Sadly, with the passing of my dear friend Judith Simpson, Lost Bard Books has also passed away.  Watch the website  for news about the future of the Junior Handlers Mysteries.

Some of you may have noticed that I haven’t been posting much lately. That is not to say, however, that I haven’t been writing. I have, in fact, been nose-first in the written word quite a bit lately, including a last run-through edit of my first mystery story for young readers.

The Corpse That Wasn’t There is the first installment of The Junior Handler’s Mystery Series, which will be published by Lost Bard Books. The book is done, and the editors are putting it through the final spell-check and tweak before assembling all the parts and putting the finished product online. Rest assured that I’ll be posting here as soon as it’s available for purchasing!

Lost Bard Books is a new e-book and print on demand publisher. Their first run of books will be online very soon, including “Corpse”, as we’ve fondly grown to call it. (How quaint, yes?) While you’re eagerly waiting to purchase the novels Lost Bard will be making available for your reading pleasure, you can visit the website and download quite a nice selection of free short stories right now.

The team at Lost Bard Books are doing a wonderful job, as the samples online will show you.  I’m extremely excited, as they have hired the amazingly talented Jen Hawkyard to do the cover illustration for The Corpse That Wasn’t There.  You can view the book cover on her website right now, http://jezhawk.com/Illustration.html, as well as many other examples of her lovely artwork.

The second book in this series, Wild Wings of Danger, was my NaNoWriMo novel draft for 2009.  I posted here about my NaNo adventures, and am pleased to say that the story didn’t turn out half badly.  It was good enough, in fact, to be readily accepted by Lost Bard, and I look forward to seeing it join its predecessor some time in the future.  Within the past week, I’ve been jotting notes for Book Three as well–I’m having fun scheming, and look forward to the meat of the writing adventure.

Needless to say, I’m extremely thrilled to see the first book in the Junior Handler’s Mystery Series hitting the virtual shelves very soon.  My deep gratitude goes out to the good folks at Lost Bard Books, particularly my editor Judy Simpson, and to Jen Hawkyard for sharing her wonderful talents with my story.  While you await the final product, please enjoy, here, the synopsis to:

The Corpse That Wasn’t There

Junior dog handler, Rhiannon (Ree) Antonio’s best friend in the whole world is Merlin, her cream Saluki.  Coming in at a close second are Jake and Stacy, who also participate in Junior Showmanship with their dogs, Irish Setter Finn and Basset Hound Clyde.  The kids think they have normal dogs, who are enjoying normal dog shows, until Merlin begins to behave strangely, and lands the kids right in the middle of a mystery.

The Saluki slips his collar and the kids chase him through the show grounds, where he discovers a body buried in trash behind some storage sheds.  When the trio of Juniors finally convince the adults to follow them back there, however, the body has vanished…and everyone thinks Ree made up the story as a joke!

The kids know different.  They are determined to find that body, and prove to the grown-ups that they were telling the truth!

Their search leads them into the museum on the grounds, and the American Workers exhibit.  Ree finds clues there that expand her search, but a scary encounter between the museum’s cranky curator, Mrs Kennedy, and Merlin (who appears to have gone off the deep end) adds a whole new element of fear and danger to the day.  Ree finds herself not only trying to prove her own truthfulness, but save her dog from being put to sleep as vicious!

The kids’ saving grace turns up in an unlikely person.  Detective Aaron, who was originally called in to investigate a missing museum exhibit, takes a shine to the Saluki, and believes that there is more to Ree’s story than an over-active imagination.

Merlin continues to follow the clues, guided by his inner sense for trouble, and leads the trio of Juniors through the scary halls of the old museum, and into the dark of night.  Their adventures culminate in a police chase that speeds down darkened back roads to the parking lot of a run-down motel.

There, the mystery is revealed, the criminals apprehended, and we finally meet the “vanishing corpse” in person!

Links of Interest:

LostBardBooks.com
Jen Hawkyard’s Website

Related posts:

1. Announcement: Lost Bard Books dissolved
2. A Little Background on ‘Corpse’
3. The Corpse That Wasn’t There — E-Book Available Now!

