Polo Lifestyles November 2025

BACK FROM THE BRINK THE PHENOMENON OF NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES

THE REMARKABLE CONNECTION BETWEEN GREEN TEA AND TESTOSTERONE

URBAN POLO FUELING THE EVOLUTION & MODERNIZATION OF POLO FOR 20 YEARS

SIX TOYS TO ELEVATE WINE NIGHTS

SCIENTISTS JUST TESTED A NEW VACCINE TO FIGHT ANY CANCER VIRAL HOT CHOCOLATE THE SAFEST PLACE IN THE WORLD TO TRAVEL A BATTLE OF BOTS VS HUMANS GROKIPEDIA CHALLENGES WIKIPEDIA

10 ARTISTS RE-IMAGINE THE LADY DIOR BAG

THE LUXURY OF BELONGING

INVASIVE SPECIES HUNTED FOR FASHION

Ambassador Claude-Alix Bertrand Publisher

Joshua Jakobitz Editor-in-Chief

William Smith Copy Editor & Wine Contributor

Claire Barrett Head of Photography

Dana Romita Luxury Real Estate Contributor

Amritlal अमृत Ascension Contributor

Tom Landry Design Contributor

Polo Photographers

Katerina Morgan

Justine Jacquemot

Irina Kazaridi

Helen Cruden

Pascal Renauldon

Kathrin Gralla

Dr. Michael J. Snell Lifestyles & Luxury Automobile Contributor

Joey Velez Wellness Contributor

Christina Albina Style Contributor

Raphael K. Dapaah Art Contributor

Brand Representatives

Dr. Michael J. Snell - NYC

Miriam P. Owens - NYC

Contributing Photographers Xavier Merchet-Thau

Aubrey Chandler Eric Carré

Eva Espresso

Rob Miskowitch

Margarita Crotto

Polo Lifestyles is a publication of HT Polo Publishing Co. 995 Detroit Avenue, Suite A Concord, CA 94518

Cover photo of Ben Atkinson by TMS Photography

Content Copyright © Polo Lifestyles 2025 All Rights Reserved. For information or to advertise Contact marketing@pololifestyles.com Read online at www.pololifestyles.com On Instagram & Facebook @pololifestyles

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GRAND CHAMPIONS

Fall Classic

Tackeria Invitational

Fall Plates

Banyan Cup

Pedro Morrison Memorial

Casablanca Fall Cup

USPA North American Cup

USPA National 20-Goal

Legends of Polo

International Cup

LA PALMERAIE MOROCCO

The Autumn Cup

THE TRIPLE CROWN OF POLO

Tortugas Open

Hurlingham Open

Argentine Open

SCOREBOARDS & COCKTAILS

A universal cancer vaccine in the future, page 66

Drinking green tea to boost natural T, page 58

Back from the brink of death, page 52

page 84

THE SAFEST PLACE IN THE WORLD TO TRAVEL

100

PHOTOS OF POLO FROM ARGENTINA’S TRIPLE CROWN NEVER FAIL TO SHOCK ME INTO THE REALITY THAT IT IS ALREADY NOVEMBER. SOMEHOW, 10 MONTHS HAVE FLOWN PASSED AND WE ARE IN THE FINAL 1/6TH OF THE YEAR ALSO KNOWN AS A MARATHON-AT-A-SPRINT-PACE-TOTHE-FINISH.

The November issue is the last chance of the year to assemble a curation of fun, luxury lifestyle stories and articles before our big Holiday Gift Guide next month. Our contributors never disappoint and this month we have “toys” that improve your wine experience, where to travel if you’d like to visit the safest places on earth, viral hot chocolate (spiked, anyone?) and a look at how Urban Polo has modernized our ancient game in Australia over the last 20 years.

As I’m writing this today, I have no fewer than 23 open tabs in Google Chrome open for the things I need to tackle immediately once this issue is launched, but first, summoning the spirit of Thanksgiving in November, I am going to take a moment, or minute or maybe 60 minutes and make my annual list of people, places and things for which I’m thankful. You, dear reader, make that list every year. You are the reason for the late nights and long days, the debates and the discussions, the last-minute additions and hotly contested cuts.

Happy Thanksgiving where it finds you,

Josh Jakobitz Editor-in-Chief josh@pololifestyles.com

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Celebrating 25 years of @sabyasachiofficial in New York last month! @sunhilsippy @bfa

In France, pink toilet paper isn’t just a quirky choice—it’s a symbol of luxury and elegance!

theglampad

Professional front porch decorating reached new heights in October 2025 in anticipation of Halloween

For all of her ghoul-friends who want to dress up for the holiday but also look chic

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The Louvre Museum in Paris was robbed and the Internet responded with its best irony

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The house of Goyard dropped bowtie pet leashes just in time for the holidays

Click and comment on our choices... Tag @pololifestyles . We will share noteworthy comments with you next month.

The new Carlex Design Himalaya Diamond is a $1.7 million one-off SUV finished in handapplied paint infused with real diamond dust What

LA NATIVIDAD LA DOLFINA BEAT UAE 12-9, AND CLAIMED THE 132ND HURLINGHAM OPEN, THE FIRST LEG OF THE PRESTIGIOUS TRIPLE CROWN IN ARGENTINA. THE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH WAS PLAYED ON OCTOBER 4, ON THE CLUB’S MAIN GROUND, LEWIS LACEY, NAMED AFTER THE EXTRAORDINARY CANADIAN-BORN PLAYER WHO WAS THE SECOND 10-GOALER IN ARGENTINA IN 1915.

It was the first title for the all-Cañuelas foursome, made of the Cambiasos (father and son) and the Castagnola brothers; after a very tough semifinal against Ellerstina Indios Chapaleufu, they were able to display their own system over a remarkable UAE lineup, coached by Lucas Monteverde. Let’s remember that UAE are playing their first complete Triple Crown, and already reached a final; but beyond the result of this final, be prepared, because they’ve made perfectly clear they are eager to go further in the remaining of the season.

In addition, the win in the Hurlingham Open secured Adolfo Cambiaso a couple of new records to add to his very own large personal collection of achievements. He became the player who won the most tournaments of the Triple Crown (43), ranking above two legends, Juan Carlitos Harriott and Alberto Pedro Heguy. And he has titles in the Hurlingham Open more than anyone else (16), overcoming Juan Carlitos Harriott.

With regards to the final of the 132nd. Hurlingham Open, which took place on a sunny and warm Spring afternoon, La Natividad La Dolfina and UAE played a very balanced first start, or at least until the third chukka. They tied at 1-all in the first, UAE took the lead in the second (4-2) and a 60-yards penalty converted by Jeta Castagnola, made it to 5-all in the third. The story would change in the fourth chukka – a couple of fouls awarded to La Natividad La Dolfina ended up in two consecutive 30-yards penalties, successfully converted by Jeta to stretch their lead to 8-5. However, UAE could recover a bit, thanks to a goal produced by Lukin Monteverde in the last seconds within the fourth chukka.

It sounded like things could be different for UAE after half time, following two unanswered goals by Polito Pieres, in the fifth, that closed the gap to one goal. UAE was back in the game, like in the first chukkas, but a determined La Natividad La Dolfina had another ideas in mind; they scored again with only 45 seconds to go to re-take the two goal advantage. In the sixth chukka,

132ND ABIERTO DE HURLINGHAM

La Natividad La Dolfina seized the reins – a 40 yards penalty conversion secured them a 10-7 lead that gave them some fresh air to play the two last chukkas. Although Polito Pieres came back once again in the seventh with a couple of goals, it was Adolfo Cambiaso who produced a remarkable goal, which meant that with only chukka to go the Cañuelas boys were two goals ahead (11-9). The last chukka was a real challenge for UAE, who were obliged to score at least twice to send the match into over time. But UAE’s hopes vanished halfway the last chukka, when Poroto Cambiaso found the flags to mark what would be the final result – 12-9. Time was running up; at the end of the day, La Natividad La Dolfina were victorious, and took home the first leg of the Argentine Triple Crown.

LA ENSENADA WON THE DRYSDALE CUP FOR THE SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR

Early in the morning, La Ensenada claimed a 15-13 win over Los Machitos and won the Drysdale Cup, in the final that took place at the Argentine Association of Polo Headquarters, in Pilar. The first half was very leveled, until La Ensenada were able to take the lead in the two following chukkas. Los Machitos made a comeback in the seventh, but La Ensenada outscored them 2-0 in the last, that earned them the 15-13 win and the title.

It’s worth noting that La Ensenada won the Drysdale Cup for the second consecutive year; in 2024 they beat Cría La Dolfina 15-11, with Alfredo Bigatti within the lineup. Alfredo is playing now for Los Machitos. Juan Britos and Jerónimo del Carril are the remaining members of the 2024 foursome (the fourth member was Juan Martín Zubía).

132ND ABIERTO DE HURLINGHAM

132ND ABIERTO DE HURLINGHAM

GRAND CHAMPIONS POLO CLUB

IN A THRILLING FALL PLATES FINAL AT GRAND CHAMPIONS POLO CLUB, NEWPORT CLINCHED VICTORY OVER SEBILION 11–7 IN A FIERCELY CONTESTED MATCH ON SUNDAY MORNING.

The game featured fast-paced play and tactical precision from both sides, keep-

ing spectators on edge through all six chukkers.

Newport’s lineup of Gene Goldstein, Marc Ganzi, Grant Ganzi, and Nic Roldan displayed exceptional teamwork and composure under pressure, with Roldan leading decisive plays in the final moments. Sebilion’s talented squad — Phil Gutman/Lorenzo Ramirez, Jason Crowder, Sugar Erskine, and Santos

Bollini— battled relentlessly, matching Newport stride for stride until the closing minutes.

In the end, Newport’s balance and experience made the difference, securing them the Fall Plates championship. Nic Roldan’s outstanding performance throughout the match earned him the Most Valuable Player honor.

GRAND CHAMPIONS POLO CLUB

GRAND CHAMPIONS POLO CLUB

URBAN POLO FUELING EVOLUTION AND MODERNIZATION FOR 20

YEARS

MOST

POPULAR SPORTS UNDERGO SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES ONCE A GENERATION OR SO TO MAKE THEM MORE APPEALING TO WATCH, PLAY AND TELEVISE.

From improvements to tennis rackets to increase speed of the game to redesigning soccer balls in order to give them greater flight and curving ability, these changes are accompanied by a plethora of rule changes, resulting in the abandonment of technical rules in favor of a faster and more exciting game.

Polo, a sport dating back approximately 2,500 years ago, first served as a means of training mounted cavalry and keeping them fit. It was not designed as a spectator sport. But today, polo is a billion-dollar industry thanks to sponsorships, horse breeding, streaming services, exclusive club memberships and ticket sales. Today, polo is definitely a spectator sport, but the spectator experience varies wildly from venue to venue.

In 2005, urban polo was first introduced in Australia with the intention to bring the sport further into the 20th century by making it the more spectator friendly. Urban polo’s defining features include a

significantly smaller field (approximately 140-meters long rather than 300-meters long), which brings action closer to spectators. As a bonus, urban polo can be played in many more open city spaces rather than the traditional polo club. This is exactly how Australia’s urban polo promoter, Janeck Gazecki, brought urban polo to city centers of major hubs like Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane. Gazecki imagined polo being played in grassy parks in the afternoon shadows of high-rise buildings and city traffic congestion, separated only by a perimeter of pristine white tents. City chaos is urban polo’s fuel and young, well-heeled professionals are its consummate consumers.

For 19 years, urban polo excited and entertained in Australia under Gazecki’s guise and often even his participation on the polo field. The short-format iterations of the ancient sport are now widespread across Australia, reaching a total of 10 events staged annually: Polo by the Sea, Polo in the City, Pop-Up Polo, and Polo in the Vines. It is the world’s largest national polo series of any kind. According to Gazecki, urban polo was the genesis of other staged, contemporary polo events like London’s Polo in the Park and Veuve Clicquot’s bi-coastal Polo Classic in the USA.

While the 2025 series is canceled due to a legal dispute with prospective urban polo licensees, Gazecki said he looks forward to resolving these issues quickly and resuming plans to establish a formal and coordinated international Urban Polo circuit across the world’s capital cities, much like the F1 has done for racing.

“Polo is such a niche industry that we really must work together closely as an international polo community to grow the sport, through passion and cooperation, any way we can,” said Gazecki.

URBAN POLO BROKEN DOWN

Urban Polo rules, which reflect the unique conditions generated by the new format, have also been codified, and they largely focus on safety to players and horses, rather than technical fouls. In aggregate, the unique Urban Polo format and rules improve the overall spectacle of the sport.

To account for the smaller urban polo field and maximize spectator safety, the ball has increased in size by approximately five percent and is made of a lighter, but solid, plastic composite. This ball poses minimum risk compared to a hard traditional ball and flies a shorter distance, yet maintains a true trajectory, while allowing for an experienced Urban Polo player to curve the ball.

