December A 2018
Cover Story 24
H.H. Swami Chidanand Saraswati - The Sacred Purpose of Yoga
Health & Wellness 42
4 Ways Medical Cannabis Can Improve Your Outlook on Life
Spirituality 48 52
Agape Love and Spirituality How Are We Listening?
OM Living 60 64 68
5 Tips for Yoga Practice in the Wintertime Make a Playdate With Your Inner Child How Losing Ourselves In 3 Ways and How it Can Help Us Reach Our Goals
Relationships 76
What Do Addicts, Serial Killers, And Billionaires Have In Common
Metaphysics 84
It's In the Stars - Celebrity Predictions for 2018 96 Keys to the Secret of Life 100 A Reading with Emma Knowing Our Limitations
Personal Growth 106 10 Helpful Ideas to Get Your Moon Over the Mountain 110 Remember Your True Identity 114 Embracing the Hater Within
World Vision 122 Choosing Conscious Evolution 126 Seven Ways to Bring Peace into Our Lives
Books 128 Spotlight - The Akashic Tarot
H.H. Swami Chidanand Saraswati
The Sacred Purpose of Yoga OMTIMES: Pujya Swamiji, what is yoga to you? H.H. Swami Chidanand Saraswati: The word ‘yoga’ means ‘union.’ Yoga is that which unfolds, awakens and becomes when the body, mind, and spirit align perfectly together. The purpose of yoga is to create a union both within ourselves and ultimately with the Divine.
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Yoga is not a belief system, dogma or even a religion, it is an ancient scientific understanding of the pathway to liberation that has been passed down from our Rishis, Saints, and Sages for the benefit of mankind. In these very Himalayas, which are so conducive for divine inspiration, these Rishis performed severe austerities together with deep meditation and prayer. It was from their sacrifice the Masters have bestowed a treasure chest of wisdom for the benefit of humanity. Through their love of humanity and their grace, these teachings have been passed down through the millennia so that humankind can know how to live in balance and union with the Creator and His creation. Thus the science of yoga has given us the perfect vehicle for spiritual awakening and enlightenment. It is important to know that Yoga is not a religion. It does not require you to believe in a certain God or to chant certain mantras. A belief system is not required to participate in yoga, yoga is the science of how to live the highest life. These days, especially in the
west, people take yoga classes to learn all about the various techniques of asanas, pranayama, and meditation. But yoga is so much more than that. Yoga is a way of life, and its teachings can penetrate every aspect of your being. Yoga off the mat is just as important as yoga on the mat. Yes, there are discernable physical and mental benefits of yoga on the mat, but it is important that we do not use yoga just to build slender and toned bodies. This is just one of the small consequences of asana practice, but it is not the purpose of yoga. The purpose of yoga is to transform your being, to become the best version of you by connecting to your true self and the divine. OMTIMES: Is there a particular yoga practice that you feel is best? H.H. Swami Chidanand Saraswati: It is joyful to see the practice of yoga burgeoning throughout the world. Yet, I can also see that there is a rampant competition amongst the various styles, lineages and “brands� of yoga. People often ask “Which Omtimes.com
4 Ways Medical Cannabis Can Improve Your Outlook on Life By Rachelle Wilber
Since legalizing cannabis, scientists have been able to study the benefits of it more than ever before. They’re finding positive results in the minds and in the brains of users. Not only can it help
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creatively, but it can also help your mental health. Here are 4 ways medical cannabis can improve your outlook on life: You’ll Feel More Creative Certain strains of medical cannabis will help you feel more creative. This will help your imagination when you’re writing books, songs, poetry, articles, and more. Steve Jobs was quoted saying, “The best way I would describe the effect of the marijuana and the hashish is that it would make me relaxed and creative.” without the effects of cannabis, we may not have iPhones and Apple computers. Many musicians and artists throughout the years have been highly influenced by cannabis as well. Without it, we would not have the amount of unique, and creative music that we do in the world. You’ll Feel Happier Cannabis has been known for creating a happier mind and outlook. It’s used in patients
who suffer from depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Certain companies, such as Elevated, know that cannabinoids are capable of reducing fear and acting as a sedative to reduce nightmares in patients. However, when combined with diet and exercise, cannabis can lead to a healthier lifestyle overall. These changes will lead to a happier state of mind. Be More Productive Contrary to the popular belief that goes along with the demonization of cannabis, it can actually help you get more things done. With a calm, focused mind, you are able to be more creative and problemsolve in ways you simply can’t without it. Many people use cannabis as a replacement for their ADHD medicine because it calms the senses and allows the mind to focus on the task at hand. Old Minds Will Feel Young Again Cannabis can lead to anti-aging of the brain
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Agape Love and Spirituality
Can you imagine a God who is compassionate and forgiving to all, a Spirit possessing the quality of agape love, the love for all beings? Can you imagine this agape love as central to your own spirituality?
