.

"I wouldn’t allow strange birds on my branches," said the birch.

"I wouldn’t give my acorns away," said the oak.

"I never have anything to do with strangers," said the willow, and the three trees drew their leaves closely about them.

That night the North Wind rushed down from the mountains and frolicked in the forest. It inhaled deeply, puffing its cheeks out big and round and then blew with all its might, laughing as the leaves let go of their branches and flew in the air.

“Hee hee!” the North Wind shrieked. I’m going to dance with every leaf in the forest!”

But suddenly, just for an instant, the world froze. Glistening snow crystals hung on every branch, and as the moonlight shone through them, rainbows could be seen in all directions. The Frost King had arrived.

"Wait!” said the Frost King. "Let the trees that have been kind to the little bird with the broken wing keep their leaves."

And then, just as suddenly, he was gone. The world unfroze and the North Wind resumed its wild dance.

The next morning every tree in the forest, except for the spruce, the pine and the juniper, was stripped bare. The others stood there silently, feeling ashamed, with all their beautiful leaves sitting in piles all around them.

And that’s how it is every winter to this very day.

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

LEARN ABOUT THE PINE TREE -- ITS SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE AND HOW IT IS USED FOR EMOTIONAL HEALING

Sheryl's Blog Post: "Flower Essences of the Christmas Season -- Pine"

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

MAMA LOVE PERFUME AND MASSAGE, BODY AND BATH OIL

Sheryl is offering FREE SHIPPING on all products through her website anywhere in the U.S. and Canada and reduced shipping prices everywhere else. Sheryl also has new 3-perfume gift sets and a variety of quantity discounts for people who want to buy presents for everyone on their list. http://www.mamaloveproducts.com

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

INTERESTED IN A SESSION?

We do telephone sessions with people all over the world. Visit our "Make an Appointment" page to make your appointment now.

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

BE A FAN!

We've recently joined the world of 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. Check us out at http://tinyurl.com/HealingCommunication . Check Mama Love out at http://www.facebook.com/MamaLoveProducts. Become a Fan and be sure to let other people know about us, too!

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

BOOKS HAND-AUTOGRAPHED BY THE AUTHOR (Sheryl Karas)

THE SOLSTICE EVERGREEN: THE HISTORY, FOLKLORE AND ORIGINS OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE --
The evergreen has been a potent pagan symbol in almost every culture, from prehistoric Japan to Northern Africa, from Native America to Medieval Germany. The Solstice Evergreen explores the rich spiritual heritage of this ancient symbol in depth and includes a great many myths, legends,and folk tales from across the globe as well as dozens of black and white illustrations. Gathered together in this book for the first time, this rich collection of mythology presents a unique perspective spanning many cultures and centuries.

THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY OF FAMILY CAREGIVING --
For five years, ending in 2005, I worked as a Family Caregiving Consultant at the Alzheimer's Association and Del Mar Caregiver Resource Center helping families taking care of loved ones with incurable progressive memory loss and dementia. Trying to find services needed to provide basic care is what brought people in to see me first, but as the caregivers became more ensconced in their caregiving roles inevitably emotional and spiritual issues would become their primary concerns. My role shifted to providing a combination of practical and spiritual care. During this period I wrote a caregiver newsletter every month and this book is the result.

Unsigned copies of "The Spiritual Journey" and a nice variety of journals featuring our photography are also available online at http://stores.lulu.com/healingcommunicationpress .

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

WHERE TO FIND OUR ART

Beautiful Photographic Prints by Paul Hood... http://PaulHood.imagekind.com/
Art and Photography by Sheryl Karas... http://SherylKaras.imagekind.com/
Art notecards, T-shirts, mugs and other gifts featuring our images... http://www.zazzle.com/paulnsheryl
Brand New Shop, coming SOON... http://www.etsy.com/shop/paulnsherylart

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

WHERE TO FIND OUR VIDEOS

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

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

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR REFERRALS!

Simplest way to tell people about us? Forward this newsletter via email, Facebook, or Twitter, etc. and include a note saying you like us. It's easy!

November 2009 Newsletter

2009-11-01T21:59:00.000-08:00

HAPPY SAMHAIN, BELATED HALLOWEEN,

Are you ready for the dark and cold of winter? I’m not. We’re not. We certainly weren’t ready when it snowed before Halloween. Recent Bay Area transplants that we are, haven’t been in the mile-high desert of Arizona a year yet. Halloween, or Samhain, or any number names given to late harvest festivals, is one of those nicely obvious holidays which we have. The turning of the wheel of the year is towards darkness--- so what scares you? Booo! That’s an invitation to clothe yourself outwardly in your inner fears and embrace the unconscious horrors of life. Did you do that this past weekend? For the costume you put on at Halloween wards the evil away in the coming months.

In the old times this was the time of year when the veil between living and dead was considered thin, and those spirits--- mainly of departed loved ones, are given their due in remembering and reverence. Why now? Because death, or the early signs of it are all around us in nature. Also in the old days, death was certainly more likely to occur in the cold winter months. We humans do very poorly when we bury our griefs, fears, frustrations-- so dig them up ! Walk them around like zombies. Dress up in decay and yuckiness if that’s your fave and be sure to camp it up real good because that’s the whole point of it, that whatever it is dragging you downward into the cold dark grave isn’t all that scary after all. It just is. There it is. Make a parade out of it. Make art out of it. Throw a party. Oh yeah, and let's not forget sex, because the colder times lead towards lots of snuggling. Plenty of babies conceived in the darker months, when the wind howls, the trees scratch at the sky and the rain pounds upon the thatched roof. Ever notice how sex and death end up in the same basket ? One negates the other, so we associate them-- contrast; it’s an instinct to clarify and purify that which is held within.

Back to not being ready-- seems to me the point of celebrating the tolling of the bell as the season passes and heads on into the next is to make you ready, push you forward, and to do it in a spirit of celebration. It’s a wake. A happy funeral for the end of Summer.

--- Paul Hood

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

As the days shorten, the world gets colder, and skies get grey do your thoughts turn to those of HARVEST?

It's Harvest time! Don't forget to believe in God's timing. In the Harvest time -- even in the lean years -- it is doubly important to notice what's good, what's great, what's even stupendous in the world we live in.

The new technologies that connect us across time and space, building a new world based on global connections, breaking down barriers to understanding, peace and harmony one Internet friendship at a time... how's that for starters?

Out of work? Looking for some way to make a living? Well, that sucks... but never have people in our lifetime had more access to more possibilities to reshape their lives. We're not stuck in the past if we don't want to be. We don't have to settle for "how things have always been done." We're mobile and globally connected and we don't have to depend solely on opportunities in our own backyards. (Thank God for this -- we, for example, live 30 miles away from the closest tiny Mormon town way out in the desert!)

There's more to this, of course. It's challenging for a lot of us right now. Too many people out of work, too many businesses failing and struggling to make it through.

At least that's what makes it onto the evening news. What else is going on?

Restructuring.
Rebelieving in positive possibilities.
Remaking of society from the inside out.

You can only hurt the people you depend on to keep you in business for so long. The oil and gas companies, the big businesses who profit from skyrocketing housing prices, healthcare, etc. can only survive if they change what serves as their modus operandi -- profit above what's best for ALL concerned. Without getting too Socialist for a spiritual newsletter, the time to think globally but act locally HAS to include what's best for all concerned or the whole thing starts to crumble down. That's what we've been seeing. That's what we've been trying to stop. And ultimately this situation must lead to the best prizes of all-- HARVEST of what will make the world whole again.

--- Sheryl Karas

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

MAMA LOVE PERFUME AND MASSAGE, BODY AND BATH OIL

Sheryl is offering FREE SHIPPING on all products through her website anywhere in the U.S. and Canada and reduced shipping prices everywhere else. Sheryl also has new 3-perfume gift sets and a variety of quantity discounts for people who want to buy presents for everyone on their list. http://www.mamaloveproducts.com

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

INTERESTED IN A SESSION?

We do telephone sessions with people all over the world. Visit our "Make an Appointment" page to make your appointment now.

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

BE A FAN!

We've recently joined the world of 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. Check us out at http://tinyurl.com/HealingCommunication . Check Mama Love out at http://www.facebook.com/MamaLoveProducts. Become a Fan and be sure to let other people know about us, too!

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

BOOKS HAND-AUTOGRAPHED BY THE AUTHOR (Sheryl Karas)

THE SOLSTICE EVERGREEN: THE HISTORY, FOLKLORE AND ORIGINS OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE --
The evergreen has been a potent pagan symbol in almost every culture, from prehistoric Japan to Northern Africa, from Native America to Medieval Germany. The Solstice Evergreen explores the rich spiritual heritage of this ancient symbol in depth and includes a great many myths, legends,and folk tales from across the globe as well as dozens of black and white illustrations. Gathered together in this book for the first time, this rich collection of mythology presents a unique perspective spanning many cultures and centuries.

THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY OF FAMILY CAREGIVING --
For five years, ending in 2005, I worked as a Family Caregiving Consultant at the Alzheimer's Association and Del Mar Caregiver Resource Center helping families taking care of loved ones with incurable progressive memory loss and dementia. Trying to find services needed to provide basic care is what brought people in to see me first, but as the caregivers became more ensconced in their caregiving roles inevitably emotional and spiritual issues would become their primary concerns. My role shifted to providing a combination of practical and spiritual care. During this period I wrote a caregiver newsletter every month and this book is the result.

Unsigned copies of "The Spiritual Journey" and a nice variety of journals featuring our photography are also available online at http://stores.lulu.com/healingcommunicationpress .

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

WHERE TO FIND OUR ART

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

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

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!

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

October 2009

2009-10-04T18:29:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

Fall is Sheryl's favorite season. Hope it is for you, too!

Sheryl and Paul

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

What's Your Purpose? That's What Counts!
by Sheryl Karas M.A.

One of the things readers of this newsletter might wonder about from time to time is the wisdom of us promoting so many different things—spiritual counseling and healing is not all we do. Conventional wisdom might be to focus on one, say, the spiritual counseling practice and, perhaps, augment that work by teaching workshops and selling books on related topics. But that's never been what we've been inspired to do, at least not too well. We dip a toe in here or there but we're much more likely to promote a book about the spiritual significance of the Christmas Tree, a funny collection of Paul's old short stories and poems, my Mama Love flower essence aromatherapy perfume, and both of our art and photography. On the surface that might be a strategy destined for failure.

And yet our spiritual purpose --anybody's spiritual life purpose -- isn't necessarily satisfied with a specific job title. Our life purpose isn't "Spiritual Counseling" -- that's just a specific manifestation of an underlying motivation that's more important. Why did we choose that particular mode of expression? Because the underlying purpose of the practice is to lift people up and because our background and interests in spirituality and psychology seemed an appropriate enough fit.

Spiritual upliftment. That's the underlying thread that binds all our work together. My Mama Love products would not exist if I had not received great spiritual -- and therefore emotional and physical benefits -- from using flower essences. I don't make "perfume" -- I make a product that intentionally smells good enough to be called perfume that is designed to lift the spirit.

The same with the books. By providing fun or information we intend to provide something of value to the world. I define that as a product that lifts you up and makes you feel better for having read it.

The same with the art. Some artists want to shine a spotlight on horror and make you think about it. There's a positive benefit in that but we don't do it. Paul almost invariably will point his camera at a thing of beauty and use his Photoshopping techniques to present it in such a way that focuses the eye on its inner light. Even if we attend a wedding as photographers or shoot portraits the goal is to show the love and fun and beauty of the human spirit in the faces and demeanor of the people at that event.

And what if one or both of us gave up doing spiritual counseling work altogether? That's not the plan we intend but it's highly unlikely we would ever give up the underlying motivation. Paul could become a stand-up comedian. I could make amazing cookies and the best brownies you ever ate for a bake shop. As long as we still felt we could interact with the public and they left happy with a smile on their faces and a little more joy in their hearts it might be a good day. We have that experience whenever we go to our favorite local restaurant in Taylor. Someone asked us yesterday if we really like the food at Trapper's. Well.... it's good.... but that's never been why we come in. Cindy, the owner of Trapper's, always sits down to chat with us. She's so welcoming and loving and kind we always leave lifted up. We feel nurtured in a deeper way than a simple burger and plate of fries will ever do. And it's the only reason we choose Trapper's over the Sonic Burger fast food place down the street. A place like that can't compete on that level... and never will.

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

Interested in a Session?

About our half length sessions: We've seen that 1/2 hour sessions are rarely adequate for deep work but can be very beneficial to determine if a longer session or series of sessions is appropriate or for follow-up questions that occur after a session is done. We also want to encourage those of you who experience a turning point as a result of a session with us to receive assistance with integrating the work and initiating any changes you want to do. Frequently, following through takes commitment and an awareness that old issues and fears will come up when you change the status quo. Does that mean you should give up? No! Get help. Set up a series of sessions with us. We'll work on it with you and help you along your way.

We do telephone sessions with people all over the world. Visit our "Make an Appointment" page to make your appointment now.

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

Be a Fan!

We've recently joined the world of 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. Check us out at http://tinyurl.com/HealingCommunication . Check Mama Love out at http://www. facebook.com/MamaLoveProducts. Become a Fan and be sure to let other people know about us, too!

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

Mama Love Perfume and Massage, Body and Bath Oil

All Sheryl's Mama Love formulas are now available in a larger, more economical size for use as a massage oil or in the bath or afterwards. We live in a very dry climate now and the harsh minerals in the water are especially drying to the skin. Mama Love is made with a base of 100% organic jojoba -- the one oil closest in composition to the natural oils in your skin. It soaks in and has a deeply nurturing and moisturizing effect. They're available on the Mama Love website now for $16 for 2.oz.

Sheryl also has 3-perfume gift sets just in time for Christmas. And quantity discounts for people who want to buy stocking stuffers for everyone on their list. (We know it's too early to have mentioned Christmas but for things like this it helps to plan ahead!)

http://www.mamaloveproducts.com (products page)

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

Books Hand-Autographed by the Author (Sheryl)

The Solstice Evergreen: The History, Folklore and Origins of the Christmas Tree
The evergreen has been a potent pagan symbol in almost every culture, from prehistoric Japan to Northern Africa, from Native America to Medieval Germany. The Solstice Evergreen explores the rich spiritual heritage of this ancient symbol in depth and includes a great many myths, legends,and folk tales from across the globe as well as dozens of black and white illustrations. Gathered together in this book for the first time, this rich collection of mythology presents a unique perspective spanning many cultures and centuries.

The Spiritual Journey of Family Caregiving
For five years, ending in 2005, I worked as a Family Caregiving Consultant at the Alzheimer's Association and Del Mar Caregiver Resource Center helping families taking care of loved ones with incurable progressive memory loss and dementia. Trying to find services needed to provide basic care is what brought people in to see me first, but as the caregivers became more ensconced in their caregiving roles inevitably emotional and spiritual issues would become their primary concerns. My role shifted to providing a combination of practical and spiritual care. During this period I wrote a caregiver newsletter every month and this book is the result.

