Making peace with the ghosts of New Years past

Well Happy into-the New Year! Don’t know about you, but I love the post-holiday period. Since mid December, I’ve put off tasks which used to have an urgent feel. I answer email more slowly. I settle into the now. I inhale juicy optimism.

For the third year in a row, I spent New Year’s eve on my own. Saw friends early. Then made a nice meal. Sipped Prosecco and watched Rescue Me (on loan from a friend who spent New Years without her boyfriend happily watching my copy of Six Feet Under). Was in bed by 11:00.

This may sound strange to some, but this choice felt empowering to me. My New Years haven’t always been peaceful, solitary, or empowering.

In my twenties, I cooked for hoards of friends up north at the cottage. Once, I was up until 2:30 a.m. the night before prepping (I have a decadent food streak). I’ve also done the couple-thing. Fondues have a particularly fond place in my memory. These nights were a balance of good friends, good conversation, elegance and intimacy.

Then there were ones I’d prefer to forget. Once as a young woman unhappy with her life, I went out for New Year’s because my friends wanted me to. As the evening went on, I was feeling more and more alone among the party-set: I had to get out.

At midnight, I was driving alone on the highway crying. I couldn’t have articulated it then, but pretending everything was fine when it wasn’t felt excruciating to me. Note the word: Pretending.

“When one is pretending the entire body revolts.” – Anais Nin

Before you think I’m bummed, this happened decades ago. Today I know that these moments of my life served a larger purpose: to nudge me to discover how not to pretend anymore. Isn’t that what growing up is all about? Yet, how many of us as adults pretend the day away, constantly doing what we don’t want to do with people we’d rather not do it with.

Holidays can intensify the good. They can also bring to the surface the icky stuff lurking below. During holidays, joy feels more sweet. Despair is harder to hide. Is it any coincidence that relationships break-up during this time? And even good ones can be strained?

On the other hand, is it any wonder that many engagements are announced? Declarations of love made? There’s a scene in Moondance where one of my main characters watches his wife’s face as she sleeps. In a surreal moment, he believes he sees a rubber mask on her skin. It’s a creepy scene. As friend and facilitator Cynthia Barlow says: ‘it’s really hard to kiss through cardboard.’

“Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.” – James Arthur Baldwin

I remember with great love and compassion now, the young woman who wasn’t always in a great frame of mind over the holidays. The reasons don’t matter now. Perhaps she just broke up with someone. Perhaps it was her job. Perhaps it was the lack of direction in her life, or the lack of belief in herself. Perhaps it was because Pretending became too heavy for her, or perhaps it was a sticky mix of all of the above.

As I fleed from a “woo-hoo” crowd in my twenties, as I wound down my cottage New Years tradition as I approached 30, each time my mask-of-the-day cracked and precipitated change. Ever since then, bit by bit, I’ve been discovering what’s underneath.

Who am I when I’m not Pretending? A person who values solitude, or real connection over small-talk. Someone who makes choices rather than bowing to obligation. Someone who can both be shy, and kinda gutsy. Someone who still cooks for those she loves.

What do I do differently today? I acknowledge that contentment (and misery) is generated from the inside out, not the other way around. Even though I can’t change everything, I can change my relationship toward it. I also appreciate the people in my life more today – because they may not be here next year. Life can be like that.

FOR YOU

Where do you Pretend in your life? Where is your mask the heaviest? Are you ready to drop the extra weight you’re carrying? Of those weighty things you cannot change, how would it feel to consciously choose those things instead of dreading them?

What have a lifetime of New Years’ eves taught you about yourself? What’s working? What would you like to do differently?

“The closing years of life are like a masquerade party, when the masks are dropped” – Arthur Schopenhauer

As the year unfolds, as your pace speeds up, remember how the post-holiday stillness feels. If you want more of that feeling, know that the smallest shifts inside you now, will facilitate decisions with expansive possibility in the coming year.

Wishing you oodles of joy.

