Archive for March, 2010

Musician, composer, poet, and singer Cari Cole, has walked the shaman’s path to create music that inspires and heals. ’Transformational Music’ is what listeners are calling her ” Circle of Fire” CD, inspired by the teachings of don Miguel Ruiz (NY Times best-selling author of The Four Agreements).  Cari’s angelic and powerful voice, combined with her soulful and empowering lyrics, inspires my mind body and spirit so deeply, that I knew I wanted her song “Beautiful Life” to be the intro song for the Explore Your Spirit show to set the tone and energy for every show. As gracious as she is talented, we were thrilled when she agreed to allow “Beautiful Life” to be the introduction to the show on Explore Your Spirit with Kala.

Originally from Minneapolis, Cari Cole has been a musician and songwriter for most of her life. She sang the folk songs of Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez and Bob Dylan as she wrote her own and found her way to New York City at the age of 19 where she joined a rock and roll band.  She went on to teach voice in New York, founded her own voice studio, was a soloist in The Metro Mass Choir and performed everywhere from CBGB’s and the infamous Bitter End in NYC to Carnegie Hall, Town Hall, and The Apollo Theatre where she shared the stage with legendary singers such as Cissy Houston, Beth Nielsen-Chapman and Martha Wash to name a few. Although she is best known as a vocalist and songwriter, Cari is also a versatile musician: playing piano, acoustic and electric guitars, dulcimer, and flute. In the teaching arts, she is regarded as one of the most notable in voice studies, working with four-time Grammy Award winning recording artist Donald Fagen of Steely Dan, Diane Birch, Chrisette Michelle, Courtney Love and the legendary band of Journey among others.

Cari Cole was on the Grammy Nominations Ballot for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for 2004 and has won and placed as a finalist in numerous contests such as the Independent Music Awards (Best Female Artist), Independent Acoustic Music Awards, DiscMakers Songprize contest and was a 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 ASCAPlus Award winner. Cole graces the pages of Billboard Books author Daylle Schwartz book “I Don’t Need a Record Deal! Your Survival Guide for the Indie Music Revolution” as an indie artist on the rise. She was selected as the AOL Musician of the Week/Tonos.com and debuted her The Circle Of Fire record at Carnegie Hall.

Cari knows that having a great music career is the ultimate dream. It’s endless creativity, superstardom and a great lifestyle. But here’s the thing, you have to know what steps to take. You have to know how to chart your path and get yourself on the right track. You have to know how to walk the delicate line between Creative Type and Business Mogul. Most people burn out and miss key opportunities because they don’t know how to put it all together. They just keep plodding along hoping for a BIG break or to “get signed”.

Cari says… “If this is you, it’s not your fault! It’s just that no one’s ever taught you what to do”. Cari has coached the best of the best and she knows from 23 years of experience exactly what it takes to move from your dreams (reliant upon others) to your inner DIVA (in your control).

Cari’s coached many singers and helped them to achieve their goals. She is now offering a Free Teleseminar on how to move from your dreams into being the diva you were born to be!

Here’s your opportunity to find out more about the music business. It’s Your Time, Go Explore Your Inner Diva!

Michael Gelb is a leading authority on the application of genius thinking to personal and organizational development. A pioneer in the fields of creative thinking, Gelb leads seminars for organizations such as DuPont, Merck, Microsoft, and Nike. A former professional juggler who once performed with the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, Gelb introduced the idea of teaching juggling as a means to promote accelerated learning and team-building.

Recently, I chatted with Michael about his work and his books.

Kala: Michael, you’re the author of 12 books on creativity and innovation, including How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day. In your research, what did you find about Da Vinci and how his thought process differs from the average guy?

Michael: It’s like asking how does the inner life of the Buddha or Jesus differ from the average! Just as the Buddha or Jesus can be appreciated as embodiments of our highest spiritual nature, a nature shared by all, so Leonardo can be understood as a manifestation of our highest creative possibilities.

Kala: In the Da Vinci book, you share seven steps to reaching the genius level. One of these is: ‘Sensazione: The continual refinement of the senses, especially sight, as the means to clarify experience’. Explain this step to our readers.

