Feature Stories
“The Work” of Inner Peace: An Interview with Byron Katie
Byron Katie is the founder of a simple yet powerful process of self-inquiry called The Work. For the last twenty-two years, she has helped thousands of people journey to the source of the suffering in their lives and to discover peace through The Work. She is the author of four best-selling books, including Loving What Is and A Thousand Names for Joy: Living in Harmony with the Way Things Are. Vision Magazine had a chance to speak with Katie (as she is commonly known) about The Work and about finding the path to peace within ourselves and the world. Continued...The Fight For The Department Of Peace
In a world where gang violence, rape, and war are commonplace, where children think it’s the norm to fight against races different from their own, and where prisons are filled to capacity, people clamoring for peace are looking for answers to stop the violence. This year we are heading for a change in our presidency and many individuals are looking toward the government for those answers. What are the best solutions to save our communities and our world? What can save our sons and daughters from this constant struggle for peace? Continued...Astrology January 2008
Pisces:
Devil (4 of Cups)
2/19-3/20: A pervading sense of ambivalence will creep into your life just when you think it’s safe. You’ve been putting too much emphasis on some form of security: a relationship, a job or a lifestyle. You don’t realize how much this is holding you back and you could be overlooking an opportunity right in front of your eyes. Sometimes concerns over safety prevent you from exploring the inner reaches of your soul. Dive in! Also, you’ll be offered something strange the weekend of the 7th. Before you dismiss it, consider how it could benefit you. Continued...
About the Cover Artist:
“War and Peace” Copyright © 2008 Jayel Aheram
All rights reserved. Presented by IncredibleArtist.Com
Jayel Aheram is a United States Marine based out of Twentynine Palms, California. Still on active duty, he was deployed to Iraq’s Al-Anbar province. Visit www.aheram.com to learn more about Jayel.
The IncredibleArtist.Com Gallery in Downtown Palm Springs is proud to host the first gallery show of this incredible photographer Jayel Aheram, “The Harsh Desert”, from 21st of February through 3rd of March 2008.
Violence at home is the most widespread kind of aggression worldwide. This being said, there is no better place to start a peace process than with the family. In the widest definition, a family is a group of individuals who follow the same set of principles and function as a single household. They can be related by blood, love or common interests. Clashes within families often occur and, when they do, they can be generated by power, sex, money, alcohol, infidelity or myriad other issues. However, when individual members of a family establish peace within themselves, no matter what the external circumstance, they touch the peace that exists within the group and within humanity as well. Continued...Reviews
Mind States
From Forgiveness to Fulfillment
Following the loss of his only son Tariq in 1995 to a senseless, gang-related murder, Azim Khamisa chose the path of forgiveness rather than revenge. This inspiring choice led to the establishment of the Tariq Khamisa Foundation (TKF) and the subsequent forgiveness movement that reached millions. Working alongside Ples Felix, the grandfather of the young man who murdered Tariq, and through speaking engagements worldwide, Azim brings the message of peace and nonviolence to a world facing war on the streets and in foreign lands. A devout Muslim, Azim offers the following excerpt about terrorism from his second book From Forgiveness to Fulfillment published in November, 2007. Continued...War in Our Minds!
We all have our own views on war and peace. But sometimes we overlook the war which can take place in our own minds. Some people, unfortunately, lose this inner battle to depression, drugs or suicide. It saddens me to see inherently good and gifted people struggling to be happy. Sometimes we are so busy looking outside for happiness, we don’t remember to look within to create good feelings. Inner peace is a human need. How you think and feel is up to you because you are the one who is in charge of your own mind. You must be aware of the power of your thoughts and feelings. Negative thoughts, habits, and emotions create internal conflict and fuel the war within. However, positive thoughts and good feelings create happiness. Continued...Living Arts
Living Luminaries and The Serious Business of Being Happy
The War on Poverty: The Social Investment Approach
Poverty has been considered a form of violence against human dignity. To eradicate poverty is one way to have peace on earth. Think of Darfur in Africa, or the situations of people in Nicaragua, Bolivia or Colombia. “Poverty Is a Threat to Peace” was the title of Muhammad Yunus’ 2006 Nobel Prize Lecture and the conclusions he made contained some relevant concepts. Continued...
I’ve been preoccupied with the ‘people’s war’ in Nepal for six years now. My musings begin in November of 2001, stranded in the remote northwest of the country, in the region of Humla. I had accepted an invitation from an NGO (non-governmental organization) to document the completion of a micro-hydro power plant. Days after interviewing villagers about their newfound experience with electric light in their daily lives, news of the fighting broadcasts from a radio in the center of town. In the five days it takes for the American Embassy to arrange for a flight out, tension builds, army and police mobilize, and midnight semi-automatic weapons practice disturb my sleep. Thus, my obsession with war and peace in Nepal begins. Continued...Holistic Products
SwissBikes
Although I am no expert when it comes to the latest trends and fads in cycling, I do appreciate a good mountain bike when I see one (must be from the years I spent cycling through the potholes of New Orleans when I was too poor to afford a car). A smooth ride, lightweight frame, durability and portability are all key for me, especially in those times in my life when I decide to go completely car-less and tooling a bike on and off the public transit system becomes part of my normal routine. When it comes to the things that make life just a little bit easier when traveling on two-wheels, the Swiss Bike is a unique alternative. Continued...Stop Wars by Clothing of The American Mind
I don’t wear a lot of slogan T-shirts anymore, but the ones I wear have often come from Clothing of the American Mind (COTAM). Their message is simple and clear and their shirts wear and feel great. Made from organic cotton, they are soft and supple. Lately, I love wearing my Stop Wars T-shirt because it gets a lot of feedback from many different kinds of people. Fashioned after the Star Wars logo, I can see the “Ah-Ha” on people’s faces as they first view me as a Trekkie and then a peacenik—the latter of which I most definitely am. Continued...