Yearning for change? Try viewing your gifts with new eyes

Each day now, I’m taking small steps toward my own *re-*re-invention. I’ve made some progress on that and some of the realizations I’ve had are surprisingly… familiar.

But first…

Outside the window, a smudge-black figure crouched under her veranda. A glimpse of (too) white skin as the figure shifted and glanced up toward her. She was emotionally drawn to the figure, her senses were awake. This one felt different than the others.

This was the first paragraph I wrote of Moondance, a scene describing a woman leaning against a window looking out, searching. When I wrote this, I was taken with its shadow. Who was this figure? An intruder? Or helper? Answering these questions became… Moondance. Writing Moondance became… me.

I’ve mentioned my card-reading friend Esther to you before. In her deck is a card called ‘Enemy’. Seeing this card, at first one would think ‘oh no’, who around me is against me? What Esther often explains to clients is that this card often represents the ‘Enemy within’.

“A person’s worst enemy can’t wish on him what he can think up himself.” –Yiddish Proverb

When I first wrote that sticky-creepy scene in 1996, I wasn’t deeply acquainted with my inner saboteur. Today I am. She can be cynical, rigid, perfectionistic and judgemental. Her obsession in life is fiercely protecting the true softness in my heart.

So in the scene I created back then, my confused and heartbroken character leans outside her window on tip-toes, searching for answers. If she just had a flashlight to see. If only the figure would tell her the secrets of life, better yet, forecast her future. If only…

She reached for the window latch, she wanted to see, and his hands, usually so gentle, threw her to the floor. His voice was patient.
“Not this way.”
“How?”
“You know.”

Go green-eyed man (the mysterious figure that nearly drives her insane and sets up some interesting plot twists). He may or may not be real, but he’s right. It’s not what’s (or who’s) outside that will stop you. It’s what’s inside. It’s not what’s (or who’s) outside that will save you either: it’s what’s inside your heart that will.

Most of us know that. Do you live it?

As I walk this winding path of reinvention, I do pay attention to what’s outside. The people I meet, the conversations I have, my dreams, my hunches, the serendipity of it all, sure. What I’m finding though, is that the biggest ‘ah hahs’ have come from seeing what’s already inside me in a new way.

MINING WHAT YOU ALREADY KNOW

I did a week long retreat last March called the Joy Class with dear friend Cynthia Barlow. Like kids in kindergarten, we created our own ‘heart-maps’. Mine is layered with handmade Japanese paper. It chronicles my heart’s journey. In its centre, it succinctly describes the energy inside me which, when harnessed, brings me joy:

“Generous bestower of eclectic insights”

How mundane is that? But it’s me. It’s what I naturally love to do. I find things I believe in (and they ARE eclectic) and I share them, generously. Just because I adore giving others ideas to pick up, examine, and discern for themselves. So when I write IDEAS, when I pass along a site or resource I’ve found… THAT is what brings me joy!

WHAT MAKES *YOU* UNIQUE?

Are you in the process of reinvention? What activities give you a joy-jolt? Ask friends what you’re doing when you’re happiest. Their answers might surprise you.

Found the work you love? Want to crank it up a notch? Maybe something that you’re passionate about in your personal life… will make you unique in your business.

I’m thinking now of a lawyer friend and award-winning blogger Garry Wise who did a professional talk recently, and ended up fielding enthusiastic questions about his other love, recording music. Or my financial planner Paul Shirer, who runs marathons.

“The biggest mistake people make in life is not trying to make a living at doing what they most enjoy.” — Malcolm Forbes

As part of my Commitment last month (THANKS to those of you wrote to say you related) I’m developing an online business which will pull all these things together for me. It’s not a quick or easy solution, but after some research, including speaking with others who’ve gone through it, I trust the process.

HOLIDAYS WITH HEART

Well, this didn’t turn out to be much of a holiday issue, but that doesn’t mean I don’t wish you and your families the best.

I’ll be heading up north to spend some time with my folks and between yummy meals, will work away under the glow of the cottage fireplace, my heart-map at my side: a beacon and a reminder.

