Part of our commitment to you is to be in touch on a regular basis. Our newsletter will contain personal updates as well as information and opportunities that might be of interest to you as your journey unfolds. We hope that you will find them informative, insightful and fun to read.

Summer 2006 Newsletter - July 2006

Summer 2005 Newsletter - August 2006

Fall 2004 Newsletter - September 2004

The E-newsletter of Authentic Lives
Volume 1, Issue 1 - January 2003

Website Launch Party Photos! - November 2002

Upcoming Events - May 2002

Spring 2002 - March 2002

Something to Inspire you from Barb & Gail - March 2002

Thinking of an Early Xmas Gift to Yourself or a Loved One?
December 2001

Summer 2006 Newsletter
July 2006

In this issue…
Welcome
Exercise
Recommendations
Article
Upcoming Workshops & Circles
Services
Inspiration

WELCOME

Welcome to the summer edition of the Authentic Lives’ newsletter! I certainly hope this finds you well and enjoying the amazing weather wherever you are, that you are able to take time to rest and rejuvenate your soul and to re-connect with family and friends.

My hope is that you find something in the contents of this newsletter to uplift and inspire you.

I wish you all a glorious summer filled with moments that truly exalt your spirit!

Namaste,
Barbara

EXERCISE
From The Work of Byron Katie (byronkatie.com)

When experiencing challenges with others in your life ask the following questions:

Is it true?
Can you absolutely know that it's true?
How do you react when you believe that thought?
Who would you be without the thought?
And remember to turn it around.

Example:
With The Work, something different takes place. First, write down the problem on paper: I'm angry at my father because he's so judgmental.

Then question it.

He shouldn't be so judgmental—is it true?
Yes, he shouldn't be so judgmental. It drives me nuts.

Can you absolutely know that it's true that he shouldn't be so judgmental? (Can you know his path, and how judgmental he should or shouldn't be at this point in time?)
Well, I can't absolutely know that he should be different than he is. I mean, that's how he is, so I guess that's his path.

This is the first insight generated from doing The Work--we see that what we had believed to be absolutely true may not be. The whole world might agree with it ("Fathers should not be judgmental"), but that doesn't make it true in reality. In reality, fathers are judgmental sometimes. They always have been. That's what true.

"Yes," people new to The Work might say. "They are judgmental, but they shouldn't be."

This is where the third question can be so revealing.

How do you react when you think the thought, "My father shouldn't be so judgmental?"
I get angry. I resent his criticisms, his advice, his belief that he knows best. I scowl. I avoid him. I complain to my friends. I don't listen to what he has to say about anything, and when I'm with him I'm silent or sometimes rude.

How does that feel?
Pretty lousy.

When we believe that fathers shouldn't be judgmental, the effect of that belief is anger, resentment, and separation. These are not effects of his judgments—another person might hear his judgments as good advice, or simply as one man's opinion. Someone else might find them amusing. But when we attach to the belief that he shouldn't be acting the way he does, we are at war with reality, and we lose ("but only 100% of the time," says Katie). It's like saying the sky shouldn't be blue. Look at the blue sky and tell yourself it should be green, and you'll feel the absurdity of it. (This is an interesting exercise for people new to The Work.) As absurd as it may seem when applied to the sky, it's what we do every day with our surroundings. It's violent, and we feel the effect of that inside us as stress.]

The Work doesn't tell us to accept things as they are. We don't have to accept that the sky is blue or that our fathers judge us. We can argue with that. We can try to change the world to match our beliefs about how it should be. This is what people have done forever. Has it worked?

Through inquiry we see that when we believe something should be different than it is, we experience stress and we call it that thing's fault. In reality, it's our thinking that is causing the discomfort. The fourth question helps us see this more clearly:

Who would you be without the thought "My father shouldn't be judgmental?" (It often helps to close your eyes and vividly picture your father judging you.) Who would you be if you didn't believe he shouldn't do that?
If he were judging me and I didn't believe he shouldn't be, I would just be watching him the way I watch a wave crash or a dog bark. It would be okay. It's kind of funny, actually. I could just see him giving me his opinions the only way he knows how. I could even see it as his way of caring about me.]

