Super Manifesting Your Life Using Celtic Solar Astrology - begin today Dec 21st, full moon Winter Solstice!

Part 1 ~ Winter Solstice

The first full moon in December signifies the beginning of the Winter Solsticewhereby thousands of people around the world begin a conscious process of inner self-reflection while also focusing on their vision for the upcoming year. For many, this process runs from the full moon before the Solstice (December 22nd ) until New Year's Day.

For the ancient Celtics it marked the rebirth of the sun, symbolically moving away from dark and into the light. The Winter Solstice was one of the most important celebrations, a practice going back thousands of years, not only with the Celtics but the Nordics, the Mayans, the Egyptians and many other ancient cultures.  The reverence for solar power took root in organized agriculture, significant to community survival, as well as spiritual rebirth.

Solar astrology is the science of relationships between all living things within the universe. Using this system has proven to be a powerful process in manifesting my own dreams and goals and recognizing my personal responsibility and relationship to the planet. We are significantly influenced by that which is present around us; weather, other people, world events, solar and planetary influences. How aware we are of these influences gives us a better understanding on how to transform these influences into positive experiences in our life.

From December 22^nd to March 21^st, is when the mind is most potent and fertile for creative thinking as we are burning less energy physically. There are more opportune times to use mental energy and more opportune times to use physically energy (March 21^st to June 21^st).

From the full moon in December right through to New Year’s Eve, spend time reflecting on what goals you wish to see actualized for the upcoming year.  I happen to have twelve ‘baskets’, areas of life that I am specifically setting goals for this coming year.

A helpful tip...When considering your aspirations for the New Year, make sure you include aspirations for all of you... career, body, mind AND soul. Don't forget about your spiritual needs…and playtime which is often forgotten about. If you are spiritually content and connected, the physical, the career, your relationships, they will get the boost they need and everything will start working in alignment:


health
relationships

·         spiritual growth

·         education

·         financial

·         career

·         philanthropy

·         travel

·         community

·         play

·         hobby

·         planet

After applying this process steadily for almost six years now I am beyond convinced that setting goals ignites the process of manifestation and also attracts opportunities towards me. Of course you have to align yourself with making it happen ~ in other words, you have to create the plan of action and then get to work.

7 Simple STEPS to get started with super manifesting your life:

• STEP 1: Purchase a journal and be sure this journal is only used for the purposes of manifesting your dreams and goals. Make it small enough that you can travel around with it, put in your purse, car or briefcase.

• STEP 2: Ask yourself…. Did I accomplish what I set out to do this past year? And how well did I do it? What didn’t I accomplish and why not? Take a good accounting of the year’s harvest.

 • STEP 3: What did I learn spiritually this past year? This is so important to understand. And what do I have to be grateful for? These answers are full of little pearls of wisdom ~ if you don’t ask or recognize, you’ll miss acknowledging the greatness of what has already happened as a result of your visioning. Gratitude and knowledge are both KEYS to your evolution and desired future.

• STEP 4: Next ~ look towards the New Year. What’s your passion? Get clear about what you want. More than likely ideas have already been brewing in your mind. When you ask a direct question, just wait. You’ll get pretty specific answers and when it feels right, go with it. Tip ~ the response you get always match your level of passion.

• STEP 5: Make New Year's Eve a special night. At some point go sit somewhere, light some candles and get quiet. Collect your thoughts. Make your commitment to YOU. Say it out loud. Read your list of goals that you desire to accomplish. And when you are done, be done. Then go have a great time and celebrate with friends and family. Celebrate the passing of the old, and the welcoming of the new.

• STEP 6: Right after January 1st, begin to align yourself with your goals and dreams. In other words ~ what’s the plan? What do you require to start the process? Write it down. By the time the Spring Equinox - March 21^st rolls around you need to be ready to roll up the sleeves and get to work. I call this 'Launch Day' or seed planting day.

 • STEP 7: Take few minutes at the beginning of each and every day to review your goals, vision your goals, and ask what needs to be done next to see it through. It will bring forth new ideas to act upon. Get everything lined up that needs to be lined up. Call the people that need to be called to give you support. Figure out the budget needed. Put everything in place that needs to be in place to ensure success.

And then get ready for ‘Launch Day’ and then get ready to see your dreams and visions come true...!!!

~ excerpt from my bestselling book 'Grail Springs Holistic Detox: For Body, Mind & Spirit'...available at www.Amazon.com

Oracles of Sacred Animals

We are 'surviving life', not 'living life'. Indigenous peoples from all corners of the world have predicted this moment for thousands of years. Stripping, manipulating and destroying our planets resources; oil, clean water, soil, animals, and each other, have left us in a state of illness and uncertainty.

Modern man has become lost souls in the frenzy of gathering his riches via industrialization and capitalism created by himself for himself after the second world war. When man finally lets go of believing that he is superior to all things, and reconnects with the knowledge that we are One, humanity will experience the indescribable bliss of living in community with nature ~ which is lived and revered here daily at Grail Springs.

We have a forgotten heritage of looking to the elements of nature for answers, guidance and messages. Animals are our ally's. Not a resource. They are our teachers and healers. This sacred relationship has almost evaporated from man's consciousness. Thankfully there is a minority of soulful humans who are holding on to the tradition with all their mightiness, giving hope for its glorious restoration one day. Rooted in the arcane schools of thought, is a fundamental understanding that humans ARE nature, and that the animal kingdom, along with the mineral, plant, human, and soul kingdom, are intrinsic to each other.  The five kingdoms are united as One.

Of late I have been reawakened to study these sacred relationships, animal oracles and totems. I am in the humble midst of intense new understandings and re-connections.

Last week, with eyes wide open I gazed into the eyes of the Hawk messenger.  In Druid tradition he is known as Seabhac, and he represents the magician Merlin. Seabhac brings with him the ability for one to see their life in perspective, to free you from unnecessary baggage and to connect one with their ancestral roots of chivalry, healing, and specifically, the Quest for the Holy Grail. It was a fine day.

Once you know where you come from, you can know where you are meant to go. Perhaps you reading this post today will be a reawakening, to reacquaint yourself with that sacred relationship we are gifted to have with the animal kingdom, assisting human evolution through self-realization and unconditional love, the greatest riches of all the Kingdom...