Here’s to what YOU already know. Have a fabulous New Year.

Ali Brown’s SHINE: Disintegrating plans, tears and knowing when you’re ready

What happens when your expectations don’t match the outcome? Do you get angry? Blame? Complain? Write a nasty letter? Or open up?

“When you clench your fist, no one can put anything in your hand, nor can your hand pick up anything.” – Alex Haley

Earlier this month, I attended Ali Brown’s event, Shine, in Las Vegas. It wasn’t what I thought it would be. Once I realized my plans for the event were kaput, that I had spent $3,000 to hear what I already knew, I decided to get over myself, and figure out why I was drawn there.

I was seeking a hands on workshop. I got light inspirational talk, light biz content and up-sell. I sought to develop a hands-on plan with the help of outside experts. What I received was the inner space to generate ideas for an emerging business and a deep commitment and resolve to make it happen.

I’ve noticed that the most significant leaps of growth in my life have come to me through the ‘back door’. Perhaps it’s because my soul knows that if it came directly, I might analyze the magic out of it.

“Flexibility, as displayed by water, is a sign of life. Rigidity, its opposite, is an indicator of death.” – Anthony Lawlor

In 1994, I worked for the only Canadian insurer to go bankrupt. During that unsettling time, a friend picked up a Rotman MBA brochure and literally threw it at me. Another helped me painstakingly hone my application until I wanted to kill her. I hand delivered it on the day it was due, and was one of the last two people to be accepted. When I learned that I got in, against all odds, I cried for hours.

At my last full-time job, I knew I needed to make a change. I was so committed, that I gave my notice before I had somewhere to go (smart huh?). After numerous interviews, one felt like a shoe-in. Then like fairy dust, it disappeared. The day after I knew I was sunk, a friend called to hire me for freelance. I had always wanted to do freelance, but that dream was ‘sometime in the future’. He was my first client.

“Change is not something you do, it is something you allow.” – Will Garcia

I spent a year pitching Moondance and got nada. Then I attended a book launch with a friend and I met Arnold, who first helped me self-publish and then became my agent. Though I don’t yet have a book deal, I have won a number of awards for Moondance and readers like it. Instead of defeat, I’ve chosen to hear encouraging whispers.

Again and again, in the midst of my collapsing ‘plans’ emerged the unexpected. When I grabbed on to what was offered and REALLY committed (where every cell in my body was engaged in a white hot fury of resolve) that’s when I got results.

At Shine, what I was seeking was concrete direction. What I got was space to make up my mind about my life. You know how I know I’m committed? I’ve cried more in the past few days than in the past year. This isn’t a pity-party, so don’t send me empathetic emails! I’m crying because I know that in every stage of growth, there is also a letting go.

“Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes; but no plans.” – Peter F. Drucker

We’re filled with wants, desires and expectations and plans. Do you turn away from the gifts in your life that don’t exactly match your plan? Or do you listen to your soul’s whispers, and accept the good that’s offered, knowing that what your soul wants for you maybe be bigger than you could imagine (and on a different timeline)?

Make sure you don’t go to the ocean with a teaspoon. At least take a bucket so the kids won’t laugh at you. – Jim Rohn

I’ll go out on a limb here. I believe that NOT saying yes to those positive, unexpected opportunities is like saying ‘funk you’ to the universe (insert your word).

In Moondance, I write about a couple who had ‘a plan’ for their marriage. But things didn’t turn out according to plan. They ignored the signs and created pain and chaos. Which makes for great drama, but not a great life.

How do we know if we’re ready for change? Inside it feels like 60% ‘woo hoo’ and 40% ‘eeyikes’. The overall feeling is a lifting up. I go to great lengths in Moondance to describe the body sensations of my characters. Clues we all have access to.

“If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it.” – Albert Einstein

My commitment: I will pay attention when I get goose bumps. I will let go of what’s weighing me down. I’ll dream big. I’ll embrace the good. I’ll give this my very best shot.