WHAT COMES AFTER A NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE?

Near-death experiences carry a complicated aftermath that stretches far beyond the moment itself.

AMAN DECLARED BRAIN DEAD STARTED MOVING DURING ORGAN REMOVAL SURGERY. NOW, HIS SURVIVAL IS FORCING DOCTORS TO RETHINK HOW WE DEFINE DEATH.

In a harrowing real-life case that’s raising deep questions about death and consciousness, a man declared brain dead after an overdose unexpectedly showed signs of life while doctors were preparing to harvest his organs.

Anthony “TJ” Hoover II was thought to be clinically dead—without reflexes or brain activity—when the organ retrieval process began. But about an hour into the procedure, staff noticed Hoover thrashing on the table.

Witnesses say he even appeared to cry. The surgery was immediately halted, and Hoover ultimately survived, though with lasting neurological damage. While Hoover’s case is rare, it’s not unique— and it’s forcing scientists and ethicists to rethink what it means to be truly dead.

Reports of near-death experiences (NDEs): people waking up in morgues and patients showing brain activity minutes after death have begun to chip away at the finality of clinical death. In recent studies, researchers have observed spikes in gamma brain waves—typically linked to memory and consciousness—even after the heart has stopped. The findings suggest death may not be the instant “lights out” moment we’ve long assumed. Instead, it could be a more gradual shutdown, with potential implications for medical ethics, especially around organ donation protocols.

New research led by Marieta Pehlivanova of the University of Virginia reports that near-death experiences (NDEs) often carry a complicated aftermath that stretches far beyond the moment itself.

The study, published in Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, surveyed 167 people who reported NDEs and examined what support helped them re-enter everyday life.

Researchers found that seeking help is common and, for most, worthwhile. Sixty-four percent said they looked for support to process the experience, and 78 percent said the help they received was beneficial.

Many participants described long-term challenges translating the values and perspective they brought back into relationships, work, and routines.

Relationship strain surfaced as a notable theme, with some reporting lost closeness, even broken marriages, as family and friends struggled to understand the changes.

Methodologically, the team used a structured online questionnaire (including the validated Greyson NDE Scale) and analyzed responses with logistic regression to see which factors predicted help-seeking and whether support felt useful.

Greater NDE intensity and a prior history of psychological difficulties were linked to higher odds of seeking support.

Clinically, the paper underscores a gap: despite decades of case reports and growing public interest, many health professionals receive little to no training on NDEs.

Participants reported that supportive, nonjudgmental acknowledgment can be as important as therapy itself, especially early on, when confusion or shock is common.

The authors argue that wider access to informed, validating care could shorten that difficult bridge between “what was seen” and “how to live with it.”

GREEN TEA THE REMARKABLE CONNECTION BETWEEN TEA & TESTOSTERONE

Why bodybuilders—and almost everyone else—should drink green for gains.

RICH IN ANTIOXIDANTS, EXPERTS HAVE KNOWN FOR EONS THAT GREEN TEA IS A HEALTHY CHOICE FOR AIDING DIGESTION AND BATTLING THE BLOAT, BUT NEW EVIDENCE IS EMERGING TO SUPPORT THE THEORY THAT GREEN TEA CAN HELP YOU MAKE GAINS IN THE GYM TOO, BY RAISING TESTOSTERONE LEVELS AND AIDING WITH SLEEP. HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW.

A recent study published in the National Library of Medicine has determined that regular long-term consumption of green tea raises testosterone while protecting us against insomnia and depression as we mature, even reducing levels of inflammation.

For this study, 280 men were divided into two groups. The control group

never or rarely drank green tea, while the second group consumed at least one cup of the green stuff six days per week. From the second group, a “long-term drinking group” was also identified, defined as those who drank at least one cup per day for the past 20 years. The subjects provided blood samples and also received MRI scans so that scientists could track any differing results.

“The results indicate that the testosterone concentration in individuals who consume tea over the long term is significantly higher than that in the control group,” concluded the report. In fact, the long-term drinking group appeared to show 30% higher testosterone levels than the control group. This was also met with 27% less inflammation, and 32% fewer cases of insomnia.

Apparently, green tea inhibits an enzyme that allows more active testosterone to circulate. In the case of inflammation, the antioxidant EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate) blocks the

cytokines and enzymes while also neutralizing damaging free radicals. And for sleep, long term green tea drinking was associated with not only longer sleeping duration, but better-quality sleep too, perhaps due its theanine content. It’s no wonder then, that perceived levels of depression were also significantly lower among the long-term green tea drinkers.

One important note is that this study focused on men who were aged 45 and above, so more work will surely follow on the benefits of green tea in younger people. For women, many studies have already affirmed the influence of green tea on estradiol, suggesting that drinking green tea is a great choice for premenopausal women too. The new evidence does suggest, however, that green tea is a healthy way to increase testosterone while improving sleep, and that’s the perfect formula for building muscle.

BY SCOTT FELSTEAD / SPECIAL TO POLO LIFESTYLES

CARTIER REMINDS US THAT LOVE COMES IN MANY DIFFERENT FORMS

THE FRENCH JEWELER’S MOST ICONIC BRACELET HAS BEEN RE-IMAGINED

WHEN ITALIAN DESIGNER ALDO CIPULLO DESIGNED CARTIER’S LOVE BRACELET IN 1969, HE INVENTED MUCH MORE THAN AN ICONIC PIECE OF JEWELRY; HE CREATED A LASTING METAPHOR FOR DEVOTION.

The Love bracelet’s oval shape, engineered to fit closely to the wrist, was configured to be locked in place with a miniature screwdriver, a radical gesture of permanence. Almost overnight, the Love bracelet became a phenomenon, worn by the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and

Sophia Loren and sought after as the ultimate expression of commitment.

Over the decades, Cartier would revisit the Love concept again and again, creating slimmer bangles and pavé-diamond versions and appropriating the design in rings, earrings, and pendants. Few pieces of jewelry have inspired such cultural obsession—or attained such staying power, with Beyoncé and Meghan Markle among the contemporary Love devotees.

This season, Cartier has once again returned to the Love motif with the launch of Love Unlimited, a new collection of ridged rings and flexible bands rendered in 18-karat rose, yellow, and white gold.

The bracelets, specifically, bend and shift with the wearer, imbuing the signature screw detail with a new fluidity. Each Love Unlimited bracelet is composed of 200 miniature components, with a new clasp that allows the piece to be put on or taken off with just one hand. The individual pieces can also be linked together and transformed into necklaces, belts, and even bag charms.

The overall effect makes the design feel at once lighter and more adaptable, a perfect metaphor for a new era when love and devotion take shape in many forms—and are constantly evolving.

STORY BY ARIANA MARSH / SPECIAL TO POLO LIFESTYLES

A UNIVERSAL CANCER VACCINE COULD CHANGE EVERYTHING

THE MOST WIDELY USED COVID-19 VACCINES MAY OFFER A SURPRISE BENEFIT FOR SOME CANCER PATIENTS – REVVING UP THEIR IMMUNE SYSTEMS TO HELP FIGHT TUMORS.

People with advanced lung or skin cancer who were taking certain immunotherapy drugs lived substantially longer if they also got a Pfizer or Moderna shot within 100 days of starting treatment, according to preliminary research being reported Wednesday in the journal Nature.

And it had nothing to do with virus infections.

Instead, the molecule that powers those specific vaccines, mRNA, appears to help the immune system respond better to the cutting-edge cancer treatment, concluded researchers from MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and the University of Florida.

The vaccine “acts like a siren to activate immune cells throughout the body,” said lead researcher Dr. Adam Grippin of MD Anderson. “We’re sensitizing immune-resistant tumors to immune therapy.”

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has raised skepticism about mRNA vaccines, cutting $500 million in funding for some uses of the technology.

But this research team found its results so promising that it is preparing a more rigorous study to see if mRNA coronavirus vaccines should be paired with cancer drugs called checkpoint inhibitors — an interim step while it designs new mRNA vaccines for use in cancer.

A healthy immune system often kills cancer cells before they become a threat. But some tumors evolve to hide from immune attack. Checkpoint inhibitors

remove that cloak. It’s a powerful treatment – when it works. Some people’s immune cells still don’t recognize the tumor.

Messenger RNA, or mRNA, is naturally found in every cell and it contains genetic instructions for our bodies to make proteins. While best known as the Nobel Prize-winning technology behind COVID-19 vaccines, scientists have long been trying to create personalized mRNA “treatment vaccines” that train immune cells to spot unique features of a patient’s tumor.

The new research offers “a very good clue” that maybe an off-the-shelf approach could work, said Dr. Jeff Coller,

an mRNA specialist at Johns Hopkins University who wasn’t involved with the work. “What it shows is that mRNA medicines are continuing to surprise us in how beneficial they can be to human health.”

Grippin and his Florida colleagues had been developing personalized mRNA cancer vaccines when they realized that even one created without a specific target appeared to spur similar immune activity against cancer.

Grippin wondered if the already widely available mRNA coronavirus shots might also have some effect, too.

So the team analyzed records of nearly 1,000 advanced cancer patients under-

going checkpoint inhibitor treatment at MD Anderson – comparing those who happened to get a Pfizer or Moderna shot with those who didn’t.

Vaccinated lung cancer patients were nearly twice as likely to be alive three years after beginning cancer treatment as the unvaccinated patients. Among melanoma patients, median survival was significantly longer for vaccinated patients – but exactly how much isn’t clear, as some of that group were still alive when the data was analyzed.

Non-mRNA vaccines such as flu shots didn’t make a difference, he said.

THE U.S. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN WILL AFFECT MORE THAN YOU THINK

THE LAUNCH OF NEW TECH, SPIRITS, AND OTHER PRODUCTS ARE NOW BEING DELAYED THANKS TO THE HALT IN THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION THAT STARTED ON OCTOBER 1. THE 28-DAY FREEZE IS THE SECOND-LONGEST IN AMERICAN HISTORY, FALLING BEHIND A 35-DAY FEDERAL SHUTTER IN 2018-2019.

One such company feeling the ramifications is Leica. Earlier in October, the brand postponed the launch of its new M EV1 camera as it waited for the proper approvals from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), The Verge reported.

But this approval process is not considered an essential function of the agency; as a result, permission to sell items that fall under the FCC’s purview has dragged.

The debut of the new Sound speaker

from WiiM, a smart-audio device brand, also lagged in the wake of the federal shutdown and FCC approvals; the new product did roll out in international markets as planned.

The spirits market is facings similar struggles. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), the sector of the U.S. Treasury that issues permits, regulates, and collects taxes on spirits stateside, has “suspended all non-expected operations” due to a lack of government funding, according to its website. (The

agency has furloughed over 86 percent of its staff.) That means companies planning on filing permits for new products, which must be approved by the TTB before the bottling process begins and the spirit pops onto the market, may run into a few headaches, The Spirits Business reported.

“The fall season is a critical time for spirits product launches and holiday planning,” the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. said in a statement. “The shutdown will result in delayed product launches, missed market opportunities, lost sales and tax revenue, and lasting harm to the wider hospitality industry, which contrib-

utes significantly to the U.S. economy.”

Distillers like Cleveland Whiskey in Ohio have already seen the ramifications. The small company delayed the debut of its creamy Magic Rabbit whiskey, as well as other new offerings. That pause could cost the brand hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost sales, Cleveland Whiskey CEO Tom Lix told Bloomberg. Other holiday-themed drinks may also encounter trouble with permits, according to the publication. And the halt could lead to more issues still: When the government shut its doors back in 2019, the approvals process saw delays of up to five months,

Bloomberg reported, citing information from the Wine Institute.

The delays could even extend to the auto industry, if the shutdown persists. Reduced staffing on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) threatened to affect the launch of new models in the U.S. during that federal shutdown in 2018-2019, Reuters reported at the time. As of now, 90 percent of the EPA’s staff have been furloughed, meaning that the certifications required by law for new autos to have before they hit the market may lag.

DESIGN YOUR GUEST ROOM FOR YOU; NOT YOUR GUESTS

AMÉLIE PICHARD, THE ARTISTIC

DI -

RECTOR

OF THIS YEAR’S MAISON&OBJET SEPTEMBER EDITION, BROUGHT HER SIGNATURE, BOUNDARY-BREAKING VISION TO LIFE THROUGH AN EXHIBIT TITLED “WELCOME HOME.”

I had the privilege of receiving a personal tour from Pichard herself. Her installation unfolded like a living, breathing home—each room presented a unique concept, mood, and reflection on how we inhabit our spaces. The entire exhibit embodied the fair’s theme of “Renouveau” (Renewal), celebrating openness, individuality, and the blending of craftsmanship with innovation.

