We absolutely loved Alison Canavan’s article in our Spring 2026 issue, which pinpointed the energetic difference between true kindness and people-pleasing. Read the full piece below!
Tantra writer and educator Dawn Cartwright is one of our much-loved regular collaborators, and we greatly enjoyed her piece in our Spring 2026 issue, on ‘the language of kindness’. Check it out below!
Positively Newsworthy
Good News From Around The Globe
Our spring 2026 Issue has hit the shelves! Guided by the theme of Kindness, each page is filled with love, care, and connection. Get your copy at a health store near you or have it delivered to your door each season at positivelife.ie/subscribe <3
Divine Remembrance
THE LANGUAGE OF THE ROSE.
by Alison McEvoy
I’m attending a restorative yoga and healing class with Celine Florence these Sundays. I felt the calling to restore in circle, to gather in rest. On the first night, I noticed roses adorning the centre of the room and the scent of rose. I felt it almost speaking to me.
That evening, I remember feeling like I’d been taken right into the tenderest part of the rose, in among the softest petals, and just rested there in the class. It was a truly beautiful experience.
The second week, during the relaxation, I had memories resurface…
The rose garden in my local park, a place I used to go every single week as a teenager and twenty something. I’d journal or lie on the grass and take in ‘beauty medicine’ as I used to call it. I’d go there for days on end if I was recovering
from heartbreak.
When I lived abroad, a lonely and struggling twenty something, I found a rose growing in some random garden that would ‘speak’ to me – that life is beautiful ultimately and that my inner resources are deep despite my ‘sweet and kind’ exterior.
When I eventually shared my experiences with Celine, we had a conversation where it felt like time stood still. She revealed she is the founder of the Rose Ray School of alchemy. She told me of the ancient stories and myths of the ‘Rose Lineage’; the rose was seen as a keeper of sacred wisdom, a conduit for divine teachings. I felt tears in my eyes. I felt like I had never been alone and I somehow knew that each time I would pass a rose I would feel something familiar, something that reminded me of truths that would keep me through the storms of life.
If a rose has ever ‘spoken’ to you and inspired compassion, kindness and self-care then I recommend you delve deeper. The rose is resurfacing through so many sisterhoods and schools and for good reason. She has been here all along, with our grandmothers, mothers and now, with us.
celineflorence.ie
True Colours
61-YEAR-OLD FATHER SEES COLOUR FOR THE FIRST TIME.
A 61-year-old father broke into tears when finally seeing colour in his world for the first time after receiving a special
Christmas gift.
Jim Gogan always had trouble seeing reds and greens. In fact, when he joined the Air Force, he wasn’t able to
become a pilot because he couldn’t read the radar screens.
For years, his family talked about gifting him a pair of special colourblind glasses, but in December, his son, Kyle, was finally able to make it a reality—thanks to a bonus from his employer.
A video shared by the family (pictured above) shows Jim in tears after seeing colours clearly for the first time.
“He’s never been able to tell colour,” said 39-year-old Kyle, from South Carolina. “He’ll say things like, ‘grab my blue
shirt,’ and it’s green.”
Before giving him the glasses, Kyle had printed out colourblind tests for the whole family to take—and Jim got almost every question wrong.
Then, Kyle handed him the glasses and the results were immediate.
As Jim placed them over his eyes, and looked at the coloured drawing of a Christmas tree, tears began to well up in his eyes.
“It was very emotional watching my dad react,” Kyle told SWNS news agency. After composing himself, Jim retook the test and, this time, got every answer correct. The colour red delighted him the most.
“He kept commenting on how beautiful the bricks on houses were.”
The next day, the family took Jim on a drive to enjoy the outdoors in all its colourful glory.
Caring Collaboration
“FREE STORE” PROVIDES FOR EVANSTON COMMUNITY.
by Persephone Kianka
Last December, the 611 Free Store, a pop-up in Evanston, Illinois, opened to allow people in need to “shop” for food,
household items, clothing, and other essential items for free.
Fuschia Winston, a community organiser with the grassroots nonprofit Evanston Community Cares (ECC),
founded this initiative to help meet the community’s growing needs. As the Evanston RoundTable explains, the ECC is a partner of the 611 Community Care Hub, which temporarily houses the 611 Free Store and Evanston Community Fridges.