Then comes the turnaround, an opportunity to stretch the mind to explore perspectives and possibilities that we were blind to when we attached to a limiting belief.

"My father shouldn't be judgmental"—turn it around.
My father should be judgmental. Yeah, I see that now. He should be judgmental because that's who he is, and my arguing against that just stresses me out.

Can you see another turnaround?
"I shouldn't be judgmental." I never thought about that. When I go on and on about how judgmental he is, I'm being really judgmental about him. I've been judging that he shouldn't judge me. No wonder we keep pushing each other's buttons. I'm just doing what I was angry at him for.

The result of investigation is often a deeper appreciation of the people in our lives, and a realization that it was not their words or actions that really harmed us, but our uninvestigated thoughts about their words or actions. By judging the situation and sincerely applying the inquiry process, one can transform even the most traumatic relationships and experiences. We see this regularly in The School for The Work, where people have found freedom from every condition imaginable, including rape and incest. But we don't have to wait for a major crisis to find freedom. We can judge our bosses or our partners or our bodies or our bank accounts and be free of the stress in our lives now. "Confusion is the only suffering," says Katie. "Put your confusion on paper, investigate it, and set yourself free."

As doing The Work becomes more familiar, people do begin to accept things as they are, not because they have told themselves to "just accept it," but because they have seen that arguing with reality is painful and hopeless. When this is truly realized, we don't have to stop these arguments--they stop themselves. The result is peace beyond what we had hoped to find through our endless arguing.

RECOMMENDATIONS

• geezmagazine.org – check this great magazine out! It is filled with inspirational information!
• www.tut.com – Notes from the Universe – sign up for these and be inspired on a daily basis!
• Interfaith Grand River – www.interfaithgrandriver.com - a large, diverse interfaith group actively involved in the community.
• Encounter World Religions – www.encounterreligions.ca – this outstanding organization connects people of various faiths through education that includes opportunities to visit and worship with a variety of different faith traditions. Through education and experience comes understanding and compassion.
• Non Violent Communication: A Language of Life – Create your Life, Your Relationships, and Your World in Harmony with Your Values by Marshall Rosenberg – a book that provides information and tools to transform how we can relate to each other in a respectful and harmonious way
• Their Jihad…Not My Jihad! by Raheel Raza – Raheel is an interfaith advocate, media consultant and journalist. She shares her unique and inclusive perspective on the Muslim faith and challenges her faith to remember who they are to be in the world. She encourages an all-inclusive understanding of Islam and interfaith dialogue.
  

ARTICLE

Never instead of…always in addition to - by Barbara McDowall (originally published in the Ontarion)

There seems to be some confusion about what the term “interfaith” means. Frequently, I am approached by people who want to know more.

My response is to tell them interfaith is a “spiritual philosophy that respects and fully accepts, the wisdom contained in the worlds religions.” The understanding of the truth contained in those religions brings the realization of the oneness of the universal family, that we are all on some spiritual path to the One whether we believe in a Creator God, e.g. or in a Way of being, e.g. Taoism, Buddhism, etc. We may identify as atheist or agnostic. We are all on a path.

Some people believe interfaith is just a hodge-podge from other faith traditions. Others argue before we embrace an interfaith perspective we have to be truly grounded in our own faith. That may be true and I would also argue we also need to be grounded in knowing who we are.

The Dalai Lama has said, “Don't try to use what you learn from Buddhism to be a Buddhist –
use it to be a better whatever-you-already-are." That can be said for all the worlds faith traditions. Interfaith was never meant to replace any of the existing faith communities. Its intent is to clarify and strengthen a bond with all those faith communities in order for us to see how common humanity and spirituality.

As Raheel Raza, a Muslim friend of mine said not too long ago, “When we pray together, we stay together.” I am reminded of an Interfaith Healing Service of Hope and Love I helped to organize in response to the spiritual needs of the South East Asian communities in Toronto directly affected by the tsumani in 2005. It took place in a Tamil temple along with the support of the leader of that temple and the congregation. It was a profound moment when we all came together to worship and to offer our prayers as an interfaith group (Jewish holocaust survivor, Muslim man, a Buddhist from the Sri Lankan tradition and two female faith leaders.