What struck me most was something Pichard said as we entered the “guest room.” She turned to me and said, “Guest rooms should be for you, not just for

your guests.” It was a simple idea—but profoundly liberating. After all, a guest room is a permanent space within your home—one that you and your family see every day, even when no visitors are around. So why not design it for your own comfort and pleasure, instead of letting it sit as an unused showpiece waiting for the next overnight guest?

Pichard explained that when you fill a space with things you genuinely love, your guests will naturally feel that warmth and authenticity. That philosophy—blending personal meaning with hospitality—encapsulates her broader creative ethos: breaking conventions, merging tradition with modernity, and encouraging people to design their spaces as reflections of who they are.

Which brings us to a question worth exploring: What would it look like to design a guest room that’s not just for hosting, but for living in every day? Here are the key tips on making this a reality.

START WITH YOU, NOT THE HYPOTHETICAL GUEST

Before you think about visitors, think about how you live. Too often, guest rooms become static spaces—perfectly staged but rarely used. Instead, design it as an extension of your daily rhythm. Ask yourself: What does this room need to do for me the other 360 days of the year when no one’s staying over?

Maybe it’s a quiet nook where you can retreat with a book, journal, or cup of tea. Perhaps it doubles as a yoga or meditation space, a creative studio, or even a small home office. Consider what brings you calm or inspiration, and build around that. A comfortable chair by the window, a desk tucked into the corner, or a soft rug underfoot can make the space feel personal and purposeful. By prioritizing your own comfort and habits, you ensure the room earns its keep every day.

LAYER IN THE COMFORTS YOU CRAVE

Instead of focusing only on crisp sheets and spare pillows, think about what makes you feel most at ease. A cozy throw, a small library of favorite books, a record player, or a candle in your signature scent can transform the room into a place that nurtures you daily—and delights your guests when they arrive. Of course, keep some creature comforts handy for guests, like spare pillows and towels, but prioritize items you’ll also use.

DESIGN FOR FEELING, NOT JUST AESTHETICS

Pichard’s approach celebrates authenticity over perfection. Let the space tell a story—through artwork, family photos, travel finds, or handmade ceramics. A lived-in atmosphere feels warmer and more genuine than a sterile “hotel” setup. Including pieces that mean something to you versus letting this space be a dumping ground of generic home decor will draw you in.

KEEP IT ADAPTABLE

Consider flexible furniture—like a daybed, sleeper sofa, or Murphy bed—that

lets the room shift easily between “retreat” and “guest-ready.” A folding screen or a simple rolling cart can make the room multitask. When it’s not in use by guests, it might serve as a creative studio, yoga zone, or quiet workspace. Think of the guest room as fluid, not fixed.

OPT FOR HOSPITALITY THROUGH SELF-EXPRESSION

Paradoxically, the more you design the space for yourself, the more your guests will feel welcome. They’ll experience the real you—the textures, colors, and atmosphere that make your home unique. That’s far more memorable than a cookie-cutter, neutral space. Pichard’s

Welcome Home exhibit invites us to rethink how we live within our own walls—to design with intention, curiosity, and a sense of play. A guest room doesn’t have to wait for guests to come alive; it can be a daily source of joy, reflection, and renewal.

So perhaps the next time you pass your guest room door, ask yourself: What if this room wasn’t just for them—but for me, too?

GROKIPEDIA CHALLENGES WIKIPEDIA IN A WAR BETWEEN BOTS AND HUMANS

THE LARGER THAN LIFE TECH JUNKY ELON MUSK UNVEILED HIS OWN VERSION OF WIKIPEDIA, THE CROWDSOURCED ONLINE ENCYCLOPEDIA, WITH ENTRIES EDITED BY XAI, HIS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE COMPANY IN LATE OCTOBER.

The new project, Grokipedia, would “purge out the propaganda” flooding

Wikipedia, Musk claimed in a post on his social media site, X. But upon fact checking, multiple entries for notable figures contained rambling paragraphs and questionable claims, often with loose citations.

Grokipedia, which briefly crashed after its launch Monday afternoon, tallied more than 800,000 A.I.-generated encyclopedia entries, compared with Wikipedia’s nearly eight million human-written ones. Visitors to the website

— grokipedia.com — were greeted with a bare-bones logo and a search bar that allowed them to query topics.

An entry on Musk said his public persona, “blends innovative visionary with irreverent provocateur,” and featured details of his diet, noting his consumption of “occasional indulgences like morning donuts and multiple Diet Cokes daily.”

Grokipedia also has entries on OpenAI, a competitor of xAI, and political figures like the president and the New York may-

oral candidate Zohran Mamdani.

The new site adds to Musk’s online media ecosystem, which coheres with his personal political views. On X, Musk has reinstated right-wing creators and allowed them to reach enormous audiences, and he used X as a bully pulpit to drive government funding cuts. He has also tweaked xAI’s chatbot, Grok, to lean further to the right.

“The impulse to control knowledge is as old as knowledge itself,” said Ryan McGrady, a senior research fellow at the University of Massachusetts Amherst who studies encyclopedias and social media platforms. “Controlling what gets written is a way to gain or keep power.”

Some Grokipedia entries appeared to align with Musk’s views. On gender transition, which Musk has publicly opposed, the site said medical treatment for transgender people was based on evidence that was “limited and of low quality.” Wikipedia’s corresponding page said scientific understanding of the subject had existed for decades.

Musk was also a frequent critic of Parag Agrawal, a former chief executive of Twitter, now X. Grokipedia’s entry on Agrawal highlighted Musk’s assertion that the former executive downplayed the existence of bots on the platform, and it said he had “faced significant scrutiny over the platform’s estimates of fake and spam accounts.” Those details are missing from Wikipedia.

A representative for xAI did not respond

to questions about Grokipedia or the outage.

Wikipedia, which debuted almost 25 years ago, has faced increasing criticism from conservatives in recent months. Musk and his political allies have argued that the online encyclopedia is too “woke” and excludes conservative media outlets from its approved citations.

Musk fiercely criticized the site in January, after the entry on him was edited to note that he had thrown his right arm stiffly into the air in front of him — a gesture many onlookers quickly compared to a Nazi salute — during a celebratory speech honoring Trump’s inauguration. Musk has denied any meaning behind his gesture, something also included in the entry.

“Since legacy media propaganda is considered a ‘valid’ source by Wikipedia, it naturally simply becomes an extension of legacy media propaganda!” he posted, calling for its donors to stop contributing to the site.

Musk announced his intention to build a competing site this month.

“Wikipedia has achieved a dominant position. I hope Grokipedia challenges it and is able to fix that,” said David Sacks, the A.I. czar of the White House and an investor in several of Musk’s companies, in an episode of his podcast this month. “But the easier path might just be for Wikipedia to stop blackballing and censoring conservative publications, rather than having to rebuild that whole thing

from scratch.”

Jimmy Wales, a Wikipedia co-founder, said in an interview that he did not think A.I. could replace the site’s accuracy. He is leading an internal working group that is focused on promoting neutral points of view and developing guidelines to encourage academic research into potential biases on Wikipedia, he added.

“I try to tease out what is the negative something in there that I could try to improve,” Wales said of the critiques. “It’s digging in and doing the work. That’s the only thing I know how to do.”

Wikipedia already faces challenges as its entries are used to train A.I. systems, said representatives for the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that oversees the online encyclopedia.

Visits to its website by humans have fallen 8 percent this year, while visits from automatic scrapers that A.I. companies use to harvest data have increased. A.I. summaries generated by search engines and chatbots are also stopping users from visiting Wikipedia.

“People will take information they get from these tools at face value, and that information may or may not be correct,” said Selena Deckelmann, the chief technology officer of the Wikimedia Foundation. “The value Wikipedia has provided for over a decade is that it lets people dig into the sources.”

VIRAL HOT CHOCOLATE

As you wander the pretty cobblestone streets of Paris during the colder months of the year, you’ll probably wonder where you can find the most-viral hot chocolate in Paris. I took to social media to find out.

ANGELINA PARIS

It seems like you can’t hear “best hot chocolate in Paris” without Angelina Paris being mentioned. Angelina’s hot chocolate is thick and rich and is like drinking a liquid chocolate bar. If rich, thick hot chocolate is your thing, then head to Angelina’s. This will definitely be a highlight of your trip.

CHAPON CHOCOLAT

If you’ve ever gone to Chapon Chocolat, then it was most likely for their famous chocolate mousse. They sell all sorts of gourmet chocolates, chocolate bars, and chocolate mousse by the cone.

The conclusion about Chapon is this: It was really fun to watch them make the hot chocolate! They make it fun and entertaining as they steam the milk and pour it dramatically into the cups.

LES DEUX MAGOTS

Without fail, if you search for famous cafes in Paris, you will come across Les Deux Magots. Steeped in literary history, Les Deux Magots in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighbors has been a favorite haunt of intellectuals and artists for decades. This cafe is famous for its coffee, but some say they have some of the best hot chocolate in Paris.

EDWART CHOCOLATIER

The hot chocolate is warm and satisfying. It’s more on the rich side and less sweet. It’s not thick in consistency, but it’s not thin like standard American hot chocolate. If you want to try their hot chocolate, then stop by the Edwart shop on Rue de Rivoli. Not all of their shops sell hot chocolate, but this one does!

THE DIPLOMAT

AS SEASON THREE HEATS UP OUR SCREENS, ITS CREATOR TAKES US BEHIND THE SCENES

The creator of the Netflix political drama starring Keri Russell, discusses Season 3 and how many more twists the show can reasonably pull off.

DEBORA CAHN WAS NOT ALWAYS A POLITICAL ANIMAL. BEFORE SHE INTERVIEWED WITH AARON SORKIN FOR A WRITING JOB ON “THE WEST WING,” HER FIRST TV GIG, SHE DESPERATELY GOOGLED HOW A BILL BECOMES A LAW. SHE WAS HIRED, THEN SPENT HER FIRST YEARS IN THE WRITERS’ ROOM TRYING TO PRETEND SHE UNDERSTOOD THE CONVERSATION.

“I was absurdly out of my depth,” she said.

Cahn is more comfortable in those depths now. After “The West Wing,” she wrote for “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Homeland” before creating “The Diplomat,” on Netflix. The third season premiered last week. At the show’s shifting center are Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) and Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell), career civil servants who in Season 1 receive a surprise transfer to England when Kate becomes the ambassador to Britain.

In Season 3 — spoilers begin here — Hal is elevated suddenly to the vice presiden-

cy, while Kate experiences crises both romantic and nuclear. This season also reunites Allison Janney, who plays the new president, with her “West Wing” colleague Bradley Whitford, who plays the first gentleman.

During an hour-long chat a few days after the season premiere, Cahn discussed inspiration, absurdity and whether Kate will ever take a vacation. Friendly and forthcoming, she was also as image-savvy as any public-facing official, asking that any crying be kept off the record. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

What was the inspiration for “The Diplomat”?

I wanted to do for the world what “The West Wing” did inside the Beltway. I wanted to look at our country’s relationship with other countries. Both my parents are immigrants, and I was raised with an immigrant’s extremely fervent patriotism. My mom was a hidden child in the Holocaust, and she remembers American soldiers coming in to liberate. It was a very heroic vision of what this country does in other places. As I grew into an adult and saw what we were doing, that’s when I started focusing on that rift between who we intend to be in the world versus who we are in the world.

When I watched Season 1, I couldn’t get a handle on the show’s tone, the balance of the comedy and the intrigue, the politics and the sex.

To be perfectly candid, I didn’t know what the balance was. It took a while to figure it out. I’m always looking for a balance of realistic drama with a healthy dose of the absurd, which is either good taste or just a big cop-out because drama is so much easier than comedy. I also wanted to create a show that had some lightness in it because if you’re talking about the way that we as a country deal with another country, you’re talking about conflict. So lighten it up, however the hell you can.

At the center is this relationship between Kate and Hal. Is this a good relationship?

Kate and Hal’s relationship has a lot of similarity to an alcohol or drug addiction. When it’s good, it’s really, really good. She goes back to Hal like an alcoholic goes back to a bottle.

American politics has become only more ridiculous since the show began. How much room is left for satire?

There’s none. It isn’t what I want to write about, and if I did want to write about it, I just don’t have that much imagination. The wackadoo [expletive] that’s going on, it’s so absurd that in fiction it would seem like a cartoon. In life, it just seems like a nightmare.

“The Diplomat” is about public servants, specifically those in the foreign service. Season 3 arrives when the Trump administration has cut support for them. How does that change the message of the show?

The specific inspiration for the show is a woman named Beth Jones. She was one of the experts who came in to speak to the writers at “Homeland.” She was an ambassador and she had a life that sounded like it was a superhero’s. We called her the superhero in the pantsuit. She had these amazing stories and a kind of a life I hadn’t seen on TV. I was like, Well, this intersects with a lot of things I’m interested in, and wouldn’t it be great

to tell these cool stories about people who are out there doing stuff we don’t even know about? We feel fortunate that we have a platform to keep talking about these people whose lives are being ruined and whose experience and knowledge are being tossed away.

