In this episode, we speak with Leigh Shields of Shields Herb & Flower Farm in Spraggs, PA about gardening, the importance of growing your own food, sustainability, and supporting local businesses.

Relativity is a podcast dedicated to the exploration of new ways of thinking about and looking at the universe. In 1905 Einstein challenged the traditional Newtonian views of science with the publication of his special theory of relativity. Today physicists, mystics and seekers are questioning the very fabric of reality; Michelle and Tonya want to learn about and discuss what they are discovering.

Catch up with all our podcasts on our Podcasts Page!

by  Tonya Madia

The word Reiki (pronounced ‘ray-key’) has two parts. ‘Rei’ meaning universal or spiritual, and ‘Ki’ meaning energy or power (also called ‘chi’ in Chinese culture); it is this universal energy that animates all living things. This universal life force, like all energy, has a specific frequency. The Human Body, when healthy, resonates at a frequency between 62–72 Hz. When this frequency drops, our immune system is compromised and a disease process is more apt to begin to develop.

The purpose of a Reiki is to restore balance to the energetic bodies, and to return the body to its natural frequency. Reiki promotes a deep sense of relaxation and well being, cultivating an environment for inner peace and balance.

In the same way that cell phones, radios and televisions carry information through wave frequencies, the human body also transmits information into the environment around us. We sense these waves of information daily, and are often struck by how a total stranger can promote a sense of wellbeing that we might refer to as a good “vibe.”

Harmonic Reiki is the integration of Reiki and Tuning forks used together to support your wellness on four levels, Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual.

Like adjusting a piano, your body can be tuned to achieve optimal physical balance. Tuning forks- create sound frequencies which support our cellular structure and help the chakras to balance and align.

Through the month of May I will be offering a special rate for Harmonic Reiki Sessions of $65.00.

To book your session visit: http://www.theblissblissbliss.com/schedule/

or call 304-212-8037

Relativity is a podcast dedicated to the exploration of new ways of thinking about and looking at the universe. In 1905 Einstein challenged the traditional Newtonian views of science with the publication of his special theory of relativity. Today physicists, mystics and seekers are questioning the very fabric of reality; Michelle and Tonya want to learn about and discuss what they are discovering.

Anything you put out there—words, pictures, brief updates, mundane statements or the cumulative versions of your as-yet-unfinished novel are kept for all time in the massive virtual library of Everything that it’s continued to become.

So I had to hold my breath as I read the original Blog from which this new one, 5 months its junior, takes its title.

In the time since it was posted, much has changed. The Center has been reconfigured twice, most recently to allow us to start doing more medium-sized theatre, literary and music events. We’ve reduced the size of the coffee counter and made it an extra treat for our patrons rather than an income stream.

Most importantly, the Vision of two has become the Vision of Many. On any day of the week you can find a growing number of teachers, students, collaborators and patrons filling the two classrooms and common areas. In the past month we had two sold-out performances of A.R. Gurney’s “Love Letters,” the opening of the visual arts show “I am not other” and tomorrow night is our third “Fresh Friday” open mic night.

Our calendar is filling fast with all types of theatrical events and we are looking at ways to expand into dinner theatre to make New Mystics more of a draw for bus tours and theatre enthusiasts.

Yoga is offered 5 different ways on 6 different days. Pictures from our first Digital Photography class hang over the piano and in through the spring and summer our playwriting students will be having staged readings as part of the “Emerging Playwrights” series that will also bring playwrights from Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Maryland, and New Jersey.

On any given week you are likely to find us in the local paper or on the news.

And we have come to a crossroads in just 6 months, thanks to an ever-growing Vision. Because of our growing popularity and the success of our theatre performances, we are in need of a space that will allow us to seat about 120 people. Lots of minds are working to make this happen. And in the face of the continuing economic and political crises in our country and the larger world, this kind of coming together for the Arts, and for Community, shows the power of a Vision.

New Mystics continues to strengthen and grow. And there’s ever more to do to see its future secured. But with so many believers, so many friends and colleagues and collaborators, we are sure to achieve what we have been working toward these past 6 years in New Jersey and 22 months in West Virginia.

So let the Internet keep its record of our plans. And let’s look back every now and then, while knowing full well that in order to feed the Vision, the moment that matters in Now.

I met my husband’s aunt, Annette Madia Becker, for the first time through letters from her, shortly after we were first married. We lived in Arizona at the time and Aunt Annette wrote from New Jersey, on peacock-adorned stationary, to welcome me to the family and to introduce herself. She had a way of making me feel special before I ever had the honor of being in her presence.