Some members of the Tamil congregation could not speak English. Nevertheless, we sat together and communicated as best we could and it was deeply and richly satisfying. It was one of the most profound experiences of my life.

When we remove the barriers that get in the way of us seeing the Other as our brother or sister, we create opportunities for dialogue, understanding and compassion that can change the world.

Interfaith builds on who we are and allows us to develop bridges with others through love, compassion and acceptance of the entire universal family, our brothers and sisters. All paths to the One can be valued, respected and celebrated including Wiccan, Native Spirituality, Taoism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Unity, Religious Science, etc.. By thinking outside the box and moving beyond our comfort zone, we can not only deepen our own experience of Spirit but we can also deepen our understanding and connection to our fellow human beings wherever we are.

I urge you to step outside of your comfort zone. Visit someone else’s place of worship. Participate in worship with them. Engage them in conversation. Ask questions. It will change the way you see them and it will change the way they see you.

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS & CIRCLES

• Interfaith Discussion Circle – Fall 2006
• The Artist Way Study Circle – Fall 2006
• Non-Violent Communication Circle – Fall 2006
• Authentic Lives Book Circle – Fall 2006
• Golden Rule Meditation Exercises – Fall 2006
  

If you are interested in any of these groups, please contact Barbara @ 519-767-5697 or barbara@authenticlives.com

SERVICES

• Spiritual Coaching – be all of who you are here to be! Live your life to its fullest!
• Workshops and Circles – to empower, take you deeper, connect you to other seekers.
• Retreats – time away in community to learn, grow and be.
• Quantum Touch Healing – one FREE 30 minute session in September 2006
• Ceremonies with meaning at the location of your choice: Interfaith, civil and spiritual wedding ceremonies
  Baby Namings and Baptisms
  Funerals and Celebrations of Life

For more information on the various services we offer, please visit www.authenticlives.com, call 519-767-5697 or email barbara@authenticlives.com

INSPIRATION

“Nonviolence means allowing the positive within you to emerge. Be dominated by love, respect, understanding, appreciation, compassion and concern for others rather than the self-centered and selfish, greedy, hateful, prejudiced, suspicious and aggressive attitudes that dominate our thinking. We often hear people say: This world is ruthless and if you want to survive you must become ruthless, too. I humbly disagree with this contention.

This world is what we have made of it. If it is ruthless today it is because we have made it ruthless by our attitudes. If we change ourselves we can change the world and changing ourselves begins with changing our language and methods of communication.” …Arun Gandhi, foreword to Non-Violent Communication – A Language of Life by Marshall Rosenberg

What an amazing time to be alive! We have moved well beyond spring and now find ourselves experiencing one of the hottest and most humid summers on record!

The spring brought many of us new beginnings and a leap of faith or two. We emerged from the long, cold winter months to poke our heads out of the lair and search for signs of spring. Some of us felt renewed and ready for change. We wanted to open the doors and let the sun shine in, physically and metaphorically. Spring holds the promise of great possibilities! It can be a time of immense energy and creativity – a time of shedding old habits, outdated beliefs and things we have been clinging to for a long time.

As I look back in my rear view mirror, I realize there has been much of the afore-mentioned in my life and the life of Authentic Lives. Gail and I along with Authentic Lives have begun a new chapter on our life journey. We have taken a leap of faith and moved ourselves and our business to Guelph, a smaller city just west of Toronto. We left Toronto, a significantly larger metropolis of over 3 million people, and have calmly and easily settled into this community of approximately 170,000 people. It has fulfilled a desire of mine that came with the realization that who we are and the work we do are most needed in communities like this one. We feel a call to this place with its amazing architecture and sense of community, its university and diverse faith communities, its vibrant arts community and gay community, both hallmarks of a healthy community.

It is with great anticipation that we set forth on this leg of our journey, knowing we will be supported by Spirit, knowing we are being called to do the work that inspires us and fulfills our purpose for being on the planet as we seek to serve our brothers and sisters in smaller city centres and surrounding rural areas.

We wish you the very best as you take the first step into the potential this fertile time holds.