When new people call me now, with a missing pet, I offer (at no charge) to send information to the pet, including encouragement and instruction on how to help himself be found.  Two-way connections are much more difficult, however, and it is these I’ve been taking a break from for some time.  (This, please note, is not the fault of the animals or their humans, but a failing of my own which I’m hoping is temporary.)

I also offer other advice, practical applications that can help a person locate a missing pet.  One of the best of these in recent years has been FindToto.com.

FindToto is a service that calls listed phone numbers in the area where the pet was last seen.  A recorded message describes the pet and the situation, and gives a number to call if the pet is seen.  Their success record is quite impressive, and I’ve become more and more convinced that this service is one every person missing a pet should at least consider.

There is a fee for FindToto.  Their rates vary depending on how many calls the client wishes to be made, beginning at $70.00 for the basic package of 250 calls, raising in increments all the way up to 10,000 numbers for $875.00.  The FindToto website includes a lengthy section of success stories to help potential customers decide if the service is for them.

There are many things a person can do, including hiring the assistance of an animal communicator, while searching for a missing pet.  The vast majority of those things involve getting the information out.  The more people who know about your animal, the greater the chance of someone seeing and recognizing him.

FindToto is an innovative way of doing just that.  Not everyone has the financial means to hire the service, but I believe everyone searching for a lost pet should at least consider it.

Links and Information to help in the search for missing pets:

• FindToto.com
• http://gazehound.blogspot.com/2005/01/animal-communication-tips-lost-pets.html
• http://gazehound.blogspot.com/2005/01/more-on-lost-pets-communication.html
• http://gazehound.blogspot.com/2005/04/excellent-lost-dog-help-site.html

Related posts:

1. Guest Post: Why My Pets Could Have Used An Animal Communicator
2. Lost Bard Books and My Novel

Well, perhaps not “completely”, as the topic does tie in to one of my old favorites: the law of attraction.  It’s often said that, in order to manifest the life of our dreams, we must take small steps toward that life.  We must do little things as if we already have manifested our goals.  Common analogies are cleaning out the junk side of the garage to make room for the second car, or dressing each morning as if you were heading in to the office of your hopes while looking for a new job.

Likewise, when the life you are believing for is one of greater financial abundance, or simply freedom from financial worries, it’s empowering to find little ways that you can live as if you have lots of money.  One thing people who have lots of money do, is to keep track of it, and to pay their bills on time.

Oh, that was two things, wasn’t it?

Regardless….

Are you familiar with the collection agent scenario?  With frequently seeing late charges on your monthly bill statements?  With having to choose between feeding your kids and paying the phone bill?

I can certainly relate to all of the above.  About a year ago, not long after I came home from the hospital, I decided to see money, and bills, in a different light.  I made up my mind that, instead of looking at bill paying as a burden, and something I could never quite catch up with, I would look at it as a privilege … and be thankful, when I paid a bill, that I had the money to pay it.

I also took a free online basic budgeting course, written by Grandpa Terry of Home Money Help.  There are a lot of “money help” scams out there, and yes, Grandpa Terry does sell a premium edition of his course, but trust me that this particular free course has no actual strings attached and it can be very helpful.  The course helped me with a number of things but most importantly, it introduced the concept that one could develop a simple method of organizing bills.

Still, however, the course as taught didn’t quite do the trick for me.  My own lifestyle, and ways of thinking, weren’t quite in line with the details, so I adapted pretty much everything to suit my needs.  I created a binder, with plastic pocket dividers, one for each bill, and a front pocket for bills that were due.  I set up a monthly chart of what was owed on what date to whom.  I diligently applied myself to keeping things organized….

And still had way too much month at the end of the money.

It was in December of last year, after just managing to scrape a Christmas out of the pickings, that it dawned on me that the concept of “baby steps” and “doing little things toward your goals” could be applied to paying bills, too.  I know I’m certainly not the first person to come up with this method, but it’s worked well so far, and I’ve had a number of friends suggest I write it out for others to try. So, here I am.

In our family, I would pay certain bills each month, and my hubby would pay the others.  I took the bills that I paid monthly, and developed a system whereby I was paying a quarter of the monthly installment every week.  This allowed me to see exactly where the money was going, it allowed me to keep much more precise track of things, and most importantly … it allowed me to make good use of the fact that some months have five weeks!