Customers who visited the store could fill two bags if they were alone, or fill one bag per person if they came as a family. Eight people were permitted in the store at a time, which was divided into several small rooms, to give shoppers a dignified shopping experience.
“We want people [to] come in and feel comfortable [where] they get to shop for a certain amount of time and not really
feel the pressure of snatch and grab or get things before they’re gone,” Winston explained.
According to her, over 150 households visited the store in December. Currently, shopping is limited to one bag per person per month, with additional shopping time offered to mutual aid volunteers. Fortunately, high-demand items, such as toiletries and household supplies, do not count toward the bag limit.
The Daily Northwestern shared the inspiring words of ECC co-founder and organiser Valerie Kahan, regarding
the city’s recent mutual aid efforts: “Evanston Community Cares has been a facilitator and a connector for all of these different organizations,” which includes procuring and promoting spaces, as well as fundraising. “We’re all just connected and collaborating,” Kahan said.
Though the future of the 611 Free Store is uncertain, there are ways for the community to keep giving no matter what, like donating to Evanston Community Fridges, as Winston urges.
Our Autumn 2024 Issue Hits The Shelves!
Our Autumn Issue is out now and available at a health store near you. The theme of this mag is Divine/Christ Consciousness!
This Issue is packed full of amazing articles and pieces from incredible people, some of which include:
-Ozone Therapy, Alternative Solution
-Healthy Expression, Gabor Mate @gabormatemd
-Functional Medicine, Enhancing Resilience
-Positive Therapy, Acupuncture
-Freeing Fascia Human Garage
-And lots of wonderful bits on our theme, Divine/Christ Consciousness!
“Years back, Deepak Chopra was on the Late Late Show and did a very quick, meditation type exercise. He asked people to observe their thoughts and then remarked; if you are observing them then they are not you, so who is the observer?
This brought the audience into a calming atmosphere as they all tasted beingness, collectively. Our theme for this issue is Divine consciousness, and this stepping into your totality of self is who we truly are. It is an integration of humanness into the seat of the Divine. This is the remembrance that is taking place on the planet now.
On a daily basis you are invited, moment by moment, to step into this level of awareness as you engage with the world. You are the point of flow, your internal state, not the personality – with its patterns and learned programs. Time to be free and to step into you truly are. A Divine being in this world.
Meanwhile, read, pause and observe this issue from that perspective.
Behind the maya, you are the source of peace.”
Paul Congdon, Publisher
As the days get colder, now is the perfect time to curl up with our Autumn Issue and open this magazine with awareness.
Issue available at a health store near you! For the full list of stockists, see https://www.positivelife.ie/magazine/stockists/
Our Summer 2024 Issue has hit the shelves and this issues theme is The Heart! The magazine is now available at a health shop near you, or you can subscribe to have each issue delivered right to your door at https://www.positivelife.ie/subscribe/
Unleashing the Power of Love: Cultivating Your Relationships Through Inner Transformation.
By Judith McAdam
In the vast tapestry of life, love weaves a thread of connection that binds us to others in profound ways. Whether you seek to cultivate a new relationship or enhance the one you’re already in, the journey begins with a deep exploration of the kind of relationship you envision—a relationship rooted in empowerment, openness, trust, and compassion.
Picture a love that transcends boundaries—a love that is secure, sensual, creative, and deeply fulfilling.
Imagine a relationship where personal power intertwines with compassion, where both partners are truly heard and listening to each other, while remaining aligned in their journey together. It sounds too good to be true especially if, like myself, you’ve had your fair share of ups and downs. To attract such a profound connection, you must first cultivate these qualities within yourself, as the energy you radiate internally shapes your external reality.
However, amidst the beauty of love, a shadow looms—the relentless stream of resistant thoughts that cloud our minds and hinder our ability to embrace love fully. The voices of fear, anxiety, self-doubt, and unworthiness create barriers that keep us stuck in patterns of negativity, preventing us from experiencing the love we deserve.
To break free from the shackles of resistant thoughts, we must shift our mindset towards non-resistance—a mental landscape that fosters positivity, openness, and receptivity to love. This transformation begins with harnessing the power of our imagination, where visualisation becomes a potent tool for manifesting our deepest desires.
If you are tired of negative thought patterns holding you back in your love life, it’s time to make a change, and it’s simpler than you think. By cultivating non-resistant thoughts and harnessing the power of your imagination, you can pave the way for a new and fulfilling chapter in your relationships. I developed this visualisation for myself to bring love into my own life, and it worked! So, let’s explore how the Bridge Visualisation technique can help you manifest your deepest desires.