Unsigned copies of The Spiritual Journey and a nice variety of journals featuring our photography are also available online by clicking here. (http://stores.lulu.com/healingcommunicationpress)

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

Where to Find Our Art

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

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

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR REFERRALS!
Simplest way to tell people about us? Share this newsletter using one of the buttons below and include a note saying you like us. It's easy!

September 2009 Newsletter

2009-09-01T21:49:00.000-07:00

Hello Everybody,

Last month Sheryl mentioned that she was looking to publish a book and asked people to forward her publishing proposal and writing sample around the internet in the hopes of connecting with a publisher and/or literary agent through the power of community. It worked! Someone on this list suggested she contact an old teacher of hers. He recommended an author colleague back in Santa Cruz and that person encouraged Sheryl to contact her publisher and gave us his name. A few days later another person on this list forwarded the newsletter to someone else who forwarded it to yet another person. That person is another author who wholeheartedly recommended his literary agent and the SAME publisher the first person recommended! Interesting, huh?

At this point proposals and sample chapters have been sent to more than one publisher and several literary agents. Publishing is a BIG waiting game and you never have any real idea of how and when (or if) a book will be accepted. But the game is in play and this community has been a big help in that. Thank you very much! We'll, of course, let you know how it turns out.

An interesting set of spiritual issues that presented itself to us this month is the role of environment or context in terms of what we perceive and how we form our points of view. If you're reading this online take a look at the graphic at the top of the page. It's an optical illusion—the blue in the graphic is exactly the same color as the green. Don't believe us? It's all about context. The color is actually a blue-green. When seen next to orange our brains interpret the color as green. In the context of the magenta stripes the color looks like blue.

We could write an entire volume of books on this topic alone—how the environments we live in color our perceptions. Trust me, there's a world of difference in the experience of those who live in vibrant diverse communities next to the Pacific Ocean vs the homogeneous community in the plain arid Arizona desert we find ourselves in now! But we'll simply address a single application of this or two. At least for now. . .

Be well,

Sheryl and Paul

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

IT'S ALL ABOUT CONTEXT (AND POINT OF VIEW)
by Sheryl Karas

A lot of our oldest clients think we are "psychics." We ask for guidance, get information that we could not possibly know any other way. On rare occasions we get insights about the future, read people's energy fields, even hear guidance from departed loved ones and helpers from the other side. All things a psychic giving a "reading" might be expected to do.

Fortunately for us we don't see ourselves that way. . . or, to be honest, we wouldn't be able to do this work at all anymore. We don't believe that psychic work per se is healthy or unhealthy. It's all a matter of context. Many spiritual leaders say that psychic or spiritual powers in general are a significant trap on the trail of spiritual development. Others—evangelical healers for example—consider guidance from God and the healing that occurs in that instance as the highest form of service they ever do.

We think that way, too, but context is the key. We believe that excessive dependency on psychic guidance -- what's going to happen? what is so and so is thinking about me? what should I do next? -- is the antithesis of what spiritual counseling and healing work is all about. Sure, it can make all the difference— a single phrase that I receive in a session repeated out loud at just the right moment can break things wide open— but the point is healing and spiritual development and not the phrase in itself.

Spiritual growth and development in the context of living well is the motto we used on our website and in our ads for a long time. We probably chose the phrase "in the context of living a great life" but I've developed a different attitude about that now. Living a great life connotes riches to some people, power and glory to others. But when life hands you oranges when you want something more . . . oranges look like lemons. Living well isn't really hard at all, it's just hard to perceive at times. Sometimes that's what people need: a little bit of help in seeing the value in it all. . . and living well regardless of the nature of what we receive. To put a positive spin on it isn't necessary. I'm referring to a deepening of our ability to receive. To revel in life's tiny moments is something important. An apple on a tree can be something you don't consider a gift at all. But in other circumstances it can be a very sweet thing or even a matter of life or death. When we can revel in the gifts we receive they become that much more. And we can receive more readily.

May I be more specific? A few weeks ago I was given a gift and said to myself "Wow, that's really nice. Too bad I wanted something else." I took the gift, put it down for awhile and proceeded to spend enormous amounts of energy trying to have something I thought was better. And I got very very sick in the process. That got my attention. :-( By the next morning I made a new decision: that original gift was looking pretty special to me now! How could I not have noticed?

The great prophet Mick Jagger has been known to say "You can't always get what you want. But you get what you need!" Thank God, thank Goddess for that!

And that's my "sermon" for today. Be thankful for all we receive. Be well, be happy. Use our help, as you feel the need, for that!
;-) Amen

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

SPIRIT IN CONTEXT
by Paul Hood

The other day I discovered that there are a few biblical quotes all falling within the same passage which have had an influence on me. An old movie by Frank Capra called "You Can't Take it With You" contains the quote "Consider the Lillies of the field, they toil not, neither do they spin. . ." Later on, there's the well known "Oh ye of little faith." I use that one on Sheryl from time to time, usually when she's criticizing my driving, because if you drive with me, really, you better pray.

Eventually the passage comes around to "Seek ye first the kingdom of God." After college when I was looking for a place to land, I was decidedly pointed towards a tiny little canadian province, Newfoundland and Labrador: Quaerite primum regnum dei (Latin, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God"). I took note of the motto, and didn't head straight for Newfoundland, though I hear the seal flipper pie is to die for.

Context: what do all those tiny quotes mean out of context, and why would it come up lately? What it means for me is that, like it or not there is a further re-ordering of priorities going on. We've all got our material lives, but of course there is the transcendent as well; all those higher ideals which we cherish, which make us human, really. The kingdom is within. Take care of that, and the rest will work itself out. The passage seems to promise that your earthly needs will be taken care of if you just get right with God, but if you read it in context it goes much further than that, you might even say that it's self contradictory. You can't really expect any spiritual text to place the material above the spiritual-- ain't gonna happen. So you just have to deal-- but it won't ignore the material either. These are two aspects of God, the transcendent and the immanent. And when I say God, of course I mean you, me all of us, all the stars, the earth, the air--- as material and as divine stuff.

Who and what you are in the moment, matters. If you lose all your stuff, what still matters is who and what you are. It often takes hard times for people to get spiritual. Losing your stuff, or being disappointed, not getting what you want when you want it, it can get your attention and attention: our consciousness is the only thing we do own, unfolding moment by moment. Losing your stuff is also a great opportunity to appreciate other people; who they are and what they do, and to be grateful for that. Why ? Is that an order ? Do you have to be grateful ? No, it's just a suggestion because being ungrateful feels like crap. That's the thing, no matter how spiritual books may seem to emphasize the spiritual over the material, it's all very practical in the context of the human beings reading it all: we're made of spirit, and the material world obeys the edicts of the collective soul.

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

INTERESTED IN A SESSION?

We do telephone sessions with people all over the world. Visit our "Make an Appointment" page to make your appointment now. Be sure to tell us what time zone you are in and a couple good times you might be available for an appointment. Thanks!

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

MORE WRITING AND PHOTOGRAPHY

Paul's Blog
Sheryl's Blog

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

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

August 2009 Newsletter

2009-08-04T21:20:00.000-07:00

The photo this month shows Sheryl working on her computer in the barn. Paul took the picture. The light source is a battery powered lantern and her laptop computer only.

Hello Everyone,

Our biggest news this month is that Sheryl has finished a new book with additions by Paul and we're looking for a publisher and/or a great literary agent that can get it to a great publisher. It is said that there are just a few degrees of separation between someone you want to connect with and yourself. In other words, it occurs to us that one of the 400 or so people on this list has to know somebody who knows somebody who would be thrilled to read our proposal and give us a call.

We are both published authors. But neither one of us has worked with an agent before, and the industry has changed so much since Sheryl worked for a publishing company that a literary agent is pretty much a requirement. So we're including a brief proposal (query letter), and the first 10 pages below (at the end of the newsletter).

We KNOW this is NOT how things are typically done—we are doing the more conventional things authors and potential authors do as well. However, our book is about the importance of community—global community and the ones we share with family and friends. And in the new world of book publishing sometimes the connections you make pave the way far more than even the most well-crafted query letter could ever do. The book is about triumphing over adversity, following your heart, and reaching beyond perceived differences to heal the wounds that bind us not only individually but in the world as a whole. It's a serious subject but, as in all we do, we use the experience of our counseling practice and of our lives as illustration, add lots of spiritual insights and a fair bit of humor, too. We think it will be of help and, perhaps, inspiration to anyone going through a crisis as a result of the global recession happening today and will be of special interest to anyone who wishes to apply spiritual principles and higher purpose to the things that they do.

Please forward our newsletter or the proposal alone to anyone on your lists who might know someone in the publishing industry with the connections to see this through. We appreciate you all so much.

Thank you and God bless,

Sheryl and Paul

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

NEWS FROM MAMA LOVE

Sheryl is now offering all her perfumes in a more economical 2 oz. size for use as an after bath body oil, massage or bath oil. Same flower essence/aromatherapy formulations in a 100% organic jojoba oil base, still infused with Reiki—just more applicable for more liberal use. She is also now offering quantity discounts and wholesale pricing for anyone who buys in sufficient quantity online. Check out her site at http://www.mamaloveproducts.com .

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

PAUL HAS BEEN UPDATING HIS PHOTO GALLERIES

He has lots of new photos available as both framed and unframed fine art prints for sale on Imagekind. Check out his new Southwest Gallery! New items in his other galleries, too. Check out his Imagekind site at http://paulhood.imagekind.com and his updated photographer's website at http://www.paulhood.com .

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

NEED SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE ON YOUR PERSONAL TRAIL?

We do telephone sessions with people all over the world. Visit our "Make an Appointment" page to make your appointment now. Be sure to tell us what time zone you are in and several good times you might be available for an appointment. Thanks!

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

MORE WRITING AND PHOTOGRAPHY

Paul's Blog... http://paulhood.blogspot.com/
Sheryl's Blog... http://healingcommunication.blogspot.com/

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

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

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

BOOK PROPOSAL:

WAKING UP IN THE GREAT RECESSION MORMON DESERT

A Memoir with Words of Guidance and Inspiration

by Sheryl Karas M.A. (with Paul Hood)

Enclosed you will find 10 sample pages of a new book by spiritual counseling and healing team Sheryl Karas and Paul Hood. Paul and Sheryl combine spiritual insights with compassion and humor in all the work that they do. Their clients know them to be quite forthright about sharing their own life experiences when appropriate as well. In this book the team takes this approach further—using the devastating experiences of losing their home and watching their business and financial well-being shaken as a result of market forces beyond their control—to apply spiritual principles to living their lives with integrity despite what has occurred.

Their journey has taken them from the Oz-like environment of Santa Cruz, CA— a progressive New Age haven like none other on the beautiful central coast—to the barren unspeakably plain eastern Arizona desert. Their trials begin immediately after the passage of Proposition 8 (the ban on gay marriage in California which was heavily backed by the Mormon Church) and they, ironically and inadvertently, wind up in a Mormon pioneer town. That's a little odd, interesting and sometimes amusing in itself but the story becomes much more than that. It's about spiritual awakening, in the sense of learning more about one's calling, and the importance of reaching beyond perceived differences to heal the wounds that bind us not only individually but in the world as a whole.

The book describes experiences millions of Americans currently face during the global economic crisis we're in today. But it is ultimately a book about triumphing over adversity, following your heart, and reclaiming one’s voice in a world which begs for an end to injustice, polarity and hate.

This 93,425 word nonfiction book, titled "Waking Up in the Great Recession Mormon Desert", is written as a memoir in the form of blog posts interspersed with articles and connecting threads. It's funny and poignant and full of moments of inspiration, too. The authors intend it to be of service to those going through a recession-related crisis of their own. It will be of special interest to anyone who wishes to apply spiritual principles and higher purpose to the things that they do.

Sheryl Karas has a B.A in Communications from Simmons College in Boston, MA and an M.A. in Transpersonal Psychology from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto, CA. She has written three nonfiction books in the past. Her first book, The Solstice Evergreen, was published by Aslan Publishing and has been continuously in print since 1991. Her other books are Changing the World One Relationship at a Time (Crossing Press) and The Spiritual Journey of Family Caregiving. This last book is currently available for representation as well.

Paul Hood has degrees in Religious Studies, Behavioral Science, and Creative Writing. His short stories and articles have been published in several literary magazines and newspapers.

The team can be reached through their website. They thank you for your consideration.

FIRST 10 PAGES:

WAKING UP IN THE GREAT RECESSION MORMON DESERT

A Memoir with Words of Guidance and Inspiration

by Sheryl Karas M.A. (with Paul Hood)

How to Stop Worrying

by Paul Hood

How to stop worrying.

Dale Carnegie had some good ideas, but the story isn’t over yet.

It’s not as if there aren’t thousands, maybe millions of positive examples out there. So many mentors, so many shining examples of how to live life more joyously in the present moment. No, all you have to do is ask—and even sometimes when you don’t ask, somebody you know will send a truly inspiring video directly to you via the magic of email.

But all those uncountable resources, they don’t always get through, they don’t work on the truly tough cases. I recently figured out why. The brilliant, shining examples are all speaking the wrong language. For people who worry, Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dyer and other motivational speakers may as well be speaking Martian. You have to know your audience.

So let’s make a fresh start.

If you worry, it’s because you’re bad, wrong, and in all likelihood, stupid. Now, it’s not as if anything I say will change the fact that you fill your life with useless worry. No, you will continue on, day in and day out, running through your same, tired old internal rhetoric. You always do that. I’m so sick of it I could scream. I knew you would turn out this way. Why can’t you be more like your sister? You’re supposed to be the smart one. Go clean your room.

Now I’m getting through, aren’t I? If you worry obsessively it’s because you were taught to do so, either by example or by drilling into your brain that a certain world view is, in fact, reality. Of course that world view isn’t true. It’s a vicious lie. The world is filled with lies and deception. And you fell for it. God, you are so gullible. I can’t even believe it. Who raised you? Trust me, you can’t trust anyone. Look at me when I’m talking to you.

So, obsessive worry is caused by a faulty thought process, and that process is fueled by having been immersed in a world view skewed by excessive concern for safety, security and familiarity. That world view is ruled by fear, an emotion. Emotions aren’t bad or good, they just are. But it’s a useful thing to be aware of which emotions you’d be better off making a habit of feeling. Even more useful if you’re aware that your thoughts have a very direct effect on your emotions, and you can certainly learn to think useful thoughts which result in a more pleasant emotional state. Interestingly enough, more pleasant emotions tend to spawn more useful thoughts, encouraging a more positive and productive world view and that becomes a cycle which is self supporting. I’m losing you, aren’t I? Like pearls before swine. I might as well be talking to a brick wall. Look, if you don’t pay attention you’re going to miss all this good stuff and then where will you be? Screwed, that’s where. I should have known. I could have predicted this. When will you ever learn? What’s so funny, damn it? Use your indoor voice.