I started out, with most of these bills, with back balances owed and putting a chunk toward late charges.  Within about four months, I not only had them all caught up … but I was paying ahead on several.  Do you know how good it feels when your cellphone company owes you money by the time the new statement is ready to pay?

The method worked so well, in fact, that I found I actually had money left at the end of the month … and was able to take on a few more of the regular bills!

After a while, seeing the success of the method on the bills I handled, my hubby turned over the rest of the bill paying to me, and I plugged everything in to my little week at a time method.  In under three months, several bills were caught up, and we were paying nice chunks on the back balances of others.  Most of our creditors are slightly confused, but pleased, and of the mind that “if it works, don’t fix it”.  We’re also getting fewer calls asking where our payments are.   That feels pretty nice.

I’m fairly confident that, by the middle of 2010, our credit rating will be on track, and we’ll be in a position where we don’t owe anyone any back balances.  We will have reduced our financial worry significantly … one of my own visualization hopes realized.

The Method

It’s easy, it really is.  All you have to do is gather your monthly expenses, divide each by four, and keep simple records of what you’re paying when, to whom.  Keep track of your due dates, and if any are really sitting in the wrong place to make your plan work quickly, try having the date changed to fit in better with the process.  I have a chart that I print out, with columns for five weeks, and columns for the creditor information, totals, etc.  I duplicate the records in my checkbook register, as well.

Most creditors now allow you to pay your bills online, and have no restrictions on how many payments you can make each month.  Occasionally you’ll come up against a company which will not let you do what you’re trying to do … either there is no online method of payment (it’s pretty comical that one of the few bills I pay that I cannot pay online is my Internet bill) or they put restrictions on how much you can pay them (one of our regulars, for example, has recently applied a limit to payments so you cannot pay more than three times the balance at a time.  This doesn’t sound like a problem, but when you’ve got your quarterly payment set to, for instance, $20.00 and your balance owed is down to $4.00, they won’t let you make your full installment).

For bills that are a problem in one of those ways, we simply “hide” a quarter of the balance per week by marking it as “SA” (Set Aside) in the check book register, and we then “re-deposit” it when the bill is due.  The money hasn’t actually gone anywhere, we’ve just taken it out of circulation until the bill is due.

To make it easier for anyone who wishes to follow the method, I’ve uploaded a blank form, in PDF format, with instructions, that you can download here:

Blank Weekly Bill Organizer

It’s not pretty, and not fancy, and you can probably come up with something better yourself … but it’ll give you a visual idea of how things work, if you would like to give the “More Money At The End Of The Month” plan a try.  What I do is print this out, one copy each month, and fill it in as the instructions describe.

Why It Works

When you pay your bills monthly, unless you’re a meticulous budgeter, you are getting to them with whatever is left after daily expenses take their toll … such as groceries and unexpected needs.  When you pay a quarter of a monthly payment each week, or set aside that money toward the monthly due date, you are in better control of your funds.  One would think it means you have less for groceries, less for clothing, less for sudden medical expenses….  It doesn’t work out that way, though; at least it hasn’t for us.  To the contrary, it seems like we have more money for day to day expenses, in addition to the peace of mind of knowing the bills are paid, simply because we’re keeping weekly track of everything.

In addition, you have that magical little “Fifth Week” some months, where you actually get in an extra payment.  This helps you to catch up back balances, and get ahead on other bills.  It helps you knock down the credit card debt a little faster, and store up a bit of buffer against future setbacks.

I’m certainly no financial expert; far from it.  I know this method won’t work for everyone.  It’s just something that has helped our family relieve some of our financial worries.  Several people have been suggesting I share the method for a while now, so I do hope someone out there finds it helpful.

I also discovered a bonus.  Now, I haven’t 100% verified this, but it’s been told to me by several people who are much more finance savvy than I:  If you make extra payments each month, even if the total adds up to what you normally owe, those extra payments are considered “voluntary”, and they help your credit rating.

