Welcome to the companion monthly magazine to our upcoming book “From the Titanic to the Ark – Handbook to Survive and Thrive in Epic Times” to help you plan, protect and prosper!

We share important aspects in preparing ourselves for transformation. The hardest work will be emotional as we welcome a complete shift in paradigm (our view of the world and our relationship to it) – in other words there will be no familiar frame of reference since change at this order of magnitude is not history repeating itself. What's more, nobody has been here before....which is to say we are all here on the leading edge - no followers looking for leaders, no leaders gathering followers - we do the work together shoulder to shoulder…and we’re making it up as we go!

For our well being, it is crucial that we do so consciously! Should we be asleep at the wheel, we couldn't help but waste valuable energy resisting 'ever changing form' by projecting our perspective backward in guilt or forward in anxiety – this is giving away our power. Rather, by becoming self aware and authentically present, we arouse the genius within while summoning creative intelligence to work through us – standing ever ready to anticipate and harmonize with real time events. And of course, let us look to one another side-by-each for support and encouragement. The obvious starting point is right here, right now. Surf’s up – let’s catch a wave!

Sunday, December 27, 2009

The Power Of Authentic Presence





Key Distinctions/Insights:
When we sent out invitations to family and friends for Christmas dinner, we suggested that no one bring presents - in keeping with the spirit, our presence will be the perfect gift! 

Everyone agreed whole heartedly - homemade would be fine though not necessary! Dinner was fabulous - we had such a great feast and conversations, and finished off the evening gathered around the piano  for a carol sing-along (5 Gold(en) Dogs....4 Chanting Saabs, 3 Friends Sing, 2 Grand Parents, makes a Party of Frivolity!) in German, Spanish and English - my daughter Amanda on piano, and my daughter Alexandra on guitar. There was a lot of bliss, love and great vibes that evening!
One day later, a surprise arrived in the mail - one of the best Christmas presents anyone could hope for! Particularly for this mom and life coach. Living an authentic presence does more than one can possibly realize and every now and again someone will point it out!
Personal Story: On Dec 26th, my daughter Alexandra (nicknamed Dolly) received a hand written letter (who does that anymore??) in the mail from a new friend Ryan whom she met two weeks earlier in Toronto when visiting her best pal Devon. This letter was the best Christmas gift ever for her and me!! Here are a couple of excerpts from the letter that tell the whole story!

"Dear Dolly! I hope this letter finds you well. Allow me to set the stage for this letter - it's been awhile since I've hand written anything so if you have a hard time reading my hand writing I'm sure your dogs will be able to translate for you because I know it's a little 'ruff'! oh ya...(news about Devon and friends)....As for me – I’m about to leave to head north to spend Christmas with my family. To be honest, this time of year is always a bit stressful. I am asking myself why that is – and in my mind the answer is that there is a lot of pressure to make the time spent the best it can be. What's wrong with that? Nothing I guess, but this is where I tell you how you’ve impacted my life. I don’t see my family too often, and my mom is a little overwhelming at times because she misses us. And sometimes I’m a little distant. But when you showed up that Thursday, and your mom called – there was something so beautiful about the conversation that I overheard. It was so open and accepting and there was so much love expressed so simply. I was a little overcome with emotion and it made me want to hug everyone on that call. It's hard to explain but something happened inside of me and it made me think of how amazing my family is, and how I need to open myself more to them because yes there is possibility of bliss in that, in family! So I just want you to know that I’ll be thinking of you for that, when I’m with my family. With that, I thank you for opening my eyes with so little effort – for just being you! I’m thankful that I met you, and thankful for Devon introducing you to all of us here in Toronto. A renewed faith in the human spirit - that’s what this time of year is about, right?!!....Love Ry xo"

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Putting Your Face Mask On First

Key Distinctions/Insights: The third important step is to assess our resources and take some actions to create some level of security and self sufficiency as is practical for our situation – it’s taking the flight attendant’s advice to put your face mask on first!


What will this mean for you? Being a consultant with multiple clients instead of being an employee in an industry that is not growing? Having a supply of basic food stuffs set aside in the event of calamities? Setting aside some of your wealth in the form of precious metals to protect against a devaluing currency? Is it investing some of your capital in alternative forms of energy?  Is it saving money to provide for necessities instead of spending on items that gratify ego?