I imagine that when you conceived the series, you didn’t think you’d have to argue for the importance of the foreign service. Do you now feel like you have to be more responsible in how you craft the conduct of these characters?

We already had a relationship with the audience where we looked at these people as three-dimensional. And we try really hard to make every character initially well-intentioned and intelligent and regularly prone to failure, which I think is human.

Would the government be better if there were more people like Kate in it?

There are thousands of people like Kate in it. What I find moving about the government is it’s millions of people. It’s so many people. Some of them are there because they’re venal and corrupt, but a lot of them are there because they believe in democracy and they love this country and they want to help. That’s what they do every day.

The finale teases the possibility of an affair between Grace and Hal. Are you going there?

Well, we’re going to have to see, right?

Allison Janney and Bradley Whitford are delightful additions. Will there be more dialogue about savory baked goods.

Because you mentioned it, yes. Maybe it’ll be an everything bagel.

If the show is built on relationships, it also depends on twists. How many more geopolitical shockers can you reasonably pull off?

I am surprised anytime we pull off even one. Every season, we find ourselves in a situation and I’m like: “Nobody’s going to buy this. This is just completely absurd.”

So how many more crises can you put these people through?

I don’t know. We’ll keep doing it as long as we’re still having a good time.

This is the first show you’ve created. What have you learned from it?

That the nature of putting together an organism this big on a bunch of different continents is that something is always going to be falling apart, and that doesn’t mean you’re in crisis. I am having a good

time in this job. It worked out the way I wanted it to. And I have to remind myself that when things are crazy, that doesn’t mean something is wrong — that’s just the job.

The season is just out, and you’re about to go back into production. Will you ever take a vacation?

My husband and I discuss that a lot. But you don’t get to do this forever. For a while, I was like, Oh my God, when is there going to be a break? There’s going

to be a break when it’s over. This is a magical time.

Will Kate and Hal ever take a break? It’s hard to imagine them lying on a beach.

I think they would get antsy. If they were lying on a beach, they would start talking to somebody in the next blanket who turned out to be a Serbian dissident, and they’d have to smuggle him out of the country.

LEGACY WORTH REMEMBERING

AMRITLAL

ASCENSION CONTRIBUTOR @monarch_visionary

THROUGH THE EYES OF OUR INNER CHILD

liance as an actor became, in his words, a shield - a way to “prove” value in a world that had not validated his tender beginnings.

EVERY LEADER BEGINS AS A CHILD. BEFORE THE BOARDROOMS AND RESPONSIBILITIES, BEFORE THE PERFORMANCE METRICS AND PROJECTIONS, THERE WAS ONCE A SMALL BEING — CURIOUS, OPEN, IMAGINATIVE, AND PURE. WITHIN EACH OF US LIVES THAT INNER CHILD — THE FRAGMENT OF OUR DIVINE INNOCENCE THAT REMEMBERS THE WORLD AS MAGIC. YET, FOR MOST ADULTS, THAT LIGHT BECOMES VEILED BENEATH LAYERS OF CONDITIONING, TRAUMA, AND SURVIVAL.

To see through the eyes of your inner child is to return to a state of wonder — to reclaim what Paul Newman once called the “ordinary magic” of humanity. Newman’s memoir, The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man, opens not with his success, but with his struggle. He describes a childhood overshadowed by a cold father and an overly controlling mother - a polarity that left him feeling unseen and unworthy. “I didn’t feel I had anything to offer,” he confessed. His bril-

Yet every soul’s wound carries within it the seed of service.

Newman’s journey from wounded child to compassionate humanitarian marks the Initiation - the first step of awakening, where pain begins to turn into purpose. For him, philanthropy wasn’t about generosity; it was about redemption. The creation of the SeriousFun Children’s Network, his nonprofit initiative offering free camps for children with serious illnesses, was his way of saying to the world’s children: you are enough, you are loved, you belong.

And for us - for every leader and healer - that same initiation calls. The global mental-health crisis is not a statistic; it is a mirror. It reflects how far humanity has drifted from the child within. UNICEF reports that one in seven children worldwide struggles with mental-health challenges, many stemming from conflict, loss, and social fragmentation. The child in crisis is the echo of our collective disconnection.

When we choose to see through the eyes of the inner child, we answer the first spiritual summons of leadership: to remember innocence, to hold tenderness as power, and to begin the journey home to wholeness. As awakened leaders, conscious to the value of our

soul’s purpose, we can slow down and examine as consciousness as witnessed through the purifying eyes of innocence. We can live each day to clear our own trauma, judgments and pressures to be a false authority. Allowing the force of divine guidance to empower us through the warmth of our inner furnace, we can learn to clear the path for consciousness to flow through us. There is no limit to the extent of our awakening.

CRYSTALLIZATION: TURNING WOUNDS INTO WISDOM

The Crystallization phase is where consciousness refines - where the chaos of emotion alchemizes into clarity. For Paul Newman, this crystallization happened not on film sets, but in reflection. His memoir reveals that behind the blue-eyed charm was a man in search of forgiveness - from himself, from his children, from the father he could never please.

“I couldn’t express love well,” he wrote. “And it took me far too long to learn that service could heal what success never could.”

The same is true for our global leadership landscape. Beneath the achievements of today’s corporate world lies a generation of adults who, in many cases, were children taught to suppress emotion, equate worth with productivity, and hide their softness behind results. Yet, as mental-health research shows, the ability to connect - to play, to empathize,

to express vulnerability - is the foundation of resilience and breaks us from our curses. This is the domain of the inner child.

Newman’s answer was play - pure, uninhibited joy as medicine. At his first SeriousFun camp in Connecticut, he witnessed terminally ill children laugh, run, and splash with abandon. He said, “They raise a little hell, and I see God

in their laughter.” In those moments, he wasn’t the star or the benefactor; he was simply another child rediscovering life in the eyes of his younger self. The gift he received from giving was an opportunity to live again.

From the Dharmic view, this is the alchemy of the Crystallization stagethe transformation of density into light. Leaders who reconnect to joy become

more magnetic, more human, more awake. Supporting children through organizations like UNICEF or SeriousFun doesn’t only alleviate suffering; it reflects back the part of us that has forgotten joy. We see our higher selves looking back us in appreciation, honesty. From our children, we learn the power of trust to dissolve the darkness that keeps us from experiencing us.

In the practice of Dharma-aligned leadership, crystallization involves three sacred recognitions:

Vulnerability is Strength. Just as Newman’s openness about his flaws invited compassion, leaders who reveal their human story create safety for others. When we stop holding our pain, we evolve naturally.

Joy is a Responsibility. Fun, laughter, and creative freedom are not luxuries - they are spiritual functions. When children play, they harmonize the nervous system; when adults witness it, they remember how to breathe again and see clearly with senses that expand over and over again.

Service Refines the Soul. True giving is not about charity; it is an act of energetic purification. Every selfless gesture clears karmic residue and re-aligns one’s frequency with love. Our true contribution open this Earth radiates emotionally, transforming our genetics for our DNA to hold and express more life. Service opens doors to worlds that are unavailable otherwise.

In the crystalline light of this realization, leadership becomes and act of care, not control.

ACTUALIZATION: HEALING THE WORLD BY HEALING OURSELVES

When the inner child has been seen and the wounds have crystallized into wisdom, the soul naturally moves into Actualization - the embodiment of service and divine manifestationsmiracles. It is here that Paul Newman’s legacy transcends celebrity and enters the realm of archetype: The Wounded Healer.

He turned personal pain into collective joy. Through the SeriousFun Children’s Network, over 1.7 million children and families have experienced life-changing connections in 50 countries. These camps are sanctuaries of belonging - places where no child is defined by illness or limitation, and where play becomes prayer.

The science behind this transformation is profound. Neuropsychologists affirm that play rewires the brain’s emotional circuits, increasing dopamine, sero-

tonin, and oxytocin — the biochemistry of hope. UNICEF’s child-well-being reports emphasize that supportive relationships and safe, playful spaces are among the most protective factors against lifelong depression and anxiety.

For leaders, this understanding becomes a mirror of self-care. Supporting children’s mental health is not separate from supporting one’s own - it’s a continuum of consciousness. When executives, philanthropists, and spiritual mentors engage with causes that uplift youth, they activate what Tibetan teachings call bodhicitta - the awakened heart of compassion that sees no separation between self and other – a unity of radiant life force energy fields, where Universal Sense is birthed and welcomed.

To actualize this means bringing compassion into the infrastructure of leadership:

• In organizations - create programs that mentor underprivileged children, fund therapeutic play centers, or support UNICEF’s youth resilience projects. Examine the organization’s impact upon the environ-

ment, coherence with clear health codes and emotional impact upon the budding awareness of the youth.

• In culture - normalize emotional honesty, vulnerability, and healing practices within the corporate and civic environment. Recognize the spiritual development of employees to see how their healing journeys can provide a positive, cohesive and synergistic impact.

• In self-leadership - cultivate rituals that reconnect you to your own inner child: art, laughter, song, nature, unstructured time. Accept that pressures to realize profit are an obstruction to flow in order to align abundance with the evolution of consciousness. Nourish creativity and intuition over past standards.

In doing so, executive leaders become the bridge between the healed and the healing - between the child you were and the world’s children now. Newman’s life demonstrates this paradox: as he healed others, he could forgive himself from layers of pain that stored beneath his consciousness. That is the deeper alchemy of leadership - where external service becomes internal redemption.

ASCENSION: IMPARTING LEGACY WORTH REMEMBERING

The final stage, Ascension, is the flowering of consciousness into cascading, rippling legacy. It is when the leader becomes not merely a benefactor, but a light bearer - a custodian of hope whose radiant heart’s spiritual impact ripples through generations. Where the fruits born forth in one’s lifetime continue pay spiritual dividends as one’s soul reunites with the cosmic force. During Ascension, one become the solar source of effulgence, whereby life blossoms in the heart’s all those witnessed through the enlightened sense of the beholder, establishing an eternal legacy of ever-perpetuating spiritual radiance as a Rainbow Body bridge.

Paul Newman did not set out to build an empire of compassion. He simply followed his heart’s ache for redemp-

tion, his longing to make the world gentler, kinder and softer than the one he grew up in. Yet, what emerged was a model of integrated humanitarianismphilanthropy infused with joy, humility, and play.

Today, as the world faces a surge in youth depression, climate anxiety, and societal fragmentation, his vision feels prophetic. The next frontier of leadership is not expansion - it is integration. It is not innovation without empathy, but innovation born of empathy.

In the Realization phase of Radiant Leadership, we ask:

• How can my work become a living prayer for future generations?

• How can the laughter of children become my measure of success?

• How can I turn privilege into play, power into tenderness, and responsibility into joy?

• How can I grow from my life lessons, while imparting them upon future generations?

Ascension is when leadership becomes service to cosmic consciousness itselfto the universal child that lives in every being. It is when philanthropy, business, and spirituality converge into one radiant field of giving. When our focus is a mission far beyond our sense of self, we expand into the service - naturally attracting the resources needed to meet the needs of our purpose.

Through the Dharmic lens, Newman’s camps were more than playgrounds; they were temples of healing frequency. Each act of joy raised the Earth’s resonance. Each child’s laughter echoed across the gridlines of human potential. The SeriousFun Children’s Network is, in this sense, a planetary heart chakratransmuting suffering into delight, one giggle at a time.

Leaders who embrace this truth become architects of planetary healing. They do not simply donate - they embody the vibration of giving. Their presence itself becomes medicine.

This is the invitation to all who walk the path of awakened service:

• See through the eyes of your inner child.

• Allow innocence to be your intelligence.

• Let laughter guide your leadership.

• And measure success not by accumulation, but by the expansion of love you leave behind.

Because legacy, in its highest form, is not what we build – it is the power we realize within ourselves and bring out within others. A life worth living for.

THE MONARCH VISIONARY JOURNEY: THE CIRCLE RETURNS

In the closing pages of his memoir, Paul Newman writes that he “didn’t want to be remembered as an actor, but as a man who tried to be of use.” That humility captures the essence of awakened leadership. His life, though marked by fame, was a pilgrimage back to simplicityback to the eyes of the inner child who just wanted to make someone smile.

And so, as leaders, healers, and creators of the new world, we stand where he once stood - at the threshold of service. The mental-health crisis among children is not a distant humanitarian concern; it is our collective karma asking to be redeemed through love and accountability of our contribution to either the pain or the healing.

When we serve a child, we serve the cosmos. When we nurture a child’s joy, we regenerate the soul of civilization. When we heal the child within, we reveal the leader we are destined to be.

That is the circle. That is the legacy. That is Limitless Leadership.

For more information on embodying Radiant Leadership visit MonarchVisionary.com and sign up for our Newsletter.

