Our winter issue is out now. Regular contributor and community catalyst Davie Philip reflects on the present-day relevance of Aldous Huxley’s final novel, Island. Dive on in to find out more…
Wellbeing
Mind, Body and Spirit: The Unique Fitness Approach of Universal Space
Looking for a new approach towards fitness: one that nurtures you on all levels? In our new Autumn issue, we had an opportunity to learn about the principles of inclusiveness, respect and body positivity that guide Universal Space Studio. Founders Mark Logan and Jody Kennedy have a unique aim of uniting mind, body and spirit, in an approach that promotes wellness on all levels of our being. Enjoy our feature below.
Positive Nights on Zoom: Exploring Natural Remedies With Amandha D. Vollmer
We are thrilled to announce that we have arranged a new Positive Nights Zoom event with Amandha Dawn Vollmer, who is an acclaimed Herbalist, Reiki Master, and a Naturopathic Medicine and Holistic Health Practitioner. Amanda holds a bachelor of science in Agricultural Biotechnology from the University of Lethbridge (2000) in Alberta, Canada and a degree of Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (2008) in Toronto. For most of her life, she has taken an interest in botanical medicine: self-educating on the topic many years before beginning her formal medical training.
Having developed many of her extra senses with martial arts and dance, she realised a natural gift for sensing illness and a laying on of hands. She soon sought answers via the energetic healing arts and became a registered Reiki practitioner and teacher, among other modalities.
After much scholarly and independent study, her passion for the elegant and effective sub-molecular medicine known as homeopathy, brought her to study in South India under Rajan Sankaran. She also volunteered for a month-long intensive medical program in Northern India, shadowing cardiologists, obstetricians, Ayurvedic practitioners and homeopathic doctors.
Amandha has since assisted many people and animals to heal all kinds of acute and chronic diseases. She is the proprietor of Yummy Mummy Emporium & Apothecary in Minden, Ontario, Canada, where she supplies natural solutions for detoxing and healing disease. She is a gardener and wildcrafter, creating powerful herbal blends, as well as developing all natural, botanically infused body care (creams, salves, oils, etc) that are extremely effective. She single-handedly makes over 100 small batch remedies.
Amandha has many interests including orthomolecular medicine, German new medicine, vibrational therapies, gemstone therapies, permaculture gardening, wildcrafting, crochet arts and the natural care of babies and children. She is also the mother of a marvelous, high energy 8-year-old.
She is available for holistic health consultations anywhere in the world, including distance Reiki sessions, Rife machine services, cold laser treatments and more.
Our event with her will explore the topic of natural remedies, as well as her stellar work in the natural healing arena. It will take the form of a 45-minute interview, followed by a Q & A session with the audience.
This event takes place via Zoom at 7.30 p.m. IST on Thursday May 28th. All ticket holders will be emailed a day before the event with login details.
Places on the event are available via a €5 or €10 donation, which would be gratefully received. However, a free option is also available, for those who cannot afford anything at this time. Click here to book your tickets.
New Zoom Event: Exploring Natural Remedies With Amandha D. Vollmer
We are thrilled to announce that we have arranged a new Positive Nights Zoom event with Amandha Dawn Vollmer, who is an acclaimed Herbalist, Reiki Master, and a Naturopathic Medicine and Holistic Health Practitioner. This event takes place via Zoom at 7.30 p.m. IST on Thursday May 28th. All ticket holders will be emailed a day before the event with login details.
In a world where it can sometimes be difficult to stand in our power and be assertive, Dawn Cartwright offers her advice on how we can clearly communicate ‘our true ‘yes’ and our honest ‘no”. This article appears in our Autumn 2018 issue – to pick up a copy, just check your nearest stockist or subscribe to the magazine today.
The Art of Assertiveness
When to say yes and how to say no
by Dawn Cartwright
According to researchers at Cornell University, we make 35,000 conscious decisions each day. That’s thirty-five thousand opportunities every single day to move closer to, or farther away from, our dreams. Our decisions create our future. The clearer we are about when to say ‘yes’ and how to say ‘no’, the more likely we are to be true to ourselves and create a life that reflects who we are.
In a world where there’s pressure to conform and fit in, decisions are often made based on expectations, rather than the truth we feel inside. We lose ourselves. We slide into accommodating others because it seems easier. We avoid the less familiar emotions, and the closeness and bonding that comes from facing and working through them, to maintain an illusion of peace. We feel our true ‘yes’ and our honest ‘no’ and we second guess them, or push them aside. Yet we long to be intimate. We long to be accepted. We long to be loved as we truly are.
How do we get in touch with our innermost feelings and thoughts? What does it mean to be someone who says ‘yes’ and ‘no’ honestly? How do we express ourselves truthfully, with kindness? How do we create a life filled with possibility, intimacy and freedom? How do we become who we are capable of being?
In 1943 Abraham Maslow introduced Positive Psychology, the scientific study of the positive and elevating aspects of human behaviour. Maslow believed that every human being has a strong desire to realise their full potential, to be who they are capable of being. He created a model called Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, providing a map to becoming who we truly are. This map is useful in our quest to know when to say yes and how to say no.