For Nicolya.
In loving memory of Kaunuk - a true and noble King.

David Wolfe Shine's the Light on the Best Day Ever!

Walking home across the grass meadow from Grail Springs will never be the same again. Rather than having my head up in the clouds I’ll be focused on the ground foraging for my lunch! Thanks to live food guru David Wolfe who delivered a revelatory presentation to a packed house in the Great Hall this past Friday, we were inspired to get back to raw nature and the gifts she delivers to us.  

Just yesterday, I picked a handful of some remaining wild red clover, munched them down with a funny curiosity.  These are supposed to be good for hot flashes.  They were a little dry but had a surprising sweetness in more ways than one. There was something very satisfying, joyful and hugely profound in this simple act.

It is no coincidence that David arrived here this past week after first discovering and meeting him exactly seven years ago at a health show in Toronto. Grail Springs has been activating the next step in its evolutionary life; sustainable permaculture.

Wikipedia definition of ‘Permaculture’: An approach to designing human settlements and agricultural systems that mimic the relationships found in natural ecologies.

With the help of a team of permaculture consultants from New York, and a sustainability expert from Connecticut who spent a few days here last week analyzing the property and delivering a plan, we are committed to getting Grail Springs off the grid as much as possible over the next few years. This event along with the discovery of the Anastasia book series ‘The Ringing Cedars’ last month and then David’s visit made it clear, there is a divine plan at hand here.  And we are listening.

Simply said, creating a 'Heaven on Earth' at Grail Springs has always been the vision and goal. Every decision is made from this awareness. Starting from the inside out, we've successfully delivered transformational programs to thousands of individuals over seventeen years based on a tried and true holistic model; that all things are connected; body, mind, heart and Spirit. And the Mother Earth. There is a definitive truth that I know for sure... "What is good for us, is good for the planet. And what is good for the planet is good for us." No two ways about it. My hope is that Grail Springs becomes a working model for others to follow suit.

I am dancing in this new light of awakening, inspiration and action. I am grateful for the team that has gathered and is committed to the big picture vision both for Grail Springs and abroad. I'm reveling in the energy of excitement for what is possible. And right now, in this moment I am truly feeling this is 'The Best Day Ever' (aka David Wolfe website www.thebestdayever.com).

And together we create 'The Best Planet Ever'!

Anastasia: A True Living Avatar

I barely have time to write these days let alone find the necessary time it takes to read a book cover to cover. But each time I have had that privilege it was because of a compelling urge within, and as it turns out, those books have each had a monumental impact on my life. What I know now... listen to those compelling impulses and messages from the Universe. There is a very good reason why they are being transmitted to you.

The book 'Anastasia' by Vladamir Megre (one in a series of eight) is no exception, three individuals insisting within weeks of each other that I must read this book. So when the opportunity arose last week to choose reading material for a cross-country flight to British Columbia, I chose Anastasia. And I am forever grateful and forever changed once again because of the written word.

I now understand why my friends were so insistent and also why they had so much trouble describing the book to me. Ironically, I really had no clue as to what the book was about, yet I was compelled to read it.

Before I got to the part where she reveals to Megre, a seemingly innocent bystander who became her scribe, that she had deposited something of a magical secret code into the book, and that any who would read it would experience and gain a shift in consciousness, I was without a doubt experiencing that shift.  I knew that something quite extraordinary, somewhat indescribable, but also familiar, was happening to me.  It was other-worldly, magical and fantastical. And I was so glad for it. I'm still wafting in that energy and don't ever wish to get off this holy cloud.

When I caught up with my son Michael at my mother's ocean-side home on mystical Bowen Island cocooned in heavy mist, crashing waves and ancient cedars (which have more meaning to me now then ever before), I read to him each night and we both realized something wonderful; there is an ancient esoteric story that I have known about for over twenty years; that there walks upon the earth, seven living individuals called ‘Avatars’. Each representing and possessing a special ‘Ray’ or gift.  We believe Anastasia is one of these true living Avatars, one who works in full communion with Nature and it's Laws. I have known of no others until now. 

Anastasia, her presence in my life and in humanities life today is timely. I personally was asking to go to the next level of awareness, something new to fill my cup as I have felt somewhat depleted after an intense year of activity. Though I do not know her personally, I felt transported into her presence, and doing so, I embodied what I know is the purity of Spirit in the human form, and a power that exists for us to work in direct communion with the elements of nature. She made me feel and she made me realize that I have much more to explore and reveal within myself and my surroundings, and that though I've touched on this purity of Spirit on occasion, and have a fine respect and relationship with Mother Nature, I have just barely made the first turn on my journey. I am so glad to have been given this new compass. I intend to follow her with open heart and open mind into the next seven books in the series, entitled 'The Ringing Cedars'.

I hope YOU are receiving this transmission...:o)

Me to We ~ It's a Matter of Perspective

If you have young, bored teenagers in your household and they haven't heard about the 'Me to We' movement founded by two young Canadians Marc and Craig Kielburger, I'd highly recommend that you sit down together and check out the website www.metowe.com. If your kids are inspired by this call to action directed towards young people, trust me, they'll never need to complain about being bored again.

Me to We was inspired over ten years ago according to Fred Kielburger, the boys father who I met this past September 30th when kindly invited by a visiting Grail guest to sit in the Kielburger family box at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. It was worth every minute of the five hour return trip. To hear and feel the energy of the collective roar of 20,000 teenagers shouting the cries of 'Freedom!' for every child around the world who suffers poverty, abuse, slavery or war, even now just gives me goosebumps. Opening with Deepak Chopra and followed by a continued line up of inspirational musicians, philanthropists and survivors of war and destruction delivering incredible stories of triumph over tribulation, made me walk away with certainty that there is an undeniable tidal wave of positive change happening around the world, even in the most darkest places.

The movement 'Me to We', is exactly that. It is a movement that takes us from the ideas of separation to that of union. From competition, to collaboration. It is a mind-set. I'll be honest, there was a day when I was of the separate, competitive mind-set and it was not a fun road to travel. Then exactly three years ago someone handed me a book called 'Me to We: Finding Meaning in a Material World'. And another light switch turned on at just the right time in my life.