Namaste,
Barbara & Gail

ARTICLES
So You Want to Get Married? Gaiety Magazine, June 2005

UPCOMING EVENTS

Gain Disguised as Loss: Waking up to the Miracle workshop to be presented at Bereavement Ontario Network Conference, September 21-23, 2005, Geneva Park Convention Centre, Orillia, ON. For more information, visit www.bereavementontarionetwork.ca/confer.html

Quantum-Touch Introductory & Networking Session & Basic Workshop,
September 23-25, 2005, The Grenadier Retirement Residence, Toronto.

STAY TUNED…

Show Us You Care, May 2006
Fundraising/awareness raising event in memory of my sister, Roz McKenzie as well as lesbian and bisexual women who have been touched by cancer to be held at the Mill Street Brewery in the Distillery District

The Ten Commandments: Up Close and Personal February 22-March 22 & May 17-June 21, 2006
A series of informal discussions based on Dr. Leonard Felder’s groundbreaking book, The Ten Challenges, a psycho-spiritual interpretation of the Ten Commandments that will provide relevance, understanding and application for our lives today.

Living Room Conversations: Let’s Talk About Life and Death and Dying Differently, Spring 2006

SERVICES

• Spiritual Coaching & Pastoral Care – one on one; couples and groups
• Workshops/Circles/Classes on a variety of different topics dedicated to personal and spiritual growth
• Weddings – Interfaith, civil and spiritual at the location of your choice
• So You Want to Get Married Classes
• Baby Namings/Blessings/Christenings
• Funerals/Celebrations of Life

RECOMMENDATION FROM THE AUTHENTIC LIVES'
BOOK SHELF

• Mind of the Soul: Responsible Choice by Gary Zukav
• Tomorrow’s God by Neale Donald Walsch
• Pagan Christ by Tom Harpur
• Coming to Our Senses: Healing Ourselves and the World through Mindfulness by Jon Kabat-Zinn
• Field Notes on the Compassionate Life: A Search for the Soul of Kindness by Marc Ian Barasch
• Always Becoming – Forever! By Clare Buckland and Diana Claire Douglas
• Peace is the Way by Deepak Chopra
• Quantum-Touch: The Power to Heal by Richard Gordon
• Unity Magazine

Free and fun online newsletter!
Read about it and sign up if you like at: http://www.whatthebleep.com/mailinglist

INSPIRATION
Can something as simple as listening and being heard liberate the world? And would it be too much to agree, once and for all, that the heart is the country to which we all belong, and love the only state we owe our allegiance?

…Field Notes on a Compassionate Life: A Search for the Soul of Kindness by Marc Ian Barasch

PERSPECTIVE
One of the most difficult learnings is that of forgiveness. We believe if we forgive we are condoning the behaviour that has hurt us. We believe we need something from the person who hurt or abused us before we can forgive.

The truth is we have the power to choose our own freedom through an ongoing practice of forgiveness. For this to occur, we must love ourselves. Then we will be able to forgive ourselves. Our forgiveness of others and their behaviours opens our hearts to love again and again. From forgiveness can come compassion as we recognize our interconnectedness and the fact that we too are capable of hurtful behaviours which need forgiving.

Below are some helpful steps to forgiveness from the wisdom of World Wide Forgiveness Alliance. May they inspire you to love and forgive over and over again and again…

Steps to Forgiveness
from World Wide Forgiveness Alliance
www.forgivenessday.org

1. Confront your emotional pain - your shock, fear, anger, and grief. Recognize that the hurt that has occurred may have been very unfair and that these steps are not meant to minimize the hurt involved.
   
   
2. Realize that forgiveness can only be appropriate after you have processed out your fear, anger, and grief. However, also realize that you can set forgiveness as a goal in the future for your sake now! Recognize that to continue to dwell on the anger and resentment involved in the hurt will literally destroy your physical health, and cause you great mental suffering.

   New studies clearly show that anger and resentment doubled the risk of myocardial heart attacks in women with previous coronary problems. Other studies indicate cancer and other deadly illnesses are also caused by anger and resentment. So be willing, for your sake, to begin to process out these deadly emotions as soon as possible.

3. Understand that love is what you ultimately want for yourself from yourself.
   
   
4. Understand that forgiveness does not condone or approve or forget the harmful acts; forgiveness does not allow yourself to be abused. We forgive the doer, not the doing. Remembering this helps us to break harmful cycles of behavior.
   
