Deaths at Sweat Lodge Bring Soul-Searching. SEDONA, Ariz. — Authorities continue to investigate how two people died and more than a dozen others were overtaken during a ceremony at  James Arthur Ray’s new age Spiritual Warrior Retreat. The authorities say that Ray’s employees built the wood-frame lodge, which was wrapped in blankets and plastic tarps. A spokesman said Ray’s contract with the Angel Valley spiritual retreat called for Angel Valley to “design and construct” the sweat lodge. Sheriff’s Office spokesman said the office stood by its contention that members of Ray’s staff built the sweat lodge. Angel Valley’s owners declined to comment on the contract.

And, it’s pretty wacky but: Sweat Lodge Did Not Have Permit. If you’re going to operate in the world of man, you gotta operate by their rules. That includes amending contracts in writing, such as when who constructs the sweat lodge changes.  I’ve learned if someone wants a contract, there is no such thing as a verbal amendment.  The purpose of a contract is to outline responsibility of the parties in the event of a worst case scenario.  It’s like a prenuptial agreement.  You have to operate with the end in sight.  And take responsibility when the contract shows one party liable, if the other party actually did the work. Continue reading →

You probably saw it on the news or read about it: Jail house video just released reveals new details James Ward, charged in the high profile Orange County, Florida murder of his wife in their upper-class Isleworth home. Dancing During Their Prison Visit. Accused of Killing Wife, Man Goofs Off With His Daughter: Unsettling Footage Ward was cutting up and dancing for his daughter as she visited him in jail. The news reported that his behavior seemed to be very callous that his wife of 23 years is dead. The defense attorney said prosecutors will argue the laughing and dancing seen on the video recording is inconsistent with grieving. Even the daughter was seen making flippant, unemotional and surprising conversation with her father.  “Your sense is, ‘This is inappropriate.’ That’s not uncommon, believe it or not,” Winter Park psychologist Dr. Deborah Day told Eyewitness News.  Day, who testifies in criminal cases, says you can’t judge guilty or innocence from just watching the visits.  “People respond in very unusual and often unpredictable ways.” Continue reading →

I went to Cassadaga with my pal Theresa Hudson yesterday.  Even though we were just delivering the October Horizons magazine, we made it into an exciting adventure.  We both agreed that one of our favorite things is to go on a road trip.  The last real road trip I did was in 2006 when Beth Head and I visited the Monroe Institute.  I used to spend a lot of 3 day weekends out of town, but I don’t make time for that now.  Plus there’s no where in particular I’d like to go.  I could use some new ideas.  From 1997 until 2002 I owned a house in Murphy, North Carolina, which was bought as a retreat home to share with friends. The first year I had it, I began going up for 7-10 days each month to play in the Smokey Mountains and take a break from my work- work -work schedule. Of course, I worked from there also – as a one person business, I work a little each day – but I mostly goofed off. I caught up on reading and did a lot of writing. I hiked and wandered through the national parks. It was nice having the cell phone not work in the mountains, so my hourly urge to check phone messages was tempered.
Continue reading →

The Mighty Pho

The last few days I have been talking with my friend Barbara Nowak about cooking.  She lives in an area of Georgia that is not known for its Asian cuisine, and we were looking for a restaurant with a Vietnamese pho soup on the menu.  That made me start thinking about making the soup from scratch.  It’s a lot of work and cooking down animal carcass is not my favorite thing to do, but I wanted to see if I could duplicate the taste of my favorite pho restaurant.  So when I woke up Monday morning, the first thing I had on my mind was to go buy some beef leg and knuckle bones.  I figured Publix was as good a place as any to look. Continue reading →

Yesterday I wrote about Valerie Saurer’s Prosperity Project *  $1,000 More Each Day.  The project is one of those fun writing games that gets you to delve deep inside yourself and see what core beliefs you are operating with. Specifically, the idea of the game is to get used to the idea of having, spending, and enjoying money. You start small, and every day increase your allowance by $1000. The process is –> here.  Gradually, you will be able to easily picture yourself having larger and larger sums of money.  That idea won’t seem entirely ridiculous to you, because your dream grows incrementally over time. Continue reading →