Links of Interest

Grandpa Terry’s free budget course online: http://www.homemoneyhelp.com/

Related posts:

1. Joy Journal, by Velma “The Queen Of Joy” Gallant
2. Infinite Possibilities — New book from Mike Dooley

Neewwwwp.  I spelled, or initialed, anyway, it right.  RAOKA.  It stands for:

Random Acts of Kick-Arse

Sami, a super blogger over at Life, Laughs and Lemmings (I kid you not), came up with this great idea, you see.  She’s setting up a network of other bloggers who will perform Random Acts of Kick-Arse, which essentially means doing nice things for others as a part of living the life of one’s dreams.  I’m seriously considering joining the team, but at the very least, I’ll be following everyone’s antics and doing the cheer-leader thing.

But, although I want everyone to click the link above, the links below, subscribe to the feeds of these bloggers, and follow along as the love is spread around the world, that’s not really what this post is about.  Well, it is, but it’s not.  Well… um….  You’ll see.

The Robins, er, Starlings part

Everyone who’s read this blog for the past year, by now, has become sick of hearing about stuff like pyoderma gangrenosum and wheelchairs and … stuff.  (Okay, I’m not exactly grammatically in-tune this morning, sorry.)  On reading between the lines, everyone’s probably also surmised that I don’t always jump out of bed miss Suzie Sunshine every morning.  I wake up hurting quite frequently, and even though I’m doing morning pages and my joy-journal every day, religiously, before I get out of bed, I still often roll out to face the day with pain in my back pocket.  I try to hold back the frustration, but it’s sometimes hard.

However, once I get out into the kitchen to take care of my pets’ morning needs, everything changes.  I find myself smiling, whistling and singing despite myself.  You see, I have two little pals out there who make sure I start every day with laughter.

Their names are Stars and Stripes.

Our Starlings, Stars and Stripes, as young juveniles

I am, though for obvious reasons I haven’t been very active in the task this year, a wildlife rehabilitator.  Last year, long before the sheep hit the fan, on July 4th, these two tiny baby starlings (though we weren’t sure of their species at the time, it took some extensive internet searching to make that definite) were brought in to the center I volunteer with (NY Wildlife Rescue Center).  I brought them home, fed them every twenty minutes all day every day, and as they were right at the prime age for impressing upon their caretaker … I became a parent.

Although Stars and Stripes recovered from their injuries, they grew completely human-dependent, and could not be released.  Fortunately, in most states in the U.S. (though not all, check your regulations before even thinking about such things), it’s legal to keep a starling in captivity.  These are not native birds, but imports from the U.K., which have spread in great masses across the Americas, and are now considered (gasp) pests.

I have come to realize that there is no cooler bird on earth.

My little ones, who refer to themselves as the “babies”, perform Random Acts of Kick-Arse for me all day long, and start my day out with a barrage of:

Who’s a pretty bird? Who’s a pretty baby? Here, kitty kitty kitty! Come here!  Who’s here?  Who’s a bird, is he pretty? Yeahhhhh.

And on and on and on….  And no, it’s not me talking to the birds that I’m quoting … well, I do ANSWER them when they talk to me.  Starlings Speak.

Yes, English (or whatever human language their … flock … speaks).

Starlings are known in their native countries as “The Poor Man’s Mynah”, for a very good reason.  These birds are phenomenal mimics (and ventriloquists, they fool me every time with their voice-thrown blue jay imitation.  I’ll run to the window to see the blue jays at the feeder only to realize that the stars have snagged me again.)

Stars and Stripes don’t just mimic … they so often seem to understand what they’re saying, and respond appropriately, that it’s uncanny.  They will floor us with full sentences that they’ve never said before.  Sometimes they’ll pick those phrases up as part of their permanent vocabulary, other times they say it once and we don’t hear it again.

For example, not long ago one of them asked their typical, “Who’s a pretty bird?” and when I replied, “My babies are pretty birds,” he asked, “Do you love us?”

I’ve been waiting to hear that one again, and encouraging it, but to date, it was a one-hit-wonder.

The other day, my son was helping feed beasties in the afternoon, and he let the dog in after his constitutional.  Kai trotted past the cage, and one of the starlings asked, “Who’s here?” Devon answered, “It’s the puppy,” and the bird asked, “Can I see him?”

And yes, Devon brought the dog to the cage for the birds, who hopped down to Kai’s level and greeted him nose to nose.  (They also do this with the cat.  Another good reason they’re unreleasable. ::cough::)

My little RAOKA’n Starlings.  They bring me joy, they brighten my days, they give me reasons to laugh even when I’m in a rather un-laughing kind of mood.  I truly believe that Stars and Stripes were brought into my life to make sure I survived the past year.

