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| © Copyright 2013 Paul Hood |
Happy Spring. Have you been feeling renewed energy for change and transformation? It's been fits and starts for us the last couple of months -- lots of unexpected change with illness (we're now both well, thanks) and computer glitches but things are starting to turn around. Sheryl -- the newsletter sender -- got a new computer and all hell broke loose for awhile. But, she says, it is SO great to finally join the 21st Century with plenty of RAM and all her computer programs up to date (or close enough for now).
Another new thing for Sheryl and her Mama Love flower essence aromatherapy business is a new line of unscented flower essence sprays. These sprays, so far, address the same issues her old line does minus the essential oils but the decision does lead to many new ideas about potential new products. Animal formulas top the list, also some for workaholism and its polarity (repressed motivation). She's looking for suggestions for healing topics that address a wide enough segment of the population to be applicable for a ready-made product list. You'll find her new unscented sprays at the bottom of this page: http://www.healingcommunication.com/mamaloveproducts/Products.html. They'll be available at wholesale prices for stores and those who can afford to buy in bulk -- just ask if it turns out that the "wholesale" webpage isn't updated yet.
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Apparently at least one person was confused enough about this last paragraph to write to me. Figured I better clarify this for everyone else: I don't make anything out of anything but certified organic botanical ingredients--I won't be making anything out of animal products. I plan to make flower essence products for pets! And I'm not doing scentless aromatherapy. I have been combining flower essence therapy with aromatherapy but for the scentless products I am doing straight flower essence therapy -- no essential oils. The reason I'm choosing to do scentless products in addition to my original product line is that despite what we in the industry believe is true about the safety and inherent value of aromatherapy... chemically sensitive people who have been frightened through past experience to avoid scents and those who care about them want scent free alternatives no matter what anyone says. Also some people don't want to smell like a rose or patchouli or whatever I decide to use but still want the benefits. My flower essence formulas will not behave the same as the flower essence aromatherapy combinations but they do provide at least an alternative some people might prefer to use in some situations.
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Sheryl also wrote the newsletter article this month. It's about a spiritual counseling choice that comes up for us and our clientele on and off.
Be well!
Sheryl and Paul
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WHY WE DON'T LIKE TO BE ASKED TO "PREDICT" THE FUTURE (Revisited)
An interesting conundrum comes up for us as counselors from time to time: what if you could predict the future but the belief you'd have about that future is incorrect? For example, people frequently wish to know what they should do about a sticky problem in their lives. "Should I go back to school, go out with this guy, do this thing I really want to do, whatever it is?" They may want Paul and I to tell them whether or not to do it. But perhaps not for the right reasons. They might not want to know if the risk is worth it; they want to know if it will be a "success." That's a hard call because Spirit doesn't always define success as they might want things to end up.
"Should I go out with this guy?" a person might ask. "Will it be safe? Will we wind up in love, walking down the aisle, happy for the rest of our lives?" We might not be able to answer that right off because the answer in some cases is deeper. What if the most important person to ever be in your life walked in the door right now and you weren't ready because the adequate preparation had not occurred? What if guy #1 (the one being considered today) was a step, a necessary step, to get prepared? Would you go on that date, those series of dates anyway? What if you are essentially “destined” to have several good years together, and then your partner dies? Would you altogether avoid what might be the love of your life?
Here's another one, a much more common scenario in our practice: "I need to make a change! I hate my job. It's a dead-end anyway. I can't figure out how to make a living in my chosen profession because I'm not prepared. I can't get prepared because I'm too busy. How do I make time for my highest callings?" "You need to go back to school" we sometimes say. "But how will I afford it?" "You'll find a way." we say. "There are job training scholarships you might qualify for, Pell Grants if you haven't gotten a B.A. before, other possibilities if you're over a certain age, under a certain age, a minority, etc., etc. But that's not the important thing.
Do you know what you should go back to school for? The answer is NOT just to get a job because who knows where this economy is taking us, what jobs will be in demand and why you may not be qualified even with the appropriate degree. Training might be more important. Exposure to new ideas always is. That's why you should consider going to school. To get out of your own limited world view and be exposed to something new. What do you REALLY want to do? No! Not that one, the thing you're afraid to consider. The one that will take you out of your comfort zone.
But wait! Is that practical? Is it wise to "waste the money" as some people might say on a college degree that won't mean anything when the economy changes again and new economic realities replace it (as is going to happen over and over in the course of one's life)? Or would it be better to at least take some electives in the course of getting the training you think you need to open your mind, to extend your horizons, to get a longer gameplan in gear.
Case in point: I went to school straight out of high school with the intention of creating a career that combined my love of art with writing and psychology, three interests that have stayed with me to this day. But I never have made my living as a fine artist, a writer or exclusively as a counselor although many of my jobs have involved at least two of these skills. Unanticipated things have occurred. I started out as a professional paste-up artist when that was a decently paid job and not a set of commands on a computer keyboard. Overnight that profession disappeared. Later I worked for a book publishing company in the days when small publishing houses that made their owners and employees a reasonable living were considered a "success" and not a liability by the larger multinational mega-publishing houses that bought them all later and demanded blockbusters. You may not realize that some of these publishers were not put out of business by the "internet" as people frequently assume. They were cannibalized by bigger fish for their most profitable offerings and then disbanded.
So how do you plan for sea changes like that? To some extent you don't; you prepare yourself to be able to change instead. That's where inner guidance comes in. Broaden your horizons, try something new and see where it goes. Follow your heart. And don't forget to wake up in the morning with the thought "I wonder what I'll get to do next!" Happy with anticipation.
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INTERESTED IN A SPIRITUAL COUNSELING SESSION?
Spiritual Counseling sessions with one or both of us can be set up by clicking here: http://www.healingcommunication.com/How_to_Make_an_Appointment_with_Spiritual_Counselors_and_Healers_Sheryl_Karas_and_Paul_Hood.html
We work in-person (in Chico, CA) or by telephone or video via Skype anywhere in the world.
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MAMA LOVE FLOWER ESSENCE AROMATHERAPY
Check out what's new at www.mamaloveproducts.com.
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WHERE TO FIND OUR ARTWORK
In our joint Etsy shop... http://www.etsy.com/shop/PaulnSherylArt
Beautiful Photographic Prints by Paul Hood... http://PaulHood.imagekind.com/
Beautiful Photographic Prints and Artwork by Sheryl Karas... http://sherylkaras.imagekind.com
Art notecards, T-shirts, mugs and other gifts featuring our images... http://www.zazzle.com/paulnsheryl*
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WHERE TO FIND OUR VIDEOS
http://www.youtube.com/user/healerteam
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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!
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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!