Yup, Shine was more fluff than hard content, but it got me going. The pieces are shining through, one by one. Kinda like a cosmic-neon jigsaw puzzle.

Eerily, looking more and more like Vegas.

Ali Brown at SHINE: Business models aligned with your purpose

When I heard Ali Brown describe her groundbreaking event SHINE, it was like hearing my own voice coaxing me into the future, and I knew I had to be there.

We’ll be in Vegas November 5-7 – care to join us?

Loss, isolation, confusion and your inner revolutionary

A year ago, the credit crisis of 2008 blasted into our lives. One year later – how are you faring?

The markets, Bernie Madoff, Earl Jones and more – all symptoms of a sick system. Which have created losses of not only money, but some people’s hopes and dreams.

For me too, it’s been an odd year. Not only has my net worth shrunk, so has my income. Not to mention my health hiccup.

I’m a generally optimistic person. But honestly, some days last year, it felt as if I was in a theatre watching someone else’s life. As the audience, I asked: What will she do? What’s her breaking point? Why doesn’t she just get a ‘real’ job? What is the freakin’ universe ASKING of her?

When I was in Mexico in March, I had dinner with a lovely American couple. He’s an electrician interested in alternative energy. She’s a professor. We compared notes on our investments. At the time, I was down 35%. The man looked up at me: ‘We lost 60%’.

In the vacuum created by massive monetary loss (or any other type of loss for that matter), I can’t help but wonder: what was ready to be shed? What new growth is waiting to be born?

The October issue of Canada’s MoneySense magazine reports on the 1997 victims of the BC mortgage scam Eron. Those who considered themselves knowledgeable about securities lost 75% more money than those who admitted knowing almost nothing of the markets.

A few years ago, a friend told me about an investment opportunity. High returns. Able to ‘withdraw’ at any time. Some story about not having overhead. I didn’t bite.

Around the same time, I was also approached in a professional setting about an exclusive investing group with a guru teacher who had a revolutionary business model. If I coughed up $10,000 – no wait, today it’s $15,000! – I could learn this guy’s secrets. When I asked her what this guy’s pricing strategy was – why the high tag? – I was dismissed: “You’re not ready.”

This was a strange one. First, I felt shame – I liked her initial pitch, but her reaction was confusing to me. Then I felt ticked off. Then curious. To this day, I cannot find one shred of information about this ‘guru’. I’m waiting to see him on the news someday – in handcuffs.

THREE WAYS TO SPOT A FRAUD: ultra-high returns, a ‘revolutionary’ product, and a veil of secrecy. Hey, I’m human. These things are seductive. They tug at our secret hearts.

I am aware of a myth many of us grew up with, though we rarely admit, that if we’re ‘good’, someone will take care of us, call it god, fate or government. That if we ‘do the right thing’ the best jobs will fall in our lap, and our luck will fall from the sky. That because we’re lonely AND good, our perfect relationship will evolve without REALLY extending our hearts openly, vulnerably.

Even though I’m an astrologer, I wouldn’t say it’s in the stars. The stars may create shifts in energy. But the earth we live on is heavy to move. More often, our dreams and desires need help out of the earthy muck before they can fly. Remind me to buy a shovel.

On the investment industry, I can’t help but wonder if there aren’t a few more surprises still to be had. The energy of humanity, I believe, is ascending, but the earth is heavy. When a system’s sick, it takes a while for deep healing to take hold. It doesn’t happen overnight. When life really wants us to change, our hearts may hear its whispers, but often it takes us a while to hit the road.

Confusion is simply the place between a formerly held perspective and a new one.  Tony Robbins

This year, Forced Isolation was my persistent, loving (if uninvited) ally. Like my Moondance character Althea was asked, many times I was asked: ‘Are you ready?’ My answer, finally: YES!

Last week, I opened an email from super-successful entrepreneur Alexandria Brown. I clicked in. I was still listening four hours later.

