Andy's Idea Factory

I was in a book store in Oregon, about to embark on a journey across land and sea, when a book fell off the shelf and dropped to my feet. I looked around to see if someone had pushed it - the shelves were the old school library kind, where books were backed up against each other on metal shelves between narrow aisles. But no one was there. I was 23 and a little jumpy. I bent down to pick up the green book and read its unsuspecting, all-text cover. "The Celestine Prophesy," it read. Hmm, prophesy, I thought, that's cool. But what's a Celestine Prophesy? So, I flipped it over and read the summary of a man on a journey to find an ancient manuscript. It felt somehow connected to the journey I was embarking on. I wasn't headed to South America, but it didn't matter, I had been delving into the depths of myself with my first metaphysical teacher for a year and was ready to dive further. I was headed to Scotland, and it was cold and dark and raining there. Perfect...

Last week I began the 3-part Healthy Living series for returning to the basics to achieve overall physical and mental health, and covered " Read the Label ." This series is intended to remind you that everything you need to be healthy is within your reach, and to act now for your long-term health rather than re- acting later to any health issues that arise. In addition to being proactive about what you put ON your body (as discussed in Read the Label), it's imperative you do the same WITHIN. But in this day and age, our society doesn't exactly make that easy on us, with quick, easy options at our fingertips that seem on the surface to be healthy, often we make the wrong choice without even knowing it, and even more often, without knowing what the true healthy alternative is. Clause: I'm no nutritionist or medical practitioner, but I find it frustrating that those two jobs are rarely combined. What is written below is from my personal research, years of my...

Self helping yourself is a January tradition; as far back as I can remember at least, we've been making new years resolutions... with hopes to learn something new, live a healthier life, or clear something out. We diet, start jogging, quit smoking, learn a new language, listen to gurus, and we change; or we try to. All in one month. When February comes have we stuck with our new? Have we stayed away from our old? That's the hard part. We have such good intentions, and that's the easy part. Here are my top 10 favorite ways that I Self Help mySelf! Happy New Year everyone, may it be a bright, powerful, self-helping year for all! 1. Intention. As I said, that's the easy part. But by consciously intending your wishes, they really do come true. The key there, and everywhere, is consciousness, mindfulness. Without it we forget the keys on our way to the car, we trip over our own feet, and we simply don't connect to the source that guides us, so we stumble along with...

Summer Solstice (6/21, Sunday) is the longest day of the year, when the Earth's axis is most inclined towards the Sun, and marks the first day of the Summer season, and the day the Sun goes into the sign of Cancer. Solstice celebrations date back to ancient times, from the Druid's Alban Heruin's crop-ripening rituals to Native American's celebrations of the sun. Start your day by getting up before the sun rise and watch the colors ripen, visualizing your world to do the same as you manifest abundance, success, and security from this day forw ard. This Solstice day is also a new moon... a good day for new beginnings, planting new seeds, and starting new projects. Transplant your starters if you haven't already, and give your garden some general love by wedding, tilling, mulching, or spreading compost out for your plants on this day. For those of you with long hair, the new moon is also a great day to cut your hair because when the moon ebbs, roots turn inward, as d...