Nonviolent Civil Nonresistance

Nonviolent Civil Nonresistance ©2018 Joan M. Newcomb, CPC

We're in a time of tremendous turbulence, and oh, there is so much to resist! There are some really terrible things happening, it's almost cartoonish how bad the bad guys are. Except they aren't one dimensional and the plot is much more complicated than any comic can portray.

Egyptian Tank Man - Tarek Wajeh, Ahmad Shahin

What's happening is the old power dynamics are appearing more extreme even as they are in the process of going away. We are witnessing every old ploy in the book, dominance and manipulation, designed to make old white guys more rich and powerful. Part of their technique is to deliberately create crises, intended to throw the rest of us into chaos. We're riled up because they want to rile us up, and they want to get us emotionally exhausted. Because, in the lower dimensional, old paradigm game, that's how they "win".

But here's the thing, it's an energetically weak stance, to try to dominate other people. All your power is outside yourself. You're actually dependant on those people beneath you. No rich man drives his own car, makes his own meals, staffs his companies.

It's understandable to react to the pain and suffering they're causing people. But the response shouldn't be resistance. Resistance energetically attracts that which you are resisting. Resistance gives that which you are resisting more power.

Non resistance is the most powerful stance. It's a very high vibration that appears transparent. You remain open. Negativity passes through you.

There's a martial arts called Aikido, which focuses not on punching or kicking opponents, but rather on using their own energy to gain control of them or to throw them away from you. It is not a static art, but places great emphasis on motion and the dynamics of movement.

So this is a clue how to respond to what's currently happening in the world. Yes, you can go march, hold signs, get arrested. You can call your congresspeople, make phone calls, sign petitions. But there's a bigger way to respond.

Take back your power from that which you resist. Do not contribute to anything it represents.  When you stand in non-resistance, you are immensely powerful. Now imagine an entire group of people standing in non-resistance.

The non resistance technique I teach is to make yourself transparent. It energetically opens you so negative energy passes through. It actually feels like your molecules separate. The old name for this technique was 'body of glass' but to me glass isn't a great term, since glass can shatter. In stead, you can think of it like wind blowing through a screen door, or like wearing a Harry Potter type invisibility cloak. You aren't necessarily invisible (unless you want to be).

What it reveals, also, is that your "opponents" are actually in resistance themselves. They're coming from a very dense space. They can throw energy at you, but it will have no effect on you. They can charge at you, and you can effortlessly step aside.

How this looks in your daily life is by not reacting to emotional manipulation in the news. By making choices, like economically boycotting stores that belong to or financially contribute to those that represent the denser energies.

The numbers are on your side. Evolution is happening. Light eradicates dark.

When you come from your inner power, you feel no resistance to the power games around you. As you stand in your power, it gives permission to others to be in their power. This is already happening, all you need to do is participate in it. And see how the world transforms!

How To Handle The Waves of Change

How To Handle The Waves of Change ©2017 Joan M. Newcomb, CPC

Wow, this is an intense time. So many things are coming at us. We have to handle multiple things at once. There's no time to rest. There's certainly no sleep at night!!

Now, some people may find this exhilarating. They may feel on top of their game. Yay, them.

Most folks are finding this challenging and overwhelming. If this is you, even though your circumstances are unique, you're not alone!

What is happening is that Greater Consciousness is coming into form. This is stirring things up.

This will show up in your life in situations or relationships provoking feelings of conflict, resistance, pain, fear, anger, or just wanting to sleep all day!

How to handle these waves of change?

You can fight it. This might be energizing to some. It may keep them from being paralyzed with fear. It might help them break through to the next experience. Or it might get you more enmeshed in it.

You can pretend it's not happening. This is a different tactic. Just keep going to work and home and act as if nothing unusual is going on. Fake it 'til you make it. This strategy is useful to some folks, a way to hunker down and get through it. However this can also backfire, the situation can accelerate until you have to pay attention to it!

You can ride with it.  Life is like kayaking, sometimes we hit white water, grab hold of your paddles! This is a great way not to resist and 'go with the flow' no matter how fast and rough it may seem.

You can dive through the waves. If you're standing in the water at the beach and the wave seems too big, just dive through it! You'd be surprised how quick you get to the other side.

Old patterns are breaking down. Situations that don't serve are either going away or getting worse. It's an opportunity for you to try something new or different, or put into practice what you already know.