Michael: Leonardo da Vinci wrote, ‘The five senses are the ministers of the soul’.  He trained his sensory awareness like an Olympic athlete trains his body for competition. But five-hundred years ago, in Tuscany, Leonardo reflected that the average person “looks without seeing, listens without hearing, touches without feeling, eats without tasting, moves without physical awareness, inhales without awareness of odor or fragrance, and talks without thinking.” Sensazione refers to refining our sensory awareness as a means to deepening our enjoyment of life and nurturing the soul. Leonardo counsels us to surround ourselves with beauty to help enliven our inner world.

Kala: You then went on to write – Innovate Like Edison: The Five Step System for Breakthrough Business Success. With the current economic crisis, many leaders say that innovation is key to getting us out of this situation. Edison was quoted as saying – ‘If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves’. What are your thoughts about innovation and how it’s being used or not used in businesses today?

Michael: Leonardo was probably the most creative person who ever lived but Thomas Edison is history’s greatest practical innovator. Beyond his invention of the phonograph, motion pictures and a system to light the world, Thomas Edison invented the rigorous, disciplined process of innovation. His methods are more relevant now than ever before. Businesses are waking up to the critical importance of making innovation an integral aspect of the way they operate but they need to pick up the pace!

Kala: Many people feel that the companies they work for have lost their sense of perspective and innovation. What tips can you give our readers to become more innovative and creative in their personal and professional lives, especially if they work for a company that has lost their innovation and edge?

Michael: Many individuals and organizations lose their perspective in the face of grave challenges. Others embrace an expanded perspective and recognize that in stressful times innovation is essential. Although it’s not always possible to change an organizational culture, especially in difficult times, it is always possible for individuals to learn to think more creatively-to cultivate what my co-author Sarah Miller Caldicott (Edison’s Great Grand Niece) and I refer to as ‘Innovation Literacy’.

Kala: In the five step system, you discuss ‘Full-Spectrum Engagement: how to manage and balance a massive workload with social life, family and other obligations’. I’m hearing from many people in corporate america that they are being told indirectly, that to keep their job, not much else matters to the company except that the employee work 60, 80 and sometimes even more hours a week. Even with this, many employees are being told this is not enough and they are often required to do the work of two people and the economy is being blamed as the culprit. What do you suggest people do to balance their intense workload and stress at work in these most difficult of times?

Michael: Most of my clients are being asked to do more with less. This makes creative thinking about how you prioritize and order your life essential. Of course, many folks are too stressed to make it to the stress management class and they don’t have time to come to the time management program. But, if we don’t discipline ourselves to make time to reflect on our own priorities then we are doomed to follow the priorities set for us by others.

Kala: How does one maintain ‘creative resilience’, what you describe as ‘optimism in the face of adversity‘?

Michael: It helps to have role models, like Edison, for example. He overcame adversity many times. One particularly notable example occurred in 1914, when he was 67. A fire ravaged the phonograph factory at his West Orange, New Jersey complex. Edison lost approximately $5 million that night – the equivalent of $75 million today. His son Charles, ran to his father’s side, thinking Edison would be devastated. Instead, Charles was amazed to see his father smiling. Edison told his son, “Go get your mother. She’ll never have a chance to see anything like this again in her entire life.” Edison then called his senior team together and began organizing the recovery campaign on the spot. He urged his team to focus on rebuilding the phonograph factories in a manner that “took advantage of the latest improvements in factory design.”

Edison’s response to the fire highlights the deeply embedded nature of his optimism. As Biographer Dr. Paul Israel describes it, “Where others might see disaster and failure he was always optimistically looking for opportunities and seeing the possibility of new directions for improvements.”

Kala: Speaking of stress relief, your new book is – Wine Drinking for Inspired Thinking: Uncorking Your Creative Juices. The history of wine goes back over 5000 years, with new findings recently of over 8000 years ago in Georgia and of course, in Egypt, with a white wine recently located in King Tut’s tomb and we all are aware of the Greek’s love of wine. What is it about wine that works so well as a creative Muse?

Michael: Fine wine is complex, subtle and nuanced. It invites us to combine camaraderie, contemplation and relaxation. As we relax in a contemplative mode we invite the Muses to emerge. Plato, the father of Western Philosophy summed it up when he wrote ‘What is better adapted than the festive use of wine, in the first place to test, and in the second place to train the character of a man, if care be taken in the use of it.? What is there cheaper or more innocent’?