Worry is, in fact, oppression. It was probably taught to you by people who meant well, as it was taught to them and so on. Don’t blame yourself for that, and there’s no need to blame your teachers either. Engender forgiveness in your heart —for the fact that everything in this world is meant to change and grow. You learned one world view which has useful facets, but it was unbalanced and now you’re going to learn a new one. It’s not hard, but it might be scary. The whole reason for that fear to appear is because the new world view contradicts the old one which was based on. . . right, you guessed it, Fear with a capital “F.” Fear in this case does not indicate danger. Fear in this case indicates change, and your previous world view was constructed to sound the alarm whenever change appeared imminent. Again, be forgiving. Your friends, relatives, and neighbors may have experienced very unpleasant changes. Those changes became associated with fear, and then equated with fear, and finally any change gets viewed as bad, wrong, or even “evil.” Whoops, that’s a stretch. Only an idiot would believe something like that. An idiot like you. You and the horse you rode in on. Mercy me. Stay with me now, remember; a stitch in time saves nine. I want you to turn over a new leaf. I’m just trying to help, and there you go again, flying off the handle like always. Now don’t go off half cocked. You could put an eye out. All I’m saying is, be careful.

So worry is a habit whose emotional basis is fear. When someone is afraid, the first instinctual thing we do is tell them “everything is all right,” “you’re safe now,” “you’re home”, essentially that they are in a quiet, protected, PREDICTABLE environment. Worry, interestingly enough, is the mind trying to predict the future, and all possible variations of it. It’s an attempt to achieve readiness now, for what might occur later. That’s impossible, if you look at the sheer number of things which might happen in the future and that you can’t mathematically prepare for all of them. On the other hand, nearly every creature on this earth is a living example of being prepared for everything. You are too, I’m telling you, you’re prepared, you’re worthy, you’re a high functioning individual—the product of millions of years of evolution and a perfect child of God. And yet you think otherwise. I could slap you. I swear, right now. Oh la -dee-dah, you think you’re so special, don’t you? That you have to stay up nights running scripts in your head because you’re the one individual in history who can mentally catalog every possible future event—not just for you but for everyone and every thing in your life. Wow. Get over yourself.

Worry is oppression that is taught, and learned, based upon the idea that fear equals readiness—that feeling bad is a good idea. Maybe it’s even a responsibility. Worry embraces the concept that the one constant in the universe, change, is something to be avoided at all costs. Worry can’t exist very well in an individual unless they are living in a state of constant fear. Interestingly enough, fear can’t be upheld in an environment of faith. Oh, ye of little faith. Oppression means that you were taught that you aren’t ready for anything, that you’re inferior. That really cracks me up. I’m laughing at you right now. Pointing and laughing, and doing a little dance which is rather uncoordinated but is reminiscent of the Bossa Nova. It looks totally silly and I don’t care. You have no faith at all, you sorry bastard. Even a little child knows that he can walk around in the world and be totally joyous. Hell, baby goats know that, puppies and kittens know that. Even flowers bloom, grass grows automatically, the sun rises and sets without writing a business plan every night. Point of fact, if you worry you are dumber than dirt.

Even though change is constant in the universe, on a day to day basis a lot of things do stay the same. Our civilization is built upon a certain degree of predictability. When we want to direct specific changes, we theorize based upon past observances, we try new things and observe the results. We innovate, and innovation is faith based. We have faith in our abilities to bring positive change, and we generally know that when we try new things we aren’t usually risking much. There’s a certain amount of inertia to reality, we can’t help but be aware of that. Little mistakes do not cause the fabric of the universe to unravel. That’s another reason not to worry. Most change is incremental, not revolutionary, or to put a negative spin on it, disastrous. This is what you should forgive your oppressors for: for knowing that much of life is about balancing inertia (tradition) with incremental risks to bring about positive change. They weren’t wrong to teach you this, maybe just a little out of balance. And because they loved you so much, they may have taught you to worry, thinking they were helping you to be ready for anything. So forgive them now and know that you are ready. Peace be with you.

Ok, I hope I was speaking your language and that this helped.

If it didn’t, don’t worry about it.

I know I won’t.

---

My partner, lover and best friend Paul wrote this for our joint spiritual counseling and healing newsletter. We take turns writing it every month and it was a good thing it was his turn this time. You see, Paul didn’t write that article for our clients and friends. He wrote it for me. Despite my best intentions and highest ideals I slip into a fearful mode of existence far too often. He has a knack of being able to hit my issues square on the head. He makes me laugh and pops me out of it. But at the time this story begins neither one of us were laughing. All my greatest fears were coming true and there was nothing I could do to hold them back.

Chapter 1
When Life Comes Crashing Down

It was early December 2008 and I kept turning my head away from Paul. He was driving a U-Haul truck with all our worldly possessions inside, and our car on a trailer hooked to the back, and I didn’t want him to see my face. The road from Holbrook to Snowflake, Arizona, on the final leg of our journey away from Santa Cruz, California, had me in tears. Nothing but dirt and low clumps of dried out yellow grass on both sides of the highway for as far as the eye could see. It felt like we were moving to the surface of the moon—almost as stark and just as forbidding.

Why did Paul’s parents choose to live out here? What could they possibly have seen in a place like this? There was a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach and I silently prayed, “Oh please, God, let there at least be some trees on their property.”

Paul assured me that there were some but he had not been out to visit in many years. From the tone of his voice I could tell: he wasn’t quite certain that the piece of desert they lived on was very much better.

Paul and I had a fledgling spiritual counseling and healing practice before the onset of the Great Recession of 2008/2009. But living in Santa Cruz kept us from being overly aware of the impending crisis coming down the road—paying rent in the Bay area has always been hard. Just before the economy crashed, however, local housing prices truly spiraled out of control. A one bedroom apartment in a 400 square foot converted garage cost one of our good friends almost two thirds of her salary. She said she felt “lucky” to have it—typical rents were even higher.

We knew our time in Santa Cruz was limited. We had been given the gift of free rent while our friend John got his plans for how to live in Santa Cruz worked out. He was doing fine and wanted to support us in our work but his vision for his retirement was quite different. He intended to fix up his house, rent it out, and live in his own converted garage. Market rate rent for his three bedroom, two-bath house was more than we could imagine affording, he had other plans for it besides, so we knew we were going to have to make other choices. We believed we would probably leave town. What we didn’t know is that all our attempts to find another situation would fall through and that we would wind up taking refuge with Paul’s parents in the desert.

As we drew close to the tiny town of Snowflake the landscape improved somewhat. We could see a small river with skeletons of trees and family-sized ranches or farms around it. It had a hint of rural country charm but at this time of year it could hardly be called an oasis. There wasn’t a speck of green.

Paul has written a couple of short stories that use “The Wizard of Oz” as a theme. If I had a sense of humor just then I might have teased him: “Puppy (that’s his nickname), I have a feeling we’re not in Oz anymore.” By contrast Santa Cruz is like the Emerald City: lush and green, sparkling and brilliant, with a vast array of exotic flowers all year round. If you’re lucky enough to come across a circle of drummers on the beach with the typical bevy of surfers riding the waves behind them it isn’t hard to imagine “Ha - ha - ha, Ho - ho - ho - And a couple of tra - la - las” playing in the background. I always wondered why in the movie Dorothy was so desperate to get back to black and white Kansas. In the books she returns to Oz over and over again.

When we arrived in Snowflake we were still about a 30 minute drive away from where Paul’s parents chose to live. We turned left onto Snowflake Boulevard and followed the Concho Highway into what Paul’s mom affectionately calls the Arizona outback.

Af first the terrain reverted to the same barren desert landscape we had seen before but as we proceeded down the highway it became dotted with bushy green juniper trees. Again, the view stretched for as far as the eye could see. As Paul had suggested, it wasn’t much of an improvement, but I found myself breathing easier despite myself.

The road seemed to stretch to eternity. We drove on and on, searching in vain for the mile markers that were supposed to signal where to turn. Finally we saw the only landmarks we had been told to watch out for—a bright yellow diamond shaped sign with a picture of a black cow on it next to a long row of mailboxes on the right hand side and a tiny, completely unreadable metal sign indicating the turn into their neighborhood on the left. Paul’s parents were waiting at the corner to help us find the way to their house.

They greeted us with some warm hugs, “we’re so glad you’re here” and “don’t you worry about a thing.” Then we got back into our truck while they led us the rest of the way. The last five miles to the family homestead is in a confusing district of winding unmapped country lanes. Directions would have been difficult to follow. There are very few houses that can be seen from the road, even fewer landmarks, and the route consists entirely of washboard-rutted gravel and soft dirt roads.

I found myself thinking of the wonderful photographs of rabbits my online handcraft community had sent me in the month before this move. I was truly hoping for a miracle to keep this choice from happening and rabbits have always been a symbol of good luck and prosperity for me. Whenever my first husband and I got into a financial bind, by some miracle exactly what we needed would appear at the last minute. I used to joke that he pulled a rabbit out of his hat. One time an actual rabbit hopped into our yard along with the two job offers that pulled us through. Rabbits didn’t naturally occur in that neighborhood. This was a large domestic lop-ear.

When we turned into the driveway leading up to Paul’s family’s house several tiny cottontails and a huge jackrabbit scurried out of our way. His mom puts food out every day for the wildlife in the area. It turns out that Sugarfoot Ranch is a bird and rabbit sanctuary. Now there’s a cosmic joke. Despite my grief and concern I couldn’t help but recognize the significance.

----

The roots of our adventure began long before we had met. Paul and I both had had spiritual awakenings at earlier times in our lives. We shared an interest in spiritual growth and development as it relates to living in the physical world and had a common desire to help other people through our work. We didn’t know how to do it but we both had made valiant attempts to move in that direction nonetheless. I marked the occasion in my own life by starting a blog, an online journal meant to be shared with others.

----

Blog Post: Saturday, June 04, 2005, Santa Cruz, CA

Social Entrepreneurism and Starting a New Life

For my entire adult life I have always wanted to do work that followed the dictates of my heart. I'm sure most people of the baby boom generation have felt the same way but we all know how it is to follow a dream. Sometimes our belief systems and lack of knowledge about how to succeed get in the way.

My first dreams seemed completely unattainable: Pitcher for the Boston Red Sox? Oops, wrong gender. Musical comedy star? Well, that would require getting up on stage without getting sick to my stomach. Ballerina, Olympic gymnast, ice skating champ? It's funny how the dreams of a decidedly nonathletic person all center around feats of physicality. I think I'll keep the day job. Oops, I don't have a day job (more on that below).

Anyway, despite getting to the point where I no longer want to fight uphill battles when all indications say I should give up, I still have dreams for my life and if that means going up another damn hill, (sigh) I hope the universe makes it an easy climb. . .

-----

Contact Sheryl through our website if you are a literary agent or publisher interested in this project. Please tell me what agency or publishing company you are with and include appropriate contact information (a website, etc.). Thank you!

July 2009 Healing Communication News

2009-07-01T17:08:00.000-07:00

My Declaration of Interdependence

by Sheryl Karas M.A.

This month’s email newsletter didn’t get sent on time and I haven’t written in my blog recently either. That’s not to say that nothing has been written. But all the thoughts of this spiritual counselor and healer have been currently focused on political activism and, because I always try to be positive and uplifting, I was starting to feel like members of our list might not want to hear about it. There’s a mistake made in the New Age community that says “Thou shalt not have a single negative thought!” And, to be honest, living one’s life within a negative mindset isn’t the healthiest way to be.

However, without our “negative” thoughts how would we ever identify the things that need to change. “Ow! That fire is hot! That hurts! I feel really negative right now! I think I better turn this stovetop off before I or somebody else gets hurt again.” That’s very very different than reacting to the same life situation and saying “Ow, ow, ow. Life is so hard, there are hot evil things around every corner. Life is horrible, I’ve been hurt and now I’m going to cower in fear before anything red forever more!” We don’t advocate living like that but we do need our temporary negative reactions to help us chart a course. A more positive one, we hope, and that’s the point.

If we don’t dare to acknowledge what causes us pain we don’t tend to do anything to improve our lives. There are many of us who prefer to self-medicate with drinking or drugs, excessive TV, social distractions or even by attempting to use meditation to release our stress so we can go back to doing the same old thing. That doesn’t tend to work very well. People come to us and say they need help to learn to meditate better. Then we find out that their lives are a mess. They don’t need us to teach them meditation. That can help a person get into a more centered place so better decisions can be made, but meditation alone is not enough.

In the world today we are facing an economic crisis the likes of which hasn’t been seen since the Great Depression. Supposedly, not as great as that—but we are also facing protracted war in the Middle East, global warming, a healthcare crisis that has already reached critical proportions for large segments of our population, and a myriad of other interconnecting problems from food production to housing and everything a typical family needs to survive. These are not single answer problems and they all line up to point to an even greater issue: how have we been making these decisions in the past few decades? Who has been pulling the strings and why have we let them?

Why are alternative healthcare services maligned and subject to misinformation campaigns in the mainstream media? (Just read a typical article about homeopathy if you don’t agree.) Why have herbs that have been used effectively and inexpensively with only rare side effects been removed from the market (ephedra and sassafras, for example) while pharmaceutical related deaths and illness have reached epidemic proportions? Why do some of the most prosperous nations in the Western world provide free healthcare for their citizens while we’re letting insurance companies run the show in our country? Why are we forcing families to go bankrupt when they are refused insurance payments even after having paid into the system for many years if not decades?

I could go on and on: I used to work in eldercare services. Paul and I have been trying to help people in a field the mainstream has been taught to mistrust, fear or even hate. My credit card company just upped my monthly payments by 150% without even stating a reason for the increase. Barack Obama signed legislation that makes bait and switch tactics in regards to interest rates illegal; but my credit card company got around that by more than doubling the minimum payment instead.

Ow!!! This fire is hot!! I’ve been meditating. I’ve been doing energy healing. I’ve been using my own flower essence aromatherapy perfume. And yes, I actually do feel a little more cheerful. But not just because those stress reduction techniques have been working. I’m writing about it. I’ve written a book. (I’ve written two.) And I’m letting people know about it.

Empowering spiritually-inspired action for the highest benefit of all concerned is as spiritual as it gets.

Think about it.