Not only have I survived, in a large part thanks to them … I’ve thrived.

It’s amazing what we can learn from our animal friends.  Two funny little birds, giving back so much more than they were given, and never giving their joy a second thought.

And yeah.  I think I will sign up with the RAOKA team, if the roster isn’t already full!

[Footnote: Sadly, though "pests" in the States, in their native United Kingdom, starlings, along with english sparrows, are now so endangered that they have been put on the "red list" of endangered species.  Look kindly toward these little "pests" next time you see them ... we may be their last stronghold!]

Sites of Interest:

• Lori’s RAOKA introduction at Jane-Be-Nimble
• Sami’s RAOKA introduction at Life, Laughs and Lemmings
• Lance’s Jungle of Life
• Melissa’s Operation Nice
• Dani’s Positively Present
• Brandi’s Joy Rebellion

Related Posts:

• Joy-Journal by Velma Gallant
• The Artist’s Way

Related posts:

1. RAOKA (Random Acts of Kick Arse), October
2. My Starlings Talking
3. RAOKA for December: Wacky

Communicates? No, I don’t necessarily mean he’s an animal communicator … there are many ways we communicate with the life-forms around us. Of course, I don’t mean that he isn’t communicating telepathically, either. I’m not in Zak’s head, after all, who knows what is being exchanged between the young man and his dogs?

However, I received a YouTube subscription update the other day, and when I clicked on the link, I was quite excited about what it led to. Apparently I’m not the only one (well, of course I’m not) who’s noticed Zak George’s dog training videos. Zak now has his own television show on Animal Planet!

SuperFetch premieres October 3rd (yes, that’s this weekend)! I’ve already headed in to the DirecTV website and set up our Tivo to record the entire series. I so enjoy Zak’s energy, and the positive methods he uses to train his canine companions, that I’m completely thrilled to see Animal Planet giving this young trainer the attention he deserves. Along with Victoria Stillwell, Animal Planet now has two top-notch dog trainers in prime spots.

This is so important to me, because we who believe that dogs should be trained with kindness instead of physical force and punishment really need to see major networks like Animal Planet supporting the most current behavioral and training science rather than archaic and often-cruel methods such as those promoted by people like Cesar Milan. (In case you can’t tell from past posts, I am NOT a fan of the self-appointed “Dog Whisperer”!)

Zak George is bright, funny, and it’s obvious that he whole-heartedly loves communicating with dogs and bringing out the best in them. Visit Zak’s videos on YouTube and Superfetch on AnimalPlanet.com to follow his activities and enjoy SuperFetch!

Related posts:

1. Guest Post: Why My Pets Could Have Used An Animal Communicator
2. Clicker Training E-book and Online Course
3. A Little Background on ‘Corpse’

Josh Hanagarne, the World's Strongest Librarian

Josh Hanagarne is one very cool librarian.  In fact, he’s The World’s Strongest Librarian.  I’ve been following his blog for some time now.  No, I’m not a librarian, nor do I do a lot of strength training … I simply love the way he writes, his great attitude, and his sense of humor.  Please visit his blog via the links in this post … I think you’ll enjoy his words, too.

A couple weeks ago, Josh invited anyone who would like a guest post from him to write.  I did, Josh visited, and here are his memories of pets gone by, and why an animal communicator might have been an asset to their lives!  (I’ll be responding to Josh’s question in a comment to his post.)

Why My Pets Could Have Used An Animal Communicator

By Josh Hanagarne

If there had been someone around to talk to my pets in Nevada, they would have communicated two essential truths:

1. Josh’s mom is going to run over you eventually
2. If she doesn’t, a coyote will grab you

My mom loved to give us puppies for Christmas. They’d crawl out of the stocking on Christmas morning and we’d all scream and run around before settling down to the serious business of letting my parents take care of “our” new pets.

Without fail, by April of the next year, those dogs would have either been run over by my mother or coyotes would carry them off.

I was raised in a religious family, but the first time I really remember wondering about the concept of resurrection was when I noticed how many Popsicle stick crosses there were getting to be in our backyard.