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Many of us long to know and connect with Spirit. When we do, we can experience a connection to Spirit in our personal energy field as a sensation or as an inner knowing that we are united with a loving and powerful force. Some say that through prayer, reflecting about the nature of God, or meditating on love or a loving Higher Power, they experience a sense of unity, peace, and love. Some might describe the feeling of love and joy experienced while serving others, or while just playing with grandkids or listening to a moving music performance, as a connection with Spirit, the loving and creative force. I can understand this characterization as I have felt that way, too. Also, through some of my shamanic work, I’ve had the direct experience of a creative universal eternal energy. My encounters have convinced me that Spirit’s love for us is real and that Spirit can infuse us with agape love. When I experience a spiritual connection to Source, a sense of agape love fills me: I want to give to others. I yearn to
express this love. Maybe you have experienced this sense of abundance and desire to send love outward to the world, too. Yet maybe you worry about your financial and emotional resources, and struggle to find the time and impetus to give to others. How much to give, and how much to invest in themselves, is not always easy to figure out. A conversation with Spirit might help you find the answers, and lead to abundance coming your way from an unexpected source. Some might call this karma for doing good works. Perhaps it is simply how energy with the quality of love moves through the matrix of energy that underlies our world. I believe it is an expression of ayni, or reciprocity. I believes Spirit works with us to help us experience agape love so that we let it move through us and outward to others. I’ve seen people who experience very real scarcity who understandably can be very cautious about husbanding their financial resources. At times, they can feel burned out by the burdens Omtimes.com
5 Tips for Yoga Practice in the Wintertime by Dixie Somers In the traditional practice of yoga, changing seasons produce different elements that influence the body, internally as well as externally. The low temperatures and reduced humidity of winter can lead to energy imbalances that affect your health and well-being. Adjustments need to be made to keep your circulatory and digestive systems functioning optimally. Here are five tips to keep in mind for wintertime yoga. Live Healthy Keep up a healthy lifestyle throughout the winter to maintain optimal health and get the most from your yoga practice. That means plenty of physical activity and consistently getting a good night’s rest. All the precautions should be taken to stay healthy, including a diet of fresh
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foods. Eat balanced meals, and even though it’s cold out, nibble on natural fruits, seeds, nuts, and raw vegetables as your snacks, Practice Faithfully It may be tempting to stay in bed or curl up in a blanket in front of the TV when it’s cold outside, but your yoga practice is something you should keep up with. If you start skipping sessions that were your steady routine before, you’re developing bad habits that may impact your sense of self-discipline in the future, as well as the quality of results you get from it. Establish a warm-up routine to better prepare your body for the cold. Keep Warm Regular exercise and daily yoga will help you to fight the cold and feel warmer. If you’re used to going outside for yoga, just dress warmly and take along a mat or blanket to lay on the frozen ground. Or just get used to doing it indoors. Always have your HVAC checked out by a company before the cold weather kicks in. Call a qualified HVAC company for any heating issues so you can still feel comfortable during your routine. Prevent Illness Winter weather is the cold and
flu season. An upper respiratory infection can mean plugged-up sinuses, sore throat, and fever that make yoga more difficult. Be sure to observe standard coldseason practices, such as washing your hands frequently, drinking plenty of liquids, especially citrus juice, and take some Vitamin C supplements to be on the safe side. Try to Be Positive Don’t let the cold and gloomy weather get you down. Be mindful of the benefits that yoga gives you. If you feel ill, your breathing exercises (pranayamas) can help to clear chest congestion and support immune response. If you start to really think that you’re not up to physical yoga, study books on the subject or go to classes to help boost your motivation. Snow, ice, and freezing temperatures can be an excuse for avoiding all kinds of tasks. But your yoga routine is too crucial to your well-being to put aside.