Taking Personal Responsibility - Synarchy

Key Distinctions/Insights: Taking personal responsibility rather than looking to any other person, institution or organization to take care of us will be the most important step. It is only when we take full responsibility that we can stake a claim on our freedom! And taking personal responsibility first is a precursor to taking shared responsibility for the larger communities that we are a part of.


Great Reference Material: These following passages come from an excellent review of the upcoming grand celestial event in Summer 2010 as written in the Mountain Astrologer May-Aug 2009 edition: 


In essence, leaders have the simple choice of whether they're going to Go Prison Guard in fear or Go Liberator in love by 2010. The grand celestial event of this Chiron-Neptune conjunction in the coming years is truly unprecedented in history.


"All the dictators in the world," he said, "are created by us because we want someone else to tell us what to do. There is a very subtle reason for it: when you are told by somebody else what to do, you don't have any responsibility for whether it is right or wrong. You are free of responsibility; you don't have to think about it; you don't have to be worried about it. The whole responsibility goes to the person who is giving you the orders to do something. . . . [People are] always looking to the politicians, looking to the priest; looking to neurotic-type people who proclaim themselves prophets, the sons of God, messengers of God."


It could be, for all we know, that the whole point of the great Crosses of Summer 2010 is to open us to the startling and scary possibility that it is time to put dictators behind us, even to overcome our addiction to leaders and take up the Aquarian challenge to be responsible in ways we have not yet imagined. We may even learn that hierarchy, the unequal division of power between a few who are corrupted by having far too much and a great inert mass of those who have little or none, has been an ingredient in the recipe of our misery for far too long. It may be time now for synarchy, the active, creative and far more empowering art of sharing power among equals. 


Anticipate and Harmonize

Key Distinctions/Insights: The question is will we be able to harmonize with the actual changes taking place rather than resist? 


Upcoming events will certainly take us out of our comfort zone whether we like it or not – this plays out at a spiritual level “to encourage us to expand our perspective to take in a more universal vision of what it means to be ourselves and what it really means to be alive.”


This is why it will become crucial that we learn to tap into the power within and become grounded in our own core. And this will be the obvious starting point – that over which we have immediate control guided by our thoughts and feelings together. This will help us to anticipate and harmonize with real time events rather than waste our energy resisting with fear and apprehension.

Discern Truth by What Resonates

Key Distinctions/Insights: 2012 prophesies - fascinating, unnerving and contradictory - will continue to accelerate beyond a dull roar – what are we to make of all the scenarios? 


At the very least, we will want to become active participants in our own future by seeking out truth and information for our own education and knowledge. And with the democratization of information availability, we will have to discern truth by what resonates. We’ll get better at this the more we learn to use our intuition and we’ll discuss in future posts how using our left brain, right brain and heart together inform and guide our intuition. For now, the important point is to become actively engaged in asking ourselves the questions - only then will the answers show up.

Finding Clues To What We Want

Key Distinctions/Insights: Often we become very clear about what we want by what it is we don’t want. If we reflect on any current experience, it can help to illuminate both what we have to be thankful for as well as what is currently missing in our experience. This will be a clue to shaping our relationships and our visions, goals, and desires going forward. 


If someone lied to you or deceived you and it caused you disappointment, then you will have become very clear that you will only invest in relationships that are based on values that you, through personal experience realize are important to you, in this example namely trust and truth. The biggest progress that you can make is to become clear about the values that you stand for. These values will act as your True North and will provide you with enormous confidence in particularly tumultuous times. You will be able to focus your energy on creating in real time rather than being confused and fearful living outside of your power to engage in and create in the present moment. You will have a knowing of who you are by what you stand for! This will assist you in making important yes and no decisions particularly as events feel like they are accelerating. These times will bring people in and out of your life including family and friends, and events and circumstances, and the clarity that you create for yourself will assist you in determining where and how to invest your energy - invest your energy wisely!