Ali’s words mirrored my own thoughts, my own imagination, my own deepest feelings felt in my quietest moments about the times we’re in, and what that means for my business and my life. It was like listening to my own voice coaxing me into the future. If I had been in busy-mode, earning money the same old way, I would have missed it.

The next morning, I booked a flight to Las Vegas to attend Ali’s event, SHINE, which will help me develop an actionable business model aligned with my life purpose. It’s November 5-7 – care to join us? http://tinyurl.com/yzqlj8b.

Like my Moondance characters, I’ve often succumbed to the earth: doing the same old, yet dreading getting up every day, disgusted with myself for being controlled by fear, by the system, by everybody else’s ‘normal’, yet not sure how to get out.

Today I notice that even in my most uncertain times… I have felt the glow of hope. This is my life. And the truth is that the times I’ve felt most alive is in transition, during change, while contemplating the previously unthinkable, while standing on that cliff, every cell in my body exclaiming… don’t tell me, you’re going to JUMP?

I’m heavy Capricorn, so on the outside, my moves may appear well planned. Inside though, it feels like a revolution.

When have YOU felt most alive? What awakens your inner Revolutionary? Will you be liberated as your own world continues to heal and unfold? Or will you spend more energy safeguarding old ideas whose time have passed?

Join me — Grab a shovel! If you can manage it, a backhoe!!

Behind the pillars of earth that engulf us, we’ll find our futures waiting — under the radiant stars.

- Karen M. Black, Toronto
MBA, author and karmic astrologer
Moondance: an addictive spin on life, love and the nature of reality
www.karenmblack.com

School’s in! What do you want this semester?

I’ve been out of school for over twenty years and still
feel the pull that September brings. New classes. New
clothes. New friends. Excitement. Nervousness.

I don’t know about you, but even when I worked full-time,
it was the same. Projects waited and budgets weren’t set
until ‘the kids were back’. The first week after Labour Day
dragged like five Mondays. Inside, I resisted,
procrastinated, mourned the passing of another summer and
it felt as if I was swimming in molasses.

Then as September unfolded, the clouds parted. My end-of-
summer despair dried up and I felt a new surge of energy. I
more clearly refined where I wanted to go. The questions
became: how to get there?

“It doesn’t work to leap a twenty-foot chasm in two ten-
foot jumps.”  American Proverb

If the spring’s a good time to throw stuff out, the fall’s
the perfect time to sow some seeds. This September, I got
back in touch with folks I haven’t spoken with in a while,
and I’ll be meeting with my financial planner, Paul, to
talk about my portfolio.

I’ve also taken a look at my upcoming cycles using karmic
astrology, and numerology which I always find illuminating.

This year, my numerologist friend Sophia Parker-Reeves
validated my restless need to ‘get going’ by determining
that I’m in a ‘1’ year and ‘1’ month in September, which is
a once in a decade occurrence and double-call to initiate
and sow new beginnings.

So! A few ideas I’ve had around the edges, have now moved
front and centre. I committed to creating another e-zine
(you’ll be the first to know) and signed up for an
investing course. I also responded to an RFP that’s right
up my alley (thanks for the heads up, George). It’s so
huge, that my heart surges in excitement and terror at the
thought of getting it (perfect).

“Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no
happiness without action.” Benjamin Disraeli

I don’t know about you, but for me, the planner that I am,
it feels really scary to take an action without knowing
where I’m going. As a classic introvert, I sink happily
into solitude when writing proposals and communication
strategies, straining and stretching at making every word,
every nuance, perfect. It’s all very productive and it’s
also quite safe.

My attention to detail makes me a good editor. My comfy
relationship with solitude makes writing a natural fit. But
what about growth? Can I continue to grow my business and
myself while being isolated from the real world?

“They say that time changes things, but you actually have
to change them yourself.”  Andy Warhol

All of the philosophizing, analyzing, researching and
refining in the world cannot make up for one of the most
powerful things we can do: taking a single action. Planning
is no good in a vacuum. Neither is complaining. Or silent
suffering.

