Exhibitors demonstrate cutting-edge health equipment and services as well as natural foods, high quality nutritional supplements, skin care and other products for the whole family—even pets.

Other features: live radio broadcasts, thousands of dollars in door prizes, samples and moneysaving coupons. Adorable homeless pets will be available for adoption to loving homes. A General Store offers book and product bargains during the event.

New this year: Gluten free exhibit section.

Date: March 23, 2013, 8:30 AM to 5 PM (doors open at 7:30 AM for ticket sales and radio broadcast)

Location: Plano Centre, 2000 Spring Creek Pkwy, Plano TX 75074—Just east of US-75 (Central EXPWY) Exit #31. Ample parking available. The snack bar will sell natural foods snacks / lunch.

Event website: www.NaturalHealthFest.com. Consumers call toll free 1-877-673-2536

Admission: At the door, $8 / $7 for seniors. Attendees save $1 by buying tickets online.

Sponsored by: The Healthy by Nature Show with Martie Whittekin, CCN

Dimitri Moraitis & Barbara Martin

Embedded within the Bible are key mystical principles designed to help souls reach their highest spiritual potential.  From the metaphysical perspective, in addition to being a tool of faith, the Bible can be studied as a roadmap to enlightenment.

The study of the Bible is a life-long pursuit. It represents the spiritual and creative efforts of many people over many centuries. While it is true that the Bible was primarily written as a religious text, from my own work as a spiritual teacher and clairvoyant, the Bible is essential because it represents the foundation of the metaphysical work I have been teaching my entire career. These metaphysical principles are known as The Kingdom of Light Teachings and the Bible contains the first collected record of these teachings.

I am often asked, “Do religion and metaphysics mix?” My answer is a resounding yes. When rightly understood, religion and metaphysics are different aspects of the same spiritual process.  Both play their part in your spiritual ascent.

The religious aspect of spiritual teachings introduces the aspiring soul to eternal truths through the key notes of faith and belief. This is an active faith that deeply involves the mind and reason as well as a strong intuitive nature. Through these keys, one builds his or her spiritual understanding and walks far on the spiritual path.

Yet faith is not an end unto itself. Faith must eventually give way to knowing. And here is where metaphysics comes in. Metaphysics helps the growing soul bridge the gap between faith and knowing through the process we call enlightenment. Through enlightenment, the soul breaks the veil of matter and can experience the divine directly.

It must be said that while the core teachings of the Bible were written by illumined souls who had direct contact with the divine, through the centuries, the Bible has been tampered with. As sad as it is to say, other less inspired hands have left their mark on the Bible. So your goal in understanding these esoteric teachings is not to try and make every word divine, but to find the divine jewels embedded within the Bible.

There is a unifying metaphysical principle that runs through both the Tanakh (Old Testament) and the New Testament. Of course, these two books were written at very different times and under very different conditions. Yet while they represent two differing world faiths, metaphysically they represent a unified spiritual principle.

The seeds of the divine teachings that were placed in the Tanakh took root in the New Testament. And The New Day that we are all looking forward to will represent yet a third phase of this work, which will be the full flowering of these teachings. So the Bible is very much a living teaching and a work in progress.

When reading any spiritual text, ask the Divine Light to illuminate what you are meant to understand from the reading. In these sacred writings, the Holy Ones have given us a wealth of information and knowledge to work with. From the first prototypal teachings of the early Hebrew mystics, to the mystic pioneers in the early Christian era and the spiritual renaissance unfolding today, The Kingdom of Light Teachings as revealed in the Bible has much to offer to the aspiring soul. I urge you to stay close to God and the Divine Light.

Information on Texas Event

Barbara and Dimitri will be in Fort Worth TX, March 23, 2013 to do their workshop, The Metaphysical Bible
Contact Spiritual Arts Institute for details 800.650 AURA (2872) or visit www.spiritualarts.org

January is full of Pluto energy.  Intense emotion pushes us out of where we’ve been.  It doesn’t need to be a big event, but the push is there.  It’s time to change; the gestation period is almost over and something new is coming.  Perhaps it is discomfort: Fear that if you don’t reach for change, then you’ll die where you are.  Perhaps there is some area of your life where you feel stuck or restricted.  Listen for the little voice that says:  “Try this!…look there!”