HOW DO YOU HONOR THE CHILD WHO ALREADY KNOWS?

Every child arrives knowing how to wonder, how to play, and how to love without preconditions. Then the world grows noisy as addiction and distraction ensue. Grades, diagnoses, expectations, and even marketing algorithms crowd out that quiet signal inside - the radiant light that beacons, “You belong,” becomes replaced by “You’re not enough.” Teaching self-love and perseverance is not about adding more tasks to childhood; it is about helping a child remember what they were born knowing and showing them how to express as they remember.

This idea sits at the heart of UNICEF’s work on inclusion: every child has a right to learn, participate, and thrive, regardless of ability or circumstance. It is also the animating spirit behind Paul Newman’s SeriousFun Children’s Networkcamps designed so kids with serious illnesses can rediscover joy and possibility. Together, these perspectives offer a practical, humane framework for raising children who are resilient, compassionate, and spiritually grounded. Simultaneously teaching us to slow down and seek clearly the resources we need to shine.

UNICEF estimates that nearly 240 million children worldwide have some form of disability - a reminder that disability is not rare, but a defining feature of our human family. As we inspire our children to stop hiding, we take the steps to heal our own selves fully. UNICEF’s most comprehensive analyses emphasize that children with disabilities are disadvantaged across many indicators of well-being unless systems are intentionally made inclusive. Counting, consulting, and considering children with disabilities in decisions that affect them is not optional - it is the foundation of their rights and futures, and ensures a collective future where one day we too will be cared for dutifully and diligently, by the same hands we once guided upon the path of destiny.

UNICEF’s inclusive-education work translates this vision into practice. It supports governments to build educational systems that welcome every learner and provides practical tools for teachers - checklists, guides, and activity supplements - so that inclusion is not a slogan but a daily routine, allowing our children’s guardians to evolve into stewardship roles for the evolution of conscious-

ness. These resources help educators identify barriers (physical, attitudinal, curricular), equip classrooms with accessible materials, and ensure that play, recreation, and early learning are adapted for every child.

Why does this matter for self-love and perseverance? Because when a sense of belonging fertilizes our collective soil, our hearts grow fully; and, regardless of our age, healing children inspires the inner genius within our own souls to flourish. When schools and communities signal through an education in spiritual wisdom that speaks to all across the spectrum that “you are welcomed, wanted and seen,” children internalize the message that they are worthy and capable of growth - and the sense of inferiority by class or separation due to special abilities dissolves for the spirit of connection to guide intuitively.

As a special gift to nourish your consciousness, use the code EMPOWER at SonoBellezza.com for 10% off the entire collection of plant-based beauty products, including the latest Self Love Collection, and an equal donation will be made to SeriousFun Children’s Network.

THE SAFEST PLACE IN THE WORLD TO TRAVEL IN 2026

A TINY CARIBBEAN ISLAND WAS JUST RANKED #1 SAFEST PLACE TO TRAVEL - HERE'S WHY

ANGUILLA BEATS OUT BARBADOS, ST. BARTH AND ARUBA IN NEW WORLD POPULATION REVIEW RANKING

If safety is at the top of your vacation checklist, one tiny Caribbean island just earned top honors for peace, calm beaches and a world-class food scene.

Anguilla, a British overseas territory just north of St. Maarten and east of the

Virgin Islands, was named the safest destination in the Caribbean, according to a 2025 ranking from World Population Review, which evaluates crime, policing and political stability based on data from the Global Peace Index.

“Anguilla crime rates are the lowest in the Caribbean, with very few violent or petty crimes to mar its reputation as a tropical oasis,” the report found.

“Tourists can feel safe and at ease in tranquil Anguilla.”

While the review noted that drug-related offenses are “moderate,” it added that such crimes rarely affect visitors.

The U.S. Department of State also lists Anguilla at a Level 1 travel advisory, the lowest possible risk level, advising tourists to simply exercise normal precautions.

“Here, peace isn’t found, it’s felt,” the Anguilla Tourist Board wrote on social media after the report was released.

“From 33 beaches to the warmth of our community, safety is simply part of

island life on Anguilla.”

Following Anguilla in the World Population Review’s safety ranking were Barbados, St. Barth, Martinique, the Cayman Islands and Aruba. John Rose, chief risk adviser for Altour, a global travel management company, said

Anguilla’s ranking stems from several distinct advantages.

“Its isolation and limited access points also reduce cross-border criminal activity, and tourism is managed in a more controlled, boutique environment,” Rose told Fox News Digital.

The designation is a meaningful recognition not only for traveler confidence but also from a tourism economics perspective, he added.

FASHION & STYLE

A HISTORY-MAKING SEASON

10 ARTISTS REINVIGORATE THE LADY DIOR BAG

INVASIVE SPECIES MAKE GREAT BAGS

SS26: A HISTORYMAKING SEASON

IN A SEASON LIKE NO OTHER, THIS SEPTEMBER’S FASHION MONTH WAS ONE FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS. DESIGNERS DEBUTING THIS SEASON – MATTHIEU BLAZY, LOUISE TROTTER, PIERPOALO PICCIOLO TO NAME A FEW – FACED THE CHALLENGE OF STAYING GROUNDED IN REALITY WHILE CREATING COLLECTIONS THAT COMMUNICATED EMOTIONAL AUTHENTICITY. AND TO THE RELIEF AND DELIGHT OF THOSE IN ATTENDANCE, MOST DELIVERED BEYOND EXPECTATIONS.

Creativity has felt repressed over the last few seasons as design houses reacted to a luxury downturn with homogenization. A broad stroke of “quiet luxury” commerciality — through reissues of 2000s best-sellers or runway collections so stripped back they began to merge into one another – failed to ignite consumer desire. And at a time when the wider world was more fractured than ever, as global unrest played out on the streets of the very fashion capitals where designers and brands unveiled their new collections, the industry was in desperate need of a reset to regain relevance.

Spring 2026 was an encouraging start to that journey, in what analysts, editors, and buyers predict will mark a more positive outlook for luxury fashion next year. And while the fanfare of this blockbuster season fades, the new creative directors can now focus on crafting their long-term visions and building on the momentum from their debuts. In the interim, the question will remain as to

whether Jonathan Anderson at Dior, Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta, and Matthieu Blazy at Chanel can collectively revitalize luxury fashion — guided by craftsmanship, heritage, and yes, even commerciality as their North Star.

Only time will tell, but one thing they’ll need to watch closely is the changing habits of the modern consumer, whose renewed demand for innovation can-

not be ignored. These creative directors shouldn’t fear moving forward by looking back, but they must ask whether each collection meets a real need for today’s luxury buyers — even if that need is simply to feel desired (Tom Ford), to own the perfect deconstructed skirt suit (Chanel), or to update their trouser rotation in classic black— skinny, tapered, or wide (all were offered at Celine).

For now, spectacle as distraction has taken a back seat. But for designers who embraced atmospheric set design (Chanel’s solar system at the Grand Palais), created unexpected meta crossovers (Miranda Priestley and Nigel — Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci’s surprise cameo at Dolce & Gabbana), or introduced surprise brand ambassadors (Meghan Markle front row at Pierpaolo Piccioli’s Balenciaga debut), none fell

short. These moments felt less like stunts and more aligned with the excitement of the season — fun, awe-inspiring, and in tune with fashion’s new mood.

Take the Giorgio Armani finale which closed Milan fashion week. It was meant as a 50th-anniversary celebration before Mr. Armani’s untimely death, but was reframed as a tribute to his life and influence on modern tailoring. Held in the

lantern-lit courtyard of the Accademia di Brera, black tie was mandatory, and guests included Glenn Close, Cate Blanchett, Samuel L. Jackson, and Lauren Hutton. Hutton also attended Bottega Veneta’s debut carrying the clutch she made famous in American Gigolo, reuniting with co-star Richard Gere — the man who helped make Armani a household name.

The chaos has now calmed as these new appointees settle into their roles, and as the collections seen on the runways hit retail in a few months (where the true impact will be measured in sales) here, at The Impression, we will be tracking their evolution, whether slow and steady (Simone Bellotti at Jil Sander) or defiantly disruptive (Duran Lantink at Jean Paul Gaultier).

September was a month of premieres for both debut and sophomore collections, as well as the resolution of a long-running

game of creative director musical chairs — with familiar faces finding new homes and ushering in much-needed certainty after years of flux.  With several creative directors marking a decade at their previous houses (Jonathan Anderson, Demna), the industry appeared ready for a change. This shift should go some way toward settling C-suite nerves, with the luxury sector still rebounding from a turbulent year of slowdowns and shifting consumer habits across key markets like the Far East.

By the close of Paris Fashion Week — and the end of the season — creativity had once again become the main character. Designers tapped into it with unanimously positive results at Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel, where he loosened up house codes and unearthed Coco’s lesser-known experiments with “underwear” jersey to create the first marinière tops.

Louise Trotter’s debut at Bottega Veneta was also a rousing success, showcasing her innovative use of the brand’s atelier — fiberglass-fringed separates

exuded kinetic energy and could have easily been mistaken for A.I.

Elsewhere, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez shaped the season’s narrative with cerebral sportswear and sculpted silhouettes — a continuation of their predecessor’s work that should satisfy Loewe loyalists. Simone Bellotti confidently drove Jil Sander’s pared-down legacy forward with edgier gestures, while Jonathan Anderson at Dior (not technically a debut, having shown menswear in June) fully understood

the assignment — bridging aspiration and accessibility with his hi-low mix of plaid pussy-bow shirts, denim mini skirts, shrunken bar jackets, and archival revivals of lace pannier dresses, plus whimsical bows, corsages, and bunny-ear accessories.

Hoping not to alienate Balenciaga's streetwear-obsessed fan base cultivated under Demna, but remaining true to Cristóbal Balenciaga’s legacy, Pierpaolo Piccioli delivered a 180° and brought a couture sensibility back to the house.

Demna, not scheduled to present until next season, hosted an off-schedule film screening worthy of any Hollywood premiere, once again upending the fashion format by outfitting his cast in the Italian archetypes from the ‘La Famiglia’ lookbook he launched only 36 hours earlier!

It was left to Dario Vitale at Versace and Duran Lantink at Jean Paul Gaultier to shake things up with divisive collections that kept the front row talking, as sex was subverted to provoke. Both designers rejected the idea of playing it safe and

presented pointed takes on our obsession with the ‘Body Beautiful’ with encrusted bralettes, barely-there muscle Tees and full-frontal male bodysuits on female models. Both could take the crown as the new ‘Enfant Terrible’ of fashion.

It was a season that reminded us: fashion may always circle back, but it always finds new ways to move forward.

In the absence of brands taking definitive political stands, designers instead channeled the need for light in dark times through color. In contrast to the neutrality dominating past seasons, this moment called for an unapologetically

bold display — a resurgence of post-pandemic “Dopamine Dressing.”

At Fendi and Prada, kaleidoscopic color filled the runways in offbeat combinations inspired by uniform palettes. Loewe’s sunshine hues borrowed from sportswear and layered tactility. Zomer incorporated an actual paint palette into its set, with models leaving colorful footprints on the runway turned canvas.

While color represented joy, a sense of freedom also spread throughout the season — as the parallel century of the 1920s continued to influence design. A time

known for its economic prosperity, rapid social change, and flourishing music scene ie. the ‘Jazz Age’, designers tapped into the dropped waists and freer silhouettes afforded to women and updated the twenties for next season. Ferragamo’s sensual silhouettes were sans excess yet exuded a raw elegance in the use of ‘Africana-inspired’ animal devoré ,and at Chanel a liquid fluidity, twisted satin sheaths, high slits skirts, and embellished fringing honored the founders legacy of liberating women through comfort.

The lack of female talent considered for top creative director roles remains

glaring. Of the fifteen vacancies across  Dior, Balenciaga, Loewe, Gucci, Celine , and Chanel, only four have been filled by women — Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta, Sarah Burton at Givenchy, Meryll Rogge at Marni, and Rachel Scott at Proenza Schouler.

And though it appears the industry is merely reflecting a patriarchal society (now, more than ever), female creatives are hardly designing from the sidelines. This season they blew up the housewife trope at Simone Rocha, and Miu Miu, where Miuccia Prada gave the humble Apron – long a symbol of the realities

women have faced both inside the home and on the factory floor — pride of place, reframing it as a tribute to the unseen labor that underpins society, yet often goes unacknowledged. Sarah Burton at Givenchy, Roksanda (Ilincic – who celebrated her 20 year anniversary during London fashion week), The Attico, The Row, Khaite, Tory Burch, Fendi, Calvin Klein Collection, Hermès, Gabriela Hearst, and Victoria Beckham were all responsible for delivering powerful versions of modern femininity, as women designing for women.