Dixie Somers is a freelance writer and blogger for business, home, and family niches. Dixie lives in Phoenix, Arizona, and is the proud mother of three beautiful girls and wife to a wonderful husband. Omtimes.com
Make a Playdate With Your Inner Child By Jennifer Whitfield
There are so many ways to journey into the spirit and reconnect. And when the world gets too serious, inner child work becomes a wonderful and accessible tool for reconnection and playfulness. The inner child is alive in a space that is
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untouched by time, and while it may require healing, is also carefree and ready for fun. A child’s arch-nemesis is boredom. In a child’s world, life is play, so joy is cultivated, and in every moment, there is an opportunity for endless possibilities. Children live in the subconscious where things haven’t quite formed yet. Their highly creative space is a magical journey waiting to be explored. In this magical world, Mother Earth is a giant playground. Fairies are real. Imaginary friends aren’t imaginary at all. The main purpose of a child is simply to exist and be, free from the need to be doing, and it remains the birthright of every adult to reclaim a connection to their inner child. There is a familiarity between shamanism and inner child work. Just as a shamanic journey visits other realms, and employs techniques like soul retrieval to pick up lost pieces and reconnect them, so too is the process of inner child work. The trance
state of shamanism is very similar to the trance state of hypnotherapy. Anything that creates an imaginative, safe and connected mindset is creating the space to journey beyond the here and now. Many Times, listening to a guided meditation, going into hypnosis or meditative state, deep relaxation, or lowlevel drumming helps the busy “monkey-mind” get out of the way. The rest of it is the intention. Asking for a guide to assist on the journey can be helpful, too. Once the conscious mind is relaxed and settled, or preoccupied, invite the creative mind to recall a happy memory of childhood. Feeling joy inside the body takes the experience from the ethereal and begins to activate the expression throughout the body. The inner child is always waiting to be acknowledged, just like any child. They need attention and love. They need someone to hear them and give them a voice. They
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How Losing Ourselves in 3 ways And How it Can Help Us Reach Our Goals by Sharon Kirstin
Who we believe we are is essential to us humans. We align all our thoughts, behaviors and actions with our identity. It doesn’t even matter if it’s a positive or negative character trait, we assume that’s just who we are. We
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try to do our best with what we’ve got. But where does this identity come from? Is it possible that we consciously need to redesign parts of ourselves to live our fullest and happiest life? In the Netflix series “Limitless,” a struggling musician with a big heart turns FBI consultant. His trick is a pill called ‘NZT’ that gives him access to 100% of his brain function and morphs him into a crimesolving genius. He’s finally the version of himself that he’s always wanted to be. He’s living his full potential. But he has an identity crisis - the more NZT he takes, the more it feels as if he’s losing himself. That’s when Bradley Cooper’s character asks him: “Why do you want to hold on to your old self before NZT so badly?” The self, our self, are we defining it inaccurately? Why do we hold on to who we were yesterday? Our current self rarely has the needed character traits to reach our
big goals in life. So, here’s what to do to make losing ourselves and designing a new version of us easier. Conditioning vs. Design First, we need to understand that all information about our identity is safely stored in the 90% of our identity that we have little conscious control over - our subconscious mind. All of our life’s experiences have become part of our identity. We’ve been conditioned to believe certain things about ourselves, society and life. We’ve also been exposed to situations that felt good or not good at all, and we’ve drawn our conclusions. We’ve also made decisions on how we will survive. Even seemingly small incidents from an adult point of view can cause us as a child to create a coping mechanism that is limiting our self-expression. Scientists say we’re operating in theta brainwave until the age of 7. Theta is the frequency that allows deep programming and doesn’t put
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It's IN THE STARS PSYCHIC INSIGHTS AND CELEBRITY PREDICTION.