Kala: Wine Drinking, the book, encourages us to ‘think outside the bottle’ to tap into our creative potential. Albert Einstein said – ‘We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them’. Explain how innovative thinking outside the bottle works…

Michael: The best wine isn’t usually found in a box. And the same thing is true with thinking. Creative, ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking involves generating and exploring lots of new ideas, thinking analogically and metaphorically, and nurturing different perspectives. This kind of thinking is much easier to do when we relax, let go of our preconceptions, and begin to engage the imagination. For the last thirty years I’ve been exploring the most effective means for helping people relax, let go, and engage the other half of the brain. Sharing wine and poetry is at the top of the list. It is a delightful and creative way to liberate the muse and free us from the habit of using only half the mind.

Kala: One of my favorite quotes about wine is from Dom Perignon, when he said after his first sip of champagne – ‘Come quickly! I am tasting stars’! I ascribe to the philosophy that ‘we are all one and thus all interconnected, therefore in each sip of wine there lies a universe, the same as within each person’. What is your philosophy with wine?

Michael: It sounds wonderful but Dom Perignon didn’t say it (those words were written by a marketing department 200 years after his time to promote champagne sales).

Kala: History miscommunicated through a PR campaign, always fascinating to me.

Michael: He actually spent much of his time preventing the formation of bubbles in wine as they were considered a flaw in his day. Dom Perignon was, however, a genius who pioneered many of the best practices that still influence wine makers today. And I agree with you about our essential interconnectedness and the role of wine in attuning us to our oneness. As Socrates noted twenty-five hundred years ago on the effects of sharing wine and poetry : ‘You will find that suddenly something extraordinary happens. As they are speaking, it’s as if a spark ignites, passing from one speaker to another, and as it travels it gathers strength, building into a warm and illuminating flame of mutual understanding which none of them could have achieved alone’.

Kala: ‘Conscious Capitalism’ is a new philosophy being referred to in 21st century business ideals. Many small business owners build their company on just these types of principles. Do you think that the ideals of conscious capitalism can be maintained by a business or company, when it evolves into a conglomerate or massive corporation?

Michael: Yes. It can be maintained, but it takes profound commitment, visionary leadership, and a culture of continuous learning.

Kala: What do you feel holds people back the most often? If a person could work on just one of the tips from your Wine Drinking book that would have the greatest impact on their life, what would you say that would be?

Michael: Our self-imposed limitations hold us back, more than external challenges. The one tip that will have the greatest impact on reader’s lives is to ‘Put more Dolce in your Vita’.

Kala: In my work as a Business Intuitive, I feel that we are in a new Renaissance period. I’ve been quoted as saying - ‘In this new decade, we are moving into a new Age of Enlightenment. The Aquarian information from the gods can no longer be contained, the Divine Feminine is being released in all her glory and we will once again see a Renaissance period, where great art, architecture, philosophy, literature and science will develop and flourish. During this decade the greatest minds will stir, to share, to illuminate and to build and create works and ideas that will be marveled around the world’.

There are certain people whom we can look at around the world and say ‘Aha, there is one of the leaders of this new renaissance’! I would list you as one of these leaders. So Michael, as a leader of the renaissance of the 21st century, what do you see coming for the world in this decade?

Michael: Thanks, Kala. I agree with you that we are moving into a new Age of Enlightenment. Consciousness is shifting to better integrate the modalities of empathy, intuition, and receptivity. Once considered primarily within the province of the “Feminine” these modalities are now essential to the evolving Modern Renaissance Man/Woman. In the United States, over the past 30 years, we’ve seen a dissolution of the John Wayne version of masculinity and a corresponding ascendancy of women in politics, business and social life. But, this has created lots of confusion as women adapt to more freedom and power and men try to deal with it. One of the most exciting developments that I look forward to in the next decade is the emergence of new, healthy models of both masculinity and femininity. All of my work is devoted to helping others find this balance between yin and yang, rationality and intuition, logic and imagination.

Kala: Michael, thank you so much for your time. Really appreciate you taking the time to chat and share your wisdom and inspiration.

Michael: Thank you for your wise and inspiring questions.

More about Michael Gelb…
Michael J. Gelb, is a leading authority on the application of genius thinking to personal and organizational development. Gelb is the author of 12 books on creativity and innovation including the international best seller How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day. (1998) How to Think Like Leonardo has been translated into 25 languages and has appeared on the Washington Post, Amazon.com, and the New York Times best seller lists. In 2007 Gelb released Innovate Like Edison: The Five Step System for Breakthrough Business Success, co-authored with Sarah Miller Caldicott, the great grand niece of Thomas Edison.

