A Spiritually Enlightening Online Magazine ISSN# 1708-3265

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Illuminations Aleesha Stephenson About the Cover Grace Tran Spirit Night Elaine J. Habermehl Get Outside - It's Good for You! David Suzuki PhD Dignity Is To Spirit As Breath Is To Life Dj Brown Growing, Not Just Going To Heaven Rev. Cheryl Jewett Carol's Story Annamaria Hemingway A Spurt in the Grass Alegria Imperial Peace and Quiet Marlene Buffa Middle of the Night Middle of the Heart Patrice Karst 6 Tips on How to Not Let Your Relatives Ring Your Holiday Bell Jackie Lapin The Latest Word On Raw Food: Raw Chocolate! David Wolfe The Envelope Please… An Interview with Revvell Revati Aleesha Stephenson Wiccan Voices Crystal Blanton, HPs Life in the Raw Melissa Gilbert Walk Your Talk Aleesha Stephenson Being Mindful Janet Alston Jackson Breathe Wisdom Jacqueline Kramer Lifetalks Dawn Baumann Brunke Get On Track! Jennifer Dillon Meditate a Moment Featuring: Aleesha Stephenson Naked Chocolate David Wolfe and Shazzie Fresh The Ultimate Live-Food Cookbook Sergei and Valya Boutenko True Meditation Adyashanti Who Would You Be Without Your Story? Byron Katie Food Matters DVD

Looking at our emotional past is very popular. Everyone is going into therapy, looking at their past and blaming a lot of their problems today on what happened to them. I totally agree that the facets of our being are created from the fabric of our lives. As we stitch each image on our own personal tapestry we create the image of who we are. But does that mean we can't make any changes to who we are?

I've done a lot of healing throughout my life. I'm a huge fan of therapy, as long as it doesn't go on for years and years. I believe in looking at the issue, seeing what part/role we played, what the lessons and gifts were and then accepting the situation (cause honestly, it's in the past and we cannot change the past no matter how much we may want to) and then… simply moving on.

Byron Katie is a wonderful example of this type of thinking. She believes that we shouldn't make a story about stuff. Instead we need to look at it, how it effects us, turn it around and then… through the examination of the situation, find acceptance. Once we have acceptance and we realize this is happening simply because it is! It's happening because it is. Very powerful if you can get into the place of accepting this statement (which her 'Work' assists you to do.)

Of course there are many other ways to find serenity. Meditation is an excellent tool to "settle the mind". Personally I love to meditate. I find GREAT healing within those moments of quiet breath. Focusing on my breath, not on my thoughts or emotions, just on my breath coming in my nostrils and then back out again. Feeling the air moving in past the tip of my nostrils and then the warmth of it leaving again. Relaxing and allowing my Self to hit the reset button. Ahhhh bliss indeed!

There's also EFT (emotional freedom technique) which I've used in the past a few times. Very powerful. Helps you to move forward without the emotional baggage hanging on your sleeve.

Some people prefer massage. Getting the memories and emotions out of their muscles that way. I'm sure many people meditate while they are being massaged even if they don't realize that is what they are doing. Probably part of the reason they find it so effective! Allowing ourselves to have a break from whatever is bothering us is a huge gift… very healing indeed.

Of course affirmations are another wonderful healing tool. Personally I use the mantra "I am a light, lean, healthy being." I've been using it for a year now and I believe it's part of this 'gift of health' I've been experiencing.

I've recently enjoyed another way to heal emotionally. I did a 45 day juice feast. Yup… a juice feast. Who knew it would allow and assist me to release so much emotional gunk from my body (since we hold emotions in our cells) while it was bringing my physical self to a new level of health at the same time!

At this time I'm doing a 20-week Spiritual fast. I've been drinking juice and water but much less quantities than I did on my juice feast. (A juice feaster consumes 1 gallon of juice and 1 gallon of water per day - a juice faster consumes less than this amount.) I've been spending a tremendous amount of time in meditation. I sit for 45 minutes at a time numerous times during the day but I always begin and end my day in meditation. I've done this for years but not in the way I am now. I used to lay and meditate, now I sit. I find that sitting assists me greatly to focus on my breath and 'awareness'. I often do a Shamanic Journey when I'm meditating as well. My Guides are kind enough to assist me and bring me lessons In-world.

During this 20-week fast I have been gifting myself with a 'self retreat'. This means that even though I am at home with my family, I am allowing myself the benefits of being away on a retreat. I created a meditation space in my bedroom, as this is the quietest space in my home. I let my kids know when I'm going in to meditate and they take messages on the phone and wait patiently for me to finish meditating before talking to me. During my 'self retreat' I am meditating anywhere from 4-6 hours a day. The time I am gifting myself is really changing who I am. A 'self retreat' can be for one day or multiple days depending on how much time you have available to you. Perhaps your husband can watch the kids on a Saturday and you can 'self retreat' and then you can watch the kids on Sunday while he 'self retreats'. However you are able to create this space for your Self… I highly recommend it. It's an inexpensive way to gain enlightenment and connection with your Self—like a mini-vacation in your own home!

While I am doing and using all of these techniques I have a wonderful soil… a wonderful base to grow from. Reiki. Reiki speeds up healing, assists with healing and brings us to where we need to be on our path. If you haven't tried Reiki… I highly recommend you do. At least once - although honestly I believe everyone will benefit from an attunement, even if you don't go any higher than first degree… you and your life will benefit from it. It's the soil we grow from.

There are so many tools for healing… so many tools for health. My recommendation to people is to gift ourselves many different modalities for healing. Doing the same one over and over and over and over again *unless it's affirmations* obviously isn't bringing us to a place of healing. Or we wouldn't have to be doing it anymore! So mix it up, try another technique and see if that brings you closer to a place where you can simply let go and move on.

You can't change your past… but you can change your today. Why not allow today to be a gift… why not allow today to be filled with bliss? After all… it's in your hands. It's your choice!

So what do you choose today? Happiness or sadness? Bliss or strife? Acceptance or struggle?

I wish for you great things… great healing and even greater happiness. Enjoy this moment… it's all you have!

Aleesha Stephenson is the Publisher, Editor, Graphic and Web Designer as well as a Regular Columnist for Timeless Spirit Magazine.

A Raw-Vegan, Reiki Master Teacher, who lives her Buddhist, Shamanic, with many eclectic Pagan beliefs, she home-schools two of her three spiritually enlightened children as her eldest has graduated and moved on to the school of life. Friend (and mother) to them all, she is also a life-partner to her husband David. Her life truly is filled with light.

Author of the "Pathways Series," a series of workbooks created for 28 consecutive nights of spellwork for Magi's Magick Spells. Aleesha teaches classes in Tarot, Meditation and Reiki. For more information, please contact Aleesha via email, visit her personal web page or her blog - Aleesha' Raw Life - the journey of her new Raw Vegan experience and continued weight release and health increase!

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