However it's on the way to getting better. You could come out of this time period completely transformed! Don't resist the ride.

If you really, really want things to be different, this is your chance to change things! Portals of change are opening and are everywhere. All you have to do stay is stay alert, and step through them!

Getting Out of Your Discomfort Zone

Getting Out of Your Discomfort Zone ©2017 Joan M. Newcomb, CPC

One of the things I've discovered, as everything is breaking down and reorganizing, is that often what is required is the complete opposite of whatever has worked before.

Tried and true techniques and systems are no longer effective. Things that were absolutely the wrong thing to do in my old practice is the absolute right thing to do in my new practice.

So, for instance, something has been going on today - I've been feeling a very high, vibrational frequency in/on the top of my head. In the old days I would have judged this as bad. I would have thought someone was invading my space. I would have wrestled with this energy all day long.

Now, what it feels like isn't bad. Nor is it invasive. I'm not really sure what it is. Is it a female energy in my head? Or is it a download of something new? Heck, maybe it's just that I've been drinking jasmine green tea today instead of earl grey.

In the old days I would have absolutely had to know where it's coming from and what to do about it.

Instead, I've just gone about my day, noticing what is different. And pretty much everything about today has been different, starting with this energy. I'm curious to see what unfolds from this.

What this reminds me of, is someone who went to one of my Meetups and did the walking through doors to parallel universes. The next day I talked with her, she'd taken medicine for vertigo. "Is it unpleasant?" I asked.  Turned out it wasn't vertigo, but that wavy feeling of expansion that happens when you play on this level of Consciousness.

A couple went to my cohost Janet's meetup in Portland, and then they went dancing afterwards. Her husband had a difficult time because he felt too 'lightheaded'. Hmm. Not really surprising after major transformational energy work.

Rather than resisting or turning away from new sensations, I turn towards them. I move more deeply into something rather than trying to get it out of my space.

Moving through the world in this new way of being requires being improvisational. Requires not knowing. Requires curiosity.

If something isn't working for you, then it's time to do something else. But don't mistake discomfort as an indicator that something is wrong.

Birthing a new self doesn't have to be hard. Just breathe through it. Sometimes action is required, but sometimes that may look like taking a walk. Or a nap. Maybe it's just to stop doing whatever it is that isn't working, and wait to see what emerges instead.

When you stop trying to make things fit within your comfort zone, then what manifests can be bigger than you can imagine.

Is Resistance Futile?

Is Resistance Futile? ©2016 Joan M. Newcomb, CPC

I woke this morning with the lyrics to "Do You Hear The People Sing" from Les Mis going through my head, and felt it was a commentary on the prevelant feeling throughout the world at this time.

"Do you hear the people sing? It is the song of angry men. It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again..."

People are angry. People are protesting. People are grieving. People are rebelling.

People are being called to action. They are speaking out. They are taking stands.

Aikido July 2002 Chateau de Clairvans, Gerard Blaze et Dominique

Then I remembered the scene in Les Mis, during the French Revolution, working class people manning the barricades. And they all got shot.

Is resistance futile? Do the big guys always win? Do our votes really count? Are our voices heard?

The energy of resistance usually attracts what you don't want. What you resist, persists. So from that perspective, resistance is futile. It perpetuates you in the reality that what you're resisting has power over you, is dominating you.

However, the energy of anger propels you out of the paralysis of fear. So if you are fighting something, that energy gives you the strength to take action and make changes.

The strongest stance, energetically, is non-resistance. That doesn't mean that you accept the unacceptable. But it means you can't be bullied or intimidated or triggered by whatever the other side does. You stand in your own power and negativity passes through without sticking.

Some forms of martial arts use non resistance to their advantage. When an opponent attacks, they respond in such a way that uses their energy against them. They step aside and the attacker falls over by their own force.

How can we possibly be non resistant to all the insanity going on right now? Wouldn't that be staying in our 'bubble' of privilege, or being in denial?

Non resistance doesn't mean not doing anything. It means to respond rather than react. It means standing back from all the noise and make conscious choices before taking action.

You can have strong feelings about things and still respond with non-resistance.

Bullies thrive on victims. Narcissists thrive on attention, even negative attention. Dominators aim to disempower people by getting them riled up and off balance.

We are all more powerful than we know. What is happening on the planet is that greater Consciousness is coming into form. That means your body is able to hold YOU, as Greater Consciousness, more than ever before.