   
5. Realize that you are the only person responsible for your own feelings and for healing the hurt that is going on inside of you.
   
   
6. Remember that you are so powerful that usually you had some part in what happened. Be willing to totally face up to that part and accept it without blame (to forgive and love that part).
   
   
7. See this situation as an opportunity for healing and for growth. See that the other person involved has revealed to you through his or her actions where there was a wounded spot in you which needed healing.
   
   
8. Start releasing anger, sadness, grief, and fear through the many processes, therapies and therapists available. Have a person to work with who can truly empathize with you, yet who can be objective and help you shift your perception from blame to healing.
   
   
9. Decide to forgive. Even if this decision is half-hearted at first, it will probably lessen your hurt and anger immediately.
   
   Notice that this decision can be difficult because after you have processes out the anger, resentment and grief, you will have to give up the grudge - the being the "victim", the "being right" and making the other person "wrong". Notice that this is "superior" position which can be used to get a lot of self-righteous attention. Be willing, for your sake to have the courage to get off that "superior" position.
   
   
10. Be willing to find a new way to think about the person who wronged you. What was his or her life like growing up? What was his or her life like at the time of the offense? What were this person's good points up to the time of the hurt? Notice you may not be able to see much good within until you have processed out your anger and/or grief or fear.
    
    
11. Be aware that being forgiving is a courageous act on your part. It has nothing to do with whether the other person can admit they are wrong. You are forgiving to liberate yourself no matter what the other person decides to do.
    
    
12. Be willing to do and learn whatever it takes to forgive. Commit to do processes, to read courageous stories of forgiveness, to write in journals, to see a therapist, to do training’s, or to do whatever it takes to heal the wounds involved. Remember these wounds may be deeply tied to past hurts going back to your interactions with your parents. Resolve to follow them through for your total healing, even if it involves years of effort to heal. Remember that you are determined to find the true happiness and joy that true forgiveness can bring to your life.
    
    
13. If you believe in a Higher Power, be willing to pray on this problem and to turn to this Higher Power for guidance and assistance in the forgiveness process.
    
    
14. Accept the lessons involved in this incident — our lives are laboratories for learning. What have you learned from this event that is invaluable to you? Has some form of attachment to a belief or beliefs a position has caused you the pain involved? What belief or beliefs were involved?
    
    
15. See that everything is okay; possibly perfect, as it is now.
    
    
16. If you have the willingness and it is appropriate, seek feedback from the other person by being willing to say "I'm sorry that I did..." (Whatever it is that you feel contributed to the problem).
    
    
17. Regardless of what the other person does, work towards seeing them with love and goodness. Know that therefore love and goodness are thus flowing to you for your mental and physical health and well-being.

Fall 2004 Newsletter
September 2004

In this issue
The Healing Power of Dialogue
What’s New & Ongoing + Free Offer
Special Flash Make a Rainbow Presentation
Recent Articles
Recommended: Books and TV
Upcoming Events

Greetings! We hope you have had a safe and happy summer.

And now the wondrous fall season stretches out before us. Enjoy all this season has to offer from cool, crisp evenings, to the magnificent changes in foliage, to the departure of some of the wild life that we have enjoyed over the past few months. We are blessed to be here, to be alive, and with so much abundance at almost every turn. What a great time to refocus, revitalize and move forward into new and exciting territory in our lives.

Authentic Lives wishes you the best of this autumn season with all the potential it holds for meaning, growth and change. This is an exciting time! Take the leap!

A. THE HEALING POWER OF DIALOGUE

Dialogue is the most important tool we have to repair the difficulties in our world right now. We must learn compassion not just for those we love, but also for those who are our enemies or those with whom we fundamentally disagree.
We can best do this through dialogue.

...The Dalai Lama

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines dialogue as “an exchange of ideas and opinions; a discussion between representatives of parties to a conflict that is aimed at resolution.” Debate, on the other hand, comes from the Old French, from de- + batre to beat. You might remember the federal leaders’ debate during the most recent Canadian election. What you might have witnessed was an excellent example of mean spirited combativeness and disrespect. Little of it was helpful in learning more about the issues for which these men stood - issues that will significantly affect each one of us.