Greater Contribution - Greater Community

Key Distinctions/Insights: The balance of the vision needs to be fleshed out and the more participants the better. These concepts of greater contribution and greater community will come into focus and will take a place in our lives over time - they cannot be forced. Rather use the organic process to help bring this into view. Meanwhile, you can prepare in the realm that is within your control. 


At the very least, have we created a personal vision to guide and excite our own lives that perhaps also teases out what a bigger purpose can be for each of us? As you review your personal vision look for clues of your commitment. Be what you are looking for. An effective guide to that answer is asking yourself, “Am I contributing something of greater value than I receive, and is it for a greater community than I am currently a part of?”

It's All About Relationships!

Key Distinctions/Insights: Back to this new place - we can start with an exercise of imagining the qualities we would like to manifest into our experience as a way to help dial in a vision of the future.


To answer that, we can take a side track to remind ourselves that the manifest world is really not solid – at the micro level, atoms and molecules which amount to virtually nothing, vibrate in relation to each other – so the manifest world is a universe of ‘relationship’ rather than a universe of ‘thingness’. In addition, these smallest of small behave differently once observed!


Haven’t we already seen organizations flatten – leaders becoming servant leadership and so on. ‘Power and control’ is gradually being supplanted by the relationship cornerstones of ‘love and community’ (where love is defined as “unity”, not the emotion; and community engages humans collaboratively to contribute their unique genius and talents shoulder to shoulder in place of a hierarchy of followers and leaders).

Not Trance-formation

Key Distinctions/Insights: And what’s this new place you ask? Well here’s the rub - we’re making it up as we go along! 

And if anyone’s asleep at the switch, then who the heck knows! If folks don’t put down those remotes for all their intended distraction and propaganda, then they will experience a trance-formation (instead of transformation) brought to you by the MSM - main stream media!






Great Reference Material: An important concept to internalize is that if you don't own your own present/now then someone else does.  If someone else owns your present, they also own your future.  Which is why one of the tenets of being a time monk is assiduous care in what you allow into your consciousness.  Even something as seemingly innocuous as a television commercial is an attempted future-jack. 

By far, most Americans don't 'own' their own future, which is why they've earned the rank of 'sheeple'.  It takes a lot of conscious thought to evolve your own future, but if you don't have your own future visioned and hold to that vision regardless of peer pressure, you're never going to get there.  Your future is being 'jacked' one commercial at a time.  I'll try to resist throwing in "remotely".  Michael Tsarion



Trends Newsletter – Gerald Celente Summer 2009
Publisher’s Note: A function of the Trends Journal® and
the motto of The Trends Research Institute is “Think
for Yourself.” It sounds easy, but it takes will, knowledge
and courage. The will to seek, the knowledge to support
convictions, and the courage to challenge conventional
wisdom, popular opinion and authority.

There's Beauty In The Breakdown

Key Distinctions/Insights: And taking this one step further, if we can agree that a transformation means exactly that – changing of form – than we realize that everything about the old must ‘breakdown’ in order to make way for the new - the ‘breakthrough’. 


However, before form can change, thinking must change first. The power of thought to cause transformation cannot be by degrees – it must be by order of magnitude of a complete paradigm shift. So with that said, this entire process unfolding in real time may feel enormously tumultuous and “out of control” (isn’t it already?) before we arrive at our new place. And the greatest work won’t be physical so much as it will be emotional and psychological.


Here's the best news of all! A breakdown cannot occur without a breakthrough - every breakthrough is attached to a breakdown - they come in pairs. In fact, a breakdown is your clue that the breakthrough is around the corner perhaps still hidden from view though absolutely on the verge of emerging into its fullness. Haven't we all had so many experiences that at first seemed negative and with hind sight proved to be an incredible blessing? When we recognize the landscape for what it truly is, we develop trust, faith, belief and confidence....then we can observe how good things accelerate on their way to finding us!

Big Picture

Key Distinctions/Insights: As an example, by stepping back to reconsider the meaning of external events in our lives, we can create an enormously empowering context from which to solve problems. 


Sometimes we can be blinded particularly when our problems seem stressing and consuming. This is where we can help each other to take inventory of what there is to be grateful for and our available resources at hand. With a correct inventory, we can make determinations of employing all of our resources including our personal gifts (our talents, skills and genius) in creative fresh ways. More important, we can become selective about catching those currents and winds that are likely to head us in directions of our choosing. So long as we are willing to become selective about our destinations. More on Ten Year Visions and Goal Setting coming up soon!