Jupiter is literally standing still in January. Jupiter expands whatever he touches, however, he can be too much of a good thing…grins.  Here are key words for each of the planets. There is more detail in Appendix B in my Daily Astrological Planner 2013, however, this will get you started.  If he sits on one of your planets, then you will likely experience Jupiter’s luck, over confidence, over indulgence and the reality awakening that follows. Jupiter is a very social planet. Folks with big Jupiter transits are attracted to others, but here is a key of how you might experience Jupiter on one of your planets:  Sun, ego; Moon, perceptions and emotions; Mercury, mental and hands; Venus, love/beauty and money; Mars desire and daring; Jupiter, indulgence and optimism; Saturn, practical and paternal; Uranus, freedom; Neptune, faith; Pluto, power; Rahu, don’t lose your head! And Ketu, the karmic price when you do lose your head.

In February the planets embrace Neptune, the spiritual planet. Meditation and prayer:  Mantras etc. all are strong calls to connection and inner peace.  Take a long walk, listen to soulful music and slip out of the yoke of perfection and move into faith.  Yes, even if you are the only one who can carry the load and even if you feel you are alone, you need to trust in something greater than your shoulders.  We step out of the Pluto story into peace.

In March, Uranus is the part of us that breaks free.  It’s easy to fear Uranus.  He is the unknown:  The accident, layoff or health crises.  However, Uranus ultimately helps us see where our thoughts are tangled and anxious.  What sort of anxiety? The notion that the future is woven with fear and luck…and the belief that we can make a mistake that will be perilous.  That can happen at times, and it is wise to be alert, but it is essential to quiet the mind so you can hear the call to action when it comes.  In March we notice where awareness turns into wariness and find our way to freedom. Fortunately, we have the Neptune practice in February to help turn this March into a month of mental liberation.  We really can work with our thoughts and come out on the other side and feel free. We really can face what life has to offer and not buckle under it.  Anxiety is not a useful tool:  It is a rather toxic habit.  Come with me this season as we ride the planetary transpersonal planets and move into freedom.

Throughout the winter, Saturn, the planet of wisdom, is quite happy in the heavens.  He’s like an anchor. He helps us use the Jupiter transits wisely and hopefully invest the luck. We begin January with Saturn at 15 degrees Libra in Vedic.  He’ll move forward to 17 and then he’ll appear to stop and turn retrograde on February 18th and end March at 16 Libra [that’s 9 – 11 Scorpio in Western astrology.] Here is how I like to think of the two systems.  Western astrology is a fabulous personality model.  Saturn in Scorpio can be a little testy: “I want my world to run according to my rules!” “You aren’t doing it right!”  As an influence, it can be a bit controlling.  However, the essence of the planet in Vedic astrology is in Libra, which is more cooperative.  Simply put, we want what we want, and when we don’t get it, as is usually the case, we go deep and flow with the process to greater peace and mutual success.  I like to think of this as the Western placement is our emotional or psychological response and the Vedic placement is the potential to really work through the emotion and build a strong foundation.

If Saturn is sitting on a personal planet in your chart, then you likely feel the weight of frustration.  It is a humbling time.  You try to push something forward and find resistance.  When we are young, we experience it as our parents.  As adults, it is often work or the consequences of past decisions.  Still, it feels like resistance. What can you do?  Put one foot in front of the other and inch forward. Even when it doesn’t seem like you are getting anywhere.  Acknowledge that you are vulnerable and literally do your best. Be as willing and cooperative as you can possibly be.  Trust me on this:  Saturn likes to feel productive.  His meditation comes often as tangible projects. Saturn reminds us that we are growing older and it is time to make changes.  The building blocks of the body are our cells.  This is a great time for all of us to reinforce them.  If Saturn is sitting right on planets in your chart, then you are ready to rebuild.

Saturn in Libra wants to cooperate.  I know, politics don’t look cooperative, but this is a great time to see the surface of emotions, call them discord, and watch the combination of need bring out the cooperative nature of Saturn.

Jupiter is virtually standing still in January.  He is in a place in the heavens that is, well, indulgent:  The classic big spender.  What is interesting is this is the placement of President Obama’s moon. It is also fascinating that he lives on his Moon line in Washington DC. However, he is a Saturn person, too.  Practical spending is important to him.  I know it doesn’t always look that way, however, he brings in both the Saturn and Jupiter energies.  I am optimistic that he will help bring the sides together, although I’m not sure how.  I do know that he is the President and he is where he is supposed to be.  How can I be so certain?  This is right where he is.  That certainty is the wisdom of Saturn.  His detractors will offer fear.