- Set Your Intention: Close your eyes and focus on your breath, listen to the ebb and flow as it guides you into a state of calm. Picture yourself in a beautiful field by a river on a gorgeous sunny day. The sun kisses your skin, birds sing soft and vibrant flowers line your path to a sturdy old stone bridge.
- Crossing the Bridge: As you approach the bridge, visualize your intention on the other side, whether it’s passionate love, relationship harmony, or reconciliation. With each step onto the bridge, feel the support beneath you. Take your time, savoring each step, and trust in the process.
- Embrace the Journey: You’re now on the bridge, moving steadily towards your desired outcome. Capture this moment in your journal, sketching the scene to reinforce your subconscious commitment to this path. Your heart’s desire beckons from the other side—stay focused and keep moving forward.
- Manifest Your Desires: With each step, visualize your dream becoming a reality. The bridge symbolizes your journey towards love and fulfillment. By embracing this visualisation and committing it your journal, you’re aligning your subconscious mind with your deepest desires.
It’s amazing how a simple practice like the Bridge Visualization can pave the way for a profound transformation in your approach to love. But you need to consistently embrace this technique with positivity and intention; you’re essentially rewiring your mindset to be more receptive to love in all its forms. Just think, within a mere 28-90 days, you can cultivate new habits that are rooted in love and self-empowerment. All it takes is that initial step towards change.
When I was looking to bring love into my life I decided to embrace this journey wholeheartedly, and over time I witnessed how my heart and soul expand to welcome an abundance of love. It showed me how much love was already surrounding me and it brought me into a space of greater appreciation. Remember, if I can do it so can you. And if you need more guidance and support, don’t hesitate to explore the Bridge Visualisation and Creating a Lover Visualisation, both readily available for you on my website. Remember, love is a beautiful journey, and you’re worthy of every bit of it.
Our Summer 2024 Issue has hit the shelves and this issues theme is The Heart! The magazine is now available at a health shop near you, or you can subscribe to have each issue delivered right to your door at https://www.positivelife.ie/subscribe/
Reclaim Your Creation
THE NEVER-ENDING HONEYMOON.
Interviewer: Paul Congdon Interviewee: Bruce Lipton
By Persephone Kianka
In our chat with Bruce H. Lipton, PhD, he told us that 1.6 planet Earths are required to support today’s global population, evincing our disregard for the web of life. We are the web of life because we evolved from nature, yet looking at the current state of the world, it is clear we have forgotten.
As an internationally recognised leader in bridging science and spirit, Bruce expertly reminds us of who we are so that we may experience the heaven on earth that is our birthright.
TENDING THE GARDEN
Referencing the story of the Garden of Eden, Bruce acknowledges our natural state of existence is paradise.
“A garden is not a battleground. A garden by its nature is the height of cooperation, and the only things that are not cooperating in the garden we came into is us,” he explained.
All the indigenous people, from Native Americans to Druids, recognised their role as gardeners, tasked with caring for the gardens they were born into. The result was harmony and abundance, which most humans feel disconnected from today due to our scarcity mindset.
We think we’re just victims thrown into life due to our belief in competition or “survival of the fittest” instilled by Darwin.
“A garden is cooperation, not competition,” Bruce reminds us, and it’s only a false program that makes us believe otherwise.
“We have been programmed to believe we are victims of life, and as a result, we have no control over anything.”
In reality, we are powerful creators, and recognising this is crucial to our survival as a species.
PERSISTENT PROGRAMS
“The most valid science on the planet today is called quantum physics,” Bruce says, and the life-changing knowledge it gives us is nothing new.
From 1927 to this day, the first principle has always been “consciousness is creating our life experience,” yet not everyone is ready to acknowledge this.
Whether we like it or not, our creations directly result from the programs we have downloaded into the hard drive called subconscious.
Initially, this programming takes place three months before birth until age 7, when we’re in the theta state, just below consciousness.
Nature designed it this way so we can learn what to do before going out into the world, but unfortunately, most of the programs we receive nowadays are more harmful than helpful.
When these programs become the predominant source of our behaviour 95% of the time, it’s no wonder we’re dissatisfied with our creations.
According to science, the average person is only present 5% of their day, meaning that’s the only time they’re truly in control.