Newcomers brought equally compelling narratives. Torishéju (LVMH Prize Savoir Faire winner) whose work has already been acquired by the V&A Museum, expanded into denim, Julie Kegels models transformed their looks mid-runway, August Barron (formerly ALL-IN) deconstructed the notion of a “Real Housewife”, Marie Adam-Leenaerdt mastered outsized proportions, Dilara Findikoglu uncaged the idea of innocence through the lens of gothic decadence and corseted torsos for the female gaze, and Rachel Scott, performing duel creative director roles, presented her first runway show which channeled resistance through

joy via the Caribbean cultural festival of Carnival.

Despite being underrepresented in top industry roles, women – at the helm of their own brands – continued to define the season’s most authentic moments, proving that true power within fashion isn’t about position, it’s about perspective, and women are reshaping that from the inside out.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Creativity Makes Its Comeback: After several seasons of restraint and commerciality, Spring 2026 marked a reawakening. The industry finally moved past the numbing sameness of “quiet luxury” and returned to craftsmanship, experimentation, and emotional storytelling. Debut collections showed a renewed confidence in design, while balancing heritage with the desires of the modern consumer.

Creativity once again became fashion’s main character and proves that risk, over repetition will drive relevance.

A Shift Toward Emotional Authenticity:

Designers tapped into the collective fatigue of the moment — from luxury price inflation to consumer disillusionment — and responded with collections grounded in reality and emotional authenticity. There was a conscious effort to design clothes that were wearable and

embedded with human connection via hyper-tactile surfaces, and the result was a more focused vision of luxury.

Women Are Redefining Their Power: While the lack of women in top creative roles remains a concern, Spring 2026 reiterated their undeniable impact. From Miuccia Prada’s reinterpretation of the apron at Miu Miu to Dilara Findikoglu, Torishéju, and Rachel Scott’s deeply personal explorations of wom-

anhood and identity, female designers delivered some of the season’s most meaningful collections, designed by women, for women.

10 ARTISTS REINTERPRET

THE ICONIC "LADY DIOR"

ATIMELESS ICON OF DIOR STYLE, THE LADY DIOR CONTINUES ITS EVOLUTION AS BOTH AN EMBLEM OF ELEGANCE AND A VESSEL OF CREATIVE EXPRESSION. DEFINED BY ITS ARCHITECTURAL SILHOUETTE AND CANNAGE MOTIF, THE BAG EMBODIES THE ENDUR -

ING CODES OF THE HOUSE AND THE MASTERY OF ITS ATELIERS — A SCULPTURAL OBJECT OF DESIRE WHERE HERITAGE MEETS MODERNITY.

Since its inception, the Dior Lady Art project has invited artists from around the world to reinterpret the bag through their own creative lens. Each edition merges haute couture craftsmanship with

bold artistic experimentation, transforming the Lady Dior into a living dialogue between art and fashion.

In 2025, the House celebrates the tenth anniversary of this visionary initiative with a special edition bringing together ten international artists: Jessica Cannon, Patrick Eugène, Eva Jospin, Ju Ting, Lakwena, Lee Ufan, Sophia Loeb, Inès Longevial, Marc Quinn, and Alymamah Rashed. Their works span continents —

from France to Korea, Brazil to China — and perspectives, uniting past and future, matter and imagination.

Each reinterpretation reflects a distinct sensibility: some evoke memory and emotion, others capture invisible forces or natural landscapes. Through these

transformations, the Lady Dior becomes more than an accessory — it becomes a canvas of ingenuity, a symbol of artistic metamorphosis, and a tribute to creative freedom.

Textures and colors merge in vibrant compositions that transcend craftsman-

ship, revealing Dior’s devotion to art as a living, breathing extension of couture.

Ten years on, Dior Lady Art remains a celebration of vision, passion, and the boundless dialogue between imagination and elegance.

INVASIVE SPECIES MAKE GREAT HAND BAGS

LEATHER HAS BEEN A STAPLE OF HUMAN FASHION FOR MILLENNIA, BUT THE FASHION INDUSTRY IS INCREASINGLY EMBRACING MORE SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVES.

Traditional leather comes mainly from cows, and cattle farming is linked to de-

forestation, habitat loss and land degradation. The tanning process is polluting and can use up to 50,000 liters (13,209 gallons) of water for each ton of raw animal hides.

Vegan and lab-grown leathers are on the rise, but one US company is supplying fashion houses with the real thing — only rather than using cattle, it’s sourced from invasive exotic animals.

BY JACOPO

Pythons from Florida’s Greater Everglades, silverfin carp from the Mississippi River Basin and lionfish from Caribbean reefs are the three alien invasive species that Miami-based startup Inversa currently harvests. The leather it produces is eventually turned into products such as clothing, bags and other accessories by fashion brands such as Gabriela Hearst, Khaite, Catherine Holstein and Johanna Ortiz.

“This all starts with a fish,” said Inversa CEO Aarav Chavda, who co-founded the company in 2020. “I’ve been a scuba diver for almost 15 years now, and I’ve just been obsessed with the problem of the invasive lionfish and what it’s doing to coral reefs throughout the Caribbean and the Mediterranean — taking a sledgehammer to native biodiversity on those reefs.”

Invasive species are animals and plants that are introduced due to human activity to an area where they are not native. They end up harming the local ecosystem, for example by eating native species, spreading disease or outcompeting other organisms for food or resources. They can cause extinctions and irreversible damage to the environment.

“My co-founders and I firmly believed that one way to solve this problem was to tap into the power of the consumer,” Chavda added. “We then zeroed in on the fashion industry — it really wants to do better and it’s looking for healthier and more sustainable feedstock materials. We ended up turning the lionfish into leather, and that was the genesis of this wonderful idea. I’m here to make a structural impact on invasives, which the UN considers to be a top five driver of biodiversity loss.”

After an initial focus on the lionfish, Inversa started harvesting silverfin, a carp

native to China that was imported in the US in the 1970s, mostly to control algae in municipal sewage lagoons. However, it soon escaped into the wild: “In the Mississippi river ecosystem it’s completely decimating native biodiversity,” Chavda said. “It consumes an unbelievable amount of native vegetation and biomass and it’s now in several US states — it’s a major problem.”

The Burmese python soon followed: “It’s a constrictor snake originally from Southeast Asia, which was released into the Florida Everglades in the 1990s,” Chavda said. The snakes, likely from the pet trade, quickly multiplied and turned into super-predators, leading to the collapse of the populations of native mammals like raccoons, opossums and bobcats.

Inversa manages a network of hunters who procure the invasive species, and then processes the skins in three tanning facilities — two in Europe and one in the US. The system is managed through a digital platform called Origin, which integrates real-time field data, satellite imagery, predictive modeling, and AIdriven invasion mapping, with the goal of streamlining the operation and allowing traceability of every product: “Invasive species are a 21st century ecological crisis whose management cannot be solved

with outdated, fragmented approaches,” Chavda said.

“We are building a completely transparent, traceable and verifiable supply chain, all the way back to the hunting itself.”

Chavda noted the tanning process is different from using cow hide — especially for fish skin, which is made up of very thin but also very strong fibers.

He added that Inversa is working with about 50 fashion brands and will soon expand into even more species, which he plans to announce next year. The company mandates that the final products mention either its name or the fact that the leather is sourced from an invasive species, and it states that this method of leather production offers an 89% improvement on carbon emissions and brings land use to almost zero.

Inversa said that it adheres to humane killing practices and is backed by American nonprofit environmental organization Conservation International and The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, among others.

Chavda said Inversa has removed tens of thousands of invasive animals. However, there is no definitive assessment on the effect of these removals on the habitats: “In the Everglades, we’re seeing anecdotal

increases in native mammals in the areas we’re hitting hard, from our hunters. We can definitely tell that the alleviated pressure is helping.”

Inversa’s work was assessed by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Switzerland, which found it had a positive impact on biodiversity.

“Despite contributing to 60% of species extinctions and causing $423 billion in economic damages annually, invasive species remain largely overlooked in conservation funding,” said Sybille Borner of WWF Switzerland. “The (assessment) highlights Inversa’s ability to fill parts of this critical gap, demonstrating how fashion can be an unexpected yet powerful force for biodiversity.”

RAISING AWARENESS

Alexandra Ioanid, an associate professor at the National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, Romania, who has done research on invasive species and is not involved with Inversa, said that turning invasive species into a valuable material addresses two

challenges at once: “It helps reduce the ecological damage caused by species that threaten native ecosystems, and it offers a more sustainable alternative to conventional leather. Technically, it’s exciting to see that leather made from invasive species can reach the quality and versatility required for real-world use.”

With the right tanning methods, Ioanid added, these alternative leathers can perform on par with traditional materials — and have a distinctive texture and aesthetic of their own: “If done responsibly, such initiatives can create economic incentives for removing invasive species, support local livelihoods, and contribute to conservation goals. The key is maintaining traceability and ecological oversight to ensure that these materials genuinely help manage invasives rather than encouraging new harvesting.”

However, selling materials sourced from wildlife, non-native or not, can stimulate markets that promote unrestricted or incentivized killing, encourage intensive wildlife farming and trigger unintended consequences, such as the deliberate release of these species to sustain supply,

according to PJ Smith, fashion policy director for Humane World for Animals, a nonprofit that fights animal cruelty.

“Wildlife conservation efforts should prioritize the development of effective nonlethal management strategies that provide long-term solutions to address negative impacts from non-native species over fueling demand for luxury goods. There is a growing consumer demand for true, sustainable, bio-based leather alternatives that are animal-free and help restore ecosystems without the exploitation,” Smith added.

Deah Lieurance, an assistant professor of Invasive Species Biology and Management at Penn State University, said that the populations of invasive species that Inversa harvests are so high that she’s doubtful the company could have any significant impact on restoration: “I do think these types of projects do have one major benefit,” she added, “they bring greater public awareness to the wicked problem of biological invasion.”

MANSION OF THE MONTH

IDEALLY LOCATED ON EAST 71ST STREET AND SITUATED IN ONE OF PARK AVENUE’S MOST PRESTIGIOUS AND SOUGHT-AFTER PRE-WAR COOPERATIVES, THIS TRIPLE-MINT HIGH-FLOOR DUPLEX RESIDENCE IS DISTINGUISHED BY ITS TIMELESS ELEGANCE, PLEASING PROPORTIONS, AND IMPRESSIVE SCALE.

Renovated to perfection by Dan Fink Studio, this five-bedroom home seamlessly blends coveted pre-war sensibility with today’s sophistication and modern convenience and is delightful in every way.

Accessed by a private elevator landing, the impressive Gallery, 27 feet in length, opens to three splendid entertainment rooms. A vast Living Room and adjacent Library, each with a wood-burning fireplace, face east over Park Avenue and are flooded with sunlight. Nearby, a formal Dining Room is ideal for enter-

taining. Beyond, the eat-in chef’s kitchen is perfectly appointed with a panoply of state-of-the-art appliances, banquette and island seating, and very plentiful storage, and is supported by a separate laundry room. Completing this level, a large informal Den and an efficient Office are welcome additions, and a conveniently located wet bar and stylish powder room ensure seamless entertaining.

Upstairs, private quarters are serene and expansive. The Primary Suite is a delight, with a Park Avenue-facing Bedroom with a wood-burning fireplace. At 26 feet in

MANSION OF THE MONTH

length, this room is flooded with morning sunlight and supported by two very ample paneled Dressing Rooms with custom-fitted storage, and two marble bathrooms. There are three additional Bedrooms, each with an ensuite bathroom; two of these have glorious east-facing outlooks over Park Avenue. Completing this level is a separate staff room with an ensuite bathroom.

Throughout this splendid residence, impressive scale, tall ceilings, and the pleasing proportions of the rooms lend themselves effortlessly to the notion of elegant entertaining. In addition, the apartment’s meticulous renovation underscores these attributes and incorporates exquisite custom finishes and modern convenience, such as air conditioning (Central and PTAC) , Lutron lighting, and sound and shade control systems.

Designed in a Jacobean / Tudor style by master architects F. Burrall Hoffman, Jr. and Lafayette A. Goldstone in 1929, 730 Park Avenue is considered one of New York’s finest residential addresses. Impeccable staffing includes a full-time doorman and porters, as well as a highly regarded resident manager. The building has recently renovated its beautiful marble-clad entrance lobby and offers its residents the use of a state-of-the-art private fitness center as well as dedicated storage units.

MANSION OF THE MONTH

$23,000,000 USD

BEDROOMS 6 | BATHROOMS 6 FULL AND 2 PARTIAL | INTERIOR

Located in the gated Gros Ventre North subdivision, in the heart of Jackson, Wyoming, is this newly constructed architectural masterpiece. Boasting exquisite craftsmanship and attention to detail, this home offers an unparalleled living experience amidst the breathtaking backdrop of the Teton Range.