President Obama has a joyful and potentially foolish transit of Jupiter sitting on his Moon and a frustrating transit of Saturn stressing his Moon, his perceptions, aka sense of obligation and it stresses his Mercury, his planet of communication and business.  I do not believe that he is reckless and I do believe that he feels the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. However, I would be foolish if I didn’t mention here that Jupiter transits can bring out the reckless gambler in even practical folks. The question is not about him, but about our legislature and how can “We the People” pay Jupiter’s generosity and still pay down the national debt.  I believe that they will raise the debt ceiling again. [It may have happened by the time you read this.] I expect a plan to create more jobs.  We all know that the North East is ready for a rebirth after Sandy’s destruction.  He has the support of the electorate, the responsibility of the world and the freedom of a Lame Duck term.  Hmmm, what will he do?  It would not surprise me if he and his former opponent Romney had more work to do together.

How the Money Flows:  January is an emotional month and the market tends to move on emotion.  It is very volatile near Inauguration Day, which begins on the 20th, a Sunday, and continues through the 21st, a Monday.  Plutocrats are people of power and wealth.  They are doing well in January and no matter who won and lost…they are gaining. February is not much better.  The Neptune theme is illusion.  It is very difficult to predict where the money will grow.  March is also unpredictable.  Uranus is great for technology and new inventions, but it is also strong for unexpected events.  I am not an investment advisor.  I look at the emotions of the planets and while I do not see a market crash, these are very erratic waters, which require a wise and skilled captain to navigate them.  Many folks are literally siting on cash…and hoping they won’t have to retire soon.

Where the Love Grows:  It grows in the most surprising places.  We do our work and the inner voice quiets down.  We hear the voice that says “let it go!” “That’s not worth fighting over:  It is none of your business!”  There are the same old stories and the same old stuff. You’ll often hear me say “All God’s children got ‘stuff.’”

Regarding Love and Money:  It looks like luck and may come with a test.  Jupiter brings abundance and Saturn tests our resolve and practical use of it.  This isn’t just our legislature, it is us.  How will you invest your luck?  Will you spend it today or pay down your debt?  Will you follow your desires in love and romance or will you choose a partner you can live and grow wiser with?  Grins. Funny thing, this winter we are woefully aware of their stuff and the futility of demanding change.  And we also have the blissful joy when we notice that it doesn’t really bother us.  That’s the gift and why many folks will either stay or go, but do it from love.  Does it sound too good to be true?  You are right on time for Winter 2013.  Hey, we’re still here, let’s make the most of it. That is a symbol for us, too.  Can we bring our big ideas into practical action?  There is no better time to begin a meditation, prayer and exercise practice.  Find a time to put them in where you will enjoy them.  Let’s get creative.

Cynthia is the author of the Daily Astrological Planner 2013, which is available as an ebook and in paperback on Amazon. The book contains an entire year of monthly central themes and daily messages. It has been published as a Daily Planner. Find out what Cynthia forecasts for 2013 in this amazing book.

Cynthia Novak is a professional astrologer. She can be contacted at metro 817-261-2984. Read Cynthia’s daily astrological message and future seasonal astrological forecasts at HolisticNetworker.com or CynthiaNovak.com Hear Cynthia’s talk entitled “Astrology & You” at 11:30am on Sunday, April 21 at the Wellness Expo in Addison.

We have come a long way since then. Today many people embrace these valuable offerings and have incorporated them into their health regime. In addition, a great deal of research has been conducted on acupuncture and its health benefits are now widely known. Other forms of complementary medicine have been extensively studied as well and the benefits of employing these treatments abound.

In addition, much has changed over the past 20 years in terms of technology. We now have the internet, which has allowed people to communicate all over the world in seconds. Ebooks are now quite popular and more and more people have made the shift from print books to this format. It seems that many people either have a web site or realize they need one as people are embracing this way of communicating.

We launched our Holistic Networker website in 1997 and it now includes an extensive practitioner directory, many articles, book reviews, Cynthia Novak’s daily astrological message, events and so much more. We have watched many print publications shift exclusively to the web in recent years and we feel it is now time for us to join them.

We will continue to serve our community and maintain our goal to help create an enlightened planetary civilization. We hope you will join us online as we continue to bring you the latest in holistic products and services.