Taking a single action is fast, easy and packs Punch.
There’s magic in the doing. According to astrology, Mars,
which rules ‘action’ is in Cancer right now, hovering bang-
over my north node (soul path) – another nice energetic
shot in the arm for me.

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment
before starting to improve the world.” Anne Frank

Not enough action – not you? Of course, not everyone’s like
me. If you’re throwing yourself into action and not seeing
results, then maybe it’s in planning and reflection that
you’ll find YOUR missing link.

“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also
dream; not only plan, but also believe.” Anatole France

In Moondance, my main character Althea royally screws up a
job interview, falls in the middle of an intersection, then
hobbles to the subway that promptly breaks down. Drowning
her sorrows at an underground coffee shop, she notices an
ad, and she makes a phone call that changes her life.

Now we all don’t have to have life kick us in the butt
quite like that (or – oops – sometimes we do) but the fact
is – it wasn’t slurping a pumpkin spice latte and moping
that got Althea out of her rut, it was the action she took,
even though she had no idea where it would lead.

“Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the actions
stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces
the highest form of living.” Anais Nin

Where in your life would you like to see change, but have
sunk into inaction? Where has your hidden perfectionist
sabotaged an almost-perfect first step? What dreams do you
have that you typically add the words: ‘some day, when I’,
‘if I ever’ – or even better – ‘when he/she/the kids are’.

We’re not in school any more. We plan our own curriculum,
we choose our teachers. We decide whether or not to show up
at class every day. September, back to school time, in my
view, is ripe for new beginnings. New relationships. New
modes of expression. New business ideas. New action. New
intention. One small step at a time.

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” Goethe

These days, first actions couldn’t be easier. An email. An
inquiry. A phone call. A text message. An advice and
information interview. LinkedIn. A course. A conversation.

Are you inspired to take a step in a new direction this
fall? How will you use this time, bursting with childhood
memory, to more deeply step into your life? Do you have an
idea of what your cycles are and what the coming year’s
energies will enthusiastically support? I’d love to hear
your stories.

School’s in. See you at recess!

- Karen M. Black, Toronto
MBA, author and karmic astrologer
Moondance: an addictive spin on life, love and the nature of reality
www.karenmblack.com

What do Bernie Madoff and the swine flu vaccine drama have in common?

I had surgery last month. What’s happened is that during my convalescence, I’ve created space for a forgotten pleasure: reading.

Between John Sandford thrillers, I read books about Bernie Madoff, the Narcissism Epidemic and Conrad Black (no relation). Add the news about Canada’s own James Earle Jones, the outrage at Obamacare and the ‘level 6’ swine flu pandemic, and I was beginning to feel as if I was living in a Dan Brown novel.

Coming out of a health ordeal, the swine flu drama drew me in. All the mainstream media hype about it didn’t feel right to me, so I dug deeper. What I found helped me decide not to take this vaccine. Here are a few nuggets which you may want to research yourself.

• Many experts feel that the swine flu vaccine is being rushed to market with inadequate clinical trials
• The vaccine adjuvant ‘squalene’ (intended to enhance the body’s immune response) has not been approved by the FDA and has been linked to Gulf War Syndrome
• If you or your family are injured by the swine flu vaccine, you have NO legal recourse against the manufacturer(s)
• In 1979, 60 Minutes did an episode on the swine flu vaccine of 1976 which killed more people than the flu itself

Sick financial systems, massive scams, the toppling of industry titans, government and media hype – what’s happening? This month, astrology offered me a unique perspective.

Without dumping too much astro-speak on you, there’s an astrological cycle at play, that’s cranking up pressure in business and government. Pluto (symbolizing profound transformation) went into Capricorn (business and government) in January 2008, and will remain there until 2026.

What Pluto likes to do is expose secrets, and toss out the dead wood to make way for new growth – and it’s ‘methods’ are not always subtle. Say it another way: in the coming years, it will be increasingly more difficult to energetically support the Bernies, the Uncle Earls, and any type of corrupt institution or industry. A good thing…

I obviously can’t predict what (else) will happen. What I am interested in, though, is how I as an individual can use this information.