Almost from the dawn of time, the world has been a violent and warring place. As individuals and nations, we can and often do fundamentally disagree with each other. Rarely is there room for compromise or understanding. The solution over and over again has led us to violence and wars. According to psychologist, Rollo May, we have been and continue to practice insanity - doing the same things over and over again, expecting different results.

The greatest single antidote to violence (or any disagreement) is conversation, speaking our greatest single fears, listening to
the fears of others, and in that sharing of vulnerabilities
discovering a genesis of hope.

…Jonathan Sacks in Dignity of Difference:
How to Avoid the Clash of Civilizations

Here are some tips I would like to share for creating successful dialogue.

a) Be present – keep your thoughts on the present without attachment to the past or to a future outcome

b) Actively listen – listen with a clear intention and caring to understand, to hear what is really being said.

c) Follow a clear set of guidelines/rules of the road – ensure that the space for safe sharing is intentionally
created with clearly stated guidelines for effective communication that encourage respectful listening, compassion and understanding. e.g. we will only use respectful language or we will agree to disagree

d) Be aware of the language used – is it uplifting or harmful; does it include or exclude; is it respectful? If it is not uplifting, inclusive or respectful, change it.

e) Apply any one of the 6 defined templates for conscious living listed below;

1. A Course in Miracles tells us there is only love and fear (False Evidence Appearing Real). Fear is really illusion. Communication is either an expression of love or a cry for it. What we often hear are the cries for love that may challenge our ability to love unconditionally in response. But love we must. Be mindful of what you are about to say. Ask yourself if what you are about to say will uplift or will it undermine and contribute to an end to communication, to connection. Will it be divisive? Ask for Divine guidance in seeing it in a different way allowing you to remain in communication with that person. Miracles happen when we shift our thinking from separation to connection.

2. The Eight-Fold Path of Buddhism talks about the conscious use of:

Right Speech - do not gossip, tell lies or hurt others with your words

Right Intent – think of others at all times

Right Conduct – behave in a way that will hurt no one

Right Mindfulness – always be aware of what you are doing and thinking

Right Livelihood – do not do any job that will hurt any living being

Right Effort – get rid of those things, which produce less than good in you

Right Concentration – stop worrying and being jealous of others

Right View – see life as it is

3. The Golden Rule
Don’t do to anyone what you wouldn’t want done to you.

4. The Prayer of St. Francis

Make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is discord, unity.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is error, truth.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is sadness, joy.
Where there is darkness, light.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console.
To be understood, as to understand.
To be loved…as to love.

For it is in the giving that we receive. It is in the pardoning that we are pardoned. It is in the dying that we are born to eternal life.

5. The lives of Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa and other great spiritual teachers– if all you ever did was to emulate the life of just one of these inspiring people, your life would be transformed and transforming.

6. The Four Agreements
Don Miguel Ruiz in The Four Agreements tells us there are really only 4 agreements we need to make in our lives.

1. Be impeccable with your word
   Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using your word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.
2. Don’t take anything personally
   Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.
3. Don’t make assumptions
   Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.
4. Always do your best
   Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgement, self-abuse and regret.

Our friends may test our patience now and then, bur rarely do they challenge us to grow our goodness the way an enemy does.

…Mary Manin Morrissey,
The Living Enrichment Center

Throughout our lives, we will meet people or situations we may not agree with. We can choose to be proactive in our interactions with others that allow us to continue to dialogue, learn more about our commonality that allow us to make decisions that are respectful, compassionate and understanding.

Never before has there been a more pressing need for respectful, compassionate dialogue in healing our planet. We need it in our personal lives and as a global community. The world is in need of a new way of being, of interacting with one another. Everything we say, think, and do counts. By changing one thought, one action, one word in our personal world (microcosm), we shift the energy globally (macrocosm). We become aligned with our God self. And so it is within our power to change the world through our thoughts, words and actions.

How might your relationships and your world view change, if you were to actively listen to someone? What would happen if you consciously applied communication guidelines/rules of the road to your interactions? How would the awareness of language ensure ongoing, productive conversation? What might happen if you applied a template for conscious living such as The Four Agreements to your life?

Be the change we seek in the world, take the first step to finding new ways to encourage dialogue/communication in all your relationships, personal and professional. What action will you take, and if so, when?