When we moved to NJ in 2000 Aunt Annette invited me to visit her on a weekly basis, and I found myself in awe of this beautiful soul. She had an incredible way about her; her presence commanded your attention while at the same time creating a quiet sense of centered calm. She spoke with authority, captured my attention and taught me the most important thing I would ever learn: how to breathe and take my seat. She set me on the path to becoming a yogini long before it ever occurred to me to explore my first asana, or yoga posture.

Aunt Annette gently re-navigated my course from a life-long practice of reactionary self-destructive behaviors to a path of mindfulness and self-awareness. I learned from her that life is an elegant dance and we must be present and experience each and every moment. She was a life-line in my tumultuous sea of self-induced suffering. Although it would take several years before I would firmly find my footing on this path (and I, admittedly, still have my struggles, particularly in the Winter), I imagine I would still be floundering in that rugged sea had she not recognized my potential and committed to invest in me.

I spent the next five years under her protective wing, learning everything from Pranic energy healing to Native American Spirituality. The American Indians believe in animal totems and animal spirit guides; peacock energy seemed to surround Aunt Annette and during the years that I spent with her, peacocks and peacock imagery would frequently show up in the most surprising and unusual ways. It had a way of making her seem near, even when she was in another state.

She taught, as all the great masters do, through the experience of day-to-day tasks, such as walking, cooking and gardening, with an emphasis on present moment and intent. Aunt Annette was an incredible cook; you could actually taste love in everything she prepared. She was also a powerful healer and I am convinced that my time with her changed me on a molecular level.

Losing her came as an incredible blow to anyone who knew her. She was many things to many people. Each of her loved-ones experienced her loss in their own deep and unique way; in the way that she had made them feel; in the many things that she had meant to them. For me, it was the emotional equivalent to having the wind knocked out of me. Having lost the person who had for the first time taught me how to breathe, I found myself unable to catch my breath.

Yet, even as I was deeply and completely experiencing her loss, Aunt Annette found ways to reach out and inform me of her presence. I knew she was with me, for example, when exiting the ladies room during the dinner following her memorial service; lost in my sorrow, I looked up to see a striking painting of a peacock towering over me. I couldn’t help but smile. There have been many such indications of her presence and guidance over the past several years, and of late, I actually catch a scent reminiscent of her in the room.

It took some time, but eventually I managed to catch my breath and start breathing again. Really breathing, the way she had taught me; the way we breathe in yoga. When I began exploring yoga nearly two years ago, it was the intricate connection of breath and movement which most appealed to me.

So for now, I am off to practice sun salutes in honor of a Bodhisattva and then enjoy some soup prepared in present moment and sprinkled with love.

Namaste, Tonya

Shortly after she passed we added a tribute page to our literary website, with a tribute written by Joey and I poem by me. After several months of working through her loss I added another poem to the same site.

I offer the links here for anyone who may be interested:

http://www.newmystics.com/tributes_annette_becker.html

http://www.newmystics.com/documents/TonyaMadia-GoodbyeAgain.pdf

I began my morning with a dozen sun salutes and a quiet walk in the snow. As I practiced my sun salutes I imagined the sun glowing radiantly in the sky as a delicate rainbow of  spring flowers blossomed all around me. While on my walk I reflected on how pleased I was with last night’s hot yoga class and how exciting it was to have two simultaneous classes (Digital Photography with Chuck Warner is also held at 6 PM on Monday nights) and the Center buzzing with activity.

Our Yin Yoga class is scheduled to start tonight; however, that may change depending on snowfall, which is really beginning to pick up now (class cancellations are always available on the Center’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Mystics-Center-for-Arts-and-Education/409186055459).

If I end up snowed in, I plan to perform my daily practice in front of the window in the hopes of catching another glimpse of the feathered visitors, who for now have departed. I will be focusing my intention on the safety and well-being of those who have to be out in today’s steady stream of snow and the warmth and security of those tucked away at home.

Each day continues to be a new adventure in soup. Saturday’s cream of potato was rich and wonderful while Sunday’s carrot and ginger soup was smooth, if a bit on the bland side. Yesterday I enjoyed a wonderfully creamy tomato soup from Serenity Café and I couldn’t resist combining it with one of Serenity’s yummy grilled cheese sandwiches. I feel quite strongly that tomato soup should always be accompanied by its famous side-kick, grilled cheese; one is really not the same without the other. I whipped up a sort of rice-gumbo combination for lunch today that I frankly wasn’t that thrilled with but the fun is in the journey. My husband Joey is making pasta fagioli for dinner and I have no doubt that it will be delicious.