Shift your perspective to your inner Essence and you will regain your balance.

Your Biggest Block To Happiness

Your Biggest Block To Happiness ©2016 Joan M. Newcomb, CPC

Your biggest Block To Happiness isn't your family. It's not your ex. It's not your job (or lack of one). It isn't money. It's not where you live. It isn't the government. It's not time (or being too busy). It isn't your kids. It's not your age. It isn't your appearance.

Your biggest stumbling block is your inertia.

Moments of Inertia by Lucas V. Barbosa

Everyone has it. And it's not just internal. It's a key component of physical reality.

We are all weighed down by inertia. It's amazing any of us get up in the morning. Maybe that's why bladders were designed.

It's what the Wright brothers had to overcome when inventing the flying machine. It's what anyone faces when trying to take a quantum leap.

How do you break out of your rut? How do you go from your mundane life to living your dreams?

I dunno. I think I'll go back to bed.

We make up stories about our inertia. Oh, I can never do this or that, because of them or that thing that happened to me.  Our stories are very powerful. They are dream killers.

You get offered that perfect opportunity. The thing that will set you free. And you say no. It's not the right time. You don't have the money. Your family... your friends... I can't because...

For many people, they won't change until it gets unbearable. It reaches a breaking point. They hit bottom and have to get up.

Maybe your not uncomfortable enough with your discomfort?

So, here's the thing - your dreams, your desire to change, comes from your Essence, who you really are. You are Consciousness, as Consciousness you are the creator of your reality in physical form.

As Consciousness, all you have to do is conceive of an idea and it's already real. You are already there.

The thing is, your physical form, your body and your personality, exist in physical reality, which consists of density and effort. Your body feels too weighed down to get out of bed.

When our bodies and personalities are in charge, we think we have to walk everywhere. When we operate as Consciousness, we can fly.

This doesn't take years of therapy. It doesn't take elaborate ritual. A shift in perspective doesn't take any effort. It's just a decision. It's just doing it. It's taking off the smeared glasses and seeing yourself and the world as it really is.

To Consciousness, it's a playground of density and effort. As body/personality, if you work really hard, you can achieve some of your goals. As Consciousness, you can create anything that you want. And it usually ends up being greater than you could have imagined.

As Consciousness you know the bigger picture, your body/personality knows only what it sees in front of it, and it's views are distorted by it's memory of the past.

When you choose to operate as Consciousness, life becomes an adventure. Unexpected things start happening all the time. Your day becomes a series of synchronicities.

You don't have to hit bottom for this to happen. And you don't have to lose everything that you value when you make this change. Reality rearranges itself and becomes more enjoyable. You love what is. You have exactly what you need when you need it.

When you operate as Consciousness, it's a joy to jump out of bed in the morning (and it's equally joyful to snuggle in the covers and sleep in). Happiness is everywhere.

Just doing it doesn't take any effort. It's a simple choice. When you choose to operate as Consciousness, opportunities show up. Information gets provided. The way becomes clear. It just happens.

And if you're reading this, you've already made the choice!

It Falls Apart Before It Gets Better

It Falls Apart Before It Gets Better ©2016 Joan M. Newcomb, CPC

Doesn't it seem like everything falls apart before it gets better? And when you're in the midst of it all, it feels like it will never, ever, get better.

People will come to see me with a laundry list of things they want transformed in their life. We work together. They may or may not notice any changes during the session. They go home. And everything falls apart.

And then it gets better.

Well, that sucks. Why does that happen? Why can't we wave a magic wand, go 'bibbity-bobbity-boo' and step into being instant millionaires?

(Let me tell you, win Mega or Power, and your life falls apart there, too).

Step back and look at your life as if it were a structure. It's a house that you've built. Your 'laundry list' reads: 'New roof, new plumbing, refinish floors, sunroom, master bathroom...'

What would your house look like if you initiated all that changes at once? There'd be no roof, holes in walls, floors stripped.  Even if it's going to be good on the other side, it's suckky to live in a house during a remodel.

Sometimes we know we called this growth period in. Often we feel like it's thrust upon us. And it doesn't always look like it's happening inside our 'house'.  A loved one gets ill. We get laid off.

The structure of our life is more than our bodies. It's the bigger foundation.