“Am I going to see my dogs in Heaven?” I asked my mother.

“Sure!” she said, possibly asking herself if there would be cars in Heaven to mow them down with.

Honestly, it wasn’t her fault. We had some exceptionally bone-headed dogs. Rather than wagging their tails, they got the notion that the best way to express affection was to dive under the wheels of any car that came near.

And I’m not being entirely fair to my mother—it tore the woman up. She is that rare person so tenderhearted that she makes Mother Teresa look like a Grand Inquisitor from a few hundred years back.

So my question to the animal communicators is:

Could these dogs have been helped? If so, what would you have told them?

About the Author: Josh Hanagarne is the twitchy giant behind World’s Strongest Librarian, a blog with advice about coping with Tourette’s Syndrome, kettlebells, book recommendations, buying pants when you’re 6’8”, old-time strongman training, and much more. Please subscribe to Josh’s RSS Updates to stay in touch.

Related posts:

1. Help for Lost Pets: FindToto.com
2. New AnimalPlanet Show, Superfetch
3. Infinite Maybes (Reflections On Human Nature)

Velma Gallant is a friend of mine in the TUT.com community, and she is herself a life coach and positive-thinking guru.  She helps dozens of TUT adventurers around their challenges, and through her websites, including Welcome Changes, she reaches out to many more.

Today I discovered a real little gem on her site, that just felt so right, I purchased it right away and have already listened to the entire thing.  It’s a little audio seminar on the “Joy Journal”.

As visitors to this website are probably tired of hearing by now, I’m currently working, once again, through The Artist’s Way.  This is a program that helps one to tap into the creative force of the Universe, to connect with the inner artist, and to bring forth works of creation of one’s own.  To me, this also means help in creating one’s own reality … another step toward the realization of our dreams.

When I read the write up on Welcome Changes about Velma’s Joy Journal program, it felt like a hand fitting into the glove of my current life path.  I just knew that it would be right for me, and I most definitely wasn’t disappointed.

I’m already writing my morning pages, through The Artist’s Way program.   Velma’s methods are a perfect addition.  Velma not only demonstrates that journal writing is a good way to help manifest the life you desire … she shows us just how to go about using the tool for its best effect.

Velma discovered the method in 2005, when changes in her husband’s business circumstances placed their family on the edge of a precarious financial situation.  They needed a shift for the better, and they needed it fast.  Within four months, the practices Velma developed in her Joy Journal turned things around for them.

For one who believes in, and attempts to implement, the law of attraction, I can easily see how keeping a Joy Journal might bring clarity to dreams and set them on a fast track.

I intend to start my daily morning pages, from now on, with the prescribed five minutes of my Joy Journal.

If you’re looking for a way to bring “this whole law of attraction thing” into better focus, I encourage you to check out Velma’s audio program.  It’s a quick listen (only about an hour of your time) to a quick practice (just five minutes a day) that makes great sense and holds, I feel, great promise.

And besides … it sounds like fun!

Related posts:

1. Little Victories, Big Gratitudes
2. Infinite Possibilities — New book from Mike Dooley
3. Better Than Ever? (Law of Attraction)

On the 8th of September, Simon and Schuster is releasing Mike Dooley’s newest book, Infinite Possibilities: The Art of Living Your Dreams.  You can order your copy today through Amazon.com (at a 34% discounted price)!

I’ve enjoyed Mike’s audio program of the same title for a number of years. It’s always inspirational and encouraging, and I’m so excited to hear that he’s releasing much of the delightful information on those CDs in book form.

In addition, Tut.com has declared September a “Month of Infinite Possibilities”! Visit the website to enjoy all of the special events, including a drawing where you can win fantastic prizes.

Below, please enjoy the special write-up  all about the new book, the month-long celebration, the sweepstakes, and of course Mike Dooley himself. Have fun!

Infinite Possibilities: The Art of Living Your Dreams – The brand NEW book by Mike Dooley!