MICHELLE WHITEDOVE
FOR AND BEYOND!!!
2018
HOLLYWOOD SCANDALS & THE YEAR OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT
I've been asked by fans to address the sexual scandals and casting couch rituals of Hollywood and the outing of influential men of privilege. Right now there are men in the Movie and TV industry shaking in their boots hoping that they won’t be outed… as many actresses are telling their shocking stories. In the 1970’s there was a women’s liberation movement – but today there’s no Gloria Steinem to organize women and demand change.
69 Currently, there’s the #metoo movement that is getting some traction. I say #OutThemAll. Humanity needs to Rise UP! Please do your part by raising your standards and take the moral high ground! OMTIMES.COM
Keys to the Secret of Life Linda Bloom
Loving each other without losing ourselves is every couple’s task. The challenge is to cultivate the ability to love another while simultaneously honoring our own truth. Some find it easy to meet the needs of others, adept
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at giving love but have trouble receiving. Others are preoccupied with their desires. Those with opposite tendencies attract each other. It’s a piece of work to become proficient in both realms. Ken Keyes says the secret of life is “sticking with it.” There is an old Buddhist story about a rich man who owned a lot of property who wanted to drink crystal clear water. One day he gathered his workers to set out for that part of his land where he thought it likely that there would be water. When they began to dig, sure enough, at ten feet, they hit the water. The man was overjoyed, and he drank the water. In about three days, the well ran dry. So they went to another part of the land and dug another well. Sure enough, they hit the water again at ten feet down. This well’s sulfur content caused an unpleasant odor. The man moved on to dig another. This time the water came in a trickle. And so the
man continued throughout his life going from place to place digging ten-foot wells, never really being nourished. He died unfulfilled. Ironically, the water that the man sought would have been available almost anywhere if only he had dug a hundred feet down. The man had only to continue digging to find the rich flowing stream that he craved. We live in a time where many people’s concept of relationship is like the tenfoot wells. Because there are so many available alternatives, we may feel impatience in our desire to have it all. When a relationship gets difficult, we seek another one or distract ourselves. Our culture supports us in the notion that if things get too complex, we should move on to someone else. It is only through going more deeply into our relationships that we receive the waters that truly nourish. Committing to loving each other without losing ourselves is every couple’s task.
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10 helpful ideas to get your moon over the mountain New Moves, Fresh Start, Get Motivated!
The New Year can be a time of new and invigorating power! The holidays are over, and most of us are broke, fat and have become lazy over the last month. Between the stress and strain of holiday pressures, parties and procrastinating, we have only enough energy left to get by, exist and run on auto-pilot until the pop of New Years’ Eve is over. Well, now’s your chance to take advantage of The Three M’s. Get motivated, get moving, get out the mirror! Motivating ourselves is the fire, which jump starts our actions. Find a good reason to be motivated...good health, better career, a new relationship.... whatever your reason, make your choice and stick to it!
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Then use tools to get you motivated. Try inspiring music, the power of scent (lemon, orange, floral scents) or a more mind centering process like yoga, meditation or hypnosis.
your affirmation into the mirror is the best way to make your words a reality.