When growth occurs, it's because we're bringing a greater aspect of ourSelves in. Consciousness is a bright light, a high vibration, it is the Essence of who we truly are, more than this individual body and lifetime.

In my original training I learned we could only bring about 10% of us as Consciousness into our bodies. I believe that has changed and we are bringing much more in now.

This light reveals cracks in our structure, areas that can't contain our brightness. We are expanding to encompass more of who We are.

And, it shows up with shifts and changes in all areas of our lives. A loved one gets ill. We get to hold a bigger space for them in their experience. We grow, become more compassionate, gain greater emotional depth.

We lose our job, which seems to rock our underpinnings. And then we learn that our career isn't our identity, money shows up from different places, we have the opportunity to expand to new fields and new coworkers or environments.

Don't resist the light coming in. Don't resist the things that are disintegrating. In fact, your Light can strengthen weakened structures when you don't resist it.

Lean into the benevolent light. It is You, as Consciousness. Your life is growing into something new and better.

...you are growing into You.

Nothing Is Ever Stuck

©2010 Joan M. Newcomb

About twelve years ago I took a class with David Spangler, and he said in New Age circles there is much judgement for being 'stuck', that you have to keep growing and changing in overt ways.  He said 'nothing is ever stuck'.  I recall he used physics or biology as examples.  When something looks like it isn't moving, the atoms and molecules actually are.  Even something that has physically died is undergoing change as it breaks down and transforms into something else. 
 
This time of year (in the Northern Hemisphere) it seems like everything has gone dormant, and yet under the surface there's a lot of activity!  Seeds are germinating, getting ready to generate new life, which won't be evident until Spring.
 
A professional author I knew once explained how hard it was to time-clock the creative process.  So much writing gets done in one's imagination, prior to coming out one's fingertips and onto the keyboard.  You can be mulling about your garden, seemingly doing nothing, but work is going on.
 
In terms of personal growth, we judge ourselves for being stuck or feeling stuck, when in actuality all our issues are coming to the surface to be worked on.  Sometimes it may seem like an issue we've struggled with or thought we'd resolved before, and we feel discouraged that it's come up again.  In reality we're dealing with it at a deeper level.
 
Often we feel most logjammed just before we experience tremendous breakthrough.
 
What to do when you feel this way?  Sometimes nothing is the best answer.  Part of feeling stuck is when we go into effort and try very hard to get unstuck!  Effort blocks spiritual creativity.  Taking a break, letting go, allows the Universe to bring to us the change we're trying to manifest.
 
Resistance is another aspect of Effort and will magnetically attract what we don't want.  If we're resisting an issue, sure enough it will show up.  Releasing resistance, not fighting what is, can make it have less power over us and even disappear completely.
 
If you're feeling stuck over achieving a positive outcome, baby steps may be the solution.  We'll get overwhelmed imagining the end result and not even start.  Losing weight is a great example.  It involves changing eating and exercise habits and also your self image.  Trying to do that all at once is too much.  Breaking it down into - literally- bite sized pieces, substituting fruit for sugar, drinking only liquids with no calories, taking walks, can bring success as you grow into the new You.
 
Increasing prosperity and abundance has similar steps as well. It can require awareness of spending habits, being able to see or feel yourself at an increased income level, and letting go of old (sometimes family) patterns.
 
Usually, however, the only thing that is stuck is the voice recording in your head, telling you that you aren't or can't move forward.  When you recognize and dismiss your Inner Gremlin, you'll suddenly see how productive you actually are, and have the energy to take great leaps forward.  http://www.tamingyourgremlin.com/ has excellent suggestions for how to do this!
 
This week, should you feel motivated, try any of the above.  Do nothing, or do baby steps, and see what happens!

Just do it!

(c) 2009 Joan M. Newcomb

I just entered into an agreement to host a radio show for Contact Talk Radio, but man, you would not believe the sh*t that came up prior to making the leap to do it!

It reminded me of a previous period of extreme expansion - I was teaching psychic classes, my wedding business had accelerated, I'd committed to going to Findhorn that Fall, and I wrote two books in three months!

I remember feeling a bit off-balance because in my head I was working on the story plot, yet teaching classes require you to be very grounded, present and focused. Oh, and I just recalled, I also was co-creating a garden with Nature using the Perelandra techniques and doing a self-directed course called 'Bringing More Love Into Your Life' in preparation for going to Findhorn.

