Blog Archives
The Chakra System
Teresa McCallum Author Interview
In Finding Balance and Forgiveness Through Chakras and Art you discuss the seven Chakras, where they’re located, how to determine if they’re blocked and how to correct it . Why was this an important book for you to write?
I have been yearning to write a book about resilience for many years but I always got stalled as I tried to find the correct template. It was not until I had endured a near death experience and started looking more seriously at alternate methods of healing that my ideas started to gel. I had actually given up on writing the book and dedicated myself to healing my own issues and found that the use of the chakra system was perfect. After I had turned my own life around, I realized that the template for my book was right there: the Chakra system. The seven chakras provide the perfect road map: colour coded and simple to use. And the chakra system works well with other methods of healing (traditional and alternative) and is not discriminatory. Regardless of one’s race, gender, sexual identity, culture, or spiritual path, the chakra system can be used.
One of the different aspects of this book over others on Chakras is the incorporation of art in all stages. Why is this a vital aspect?
Well, first of all, I am an artist, so it is just part of the fabric of my being. And I truly believe we are all artists. Children have an innate ability to be creative and as we age, we tend to lose that freedom of creative expression. I have used art as a therapeutic tool with mental health patients for many years. Art is a natural healing method, but when art is used with the chakra system, magic happens…truly. I’ve seen people who are skeptical of using alternative healing methods, such as the chakra system, but when an artistic exercise is added to the experience, it seems to provide increased clarity and buy-in for the participant. I have found that art ties in well with explaining the different levels of the chakra system. And art makes the experience fun.
What do you find is one common misconception people have about Chakras?
I think there are a lot of misguided sexual identity beliefs about the chakra system:
- that the basic human needs, including sexuality, are not as important as the higher level chakras
- That there is a negative connotation to feminine traits and that masculine attributes are viewed in a more positive light
As I studied the system, I realized that balance in all areas is critical. And that all aspects of self: needs and enlightenment; masculine and feminine are necessary and desired.
I think this book is a great reference for people new or experienced to the study of Chakras and self-healing. What do you hope readers take away from your book?
My hope is that people find balance, while understanding that there are times we need the help of experts – and while knowing that we can also take an active role in our own health, self care, happiness, and ability to connect with ourselves, others, and a higher power. Balance is achieved when we are able to forgive… ourselves, others, circumstances. Yes, there is work to do, but it can be fun, manageable, and with a bit of artistic flair and pizzaz!
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Using chakras and art is like having a template to achieve balance, forgiveness, and peace. Life is challenging; our world often seems chaotic and tumultuous. Learning to assess and treat your chakra imbalances helps you to cope with these challenges and to find inner peace.
Through the use of true stories, both her own and those of others, Teresa McCallum provides examples of balanced and imbalanced chakras. She offers simple activities, methods, and art suggestions to help others achieve personal growth and inner balance. Teresa’s background as a nurse working in mental health, as well as being a visual artist, lead her to develop a unique way of looking at spirituality, self-healing, and use of the ancient chakra system. Regardless of whether the chakra system is new to you or you are an experienced yogini (or yogi), Finding Balance and Forgiveness Through Chakras and Art will provide artistic insight and guidance.
The BreakAway Girl: Secrets of a Tantric Yogi
![The BreakAway Girl: Secrets of a Tantric Yogi by [Bodeman, Paulette ]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51eNCqooaiL.jpg)
Life is filled with challenges and for people with crippling anxiety it is worse. That anxiety feeds depression, and the two together can define and break a person down, or they can adapt, find ways to manage it and thrive in life. The BreakAway: Girl Secrets of a Tantric Yogi by Paulette Bodeman is Paulette’s memoir’s. Her story ranges from early in life to after her child is grown and an adult himself. This collection of her memories works like the human brain, it isn’t linier, rather the memories flow back and forth leaving imprints on the reader. Throughout the book Paulette slowly discovers yoga in a variety of forms before finding her place, at the end of this book she shares her knowledge with information on how to mediate, yoga poses, and how to embrace your own BreakAway moments in life, be them big or small.
