Have you ever noticed there’s only one season that has two names: Autumn, otherwise known as Fall?

Spring and Fall kind of describe what’s going on in nature at the time; the flowers spring from the ground in the Spring, and the leaves fall to the ground in the Fall.

And it always kind of seemed to me that “Autumn” must be the original name, and “Fall” was a slang name made up just for that descriptive reason; so let’s get to the “Bottom of Autumn”.

Right now, as I look outside my office window, I have a gorgeous view of Riverside Park, alongside the Rogue River in Grants Pass, Oregon (shown to the left… I actually just took that shot on my camera phone).

My last home office didn’t overlook anything; it was in downtown Toronto, a city of millions of people, and I would have overlooked mainly buildings; but I didn’t even have a window.

Actually, my new view really inspires me and allows me to work in joy and gratitude all the time.

And as I watch the colored leaves fall, I’m filled with a mix of emotions.

>>> CONTINUE READING Getting To The Bottom of Autumn…

Today Zen DeBrucke dropped by to visit Barry and I. She’s a metaphysical coach I wrote about the other day, who teaches people about their Internal Guidance Systems.

This is actually the first time I’ve met her in person, although we’ve talked on the phone, and she was the first ever two-on-one interview that Barry and I conducted, almost a year ago. He’s met her a few times since that, though… some of her family live in Grants Pass and she comes up to visit occasionally.

It seems like things are going really well for her, and she’s been working a lot with Jack Canfield‘s Transformational Leadership Council.

What was really interesting was sitting at a table with her, enjoying some coffee (and she’s the one who teaches that there’s joy in every moment, and every accomplishment, so a good cup of coffee should be savored with gratitude) and having her talk off-the-cuff about things we could do, just like she does with her life coaching clients.

Except that she has now decided she’s a life consultant, rather than a life coach, because she doesn’t really ask the questions a coach does.

>>> CONTINUE READING A Visit From Zen…

Today Barry and I went to Ashland, Oregon, to see our Rolfers/coaches and to enjoy the day… something we haven’t been doing enough lately with all the work we’ve had to take care of.

To the right is a long shot of Ashland, showing the beautiful landscape and the quaint town nestled among the natural setting.

It was taken by photographer Christopher Briscoe, probably in the summer time, because now, of course, the trees are breathtaking shades of red, orange and yellow with just a bit of green left over (mainly the evergreens, since they remain… well, ever green!)

One of the world’s largest Shakespeare festivals is held here, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

What’s interesting to me on a personal level is my ex-husband grew up in Stratford, Ontario, home of another of the world’s largest and most respected Shakespeare festivals, which I visited many times over the years. Ashland reminds me a lot of Stratford because of the Shakespearean flavor the town has, and it seems a little strange to be so close once again to one of the world’s finest festivals in the genre.

But my ex hated Shakespeare, so I only ever went to the plays with school friends or my parents. Barry, on the other hand, likes culture, so he and I are planning to go to a play at the Oregon one together next year, which I see as a very romantic outing.

>>> CONTINUE READING Beauty and Healing in Ashland…

Last night I got one of Barry’s famous “Rolf-age” sessions… that’s part Rolfing, part massage, and as far as I know, it’s patented Barry Goss (and we made up the “Rolf-age” label, too).

I’m getting Rolfed professionally on Saturday, by Melanie Lancaster in Ashland, as Barry gets a session with her husband, Zeb Lancaster.

In fact, I’ve been Rolfed by Zeb twice myself… but this time he’s coming in specially for Barry on a Saturday, and we didn’t want to ask him to do back-to-back sessions. So I asked if his wife was available at the same time, and it worked out perfectly.

What does Rolfing do? Here’s the official word from Rolf.org:

Rolfing® Structural Integration is named after its founder Dr. Ida P. Rolf. Dr. Rolf began her inquiry more than fifty years ago, devoting her energy to creating a holistic system of soft tissue manipulation and movement education that organized the whole body in gravity.

Dr. Rolf discovered that she could achieve remarkable changes in posture and structure by manipulating the body’s myofascial system and eventually named her work Structural Integration.

“Rolfing” is the nickname that many clients and practitioners gave this work, and it is now a registered service mark in 27 countries.

Rolfing structural integration has the ability to dramatically alter a person’s posture and structure. Athletes, dancers, children, business professionals, and people from all walks of life have benefited from Rolfing. People seek Rolfing as a way to ease pain and chronic stress, and improve performance in their professional and daily activities. It’s estimated that more than 1 million people have received Rolfing work.

Research has demonstrated that Rolfing creates a more efficient use of the muscles, allows the body to conserve energy, and creates more economical and refined patterns of movement. Research also shows that Rolfing significantly reduces chronic stress and changes in the body structure. For example, a study showed that Rolfing significantly reduced the spinal curvature of subjects with lordosis (sway back); it also showed that Rolfing enhances neurological functioning.