In 1999, Michael Gelb won the Brain Trust Charity’s “Brain of the Year” award; others honorees include Prof. Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates, Garry Kasparov and Gene Rodenberry. In 2003, Michael was awarded a Batten Fellowship by the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business. Michael co-directs the acclaimed Leading Innovation Seminar at Darden with Professor James Clawson. Michael Gelb also serves as the Director of Creativity and Innovation Leadership for the Conscious Capitalism Institute. His latest book, Wine Drinking For Inspired Thinking: Uncork Your Creative Juices, will be released by Running Press on March 23, 2010.

In this column ‘Ask Kala’, intuitive and ancient wisdom teacher Kala Ambrose, invites you to email your probing metaphysical, spiritual,  esoteric and paranormal questions. Due to the volume of email she receives, she won’t be able to answer back individual e-mails. Instead, she’ll choose interesting questions and answer them here on the Examiner. This week’s question is from David in Osaka, Japan.

David writes – Dear Kala
I have been reading your book “Nine Life Altering Lessons”

One thing you write is that it is important to have a teacher on your journey. I agree with you. In fact this is something I have heard many times.

I live in Japan though and have little access to any teacher who I can understand. Except for books, podcasts and the occasional Reiki course with an English-speaking teacher when I travel abroad, I have little communication on this topic.

What would you suggest to someone who cannot find a teacher?

Hi David,

Thanks for writing and for reading my book, 9 Life Altering Lessons, I hope you enjoyed the book. David, you ask a great question.

There is an old Buddhist proverb which says ‘When the student is ready, the teacher will appear’. Frustrating I know to hear, but there is great truth behind this teaching. You may have also heard people say, ‘You only find love, when you are not looking for it‘ and the same wisdom applies here. Many people share their stories of looking for love everywhere, and only when they stopped looking, did love find them.

I have two suggestions for you….

The first is, do not look for a teacher, rather, allow the teacher to find you. To do this, you must relax and remain watchful and open. As you do this, you will find that there are teachers every day in your life, as we are all teachers and we are all students, each person has great wisdom to share. Allow the interactions of your day with each person, to teach you more about yourself as a spiritual and human being. There is great reverence and depth of understanding in allowing each relationship to teach you more about who you are. There is also much to be said about simplicity of action to create honor and inspiration in each moment. If you remember in my book, I talk about how monks are taught to find the joy and reverence in each act, such as sweeping the floor or other simple mundane tasks. While focusing your energy on learning from each and every person you meet and interact with on a daily basis, your mind will open and your consciousness will expand, which allows for the wisdom of the universe to come pouring into you from the great repository.

As you know from reading 9 Lessons, I say in the book, ‘I am not hear to teach you anything, I am only here to help you remember what you already know’. You, on the higher soul level, already know the answers you seek. The teacher is only a guide, to help you reach within and remove the veil which has covered these answers. Believe that the answers you seek are coming to you now and they will appear.

Second, you are a man of action and purpose, both of which I respect and admire. I understand the desire to seek, look and move forward on your path to enlightenment. May I suggest that the Universe, in its Divine Order and Wisdom, has provided you with a rare opportunity that many do not have offered to them in a lifetime. In the ancient wisdom teachings, talk was considered to be very cheap and I think this still rings true today. All that was accomplished by the Initiate students was through action and inner enlightenment. Here, you have been placed in a foreign country, where language has created a barrier for you. May I suggest that this language situation, rather than being a barrier, has offered you the unique opportunity to study and connect energetically without the language to inhibit or slow the process.

How about taking a martial arts class, where you connect with your chi and allow your body, mind and spirit to enter the movement and spirit of the teaching, which transcends beyond words? Perhaps you may find a teacher, who can offer much to you in this time honored tradition, opening you to who you are on a deeper level, regardless of the words spoken.

David, the energy of Japan has called you to be with her at this time. Ask her spirit to guide you and nurture you during your time spent with her. Meditation and connecting with nature can be a very powerful teacher. If you have difficulty meditating in silence, try a guided meditation, which is why I created the meditation trilogy of sacred sites, intended to open the mind, heart and chakra bodies. As well, don’t forget to ask your guides to come to you, in your dreams, your meditation practice and if asked, they can also help to lead you to the teacher you seek.