From that day forward I consciously began to reach out to other entrepreneurs and actionists in the spirit of true collaboration and cooperation. And wow did life take off, climbing upwards and onwards into the stratosphere of open possibilities. Life just got fun, and better, and still gets better in every way both personally, spiritually and in business.  Perception IS everything. Moving from the 'me' to the 'we' perspective will reveal your true life destiny.

As I sat in what was the best seat in the house, no sooner had I arrived and introduced myself, I was immediately collaborating and talking possibilities with a most intriguing young doctor who started a medical clinic in the mountains of Tibet. As it happens, he is also a huge advocate of meditation and integrated medicine. Now how can it get any better than that? Stay tuned! And get yourself into the WE stratosphere!

Our Story: Herstory and History

~ by MARY McGILLIS, Courtesy of FengSHe.org

History became legend and legend became myth. There was a time of legend when King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table lived on our planet. Myth? When something so resonates with you that the truth of it is felt in your bones, that your hair bristles on your arms and you tingle, you must pay homage to this knowing.

Fact? Whether myth, legend or fact, this planet is a planet of storytellers and our purpose here is to create our story. Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon tells the story of King Arthur from the perspective of the women and showcases the transition of the very different worldviews when they collided over 1000 years ago.

In her acknowledgments, she speaks of the complexity of the sources for her work: she virtually memorized the Sidney Lanier edition of the Tales of King Arthur by ten years old and skipped school at fifteen to hide in the library of the Department of Education in Albany, New York, to read a ten-volume edition of James Frazer's The Golden Bough and a fifteen-volume set of books on comparative religions, including an enormous volume on the Druids and Celtic religions. Her reading list before she was 16 ~ whew!

Zimmer Bradley's Merlin, recognized that it is the belief of mankind which shapes the world and of all reality. He explained that his time was a powerful pivot in time, a moment to change the world. Merlin saw the change begin with the arrival of the followers of Christ: "...the views they hold are altering this world; not only in spirit, but on the material plane. As they deny the world of spirit, and the realms of Avalon, so those realms cease to exist for them. They still exist, of course; but not in the same world with the world of the followers of Christ. Avalon, the Holy Isle, is now no longer the same island as the Glastonbury where we of the Old Faith once allowed the monks to build their chapel and their monastery." As her story goes, she sees "the world once again come together, a world with room for the Goddess and for the Christ, with a leader to make us one. " A world of balance? The double scales even? The sly grin of some, the knowing grin of another ~ each soul adding weight to one side of the scale or t'other or both. The plot thickens in all of our stories.

Fast forward to 2010 and visit a new Lady of Avalon, Madeleine Marentette, holding sacred space in Canada at her retreat, Grail Springs. Read her story in the best selling Grail Springs: Holistic Detox for Body, Mind & Spirit

The day before her fabulous 7-day first annual Grail Lady Faire , Madeleine hosted a Pachamama Alliance's Awaken the Dreamer symposium. On a rainy morning beside the pristine, spring-fed Chalice Lake at Grail Springs she invited over 100 people to be seated and quieten themselves. Under a canopied tent, the Goddess-like Marentette announced her first guest speaker would be joining on the screen monitor behind her, his first ever attempt at Skype. Right on cue, Neale Donald Walsch, author of the Conversations with God series, greeted the delighted room.

In 15 minutes, Walsch summed up his take on the God conversations: when God first asked him to write a book and call it Conversations with God, he thought "ya, right", but knew he had to do it. After 27 books, he understood what God was saying: "You've got it all wrong". Walsch noted that he has already sold 7 million copies of his one book The New Revelations , so he wasn't trying to sell any, but highly recommends that everyone read it, as God offers possible and powerful answers to the questions facing the world. Walsch understands that it is okay to give money to third world countries to help them in their terrible plights; it is okay to open a homeless shelter in a big city; it is okay to try to help anyone and everyone, but in the long run, this aid will not make a difference. Neale Donald Walsch said that the only way we are going to evolve to a peaceful, happy race is to change our worldview. We must look to the indigenous populations around the world to understand why. Humans are connected with the animals, the oceans and the earth. What we do to the animals affects us. What we do to the environment affects us all. We are all interconnected and dependent upon each other. Humans must keep in balance with the planet.

Moving out of the despair felt by Merlin, into the concern understood by Walsch and finally we are all beginning to feel the sheer excitement of Grail Springs, where there is an understanding that the balance is shifting to a kinder world in which each individual is aware of their impact on the worldview. Go forth and Be (man/woman) Kind!

Heaven's Kitchen Reports: Top Chefs, Hotels and Restaurants Go 'Meatless'!

Halleluiah.

World renown chefs, hotels and restaurants are joining the meatless movement by offering vegetarian and vegan dishes in their establishments. This is welcoming news for the health and wellbeing of people, animals and planet.

Casino owner Steve Wynn announced that he has made vegan options mandatory at all of his Los Vegas properties which predictably will have a domino effect all the way down the Vegas strip. His vegan menus are not your typical 'salad greens with bottled dressing', but a substantial and sophisticated choice menu for any foodie.

I was also over-the-top delighted to hear that Iron Chef Mario Batali has joined "Meatless Mondays" campaign, offering vegetarian dishes in all of his restaurants from Los Angeles, Las Vegas to New York. His logic, "to reduce meat consumption in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet."

Tal Ronnan, aka 'The Conscious Cook' who created Oprah Winfrey's vegan based 21-day cleanse, was invited to train upcoming chefs in vegan cooking at the famous French culinary school Le Cordon Bleu in St. Louis. Now that's a shift!

And there are so many other chefs, too many to mention, who are making the shift from carnivore to vegetarian to vegan. Once a chef has seen the shocking videos of what animals endure at factory farms and slaughter houses they rethink their role and impact. It is hard to turn a blind eye from the devastating impact animal factory farming has on climate change unless you are completely void of conscience. 'Old school' is quickly becoming 'extinct'. which is exactly what needs to happen before we do.

Hell's Kitchen Gordon Ramsey take note...Heaven's Kitchen is heating up!

A Call To Conscious Evolution: Our Moment of Choice

On August 31st my son Michael and I attended 'A Call To Conscious Evolution: Our Moment of Choice', an event hosted by the Evolutionary Leadership Council at the UCLA Campus. Founding members include the likes of the intoxicating Rev. Michael Beckwith of Agape Spiritual Center who did not disappoint, Dr. Deepak Chopra, Jack Canfield, Jean Houston, Dr. Bruce Lipton, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Ashok Gangadean, Lynne Twist, Lynne McTaggart and Gregg Bradden just to name a few. You can imagine what a powerful energetic vortex of creative mind stuff that was generated under the roof of Royce Hall.