Moving is the action to your motivation! There is a mountain of proof that movement is the best thing for mind, body, and spirit. Moving helps with depression, increases our cardiovascular system, moves energy (Qi) and blood, stimulates the brain, increases hormone production and takes us from one place to the next. Use movement as a tool.
1. Listen to Uplifting Music!
A mirror is a reflection of ourselves. How many times have we seen ourselves in others, both the good and the bad? A mirror is also a great tool. A mirror will tell you the truth. Look into one. What do you see? Since it can reflect back our true self, take advantage of its power and speak your positive affirmations into it. An affirmation is a word, phrase or statement asserting the existence or the truth of something. It is the act of affirming, asserting or stating something. Speaking
Use these 10 helpful ideas to get your moon over the mountain! Music can inspire! Some music is designed to have a positive and reaffirming effect on emotions and mental clarity. Singing along to a familiar song or show tune might be all you need. Music is a magical medium and a very powerful tool. Music can delight all the senses and inspire every fiber of our being. Music has the power to soothe and relax, bring us comfort and embracing joy! Music subtly bypasses the intellectual stimulus in the brain and moves directly to our subconscious. There is music for every mood and for every occasion. Music Therapy is incorporated in some areas of medicine. 2. Use Aromatherapy Aromatherapy has been clinically shown to ease stress and improve moods. Essential oils of plant, fruit, and flower essences are created to center and enhance the body and Omtimes.com
Remember Your True Identity By Guy Finley
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When we see this world as a hostile place where new attacks are constantly launched against a shaky self, it only seems natural for us to be self-protective, and that’s exactly what we do. We put tremendous amounts of energy into developing and carrying
out our plans for defense. Thus, we justify our actions to ward off the possible criticism of others. We fawn before people we see as more powerful than we are. We tell ourselves that we are superior to those we see as less powerful than ourselves. So, instead of living our lives fully and freely, we suffer from constantly comparing ourselves to others while unconsciously hoping we can make ourselves into someone against whom others will compare themselves! In a way, it’s as though we have built psychological bunkers from which we peer out at the world, wondering where the next attack will come. Whenever we find ourselves hunkering down in those bunkers, building our defenses and planning our attacks, it would be an excellent time to remember this new view of our lives: that we are actually unfolding from the inside out, regardless of the perception we have that the problems lie in
threatening enemies that charge us from outside. This means that instead of putting our attention on what others have done or said, or what the news of the day is, we turn our attention inward. When we see the “attack” coming, we turn our attention around to see that it is only our false view that perceives an attack; and when we see that the “threat” we’re about to battle is really just a shadow -- cast off from a false idea we hold about ourselves -- then we meet the event from our true self; our own awakened nature whose higher understanding realizes that the perceived “attack” upon us has no power of itself. It is only our reaction to it, our belief in the insulted or hurt self it gives rise to, that gives it any power over us. In the past, we accepted the cruel remark of a thoughtless person as being something real, with the power to hurt us. Our wrong thinking created the problem, and therefore could never solve it. It was not separate from the problem.
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Embracing the Hater Within by Crystal Presence
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Abstract: A brief description of haters. Acknowledging that we often shame and blame them for many of the problems in the world. Discussion about acknowledging and embracing the hater within each of us. Tips on how to embrace our
hater and set it free to be a loving catalyst for the changes we want to see in the world. Haters are usually thought of as people who greatly dislike and criticize a person, group or thing. Haters are often talked about, shamed and blamed for many of the problems in the world. As we look for resolution we often overlook the part of us that is secretly a hater too. We may be hating ourselves or others who we believe are ruining our lives. We may be hating ourselves for wondering if bombing, exterminating and imprisoning haters might be the best way to get rid of them. We also may be hating the vulnerability and powerlessness we feel about not having control over the thoughts, feelings and behavior of others in world. What if we decide to acknowledge and embrace the hater within? What if acknowledge the reflection of hate that we see in the world
to learn more about ourselves and others? What if we set our hater free to be a loving catalyst for the changes we want to see in the world?