At the heart of the main level is the expansive Great Room adorned with vaulted ceilings and exposed steel beams. Gather around the floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace or express your culinary creativity in the chef’s kitchen, outfitted with top-of-theline appliances, tailor-made finishes, and a butler’s pantry.

Floor-to-ceiling windows and telescoping doors flood this room with natural light and provide seamless access to the expansive deck, complete with a covered outdoor dining area, a built-in grill, and an outdoor fireplace, perfect for entertaining against the backdrop of Wyoming’s natural splendor.

Step into opulence as you enter the spacious Primary Suite. Featuring his and her walk-in closets and a spa-like bathroom complete with a double vanity, double showers, a freestanding bathtub, and an outdoor shower, this retreat boasts privacy and comfort.

Relax and unwind on the private deck, offering a sweeping panorama of the Teton Range, or enjoy the warmth and comfort of the double-sided fireplace perfectly situated in front of a built-in reading nook. There is a private office located between the Primary Suite and the Great Room, designed for productivity and inspiration. With a private covered deck offering sweeping views of the surrounding mountains, this office becomes a private retreat within the expansive home.

Adjacent to the office is the mudroom, a transitional space crafted with custom millwork and thoughtful design elements. Here, gear, jackets, and shoes find a styl-

ish home, keeping the main living area pristine and clutter-free. Adjacent to the mudroom, is the upstairs laundry room and an additional coat closet to meet all your storage and cleaning needs. At the center of the home where the main level and lower level meet is a causeway flanked by expansive two-story windows which saturate the home with natural light while providing endless views of the surrounding wilderness.

Located on the lower level is the entertainment and media room. Unwind in the sprawling Media Room, equipped with a full-sized wet bar featuring a wine fridge, ice machine, and dishwasher.

Built-in shelves offer ample space for entertainment, books, and art. Indulge in recreation and relaxation within the gym and sauna, with seamless outdoor access to the meticulously landscaped backyard and built-in hot tub, creating an oasis of luxury and relaxation.

Additionally, attached to the Media Room is a spare Flex Room with an en-suite bathroom that is perfect for supplementary accommodations for guests. The south wing of the lower level is the dedicated guest wing, with four en-suite bedrooms, each offering incredible wilderness and mountain views.

The garage is a haven for recreation enthusiasts, with expansive storage solutions ensuring that every vehicle, tool, recreational equipment, or seasonal gear finds its designated place. This six car garage bay designed to provide maximum utility and with over 1,500 square feet this space can easily house all of your standard and recreational vehicles.

BLENDED WITH NATURE IN THE HEART OF SAGAPONACK

A STORYBOOK ESTATE IN THE HEART OF SAGAPONACK

Set on three enchanting acres in Sagaponack, “Whimsy Farm” is a one-ofa-kind estate blending Hamptons farmhouse charm with French countryside elegance and Palm Beach flair. From the

original barn-turned-great room to the lush, sculpture-filled grounds, saltwater pool, dual kitchens and separate guest quarters, every detail invites relaxation, celebration and timeless style.

PROPERTY DETAILS

790 Sagg Road, Sagaponack, New York

5 Bedrooms | 6 Bathrooms

$6,995,000

Listed by Douglas Elliman Adam Hofer adam.hofer@elliman.com 631.236.8659

In Search of Solace Gadgets for Wine Lovers

SIX TOYS TO ELEVATE YOUR WINE NIGHTS

WILLIAM SMITH @ willismith_2000 COPY EDITOR & CONTRIBUTOR

A

S AN EX-

TENSION OF ENJOYING WINE ITSELF, HUMAN INGENUITY HAS DEVELOPED A WORLD OF COMPLIMENTARY PRODUCTS, GADGETS, AND MECHANISMS TO ENHANCE THE OENOPHILE’S INDULGENCE. I LOVE THIS WORLD, SHAMELESSLY AND INDULGENTLY.

It’s clear that I am not alone. Many readers, in addition to asking for wine recommendations, also ask about recommendations in this complimentary world. And so, in this month’s Polo Lifestyles, I share my six essential musthaves for wine lovers of every ilk.

A CORAVIN SYSTEM

Other than the discovery of the cork, perhaps no device has so thoroughly revolutionized the enjoyment of wine from the bottle as has the Coravin. The first Coravin came to market in 2013, the invention of medical device innovator Greg Lambrecht, who founded the company in 2011. The technology uses argon gas (or in the case of Coravin’s sparkling wine device, CO2) to prevent oxygen from prematurely impacting a wine when it is exposed to air.

Two different Coravin devices use this principle for still wines – one for wine with a natural cork and another for wines with a synthetic cork or a screw top. In the case of the former, the cork is left in place while the Coravin device is clamped on top of the bottle and a thin needle penetrates the cork allowing the wine to flow out and the argon gas to flow in. According to Coravin, “This means your wine always tastes like it has just been opened – even 20+ years later.” Want a glass of that 2008 Chateau

Lafite Rothschild this evening, but don’t want to commit to consuming the entire bottle? No problem.

I introduced the device to a friend a few years ago who lives solo and consumes casually. She now uses it for nearly every bottle she opens.

And at the level of restaurant wine programs, the Coravin has put superior and rare wines into the accessible category for an entire generation of patrons who want an exceptional glass while dining, or a variety of exceptional glasses, but not an entire bottle. Coravin eliminates the risk of a wine going bad in too short of period of time, thus their motto, “Savor the glass, preserve the bottle.”

Coravin’s Timeless Six+ is the perfect offering from the company’s lineup to transform your enjoyment of wine at home. In addition to the device itself and three capsules of the gas, this packaging includes additional elements that increase the versatility of the Coravin, namely an attachable aerator and six

In Search of Solace Gadgets for Wine Lovers

caps that can be used for screw top bottles.

The Timeless Six+ comes in black, silver, burgundy and the limited-edition Hermitage Red. $379 retail.

A SWOONWORTHY WINE REFRIGERATOR

If there is a singular retailer to which oenophiles can turn for all things that enhance the enjoyment of your favorite bottle, it is Wine Enthusiast. Yes, they produce one of the wine world’s best-regarded magazines and their wine shop, Wine Express, is helmed by the sage guidance of the incomparable Marshall Tilden and chock-full of incredible bottlings at value prices, but their online retail shop is as close as one gets to a one-stop-shop for the gadgets we love…

and perhaps never knew we needed. Among this list is a purely contemporary take on a wine refrigerator and a sparkling wine bottle opener fit for a pop star.

Honestly, every home needs a wine cooler of some sort to maintain the health and vitality of your most treasured bottles until you are ready to enjoy them. And while I’ve never quite comprehended the countertop model that holds a handful of bottles (too little!), the full-on built-in cellar is perhaps an unnecessary extravagance for many. Wine Enthusiast’s Frameless Glass Wine Refrigerator, with a 22-bottle capacity, hits the sweet spot for most consumers and jettisons the stereotypical stainless and glass monotony for a chic freestanding design.

The refrigerator’s door design feels immediately recognizable, akin to the smartphone screen that has become part of daily life. It’s both wonderfully different and yet familiar. Built into the door is an illuminated control panel for maintaining the ideal temperature and adjusting the interior lighting. Etching along the sides of the door creates a frame, perfect for admiring the cooler’s contents. Eight well-constructed and easily gliding beechwood shelves provide a perfect resting place for gentle aging. Like any wine refrigerator, there is a slight hum as the condenser kicks in – something to keep in mind in terms of creating an ideal placement for this true work of art.

The Frameless Glass Wine Refrigerator comes in both black and white, though at press time, the white version was out of stock. It will be available in 2026. $499 retail.

THE SPARKLING WINE OPENER OF MUSIC LEGENDS

Though the screw cap closure continues to gain ground in replacing the more traditional cork and foil, the unique aspects of a bottle of bubbles under pressure is not likely to yield to the screwcap en masse any time soon.

The Wine Enthusiast x Cheer Moda Electric Sparkling Wine Opener is the world’s first sparkling wine opener and is only available in the United States from Wine Enthusiast. The opener’s unique “buffer system” is ideal in minimizing the ever-so-gauche, “Pop!” and also maintains control over the possibility and potential hazard of an airborne cork. Practicality and manners aside, it’s also a gorgeous piece of equipment.

Sturdy stainless-steel construction complimented by an elegant black satin finish with champagne-colored font, the opener is powered by four AA batteries. The included sparkling wine stopper is in the same color scheme and makes a statement unto itself. The non sparkling wine version of the opener is also available through Wine Enthusiast and is powered by internal rechargeable batteries via a USB connection and presents with the same design sense of understated elegance.

Making this unique opener part of your wine service repertoire will also land you in some very good company. The sparkling wine opener was included in the gift bags for the 2024 Grammy Awards, where award winners, producers, and Recording Academy executives took one home.

The sparkling wine opener retails for $79 and the regular opener for $89, though both were reduced by $20 at press time.

A VACUUM PUMP THAT PULLS DOUBLE-DUTY

If your kitchen is your chapel, or maybe even if you just like your kitchen well-equipped, the name Zwilling is a familiar one. Their knives and cookware are among the best, but they also have a much more diverse line of products, one of which can preserve both your food and your opened bottles of wine.

Much like the rationale for the Coravin, if wine is not being consumed within a relatively short period of time, oxygen transforms and, eventually, destroys it. But you may want to consume that bottle within a couple of days after you opened it. In these cases, a vacuum pump that removes the air from an open bottle is a very efficient way to give it a bit of extra life.

Zwilling’s Fresh & Save Vacuum system uses a handheld device to remove the air from specially designed glass food containers and reusable bags in their Vacuum Starter Kit. That same device however, also works hand-in-hand with Zwilling’s stylish Vacuum Wine Stoppers. Put the rubber stopper into the wine bottle, place the handheld vacuum device on top of the stopper, and, Voila.

Zwilling claims, “That way, the wine in the bottle will keep for weeks or even months after opening.” Personally, I am

In Search of Solace Gadgets for Wine Lovers

not certain I’d wait that long, particularly for red wines.

What a great way to preserve the freshness of your leftover charcuterie and cheeseboard, as well as that opened bottle of wine for a repeat indulgence later in the week.

All items available at zwilling.com. The Starter Systems start at $74.99 and include the vacuum device and the device as a standalone starts at $69.99. The Vacuum Wine Stoppers are available at $9.99 for one or $25.99 retail for the three-pack.

THE PERFECT CORKSCREW

Yes, we see more and more screw-top closures on wine and research that suggests they may even be a superior product for wines not meant to be aged. But you will always need a proper corkscrew at some point. And if you’re like me, you probably have many different types of corkscrews at home.

Some of my own favorites are wonderfully designed and elevated waiter

corkscrews, many of which were given as host gifts over the years.

But the most convenient and efficient corkscrew in my home and the one I reach for more often than not, is the Vertical Rabbit Corkscrew.

Wonderfully stylized and compact, I find it superior to the original Rabbit corkscrew in design and function. Simply use the included foil cutter to remove the top of the foil, slip the body of the Vertical Rabbit over the bottle, and pull up on the lever. Simple and fast.

The Vertical Rabbit is available in several colors at rabbitwine.com, $73.99 retail. The graphite color was available at press time at crateandbarrel.com for $60.

AN EXQUISITE AND VERSATILE DECANTER

Every home needs a wine decanter. I am of the school that nearly every wine can be decanted; especially if it is to be consumed with some immediacy and isn’t too delicate.

Decanting helps most wines open up and evolve and decanters also make a statement during wine service.

Decanters come in myriad shapes and sizes and I have previously dedicated an entire column to decanters for those seeking more on the topic. But if you are looking for that one elegant and diverse decanter, my favorite is the Riedel Cabernet Decanter.

The lines of the decanter’s silhouette highlight the thin walls of the vessel and a generous bowl creates enough space for the wine’s exposure to air and to appreciate the hue of the wine. This isn’t a fussy decanter, but rather a sexy and practical one that, though, named for ”Cabernet,” I have found has tremendous versatility for decanting just about any wine. Riedel also offers a similarly styled Merlot version that is slightly taller and more sensuously elongated in the neck. Available at riedel.com. $70 retail.

May these must-haves enhance your wine enjoyment as they have mine. And as always, Salud!

MONARCH VISIONARY HEAL

YOURSELF AND HEAL THE WORLD

SPIRITUALITY FAITH

QUESTIONS GROWTH · FOCUS

STONE CIRCLES & DRUM BEATS CONSECRATING FORCES FROM WHICH LIFE IS BIRTHED

Erected upon the lip of dawn, Salisbury Plain welcomes upon her grassy bosom a fiery rhythm of pulsating stones in a holy marriage where the Heart chakra of planet Earth deeply beats. Stonehenge towers silently, yet his resilience is not replete - a phallic presence calibrating divine harmony - still today beckoning mystics forth to consecrate their visionary seed in service of our sacred duty.