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

RELATED BLOG ARTICLES

Press Release campaign:
Cafepress Puts 6.5 Million of Its Business Partners Out on the Street

More Predatory Business Practices (The JPMorgan Chase Bait and Switch)

More About the JPMorgan Chase Bait and Switch

Hard Times Demand Other Kinds of Actions

Community for the Common Good

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

SESSIONS WITH SHERYL AND PAUL

If you want to know more about how to manifest positive change in your own life and the world you influence, send us an email and make an appointment today. Sessions on manifesting life purpose (as well as health, healing, relationships, well-being, etc.) are available now. Affordable sliding scale fees make this accessible to all.

Visit our "Make an Appointment" page to make your appointment now.

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

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR REFERRALS!

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

June Healing Communication News

2009-06-01T20:11:00.001-07:00

Hello Everyone!

That's Paul's photo at the top of the post today. It shows the sun breaking through the clouds after a rainstorm shot from the front porch of the property we live on right now. I think it's gorgeous and a great visual metaphor for the theme of this month's newsletter—forgiveness.

We want to remind everyone again that we have new sliding scale fees -- $50-150 / hour -- and half hour sessions if desired. You do NOT have to ask in advance what you should pay. Choose the level you can afford.

And we very much want to thank, again, all of you who offered to be references for us in our search for a new place to live and provide our services. It was a nice long list and we truly appreciate it! (If you're new to our list and don't know what we're talking about you can read our last newsletter online to find out more.)

Love,
Sheryl and Paul

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

THE HEALING POWER OF FORGIVENESS
by Sheryl Karas

One of the recurring themes in our practice has always been the issue of forgiveness. That's a tricky issue for a lot of people, sometimes it's tricky for us. But healing always leads to our original state and that state is not hurt, resentment, anger, fear or hate.

A lot of people feel like forgiveness is a gift we bestow on someone else and, yes, it can work that way. Others feel like forgiveness can't or shouldn't be bestowed until "justice is served" or reparations have been made. But that may never happen. Meanwhile the pain we hold in our bodies and in our minds is sitting there, waiting to be released, hurting us.

According to a study by Everett Worthington, Jr. people who hold onto grudges and refuse to forgive have more stress-related disorders, lower immune-system function, and worse rates of cardiovascular disease than the population as a whole. They are also more likely to experience divorce. People who do forgive report fewer episodes of clinical depression and anxiety, have longer marriages and more friendships. Evidence is mounting that the healing forgiveness provides is directly correlated with better health.

But how can we forgive when every part of our being is shouting "Never forget! Don't let them get away with it!"?

We don't forget. But we can reduce the intensity of pain from the memory and free our souls to create healing in the situations that appear to bind us.

Let me give an example. Paul and I were still living in Santa Cruz, CA when Proposition 8 (the ban on gay marriage in California) passed. We were livid about this—we have a lot of gay friends and family members. Supposedly, one of the largest supporters of this ban, perhaps the biggest supporters, were the Mormon community and most of them lived out of state. Less than one month later guess where we wound up being? In a town that's 51% Mormon, 94% Christian (mostly Evangelical Christian) overall.

This is obviously going to be temporary place for us but we're here now...think we haven't had a few issues we've needed to work out of our own? :-)

Recently, I went through a difficult time—the economy combined with this choice has been a bit frightening for me—and I was inspired in the middle of my own healing to forgive the Mormons for Proposition 8. Now trust me, that's not what I expected to have to do! But I've learned a lot of things about the Mormons since coming here. First, we've made some good friends with members of this community, some of the most loving, open-hearted people we've ever met, and some of the most vulnerable, too, because of it. The Mormons used to be a severely persecuted group. The founders of their church were imprisoned and killed for their beliefs, Mormon families were literally driven from their homes, their farms and places of worship repeatedly burned to the ground, until they packed what they could into covered wagons and joined the pioneer movement to settle the deserts of Utah and Arizona. That's how this town came into being. It was settled by Mormon pioneers, most of whom died in the process. But the persecution didn't end even then. They were hounded in their new homes until they recanted a key distinction of their faith and way of life—what was considered an alternative form of marriage, pluralistic marriage or bigamy, still illegal throughout the United States.

Now you would think that a people hurt by a ban on their form of marriage would "know better" than to pass that hurt onto anyone else. (And some do and feel awful about it.) But that's not what this article is about. The fear expressed in those Proposition 8 ads said it well enough—they don't believe they should be forced to allow their children to be exposed to laws that directly oppose the precepts of their faith. Whether you agree with them or not, on some level that's what this was all about.

So in the middle of the night, not too long ago, I dug into my soul and said "I understand about the need for religious freedom—I was raised Jewish!— and I can forgive you." And then an amazing thing happened—my shoulders instantly dropped half an inch. I did it again and felt my body let go a little more so I kept going until all the terror I had been feeling dropped away. It didn't change anything in my outer life—my circumstances are still the same—but I feel ready to leave this community now. Not desperate to leave (like I felt when I first realized where we had come) but complete, like an essential part of my well-being was addressed by this experience. I'm still processing what that means.

Interestingly enough, part of my healing process involved forgiving myself. I needed to recognize how much I have held members of my own communities at bay, and how much pain and recrimination I heap on myself. We all do things or neglect to do things we regret. We all hold the pain of those memories inside and consciously or unconsciously recriminate ourselves for all kinds of presumed "mistakes" or "wrong-doing." Paul and I have done several sessions with people who presumed their task was to forgive others but had not even conceived of the fact that they might need to forgive themselves. Forgiveness is a healing balm for the soul. When we recriminate ourselves we are literally heaping abuse onto sorrow, terrorizing ourselves and undermining our own ability to make positive changes.

One of the most helpful things a healer ever said to me was that anyone who had experienced what I did growing up would act or feel the same way. This is a very important thing when it comes to forgiving someone else's behavior or your own. Believing that the person who committed a particular offense must have been hurt similarly or worse doesn't make the behavior acceptable but it does serve to bounce one out of "they must be evil" or "they should have known better" styles of thinking. That's just an excuse to justify revenge and refusal to forgive as a form of "retribution."

It's okay NOT to forgive right away. Jumping to forgiveness too soon for some people can be a form of self-abuse. Acknowledge the pain of what has happened, express it! But there comes a time when you need to let it go. To move on and be fully healed, forgiveness is the key.

Sometimes forgiveness is the first step towards reconciliation. There's a new video about marriage equality and religious freedom being distributed by the Courage Campaign (http://www.couragecampaign.org/) in which all the participants are wearing a white ribbon, the symbol of marriage equality. The white ribbon is also an LDS (Mormon) symbol for forgiveness. Coincidence? I don't know but if it isn't maybe it's a sign. There are beliefs that the LDS and the Gay community should never be expected to agree upon but if you look at their history these two groups have way more in common than not. Staying in opposition keeps people in polarized positions. But seeing the humanity in one another, recognizing and respecting our humanness, can help people let down their guard so a better solution for all concerned can come in.

Forgiveness is an expression of that respect, it's a form of compassion—"I recognize your humanness. I feel sorry that whatever happened to have you view me as a threat has occurred. And I forgive you for the actions you took that led to hurting me." It's not the same as saying "it's alright." Forgiveness is saying "If I grew up in the same situation, with the same history, cultural mindset and beliefs, there's a possibility that I could have done the same thing."

Forgiveness is compassion for another person or group of people and it's compassion for ourselves. What is compassion? It's our original state of being, the purest form of love.

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

RELATED and NOT SO RELATED BLOG POSTS THIS MONTH

The Mormon Temple and Marriage Equality... (includes the Courage Campaign's video on Marriage Equality and Religious Freedom)

Terrorized by the Livestock

The Livestock is Terrorized by Us?

Not Planning to be a "Twit" Anytime Soon

Shadows

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

MAMA LOVE NEWS

Not much new with Mama Love this month but if you want to see some photos of Sheryl making her displays check this link-- it's kind of fun.

Visit the Mama Love website at http://www.mamaloveproducts.com .

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

CAN'T WAIT A MONTH TO HEAR FROM US?

Follow our blogs:

Paul's Blog
Sheryl's Blog

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

WANT TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT?

Visit our "Make an Appointment" page to make your appointment now.

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

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

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

May Healing Communication News

2009-04-30T22:27:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

What a month -- challenging, heart-breaking and hopeful. We have a lot to share about what's gone on for us on a personal level and a couple of announcements to make. The most important announcement being THE RETURN OF OUR SLIDING SCALE! Don't let money get in the way of getting the help you desire. We also plan to travel some and may be available to do sessions in-person if you happen to be where we plan to go -- CALIFORNIA PEOPLE, PLEASE TAKE NOTE. See below for more information.

By the way, we are still interested in finding a healing retreat center or similar service that would like to offer our services in conjunction with what they do on the premises. The perfect place would be specifically oriented towards holistic healing, education, and spiritual growth. We envision it as having private spaces for spiritual counseling and healing work, perhaps a metaphysical / New Age gift shop, a cafe or community gathering space, and -- who knows -- perhaps a bed and breakfast or spiritual retreat center associated with it, too.

We have nothing to invest but our time, effort and expertise. But for the right situation there is a LOT we can offer in that regard. For a place interested in hiring us for their staff, we can offer a variety of services in addition to our spiritual counseling and healing work. We are both accomplished writers. Sheryl designs websites and does most of our marketing work. Paul is a professional photographer. And we both have experience running businesses of our own.

We are open to moving to various parts of the country.

Hope to see or hear from you all soon!

Love,
Sheryl and Paul

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This month's newsletter offering is about the heartbreak we mentioned above. If you'd prefer not to read about that Paul wishes to offer you an alternative, an amusing short story he wrote many years ago called "Something About Kay".

THE ULTIMATE TRAPPER
by Paul Hood

Quite some time ago, last year in fact, Sheryl got advanced warning that one of our cats would not survive long if we moved to Arizona. We didn't share that info with anyone, and at the time I'm sure Sheryl was a bit of an antennae for news of anything that could go wrong. I didn't really want to hear it though, she didn't either, so we did our best to dismiss it. I will say that we've kept a pretty sharp eye out for coyotes, however, as that's how most people lose cats (and dogs) out here.

Much later, when we were both considering relocating (again, from here to somewhere else) we both had an independent spiritual encounter with death. It's not so hard to describe if you've ever been there: death is the game you don't win. As a healer, encountering death itself is kind of like being on a surfboard when a 100 foot tall tsunami hits. You might paddle a bit anyway, but the situation is a bit de-motivating. In this case death felt as close as my breath fogging in the night air.

I'm talking about death now, not the afterlife nor anything more than confronting the transition.

Aside from my family and friends having to deal with a whole lot of death and dying lately, there's been some scary illness a little too close to home, and it's also obvious that "transition" is in the air in other ways.

So I posted a blog a few weeks back with a picture of our precious cat, Pipa, and in that same blog posted a photo of a small reed, transplanted from the grave of one of our deceased pets. That bothered me. It didn't bother me nearly as much, however, as when Pipa actually did get sick a short while later-- and Sheryl and I got identical "hits" that there was essentially no point in giving her food and water. Very upsetting. She wasn't even that sick yet. We ignored what we heard. We took her to the vet multiple times. We did healings on her day and night. She appeared to get better, then worse, and I'm very, very sorry to report that Pipa did not make it. We miss her terribly, but we're not sorry that her suffering has ended. We did the best we could. We lost. Death is like that. We're not enemies of death. We're partners, eventually.

At "Trapper"s the other day (a favorite local diner) we're having our burgers and chili fries and I've already taken a photo of a skull on the wall. A real skull. This is not Santa Cruz, California. . . we're in Arizona now. There's a group of people sitting beneath the skull having their casual conversation and it's all about death. Later on we watch a video called "Illusions" and it's set entirely on the death bed of a character played by Kirk Douglas who looked uncomfortably close to death himself. Yeah, OK, we get it-- don't shrink from what's in front of you, deal with it. The caption beneath the rather macabre looking skull at our favorite diner is so faded that it's barely legible. It says, I think, "The Ultimate Trapper". Meaning death itself, I think.

So we've been doing a fair amount of mourning. And in the middle of it all our primary print on demand service decided to hack the commissions of all 6.5 million artists and designers who have built their business up from nothing. We'll all lose about 70% of our income from that source-- essentially, they've killed that portion of our business until we can replace it and build it up again elsewhere. Interestingly enough, we've already encountered several upsides to this. We've now communicated with more fellow artists than ever before. We've reconsidered the big picture of our art and design work as a whole. We found a new print-on-demand service (Zazzle) with a lot of better design services and options. And, we've resolved not to put all our eggs in one basket this time. We even re-examined just about everything that we're doing and not doing.

The death card in Tarot, is not what a lot of people think it is. It's usually not about literal death, but a transition from one state to another. Often it's a happy card to get after you get past the "yikes!" factor. Azriel, the Angel of death is not a fallen Angel. He's got a job to do, and he does it. He's not a merciless bastard, however, as many of you know. He appears to have some flexibility; arrives on time-- but he'll step out for a cup of coffee sometimes, come back a few minutes or years later.

Out on our front porch the hummingbirds are going bananas doing their mating dances. The cottontails are everywhere. Things are actually turning greener out here-- as if the plants are freakin psychic about Spring because we haven't seen much that passes for moisture. And while we are sad for departed friends, money, jobs, we can't help it, we're hopeful.

Related Blog Posts:

When Miraculous Healing Isn't Enough

Being Prepared for the Worst

The Rainbow Bridge

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

THE RETURN OF OUR SLIDING SCALE AND A NEW FLAT RATE FEE

Don't let finances keep you back from an appointment any longer. We now offer a sliding scale fee of $50-150 / hour or $25-75 for 30 minutes. The way the sliding scale works is this: Pay what you can afford. You don't need to ask permission. If you decide later that you want to pay us more or make a donation to help us keep our services affordable for others, there is a "Donation" button available on our "Make an Appointment" page for that purpose.

For those of who you who can afford it, our new flat rate fee is $150.

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

READY TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT?

Visit our "Make an Appointment" page to make your appointment now.

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

TRAVEL PLANS -- WILL WE BE SOMEWHERE NEAR YOU THIS SUMMER?

We have been invited to stay in southern California (Yorba Linda, Orange County) for a few weeks late June through mid July and plan to sell Mama Love in various places along the way. If you would like an in-person session with us while we're in southern California, please get in touch with us and we'll try to arrange it.

SANTA CRUZ CLIENTS AND FRIENDS: We'd love to include a trip to Santa Cruz on our way to Southern California in June BUT we will need a place to stay for a week or longer and enough sessions to make it financially feasible. Interested people, please contact us! We'll see what we can do!

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

CAN'T WAIT A MONTH TO HEAR FROM US?