But the way Barry does it (and he’s not a professional, but after over 50 Rolfing sessions definitely knows what he’s doing), he mixes the hard, constant pressure of Rolfing with the oil-enhanced rubbing of a Swedish massage.

Yes, it’s the best of both worlds… and incredibly relaxing.

>>> CONTINUE READING Refreshed and Remodeled…

Okay, here’s one of those weird “coincidental” things that just make you scratch your head in wonder… unless you understand the law of attraction, and the fact that certain things you need or want to experience are being filtered to you according to your focus.

Barry and I have been talking lately about introverts and extroverts. He’s an extrovert, and loves communicating with people. But I’m an introvert, and my communication style is different. So sometimes when I’m quiet or lost in thought, just enjoying the moment, he thinks something is wrong — otherwise, why wouldn’t I be telling him what I’m thinking?

So I’ve been trying harder and harder to let him know what’s on my mind — and when it’s on my mind, not a couple of hours later after it’s rattled around in my brain for awhile, which is something I tend to do that drives him nuts.

But then wouldn’t you know it… right in the midst of me trying to explain to him that I’m not broken, just an introvert, Ben Mack sent out an email to his list on the weekend about introverts (apparently he’s one, too).

>>> CONTINUE READING Investigating Introverts…

Well, last night I went to the first movie I’ve been to in years.

Oh, I’ve seen movies. I’ve watched them on TV or on video or DVD… just not in actual theater.

But Barry and I took the plunge, and went to the first movie that looked somewhat interesting to come out since we’ve been together… The Heartbreak Kid, starring Ben Stiller.

I’m sure you’ve seen the trailer on TV, but if not… here it is:

Strangely enough, the movie happened to have reflections of my life — and Barry’s life — all the way through it.

Just like our relationships mirror certain aspects of our own personalities, I’ve noticed more and more lately how what we take in from the media can reflect certain aspects of our lives.

In quantum physics terms, what we notice and observe is actually being created, so to speak, just for us. So I guess it makes sense that it should have a personal message for us.

>>> CONTINUE READING Getting A Move On… And A Movie On…

Earlier today Barry and I went to see a husband-and-wife healing team in the nearby town of Talent, Oregon… chiropractor and Kinesiologist Tom Clunie, and magnetic healer Jessica Bryan.

For years I have been following a restrictive diet to keep digestive issues under control. It’s called the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (or SCD) and was created by the late Elaine Gottschall, author of Breaking The Vicious Cycle, who I had the pleasure to meet several times, since by coincidence she used to live near Toronto where I was.

But a few months ago, when I was going through my initial life changes and transitioning from a 14-year marriage to a new relationship, and first dealing with the initial stress of that situation, the digestive issues started flaring up.

When it became clear that the diet alone was no longer working as well as it had, I decided to start experimenting with some of the foods I had previously avoided: mainly sugar, starch, and some dairy (and that small list includes bread, cereal, grains, potatoes, corn, pasta, rice and so forth… which, of course, meant almost all processed or pre-packaged food, all “junk food”, and more).

I have nothing against avoiding processed and packaged foods, which usually have far too many preservatives and additives to be good for us… but I wanted a little more flexibility if I still had to deal with the pain.

After all, if I’m living a Life Without Limits… why would I want so many restrictions?

>>> CONTINUE READING Muscles and Magnetics… Testing and Healing the New Age Way…

Only humans have emotions, right? And only we are affected by other people’s energy (for instance, getting into a negative mood when surrounded by others who are giving off a negative vibe)?

I would have to say 100%, unequivocally, not.

In fact, I think (or rather, FEEL) that our emotions and energies are at a basic animal instinct level… which means, obviously, that our animal friends have those same instincts.

If you’ve spent a lot of time around animals, you probably agree with that. Most people who work or play with animals on a regular basis know these phenomena, and find it even more evident than our day-to-day interactions with people.

But it’s an important lesson that we can observe simply in animals, and apply to our communications with others.

>>> CONTINUE READING Animal Instinct: Emotions and Energy Unwrapped…

Well, yesterday we got a second cat. A little fluffball of a kitten, actually.

Mercury is a very affectionate cat who wants attention all the time… and she’ll either get it from us, or from another cat.

Since we’re trying to run a business around here, we can’t always give Mercury the attention she wants… so that’s why we got Jupiter.

“We’ll look at some cats,” Barry said yesterday morning, “But we’re not getting the first one we see. He has to be a special cat.”

>>> CONTINUE READING Mercury Shines As Jupiter Is Rising…

A couple of days ago, a fan of Masters of the Secret wrote to me on Facebook, and told me she liked the video that Barry and I did on top of the mountain in Colorado…

And she wanted to know if there was drinking involved.

Barry and I had a little giggle over that, but then we thought about it a bit harder.

Isn’t it interesting that in today’s world, with so many celebrities heading into rehab, people assume that having fun or being a bit silly, and just letting go of the inhibitions most of us carry around with us, means that there has to be alcohol (or drugs) in the equation?

>>> CONTINUE READING Drunk on Wisdom, High on Altitude…