The Perfect Gifts To Make The Difference

Key Distinctions/Insights: At this moment, what is the best we can do? 

Our biggest contribution may simply be to encourage one another to meet the unknown with wonder, excitement and inspiration rather than through fear – and we’re back to the great equalizer since no one knows what happens next! 

Yet let us help each other to recognize that we have each been given the perfect gifts to make the difference. In this way we may be able to accumulate enough smaller solid steps headed in a direction that begin to accumulate into bigger results and our making a greater difference in solving our own problems, helping our family, and contributing to our next larger community.

Engaging Your Passion

Key Distinctions/Insights: For me, it is coaching others - that is when it seems to me that I completely lose track of time - there is nothing I love doing more! I forget about being hungry or tired. In fact, I find myself exhilarated! My genius and talents have allowed me to help family, friends, employees and so forth to experience greater excitement and improvement in their lives since that is what I have been doing consciously in my own life for many years and have learned how through experience. 


I help people to see a bigger picture – to have a bigger context for their lives since it is so easy to get mired in the day to day grind– this generates excitement; I help them create an inspiring vision of their future to direct and focus their attention and energy – this generates a greater purpose and passion, and removes waste of precious resources including valuable time; I help them understand the process of getting from here to there, and to empower them to reach inside to engage their genius and talents to accomplish specific results – this builds confidence and will. 


What is it for you? The reason I ask is that we all have some serious and exciting work ahead. We are living in historic times for human beings – I think everyone can feel the acceleration and heightened stakes particularly when listening to the myriad issues and concerns about 2012 - who really knows other than somehow it seems epic!

Doing What We Love

Key Distinctions/Insights: Choosing how we wish to contribute can best be done by “doing what we love”. Nothing like passion to leave a lasting energetic imprint long after the deed is done! The best rule of thumb is to work within ones genius. 


I will showcase important tools that helped me to discover my unique genius however for this moment, to get a quick handle on what your genius is, here’s a simple guide. Ask yourself what it is that you do whereby you take away more energy than you put in – a clue is what are you doing when you completely lose track of time! Then do that.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Cooperative Relationships

Insights/Distinctions: Joseph Giove has some fascinating thoughts on cooperation - "Those who focus on what's falling away, melting, dissolving – on what is no longer supported by new evolutionary energies – may become despondent, fearful, scarce in their thinking, jealous of opportunities, possessive of their resources, and mindless to the consequences of their actions on others and on the environment. This is the very behavior that is no longer supported by the underlying evolutionary impulses. Any system of a personal, social, economic, political, educational, commercial or medical nature that was based on features of scarcity, separatism, greed, domination, control, imbalance, force, conflict, etc. have lost their energetic foundation and are dissolving back into the void as we speak. Amen and, respectfully, good riddance.
What is emerging now…what is being supported by the new evolutionary energies are people creating systems based on collaboration, harmony, the implicit abundance of nature, egalitarian awareness, the explicit and indelible nature of interrelatedness, interdependency and interconnection. We may look around us with innocent eyes and joyously behold:
1) a massive proliferation of social networking that has infiltrated all aspects of society and commerce;
2) technology enabling collaboration that crosses geopolitical, economic and ideological lines;
3) a massive "greening" movement that is increasing awareness of our impact on the environment, with inspiring and creative programs being developed around the world to restore our balance with nature;
4) free and sustainable sources of energy that are slowly making their way into the common awareness;
5) new partnerships forming between long-time competitors;
6) software being developed "free" by global communities of programmers in "open source" models;
7) ideas being shared and new economic models proliferating in communities around the world, giving rise to alternative forms of currencies and exchange of value between individuals without requiring a central bank or government to control…or to demand a toll from each of us for the pleasure of their exploitation;
8) humanity collectively solving stubborn problems like hunger, poverty and contagious diseases without waiting for governments or other political systems.
These holistic, collaborative, more balanced, more ecologically aligned creations are themselves an out-picturing of the new human consciousness informing these worldly innovations." 