Follow our blogs:

Paul's Blog... http://paulhood.blogspot.com/
Sheryl's Blog... http://healingcommunication.blogspot.com/

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

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

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

April Healing Communication News

2009-04-05T12:59:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

Last month will probably go down in our personal history as the time Sheryl discovered the spiritual significance and emotional healing value of grass. No, not the kind you smoke! The kind most of us walk on and never even notice. Trust us, in the desert grass is a pretty important feature of the environment and, as it turns out, it has wonderful energetic properties from a flower essence point of view that potentially have great usefulness for all of us -- life purpose, learning to intersect personal callings with the needs of the greater world, community (and knowing how to function within a community on the "grassroots" level), learning to adapt within the conditions our modern societies have created for us -- really important stuff. Sheryl hasn't finished processing the implications of all she's been studying yet herself but she has lots to share about it anyway -- blog links galore!

It's also been pointed out to us that the vast majority of people who know us don't have any idea of what we actually do. If you've had a session with us you might have a better idea but the scope of our practice has actually turned out to be wider and more varied than we ever anticipated ourselves!

If you haven't visited our website lately you might want to visit our "Typical Session" page -- that's been significantly changed !

And here is a just a SHORT list of some of the things that we have helped people with -- if you think of other things we should add to this list, please send us a note! Click the links to find out more.

• Marriage and Relationship Counseling

• Life Purpose, Career and Life Direction

• Business Relationships and Decision-Making

• Intuitive Health Consultation

• Parenting and Family Caregiving

• Shifting Long-Standing or Repeating Patterns

• Relocation and Major Life Changes

• Spiritual Growth and Development

We also want to announce that the price of products in our Art and Photography Gift Shop has been greatly reduced. If a gift-giving or personal upliftment desire can be met by beautiful words, photography or artwork on a T-Shirt, mug, greeting card, etc. be sure to check out our shop at http://www.cafepress.com/paulnsheryl . We both have published lots of new items in recent months so if you haven't checked it out lately, be sure to come by and look again!

And, if you or someone you love is currently taking care of an elderly friend or relative, you might like to know that Sheryl's latest book, "The Spiritual Journey of Family Caregiving", is now available for $14.95 plus shipping directly from her at http://www.healingcommunication.com/myproducts/spiritualcare.html . (The Lulu.com and Amazon.com prices remain at $21.95.)

Love,
Sheryl and Paul

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

THE PURPOSE OF LIVING ON PLANET EARTH FROM THE GRASSES' POINT OF VIEW

• Soul in the Grass
• Knowing the Grass
• Grass Flower Essences
• Quaking Grass Flower Essence
• Is Life Purpose Important in Challenging Economic Times?
• The Energy of Life Purpose Using Wild Oat Flower Essence
• The Dilemma of Wild Oat
• Finding Your Space/Place with Corn Flower Essence
• Mother Corn
• More About Space vs Place and Corn Flower Essence

In addition to almost daily writing Sheryl went wild with her camera producing images of desert grass like you've never seen it before! You can see most of these images all gathered together in a single gallery -- either as framed or unframed fine art prints -- or on posters, greeting cards, mugs, T-shirts, etc in her "Desert Grass, Cactus Spikes and Barbed Wire" collection at Cafrepress.

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

READY TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT?

Visit our "Make an Appointment" page to schedule your session now.

Or send us an email or leave us a voice message at (831) 325-4076. (Be sure to tell us what time zone you are in and several good times you might be available for an appointment. Thanks!)

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

MORE WRITING AND PHOTOGRAPHY THIS MONTH

Paul's Blog
Sheryl's Blog

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

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

March Healing Communication News

2009-03-02T17:22:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,

Spring is coming! We can see the earliest stirrings here in Arizona already. Little sprouts of green, the first butterflies, and temperatures reaching 70 degrees!

Our newsletter offering this month is by Sheryl. We've also added half length sessions to our website and have lots of new photos and artwork to share. See the links below.

Love,
Sheryl and Paul

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

WHEN WORLDVIEWS COLLIDE

When people heard we were moving to Snowflake, Arizona some of them wanted us to tell them about it and we didn’t know how to respond. You see, we didn’t intentionally pick Snowflake as a place to live. Paul’s family lives in the country near there and they offered us safe haven while we’re coming up with our next steps. Otherwise, we never would have come... and never would have experienced things I’ve started to think may have been crucial for our development as spiritual counselors and healers at the present time.

One thing that’s occurred to me in recent months, especially since arriving in Arizona, is how easy it is to be among people who share your political, religious and cultural beliefs, how very easy it is to believe that people who think or feel differently than you must be bigoted, and how hard it is for us to bridge those gaps in our perception when we remain in the cozy little worlds of our own creation. Our cozy little traps.

But what happens when worlds collide?

When I lived in Santa Cruz I frequently came across attitudes which outside of that community might be considered bigotry. The commonly held opinion that a truly spiritual person ought to be vegetarian, for example, particularly used to rub us the wrong way. But for the most part we enjoyed Santa Cruz for its alternative point of views. The vast majority of people celebrate modes of expression and freedoms unheard of in most parts of the world.

Enclaves of commonality are a solace for people who have found themselves out of step with the greater society for all kinds of reasons. You feel safe, respected, supported and loved. They can be great places to grow. But they can also become insular-- little islands deliberately cutting themselves off from the rest of the world.

Paul and I currently live, inadvertently, in a Mormon pioneer town where chastity before marriage and modesty in dress is a societal norm. In Santa Cruz we lived where the norm was the opposite. The typical goings on at a Gay Pride parade in Santa Cruz were seen as healthy self-expression. But mostly undressed men with dog collars and lesbian women in black leather on motorcycles in the town of Snowflake would seem like an assault to everything this community holds dear. Akin, I would suspect, to a Muslim extremist group having a parade to celebrate women wearing burqas in a place like Santa Cruz, Berkeley or Northhampton. People in all places might think it was a civic responsibility to allow such a parade to happen (maybe)..but it would be a spiritual challenge to deal with the feelings that would surely come up as a result.

I’m still struggling with the impact of coming to live here. We’re still pretty convinced that staying isn’t the best choice for us to make. BUT the experience has opened my heart to a way of living I never would have expected to think was healthy or healing. The kind and loving people here are as happy to be in a community where they feel accepted as Santa Cruzans do in their own. Both people refer to their hometowns as “paradise.”

Some of the people we’ve met here feel very hurt to be labeled bigots . From their perspective, nothing could be more untrue! Snowflake and Santa Cruz have attempted to create very different communities. And yet, especially when we’re talking about the LGBT community, the different worldviews are so similar in their origins. Mormons were a hated and severely persecuted group who were once attacked for their alternative definition of marriage. The two communities are so similar, so different, and so mutually misunderstood.

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

FLOWER ESSENCE FOR HOLDING YOUR OWN IN THIS CHALLENGING ECONOMIC CLIMATE

Red Clover! Read a blog about this useful flower essence and a Mama Love Flower Essence Aromatherapy formula that contains it.

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

WE'VE ADDED 30 MINUTE SESSIONS

1/2 length sessions cost half the price and they're still long enough to get some significant work done.

Visit our "Make an Appointment" page to make your appointment now.

Or send us an email or give us a call at (831) 325-4076.

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

MORE WRITING AND PHOTOGRAPHY THIS MONTH

Paul's Blog... http://paulhood.blogspot.com/
Sheryl's Blog... http://healingcommunication.blogspot.com/

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

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

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

February 2009 Newsletter

2009-02-01T10:29:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,

Happy Super Bowl Sunday for those of you who participate. Our good news is we got satellite internet! Those of you still living close to civilization have no idea what being without that wireless fix is like.

We've had an interesting month, traveling to Sedona and then back again to the high desert, and living in a new and very different place than we lived in before. A lot of us are traveling to unfamiliar places , metaphorically at least. The whole world is experiencing the impact of the economic challenges we face right now, hard choices are being made, but we needed these challenges to fix much more deep seated issues facing our world as a whole. We'll be sharing our insights on the path we're on today and on our blogs (as usual).

In our sessions we're seeing this time as a period of great potential. A turning point and period of tremendous inner and outer growth. If we can support you in the process in anyway, please give us a call.

Our newsletter offering this month is by Paul. And for those of wanting to see more pictures and learn more about Sedona, life in the desert, etc. there are plenty of links offered below.

Love,
Sheryl and Paul

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

OUT HERE
by Paul Hood

We're small out here. In the middle of the Arizona big sky, awash in a sea of Juniper trees and red sand, it becomes easy to appreciate the privacy, solitude and the astounding vastness of the stars.

What one is most confronted with here is the self. What were our notions about our own identity, about our likes and dislikes, our possible futures and our inevitable passing into history? By nature we are soft and compliant, we change and adapt and at times it's easy to feel lost. But it's just as easy to understand that the very concepts of lost and found are just constructions of our own thoughts, and that we therefore are not threatened by anything but that which we have ourselves built out of words and feelings. Out here it is quiet. Out here it is plain.

On our walks we step over thousands of rocks and pebbles, fallen wood so old that it has become stone with ice- shattered edges pink as flesh. The earth is the color of rusted iron and the country roads stretch out to the horizon. We get to know the Ravens by sight. The cottontails, giant jack rabbits and small birds with wings which hum like a cat's purr take stock of us and move on.

Out here it is quiet. Out here it is plain.

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

MORE SHARING FROM THE PATH WE'RE ON

Desert Light
Petrified Wood
A Woman and Her Cat

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

PHOTOS AND INSIGHTS FROM OUR TRIP TO SEDONA

Contrasts
Healing in Progress - Boynton Canyon Trail
"What's a Vortex?" - Cathedral Rock
Crescent Moon Ranch

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

SESSIONS BY TELEPHONE

We're booking sessions at least 48 hours in advance right now. We call you after the appointment is made so there's no long distance charge.

Sessions cost $100 an hour, $150 for an hour and a half, or 5 1-hour sessions for $400

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

MAMA LOVE IS NOW IN LAKE WORTH FLORIDA

Click here to find out more.

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

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

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

Interested in a session? Send us an email or give us a call at (831) 325-4076.

Christmas Newsletter 2008

2008-12-26T15:44:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,

We're sending this a little early this month so we could wish you Happy Holidays close to when they're actually happening. We meant to send this Christmas Eve but, oops!, no Internet connection, so we wrote it then and sent it today. Life in the Arizona desert has been a bit more disrupting than expected. We're still connected, still in business, but still in process with the transitions and changes we've been needing to make.

Seems like a lot of people are going through personal challenges right now but the Winter Solstice / Christmas / New Year's transition is a good time to be doing this kind of work. The dark time of the year--the time when many woodland animals retreat to their dens to sleep out the winter--is the traditional time reserved for inner contemplation, quiet, letting go of the past (death of the old vegetation), and making plans and new resolutions for the futures we want to bring forth. This year, more than anything else, most of us are looking at the events of this previous year and thinking about the next with a combination of awe (our first Black president was elected to office) and fear (worldwide economic shakedown). A challenging time, a time to go forward with deep resolve.

The two of us have temporarily moved to a place where we are literally surrounded by miles of juniper trees in every direction. That's what grows out here and very little of anything else (besides a few grasses and an occasional cactus). But the juniper trees are abundant and, being very interested in flower essences and aromatherapy, Sheryl was recently compelled to look into what juniper trees are good for.

Juniper trees have many medicinal and spiritual uses but, most significantly, the essential oil is a very effective tool for uplifting the spirits in the most challenging situations. Juniper berry oil powerfully dispels negativity, so much so that the local native tribes used to carry the berries in medicine pouches to provide protection whenever they went on a difficult journey. The tree is also, in some cases, the perfect image of a full and bushy Christmas Tree. Evergreen and loaded with berries they attract and provide sustenance for winter birds while the local rabbits, antelope and desert packrats find shelter underneath. It provides sanctuary -- the only sanctuary for wildlife-- in the high Arizona desert and is a lovely example of why the evergreen tree is to this day the most beloved of Christmas symbols.

We can't send you all a package of juniper berries to warm your spirits in the new year but we do send you the gift of one of Paul's photos of a bell in the junipers here instead. Imagine it ringing with thoughts of good cheer and best wishes for our collective well-being in the coming year.

Love,
Sheryl and Paul

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

THE SOLSTICE EVERGREEN

Sheryl's first book, The Solstice Evergreen, about the origin, history and folklore of the Christmas Tree, is still available via her author website at http://www.sherylkaras.com . A little late for this Christmas but still a good read any time of year.

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

MANIFESTING LIFE PURPOSE, ABUNDANT PROSPERITY, AND ALL SORTS OF OTHER GOOD THINGS

We'd love to help you with all these things through a series of spiritual counseling and healing sessions with us... 5 sessions for $400 (that's one session for free). Pay through the Donate Now button at the bottom of the page at http://www.healingcommunication.com and let us know when you'd like your sessions to be.

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

SESSIONS IN SEDONA

We'll be in Sedona for a few days starting January 3rd. If anyone on this list plans to be in the area or has friends there, we'll be available for sessions while we're there and would welcome opportunities to meet with people who could introduce us to the local scene.

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

SESSIONS BY TELEPHONE

Until we get our Internet woes worked out (our local hosts are on a very slow and sometimes undependable dial-up) we'll need an extra day or two to work out times for sessions but we're still doing them via telephone (we call you after a time and payment via our website is arranged).

Sessions cost $100 an hour, $150 for an hour and a half, or 5 1-hour sessions for $400

December Newsletter

2008-12-01T15:42:00.000-08:00

Hello From the Road

Wow! It's hard to believe an entire month has gone by since the election and the last newsletter came out. We're moving! And we're literally writing to you on the road on the way to our next destination—Arizona and the Southwest.

For years now, since we met, Sheryl has had a fantasy that the two of us should go on a photography journey through the Southwest. And she also has had a strong desire to visit retreat center locations and find one that would be suitable to join forces with. We don't know where we're going to end up but Paul's mom made us an offer we can't refuse and we're going to stay with her and Paul's stepdad in Snowflake, Arizona while we're exploring retreat center locations in the Southwest.

In the meantime we intend to continue doing business from our new location(s). If you're one of the many people who have had sessions with us via Skype and telephone we imagine you won't notice a difference. If you're from Santa Cruz or the Bay Area give us a call! Doing sessions via the internet works really well, there's no long distance charge, and we'd love to keep in touch.

love,

Paul and Sheryl

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEW VIDEOS

Sheryl has three new videos up on our Youtube channel. Check them out!

My Introduction to Flower Essence Therapy

The Story of Mama Love Perfume

The Importance of Being Yourself

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

GIVE THE GIFT OF HEALING

Gift certificates for our spiritual counseling and healing services can be arranged in any denomination you like. Pay for a whole session or help someone offset the cost.

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

FLOWER ESSENCES, AROMATHERAPY AND REIKI ALSO MAKE A GREAT HEALING GIFT

Mama Love Healing Perfumes, body and bath oil, and skin cream are available directly from Sheryl through her website at http://www.mamaloveproducts.com. You can also buy the perfumes locally at Artisans Gallery on Pacific Avenue, Way of Life at their new location (1220 41st Ave., still in the Begonia Plaza near New Leaf), Community Chest Treasures at 745 41st Ave. Santa Cruz (near Pleasure Point Pizza), and at the Phoenix Shop at Nepenthe in Big Sur.