“When you’re conscious, you take over the computation”, Bruce explained, so how do we regain control?
THE RED PILL
The answer is love.
If you’ve seen The Matrix, science has recognised that falling in love is equivalent to the red pill in our world. It allows us to escape the matrix because the moment we fall in love, we stop thinking; when we stop thinking, we’re back in control.
Bruce assures us that the genre of this movie is not sci-fi but a documentary.
“Science has recognised the moment you fall in love, you stop thinking,” he told us, meaning you stay present and thus can experience heaven on earth.
Those of us who have been in love know that in that state, everything seems wonderful, even the areas of life that were troublesome or mundane before.
Contrary to what we may have thought then, this has nothing to do with the person we’re seeing and everything to do with ourselves.
When we’re in love, whether with a person, place, or activity, we stop playing the disempowering programs and return to our natural state of bliss.
We’re in creative mode and can easily manifest our wishes and desires, which we often call the “honeymoon phase” in a relationship.
RECOGNISE YOUR POWER
The truth is the “honeymoon phase” can last forever, but most people sabotage it by returning to thinking.
The key is to recognise the disempowering programs for what they are: neutral stories that we don’t have to buy into, no matter how many generations have done so before us.
Even genes are just blueprints; they aren’t turned on and off, Bruce clarified. What’s important is the architect who’s reading the blueprint.
“The mind is the architect,” he revealed, which has become alarmingly clear in epigenetics.
This new science exposes “how your consciousness is translated into chemistry, which is sent to your cells via the blood, and this chemistry controls your genetics.”
In other words, our belief system controls our biology, so adopting a favourable one is crucial to living the life we want.
After 40+ years of dysfunctional relationships, thanks to the program Bruce downloaded from his father, he changed the program and met his partner Margaret.
They celebrated 28 years together recently, and what’s worth celebrating even more is that they have been living every day in heaven and harmony.
“A honeymoon is a personal creation,” he assures us.
LIVING FROM THE HEART
The next time you’re faced with a decision, questioning whether you should do this or that, Bruce advises you to ask your heart.
“Don’t answer the question until you do this: ask yourself how you feel about the answer or the choice. The answer now comes from your heart, not from your head, because the heart reads vibration.”
We can weigh as many pros and cons as we like, but the heart doesn’t care about the details; it cares about energy.
We can’t change our programs by talking but by feeling.
“There’s nobody in the subconscious, so talking to your subconscious is like talking to the air,” Bruce clarified.
To write a new program, all we have to do is “push the record button”, return to presence, and then we can reprogram ourselves in 15 minutes.
To grasp this life-changing knowledge even deeper, join us for our live events with Bruce this September in collaboration with seminars.ie.
“I’m living a life I swear to god I never thought possible,” Bruce remarked, and it’s about time more of us step into our creative power to experience our versions of paradise.
Drop into your Heart this Summer and pick up a copy of the magazine at a stockist near you! Our full list of stockists can be found here, https://www.positivelife.ie/magazine/stockists/
Our Summer 2024 Issue has hit the shelves and this issues theme is The Heart! The magazine is now available at a health shop near you, or you can subscribe to have each issue delivered right to your door at https://www.positivelife.ie/subscribe/
Heart-based tools for parenting through transitions
By Anna Cole PhD
It’s the first bright days of early summer as I write. There are wild roses on their thorny branches proliferating and bumblebees quietly buzzing by. I’m reflecting on the first half of the year, running by at pace, and want to share with you something I journaled from my heart at the end of a school year gone by…
I’ve just walked my son to school for the last time.
It feels significant because he’s my second child and my youngest. His older sister made this same leap from primary to secondary school a couple of years ago and now walks in on her own to the local high school. This time around, the end of the school run is really sinking in. Internally, I’ve railed against this walk some days: that steep, steep hill just as we leave the house and then the long sweep down New Road, where the air feels fresher, away from the busy street outside our front door.
Remembering the good, the bad and the special
My son Max has scooted, he’s occasionally skateboarded, and sometimes he’s just walked. I’ve mainly walked, sometimes biked. Oftentimes, we’ve talked. We’ve joked. Sometimes, we’ve walked in thoughtful silence, both ruminating away about our day. I’ve done unannounced ‘Special Time’ there and back sometimes, one of the five ‘listening tools’ I learnt through Hand in Hand Parenting. Special Time is a one-on-one parent/child ‘tool’, bringing delight, following their lead with extra eye contact and warmth.