B. What’s New & ONGOING
Weddings New!
Baptisms, Funerals New!
Grief and Loss Counselling New!
Coaching, facilitating, consulting – relationships, sexual orientation, self-esteem and other life challenges. From September 20 to October 31, 2004, experience a free 1-hour coaching session in person or by phone. Tell your friends, family and colleagues. To book your session, call 416-201-9474 or email us@authenticlives.com


C. RAINBOW FLASH PRESENTATION
Enjoy this delightful yet powerful message @ http://www.spiritisup.com/colorsflash.html

D. RECENT Articles
Coming Out: An Act of Self-Love
Legacy of Loss
Evolution: From Lesbian and Gay Rights to Human Rights


E. RECOMMENDED

Books:

The New Revelations by Neale Donald Walsch
This was a great read with many fine points made about the damage done by exclusive world faiths that perpetuate the myths of lack, superiority and separation. It encourages people to stand up and declare, “the emperor has no clothes” – to be the change we seek in the world.

Grace in Dying: How We Are Transformed As We Die by
Kathleen Dowling Singh
Singh takes an in depth look at the process of transformation that accompanies death, the final growth stage of life and its power to illuminate our living experience.

Dignity of Difference: How to Avoid the Clash of Civilizations by Jonathan Sacks (Rabbi)
Profound little book that speaks to the need for conversation with everyone including those who do not agree with us as a means for healing the planet. Sacks speaks about the politics of identity at play in the world right now and how difficult it is for people to adapt to such rapid change. Very timely. Great insights!

The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming by Henri Nouwen
This is an insightful exploration and interpretation of the biblical parable that can illuminate our lives and be applied daily.

The Pagan Christ by Tom Harpur
Tom Harpur provides a scholarly perspective involving Christianity’s propensity for literalizing the Bible. It explores the Jesus story as allegory in many of the different world faiths. It is a fresh, new perspective on Christianity’s claim that Jesus was an historical figure based on the extensive work of Alvin Boyd Kuhn and others.

Television:

Joan of Arcadia (check local listings)
This show depicts a teenager’s sometimes-challenging new and developing relationship with “God” as she grows to know and understand a deeper meaning and purpose to her life through everyday interactions with family, friends and classmates. This show presents a new way to relate to “God” that is more realistic and more personal than previously understood.

Six Feet Under (check local listings)
This is a realistic look at life as seen through the lives of a small family-run funeral home as they deal with the many aspects and questions that life offers as we learn to “wake up”.

PLI (Past Life Investigation) will be airing on CBC Television, September 29, October 6, and October 13, at 8:00 p.m.  The first of its kind in Canada contains incredible footage compiled as a series - remember to watch all three episodes!    For more information, contact info@ont-hypnosis-centre.com or call 416-489-0333

F. UPCOMING EVENTS

Coming Out Authentically FOR WOMEN – Authentic Lives
Mondays, October 18-December 6, 7- 9 p.m. $180

• Is my sexual orientation really a choice?
• How do I come out at work, to family, to friends?
• Is my sexuality compatible with my spirituality?
• What are my legal rights?

Be part of a small, interactive discussion group experience with a spiritual perspective presented in a safe and confidential setting. Hear guest speakers share their stories. Learn the answers to some of the questions that exist at the beginning of the coming out process. This group will provide a solid foundation to jump-start your coming out process and is for women at any stage of the coming out process.

THE ARTIST’S WAY, Authentic Lives
Saturdays, October 23, 2004-January 29, 2005, 1-3 p.m., $300
This is a comprehensive 12-week program based on Julia Cameron’s, The Artist’s Way. Recover your creativity from a variety of blocks, including limiting beliefs, fear, self-sabotage, jealousy, guilt, addictions and other inhibiting forces. Learn about the links between creativity and spirituality in nondenominational terms. Learn how to tap into the higher power that connects human creativity with the creative energies of the universe. Experience a variety of highly effective exercises and activities to spur your imagination and capture new ideas. Learn, share, be supported and support each other in community.