The growth period was huge, and what came to me during one of my weekly 'staff meetings' with my Devas (I have non-physical staff for all my businesses) was to -- Just Do It.

And that's how everything got done.

Anytime you make a move forward, energy will come up. If you're walking through the ocean at the beach, you can feel the resistance from the water. It's dense and it's visible, but you don't take it personally. You don't say "oh the ocean doesn't want me to walk, so I'm just going to sit down, get my pants wet, and wait for the tide to go out'!

When you walk *anywhere* you are moving through oxygen, but the molecules are lighter than water, so you don't feel the resistance, the effort it takes is different, perhaps from within your own body and muscles. You don't stop walking because it's too hard to lift up one foot and put it in front of the other - you just do it!

Anytime you make a step forward on your spiritual path, energy comes up. Sometimes it's in the form of external resistance -- critical friends, demanding relatives, for instance. Sometimes it's internal resistance -- inner doubts, fears or other negative thoughts.

Energetically all these are seen as patterns in your morphic field. There are techniques you can use to dissipate or transform them, which are great if you are operating at a high awareness level each moment of your day, or have time to sit down in meditation whenever things come up. Or just plough right through, and clear it later (if it still needs clearing).

So, back to the radio show. I've been looking at the Contact Talk Radio website for a couple weeks, listening to different shows and toying with the idea of co-hosting one time with one of the existing hosts just to get my toes wet. Really, to start safe. Then yesterday I came across another host's website and listened to their audio, and realized they were offering techniques that I've been teaching for 28 years! This morning I listened to a podcast by one of their recent guests who said something to the effect of 'go ahead and do it, imagine looking back at your life regretting *not* doing it'. And while I was still listening to the podcast, I sent the email to the Radio's owner. And got an immediate response.

Suddenly it was attack of the killer gremlins in my head. Who am I to do a radio show? I have no experience? (I've been interviewed on radio shows, so why can't I be on the other side of the mic)? I'm small and insignificant and don't know anything. (Please look at my website, and my blog and tell me if this is so).

At the same time, inspiration of friends who could support me, or who had done radio themselves, came up. I called them all for practice before calling the Radio guy.

It's all totally doable. And I'm totally capable of doing it. I could sit down and meditate for several more days, weeks or years so that I *feel* clear and ready, but imagine the opportunities that will slip by if I do.

Take a look at things you've been wanting to do in your own life, changes you're desiring or risks you've been hesitant to take. How will you feel in five years if you still haven't done them? Take one and - just do it!

And after that - do another!

(I'm off to do another myself; I'll write about it next week)!

Body 101: Emotions

©2008 Joan M. Newcomb

With all the fun and games going on in the news nowadays, I thought it would be helpful to revisit a basic topic in the Human Game playbook.

Emotions are body-level communications. As Essence, or Spirit, you are eternally joyful, nothing phases you, and even the most dire circumstances seem mildly amusing to you.

Your physical body communicates to You with it's emotions. Like a little baby that cries when it's sad or needs to be changed, your body is continually sending you messages in order for You to take care of it.

When we start upon a spiritually focused path, we think we need to ignore the body or discount the emotions it produces. Which is the opposite of why we as Spirit (or Essence) chose to be here in the first place.

We're here to experience all the wonderful highs and lows of living in this world, including the body's emotions. Even if we're miserable, the higher part of us is ecstatic (perhaps even more so, because It's sensing *really* low vibrations, so delightfully opposite of Itself)!

Ignoring the body puts it into resistance with us, it will balk at taking us where we want to go, and even get sick (although there's a lot of reasons for getting sick, which is a topic for another ezine).

It's really the personality aspect of us that has ethics about emotions. It's the part that says that it's only okay to have 'good' emotions, and not okay to have 'bad' ones. Not allowing *all* emotions is like not allowing yourself to use all your words. It's okay to use adjectives but not okay to use verbs. Repressing certain emotions pretty much guarantees they'll either seep out in another form, or volcanically explode some time. Letting feelings flow as they come up lessens the intensity of the ones you're usually uncomfortable with.

Being empathic, I'll notice other people's emotions within my body space, although I may not know they're someone else's at first. I can sense when family members are cranky or sad or even hungry! It can be confusing because the intensity of the transmission doesn't depend on their physical proximity. Anyone who's cared for a colicky infant knows how overwhelming it can be when blasted by another's emotions. It feels the same psychically even if the 'blaster' is an adult!