I’ve felt the transformation possible in being warmly delighted, present and close to his every gesture and word.
We’ve stopped at the 20 pence box and once bought a hoodie and lego, even a game of mini-skid-ball in immaculate condition, which we brought home, played and then lost the pieces under the sofa. They are there still, waiting to be retrieved.
We’ve walked through frost, through rain, through cold, slate grey days that felt like they’d never end, and hot, warm, windy summer mornings like today.
And today, as I drop him off and say goodbye I walk home and offer myself some unannounced Special Time. I notice and appreciate my feet in their red sandals, walking the well-trodden route to and from school.
I notice my heart, full and pushing against my ribcage, throbbing with joy and sorrow at moving on and letting go.
I remember my parenting journey through the primary school years and recall learning seven years ago, as my son began his first week at school, the connecting power of starting each school day with Special Time.
Ten minutes dedicated to tuning in and bringing my warm delight helped both of us transition to a new routine.
Those Special Times brought a closeness and safety to our goodbyes that supported me, as much as him, in letting go. It felt easier to watch him looking so little in the line, waiting to enter his new classroom after we’d started the day like that.
I remember, too, Staylistening one winter’s afternoon in the deserted, misty tennis court in nearby Brockwell Park when Max vocally and angrily expressed his dislike of the rules and constant limits at school. Staylistening is an ‘emergency listening tool’ when in the face of a big emotional upset in your child; rather than distracting or punishing, silencing or cajoling, you simply move close, stop unworkable behaviour with warm hands and heart, and listen. Listen to it all, not just the words, but the feelings, the somatic expression of the rage, loss, grief, anger – the pain of being a little (or big) human being.
I remember a lumbering ‘swear monster’ who clumsily chased the laughing boys when an infection of ‘bad words’ took over the classroom, and a whole new range of swear words was being tried out on a regular basis. I remember the other Playlistening games we played – role reversal games, where the adult takes the less powerful role, takes the challenging issue to the ‘play zone’ and follows the laughs (with no tickling). This tool can release the first layer of fear and tension through laughter that leads, when built up, to outbursts of aggression in our children. I have tried Playlistening around teasing in our bid to warm up the connection with new friends, friends who are now old friends, dear friends, best friends.
Further back, I remember Staylistening at Sports Day, and I remember Special Time and Playlistening and games of hide and seek and chasey when we moved into a new house in a new town and were still acclimatising to this new school.
I remember raging and crying myself about the school reward and punishment system at schools and being heard by my Listening Partnerships, a peer-to-peer, equal exchange of non-judgemental ‘listening’ to the ‘all of it’. I raged and cried in my Listening Partnerships about the lack of understanding I saw out there about the reasons for children’s off-track behaviour, as well as compassionate, effective responses.
Don’t lose heart
I remember feeling like I wanted to give up, and then finding new directions to try after a number of Listening Partnerships, which led to working on a document about introducing Special Time in schools with a fellow Hand in Hand Instructor and the Learning Mentor programme that grew out of that initiative at my son’s school.
I notice how, in the times I’ve practiced the Hand in Hand tools, I took heart, I found my courage and my connection and have somehow slowed down the river of time, or slowed myself down enough to notice it, running so constantly, so brightly and yet so silently through my life.
As I come to the end of my walk back from the school run, I pass a little boy, maybe four years old, with bright red hair. Perhaps he’ll be starting school for the first time this coming September. Right now, he is attempting to navigate his way up the path by climbing on a low handrail. His Mum is patient, but her expression suggests she needs to move faster than his explorations allow.
I empathize with her, and a part of me wants to say, if you can, savour this moment; that river of time is flowing.
If I could, I would stop and share what I know about slowing time with the Hand in Hand Parenting Listening Tools right here, but today I smile at him and at her, and walk on.
Inside, I recommit. I recommit to keep on practicing and teaching these tools in my life and sharing them with as many parents as I can so that each of them may experience the comfort and joy they bring in the face of the many transitions that parenting brings.
As the river keeps flowing and our children keep growing.
If you’d like to try out the heart-based tools of parenting described here, check out handinhandparenting.org. Get in touch with Anna for individual or group support: anna@handinhandparenting.org
Drop into your Heart this Summer and pick up a copy of the magazine at a stockist near you! Our full list of stockists can be found here, https://www.positivelife.ie/magazine/stockists/
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