According to my memory, I grew up as a normal kid. However, I have been mobbed in school and couldn't get help from my parents. "Don't pay attention" or "it won't be that bad" they answered. This situation at school and the unbelief of my parents resulted in my shyness. The fear of being marked as "weird", led to my social isolation. I became a timid person. Then, after education, I have been mobbed at work to such an extent that, at occasions, I had suicidal thoughts. I wondered "Is this going to be my life?"
The moment that I really hit the bottom of my misery, at the age of 27, I met my future wife. She invited me for a drink and I remember that I was very silent, being afraid to make errors and stupid remarks. I couldn't imagine that a woman would be interested in me. My self-esteem was at such a low level. She became my first date.
Thanks to her perseverance, I slowly but steadily crawled out of the pit. She constantly mentioned to me that I had a lot to offer and that I was a loving person.

Modern relationships differ from “older” ones in the way that nowadays people can be more open about their preferences and expectations. Females enjoy more freedom in most western societies and this has an important influence on their self-consciousness and ego. The “romantic ideal” of life-time relationships is – slowly but steadily – transformed into a more pragmatic attitude towards partnerships. Discovery of one self within a fixed relationship and redefinition of expectations and loyalty becomes an important topic to youngsters and older partners. The search about the (new) basics of life is also guided by components of the far-eastern culture. Respect, openness and friendship seem to be the driving forces in modern relationships.

The mind or ego, in its conscious or unconscious state, is a genial development of nature. It has helped all living species to take care of themselves and to survive most daily threats, over millions of years. Evolution as we know it is unthinkable without the assistance of mind, regardless what state.
However, modern mankind in general is the first creature on this planet that has the possibility of not having to stand up to life-threatening situations everyday. Even more, modern mankind is the first creature on this planet that has the luxury to relax over a longer period of time without suffering negative consequences.

A relationship is not always a rose garden, nor should it be a constant warzone. However, living together creates conflicts. There are many reasons for this such as genetics, hormones and external elements. People do evaluate and interpret events in a different way and they do act accordingly different. Hidden behind any conflict are wishes, expectations and habits that were known by you before or that were hidden in your subconscious mind. You got to know them for sure only when exposed during a conflict.

Your beliefs convert into your thoughts,

Your thoughts convert into your words,

Your words convert into your actions,

Your actions convert into your habits,

Your habits convert into your values,

Your values convert into your destiny.

(Mahatma Ghandi)

 

Are you nervous and can't you get to sleep?
Possible causes for insomnia are stress, daily preoccupations, anxiety, depression, going to bed at different times or very late. Exposure to electromagnetic fields, nearby radiations from mobiles, computers, TV and being frequently connected to them. Avoid large meals in the evening and limit stimulating drinks like coffee, tea, sweets, soft drinks, alcohol, tobacco, etc. Sleeping on fluffy pillows.There are many natural remedies to find a solution:{slide=Read more...}- deep-respiration techniques, meditation, yoga, listening to relaxing music, receiving a massage, taking a bath with relaxing oils and scents, a walk through nature, drinking an infusion of passion flower, valerian, hop, poppy, orange blossom, balm, linden flower, rose, etc and if you don't like infusions then you can get tablets or extracts of the same.

- you also can take Melatonin to have a restful night as it is a powerful regulator of the awake-sleep rhythm and it protects against stress and depression. It is a hormone that is produced by the Epiphysis and the Pineal gland. It is liberated by the body when dark or during the night. The level reduces by getting older.

- SHTP (Tryptophane) is a natural amino acid and an intermediate in the biosynthesis of the neurotransmitters Serotonin and Melatonin from Tryptophane. It also regulates the nervous system and is very useful against anxiety,

- Vitamin B Complex as a supplement will strengthen our nervous system,

- when applying aromatherapy you can use essential oils of lavender, orange, mandarin...

- Highly advisable are the Reiki and Bach flower techniques to get your body back into balance. The "Rescue Remedy" can assist you in the search for the adequate flowers.

For more info: Montse (Naturopathy with 15 years of experience) in Pachamama Herbolario{/slide}

Some time ago during this year, I was overlooking the most significant events of the last couple of months and wondered what would be the meaning of them. Would they just be randomly produced as components of a mathematical probability, or would they be "organised" as part of a "higher plan" in order to invite us to re-think about and re-act on our "proven" concepts?  With "higher plan" I do not necessarily mean the standard idea of a Higher Force, but merely the creation of situations by our actual behaviour that make those events almost unavoidable.

As already mentioned in short in the Welcome section of this magazine, the recent dramatic events for sure have put many people in shock and have set them in a mental conditioning of self-examination: why did it hit us so badly, where were we wrong?

We never will be able to predict major earthquakes sufficiently well or even control or avoid most of their effects, but we can try to limit those devastating consequences that we have witnessed recently.

When people fall in love they want to see a lot of movies…because they can sit together in the dark. (Sheley, 8)

When people fall in love with each other then they kiss and when you kiss for the first time you faint… surely for at least one hour. (Wendy, 8)

Is Love enough in a relationship? Well, compare with this:

Imagine your car being in a corrosive marine area.

If you regularly do maintenance on your car and with love, you will encounter little rust,

If you love your car but cut on the maintenance, you will get more rust,

If you don’t love your car and neglect it, you will get a lot of rust,

A relationship is not different.

Love alone is not enough to keep things running, regular maintenance is important too.

Eliminating rust with love alone won’t work, a hands-on approach is needed sometimes.

Michel

 

When relationships are difficult or when they are hitting a bottom, many people ask themselves what is wrong with them… or with their partner. With the exception of a minority who really have to cope with deep problems concerning emotional and communicative issues, nothing is wrong with us. However, be aware that every one of us is a product of three major elements: genetic disposition, education by environment and adjustment through auto-feedback.

Internationally recognized healer Eric Pearl has appeared on countless television programs in the US and around the world, spoken by invitation at the United Nations, presented to a full house at Madison Square Garden, been interviewed in various publications including The New York Times, and most recently featured in the film, The Living Matrix.

 

The Hebrew Talmud ends with:

"Watch out to avoid making a woman cry,
because God counts her tears.
The woman was created from the rib of a man,
not from his feet to be his door mat,
not from his head to be his superior,
but from his side to be his equal.
Out of a rib under his arm in order to be protected,
and from the side of his heart to be beloved by him."

so the story starts.
Once upon a time, about three days before Christmas, on a dark, cold night, somewhere in the North:
A group of men passing the plaza of the little village, stopping at the local church, taking out of their pockets cans of spray paint and swiftly writing on the wall: “Foreigners go home!!!”, then a noise of breaking glass. The gang disappeared quickly and a ghostly silence filled the air. The curtains were closed quickly and nobody had seen anything.

Open the Gate and let through…

It is almost Christmas time. The year comes to its end, the days shorten and the nights get longer. Here on Fuerteventura, we do not experience these phenomena to the same extent as “back home“. Here we still have the warmth and the light and we don’t have the sh… weather like rain, fog, cold, snow, but neither the open fire place, the fine delicacies from home.

Their beauty cannot be put in words. Their power of healing surpasses our imagination and way of thinking. Healing stones are companions on our way of life, like crystallised angels.
When you hold a stone in your hand – no matter if it is just a pebble or a precious stone – you hold substantially more in your hand than just the result of a million-year-old chemical and physical process: it is the essence of all, of wisdom, and the truth about our existence. The universe has endless ways of expressing itself. One of them is through the wonderful magic of healing stones, which beauty attracts us.