We also look forward to seeing you at the Wellness Expo!

Merrily Smith, 1930-2012

On Thanksgiving Day one of our dearest earthbound angels was called home. I knew Merrily for over 20 years. She worked tirelessly to make the world a better place.

Merrily, had a blind spot for the word, “impossible”—it simply was not in her vocabulary. Marvelous, fabulous, and miraculous, of course, were at the tip of her tongue. Merrily could tell you about the amazing things that talented and clever practitioners and inventors were doing to make the world a better place.

She was so full of positivity that there simply was no time for anything negative. Merrily was, of course, a renegade. She didn’t expect her government to make the world a better place. She made it her responsibility to be sure that anything positive was getting promoted. Her holistic newsletter and online radio show radiated the positivity that you saw in her eyes and convinced you in short order that not only was the world a great place today, by golly, it was going to be an even better one tomorrow.

The last few years were tough on Merrily’s Body, but not her Mind or her Spirit. She rallied through several afflictions and pushed her way forward with her irrepressible zest for life. When you saw Merrily headed your way, you just knew that she was going to tell you a wonderful story about someone “marvelous”.

Ask Merrily how she was doing and she would tell you that she was “rolling along”. She embodied a zest for life that was almost exclusively focused on helping others to achieve their goals. Her Holistic Helper business was a ray of sunshine for holistic practitioners who needed to promote their business.

How best can we remember Merrily? If every day you wake up and say, “today I will make this world just a little better,” then you will be carrying on her mission.

—Tony Cecala

Merrily Smith, aka “The Holistic Helper”, passed at the age of 82 on November 22, 2012. Somehow it seems fitting to me that she would depart on Thanksgiving Day as she was one of the most grateful and giving people I have ever known. No matter what was going on in her life, she always radiated cheerfulness and was excited to tell you about an author, who had written a great new book she was helping to promote, or some other person, who had made an amazing discovery.

Merrily worked tirelessly assisting others and although her health declined these past few years, she never complained or felt sorry for herself. In fact, when I saw her in September at her 82nd birthday party, she gave me a surprisingly strong hug and whispered in my ear, “It is all in divine order”. This was in spite of the fact that she was extremely thin, her health was clearly failing, she didn’t appear to be able to get out of bed, and she slept through a good part of her party.

I recently attended the Memorial Service at the Center for Spiritual Living to celebrate Merrily’s amazing life. Although Tony and I have known Merrily for about 20 years, I was struck by just how much I did not know about her. At the event a video was played that her friend and business partner, Colin Ryans had created for her 80th birthday. It showed pictures of Merrily as a young child, a teenager, a young adult and through her 79th year. As we viewed these images, Colin narrated many stories of the events that occurred at different times in her life.

I was struck by how young and beautiful Merrily had been. I had no idea that she had had such a difficult childhood, with an abusive father, who attempted to kill her three times before she was 5-years-old. This was not the kind of thing that Merrily dwelled on nor did it define her in any way. I also discovered that she had been a stewardess on North American Airlines and that she had started the first spiritual travel agency, where she took groups of people on many special journeys.

I knew she had been married to a man named Floyd, who was also a Unity Minister, and that he had passed away many years ago at a fairly young age. I thought he had had children from a previous marriage, but had no idea that he had had 8 children and that Merrily had helped to raise them (especially his four youngest sons).

Up until the end Merrily retained her cognitive faculties and while her body declined physically, she held on to her positive attitude. Her spiritual being kept on shining and she continued to be an example of a person of great faith and trust. She truly walked her talk and I am honored to have known her. Although I will miss Merrily’s physical presence in our community, I know her spirit will always be a part of us and that she will be cheering us on as we continue on our journey.

—Felicia Weiss

I found Sheryl’s writing style to be easy to understand and her concepts were elegant in their simplicity. She presents her material in a way that makes the reader feel that they, too, can become a great salesperson. She makes it clear that these skills can be learned and can not only be applied to a sales career, but to one’s personal relationships as well. She gives tips on how to make a great first impression because, as she points out, we only get one chance to make a stellar first impression. She also focuses on how to leave a customer after the sale as she notes that we make many last impressions and, of course, we wish to make each one to the best of our abilities.