Much love and enlightenment to you on your journey,

Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Robert Butera, author of The Pure Heart of Yoga: Ten Essentials Steps for Personal Transformation Robert has studied meditation and yoga for over twenty-five years and is the founder of the YogaLife Institute in Devon, Pennsylvania, where he trains yoga instructors and publishes Yoga Living magazine.

Kala: Robert, thanks for taking the time to sit down with me for this interview. I enjoyed reading your book as it shares the philosophy that I’ve always aligned with, which I describe as the ‘essence of yoga’. You describe it as the ‘pure heart of yoga’. Can you define what yoga means to you?

Robert: Yoga is the spiritually infused life. Yoga is a path to a viribrant life and Yoga embraces all paths that lead to harmony of mind, body, spirit and environment. One classical definition of Yoga from The Yoga Sutras is that Yoga means cessation of the mind’s waves. (Yoga citta vritti nirodha). Thinking of Yoga in terms of the mind’s waves can be a good barometer regarding if an activity is yoga or not – simply ask yourself if that activity calms the waves of your mind. I am writing this with a smile, mind you!

Kala: In some parts of the US, yoga has become completely mainstream, and in other places, it is still being steadily introduced into communities. For beginners, who are just exploring the idea of yoga and are preparing to take their first class, what advice can you give to beginners?

Robert: Firstly, remember that each and every experience you have can be a source of learning. Finding your perfect style of yoga or the best teacher for you requires some investigation. So, learn from all classes and recognize that finding your perfect situation may take time as there is great variety amongst all the styles of yoga. If your first class is not a fit, remember to try another teacher as there is alot of variety. Be careful of absolutes. There are many physical body types and therefore many ways of doing yoga poses. Non-violence is a cardinal virture in yoga so make sure not to overdo anything or to stretch too far. At the start, read a few books to gain some perspective. In a beginner’s yoga class learn the breathing as it is noted as the top benefit for new students; relaxation is usually second and the interesting philosophy follows. Physical flexibility is often ranked fourth as a benefit to new students, while most think that flexibility would have been the first conclusion.

Kala: In your book, you share 30 main poses, what they represent and how to use them as tools to achieve physical and emotional balance. Can you discuss a few of these poses with us and how they help to create balance within the person?

Robert: As the book states, I recommend that everyone finds a teacher to meet at least once per week to avoid any mistakes. Then, perform a few minutes of a deep breathing exercises in a quiet place. Next, try a group of poses that move your spine in each of 5 directions; a reaching pose to elongate your spine; a twist to release tension; a sidebend for flexibility as the body rarely moves sideways; a forward bend to release stress and a back bend for energy. These exercise can be performed right at your desk during a short break during your workday. The final exercise for the busy person is to maintain the “Smile Pose” and attempt to navigate through the ups and downs of life realizing that the inner state of your mind is the ultimate pose!

Kala: The western world has a bad habit of taking an ancient philosophy and connecting to only a small part of the whole, in an attempt to bypass the full lengthy process and get quick results. For example, I studied Feng Shui for years, at first I studied the western version and I felt it was missing something at the core. I then studied traditional feng shui with two masters, one from China and one from Hong Kong. One of the masters referred to the western version as the McDonald’s version (fast food) of feng shui. I’ve seen this with some yoga practices as well, where it’s touted as exercise and skips over the core of yoga. What are your thoughts about yoga and how it’s practiced here in the west?

Robert: Well, Kala, you have hit a big issue that is a tough one. I went through a big let down in 1989 fresh off of the Yoga Ashram in India (theyogainstitute.org) when a friend gave me a popular yoga magazine. At the Ashram, men and women had separate dormitories, I wasn’t allowed to wear short pants… and the Yoga magazine had a scantly clothed model in a revealing posture on the cover. A point to remember is that the jewels of discovery are within yourself and not in the form of the body but in its essence. Many years have passed and one of my mentors mentioned the concentric circle approach to transformation. Whatever each one of us knows about life and reality can be honored. And however broad our knowledge, we can draw a larger circle around our present state. So, leave open the possibility to learn something new. What you know at this point can be honored and maintained as you circle your present experience with something new. Suffice to say, there is usually much room for authentic yogic wisdom to shine forth.

Ironically, when you learn the theory of yoga in more depth, the mind becomes more focused. This focus quiets the nervous system and actually improves the physical experience of life as well as the spiritual experience.