One of the best things I can do during this time, I believe, is listen to my gut. Then when it doesn’t feel right, ask critical questions.

When you listen to the news, what makes sense to you? What’s overblown? Are governments (for example) above reproach? What about the media? The pharmaceutical industry? How does it all feel in your gut?

While I am reading a lot these days, I still choose to spend more of my time simply being grateful, an anchor of appreciation within stormy seas, if you will.

So I’m grateful for the skilled doctors I encountered in my wee health adventure. I’m grateful for the friends that supported me in the wobbly days following my procedure. I am grateful for the lapping of the waves outside my door each morning as I get stronger every day.

I am also grateful for (and accept) the invitation to think for myself, to let go of stinky sacred cows and ancient ways that no longer earn our respect, to tap deeply into my heart and listen to its whispers.

The other night, up north, we sat on a covered porch in a lightning storm and watched a tornado touch down, whipping the lake into froths of white. Later, just a mile away, homes were ruined.

My heart’s breath is compassionate, fluid and still.

Cocooned within your own experience of life, I wish you exponential oodles of the same.

- Karen M. Black, Toronto
MBA, author and karmic astrologer
Moondance: an addictive spin on life, love and the nature of reality
www.karenmblack.com

Michael Jackson and Farrah deaths serve us in an unexpected way

I never owned the Farrah poster. I’ve never purchased a Michael Jackson CD. Yet I can’t help but notice the outpouring of emotion that their respective deaths generated this month, and wonder about the bigger meaning of it all.

I think there’s more to all of it than media-blitz. Bear with me – remember Susan Boyle?

Susan Boyle was the plain-jane singer on ‘Britain’s got talent’ who reportedly has never been kissed by a man, and who has a voice that brings people to tears. I read somewhere in an astrological article that according to her chart, the purpose of her breaking-out at this time was to facilitate healing on the planet.

Sound far-fetched? Think about it – millions of people with their hearts open, putting fear and differences aside, even for a few minutes. Sounds pretty healing to me.

I had a lively conversation recently with a good friend. I told her that sometimes, I wonder if there’s something wrong with me that I don’t want to go to Africa and save the world, or immerse myself in volunteer-work (my dirty secret’s out). Her reply stayed with me.

‘Go to Africa. Work with the homeless. Or don’t.’ she shrugged. ‘The most important thing is to choose what opens your heart and bring you joy.’

“The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases.” –Carl Jung

Performing for millions gives some people (like Michael Jackson) joy. Going to Africa and working with the poor gives others joy. Staying at home and gazing into the eyes of their child is as valuable as working with the poor (for example) – as long as both are heart-opening activities for the person doing them. For some, kids are out – animals are in.

For me, listening compassionately to a friend, making them dinner, making my home a nurturing place, or spending time on the water communing with the duckies makes my heart sing. I am also energized by sharing information about things that have helped me and I enjoy telling a fast-moving tale that entertains and dives deep.

And that’s why I can buy that the deaths of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson serve us in an unexpected way. Through their deaths, millions of hearts were softened, infused, perhaps, with a greater capacity to adapt to a world that is changing fast, a greater capacity for grace and acceptance.

Not only is another world possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing. –Arundhati Roy

What opens your heart? What are the activities that you do just for the pure love of it? How often are you doing it? Perhaps even more telling: how much of your time do you spend doing things that weigh you down?

Not everyone is here to touch millions like Michael Jackson - or go to Africa to feed the poor. I’d argue that all of us, in each choice we make, every attitude we have, either contribute to or slow the healing of this planet.

As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.  –Carl Jung

Whether we touch millions around the world, or the people we live with, it’s my belief that the earth hears our whispers.

That in itself – I think – is worthy of media-blitz.