And soon, you'll also find them at Community Chest Treasures second store, opening soon at 1121 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz (across from Gateways Bookstore). Join us there for their grand opening on November 14.

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

November 2008 Newsletter

2008-11-03T20:26:00.000-08:00

HELLO EVERYBODY AND HAPPY ELECTION DAY,

Our newsletter has become fairly international in recent months but we live here in the United States so, international readers, please forgive us as we indulge in a little pre-election musing and spiritual guidance.

There’s an interesting drama playing out in both our consciousnesses and on the public scene in the United States today. Will we choose based on fear and pain, trembling before the future, desperately trying to keep the status quo intact? Or will we vote based on our belief in positive possibility, the audacity of hope, reaching out across the aisle (and across the continent) to make our nation whole again? Powerful words from our politicians this time around, not just our own.

The last ditch campaign efforts of the GOP have focussed on slinging dirt. In the last months of Hillary Clinton’s campaign she did the same. In the last election the GOP won using those tactics—they just kept repeating the word “terrorist” over and over, depending on people’s fears and desires to keep the nation “safe” to pull them through. This time around the tactic seems to be wearing thin.

I’m convinced Hillary Clinton would be our Democratic presidential nominee if she hadn’t succombed to fear and fear-mongering, negativity and attempted character assassination in the final months of her campaign. I think people have had enough of their world leaders using “weapons of mass destruction” and fear of them as their primary modus operandi.

There is a spiritual principle that what you focus on increases. Praising God and being thankful for the blessings we receive is the foundation of both the New Age approach to spirituality and for many in the Christian faith. In Judaism prayers of gratitude and thanksgiving are considered the highest form of prayer. No religion says to focus on worry, hatred and fear. Faith, trust, love, peace. Those are the foundations of our strength.

Every election year Americans have the opportunity to go to the polls and vote from their hearts. Nobody knows what you do in that voting booth. Nobody has to know. If you voted from your strength, from your faith, and from your heart instead of in fear and in haste what would it tell you to do? What would it tell you to do in your life?

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

KNOW ANYBODY GOING THROUGH A ROUGH TIME RIGHT NOW?

Give them the gift of spiritual counseling and healing. Gift certificates for our services can be arranged in any denomination you like. Pay for a whole session or help someone offset the cost.

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

FLOWER ESSENCES, AROMATHERAPY AND REIKI ALSO MAKE A GREAT HEALING GIFT

Mama Love Healing Perfumes, body and bath oil, and skin cream are available directly from Sheryl through her website. You can also buy the perfumes locally at Artisans Gallery on Pacific Avenue, Way of Life at their new location (1220 41st Ave., still in the Begonia Plaza near New Leaf), Community Chest Treasures at 745 41st Ave. Santa Cruz (near Pleasure Point Pizza), and at the Phoenix Shop at Nepenthe in Big Sur.

And soon, you'll also find them at Community Chest Treasures second store, opening soon at 1121 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz (across from Gateways Bookstore). Join us there for their grand opening on November 14.

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

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

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

Interested in a session? Send us an email or give us a call at (831) 325-4076.

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

October Healing Communication News

2008-10-02T21:36:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

Welcome to the many people who have joined our newsletter list this month (and to the few people we forgot to add in previous months and just added -- sorry about that). We're glad you're here!

Happy Rosh Hashanah! The Jewish New Year started earlier this week and, like the American New Year, it is a traditional time to reflect on the past, ask forgiveness and make amends for any mistakes that were made, and resolve to make any changes necessary in the year to come. The timing of the holiday this year feels quite significant given the economic woes our nation is grappling with right now. But also positive.

No spiritual tradition says to focus all your attention on worrying about your worst possible nightmares. As one of our clients wrote to say to us recently, that's like praying for bad things to happen! Instead, no matter what your spiritual orientation, conventional wisdom is to focus on joy, on love, on faith, on possibility. The highest benefit for all concerned.

Sometimes things have to break down before they get better. We've been grappling with that ourselves these days. If you've been following our blogs you know that Paul's laptop broke, then the fan in the office, then his coffee carafe, and most recently we discovered that the UPS back-up power supply that is supposed to prevent our work from being lost if we have a power outage isn't working either. (That one has probably not worked in quite a long time.)

The upshot of all these breakdowns is that we became aware of issues that needed to be addressed. Habits of behavior we had fallen into, habits of thinking, hidden issues that were there all along. And we've been starting to address these things.

And that's what's happening in our nation today and around the world. It's a good thing! People are starting to pay attention again. Change has already taken place. Actions have been taken. Today's news is that the $700 billion bailout passed the Senate and is going back to the House. Many of us have had strong reservations about this plan but the good news is that if it passes it won't have passed without discussion, without public opinion being heard, and without thought being put into how to put checks and balances into place.

If we learn from the mistakes of the past, and make sure positive actions are taken to ensure we're on the right track, positive possibilities are likely to have come from this situation for all concerned.

Both of us have written several blogs (in our own ways) about the economic and political crisis. Paul's hit on issues of impermanence, how our external environment reflect inner ones, and the existential quandary about half full or half empty cups not addressing the totality of the question. (http://paulhood.blogspot.com/) Sheryl's blogs show her only partly hidden political activist leanings and a few lessons gleaned from her immigrant grandparents. (http://healingcommunication.blogspot.com/)

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

WE'RE STILL IN SANTA CRUZ -- STILL AVAILABLE FOR IN-PERSON SESSIONS

We're still needing to find a new home, still investigating possibilities, but we ARE still here and still doing in-person sessions in the same place.
We intend to continue to offer sessions in a professional but comforting private environment where your confidentiality is ensured as it should be with any counseling or professional healing service. From the very beginning of our practice having a setting that respects our clients' privacy has been a very important thing and that's still a responsibility we're taking seriously even in the midst of the changes we're needing to make.

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

Interested in a session? Send us an email or give us a call at (831) 325-4076.

September News

2008-09-04T23:54:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

Paul here: This month Sheryl and I are putting out a vision, our vision. We're required to move from our home and home office very soon and have been seeking a new situation with a lot of the same good stuff but more and better, too.

We do firmly believe that when one door closes another one opens. Sometimes we squeal about it, sometimes not. As Sheryl and I have discussed numerous times, we'd like more face time with clients and potential clients. Anytime we bring it up, visions of a spiritual retreat center, with a gift shop, maybe a cafe come up. Or sometimes it's simply a spiritual bookstore with a private room for counseling and healing. Sometimes Sheryl and I envision a very similar space to what we have now: more residential in appearance, and maybe we do live in the back, or off to the side, but the front structure is definitely business: it's a storefront with proper signage and in a good location for doing business.

As many of you know we are engaged in multiple business interests. In addition to our joint healing and counseling practice, Sheryl is an artist, a non-fiction author, and sole owner /proprietor of Mama Love Products which is a line of healing body care products. She manufactures and sells the whole line herself to both wholesale and retail markets. Sheryl is also primary web-designer and marketer for much of what we do.

I am an author of fiction / creative non-fiction, and an accomplished photographer. It's not hard at all for us to imagine a single venue stocked with our art and photography (cards and prints) our books, articles and stories, body products and other gift items, a treatment room and even a small photographic portrait studio. Of course, there'd be a website too. Oh, and surprise! Sheryl sees a bed and breakfast as playing a possible part in all this.

Many parts of this are already a part of our lives—it would be easy to transfer many of these skills and abilities to a creative collaboration —but we have not yet found the physical space, the partners and financial backing, at least not yet.

Our fantasy is that someone on our list knows someone who needs our help in their metaphysical bookshop / bed & breakfast / retreat center or the equivalent. And that they’d love to have a special spiritual counseling and healing team join their staff. Since housing is also one of our primary concerns various possibilities in regards to compensation might be worked out.

If anyone fits this description on our list or thinks they may know someone who could use our help, please pass this newsletter on to those people and get in touch with us. Send a reply via email or call us (831) 325-4076.

Thank you.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WONDERFUL CAMERAS FOR SALE!

We recently upgraded our camera equipment and have 3 great digital cameras and one film camera and lens for sale. Need a great gift for someone's birthday, budding photography business or for Christmas? These cameras are great! And offered at what we think is a very reasonable price (we did the research and know what they're selling for online).

Baby Bear
The first camera is a Canon S3-IS -- an advanced 6 megapixel camera with a 12x zoom. About half the size and weight of an SLR but with excellent image quality and the image stabilization works incredibly well. It also has a macro function which is hard to find. Not quite a pocket camera, but very compact-- bought new on Paul's birthday and simply wasn't used except to shoot a few test shots and 4 or 5 short videos. Yes, it also works great as a digital video camera: shoots direct to SD card. Runs on 4 AA batteries
$200

Mama Bear
The Canon Digital Rebel, also known as the 300d, is a 6.3 megapixel SLR. Works great, Paul loves this camera and much of his portfolio was shot using it. We can include a 512mb CF card. The firmware has been upgraded and this camera can shoot at 3200iso. Includes many other "unlocked" features common to the Canon 10D. Only about 10,000 shutter activations so far-- this camera is good to go for a long time.. Silver Body only, no lens. Compatible with any Canon EOS lens. It comes with 2 genuine Canon batteries, battery charger and power cable, Canon neck strap. Paul thinks he still has the manual and some other stuff that came in the box as well.
$200

Papa Bear
Canon Digital Rebel XTi 10.1 megapixel camera. Paul says: I can't believe I'm selling this one already, feels like I just got it. Excellent image quality, ease of use and more features like bigger LCD, a self-cleaning sensor, and Canon's Picture Style technology. Slightly more compact than the 300D. Uses CF cards. Comes with a CF card, a card reader and extra battery. This camera is in excellent condition, bought new and treated well. It's the silver version, body only, no lens. Compatible with any Canon EOS lens. See this link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I3ZCWU/ref=noref?ie=UTF8&s=photo to learn all about this one--it's a really great camera!
$400.00

Old-Fashioned Bear
A lightly used 35mm Canon Rebel G SLR. This is a film camera.
$25

Lens
35-80mm EOS zoom lens. Works with all the Canon SLR's on this page.
$35

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

Interested in a session? Send us an email or give us a call at (831) 325-4076.

August Healing Communication News

2008-08-04T02:05:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

Having a good summer? We are. Recession, hard times? All that's means is "think outside the box, try something different, and recommit to your highest intentions with all your heart." It's working for us! Could it work for you, too?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARTICLES AND PHOTOGRAPHY THIS MONTH
All our writing is in our blogs this time.

"Fighting the Labyrinth" and its companion piece "Working the Labyrinth" were written by Sheryl about her struggle with working too hard and gaining insights into the true nature of faith. You can find them at http://healingcommunication.blogspot.com/ .

Paul has posted lots of wonderful photographs and a short story about the existential experience of Kentucky Fried Chicken at http://paulhood.blogspot.com/ .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HEALING COMMUNICATION PRESS

Did you know we're being our own publishing company? Sheryl's book, The Spiritual Journey of Family Caregiving, was done by us. Look for a review of it in the Santa Cruz Sentinel next Sunday (probably). It's also being featured in Quest, the national magazine for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, this month. It's getting some favorable press.

We have 5 new publications -- lightly lined fine art journals featuring our flower photography on the covers. We're big journal writers. We both would have stacks of them if we hadn't done a burning ceremony on the beach a couple of years ago. Sheryl really is partial to beautifully designed ones and she can rarely find ones she really likes so she designed her own. They're 81/2" square, perfect bound paperbacks, meant to look like a book you'd keep on your coffeetable. Check them out at Healing Communication Press at http://stores.lulu.com/healingcommunicationpress .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MAMA LOVE PERFUME

One of the lessons of this summer is never give up, just find another way. Sheryl gave up on a couple of her perfumes earlier in the summer and suddenly found them coming back to life.

So, by popular demand, Sheryl has brought back Mama Love for PMS, Postpartum and Menopause Support (previously called "Women's Changes"). It's at http://www.healingcommunication.com/mamaloveproducts/PMS,_Postpartum_and_Menopause_Support.html .

Mama Love for Peace and Goodwill is coming back for Christmas. And Mama Love for Renewed Faith and Optimism is back as well. See http://www.mamaloveproducts.com and visit the "products" page to see them all.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THANKS FOR ALL YOUR REFERRALS!
Simplest way to tell people about us? Forward this email with a note saying you like us. It's easy!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Interested in a session? Send us an email or give us a call at (831) 325-4076.

July 2008 News

2008-07-02T00:04:00.001-07:00

Hello Again,

It's been awhile. Hope you had a wonderful couple of months. We sure have! Sheryl wrote the newsletter this month. Enjoy!

Paul and Sheryl

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

Weddings, Part 1

Weddings have been on our minds and in our hearts a lot these days. With all the excitement about gay marriage being legal in California (and with friends and acquaintances rushing to tie the knot) it's hard not to think about what the institution of marriage is all about. Love. That's the impulse behind every great thing. What do you want with all your heart? (Your relationship, your job, a cause...) Commit to it!

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves, too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. The whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets: 'Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.'"

(from W.H. Murray, "The Scottish Himalayan Expedition")

For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer.. talk about creating magic. Talk about using the power of intention! Manifestation is something we all seem to talk about these days. Commiting to a path with heart—aligning with your true purpose, a path you will commit to with all your heart—that's how it works.

Referrals Help You Help Your Friends

My chiropractor, Michael Koplen (http://www.drmichaelk.com), reminded me recently of the importance of referrals -- not just for practitioners but for the people you refer! He asked for a testimonial and I eagerly agreed. And in the process of writing it I remembered how I was referred to him: I had a neck injury that wouldn't heal. I was in constant but low grade pain all the time for probably 10 years and just lived with it, thinking that was the best I could expect. I had been referred to chiropractors before but I was afraid to go. The idea of someone yanking my neck into place with that awful cracking sound was just too much! But my massage therapist friend Vanessa vehemently disagreed and insisted I see Michael anyway. I finally gave in and I'm glad I did. He's a great guy, had just the right combination of gentleness and firm confident touch I needed, and I experienced instant relief! It took several sessions for my neck to stabilize and hold the correction but eventually it did. My neck has been pain-free for 20 years and I don't hesitate to see him whenever I have a chiropractic complaint.

So now I bet some of you are thinking: I ought to see him, too! See what the power of a referral can do? I'm really glad my friend referred me—I wouldn't have done it without her.

A lot of our clients say they were glad they were referred to us, too. Skilled compassionate counselors who use spiritual guidance and psychic insight to get right to the heart of what a person needs in less than one session are not easy to find. Add energy healing and the fact that they get two people's attention at once...