When To Say Yes
- The Basics: Do you have shelter? Clothing? Food? Clean water? Are you meeting your sexual needs? If not, the stress of these unmet needs will interfere with your inner compass. Meet these needs and you’ll create a strong foundation. You’ll begin to recognise when you’re saying ‘yes’ because you’re depleted, cold, tired, hungry, thirsty or sexually unfulfilled, and when you’re saying yes because yes is what you truly feel.
- Safety: Our vigilant brain is the part of the brain that registers a threat and prompts us to say ‘yes’ to keep us from harm. Human beings have a natural desire for a predictable, orderly world. Having a daily routine like a morning walk or an evening meditation is a great way to create stability. Meet these needs and your ‘yes’ will be grounded in safety.
- Belonging: Humans are tribal beings. The need for togetherness is probably one of the most important and least met needs in the world today. Create healthy friendships. Engage in group activities that are meaningful to you. Meet this need and your yes will no longer come from a fear of being abandoned. Instead, yes will boost your feeling of belonging.
- Self-Esteem: A healthy sense of self is essential to being and becoming who we’re meant to be. When our self-esteem is low, we say ‘yes’ to gain approval. When self-esteem is high, we align with our core values no matter what. Know your core values, make a list.
- The Peak: Be truly you. That’s when your yes to others matches the yes you feel inside.
How To Say No
- The Basics: Fill your own cup. If you’ve had enough sleep, food, water and sex, chances are you’ll be more in touch with your natural generosity. You’ll be alert, relaxed, open and present, this in itself is a gift. Turn toward the person you’re saying no to, put both feet on the ground, relax your body, feel your generosity and say ‘no’.
- Safety: Pace yourself. Create a pace in all your relationships that makes it possible for you to maintain connection with yourself and with the other. Create emotional stability and safety for yourself and this will translate as emotional stability and safety for the other when you say ‘no’.
- Belonging: Be tribal. When we’re afraid to say no, we disappear and abandon the other person emotionally. Stay connected to your own heart. Stay emotionally connected to the other. Build a bridge of togetherness when you say ‘no’.
- Self-Esteem: Share your values. Believe in yourself. Believe in the other person. You are resilient! They are resilient! Self-acceptance makes you trustable and compassionate. Open your heart, be respectful, say ‘no’.
- The Peak: You are incredibly you. When you have fulfilled all your needs and you are consistently being and becoming who you are meant to be, your no is as positive as your yes.
Dawn Cartwright is a Tantric visionary, sacred writer, world traveler, and innovator in bio-energetic Tantra fusion. You’re invited to join her in 2019 for The Red Tent: Women’s Sacred Sexuality, April 12th – 14th, Be Fully Alive: Level 1 Tantra Immersion, April 26th – 28th, in the Wicklow Mountains and Weaving the Beloveds: Couples Tantra Retreat, May 3rd – 6th, in Lower Rosses, Sligo.
This article appeared in our Summer 2018 issue, available now through our stockists or via subscription.
Healing, Courage and Honesty
How cancer set me free
by Keith Cullen
When I started chemotherapy at the start of this year, it took me a while to sort through my feelings: the layers of fear and disbelief, the desire to ignore reality (I am well known for this). I finally had to admit to myself – and I am able to say it out loud now – that I have stage 3 bladder cancer.
All the signs were there, telling me my health was unraveling, but it took a medical emergency before I was ready to listen. This I don’t recommend and this is why I want to share my experience will anyone who will listen. Last year was the best year I’ve ever had. I experienced some big personal awakenings, my career was on the rise, my love life was finally worth talking about, the schedule was full, and the lessons I was learning along the way were inspiring me in all the right directions. I was even prepping to attend the Grammys, for a big showcase and for my album.
During that hectic time, I started to notice blood in my urine. I thought I had some sort of infection. Eager to stay on schedule and keep up with the recording, I did the whole “mind over matter” bit, took advice from health experts and finally saw my local doctor.
By December, my symptoms worsened, and while I was on a trip in Sydney, I sought medical help again. Jessica, an Australian doctor I visited for more antibiotics, required me to have an ultrasound instead. That led to another specialist, which led to a CT scan, which led to my laying on the operating table in Sydney. December 8th will be a date I won’t forget, as they removed a large tumour from by bladder, not really knowing the full extent or nature of how the cancer had spread.
I’ve experienced every different type of emotion possible this year, from ‘WHY ME,’ to ‘I got this,’ to ‘I’m okay,’ to ‘This sucks balls.’ I’ve learned to be okay with not being okay.
I’ve been learning the difference between reality and fantasy, and how to be positive within my reality, rather than ignoring it in order to stay positive. I can be happy and have cancer. I can be whole and also sad about my circumstances. I can be afraid and still courageous about what is happening.
‘It takes a lot of strength to share yourself with someone else’ – a lyric of one of my songs written five years ago is back to remind me why it was written!
Being new to cancer and to chemotherapy, I hadn’t imagined it would force me to be so brutally honest and reflective as I currently am. Each decision I make now has meaning and the value attached to survival, and being a source of good has never been stronger at the forefront of my mind.
I’ve been gracefully broken and now am focused on rebuilding a stronger, more knowledgable, kinder Keith who surrenders to my new path and will continue to keep my arms wide open to life’s opportunities, whilst doing some good along the way.
Everyone is different regarding their journey. Please feel free to share yours with me. Just reach out at any point: Keithcullengm@yahoo.ie