Paulette Bodeman decided when she started writing this book that she was not going to just include all the good points or put a happy twist on her life moments. She promised herself to include all the ugly moments, all the hard memories, from addiction, divorce, depression and loss. They were not written with caveats that ‘oh this made me a better person for living through it’. Instead it is just raw emotions. It is real life and despite the jumping from one memory to another often not in chronological order, it is captivating to the reader. Some people will be frustrated by the lack of cohesion from one memory to the next; but I found it relatable and it gave me a better understanding of her. When I think back in time to my own memories it is a jumbled road, and those pieces all fit together in my own broken puzzle, that is what this book reminds me of. You don’t put a puzzle together left to right, you fit them together as you find them and once done you have a complete picture.
Much of the book focuses on her finding herself though her experiences and how they all led her to where she is now. But written in her style that path isn’t clear. In the last part of the book she explains her views on BreakAway moments, big and small. She talks about how they are the defining moments in your life that you may or may not even reorganize as being a defining moment. This last part pulls together everything she wrote. The inclusion of mediation suggestions, yoga poses, and spiritual healing ideas just completes the book. You start reading about her chaotic and disjointed life and end with a guide on how to find your own path through your own chaos.
This is not your traditional yoga book, it is not your traditional book on finding inspiration in life or how to better yourself. It is not a self-help book you pick up and read step by step to find your perfect balance. It is a book that will inspire you, give you bits and pieces you can relate to and give you suggestions on finding your own inner peace at your own pace and discovering your own BreakAway moments and how they have defined you.
Pages: 226 | ASIN: B079NCH83G
Anam Cara: Your Soul Friend and Bridge to Enlightenment and Creativity
Anam Cara is a Celtic term meaning, “soul friend”. In the days of the Druids, an Anam Cara served as a confidante, an advisor, and confessor. This book reintroduces the power of having a “soul friend”. Today, we can enjoy this spiritual benefit. A soul friend listens, understands, and is never judgmental. By clearing one’s conscience, learning to let go, forgive, and atone, we experience the magical power of our soul. We are reborn and begin to realize our potential. This book teaches us how we can transform our lives by following simple but powerful teachings. Ashby offers the listeners minor and major keys to unlock their fullest potential. Minor keys include meditation and journaling, while some of the major keys are atonement and forgiveness. Eric Ober, media consultant and former president of CBS News, said, “This is a truly inspirational book on overcoming inhibitions and roadblocks in order that we maximize our creativity and quality of life.” University lecturer Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh said, “This unique publication will benefit persons who seek to rid themselves of emotional baggage and attain a peaceful mind.”
Incredulous Insight
Glenville Ashby Author Interview
The Mystical Qigong Handbook for Good Health details one of the pillars of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I believe that in our global society we are no longer restricted to one mode of medical care; that we can share and learn from each other. Further, Qigong is an ancient practice that offers incredulous insight into the human body and how it functions. I have utmost respect for tradition and the ancients.
It was nice to find a book that covered a variety of questions average people have about Qigong. What is one question you always get asked about this topic?
Can Qigong cure every disease?
What do you hope readers take away from your book?
That they should know the dynamics of the human body and how much we are connected to the universe; that we are inseparable.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I am working on 100 paths to God, a compilation of published articles that I have written for the Gleaner company, one of the oldest media houses in the western hemisphere.
Author Links: Twitter | Facebook | Website
Qigong is one of the pillars of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It involves gentle hand movements, postures, controlled breathing and some visualization. Qigong is widely known to successfully treat a number serious illnesses, promote muscular-skeletal strength, increase circulation and promote overall wellness. The Mystical Qigong Handbook For Good Health offers simple but very effective exercises for all age groups.
Fractured: My Journey Back From Death and the Lessons I’ve Learned Along The Way
From the outside looking in, Elizabeth had the perfect life. She had a family who loved her, numerous friends, and a successful career. No one knew the hurt, pain, and angst she hid inside, struggling to keep herself small so that those around her would still like her. It all came to a head on October 23, 2007, when her parents received a call that she was lying lifeless in the ICU in a hospital in Utah — “You better get out here, your daughter is not going to make it.”; Fractured: My Journey Back From Death and the Lessons I’ve Learned Along the Way is the memoir of Elizabeth’s recovery, spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally. It is about her deliberate decision to begin the hard work finding and using her voice and the struggle to break out of the box that society tried to keep her in. This is the story of what happens when one woman stared death in the face and decided to make a conscious choice not to go back to sleep, but to wake up and live the life she knew she was meant to live.
LITERARY TITAN 