"So what exactly is an Evolutionary Leader?" some have asked.

An evolutionary leader is a person in tune with the divine impulse, listening very closely to the collective conversation rising up on the present state of humanity and our world. It is those who act on the impulse coming from the supra-intelligent universe; the pressing need for solutions for environmental sustainability now and social justice for all sentient beings; people and animals alike.

An evolutionary leader is someone who has observed and studied the path of evolution and can identify the process and patterns that have emerged in the past and has a fairly good concept as to what's coming next using both logic and intuition. There are millions tapping in to this collective impulse as a time of choice, thought and conversation and this group is growing exponentially every single day. Perhaps you are one of them.

This recognition of the present imminent reality has led to an influx of potent creative thinking including a shift from the business-as-usual model of 'competition' to that of  'collaboration' (governments and politicians take note). This shift is a monumental leap in human evolution, and a prerequisite for success in rebuilding the vision for a new sustainable, peaceful world.

While the grassroots movement is making major strides, what is required next and quickly is a major shift in big government and world banking arena. Big investment needs to up the ante and  quickly move dollars into the hands of the problem solvers and creative thinkers who have come up with ingenious and sustainable solutions to save our planet. The solutions are there. And the money exists.

For the first time in history we are on mass, conscious of consciousness itself and as we move from the fourth kingdom known as the human kingdom, into the fifth kingdom known as the soul kingdom we will begin to discover a new and bountiful resource for creativity and group cooperation. For the first time in history we can precipitate our future and consciously create and manifest the sustainable and peaceful world we want with a fairly accurate, calculated outcome. I hope it is indeed the next chapter in the story of human evolution.

What I took away from the event on a personal level was a deep satisfaction knowing that the flames of this movement are catching fire. People do care, they are making major life commitments. As I stood on the impressive open air veranda at the post reception with my good and most elegant friend Professor Ashok Gangadean, a founding member of ELC, both of us taking in the palpable buzz of energy and feelings of hope for humanity, a brilliant shooting star arced over a perfect end-of-summer twilit sky. It was an auspicious sign, like a telegraph from the supra-intelligent universe..."MESSAGE RECEIVED...CARRY ON".

Michael Marentette, Dr. Deepak Chopra, and myself Madeleine Marentette

If you'd like more information or would like to join forces with the 'Evolutionary Leaders', visit the website. They also offer a down loadable 'Evolutionary Leadership Tool Kit'

Reflections of Summer

A glorious tangerine full moon dances over Chalice Lake this misty morn offering a gentle reminder that playful Summer is beginning to yawn while fiery Autumn is beginning to stretch and stir. It causes me to reflect on the passing of the last few months filled with profound experiences, new relationships, revelations and realizations, perhaps one of the most gifted summers I’ve lived in a while.

On June 26th Grail Springs hosted the Pachamama Alliance and the ‘Awaken the Dreamer’ Symposium, attended by travelers from as far away as Finland, Australia, India and the UK. Transformational leaders shared their ‘dream’, and how that dream has come to fruition in their work today focusing on three fields of service:

•    Environmental Sustainability
•    Social Justice
•    Spiritual Freedom

We heard from the likes of Swami Pragyapad from the Art of Living Foundation, Barbara Marx Hubbard, founder of Conscious Evolution Foundation and Neale Donald Walsch, New York Times’ Best Seller for ‘Conversations with God’ series. The day was palpable, the revelations and inspirations many.

The following day we launched the Grail Lady Faire, Canada’s first 7-day festival for women empowering women. As I sit here trying to find the words to describe what happened during that week, I am finding myself grinning and feeling a bit mischievous, like I have a big secret. Canadian singer and songwriter Pamela Gerrand described it as being in a portal. Founder of the Red Tent Temple Movement Alisa Starkweather referred to it as being deep inside a protective container. Spiritual guide Vera Lopez described as being in the chalice itself.  The energy created and held by these pillars of the divine feminine; powerful, conscious women of service, was unlike anything I have ever witnessed. There was an undeniable Presence responding to our intention and most of the 200 women who visited over the seven days, also felt they had passed through an invisible veil. Welcome to Avalon…:o)

With over 21 presenters delivering over the next seven days, we were filled with reverent ceremony, spontaneous outbreaks of music, drumming and song, powerful invocation, provocative speeches and practical workshops. Women gave their all. I was gleefully taken aback by the important work that is being developed and delivered by women around the world. We are an unstoppable force. And unlike most gatherings I have been to in the past, there was a new and beautiful balance of both essences of Love and Wisdom, the key to women's next step upon their evolutionary path.

I thank those who gave their all, and to those who attended and brought their open hearts, their joy and their wisdom. I relish in my new found friendships. And as the full moon of August disappears behind the tree line, I already count down the number of full moons left until the next Grail Lady Faire. (9)    
Save the Date: June 27 to July 4, 2011!

Grail Lady Faire Inspired ~ by Lee Maidlow

Grail Lady Faire INSPIRED ~ by LEE MAIDLOW: Into the belly of the labyrinth we walked, hand in hand opening our heart of hearts. Rains fell in cleansing form. The winds of change blew in. Alternating sun and cloud moved in synchronized fashion with laughter, tears, and celebration as the Earth drew out the authenticity of each woman present. We heard the call and embraced the magic of each moment.

Incredible speakers, amazing workshops and the divine feminine energies wove a web of connectivity. Layer upon layer melted away. Outmoded facades dropped, effortlessly as we embraced the warmth of real, each in ways intimate and unique.

The Grail Lady Faire 2010 was indeed transformational. Some women graced the Faire with their presence for the full 8 days. Others came to the Canadian Shield, from near and far, for the lingering flash of their presence to be felt by the very ground that called them to hold space.

We reached the belly of the labyrinth, in our own way, shape, form, space and time. Standing naked to the power that we are, we breathed as one. The 'Call to Action' drew us out as our transformational experience led. Cleansed, nourished, activated and encircled in sea star hood, with intuited knowing we co creatively balanced as one. In ways so magically intertwined the effect of the 'Empowered Women's Woodstock' on each participant and beyond will be felt in ways expansive and all inclusive for quite some time.