A profound exploration into the mysteries of the Universe. Infinite Possibilities is bestselling author Mike Dooley’s manifesto, revealing that we are literally the eyes and the ears of the Divine. He enlightens that our dreams are not accidental but serve rather as invitations to understand the truth about ourselves, hinting at the lives we can create. Dooley shares that our “default settings” are abundance, health, and harmony, and he explains that once we grasp the truth about our heritage, thinking far beyond what spirituality has traditionally meant, it becomes evident that life, itself, is the ultimate adventure—filled with unending opportunities that day-by-day lead us to rediscover how powerful we are, how much we deserve, and why we’re here. With recognizable insight, lighthearted wit, and striking sincerity, this new work by the much-celebrated author elevates the lessons learned in The Secret, Choose Them Wisely and his Notes from the Universe trilogy to a whole new level. Prepare to be challenged and excited with this unique guide to living the life of your dreams—purposefully, lovingly, brilliantly.

An international tax accountant turned entrepreneur turned writer for “the Universe,” Mike Dooley lives in Orlando Florida, where he runs TUT’s Adventurers Club and sends out his Notes from the Universe to hundreds of thousands of e-mail subscribers each weekday. As a featured teach in The Secret book and DVD, Dooley is actively using the profound concepts and principles he expounds upon to travel the world speaking on life, dreams, and happiness.

A “Month of Infinite Possibilities” – TUT is making dreams come true!!

In celebration of the release of Mike Dooley’s brand new book, Infinite Possibilities: The Art of Living Your Dreams, TUT has decided to make the entire month of September a “Month of Infinite Possibilities,” dedicated to making people’s dreams come true! Each person who purchases the book can be entered into our drawing with a chance at winning several “dream” prizes, including a trip for two to Egypt, a Tahiti Cruise for two, a week in Hawaii, a spa getaway retreat, a year of chocolate, and lots more!!!). For more information about the prizes and other fun contests and events, please go to http://www.tut.com/events/ip/thebook/! To enter the Month of Infinite Possibilities Sweepstakes*, just purchase the book from anywhere and mail a copy of your receipt to the address below:

TUT’s Month of Infinite Possibilities Sweepstakes Entry
625 Panorama Trail
Building 2, Suite 100
Rochester, NY 14625

For Canadian Residents:

TUT’s Month of Infinite Possibilities Sweepstakes Entry
17-7000 McLeod Rd
Unit 135
Niagara Falls, ON L2G 7K3

*You may also enter the sweepstakes without purchase. Simply send a stamped postcard to TUT’s Month of Infinite Possibilities Sweepstakes at the address above.

Related posts:

1. Better Than Ever? (Law of Attraction)
2. Those Blasted “Hows” Again
3. Inspiring Note from the Universe for Animal Lovers

The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

The Artist’s Way

Julia Cameron

(Tarcher/Putnam, orig. 1992)

I first discovered The Artist’s Way quite a few years ago.  I’d heard it mentioned, over and over again, in various writers’ forums, artists’ communities, by friends and acquaintances.  It was at a period when my writing had gone stale, and I’d grown creatively lazy, that I finally purchased a copy for myself.  I believe it was in 2002, a year of extreme highs and lows in my life (how I’m tempted to ask, “aren’t they all?”), that I decided to actually participate in the program.

I worked through the book alone, writing out my morning pages, doing my “artist’s dates” the best way I could (as I was at the time without a vehicle), faithfully following  the exercises.  I was pleasantly surprised to discover a new sense of peace, self-worth, and enjoyed a series of serendipitous occurrences which seemed to be far more than coincidence.

I’m now, once again, going through one of those “high and low” phases of life, and finding more of a need than ever to tap into the creative energy of the universe.  I’d been gazing across the room at my copy of The Artist’s Way for several days when serendipity struck again.

Out of the blue, someone on a dog list I frequent mentioned that she had also picked up her copy and decided to work through the program.  I wrote to her privately, at the same time that yet another person responded on the list that she, too, was about to revisit the book.  A fourth had expressed the need to start painting again, and was interested in the program as well.

We suddenly had found ourselves a perfect little “cluster” (as described on Julia Cameron’s website, theartistsway.com), are now writing our morning pages, setting up dates with our inner artists, and once again exploring the connection to our own creativity.