Well, anyway, we think our work is worth telling people about. If you think so, too, send them this email newsletter with a short note. Something like "I really like these people" and then just tell them why. That's all it takes. Thank you!

Weddings, Part 2

Commitment to a path with heart is why we're in the spiritual counseling and healing business but it's only one of many expressions of what we're here to do. We're artists and authors as well. I also design flower essence/aromatherapy perfume. Where is the connecting element in it all? I like to think it's about spiritual upliftment. Beauty, love, health and healing, what makes a person's heart sing, helping our clients find it. Sometimes we point the way with healing work; sometimes we do it with our art. (Check out Paul's recent work at his photography website at http://www.paulhoodphotos.com and on his blog at http://paulhood.blogspot.com/ .)

This past month we've had an upsurge both in sessions and in the photography work we do. As a photographer, Paul never wanted to shoot weddings. They're a bear of an assignment to do. But this month a very persistent bride got past our defenses, the two of us did the shoot together, and what a wonderful surprise this event turned out to be. You can see a few examples on my blog at http://healingcommunication.blogspot.com/2008/06/color-light-happiness-and-joy.html . A heart-felt low-key wedding on the beach with friends and family, very casual, loving and sweet. It was the real deal, too. Love was in the air all day.

At one point in the day we realized we could have been officiants at this ceremony (we're both ULC ministers). We could have provided the spiritual relationship counseling before the event, done healing the day of the event, done the ceremony, shot the photography, and even provided the musical accompanyment (we both used to be musicians). We wouldn't do it all, of course. But still, it was an interesting thought.

I don't think we would have felt so inspired at a formal affair—that's really not our cup of tea. But, literally, the day before this wedding came along, we asked the universe for a breakthrough in our thinking around prosperity. I loved doing this wedding. It opened my heart to new possibilities. Marriage to your true heart, I believe, is the answer we received.

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

Interested in a session? Send us an email or give us a call at (831) 325-4076.

May 2008 Newsletter

2008-04-30T23:25:00.000-07:00

Wild Iris photo by Sheryl Karas

Hello Everybody!

Welcome to the May edition of the joint newsletter for Healing Communication and Mama Love from Paul and Sheryl. The theme this month is "breakthrough" and the wild Iris, which just came into bloom in Santa Cruz this month, is a perfect symbol.

In ancient Greek mythology Iris was the goddess of the rainbow and the messenger of the gods. In flower essence therapy the wild Iris is used to release emotional blocks to creativity, to unite one with their higher path in life, to spark inspiration, and bring passion into one's life's work. It is also thought to be the origin of the fleur-de-lis, emblem of the French monarchy. Since Hurricane Katrina the fleur-de-lis is being used in New Orleans as a unifying and (according to Wikipedia) "somewhat defiant" symbol of the fight for that city's rebirth and inspiration of home. I put it into my "Abundant Prosperity" formula as a boost to one's creative process.

Speaking of Mama Love perfume, creative inspiration, breakthroughs and abundant prosperity . . . check out Mama Love's new website . I dropped the little girl colors of pastel blue, lavender and pink and gave it a bold new look which I'm using to inspire me to bring Mama Love out to the world at large. My goal is to triple the number of stores Mama Love is sold in nationwide. If there's a store near you that you think Mama Love would be perfect for send me an email or give me a call. Better yet, consider carrying Mama Love in your store, spa, health or healing practice. New smaller displays to fit your budget and Mama Love's naturally-long shelf life (essential oils and jojoba don't go rancid) make it a good investment for any natural products or holistic healing business, large or small.

Bye for now.

love,
Sheryl (and Paul)

..................................................................................................................

BREAKTHROUGH

by Sheryl Karas

The word comes from “break” and “through,” to get through what previously was seen as an insurmountable barrier. A wall in your psyche or belief system? Your childhood upbringing? The norms and expectations you inherited from your culture? What gets in your way?

Sometimes it’s wanting to have the same things we have always wanted in the same way we’ve always wanted to have them. Banging our heads against the wall of the locked door, hoping against hope to get better results.

“If only I could bang harder without breaking my head” we think. “Maybe if I do head push-ups I could make my head harder. Maybe I’m not smart enough or my family didn’t make me tough enough. I need to buck up and make it hurt. I mean, after all, if you want something bad enough . . .”

On it goes. Until the day we wake up and discover our head hurts way too much, the pain of the effort never adds up to the results we need, and that wall is just too damn long to go around. We can’t see the end of it. It’s time to stop. Put down the effort. “Let go, let God.”

“It isn’t our job,” we say, “anymore. It’s done. It’s over. In French, finis.”

"But it isn’t." God smiles. "It’s in my hands now. Let me show you what really can be done."

...................................................................................................................

DISCONTINUED PERFUMES AND INTERNET SPECIALS
Mama Love is discontinuing a couple of perfumes this year and also has perfume left over from Christmas that are still good for use all year round. The specials I'm offering to clear them out are available only through my website. Check them out at http://www.healingcommunication.com/mamaloveproducts/specials.html

...................................................................................................................

SIGNED COPIES OF SHERYL'S BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE NOW
Visit her author's website at http://www.sherylkaras.com .
...................................................................................................................

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A BREAKTHROUGH IN YOUR LIFE?
Set up an appointment! Send us an e-mail or give us a call at (831) 325-4076.

Sheryl photographing the Iris by Paul Hood

Paul at the UCSC Arboretum by Sheryl Karas

April Newsletter

2008-03-31T14:18:00.001-07:00

Happy Spring!

Happy Spring? At the Way of Life store in Capitola Sheryl's Mama Love best sellers this month were "Releasing Worry & Fear," "Trusting Inner Guidance", and "Restful Sleep." Feeling anxious, anybody? Paul wrote an article about "How to Stop Worrying" in this month's newsletter but first we have a couple of announcements to make.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WE'VE GONE WORLDWIDE!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We recently signed up for Skype and did our first Voice-Over-Internet call a few weeks ago. It worked great! And the price is so low (free to call other Skype users) that we can absorb the cost of the call into what we charge for sessions. No long distance charges for our clients anymore! Yippee!

And here's something even cooler. If you have a video camera and microphone attached to your computer -- our Mac has one built in -- we can do face-to-face video sessions with you no matter where you live all over the world.

We went nationwide with our sessions via telephone many months ago after much worry and discussion about whether it would work out. We had an out-of-town person INSIST on having a session with us long distance. She knew we were the ones for her and didn't take our hesitation and concern for an answer. It was great and we've done sessions with lots of other people that way as a result.

If you want to try a video or telephone session with us check our website to find out how at http://www.healingcommunication.com/phoneandvideosessions.html .

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TIME TO GO TO A FLAT RATE FEE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Because a significant amount of our business now involves payment over the Internet our sliding scale approach seems to be out of date. We've experimented A LOT, moving the scale up, down, moving the bottom, moving the top. Some people always pay at the top; some people can't afford our bottom. But no matter what we have done -- even when we did sessions by donation -- the vast majority of our clients and the average of all payments over time has always stayed in the same range:

$100/ hour, $150/ hour and one half

We believe "THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN."

This is our new flat rate fee. Different length sessions are available to accommodate your budget.

We want to thank everyone who has used our services. We appreciate you for participating in our growth as healers in this community and for letting us be a participant in your life journey.
We look forward to working with you in what we hope will be an easier, more straight forward fashion for now on.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SHERYL'S NEW BOOK IS NAMED "BOOK OF THE MONTH"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Spiritual Journey of Family Caregiving was named "Book of the Month" by the Parkinson's Association of San Diego. Isn't that nice? And it's also available now at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and Borders Books online. Pretty cool! Still she makes more of a royalty if you buy it directly from Healing Communication Press at Lulu.com. The url is http://www.lulu.com/content/1767517 .

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THIS MONTH'S ARTICLE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This month's article entitled "How to Stop Worrying" was Paul's gift to me earlier this week. Incidents in our personal lives had put me into a tailspin and I got caught in a cycle of worry that I knew was out of proportion to what was really going on. I tried everything in my toolbox -- reading inspirational texts, meditation, breathing, herbs, flower essences, energy healing, counseling with Paul. Everything worked for a little bit and then the old anxiety would come crushing in, even harder than before. Then I realized one night that even when I meditate I never seem to achieve what others call a state of bliss. Paul is able to drop into that place whenever he gets into a meditative or healing space so I asked him if he could teach me. He did his best, told me what he could relate, and it just sounded like nonsense. The words went flying over my head.

So Paul sat down the next day and wrote this article for me. And it worked! It woke me up! The brutal reality of the talk I had internalized from my childhood hit me like a ton of bricks -- I almost forgot to notice how funny Paul's writing really can be. But the truth of it hit me, too. Bull's eye! It popped me out of my mental state and I've been calm, happy and sleeping like a baby ever since. -- Sheryl

HOW TO STOP WORRYING
by Paul Hood

How to stop worrying.

Dale Carnegie had some good ideas, but the story isn’t over yet.

It’s not as if there aren’t thousands, maybe millions of positive examples out there. So many mentors, so many shining examples of how to live life more joyously in the present moment. No, all you have to do is ask-- and even sometimes when you don’t ask, somebody you know will send a truly inspiring video directly to you via the magic of email.

But all those uncountable resources, they don’t always get through, they don’t work on the the tough cases. I recently figured out why. The brilliant, shining examples are speaking the wrong language. For people who worry, Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dyer and other motivational speakers may as well be speaking Martian. You have to know your audience.

So let’s make a fresh start.

If you worry, it’s because you’re bad, wrong, and in all likelihood, stupid. Now, it’s not as if anything I say will change the fact that you fill your life with useless worry. No, you will continue on, day in and day out, running through your same, tired old internal rhetoric. You always do that. I’m so sick of it I could scream. I knew you would turn out this way. Why can’t you be more like your sister ? You’re supposed to be the smart one. Go clean your room.

Now I’m getting through, aren’t I ? If you worry obsessively it’s because you were taught to do so, either by example or by drilling into your brain that a certain world-view is in fact, reality. Of course that world view isn’t true. It’s a vicious lie. The world is filled with lies and deception. And you fell for it. God, you are so gullible. I can’t even believe it. Who raised you? Trust me, you can’t trust anyone. Look at me when I’m talking to you.

So, obsessive worry is caused by a faulty thought process, and that process is fueled by having been immersed in a world view skewed by excessive concern for safety, security and familiarity. That world view is ruled by fear, an emotion. Emotions aren’t bad or good, they just are. But it’s a useful thing to be aware of which emotions you’d be better off making a habit of feeling. Even more useful if you’re aware that your thoughts have a very direct effect on your emotions, and you can certainly learn to think useful thoughts which result in a more pleasant emotional state. Interestingly enough, more pleasant emotions tend to spawn more useful thoughts, encouraging a more positive and productive world view and that becomes a cycle which is self supporting. I’m losing you, aren’t I ? Like pearls before swine. I might as well be talking to a brick wall. Look, if you don’t pay attention you’re going to miss all this good stuff and then where will you be? Screwed, that’s where. I should have known. I could have predicted this. When will you ever learn ? What’s so funny, damn it ? Use your indoor voice.

Worry is, in fact, oppression. It was probably taught to you by people who meant well, as it was taught to them and so on. Don’t blame yourself for that, and there’s no need to blame your teachers either. Engender forgiveness in your heart-- for the fact that everything in this world is meant to change and grow. You learned one world view which has useful facets, but it was unbalanced and now you’re going to learn a new one. It’s not hard, but it might be scary. The whole reason for that fear to appear is because the new world view contradicts the old one which was based on. . . right, you guessed it, Fear with a capital “F”. Fear in this case does not indicate danger. Fear in this case indicates change, and your previous world view was constructed to sound the alarm whenever change appeared imminent. Again, be forgiving. Your friends, relatives, neighbors may have experienced very unpleasant changes. Those changes became associated with fear, and then equated with fear, and finally any change gets viewed as bad, wrong, or even “evil.” Whoops, that’s a stretch. Only an idiot would believe something like that. An idiot like you. You and the horse you rode in on. Mercy me. Stay with me now, remember; a stitch in time saves nine. I want you to turn over a new leaf. I’m just trying to help, and there you go again, flying off the handle like always. Now don’t go off half cocked. You could put an eye out. All I’m saying is, be careful.

So worry is a habit whose emotional basis is fear. When someone is afraid, the first instinctual thing we do is tell them “everything is all right,” “you’re safe now,” “you’re home”, essentially that they are in a quiet, protected, PREDICTABLE environment. Worry, interestingly enough, is the mind trying to predict the future, and all possible variations of it. It’s an attempt to achieve readiness now, for what might occur later. That’s impossible, if you look at the sheer number of things which might happen in the future and that you can’t mathematically prepare for all of them. On the other hand, nearly every creature on this earth is a living example of being prepared for everything. You are too, I’m telling you, you’re prepared, you’re worthy, you’re a high functioning individual-- the product of millions of years of evolution and a perfect child of God. And yet you think otherwise. I could slap you. I swear, right now. Oh la -dee-dah, you think you’re so special don’t you? That you have to stay up nights running scripts in your head because you’re the one individual in history who can mentally catalog every possible future event-- not just for you but for everyone and every thing in your life. Wow. Get over yourself.

Worry is oppression that is taught, and learned, based upon the idea that fear equals readiness-- that feeling bad is a good idea. Maybe it’s even a responsibility. Worry embraces the concept that the one constant in the universe, change, is something to be avoided at all costs. Worry can’t exist very well in an individual unless they are living in a state of constant fear. Interestingly enough, fear can’t be upheld in an environment of faith. Oh, ye of little faith. Oppression means that you were taught that you aren’t ready for anything, that you’re inferior. That really cracks me up. I’m laughing at you right now. Pointing and laughing, and doing a little dance which is rather uncoordinated but is reminiscent of the Bossa Nova. It looks totally silly and I don’t care. You have no faith at all, you sorry bastard. Even a little child knows that he can walk around in the world and be totally joyous. Hell, baby goats know that, puppies and kittens know that. Even flowers bloom, grass grows automatically, the sun rises and sets without writing a business plan every night. Point of fact, if you worry you are dumber than dirt.

Even though change is constant in the universe, on a day to day basis a lot of things do stay the same. Our civilization is built upon a certain degree of predictability. When we want to direct specific changes, we theorize based upon past observances, we try new things and observe the results. We innovate, and innovation is faith based. We have faith in our abilities to bring positive change, and we generally know that when we try new things we aren’t usually risking much. There’s a certain amount of inertia to reality, we can’t help but be aware of that. Little mistakes do not cause the fabric of the universe to unravel. That’s another reason not to worry. Most change is incremental, not revolutionary, or to put a negative spin on it, disastrous. This is what you should forgive your oppressors for: for knowing that much of life is about balancing inertia (tradition) with incremental risks to bring about positive change. They weren’t wrong to teach you this, maybe just a little out of balance. And because they loved you so much, they may have taught you to worry, thinking they were helping you to be ready for anything. So forgive them now and know that you are ready. Peace be with you.