Invoking the still, resonant power of eternity his mighty trilithons mount as tuning forks to the celestial force, his lintels aligned with the masculine midsummer sun and the feminine midwinter moon, consecrate opposing forces of yin and yang to inseminate divine potential into the veins of the awakened. His stones represent the original mathematics of cosmic wonder: a Neolithic and Bronze Age ceremonial and mortuary cathedral through which the Earth sings to celestial body of Orion, calling her children to gather in transcendental remembrance of our collective awe for passage into the Heavens.

Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986, the Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Monuments

are recognized for their “outstanding universal value” - the global acknowledgment that sacred sites do not merely belong to history; they inspire the timeless human condition. Here, alignment itself becomes Divine Art. As the rays of the solstice sunrise braids into the stones’ embrace, a revelation is sealed into the planetary grid that we are not born to dominate but consecrate. A portal for those equipped to partake from the nectar of the Stars, the ambrosia of the Gods, we receive in spirit from those who hail from beyond the veil who guide us into the astral through the power of our imagination.

Across an ocean, under the eyes of “Seven Sisters’” constellation of Pleiades, another circle fertilizes the Earth with Star-born intentions to care for future generations. The Pow Wow - heartbeat of Native nations - draws dancers and drummers, elders and children, in spirals of rhythm that mirror the revolutions of the inner Ascension to the source of salvation. The drum is the Earth calling; the dancers, her star children pulled into their Dharmic orbit. Like Stonehenge, the Pow Wow is both ceremony and science - a synchroni-

zation of celestial bodies nourished by a quantum pulsating heartbeat.

These two sacred architectures - one of stone, one of sound - are separated by millennia yet united by purpose: to uplift the human spirit into the rapturous throw of ever-ascending infinity. Both are technologies of belonging, reminders that rhythm is older than religion, that our first economies were exchanges of energy, not currency. When we circle the drum or the stone, we reenact the choreography of galaxies. We remember that our bones are made of stardust; that to dance, to pray, to align, is to commune within the womb of creation herself. They whisper across time: that we once knew ourselves as part of a blossoming Star system, that consciousness itself is cyclical, and that our species’ return to power is not nostalgia but necessity.

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THE LUXURY OF BELONGING & THE REVIVAL

OF CULTURAL COHERENCE

“As long as there is pain to transform, your inner wealth shall be greater than gold. You shall shine forth like a diamond unseen by eyes carbonized by greed in the lowest of forms. Through your abundance of love, you shall rise above the fear of those who seek to rob you of your soul’s greatest work.” - अमृत

AMRITLAL अमृत ASCENSION CONTRIBUTOR @monarch_visionary

AT THE DAWN OF CIVILIZATION, LONG BEFORE ALGORITHMS PRICED OUR EXISTENCE, HUMAN BEINGS RAISED MONUMENTS NOT TO WEALTH, BUT TO WONDER. STONEHENGE, AVEBURY, AND THE SACRED GEOMETRIES INSCRIBED ACROSS THE PLANET WERE NOT MERE RELICS OF RITUAL - THEY WERE INSTRUMENTS OF PLANETARY COHERENCE ACTIVATING THE PLANETARY DNA FOR THE AMPLIFICATION OF SPIRITUAL WISDOM AND EVOLUTIONARY HEALING.

These UNESCO World Heritage sites served as the original technologies of attunement: nodal points where the pulse of Earth synchronized with the rhythm

of the Heavens. Their alignments encoded an understanding of life’s harmonic law: that prosperity arises when life force energy flows freely through reciprocal relationship, not when it is siphoned, hoarded, suppressed and criminalized.

“The stones remember what the stars once sang.” – अमृत

As the HeartMath Institute now confirms, the human heart generates an electromagnetic field measurable several feet beyond the body - an energetic torus that expands when we experience gratitude, compassion, or awe. This is the same frequency that our ancestors cultivated through drumming, chanting, and solstice ceremony. In our age of accelerating capital and collapsing coherence, the science echoes the sacred: planetary stability depends on collective resonance – on Love.

For centuries and beyond, a secret has been suppressed that is rising within the collective subconscious, tearing apart the seams of civilized infrastructures whose veins have withered to expose the demons in charge. The choice now remains to navigate the spiritual planes as we embody the sacred rituals that restore who we truly are - restoring the

light of consciousness that empowers our nervous systems – surfing our energetic reality as celestial, heart-winged beings.

CRYSTALLIZATION: COLLAPSE OF FALSE GOLD

“When the heart forgets its rhythm, empires mistake their fall for fortune.” –

Modern finance, born of extraction and competition, mirrors the pattern of disease: unchecked growth, like a cancer, consumes its own host. The

International Monetary Fund warns of record debt and volatility, yet the deeper deficit lies within - our dissociation from the cosmic order that once governed exchange. As economies expand horizontally, humanity shrinks vertically, severed from the spiritual axis that sustains meaning and churns our inner gold.

Through spiritual oppression, the native peoples of planet Earth have consecrated our ancestral heritage, crystallized as dormant potential within our very DNA. In 1883, the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs issued the Code of Indian Offenses, a legal instrument designed to dismantle “heathenish” practices. Under

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it, Sun Dances, healing rituals, and pow wows were banned. Medicine men were prosecuted. Dancers were denied rations or imprisoned. Agents were instructed to “civilize” Native people by extinguishing their ceremonies. Canada’s Indian Act mirrored the same philosophy.

For half a century, the drum was silenced by decree. The circle shattered. What was lost was more than ritual. With the ceremonies went the architecture of community: the language of inclusion, the apprenticeship of elders, the mirror of belonging. Culture - the invisible immune system of a peoplewas disheartened. Today, psychologists describe the aftermath in modern terms: historical trauma, generational grief, identity fragmentation. But elders will tell us simply that the people forgot their Star songs, dismantling the divine technology of their spiritual DNA.

The invisible correlation remains: when

identity and purpose collapse, so does resilience. When capital concentrates without communion, volatility amplifies. Economists speak of “black swans,” “tail risk,” “White Lotus markets.” But the swan is not the problem. Our ponds are intentionally toxified and polluted. A system void of solar reflection becomes opaque; a civilization without ritual becomes brittle to the break. When communities are told their traditions don’t matter - or worse, are illegal - our ancestral power is stolen, ultimately contributing to the conditions that raise suicide risk across our United Nations.

From the Industrial Revolution’s mechanization to the digital acceleration of artificial intelligence, every epoch has promised liberation through efficiency. But efficiency without empathy collapses into entropy. The ledgers of nations may balance, but the emotional accounts of their citizens remain in arrears. HeartMath’s Global Coherence Project

now measures how human emotion affects the Earth’s magnetic field - confirming that consciousness, not capital, is the true stabilizing force. The Star Force Awakens as we shed our skin of its Draconian imprints for the luminous body to emerge unbroken.

ACTUALIZATION: REEMERGENCE OF THE LIVING CIRCLE

“When we drum, we remember; when we remember, the world heals.” – अमृत

In the 1930s, after decades of prohibition, federal bans on Indigenous dancing were lifted. What followed was not nostalgia but Renaissance. Across Turtle Island, Pow Wows re-emerged - first in secret clearings, then in open arenas, and finally in stadiums where thousands of dancers once again moved as one. The drum became a bridge between generations. Anthropologists call it resilience; healers call it remembrance.

RENEWAL

This revival is not nostalgic - it is neurological. Studies show group drumming synchronizes brainwaves, balances hormones, and fosters empathy. Indigenous wisdom long understood what neuroscience now quantifies: community is the immune system of civilization. Rather than pharmaceuticals, tribes rely upon a common heart-woven thread to regulate their hormonal systems and purify their toxic emotions.

Science has finally caught up to what the elders always knew: ritual saves lives. Ritual synchrony - drumming, chanting, dancing - releases endorphins, oxytocin, and serotonin, neurochemicals that stabilize mood and build trust. Group singing reduces cortisol. Communal meals increase empathy. Modern neuroscience is rediscovering what the sacred already perfected: that to heal the mind, we must first gather the tribe.

In Canada, researchers Michael Chandler and Christopher Lalonde studied First Nations communities and discovered something astonishing: where cultural continuity was strong - where people maintained self-governance, language, and ceremonial life - youth suicide rates were near zero. Where those connections were severed, rates were many times higher.

Among Māori in Aotearoa, the kapa haka (communal dance and song) functions as both therapy and theology; those who participate report greater well-being and lower depression. In Sápmi, the joik - the Sámi song of place - has been revived as a tool of healing and resistance.

Even markets are beginning to sense this Absolute Truth.

“Well-being economies,” “social capital indices,” “circular economies” - all are secular echoes of the same revelation: nothing grows indefinitely; all systems seek balance eventually.

UNESCO’s designation of sacred sites acknowledges more than cultural heritageit affirms that consciousness leaves an imprint on matter.

From the pyramids of Giza to Machu Picchu’s solar alignments, these planetary nodes store vibrational intelligence. They are the Earth’s memory centers, resonating with the field of human intention. As

leaders awaken to this, wealth itself transforms - from accumulation into activation.

Radiant leadership demands more than philanthropy; it calls for planetary reciprocity. When investment becomes ceremony, and enterprise becomes offering, markets evolve into ecosystems. Luxury then transcends possession - it becomes participation in the ongoing symphony of creation.

ASCENSION: REVIVAL OF CULTURAL COHERENCE

“The new economy is coherence; its currency is compassion.” –

We are not naïve. Darkness is called to rise as we step forward. The suicide graphs continue to climb, while markets shimmer, and the policies of Draconian empires still echo in new forms. But the Age of Aquarius has begun. Across continents, ceremonies are returning invoking the purifying fires to reveal higher form.

The cycle completes, not with collapse, but with consecration. The breakdown of extractive systems marks the birth of regenerative stewardship. As the world tilts toward ecological, emotional, and energetic imbalance, awakened leaders are summoned to restore rhythm. Through coherence - between mind and heart, self and cosmos

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- we become instruments of divine recalibration.

We are remembering that survival is not an individual sport. We are remembering that to dance is to pray, to gather is to heal, to give is to grow, to cultivate our fire is to Ascend.

At HeartMath’s Global Coherence Observatory, scientists record subtle shifts in the Earth’s magnetic field corresponding to global meditation events. When thousands focus on gratitude or peace, the planet’s frequencies measurably stabilize and participants are revitalized. This is not metaphor - it is measurable proof that consciousness collaborates with creation. UNESCO heritage sites serve as antennas of that field, holding the charge of civilizations that once lived in harmony with the cosmos.

When we step into the circle - whether of stone, of drum, or of human solidarity - we step out of history’s linear tragedy and back into the cosmic rhythm that births within us a vision of freedom.

Synchronizing to the 2025 solstice, 25,000 gathered once more upon the plains of Salisbury to greet the dawn, tall and strong, with Stone Henge; while in city arenas, the Pow Wow drums have begun to resound. In corporate boardrooms, brave leaders begin to speak the language of purpose instead of profit.

The call now is not to abandon wealth, but to empower it with our collective Starborn mission - to transmute capital into consciousness. Monarch Visionary Ventures Society stands at this frontier: guiding visionary leaders to align their enterprises with planetary intelligence, restoring the ancient contract between power and cosmic service. As Amritlal

FAITH

QUESTIONS GROWTH · FOCUS

teaches, as the heart leads it becomes golden, alchemizing the lead of accumulated generational pain and darkness into magnetizing potential for cosmic creation and genetically pathway into the higher spiritual realms of existence. The staircase to cosmic revelation is revealed through our divine blueprint.

We are not entering a new economy; we are remembering an eternal one - where giving and receiving are one charged breath, and the drumbeat of creation keeps perfect time. From Stonehenge to the sacred drum, the circle returns. The pulse quickens. The world remembers.

THE LUXURY OF BELONGING

November 22 is International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day (ISOSLD), also known as Survivor Day, held annually on the Saturday before American

Thanksgiving. This day offers a time for those who have lost a loved one to suicide to connect with others and find understanding and hope in their shared experience.

A day to reflect upon the souls who have succumbed to the disconnecting pressures facing humanity at large. A day to welcome our loved ones’ memory into our hearts for safe passage home. An opportunity to change our ways so that we may stand for a world where we all feel safe.

It is common for most to become lost in the emotional whirl of pretense and superiority, until realizing that the ones we love the most feel empty and unheard. How can you align your brand and organization with a message that inspires Hope, as you realize your own impetus to pour forth your sacred medicine upon this Earth?

Through the rhythms of your steps, you will restore the sense to become a pillar of the sacred breath.

FUEL THE SPARK OF YOUR AWAKENING HEART

Amritlal is a spiritual activator and founder of Monarch Visionary Ventures Society, leading executives and change-makers through trauma purification, soul integration, and Dharmic leadership. His work bridges ancient wisdom with modern enterprise, aligning wealth creation with planetary coherence and the radiant evolution of cosmic consciousness.

For more information, visit MonarchVisionary.com and receive updates through our Newsletter.