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Tamara's House ~ the Hope and the Healing
by Virginia L. Dakiniewich

Unique in Canada and maybe in the world, Tamara's House is a community-based non-profit agency, in Saskatoon, dedicated to supporting healing for adult women who were sexually abused in childhood. All of the programs and services offered are based on the principles of self-directed healing in a healthy and supportive community. A major cornerstone of the healin g opportunities offered at Tamara’s House is complementary care therapies. These alternative therapies, such as Reiki and Aroma Massage, provide priceless support for women healing from the effects of childhood sexual abuse (CSA).

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Sprouts: A Live Adventure!
by Paulette Millis

History and Folklore – Did you know sprouts were first used as a medicine? In East Asia and Europe specific illnesses were treated with sprouts. Dr. David McBride, the first European to publish an opinion on the medical properties of sprouted seeds, was influenced by the frantic search for a cure for the dreaded sea-scurvy. As we now know, lack of vitamin C causes scurvy: initially, swollen bleeding gums, tendency to bruise, sore joints; eventually, tooth loss, internal hemorrhages, extreme joint pain, and death. Over half of the early sea-going crews died of scurvy. A miraculous achievement by Captain James Cook was to keep ALL of his crew alive for three years! He used “wort” – a malt made from barley or mixed grains that had been sprouted, dried, and heated to inactivate the enzymes and then ground and stored. On ship, one measure of malt and three measures of boiling water were mixed, let stand for three hours, covered, and strained. The steeping rather than boiling preserved the vitamins B and C. As an alternative Captain Cook also carried lemon juice that had been boiled to two-thirds volume for easier storage. Of course, this destroyed the vitamin C and it would have contained no B vitamins at all.

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Transformational Breath: The Breath of Life
by Jeffrey Pufahl

Without breath there is no life. It is as simple as that and yet many of us take how we breathe for granted. Our breath is the Energy of life. It provides all-important oxygen to the body, unites and deepens the mind-body connection, and strengthens our ties to all that lives. If you are like most people, your breathing pattern is not all it could be. Too many people breathe in shallow and constricted patterns, cutting off the full benefit of their Breath, never realizing the potential they are wasting for a more healthful life and greater peace of mind.

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How Healing Takes Place Creatively
by Kelly Wiese

The reality of this world is that we are told not to feel, not to say, and not to take up space. We are expected to fit into an unrealistic world at the sacrifice of our own true self. Everyday we hand out pieces of ourselves, and with each piece, layers of unresolved issues begin to construct. If these issues are left undeclared, depression and addictions such as shopping, alcohol, drug, gambling, and eating disorders can occur. Our society is full of them. Suppressed feelings can begin as soon as we are able to decode our environments. Children are especially sensitive to their feelings and to the feelings of others. They learn what their roles are in the family very quickly and begin to navigate through events and trauma by trimming themselves here and there to fit in. Hence, the layering begins.

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Women and Horses – Exploring the Magical Bond
by Carol Marriott

Why is it that women are so seductively and powerfully attracted to horses? Horses capture our hearts and imagination at an early age. Many women confess to being horse crazy growing up, a desire some of us never outgrow. We may take a leave from horses during university, raising our children, or building careers, but as our wisdom years approach we magically find our way back to horses. Horses offer us intimacy, deep friendship, and partnership. In the horse community, strong bonds are often developed between women as they receive validation from the horses and each other. Women’s affinity for horses perhaps can be explained by their many similarities such as strength and gentleness combined, a strong intuitive nature, along with a deep desire for community, harmony, and comfort. Horses are the embodiment of the feminine characteristics, yet so incredibly powerful and robust.

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Ancient Chinese Wisdom Still Relevant
by Donald Sutherland

Our species (homo sapien) has not learned to tread on the earth with reverence. On the contrary, for many decades, our destructive footprint has exceeded the earth’s renewal capacity by about thirty percent. We could have learned much (and still could) from early sages (wise ones) in China. Approximately 2,500 years ago (551 BC) Confucius was born in Shantung, China. He advocated a very low disturbance lifestyle as the ultimate in wisdom. Humanism (compassion, sympathy, consideration for other persons, and animals) was the central core of his teaching. He saw all things, all life (including human life), as interconnected. Confucius believed in the perfectibility of human nature through study and self-effort. He saw personal growth as a lifelong task.

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The Magic of the Moon
Its Phases and Effect on Humans and the Planet
by Trent Deerhorn

My relationship with the moon has been a lifelong experience. As a child I would gaze at the moon through my bedroom window and wonder at the brilliance of its light. I noticed that my skin would tingle as moonlight shone upon it. My grandmother would comment that, “The moon is in your blood.” This later had more significant meaning for me than the simple explanation that I was full of spit and vinegar. I came to realize that the moon affected me in deeply spiritual ways, as well. I found that my genetic line was not one, but two lines of mystical people. And in my training as a shaman I found that there are certain ceremonies and spells (healing recipes) that can be performed during particular moon phases and that these phases have energies that insure positive outcomes.

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Editorial
by Melva Armstrong

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Plus:

Colour It Green!
Profile: Where Did the Years Go? … Who Am I Now?
A Practical Guide to Starting the Spiritual Journey
Toon Town's Pagan Summer Festival
News of Note