Healers Have Been Healed

The healers are back from Costa Rica! We had an amazing time receiving healings and getting adventurous in the jungle. Most of all, we enjoyed the opportunity to get to know each other on an even deeper level. Between the shamanic soul retrieval, reiki circles, and salsa dancing we lounged in the pool and climbed waterfalls. And it was all good!

I just had to thank everyone again for making this retreat so amazing! Here is a comment from one of our participants.

"I loved, loved, loved the trip. I loved the combination of healing and adventure. The group gelled well together. I loved healing on the 7 planes. The openness of the setting and the participants, the flow between activities made it hard for me to squish myself back into my office’s four walls. I liked to connection to nature, the warmth, the water, the cicadas, the birds, the trees, the vistas, the sky. The casitas were nicely appointed and well nestled in the hillside for privacy and a feel of fauna. I thoroughly enjoyed the diversity of activities and how you wove them all together. I was definitely ready for an afternoon nap by Wednesday and did sleep for 3 hours!.

You were an awesome leader: guiding with no air of superiority, and very generous with your time and spirit. I hope you received back as much as you gave."

Lightwork Activist

(Janis with Gary Zukav)

In his talk at the Green Festival in San Francisco, Gary Zukav reminded us that a true activist acts from a place of love, rather than from anger. Because there are only two true emotions, fear and love, he invited us to examine our emotions of fear, anger, and sadness and ask ourselves, "What am I afraid of that is perpetuating this feeling in me?"

Earth Stewardship

Spirituality is a difficult word to pin down and define. But, if it could be summed up in a single word, it might be consciousness. The essence of life is consciousness, the goal of our efforts is an increase of consciousness, the solution to our challenges is a shift in consciousness.

The greatest creative force is consciousness. And, of course, as spiritually-minded NLP practitioners and hypnotists we expand that term to include the vast storehouse of the unconscious, which holds potentially conscious information that just doesn't happen to be in the awareness at a given moment.

Increasingly rising into the awareness of popular culture is an accelerating environmental crisis, but also the power of our choices and intentions to heal the Earth. It's not surprising that the greatest, most important step in reversing damage to the environment is to be conscious of how our lifestyles impact the planet. Only from a position of consciousness can we reevaluate these choices and make positive changes to embrace our role, as individuals and as a species, of Earth stewardship.

The connection between spirituality and Earth stewardship was recently made explicit at the Bioneers Conference by Evon Peter, chairman of the Native Movement, whose very presence onstage with a host of other indigenous Americans from various tribes was a reminder that we are all guests on this planet and that our connection to the forces of creation, the Great Spirit, come up through our relationship with the land and our bodies, not in spite of them.

It was in this spirit that Janis and I recently attended the Bioneers Conference and Green Festival in the San Francisco Bay area. It was truly remarkable to see how the environmental movement has grown from a few very expensive and inconvenient items that required great sacrifice, to a loving community with its own alternative economy of easy to use products literally covering every aspect of daily life from clothes, food and pet care to furniture, cleansers, media and office equipment. It's not just about alternative energy (though that's important, too)! With the holiday shopping season now upon us, this is a fantastic time to learn about these new companies and their products, and to share this knowledge through our gift-giving.

These two recent events were experiences we cherish and will never forget. We hope you'll take the time to explore this email, save it as a reference, and share in the effort to raise awareness about the environment and fair trade practices. Support our commitment to improving the world through conscious intent -- join us on purpose!

Joe Nicholson
San Rafael, CA
November 2007

Healing the Healer in Costa Rica

I hope this finds you healthy and enjoying this beautiful season. Because I'm very excited and can hardly wait, I'm sending you this invitation now to join Joe Nicholson and I in gorgeous Costa Rica next February! Our plans are finalized, and we're looking forward to taking a group of healers on a journey of healing, exploration, and transformation.

Take a moment to reflect on whether or not you've taken ample time this year to relax and receive energy from others. I know many of us have a tendency to give too much, and we need to be reminded to slow down and take some time for ourselves. If it's time to recharge, meet new people, and have some exciting adventures, consider Healing the Healer.