As I wrap this up I am certain that I will be snowed in within the hour (we live near the end of a mile-long stretch of hilly, winding dirt road, so being snowed in is more the rule than the exception for us in the Winter). I’m off to begin my practice… Until next time, keep warm and be safe.

Namaste, Tonya
[Yoga is available at the Center three evenings a week at 6PM. Monday: Hot Yoga, Tuesday: Yin Yoga and Thursday: Hatha Yoga. Hope to see you there.]

I started counting down this past Wednesday morning and learned that there were exactly 74 days, 11 hours and 45 minutes until the Vernal equinox in March. Which, anyone who lives in the mountains in West Virginia knows, does not necessarily mean the return of warmth; it does, however, create a light at the end of the dreary grayish tunnel we call Winter.

In the middle of a recent sun salute (Surya Namaskar, a series of 8 yoga postures traditionally performed in the morning to greet the new day), it occurred to me that I take the sun for granted, a habit I probably developed during my 17 years in the Arizona desert while baking in a “dry heat” which frequently exceeds 110 degrees. Still, it is always around this time of year that I begin to question my decision to leave a place that enjoys an average winter temperature of 66 degrees. I began my next salutation with a more focused intent on honoring and appreciating the sun, hoping to gently coax it to return.

After my morning practice, with 73 days left to go until spring, I sat down with a bowl of homemade soup and savored its soothing, warm deliciousness. I was surprised by the sudden boost in mood that it provided. According to Ayurvedic medicine my energy is predominately vata. (Ayurveda is a traditional healing system native to India, which stresses a balance of three elemental energies, or humors: vata, pitta, kapha).

Vata people have a tendency toward cold hands and feet, and experience discomfort in cold climates. As a vata, Arizona was probably the ideal climate for me, but my vata tendency toward impulsivity and change was surely the impetus for my desire to relocate back East. Warm, heavy foods are advised for keeping vata energy in balance, which probably explains the surge of serotonin provided by my soup. With that in mind I decided to spend the next 73 days until spring exploring, creating, and relishing soups.

Thursday’s soup was a hearty blend of 15 beans. Yesterday it was a warm and savory vegetable for lunch with the left-over 15-bean for dinner. Today I will be making a delicious cream of potato which I hope will serve as a distraction from the disappointment of being snowed in and missing the kundalini yoga workshop I have been looking forward to all week.

With 71 days still left to go, I will be looking for lots of soup variations, so please share any recipes you have. For now I’m off to practice my Surya Namaskar and start my soup. Until next time, keep warm.

Namaste, Tonya
[Yoga is available at the Center three evenings a week at 6PM. Monday: Hot Yoga, Tuesday: Yin Yoga and Thursday: Hatha Yoga. Hope to see you there.]

There is so much more to do.

It’s been energizing and inspiring to see sentences in a Business Plan steadily come to life. To watch Vision become Reality. To speak a Dream into Existence in a place of Promise and Potential.

The Center, like New Mystics itself, is many things for many people. Walk in the front door and there is a place to sit and go online, play a game of chess or checkers or tackle a Brain Teaser. Read a book or write a story. Paintings and photographs from the best artists we can find adorn the walls of the Gallery, which is also home to a coffee bar and gift shop, a piano and guitar. It is a place of Creation. Collaboration. Communication. A place where, in time, you will be guaranteed to find a few creative minds throwing their energy and vision into the air at any given time.

The back classroom has already had yoga, dream interpretation, theatre company rehearsals, many types of meetings related to creative endeavors, spontaneous visual arts happenings, and houses an extensive library of books on theatre and creative writing. There are boxes of costumes, hats, and props just waiting to help bring to life our collection of books for children.

Almost everyone remarks on the look and feel of the Center. Almost every inch is Art. It is a place filled with the positive energy of Discussion and Invention. Potential and Experience. Collaboration and Creation. Like New Mystics itself, it is a place of Infinite Possibilities.

In the next few months, the Center will be abuzz with rehearsals for Halloween and Holiday events, including a Night of Gothic Horror and Family Fun, the debut of Sad, Mad, Glad Live!, and our adaptation of Robert Tinnell’s Feast of the Seven Fishes. We will be rehearsing Christmas Carols for South Fairmont Rotary’s Celebration of Lights and another Christmas Carol about a man named Scrooge. Current classes will continue and new ones will be added.

It will never be the same experience twice. Not for us and not for you.

If you’ve been in to see us, we thank you. If you haven’t, come in and see how a Vision becomes Vitality.