Until next years Grail Lady Faire set for June 27 to July 4, 2011 the interplay will grow, as it is divinely woven. Dreamers shall stage connectivity, for we rose to the occasion. We heard the call of the Eagle and the Condor and the mysteries of these transformative times ring from each cell in each part of the body of earth where nothing but love will remain. I for one most certainly appreciate with smiles and giggles the syncro eventualities the heart field coordinated, with blessings by FengSHe.org, Madeleine Marentette and the Grail Team for my presence at the Faire.

Three cheers to humanities sovereignty. May we listen, share and act with and for earth and prepare for further balancing as more light infiltrates our corner of the universe.

Again in 2011 we will walk into the labyrinth in Central Ontario Canada and listen!

Canada's 1st Ever Summer Festival for Women Who Care About the Planet! Only 5 days away...

Millions of women today are experiencing a welling up inside; a profound sense of urgency to act, to be of service to planet, children, our elders, animals, environment, and to each other. Whether it is a vision to build a green company, produce a green product, deliver a message, a program, or a project, it is this inflow of a divine spiritual impulse that has us journey forward into uncharted territory, compelling us to find creative ways to restore environmental sustainability, social justice and spiritual fulfillment for our World.

Grail Spring's Transformation Retreat Center in Canada is pleased to present the World's first ever women's 7-day summer festival, where we open our hearts, mind and Spirit to the incoming feminine. Join 150 plus women, including over 20 thought leaders, authors, wisdom keepers, performers, musicians, recording artists, women on the evolutionary edge of a movement. Learn, embrace and embody the divine feminine principles that have historically been written out of mankind’s history. Once lost but now found, this will prove to be a provocative seven days of realization, communion and revelation, of thoughts long neglected. Find out why we as women hold the keys to the future of our planet! Here is a list of the keynote speakers. Plus there are another 20 women presenting workshops throughout the week.

• Dale Allen, Inspirational Speaker
• Janet Attwood, The Passion Test
• Bernadina Catari Alvarez, Wisdom Keeper, Peru
• Debbie Danbrook, Recording Artist
• Imani, Mamalution Revolution
• Lili Fournier, Producer
• Pamela Gerrand, Recording Artist
• Siri Sevak Kaur, teacher of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan
• Vera Lopez, Wisdom Keeper, Brazil
• Spryte Loriano, President Humanity Unites Brilliance
• Madeleine Marentette, Author, Founder of Grail Spring's Retreat
• Marcia Martin, One Degree Media
• Minnie Matoush, Wisdom Keeper Cree Nation
• Caroline Mills, Green Business
• Dr. Christine Page, Bestselling Author 'Spiritual Alchemy'
• Tracey Penington, Ripple Energetics
• Debra Poneman, Inspirational Speaker, Author 'Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul'
• Dr. Sugar Singleton, Braveheart Women
• ALisa Starkweather, Founder of the Red Tent Temple Movement
• Pat Potter, Enviromental Activist and builder of 'Earth Home'

BEE-utiful Berry Smoothie ~ It's the Body Bomb for Good Health!

This recipes was shared by our good friend Dr. Elson Haas, aka 'America's Detox Doc'. This recipe is not just a delicious filling breakfast alternative, but offers up an enormous amount of good nutrition, immune boosting elements, antioxidants, minerals, digestive enzymes and more. That's why it's the bomb of all smoothies. And, it is the perfect time of year to get most of these ingredients locally. And your kids will love it too!

BEE-utiful Berry Smoothie

• ½ blender of almond milk

• ¼ cup flax seed, ground to a fine meal

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• ½ cups berries: blueberries, blackberries, cherries, or raspberries

• 1 avocado

• 1 heaping teaspoon Super Greens powder

• 3 heaping tablespoons fresh bee pollen

• 3 tablespoons flax seed oil

• 1 tablespoon raw, organic honey

• Pinch of Himalayan Sea Salt

Preparation:

Grind the flax seeds along with cinnamon in a coffee grinder and set aside.
Fill your blender with the almond milk.
Add all other ingredients and turn blender on low until the mixture is moving smoothly.
Then blend well on high for 2 minutes until creamy.

Serves 2 @ 12 oz

'Two World Class Events this June that you don't want to miss...'

Don't miss the first ever 7-day festival for Women Empowering Women!
Attend The Grail Lady Faire ~ June 27th to July 4th!

WorldShift Symposium! June 26th, 10am to 5:30pm, followed by  book signing with several renowned authors and presenters.

Eating Animals: Number One Cause of Climate Change

If we care about the environment and believe that kindness is a virtue – as we all say that we do – a vegan diet is the only sensible option. The question becomes: Why eat animals at all?

Animals are made of flesh, bone, and blood, just as you and I are. They form friendships, feel pain and joy, grieve for lost loved ones, and are afraid to die. One cannot profess to care about animals while tearing them away from their friends and families and cutting their throats – or paying someone else to do it – simply to satisfy a fleeting taste for flesh.

What does it say about us that we’re willing to give animals a safe pasture and freedom from suffering only to betray them by killing and eating them in the end? Nicolette Hahn Niman argues in her recent book that it’s acceptable to raise animals for food as long as they are treated humanely and killed quickly. But we wouldn’t extend that philosophy to dogs, cats, or children. The inconsistency means that eating animals simply cannot be justified.

Ms. Niman assures consumers that the animals at the ranch that she manages with her husband, Bill Niman, have a “good life and an easy death.” This likely conjures up images of pigs frolicking together, getting belly rubs and playing in mud puddles while turkeys strut about, gobbling along to music and eating fresh corncobs, melons, and grapes until they’re peacefully euthanized at a ripe old age. Think again. While the animals at BN Ranch may have a better life and may face an easier death than the animals killed for Smithfield or Butterball, “good” is not an accurate description. What kind of good life ends at age 12, which is the human equivalent of the oldest non-breeding animals on farms such as hers? Niman’s arguments are similar to those of slaveholders who advocated treating slaves more kindly but did not actually want to abolish slavery.