Ok, I hope I was speaking your language and that this helped.
If it didn’t, don’t worry about it.
I know I won’t.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WANT MORE OF OUR LATEST WRITING?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Visit our blogs. We both have lots of new stuff up this month.
Sheryl's blog is at http://healingcommunication.blogspot.com/
Paul's is at http://paulhood.blogspot.com/

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THANK YOU FOR YOUR REFERRALS!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interested in a session? Send us an email or give us a call at (831) 325-4076.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

March Newsletter

2008-03-02T15:36:00.000-08:00

Hello Everybody,

Doesn't it feel great when Spring has arrived? Those of you on the East Cost and up north getting this email probably haven't seen signs of Spring yet but our Santa Rosa plum tree burst into bloom this week and, wow, did that brighten up our day! We have a couple of special announcements to make in regards to our spiritual counseling and healing practice this month so be sure to look for them further down.

Sheryl and Paul

---------------------------------------------------------
THIS MONTH'S ARTICLE
---------------------------------------------------------

ALL GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES
by Sheryl Karas

I have shamrocks on my mind lately. Paul and I went on a photo shoot at the UCSC Farm & Garden project in Santa Cruz the other day and we saw some beautiful examples. Have you ever seen the variety of clover in the picture above? Isn't that prominent triangle spread across the leaves amazing? It made me wonder more about the symbolic significance of triangles and three leaves and whether it had anything to do with the shamrock's association with good luck and prosperity.

It does! Here's the scoop:

The number three is Ireland's most sacred and magical of numbers. The shamrock associated with Saint Patrick's Day is supposed to represent the Holy Trinity of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost but the mystical significance of the shamrock and the number three go much further back than that.

According to several sources I found on the Internet the triad or trinity represented the unity of body, mind and spirit. In Ireland it also represented many other things: Crone, Mother and Virgin; Love, Valour and Wit; Faith, Hope and Charity; Past, Present, Future; and Earth, Sky and Underworld. It also likely that it is associated with the ancient Celtic triple Mother Goddess Éire, Banba and Fotla. And other trifold goddesses associated with the harvest, fertility and prosperity.

Clover has been used since ancient times for its medicinal qualities. Red Clover is used for a wide variety of women's reproductive complaints and may protect against heart disease and have some benefit against cancer. In Flower Essence Therapy it is used for helping a person maintain self-awareness and calm. (I use it in my Mama Love for Doing New Things with Confidence perfume). In particular it is useful in situations where people are infecting each other with fear (mass hysteria and other forms of group panic which can arise during natural disasters, war, or economic crisis).

The mass media is doing a great job of whipping up such a frenzy right now spreading worry and fear about a "probable" recession. It's ONLY probable if people believe it is and become afraid to do business as usual. Yeah, gas prices have gone up (to less than half what Europeans have paid for many years now) and yeah, choices were made in funding bank loans for people with insufficient income to pay for the high-priced houses they wanted it for. The housing market became seriously inflated in recent years. That's being corrected. But, there's no reason to panic! For every person losing their "shirt" now (they're not, just their illusions) many, MANY more people made a killing in the housing market not long ago and are enjoying more prosperity than ever in their lives. Where's the media attention on that?

The American economy has been propped up by optimism since the end of the gold standard in the early 70s. What's a "recession"? When something happens to shake that faith. People get conservative with their spending, merchants and others who depend on that spending feel the effect of that and pull back themselves, and the whole economy slows down. It's a mass created domino effect. And yet, let me emphasize again, MOST people are doing better now financially, not worse. The economy is growing at a slower rate. Many people think that's reason to fret. The smart ones are just waiting for the best time to jump in and invest.

Paul was telling me last night that at least three points are needed to create a stable base -- hence the three legged stool and variations on that. Ancient texts say God is One. From one came two --duality, Yin and Yang, man and woman, night and day. From two comes three - the man, woman and child. And from three comes all the manifestations of the physical world.

March is the third month in the Christian calendar. Keep the shamrock and the number three in your heart this month and believe in the power to manifest what you want. Can't we all use a feeling of faith, hope and prosperity?

-------------------------------------------------------------
DISCOUNTS FOR MULTIPLE SESSIONS
-------------------------------------------------------------
We've had many people come to us for ongoing work and a few who would really like to be able to do sessions weekly, every other week, or monthly at the very least. We've discovered that the progress people make when they commit to their growth over time is inspiring. So to make this more accessible we're offering a special discount. One additional session for free if you pay for a block of three in advance. (Sliding scale for four 1-hr sessions comes to $300 - $600 prepaid.)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPECIAL GIFT FOR PEOPLE WHO SEND US REFERRALS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We SO appreciate the referrals we receive! And not just because it means more business. People who come to us because we were recommended to them are so great. They know what to expect, they're less afraid, and they're more ready to take advantage of what we can offer. We've been wanting to offer a gift of our appreciation for some time now. How does $25 off your next session sound?

This gift applies to anyone who has sent us a new client in the last year AND anyone who does so in the foreseeable future. You can use this discounted session for yourself or give it to a friend. If that friend is another brand new client for us, you'll get another session for $25 off. Your friend gets a discount. You get a discount. Everyone wins!

Important note: Referrals do not need to be local to Santa Cruz! We've been doing sessions via telephone nationwide for some time now and it works really well.

-----------------------------------------------
CREDIT CARDS & DONATIONS
-----------------------------------------------
We can now take credit cards using Paypal through our website over the Internet. (You do not have to have a Paypal account to participate.) Visit our "fees" page at http://www.healingcommunication.com/fees.html .

You can also make donations. We were recently contacted by an old client who was so thankful for what she received from us that she wanted to give us a gift. There's a button at the bottom of our homepage (http://www.healingcommunication.com) that says "Donations Can be Made by Clicking Here." You can pay whatever you like using a credit card OR by debiting your bank account.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DO YOU TAKE CARE OF AN ELDERLY RELATIVE? DO YOU ANTICIPATE HAVING TO DO SO?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sheryl's new book THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY OF FAMILY CAREGIVING is full of useful information for anyone even thinking about being in that situation. You can read excerpts at her Spiritual Caregiving blog at http://spiritualcaregiving.blogspot.com/ . Links to buy it online are right there. You can also buy autographed copies directly from Sheryl for $21.95.

-------------------------------
MAMA LOVE NEWS
-------------------------------
A year ago one of my perfumes, Trusting Inner Guidance, was doing so poorly I considered dropping it from my line. My inner guidance said: "Wait! Don't change anything about it." Today it's one of my best sellers. Why? The economy? Politics? The people who did try it liked it? I really don't know.
http://www.mamaloveproducts.com

SPECIAL SALE ON TEDDY BEARS
I bought a couple of cases of really cute, super soft 15" Teddy Bears to couple with my Mama Love perfume for gift baskets. Troubled Times and a bear for someone in the hospital, Abundant Prosperity or Manifesting Life Purpose with a bear for graduation day, that kind of thing. But I've now made the decision to concentrate on wholesaling my perfume and I'd like to sell the bears off. They're infused with Reiki and decorated with a red satin bow.

$5 per bear
$45 for 10 bears
$80 for 20 bears
Shipping is extra.... or pick them up at my house and I'll give you a box.

--------------------------------------------------------------
PAUL HAS GREAT NEW PHOTO GIFTS
--------------------------------------------------------------
And Sheryl has one or two. Birds, flowers, baby goats. Did you see Paul's latest sunset pic of Cowell's Beach on the news? They showed it on Fox 35 at 10 pm and KION 46 at 11 pm and everyone oohed and aahed.
Visit our Cafepress site at http://www.cafepress.com/paulnsheryl .

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interested in a session? Send us an email or give us a call at (831) 325-4076.

February News

2008-02-03T16:00:00.001-08:00

Happy February,

This week, on Paul's birthday to be exact, starts the Chinese Year of the Earth Rat which is supposedly a sign of achievement and the acquiring of wealth. Well, we've gotten good start on that. We have lots to announce so let's just jump right in. Gung Hay Fat Choy (A Happy and Prosperous New Year) to you all!

Sheryl and Paul

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

SHERYL HAS A NEW BOOK

For five years, up until a couple of years ago, I was a professional Family Caregiving Consultant, first with the Alzheimer's Association and then with a state-sponsored caregiver resource center in Santa Cruz, CA (Del Mar Caregiver Resource Center). During that time I worked with people who were taking care of mostly elderly loved ones with Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, stroke, or some other progressive brain-impairing illness. I worked with people at every stage of their caregiving experience and wrote a monthly email newsletter sharing advice, resources and insights about the path. Most people came to me seeking practical assistance but -- almost without exception -- eventually the conversation would turn to emotional and spiritual issues coming up along the way.

I wrote about all of it and I'm very happy to announce that as of this week those articles are now available in a book called THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY OF FAMILY CAREGIVING through Lulu.com at http://www.lulu.com/content/1767517 . I also have a blog where I'm posting lots of excerpts from the book, new articles, book reviews and links to caregiver resources at http://spiritualcaregiving.blogspot.com/ . I invite you to take a look and hope you find what I have to offer valuable.

The book is already starting to get some notice. Both the Alzheimer's Association and the ALS branch of the Muscular Dystrophy Association have asked for copies to review for their national publications, resource lists and libraries; the San Diego branch of the Parkinson's Association may be featuring it as their Book of the Month; and I was recently interviewed by Carol Marak for her Elder Care Expert Show. That was a lot of fun. You can hear the whole interview by clicking this link .

A party is sure to happen to celebrate this event, perhaps with cake, a booksigning or talk or all three... but we don't know when yet.... stay tuned!

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

PAUL HAS HIS FIRST PHOTO EXHIBITION

Even though Paul has made his living partially as a photojournalist in the past and has sold numerous photographs and products featuring his work online, he has never shown his work in an exhibit before. That all changed a few weeks ago when he was invited to hang a show of his bird, flower and marine life photography in the lobby at Main Street Realty at 2567 Main street in Soquel. That stirred up a lot of excitement, especially when he sold a piece before he even hung it on the wall.

A party is sure to happen, perhaps with wine and cheese, a chance to talk with the artist, and other great things to eat... but we don't know when yet... stay tuned!

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

THIS MONTH'S ARTICLE:
(Paul was sick and running a slight fever when he wrote this... but Sheryl thought it was amusing so here it is.)
“CHICKEN LITTLE” VERSUS “THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD”
by Paul Hood

A few lessons of late for Sheryl and I regarding how our consciousness interacts with reality. The power of intentions and all that.

Long story short: through persistence, belief and optimism primarily, I got invited to hang a show of my photographic work. That’s the ”little engine that could” part. I think every artist has to hold some kind of joy and belief in their hearts. Some blending of work, persistence over time and a sense that your task leads towards some resolution, or simply that the work of producing art is an end in and of itself keeps you going. Anyway, I keep producing work and putting it out there and it has been selling, to the point where I get to brag that my work is “being held in private collections now in 23 States and three foreign countries and the list is growing”. That’s my PR quote. I think I can. I thought I could. I knew I could. I still think I can because there are more hills to climb yet.

Now for the “Chicken Little” part. Sheryl and I worried about the expense of hanging the show. We worried it to death. We took all the joy out of it. Then we recovered from that some, and just “got ‘er done.” The prints were made, then mounted, then hung. That’s when we discovered that a majority of the prints had been damaged in the process: damaged enough to be considered seconds, not damaged enough to destroy them and start over. We were obligated to hang the show, so we did, negotiated a refund for materials costs and got on with life. In the meantime a lot more bad feelings were generated before the whole thing got resolved. People lost sleep over this, and we felt terrible about that. In the end, Sheryl and I had to reconcile it all in our minds. If we could do it over again I don’t know what we would have done differently exactly, but we had to wonder how much our fears played into the outcomes. An invitation to do a gallery show fell out of the sky like an acorn and hit me in the head. I could have said, “Wow! Food! I Love acorns! Praise be to God for MANNA FROM HEAVEN.” Conversely I might have said, “Ouch! I hope there’s no permanent neurological damage. Help! Somebody is throwing acorns at me. . . who do I sue?” Well guess what, we had both reactions, almost at the same time. We could have chosen to live fully in love, faith, and gratitude and instead we only half-chose that.

I don’t know if it’s possible for us to live in continual gratitude for acorns that fall or fail to fall when we want them to. Can’t control the timing or the trajectory. I don’t know if it’s within the human psyche to be in bliss whether the train tracks head up a steep hill, crest, or descend in an effortless downhill coast. But I will say this: barring the sky falling, I think I can.

Ok, well that’s not really true. I think that experiencing the highs and lows of existence is part of being human, and if we react to all stimulus the same way then what’s the point of being here? Now, some would call that a roadmap to enlightenment: that once you see through the veil between base existence and transcendence it’s a simple thing to rend that veil. In other words, once you truly and deeply understand that the totality of what we experience is a mirroring of our collective thoughts, intentions, beliefs-- you’re there. You get it. Or let me put it this way: picture “The Little Engine That Could” on a giant hamster wheel. Now you get it ? No? Well, enjoy the ride anyway. Hamsters do. And be loving during the trip, because the destination is not the point.

“I been workin’ on the railroad, all the live-long dayyyy, I been workin’ on the railroad just to pass the time awaaaayyy....”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OTHER BLOG ARTICLES

"Staying Credible Amidst Multiple Realities".... more on the idea of what you believe is what you get and related issues

"Visioning and Dreaming"...the importance of visualization and dreaming big...

"The Seven Psychospiritual Dimensions of Family Caregiving"

"How I Became A Family Caregiving Consultant"

"Getting Ready for a Gallery Show"

"Non-Violence (Ahimsa)"

Healing Communication News

February 2012 News

Related articles

January 2012 Newsletter

Related articles

October News

September Newsletter

August 2011 Healing Communication News

July Newsletter 2011

June Healing Communication News

March Healing Communication News

Winter Solstice 2010

November Healing Communication News

Big Healing Communication News!

July Recession Special!

June 2010 News

May 2010 Healing Communication News

April 2010 Healing Communication News

March 2010 News

Sagebrush Flower Essence for When Life Strips You to the Essentials

February 2010 Newsletter

New Year's Wishes - Jan. 2010

December Newsletter 2009

November 2009 Newsletter

October 2009

September 2009 Newsletter

August 2009 Newsletter

July 2009 Healing Communication News

June Healing Communication News

May Healing Communication News

April Healing Communication News

March Healing Communication News

February 2009 Newsletter

Christmas Newsletter 2008

December Newsletter

November 2008 Newsletter

October Healing Communication News

September News

August Healing Communication News

July 2008 News

May 2008 Newsletter

April Newsletter

March Newsletter

February News