Back in November 2006, I had an intense month, including a week long stay at The Monroe Institute in Virginia where I took their 6 day Gateway Voyage, then two weekends in Orlando back to back, doing Pranic Healing Level II with Master Stephen Co, and then attending the Hayhouse I Can Do It! Conference where I took the pre-conference workshop with Abraham-Hicks. I came to realize in a bigger way than ever before, that all things are possible; that we are only using a small fraction of our potential, that we have inner resources that are amazing. One of the first things that happened at The Monroe Institute was they took our watches away, and the clock had no hands. We were summoned to events with a bell. This was to ease us out of a time/space mindset so we could experience existence outside a linear time frame. While disorienting at first, it was very freeing and allowed new perceptions to emerge. That was only a warm-up to many very mind expanding sessions using Hemi-Sync technology. I surprised myself by memorizing everyone’s name after the first session! I thought that alone was a great testament that something important was happening “inside” my mind.   Continue reading →

Conventional marketing tells us how we need to target our market, use specific headlines, run an ad more than 6 times, as well as a long list of other marketing ploys. However, thanks to Abraham-Hicks, we now know that the success of advertising, as with everything else, is not so much dependent upon the action that is taken (designing and placing the ad) as it is on the consciousness from which the action is taken. That is, what you think about your business, about your abilities, and about what you have to offer. That also means you take charge of your internal dialogue. Continue reading →

I took a nap Saturday and woke up about 4:00pm with a sore throat and congested sinuses. At first I couldn’t be sure that it wasn’t just allergies clogging my head, and snoring that gave me the sore throat.  But a few hours later, I could tell it was a headcold coming on.  I’m pretty good about washing my hands frequently, especially if I’ve been to the market or post office and been handling money and mail.  I immediately created a nest in the living room, next to my new Big Puffy Chair.  I had my bottles of water there, packets of Emergen C and Breathe Easy Tea and Throat Coat Tea.  I’d gone into my arsenal of cold remedies and read up on Tips to Treat Colds and Flu the ‘Natural’ Way and learned the importance of Juicing for the Common Cold.  I began using my neti pot to irrigate my sinuses, and I made sure to not eat any mucous causing (acid) foods: meat and bread is as mucous forming as milk and cheese, although most people don’t know that.  I put apples and oranges at the nest also, along with throat lozenges, a liquid decongestant/ antihistamine, boxes of kleenex and my vitamins.  I had some Guaifenesin – Generic Mucinex, so if I was going down for the count, I’d be prepared.

Continue reading →

Earlier this year I liquidated an investment to pay off a few thousand dollars in credit card debt, and felt much freer and lighter after doing so.  I’m not a big shopper and I rarely use credit cards. I feel blessed to have little debt except my home and car, because I have friends who have $30,000 – $100,000 in credit card debt *yikes* Of course, these same friends have the latest computer equipment and the newest electronic toys and a much more social lifestyle than I do. They also earn less income and, interestingly, they also talk lots about how money is tight and they often tell me to visit websites like https://www.carringtondean.com/debt-management-plans/ to secure my own finances, which in retrospect sounds like they are talking to themselves. It reminds me when I made lots less income in my 30’s and I had to have the newest everything. Even if it was a hardship to get it. Having said that, my credit card debt back then never exceeded $5,000, although at that time it seemed like a whole lot. I bought lots more clothes back then, and they often ended up in the back of my closet, unworn. A few years of that and I caught on that I was shopping to fill something within me, something that was never filled by shopping. I’m glad I got the lesson early. I’m excited now, I love having everything paid off – it’s like having a fresh start… infinite potential! Now I’m getting excited about saving up a nest egg, and it’ll be fun to see how much I can get it to grow and to plan really fun things with it. Continue reading →

People often ask me how I keep my life in order while being involved in so many projects, where I find the time to do all that I do. I always tell them that I decide what I want to do, then I make time for it and stay focused on it until I achieve it. Easier said than done, I know. I’m asked so often that I thought I’d share a few thoughts with you.

DAILY PRACTICE
We spend much time daily doing things we look back on later as such a waste of time, so why not turn some of that time to good use? Daily practice is, for me, the key to so many things. Steady, focused practice on a regular basis. Practicing what, you ask? For me, that’s a variety of things. I do my morning meditation at 4:00 a.m. every morning.  Sometimes I am still awake then, other times I wake up for it.  This private, quiet time alone is invaluable to me.

Continue reading →