Examples of how to embrace and set our hater free. Releasing the belief that hating is bad or wrong. Bringing understanding into hate as an emotion that rises up inside to alert us that it time to make a change. It starts with irritation, annoyance, frustration, anger and eventually grows to hate and crisis if we do not respond to ourselves. Wherever we find ourselves hating we can embrace, express and love it back to love and wellness. Allowing the hater within to express how it thinks, feels and behaves. Once we learn how connect and embrace the hater inside we can bring compassion and love to any hateful condition. A great exercise is to find a safe
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Choosing Conscious Evolution A New Year Resolution that Can Change the World By Tara Meyer-Robson
For most of us, our dearest wish is to make a real difference in the world. This year, instead of New Year’s resolutions filled with stress and deprivation, make a resolution that will create
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meaningful change in the world for yourself and others. It’s that time of year again when the dreaded “New Year’s Resolutions” lists are created, and we cause ourselves untold stress trying to make radical changes as quickly as possible. That’s fine and well, but for many of us, the pressure around this time of year doesn’t support the lasting change we’d like to create for ourselves and the world. A better way is something I call “conscious evolution.” Thanks to Charles Darwin, we are aware that evolution happens at a subconscious level, such as the development of opposable thumbs. As a response to a threat to survival, a life form evolves in such a way to benefit all creatures of that species. Obviously, this happens without any conscious intent of the life form in question.
However, we can also help evolution to happen in the ways we desire by using our conscious minds to create a higher collective frequency for all of us. This can happen due to something physicist David Bohm noted in his theory of quantum potential. Essentially, Bohm showed that while we experience ourselves as separate from others, we aren’t; we are all part of a flowing ocean of energy that is creating and recreating itself based on the frequency of each different perspective (the combination of beliefs and expectations we each hold). This collectivefrequency is constantly changing as new thoughts and actions are created and added to the whole. Like individual notes in a song, each of us puts our individual frequency toward the whole, changing the overall frequency with the notes that we choose to play.
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Seven Ways to Bri ng Peace i nto Our Lives By Judi Lynch
Our consciousness thrives on peaceful practices which help align our miraculous ability to heal. This empowers us in many ways. Our lives can get busy, complicated and confusing even with the best of intentions. If we remember to take the time and recharge our energy, we can help take control of stress and anxiety. Our Omtimes.com
consciousness thrives on peaceful practices which help align our miraculous ability to heal. This empowers us in many ways. Our physical bodies need rest to help charge our etheric bodies which run our metaphysical connections and spiritual assistance. When we are operating on low energy, it has an effect on every aspect of our life. When our minds are preoccupied with too many responsibilities or life challenges, we can forget how it feels to just sit and be present. Feelings of disconnection or hopelessness can creep in when we become a sponge for the negative energies around us. Just like cleaning out a closet, we may need to purge the past to make room for new thoughts and good habits. There are several things we can practice on a daily and weekly basis which can help immensely in how fast we heal, process challenges and intuit our missions and purposes. 1. Practicing awareness- being aware of our energetic connection to everyone and everything. Being mindful of actions, reactions, and responses
to compassion and humanity. 2. Practicing meditation for healing and connection – being still and intuiting the messages and healing connections being offered to you. This isn’t always a message from our spiritual guides, this could also be a door to information we had stored away years ago and now need access to. A long forgotten recipe or a beautiful sunset with friends and dinner on the beach. These images along with music and sound, send happy signals to our brains to relax and let in some bliss. 3. Breathing techniques – When we take a couple of deep cleansing breathes, our brains benefit tremendously. There are many methods of breathing to study which aid in your overall health. 4. Visualization – if we are unhappy or anxious about expectations for a future event, we can visualize ourselves already there. This brings in the thought process of making hope a possibility and the synchronicity to help bring plans to fruition. We also have to take action on what we are seeing and hearing in real time. If we are in fear of a future situation, we can also Omtimes.com
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