Ultimately, it’s not our farming practices that need to change – it’s our diets. As Niman knows, we cannot use only pastureland to produce the amount of meat that is currently consumed in this country. Approximately 10 billion cows, pigs, chickens, and turkeys are killed for food each year in the United States alone. The sheer number of animals killed to satisfy people’s taste for flesh makes it impossible to raise and slaughter them all on small family farms.

Re: PETA's undercover investigation photos: Everyone agrees: Industrial livestock operations, where cattle live amid their own manure, are horrible.

Claiming that meat eating can be ethical or eco-friendly tends to pacify people who want to feel as if they are doing the right thing but don’t want to stop eating meat. Yet raising and killing animals is neither moral nor green. As Niman knows, meat production is resource-intensive and plays a role in nearly every major environmental problem, including climate change.

Animal agriculture is one of the world’s largest sources of CO2 and the largest source of methane, which is more than 23 times more powerful than CO2 when it comes to trapping heat in the atmosphere. Research by Robert Goodland and Jeff Anhang, the authors of Livestock and Climate Change, indicates that raising animals for food produces 51 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions each year. Of course, animals on feedlots produce more greenhouse gasses than pasture-raised animals, but all farmed animals produce methane while digesting food, and their feces also emit methane.

One of the world’s leading authorities on climate change – Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and himself a vegetarian – believes that everyone in the developed world should consume a vegetarian diet for environmental reasons. According to Pachauri, “In terms of immediacy of action and the feasibility of bringing about reductions in a short period of time, it clearly is the most attractive opportunity.” The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency has reported that climate change mitigation costs could be reduced by 80 percent if everyone around the globe went vegan.

Meat consumption is also a major contributor to food shortages. There would be more food to go around if more people went vegan because many staple crops are fed to farmed animals instead of to hungry people. This is especially wasteful considering that animals can only turn a small fraction of that food into flesh. It takes about 700 calories worth of feed to produce just one piece of 100-calorie beef.

More food can be grown on a given parcel of land when we aren’t funneling crops through animals. Vegfam, which funds sustainable plant-food projects, estimates that a 10-acre farm can support 60 people by growing soy, 24 people by growing wheat, or 10 people by growing corn – but only two by raising cattle photo courtesy bn ranchHappy cows? Rajt argues that sustainable ranching is like “treating slaves
more kindly” without actually abolishing slavery.

The United Nations’ special envoy on food says that it’s a “crime against humanity” to funnel 100 million tons of grain and corn into ethanol while nearly 1 billion people are starving. So how much more of a crime is it to divert 756 million tons of grain and corn per year – plus 98 percent of the 225-million-ton global soy crop – to farmed animals? With 1.4 billion people living in dire poverty, reserving these harvests for animal forage is tantamount to stealing food out of people’s mouths.

Meat production is inefficiency at its worst. When you factor in all the water squandered on animal agriculture and all the fossil fuels needed to operate slaughterhouses and processing plants and to transport meat from the plants to the stores – not to mention the air and water pollution that results from it all – you’ll understand why it just makes sense not to eat animals. As Ms. Niman – who herself has been a vegetarian for years – can tell you, one can live quite healthily and happily without eating animals.

~ by Lindsay Rajt
A vegetarian since her teenage years, Lindsay Rajt manages grassroots campaigns at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Rajt has coordinated campaigns targeting KFC’s “torture” of chickens as well as the treatment of horses at Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby.

Earth Day Celebrating 40th Anniversay Today. "We The People" have the Power to Make Change Now.

It was forty years ago today when thousands of individuals took to the streets in Washington Square and sent a message to Congress to start passing laws to protect the planet against climate change. Forty years later we are still sending the message and still no one is listening. 

BUT the tide has changed. And we've come to realize that we do not require a dysfunctional group of power and greed driven men in Congress to decide whether we thrive or die. 'We The People' have the absolute power today to change the world and the secret lies in our minds and in our wallets. We only need to make the right decisions today; stop purchasing products that cost the planet its limited resources and only purchase products that are sustainable, local, organic, humane and of fair trade. If we the people, the consumer, stop feeding into the corporate money machine by being a little more disciplined in its choices, 'think before we buy', we would not need to wait another forty years for congress to pass laws to protect our planet. Corporations would be forced to change direction or go out of business. After all the global market place is all based on the fundamental laws of 'supply and demand'. 

To wait forty more years is too late.  Ten years is too late. The time is NOW.

It's Earth Day. Raise your awareness, get involved, own your power and commit to being a responsible consumer. Today.

Today's Newsweek Headline: "100 Places to Remember Before They Disappear

Last night I attended a private screening in New York for a documentary film entitled "Wake Up". The executive producer was Sting's wife Trudie Styler. The lucky few who were invited were hosted by Sting, his wife stuck in London due to the volcanic eruption in Iceland, and the very same reason why I was able to go. Friends in the UK were unable to get a flight out like the millions of others and I was asked to take their place. Where one door closes another opens as they say.
The film was a provocative look by another young film maker who tragically lost his best friend in a motorcycle accident. That trauma opened up a portal to the 'other' world. He was and has been from that moment on, changed. What was first a scary, disturbing yet curios show of angels, demons, aliens, energy patterns in people and spaces, led him on a journey to test all of his human relationships, his sanity and his beliefs about what is reality. The outcome...well I'll leave the ending for you to discover on your own. The DVD will be available later on this year.

While in New York, myself and my colleagues took the opportunity to discuss WorldShift, a campaign that will be launched at an event Grail Springs is hosting on June 26th with the likes of Deepak Chopra, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Dr. Ervin Laszlo and many other world thought leaders. The campaign has been birthed out of the necessity to engage the masses in a grassroots movement to shift the world before it is too late. "Shift One Thing" is the campaign. Naturally there was a lot of discussed themed around the volcanic eruption and how Mother Earth is pushing back on the stresses we have pushed and continue to push on to her. And predictably it will get worse. Earthquakes, tsunami's, floods, ecoli, mad cow disease, world economic collapse, global warming and volcanic eruptions. What more do we need to 'Wake Up'? How is it that people are still so complacent in their reaction to what is going on?
As I just now got to the airport to return home, pondering on the 'what more can I do' personally, what else can I 'shift' in my life that will cause less pressure on the planet but also what else can I do to help heal the planet. Before I sat down at my gate I proceeded to spot the Newsweek magazine with the headline '100 Places to Remember Before They Disappear'. A stark 'in your face' message that we are clearly a planet in peril. It is time to ‘Wake Up’ and 'Shift One Thing". Think about one thing you can do today to make a difference and do it.