Kala: Describe for us what you call the body’s Energy Centers and how we can connect with these centers through a yoga practice…

Robert: These days most people have a fascination with the “Chakras” or energy centers in the body. Chakra means ‘wheel’ and in this case relates to a wheels of energy that converge at different areas in the body. The heart chakra is most easily perceived; a loving interaction brings warmth to the heart and sadness brings a constricted or cold feeling. After one performs the yoga poses for six months and understands how to breath and align the body in the poses, understanding the chakras helps go deeper in the poses. This is simply one area of discovery on the inner journey with yoga poses.

Kala: You mention 10 Steps that transcend yoga and connect it with spiritual and emotional growth. Share some of these steps with us…

Robert: Beginning with a spiritual Intention for your yoga practice is an important first step. Start with your first motive even if it feels shallow, say weight loss was your first reason for starting yoga. Then, go beneath that and align weight loss to improved health. Take your nutritional choices and align those with received love in your heart… pretty soon, you have moved into an intention on love that is at the core of weight loss. Another interesting approach is to try to gain an understanding of the attitude of a posture. Inherent in each posture is an expression of an attitude. Yoga poses also relate to archetypes whch is an interesting exploration. There are also the energy centers, concentration points and emotional transformation. The recommendation is to discover one new aspect of yoga poses at a time. If you are a beginner, stick with the alignment and breathing. And as your practice grows, explore the other areas one at a time.

Kala: I view yoga as a way of ‘being’, rather than as some people say that they, ‘take a yoga class’. For example, when I say I’m a dancer, it’s part of my essence and spirit, how often I dance is almost irrelevant, I am a dancer at heart. To me, yoga is the same, one lives and embraces yoga. What are your thoughts?

Robert: My original teachers say that yoga is a culture of consciousness. Yoga studies physical health in great detail as we have been discussing. What few people know is that Yoga also discusses how to work at your job and turn work into Yoga. There are equally detailed teachings on relationships, meditation, psychology, higher knowledge and practically every field of living. So, yes, any activity that is taken to its depth penetrates a person’s consciousness and is a “yoga.”

Kala: Let’s talk about yoga and meditation. Many people picture meditation as sitting in an uncomfortable position for an hour while trying to stop their mind from wandering. Each pose in yoga can be an active, moving meditation. Can you discuss the yoga poses in regards to what they can do for the mind body and spirit?

Robert: Refering back to the definition of Yoga as stilling the waves of the mind; each yoga pose can lead to stilling the mind. A lot of folks ask if stilling the mind is boring, they ask in passionate ways, “Bob, am I supposed to turn into an android?” Ironically, a clear mind is one that loves deeply, it’s a mind that is free of negativity and limiting thoughts. A quiet mind is able to laugh loudly and feel passionately.

Kala: Robert, where does yoga take us next? What do you see as the evolution of yoga?

Robert: I am seeing the maturation of yoga in terms of an increasing interest in all the points that this interview asks, what is further? How can I go deeper in my life? How can I love more, how can I be stress-free in my life? As those who take the time to improve their health physically begin to experience the joy of having a balanced mind, more and more people will look into the theory of yoga. Just as you are helping people access this information, I am seeing an interest in meditation and activities that quiet the mind! Thank You for spreading this information!

Kala: My pleasure Robert and a pleasure to speak with you, thanks for your time. More info on Robert and his book can be found at: PureHeartofYoga.com

Robert: Yes, Thank You Kala, it is always a treat to discuss the essence of Yoga.

Edgar Cayce founded the non-profit Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) in 1931, to explore spirituality, holistic health, intuition, dream interpretation, psychic development, reincarnation, and ancient mysteries-all subjects that frequently came up in the more than 14,000 documented psychic readings given by Cayce, who died in 1945. A.R.E.’s publishing arm, A.R.E. Press, has been publishing books since 1931 as well, with the mission of furthering the work of the A.R.E. by publishing books, DVDs, and CDs to support the organization’s goal of helping people change their lives for the better.

In 2009, A.R.E. Press launched its second imprint, 4th Dimension Press. While A.R.E. Press features topics related to the work of Edgar Cayce in the fields of spirituality, intuition, psychic abilities, ancient mysteries, philosophy, comparative religious studies, personal and spiritual development, and holistic health, 4th Dimension Press expands the publishing efforts further with like-minded and expansive explorations into the mysteries and spirituality of our existence.