Here are some suggestions for Body-Emotion management:

Not resisting the overwhelming feelings is helpful, although sometimes it's a fine line between not resisting them and being swamped by them. Also, allowing your own feelings is different than letting your emotions drive your car. You can have your feelings without being your feelings. They can inform you that you need to take care of yourself in some way, but you needn't succumb to road rage!

It's helpful to be aware that body takes things very seriously and views things in black and white. At the core of body's considerations is it's own survival, since it's not going to make it out of this lifetime alive! Spirit or Essence is immortal and thus has bemused detachment about such things.

Keeping focused in the present moment is reassuring to your body. Too far in the future creates anxiety, too far in the past creates depression, as the body only operates right here and now. In highly stressful situations, take it one moment at a time, because moment-to-moment, everything is okay.

Focus on extreme self-care. Besides the basics of enough sleep, good food, enough exercise, make sure to treat your body as the adorable and precious asset it is to you. Give it bubble baths, massages, chocolate or whatever else delights it and makes it feel special. You can coax your body through tough times this way.

And, finally, focusing only on *your* reality is helpful, too, since you can't control or change someone else's. They're capable and immortal beings, as well, and are (as Essence) really enjoying their dilemma. Don't match the group and you'll be just fine.

Resistance

©2008 Joan M. Newcomb

My son is taking Advanced Placement Government as one of his senior year high school classes, so his television viewing choices have changed. I really liked it during the last presidential election when he only watched the Daily Show (a pseudo-news show on the Comedy Channel). Now he's watching CNN and all of the debates.

Having spent a third of my childhood in Washington DC (and lived at one time ten blocks from the White House), I am very jaded about politics. I've pretty successfully avoided the news for the last decade. I choose to read the newspaper, because you can skip directly to the comics (something you can't do with television).

Recently there have been a whole lot of emails going around about Sarah Palin, and because they're mostly Saturday Night Live video clips, I've gotten sucked into watching them. (Go to www.youtube.com and search for Tina Fey, if you're curious).

Yesterday I watched the Daily Show, which compared McCain and Palin's folksy distortions of the truth, with Obama and Biden's retorts (which was stooping to the same level, if you ask me). I found myself getting worried about this country's future, and resisting the mudslinging. Then I added my own special spin on it by thinking - the next president's term will end in 2012. If Obama is elected, it will be a mass consciousness shift that will be instantaneously enlightening and pain-free. If McCain is elected it will be the Apocalypse.

Now, isn't *that* special? I'm resisting the distortions of the truth so intensely my own brain is adding some distortions of it's own.

Resistance achieves the opposite of what you desire. When you resist, you magnetically attract what you don't want. Resistance means you're focusing on what you resist, which means you're steering your life in that direction.

If you want to get the other guy elected, really, really resist him and his VP.

I'd better work on my resistance real quick, because I'm spending the last week of October in DC visiting my mom, a staunch Republican who is usually glued to the TV. I fly home on election day.

How can I not contribute to the collective energy of resistance? By practicing non-resistance. Non-resistance is the ability to be a 'body of glass' to whatever energy one is resisting. Imagine being a screen door and the winds of resistance blows right through (but the bugs don't). Imagine being transparent, so the mudslinging doesn't stick. Imagine all the space between your molecules, negative energy just flows through and out the other side.

Another way is to drop your focus and look at something else. Let go of everything you can't control (which is pretty much everything outside of you). Don't try focusing on the opposite - a sweet and happy Disney fantasy of 'the right' presidential candidate getting elected, because you're still resisting 'the wrong' one.

Take your focus off the election entirely. (For those of you in other countries, you can substitute something else you resist, although I suspect American politics is universally resisted). 90% of us have made up our minds already, so there's no need to continue thinking about it until the day you actually vote or send in your mail-in ballot.

There's lots of other television channels to choose to view, there's other sections of the newspaper, there's other topics of conversation. I personally am enjoying Cash Cab on the Discovery Channel (it's a game show that takes place in a taxi in New York City). My paper has two sets of crossword puzzles *and* sudoku. And here in the Northwest, the weather is always an entertaining thing to talk about.

Changing what's between your ears and what's in your heart will have a powerful ripple effect to your family and friends and beyond. The only way we can change the world is by changing *our* world, within.