Conscious Living and Loving: The Foundation Training with Dr. Kathlyn Hendricks, October 1-3, 2002, Ottawa, ON
Join international relationship expert and best-selling author, Kathlyn Hendricks for an inspirational weekend. Learn how to create the foundation for conscious living and loving that can change your life.

She and her husband, Gay www.hendricks.com have authored over twenty books in education, transpersonal psychology and centering, including “Conscious Loving”, “The Conscious Heart”, “Conscious Living” and “Achieving Vibrance.” Their latest book is entitled, “Lasting Love”. For more information about this event, contact helen@helendaniels.com

Seekers’ Dialogue Speaker Series beginning October 4, Toronto, ON. Seeker’s Dialogue offers a unique spiritual experience designed to elicit a closer relationship with God, yet outside the more formal religious settings currently offered. It is a thoughtful new approach to reclaiming the sacred in our lives.

Thought-provoking talks from leaders in spirituality, justice and ethics, Thomas Moore, Marion Woodman, Marianne Williamson, Romeo Dallaire, Stephen Lewis and Martin Rutte; a taste of inspiring food for the soul, such as music, art, video and dance; plus a subsequent opportunity for dialogue among the attendees and the organizers. For more information, visit www.seekersdialogue.com

Lesbians and their Partners Cancer Support Group,
September 9*, Toronto, ON
Wellspring
The Mitchell Room at the Coach House
81 Wellesley St. E.
6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Program Sampler and Support Group, *Subsequent Dates: October 7, November 4, December 2: 7-9 p.m. For more information, contact Jennifer Alexander at jmalexander@sympatico.ca

The E-newsletter of Authentic Lives
Volume 1, Issue 1
January 2003

AUTHENTIC QUOTE:

Often our true path is not the apparently safe one - but if we
examine the "safe" path, it leads only to deadness and limitation.
The only real safety lies in being true to our own self.
...Alan Cohen

PERSONAL UPDATE:

We have had a tremendous 2002 filled with so much joy and abundance.

We started the year with successful Artist's Way Study Groups and a Sacred Circle as well as an increased number of spiritual coaching clients. I (Barb) continued with my studies as a corresponding student with The New Seminary and my duties as a Deacon with the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto. Gail moved from Coordinator of Greeters & Ushers to a new role as the Volunteer Recognition Coordinator with MCCToronto. We began speaking in schools, universities and youth groups about human rights issues, i.e. diversity and equity including spirituality. We participated in Pride parades in Toronto and Windsor on behalf of Equal Marriage for Same Sex Couples in Ontario. Gail successfully completed her Life Skills Training course with the YWCA. In August, we were off to beautiful Nova Scotia for some much needed R & R. We were lucky enough to have 2 glorious weeks and saw much of this awesome province including Gampo, Pema Chodron's Tibetan monastery. Then it was back home to devote our time to preparing for a new series of Circle and Workshops (see our expanded 2003 Circle and Workshop schedule) . In November, we launched our completely redesigned website (www.authenticlives.com) and held a successful launch party in celebration. Check out the website and sign the guest book! And finally, we would like to leave you with something to think about as you enter this new year - 10 New Year's Resolutions for Renewal of Spirit.

We wish you and yours a brand new year filled with love, peace and joy.

Love and Blessings,
Barb and Gail
www.authenticlives.com
us@authenticlives.com

Awaken Your Power to Live Authentically
If you find this useful, please forward it to a friend or colleague!

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Ten New Year’s Resolutions for Renewal of Spirit
Everything, including change, begins with you

• Eat healthier for maximum results - treat yourself like the Ferrari you are
• Stop to breathe throughout the day - practice breathing soft belly breathing (like a baby)
• Take a yoga class once or twice a week - a great way to connect with the inner you and get a great stretching workout as well
• Read an inspirational non fiction book - changing your inner tape can change your life
• Love yourself - candlelight baths, aromatherapy body message are a great beginning
• Attend a spiritual retreat - be in community with other like-minded people seeking spiritual renewal
• Laugh more - release endorphins and give your internal organs a wonderful massage
• Eliminate one habit/addiction (tobacco, alcohol, drugs, work, sex, etc.) - eliminate fuzzy thinking
• Make personal retreat time a priority - plan to take some time each month that is reserved just for you
• Be in service to others - a great way to open your heart and make a difference