Joseph R. Giove
San Francisco, April 14, 2009 (9 Reed)
Executive Director
CommonPassion.org


Quick Tips: The latest book by one of my favorite authors Abraham Hicks - "The Vortex, Where the Law of Attraction Assembles All Cooperative Relationships" - I can hardly wait to read this to better understand the value of each of my relationships! Thanks to all the amazing people who surround me with love! I suppose we are already intuitively supporting each other in our bigger life purposes! Can't wait to get further insights and I'll post my findings.



And I want to read my new book on a Kindle! so I can store, retrieve and share my highlights!

Salamoia Italian Herb Mixture

Quick Tips: Here is a recipe for my homemade Italian mixture of herbs and spices called Salamoia that I love to use in soups, gravies and as a marinade for meats for grilling. 
Salamoia brings out a rustic fragrance and flavor - traditionally Salamoia is used for preserving olives (in salted water using these herbs - laurel and sage can be added to this recipe):
Salamoia
Dried Thyme
Dried Rosemary
Garlic Granules
Sea Salt
Pepper
I buy my organic herbs and spices in bulk from Mountain Rose Herbs - and my homemade mixtures are one of my favorite gifts to give!

These herbs such as rosemary can be large and sharp when used in soups and gravies. I grind my herbs with my marble mortar and pestle to a course or fine texture when adding to soups and gravies - this way I can keep the full flavor with no need to strain. I bought my mortar and pestle at Sur La Table.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Launch - Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire!


It's Friday night in the big city! And time to tune into the festive spirit. Chef poured a glass of wine (that'd be me!), and hit play on the Christmas yule songs to dial up the mood - a little James Taylor always makes me feel assured, cozy and artsy! And I'm at my favorite place - in front of my 60' Garland commercial range that reminds me of the big gas clunker my grandmother cooked on in Hamburg in her big, old pre-war five story walk up apartment. Feeling nostalgic, my kitchen for me is the heart of my home! Larry, owner of Boxed Greens, included chestnuts with last week's delivery - I found a great recipe so I'm all set. A yummy way to launch my blog doing what I love! How's that for getting to the heart of the matter? Enjoy! xoxo




PS Here's the recipe

Sautéed Chestnuts, Onions, and Bacon Recipe

Castanhas Salteadas com Toucinho Entremeado

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 pound thick-sliced slab bacon or pancetta, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips
  • 1 pound pearl onions, scant 1 inch in diameter
  • 1 pound peeled, roasted chestnuts (vacuum-packed, jarred without sugar, or freshly roasted)
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, for garnish

METHOD

1 In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the fat has rendered and the meaty bits start to crisp, about 12 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

2 Meanwhile, fill a bowl with ice and water and set aside. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Drop in the onions and blanch for 30 seconds. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and plop them into the ice water. To peel the onions, snip off the tip and remove the papery outer layers. Set aside the onions.

3 Raise the heat under the skillet to medium, plonk in the onions, and sauté in the bacon fat, stirring occasionally, until spotted with brown and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the chestnuts, cooked bacon, and honey and toss to warm through, being careful not to break the nuts--they're fragile. Season with salt and plenty of pepper and then scoop into a decorate bowl. Sprinkle with the parsley.

Serves 6 to 8 as a side.


Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Thanks To All My Sponsors

Organic growing and pest control solutions - Arbico Organics

Gardeners Tote at Crabtree & Evelyn



2010 Silver Eagle BU Qty-20 GovMint


Everything Mac at MacConnection


Natural and educational toys from Melissa and Doug



Fill entire walls with stock or custom images at Murals Your Way


All your office supplies at OfficeMax


Roku Digital Player offers Netflix streaming device for TV



All travel baggage from Samsonite



Appliances for the home at Sears


Everything kitchen (14 cup Cuisinart) from Sur La Table

Everything for the home from The Great Indoors



Choose products (mugs, bags, ts)  printed with art or design your own art for products to sell at Zazzle



Everything in the world available from Amazon



All organic herbs and spices from Mountain Rose Herbs



Vita-Mix - comes in silver now too!



Go to iTunes for movies and songs



Travel to one of our favorite places with Hawaiian Airlines



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