Healing the Healer in Costa Rica!

DATES: February 9-15, 2008
LOCATION: Ama Tierra Retreat, Costa Rica
OPTIONAL ADDITION: February 16th at Manuel Antonio State Park before heading to San Jose Airport

If you have requested more information on this retreat, we will be sending you a packet in the mail with all the details you need, including an itinerary and a list of what to bring. If you have any questions, please feel free to call Janis (415-491-1122) or Renata (707-694-2691).

Space is limited and we can only take 16 people with us to this beautiful place. Many people have already expressed excitement over this retreat, so be sure to get in early!

December 9th is the last day to register.

In light,
Janis

Spider Handling with NLP

Although Halloween has come and gone, it still seems an appropriate time to address a common, but often ignored, issue- arachnophobia.

Is your first reaction when seeing a spider usually one of fear? If your answer is yes, then you're not alone -- fear of spiders affects millions of people. A survey in England suggests that size, color and leg length are important reasons offered for the fright, with the threat of sudden movement by a spider being the most important, and most chilling, aspect.

Now, arachnophobia can be a mild, inconvenient nagging, or it can be so intense as to trigger a full-blown panic attack. These strongest responses are an automatic, unconscious response, meaning it is completely beyond conscious control. These responses are often the result of a distressing encounter with a spider in childhood, though the original incident may be long forgotten.

So, what can you do to stop this fear? Until recently, desensitization was the typical approach, involving gradual exposure to spiders. Another, newer, approach is to relive the moment when the spider phobia was accidentally acquired and remove the negative feeling. While this is less painful than desensitization, it can still be unpleasant.

Here is a simple formula that will work miracles without any discomfort. Try it on yourself, or call an NLP professional for a session.

1. Put yourself in a really comfortable and safe place. Breathe deeply and rhythmically.

2. In your mind's eye, imagine a spider flashing on a white screen for a second. Keep breathing and imagine relaxing.

3. Let another spider flash in your imagination for 2 seconds. Relax and breathe evenly.

4. Think of the friendliest, most harmless creature you can envision.

5. Slowly morph it into a spider, while keeping the feeling of harmlessness in your mind.

6. Keep going back and forth between the friendly creature and the spider until you can imagine the spider without any fear. If any of the fear remains, call an NLP Practitioner!

Animals at Play

Here's a short video that simply tells a beautiful story that warmed our hearts. Maybe the message is just that no matter what we're supposed to do, we can always choose to just get along. Or maybe it's that fun and play are as important as survival. Click the picture below, watch the video, and tell me what you think!

Fire the Grid

On July 17, 2007 at 11:11pm Greenwich Mean Time, thousand of individuals will be gathering in meditation to improve the state of chaos currently enveloping the earth. These are people disturbed by the rapid deterioration of our oceans and the pollution choking land, sea and air. These are people disgusted by the war and anger that seem all too prevalent today, people appalled at the extreme poverty and hunger rampant in developing nations. These are people ready to "Fire the Grid."

It's now known that within the next twenty-five years there will not be enough clean water, wood or fossil fuels left to sustain the pace of our consumption. Simply put, Earth can no longer support our present habits. But together on July 17 we will reset Mother Earth with a bio-electric "SURGE OF LOVE" from the root of humanity.

Firing the grid will accomplish two things. First, it will pulse healing energy into the center of the earth and regenerate the core, or the heart of the planet. It will also rebuild the flow of energy between ourselves and Nature, and from person to person. Human thought and intention is like a lightening rod, channeling energy to the planet. In recent years, our thoughts have been attracting destruction and scarcity, but now we have the opportunity to come together and create a different world, one where we work together to take care of our planet and each other.

When we sit in meditation and simultaneously hold the intention for a healthy planet and union with our source and environment, we unite our worlds in love, peace, harmony and collective cooperation for a better today and tomorrow. So, please take an hour out of your day next Tuesday and do your part and participate in healing our planet. Thank you!

For more information, please visit Fire the Grid.