The ancient wisdom of the Kabbalah and how its lessons can be applied today is A.R.E.’s latest release – Edgar Cayce and the Kabbalah: A Resource for Soulful Living by John Van Auken. This is the first of its kind in addressing wisdom from the psychic readings of Edgar Cayce as it relates to the spiritual teachings of the Kabbalah. Van Auken combines his love of Kabbalah with his 40 years of studying the Cayce readings to guide readers on a mind-expanding journey through creation and the higher levels of consciousness. Van Auken’s explores the concepts in Kabbalah including the five divisions of being, the four planes of existence, the seven heavens, the 10 emanations, and the 22 channels of the Infinite Creative Consciousness.

Author John Van Auken is an internationally renowned speaker, longtime staff member, and current director at Edgar Cayce’s A.R.E. A popular leader of A.R.E.’s life-changing tours to Egypt and other sacred sites, he is also the author of several best-selling books, including Edgar Cayce on the Revelation, Toward a Deeper Meditation, and Ancient Egyptian Mysticism. In addition he is a regular contributor to Venture Inward magazine and the Venture Inward Newsletter. His extensive knowledge of the Cayce readings, the Bible, world religions, Gnosticism, and ancient Egyptian mysticism is combined with years of experience as a teacher and meditation retreat leader, to bring a deeper understanding of this ancient mystical tradition that enhances the understanding and skill of today’s spiritual seeker. Van Auken will be presenting a program on the Kabbalah March 12-13 at A.R.E. Headquarters (details available at EdgarCayce.org/conferences).

About more about Kala’s Bohemian Blog and Who Is Kala Ambrose…

Intuitive, Priestess, Muse and Oracle – Kala Ambrose is an intuitive empath, inspirational speaker and voice of the highly acclaimed “The Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show.” She is the award-winning author of 9 Life Altering Lessons: Secrets of the Mystery Schools Unveiled, creator of a trilogy of sacred site meditation CDs and the National Metaphysical Spirituality writer for the Examiner.

As an intuitive, she provides Egyptian Akashic Auracle Readings. Auracle Readings are the combination of aura readings and oracle readings by Kala Ambrose. Kala begins by reading your aura, going over the colors currently present in your aura. From there, she shares symbols, signs and energetic impressions in your aura that are imprinted there from your Akashic records. The process reveals the challenges you are facing today, the spiritual gifts presented to you in this lifetime and the importance of your spiritual journey as it continues from previous lifetimes to the present. More information at www.ExploreYourSpirit.com

Enjoyed this article? Kala welcomes your comments and reads them all. For more articles by Kala Ambrose, visit her main page at National Metaphysical Spirituality Examiner

What are the challenges and benefits of offering poetry to patients? Can the sharing of poetry expand the vision of practitioners and students in healthcare professions?  What is the role of poetry in community treatment programs? In shelters? In prisons? What can caregivers gain from writing and reading poetry?

On May 21 – 23, 2010, the Life Lines Conference will be held at Duke University, designed for those who have an interest in examining the place of poetry in caregiving.  Three panels of poets and health practitioners will present perspectives on the ways poetry can play a part in caring for patients and communities. Through discussion sessions, participants will have an opportunity to share experiences, to dialogue, to develop techniques, and to gain a deeper appreciation for poetry in the art of healing.

Highlights of the conference include Friday and Saturday evening talks by poets David Whyte and Jane Hirshfield. Ms. Hirshfield will also offer a master class in poetry writing on Sunday morning. More info at: http://www.duke.edu/web/lifelines/

In this column ‘Ask Kala’, intuitive and ancient wisdom teacher Kala Ambrose, invites you to email your probing metaphysical, spiritual, holistic, esoteric and paranormal questions. Due to the volume of email she receives, she won’t be able to answer back individual e-mails. Instead, she’ll choose interesting questions and answer them here on the Examiner. This week’s question is from P.J. in Manchester by the Sea, MA.

Hi Kala,
What do you think about earth changes? It seems like a lot of weird things are happening right now around the world, any thoughts? Thanks, PS; Enjoyed your article on mardi gras, hope to visit there sometime!

Hi P.J.

Recently, in my column on the Examiner, I wrote about the evolution of our aura body and the changes occurring in this energy field as well as in the chakras. In my work as an intuitive, I can see and work with the auric field around the body and in the same sense, I also connect with the Earth and experience when her field is at peace and in balance and when the elements become out of balance and disruptions in the earth occur. The greater the imbalance of the elements, the higher the likelihood of explosive weather patterns and earth changes grow.