Holistic Health
Body Skirmishes Find Peace at DK Hair
It was a busy deadline week and that is exactly why I chose to schedule a facial and massage at DK Hair. Our theme this month is war and peace and I find myself experiencing the split between wanting to look good and wanting my pampering experience to be natural and effortless. In all things you get what you give. Thank goodness DK Hair in Hillcrest is walking distance from our Vision Magazine offices. Continued...
Healing Ourselves through Energy Medicine
A Conversation with Donna Eden
Donna Eden has been a healer and pioneer in the field of energy medicine for the last thirty years. She defines energy medicine as “a new approach to healthcare that is based on ancient healing traditions.” Energy medicine uses physical maneuvers to move the energy in our body in ways that allow this energy to flow more freely—and thus promote health. Eden is the author of the best-selling book Energy Medicine and will be offering a seminar entitled Come Alive: The Healing Tools of Energy Medicine in Pasadena, March 27th and 28th. Continued...
Qigong: A Vision of Transformation
Many people would argue that war is inevitable. However, humankind has largely engaged in war because we are hiding our true nature from ourselves, the nature of Oneness. Many ancient spiritual masters have expounded upon the Oneness of all things and recent scientific findings in the field of quantum physics have informed us that we are, indeed, one collective energy field. The ancient masters also taught that peace and harmony must first be cultivated by going inward. One way to do this is through the practice of Qigong (Chi gong). Continued...
Thank God Leo Tolstoy had a sense of foresight that bears dividends even until this day. Beyond penning what many consider one of the best novels ever written, he presented us with this month’s theme—war and peace. (Personally speaking, I am just glad he opted out of writing a sequel entitled “Death and Taxes.” But I digress…) War and peace. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that you rarely, if ever, hear that phrase sequenced to read “peace and war.” War is sexy. It commands top billing. Besides, war begets peace. Peace couldn’t exist without war. It is war’s logical conclusion. At least, that is what the proponents of war might have you believe. Continued...Central California
“At Home He Feels Like a Tourist”
Finding an American Son in Bakersfield
In director Neil Abramson’s American Son (Winghead Films in association with Map Point Pictures and Night and Day Pictures), “Mike” (Nick Cannon) returns from Camp Pendleton back home to Bakersfield, California for a 96-hour leave before shipping off to Iraq. Poor, with an average intelligence, Mike thought his life would improve by joining the Marines. He knew the dangers of joining the military during wartime but those dangers were abstract and distant, unlike the ones that faced his friends and family back home. Drugs, poverty, violence and general debauchery were phenomena Mike witnessed directly. Focusing on the days before war, Abramson’s American Son expresses a predicament many young men and women from America’s working class neighborhoods face. Without economic resources, these individuals join the armed forces in hope of a better future. Continued...
Earthwatch
Striking A Balance: The Coastal Zone Management Act At Risk
The ocean is home to millions of animals and plants, and we love them all. We want to keep them and their homes safe so that animals like the dolphin, the whale, and countless others will be there for our children and their children. But what if, in keeping our own lives and homes safe, we are destroying the lives of our marine friends? What if, in the process of training our military and keeping our borders secure, we are eliminating the chances of having our descendents see the precious animals that we love so much? Continued...Culture
The Path of Peace
In 1953, the United States was a nation gripped by fear. There was even a name for it: The Red Scare. Programmed by the government and mainstream media to be afraid of Communism, people remained silent as the Korean War raged on. t was at this time of fear and apathy that, as a retirement project, a woman named Peace Pilgrim set out to walk across the nation for peace. She left the comforts of home with no possessions beyond what she could fit into the pockets of her blue tunic which read, “Peace Pilgrim” on the front, and “25,000 Miles On Foot For Peace” on the back. She walked until given shelter, fasted until given food and vowed to remain a wanderer until humankind learned the way of peace. Continued...
Vision Cafe
Tsi Dup Yang Bod: The Origins of Reiki
Eastern energetic systems for healing, personal transformation, and spiritual conditioning, such as Feng Shui, Jin Shin Jyutsu, Reiki, and Qi Gong, have been present in the West for the past few decades and are enormously popular. Their reliance upon simple instructions and intuitive common sense has opened them to many converts. Entire training systems have been developed in the West to facilitate their acceptance, and these systems, which initially appeared non-traditional and even suspect, are now gaining acceptance in traditional medical circles. Continued...Voices: A Women’s Rights Film Series
Eveoke Dance Theatre and The Cultural Worker will co-sponsor a film series about women’s human rights to celebrate Women’s History Month in March. The series, entitled Voices, includes God Sleeps in Rwanda, a film by Kimberlee Acquaro and Stacy Sherman; Soraida, Woman of Palestine, a film by Tahani Rached; Keep Not Silent: Ortho Dykes, a film by Ilil Alexander, and A Woman’s Word, a film by Siliva G. Ponzoda. The screenings will be accompanied by dance performances, community discussions and a photographic exhibit. Continued...
Indie Fest In San Diego
The San Diego Indie Music Fest (SDIMF IV) is the first exclusively independent music festival of its kind in the United States. And it is gearing up for its fourth year! At the end of March, the renegade event will again explode with enlightened passion for the Indie Revolution and all it represents. The Fest is organized by executive producers Danielle LoPresti (frontwoman of Danielle LoPresti & The Masses) and Alicia Champion (Champ Records/ Durga Sound). “It all totally fits in to this idea of independent thought and independent business,” explains LoPresti. Continued...