- Karen M. Black, Toronto
MBA, author and karmic astrologer
Moondance: an addictive spin on life, love and the nature of reality
www.karenmblack.com

Media Blasts Oprah for Supporting Alternative Medicine (Go Oprah!)

I wanted to draw your attention to a great article that talks about big pharma resistence to alternative medicine (in particular how it slammed Oprah recently for having Suzanne Somers on her show). The article’s below.

Alternative medicine may not be for everyone, but what I don’t get is the incredible resistance.

Relying solely on allopathic or traditional medicine is short-sighted and limiting — I know. Over the past 18 months, I’ve had escalating health issues during which they said ‘take antibiotics, or get surgery.’ No other options were offered. So before I said yes to someone cutting me open, I did my research.

I got myself a Naturopath, changed my diet, and found a fantastic treatment option called Ondamed which I know has reduced inflammation and my day to day comfort. I’ve been to the ER more than a few times over the past year in excruciating pain, and it hasn’t been pretty.

Though I still have to have surgery (I do respect traditional medicine, and I get that my attacks could get serious), I am grateful to what alternative health has offered and will be using it as I heal post-surgery. Not only that, I’ve picked up habits and discovered health resources that will support me for the rest of my life.

And yes, I’m willing to pay for it.

On big pharma, I am not against profit. I’ve worked for big pharma (and am an MBA to boot) so I’m definitely for profit, but why not work with alternative medicine and use the best of both? Traditional medicine is brilliant at emergency situations and I’m grateful for that.

But focusing on the patient through prevention (and fully exploring all prevention options available through clinical trials and other scientific measures) can only serve us all. I don’t want to give up my GP, specialist or my Naturopath… in an ideal world, I’d like them to work together for the betterment of my health. Isn’t that what it’s all about? And I wish there was more mutual respect — both are highly trained professionals in their fields.

Bottom line to traditional and alt health practitioners: Get your freakin’ egos out of the way and focus on the patient! Please.

Enjoy this Media Blasts Oprah article. Dr. Mercola also has a good free ezine, too – I recommend it.

- Karen M. Black, Toronto
MBA, author and karmic astrologer
Moondance: an addictive spin on life, love and the nature of reality
www.karenmblack.com

Should you self publish? Here’s why I did.

My journey to self-publishing was not fast, nor was it linear. Before making a decision like that, there’s alot to consider.

I researched the publishing process. I created synopses, a log line, even query letters. During this phase, though, I didn’t like what I was learning. I don’t like how little money the author actually sees, plus the control they give up creatively and on the marketing side.

I also learned that signed authors often have to invest their own money and time in promotion and marketing anyway, yet there isn’t much flexibility in the contract in recognition of this effort.

After giving away complete control and profits, the vast majority of debut novels lose money-making the prospects of publishing a second novel with the same publisher grim.

Self-publishing non-fiction is commonplace. Self-publishing commercial fiction is not. Yet the more I weighed the pros and cons, the more self-publishing made sense for me.

I know myself – when it comes to business, I really like control. With my business background, I am accustomed to creating strategy and with my communication consulting background, I understand the publishing and production process. I knew I wanted input on the cover and layout design. I knew I’d want to be involved in the marketing. I began to wonder if the traditional route was the best way to go for me.

During this time, I met Arnold Gosewich, former President of MacMillan Canada, now an agent and publication consultant. After some discussions, he confirmed my suspicions. As the publisher – which is different from vanity publishing and print on demand publishing like lulu or Trafford by the way – I control the entire process.

Economically, I get to keep all of the profits, and have to sell fewer copies to break even. I also take all the risk. Yet early readers responded well to Moondance – I knew I had a great product. With the internet, I have global reach. Why not give it a shot?

Arnold’s now my agent for the U.S., international, television and film rights.

I now share what I’ve learned with my book consulting clients. Read more about my book consulting services here, or get in touch by emailing me through my site.

- Karen M. Black, Toronto
MBA, author and karmic astrologer
Moondance: an addictive spin on life, love and the nature of reality
www.karenmblack.com