Over the past several weeks, I’ve felt an uneasiness from the Mother, Earth that is, and have been observing the weather patterns and extreme variable changes, such as the bizarre whirling wind gust patterns, reaching up to 50 mph which dumped over 30 inches of snow in the NorthEast area of the US., which some meteorologists dubbed a ‘snowcane’.

Intuitively, my senses have been on overdrive recently and my dreams are focused on the ocean, the fish and other creatures living in these waters. In my dreams, they were communicating to me about the changes they are aware of from deep within the ocean’s crust, reporting that there were many fractured and open areas in the sea floor where the Earth was creating pressure and hot streams of water and gas were being released. This may indicate increased volcanic activity.

During my waking hours, I’ve noticed my dog being very agitated over the past couple of months and it’s increased significantly in the last two weeks. I’ve had friend after friend share stories with me about their animals who are on edge and have turned on each other and acted out aggressively in ways that have not been experienced before in their behavior.

In the news, reports of earth changes continue to occur, earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, and a giant iceberg breaking off in the Antarctic, to the surprise of many. Stories abound on aggressive animal behaviors as well, including the recent incident with the whale at Seaworld, the coyote attack at a park in Canada, enormous jellyfish attacks on boats off the coast of Japan, and too many other attacks from tigers, dogs and many other animals to mention.

Mother Earth is communicating through them. She is slowly awakening from a long slumber and is not pleased to see what her children have been doing to their home. As a teacher of the ancient wisdom teachings from the mystery schools, I’ve long described Mother Earth as a mother dog, who is supportive and loving to her puppies. I ask students to visualize a mother dog nursing her puppies with the milk from her body. The puppies push their way greedily in close to the mother, wanting their share of her milk and as they claw, fight and tumble amongst each other, she patiently lies on her side and generously feeds them all. This continues until she has had enough and with no warning, she rolls over and sends the puppies flying in all directions. This is similar to Mother Earth and when she has had enough, she stirs and rolls over, as seen in previous earth changes and movements in history.

Mother Nature has her moods, like we do and weather changes and climate can often indicate and reflect this mood. She is an energy body, and we are all connected to her. Perhaps the greatest travesty portrayed in the history of humanity, is the philosophy that we are somehow separate from nature and from each other. This is counter-intuitive to the philosophy of the ancient wisdom teachings, which I explain as, ‘We Are All One, One Energy, from One Light’. What we do to another is done unto us.

Gaia, Mother Earth, the planet, our home, has her own energy centers, ley lines, vortexes and chakra centers, many of which we refer to as sacred sites around the world. These sacred sites contain and at times, release tremendous energy. This is similar to what our chakras do within our body and throughout our energy fields.

We have experienced what havoc El Nino, the child, can cause with weather, imagine what happens when Mother Nature takes a stand. The earth is out of balance, pushed to the brink of tolerance with the mistreatment of animals and farming and dumping toxins in the ground and oceans. Most of humanity has long forgotten how to connect with the elements and the Mother. - the Divine Feminine. There is a tipping point, that we are nearing, and if that point is reached, it is very difficult to turn back.

In the ancient wisdom teachings, there is a hermetic axiom taught of ‘As Above, So Below’. In the briefest explanation possible, it means that what is done on the earth plane, is received in the other planes of existence and reflected back down. Our thoughts, words, actions and deeds on the earth plane are reflected outward. As author James Allen wrote… ‘He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass, environment is but his looking glass’. Our daily actions cause a direct reaction, the results of which can be seen all around us.

Take a look around at what’s occurring on the planet, the wars, the greed, the children suffering, the mistreatment of land and animals. A critical mass is being reached. As the children of the earth, we can make the changes needed to restore the balance to the elements of earth, air, fire, water and spirit, which bring balance to Mother Earth. The greatest danger lies within each person not realizing how important they are and how much of an effect their actions create on a daily basis.

As I write this article today, I am reminded of a typing class that I took in the ‘80s, back in the day of typewriters, before personal computers were invented. Look at all we have been able to achieve in such a short period of time and how we are now able to connect and communicate through the internet. We were given the ability to create and manifest and we can make a difference.

In that typing class back in the 80’s, we were taught to type one sentence over and over, for the range of motion that it gives one on the keyboard. That sentence is:

Now is the time, for all great men to come to the aid of their country.

Now, more than ever before, this statement is more prophetic than ever. Take action, help to create positive changes within you and where you live and it will spread around the world.