Grail Springs Rejuvenation Cocktail ~ best after a good workout. So delicious and fulfilling!

•    1 bottle (48 ounces) tomato juice or V8 type cocktail (low-sodium)
•    3 cups filtered water
•    2 cups assorted sliced vegetables (roots, onions, green & red bell pepper)*
•    2 celery copped
•    1 large carrot chopped
•    4 tomatoes chopped
•    1 bunch parsley
•    2 bay leaves
•    ½ teaspoon crushed hot red pepper, or to taste
•    2 teaspoons fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried
•    ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
•    2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

*    Avoid cabbage family vegetables as they impart a strong flavour

•    Purchase and utilize organic vegetables whenever available

In a large non-reactive saucepan, combine the tomato juice cocktail, water, vegetables and herbs.  Bring to a boil over moderate heat.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes. Transfer to a strainer set over a bowl, pressing firmly with a wooden spoon to extract all the juices, or process through a food mill.  Discard pulp.  Serve hot.  Freezes beautifully for later use. 

Yield: 10 cups ~ Calories per cup: 35
Carbs:  8.3 gm
Protein: 1.6 gm
Fat: 0.2 g
Fibre 2.2 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 486 mg

Healing Lifestyles

Healing Lifestyles & Spas - How to Become One Hot Body

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Congratulations!

Day 21- Cleanse
Congratulations!!! You made it !
Now is the time to look back on all you have accomplished during this cleanse.
What dietary changes have you made , that you could continue with to maintain good health and vitality?
Think about how good you feel right now, and consider this when re-introducing old food habits.
If you have anymore questions…Today’s call is the time to ask.
Cheers!

Fitness Day 21 - Hara Meditation

Hara Meditation - Building Strength & Energy in your Body

Hara is a Japanese word meaning 'the centre'. It is the physical centre point of your body and resides just below the belly button. Hara is also the energetic centre in your body. In Oriental Medicine, the Hara area, which is the whole abdomen, is also a major diagnostic region. All organ and meridian imbalances can be diagnosed from the Hara. Hara strength is developed by building Qi, through breath, exercise and meditation.

Hara strength cannot be seen from the outside. It is perceived as a deep inner strength, with a peaceful demeanour. When the Hara is strong, a person will be flexible yet stable, grounded firmly in reality, while emanating an alertness of spirit. A person strong in the Hara will be intuitive and able to follow their 'gut' reaction. This kind of intuition is fully centered in the body. It is not a mind sense. Rather it is a physical/body knowing that is not dominated by thought processing.

If you would like to have an inner strength that helps you to remain focused and balanced when faced with a physical challenge, then building Hara strength will assist you. If it is strength of mind that you need, once again, building Hara strength will help.

QI

Basic Hara breathing Technique.

This can be done while standing, walking or sitting or lying down.

If you want, lightly rest your hands on your Hara.
Start by breathing in and out slowly. Focus on letting go of any tension as you release your breath. When you are ready, begin to breathe and visualise a big golden ball of energy or light in your Hara, just below your belly button. As you breathe in, imagine the ball expanding, as you bring your breath right down into your Hara. As you breathe out, visualise the ball contracting slightly and becoming very solid and heavy. Focus on holding onto some of the Qi in your Hara as you release your breath. Continue this process until you feel centred and focused in your Hara.

Being focused in the Hara is a meditation. It is the source of all strength and is the point where all aspects of your being come together. A physical centre, it grounds the spirit, allowing it to radiate and express its truth, and gives the mind a calm place in which to focus.

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"May your connection to the Divine and the healing energy awoken inside of you, stay with you forever and for always"

Life Coaching - Day 21 - Your Plan

Oh my goodness, here we are at the end of the cleanse. What an incredible thing you've done for yourself.

The last thing you want to happen is the cleanse ends, and life goes back to how it was before. Actually, that is impossible, because you are different now. But, you can use this momentum to create lasting change in your life.

Look back at your journal entries over the cleanse, especially over the last week.

What are the most important things you ARE SURE you want to effect in your life moving forward?

For each of those most important things, create 3 simple, concrete action steps for moving those things forward. Be specific, and give things definition such as time and amounts. Also give yourself an inspiring sentence or two about why those things are important.

Take those action steps and get them into a system. How will you remember the steps? Do you need to add some things to your day timer? Your PDA? As part of your morning routine? Do you need outside support such as a coach?

YOU are important. By filling your own cup first, you have the Universe to give to others. I encourage you to continue the effort of incorporating important practices and action steps for your holistic health into your life moving forward. Your mind, body, soul, life and world will reap divine benefits.

Congratulations!

Life Coaching - Day 20 - Your Spiritual Growth

You've done a lot in this cleanse for yourself, and no doubt it has been a transformative experience for you.

You've been exposed to some different parts of yourself, and you've been exposed to a lot of different ideas and concepts. You are probably also getting some unique and new inspirations about things that may be important for you in your development.

Of course, your spiritual growth is inevitable, and you are already perfect. Nothing needs to change. That being said, there are probably things that you are drawn towards, and you are drawn towards them for a reason.

What practices do you want to continue?
What new practices do you want to bring into your life?
Where have you noticed that small changes can make big differences for you?
How do you feel most whole? Most expanded? Most peaceful? Most joyful?
What does your inner wisdom whisper to you?

You have an incredible opportunity to take this cleanse experience and expand upon it. Now is the time to create those intentions.

Happy Cleansing...

Coming Off Your Detox

Day 20 -Cleanse

It is important to PLAN for after your detox so that you come off gently and gradually to allow your body to adjust to the foods you are reintroducing. Doing this part well will set you up for improved long term health.

1) Consider what you’ve learned so far during your detox.If you have kept a Journal , check in with the changes you’ve made and how they have affected you.

2) Think about the aspects of your detox diet that you’d like to incorporate into your daily life. Which recipes could you eat regularly?
Which foods could you leave out or reduce in your regular daily diet?

3) Climb back down the detox ladder, reintroducing one food group at a time over a period of 2-4 days. Pay attention to your body’s reactions to the different foods as you do this. Remember you don’t have to add them ALL back in. This is a great opportunity for you to make some conscious choices about what you’ll be eating from now on. One or two sustained improvements can make a huge difference in your long term health.