The subtitle of The Artist’s Way is “A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity”, and that certainly is a good description of the program.  This is not just a book, but has grown into a world-wide community of thousands of interconnected souls, who will probably never know of one anothers’ existence, but who have all used Julia Cameron’s blueprint to reconnect with their inner artist.  Although it is a very spiritual walk, Cameron does not attempt to steer one’s beliefs, and encourages each person to find that connection in their own private way.  Through a series of activities, which begin with the two essential tools of morning pages and artist’s dates, The Artist’s Way leads the participant both into the depths of their intuitive center, and outward into the universe to tap the inflow of creative energy.  It reconnects one with their inner child, and encourages that child to Create.

The Artist’s Way, despite the title, is not just for visual artists.  Cameron herself is a writer, in fact; a screen-writer with award-winning credits as well as an author of many marvelous books.  Painters, photographers, writers, poets, musicians, actors, dancers … all who wish to live a more creative life will find benefit from this program.  By this, I do not simply mean all who wish to create some kind of art … but anyone who wishes their life to be more intuitive, creative, fulfilling.  Any person who would like to tap the joy that is locked up inside themselves, and bring it to the surface, can be helped toward that goal through The Artist’s Way.

My words make this book sound like a magic wand, but it’s not.  In fact, the program will not give anyone anything they don’t already have.  It simply helps a person to locate, and utilize, their own resources.  It teaches one to listen to the inner voice, to open up to the inspiration of the universe, and to access the flow of creative energy so that they can create what is already inside them.

I’m eagerly looking forward to following the program to its conclusion again, and intend fully to continue my morning pages and artist’s dates long after I close the book.  I hope this little piece of encouragement may help others to find the same satisfaction, as well.

Julia Cameron, in addition to The Artist’s Way, has written many other books which all, in some way, encourage creativity.  Follow the link to her name to discover these titles, which include offshoots of the original Artist’s Way as well as many other works.  In addition, a great deal of wonderful information is available on her website.

Enjoy your day, and enjoy your life, as you seek the path to higher creativity!

Read More About This Topic:

• The Artist’s Way
• Works by Julia Cameron
• The Artist’s Way website

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by

Ted Andrews
(Llewellyn, 1993)

“There was a time when humanity recognized itself as part of nature, and nature as part of itself.  Dreaming and waking were inseparable realities; the natural and the supernatural merged and blended.  People used images of nature to express this unity and to instill a transpersonal kind of experience.”

I have been looking at my old, dog-eared copy of Animal-Speak for a couple of weeks now, thinking I should do a review on this classic text for the Cool Stuff section of gazehound.com.  And then, two things happened.  Yesterday, a friend emailed me to ask if I’d ever read this great book by Ted Andrews, and this morning I picked up the book and read the first paragraph again … quoted above.

If you visited yesterday, you would have read my post about none other than “The Dreamtime”.

I’ve often been heard to say “there are no coincidences”, so, here I am, doing as the Universe dictates, and letting my visitors know about a really marvelous resource.

Animal-Speak, first published in 1993, has been a standard resource, since it first hit the stands, for all who wish the opportunity to glimpse into the wisdom of nature though the symbolic imagery of the animal kingdom.  Tribal peoples the world over have watched and listened to animals, gaining signs and wisdom from their appearance, their actions, their habits.  Native tradition states that the spiritual world is reflected in the natural, and thus by observing nature we can learn more about our higher, and our inner, selves, and grow closer to both Creation and the Creator.

Animal-Speak, through it’s nearly four hundred pages, covers the natural symbolism of mammals, reptiles, insects and birds, as well as giving the reader many tips and suggestions on how to use that knowledge.  Andrews gives solid suggestions, gleaned from ancient practices, about finding your spirit totems, reading signs in nature, and working with various types of animal medicine.  Each main section then ends in an alphabetical reference on various animal species, and what their symbolism represents.

Not only will you learn about the symbolism and spiritual application of animal medicine, you will also gather a great deal of information about the animals themselves.

Ted Andrews has written many books on new-age and spiritual topics, although Animal-Speak remains his most well-known.  If you enjoy Animal-Speak, you may also wish to look for titles such as How To See and Read The Aura, How To Uncover Your Past Lives, and How To Meet and Work with Spirit Guides
.

Animal-Speak has long been a classic text on the topic of animal wisdom, and a title that everyone who is interested in gathering wisdom from the natural world should have on their bookshelf.

Animal-Speak: The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great & Small

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