4)Set your intentions for your next detox. Next month? Next season? Next year? Detoxing on a regular basis helps you stay clear and allows you to continue to improve your health as you age!

Any Questions? Please ask away :)
Cheers!

Coming off your detox!

Fitness Day 20 ~ Jumping Around! :)

Joyful Jumping Jacks!!

Do you remember jumping around in gym class?

Well, now is the time to revive the kid in you and jump, jump, JUMP!!

How to:
Stand tall and keep abdomen taut.
Stand with feet together, hands at side, knees slightly bent and relaxed.
Jump and spread legs, swinging arms upward and touching them over the head.
Return to start position with feet together and hands at sides.

Remember to move slowly, smoothly, and avoid jerky or bouncy movements. Keep knees slightly bent and toes pointing out.

Benefits
It increases balance and stability.
Jumping ability improves.
It strengthens the cardiovascular system.
Stamina and endurance are enhanced.
Coordination for sports and other athletic pursuits is improved by doing jumping jacks.
The immune system is strengthened

Add this exercise to your daily routine, use it as a warm-up, or to wake you up during the day if you become sluggish from sitting too long.

Enjoy!

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"Joy is not in things, it is in us!"

R. Wagner

Life Coaching - Day 19 - Your Work

All of us have a special and sacred part of our lives, our work. Our way that we contribute to the world to make it a better place. Our way that we get to express our special gifts, our ways of being, our skills and our experience. Our way that we get to enjoy the wonderful feeling of community that comes from cooperating towards a higher goal. Our way that we are deeply fulfilled because we are doing what we are meant to be doing and helping the world in some way.

Does your "job" sound just like the description above, or maybe not so much? Would you like it to reflect that description more? What else would you love in your work?

For most of us, we will spend more time with our work than any other precious aspect of our lives. Are you giving it proper due as the main focus of your life? Is your job worthy of the main focus of your life?

Decide what you want more of in your job. Decide what you want less of in your job. Some of you may decide that major changes are in order after this cleanse. Anyone, however, can start to create change right where they are at, by being more yourself, and speaking more of the truth, in whatever environment you find yourself in. In that way you'll be communicating your intention to the Universe for change, and change will come, often in miraculous ways.

Happy cleansing...

The Seasons of the Body, Mind and Soul...

Every ending has a new beginning of some sort. And once you learn to honor the ending for what it is, it is usually a good thing. Honoring the end allows for new space to be created in your heart and mind, to embrace that new thing that is waiting around the corner for us. As a child I was often in an unconscious state of fearfulness ~ that life would change around me and that the change was always a bad thing, hurtful and painful. Most of my actions were influenced by making sure that nothing ever changed. Which of course set me up for disappointment, heartbreak and eventual anxiety.

Thankfully that too came to an end when I started on the path of self reflection and began to see the Circle of Life. Nature has its seasons. Everything changes; sky, landscape, temperature, lighting, wind. And with it, our psyche, chemistry, emotions, mood, energy level, and our desires. Each change of season has an affect on our body, mind and spirit. And this doesn't have to be a bad thing. If you can begin to connect with the power of each season and what gifts it brings to you, you can harness those gifts and use them to uplift, energize and harmonize your life! For example, instead of dreading winter and giving in to a sense of depression, embrace the winter as a time to hibernate for a few months and enjoy the opportunity for self-reflection, writing and creating a plan for the new year to come.

The Celtics embraced nature's changes in this way as they had a deep and intimate relationship with the land, trees, animals, sky, sun and moon. Each considered a living being and revered as such as was with all indigenous ancient peoples. We've lost touch with our relationship with nature, with the land, with animals. We've severed the connection with nature and have come to strip away, use up resources, become carefree to the suffering of animals in factory farming, and the list goes on. But all can be restored if we want it to. We are in control.

Perhaps when you think of what you have learned over the past 21 days of your cleanse you've started to feel a greater sense of connection again with your body, with food, with your breath, your feelings, and how you perceive life in general. Keep this up. And go deeper now. Your body, mind and spirit move with the influences of mother nature. It is the natural law. When we go against that nature law, chaos happens.

If you can commit to listening to the messages from nature, and how each season offers up a different intent, you can begin to move with the flow of the seasons and allow your body, mind and spirit to do the same. It will tell you what foods to eat that will be good for you, what kinds of exercise are good for which seasons, what needs to change in your lifestyle in order to feel more harmonious. The key word here is 'Harmony'.

What will it take to create more harmony in your life. Just look to Mother Nature. She whispers to us everyday. There is only one factor that wields the power to connect or disconnect and that is 'how we think'. If you look to continue to have harmony and good health in your life, stay focused on that alone. The signs will be all around you and your intuitive nature within will get stronger and stronger. And before you know it, you will be full engaged with the world around you and the changing seasons of the body, mind and soul. And that ultimately brings the one thing we are all in search of....Joy.

Blessings, Madeleine 

Fitness Day 19 ~ Core Strength

Today we will put together 2 core exercises to bring strength to your newly cleansed core! Powering the mid part of your body!

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Superman & Superwoman!!

Starting Position

Lie facedown on the floor, legs together and straight, arms straight and extended above your head. Keep your head/neck in a neutral position.

Action

Keeping limbs straight (but not locked) and torso stationary, simultaneously lift your arms and legs up toward the ceiling to form a gentle curve with your body. Hold for a slow 30 counts.

Special Instructions

Don't hold your breath! Try to keep breathing steady and even. Make it easier: Hold for fewer counts and don't raise legs/arms quite as high. Change it up: Lower to the ground to complete one rep and do a 2-3 sets.

This will strengthen your lower back muscles!

Lying Straight Leg Raises!

Starting Position

Lie on the floor/mat on your back. Keep lower back in contact with the floor, feet and legs straight and together. Place hands to sides or under lower back for support.

Action

Keeping legs straight and together, back flat, lift legs upward until they are straight above hips. Lower down to starting position slowly and with control (but do not allow feet to touch the ground between reps) to complete one rep. Begin with sets of 10 x 3

Special Instructions

Make sure back stays flat on floor and abs are tight (pull navel in towards spine).

This will strengthen your abs & hips!

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“It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare,

it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.”

Seneca