Many of Sheryl’s concepts are not addressed in school, such as how to dress to be a success. She also offers exercises on how to improve your telephone skills, as this medium offers different challenges than meeting with a customer in person. She provides her 7 building blocks to the professional sale, which are extremely helpful and make a lot of sense. I also enjoyed her inspiring quotes and the way that she helps motivate the reader to make positive changes in his or her own life. I found her approach to also be very spiritual and I appreciated how she incorporated this aspect into her work. The importance of setting goals, having positive intentions and believing that one can be successful are necessary ingredients in whatever endeavor one chooses.

Sheryl helps to make conscious all aspects of our behavior and she offers the winning solution to being the best you can be in all areas of your life. I highly recommend “Simple Sales Solutions”. The tools provided are invaluable and can be utilized by anyone, regardless of whether or not they are involved directly in sales. I feel Sheryl’s book will help a person to be all that they are capable of being. It can be read over and over again and can serve as a helpful and inspiring motivational guide.

Simple Sales Solutions will be available on Amazon.com in January, 2013 as both an ebook and a paperback. It is a great way to start off the new year!

Come hear Sheryl’s talk on, “Ensuring Your Success” at the Wellness Expo in Addison on Sunday, April 21, at 12:00pm. Sheryl may be contacted at: SherylGreenSells@gmail.com

As a psychic medium, I often receive messages from those who have died who are now able to see this “bigger picture” of how they had affected everyone in their lives. They often say that they wish they had done things differently while they were still here in their physical bodies and are sorry they never told their loved ones how much they loved them. I often hear the same regrets from their living loved ones who also feel it is too late to make things right.

After hearing this time and time again, I realized I needed to spread the important message that we don’t have to wait until we die to see the bigger picture of how we are affecting those in our life. We have a chance right now to release any guilt or resentment we may have in our hearts. We have an opportunity to leave this life with no regrets.

But how can we do that? Well, like many instances in our lives, the answer is very simple – with a letter. We can write our loved ones a positive letter, telling them how much they mean to us. While this may not be the easiest thing to do, it will “eternally” be worth it.

Writing a letter works because we will be taking the time to say exactly what we have always needed to say. We could write everything we would want our loved ones to know, as if we were looking back at our lives with them. The letter should be a very positive one, and we would need to include anything in the letter that we would regret not saying after we left this world.

A letter writing exercise is also a great way to help us heal unresolved issues with our loved ones. We wouldn’t have any regrets after this life, because we’d be able to say and do everything that was needed now.

The different types of letters can include:

- The Gratitude letter – a letter with words of love and encouragement to significant people in our lives

- The Forgiveness letter – a letter when attempting to forgive someone else or if you are the one who needs to be forgiven.

- A Letter to yourself – a loving letter of appreciation to yourself

- A Letter to deceased loved ones -a letter of either appreciation, forgiveness, or just to maintain your connection to those who have died.

I wrote these types of letters to those in my life, and the results were better than I could ever have anticipated. While these letters were not always easy to write, they have made all the difference, not only in our communication with each other, but in the peace that now exists between all of us.

One of the greatest benefits I received was from a letter I wrote to my mother. The day before she passed away last year, she was unaware of what was going on around her. As she lay in bed, I was so happy to see the letter I had written to her a year before lying on her desk. It had everything I needed to say, so I pulled up a chair and softly read those words to her. Although she had not responded earlier to anything, as I was reading my letter of love to her, the expression on her face completely changed, and she raised her hands to her mouth. She had heard me! What a blessing it was that I had already written these perfect words and was able to read them to her during her final days. Everything I needed to say was said, and I had no regrets.

You, too, will be able to experience tremendous blessings in your life by taking the time to write these types of letters to your loved ones. Tell them everything you need to tell them now. Write down your words of love and forgiveness (whether you want them to forgive you or you want to forgive them). Try to see through their eyes how you are affecting them, and let them know you will take whatever steps that are necessary to heal your relationships with them.

If you take advantage of this fulfilling and life changing exercise while you’re here on earth, your whole life will take on another direction. You won’t have to wait until you die to see the bigger picture of how you are affecting those around you. You will be able to do it now, and create peace in your life and in the lives around you, before it is too late.

Many blessings to you!

Karen Noe is a spiritual teacher, healer and renowned psychic medium with a two-year waiting list. She is also the author of the new Hay House book,Through the Eyes of Another: A Medium’s Guide to Creating Heaven on Earth By Encountering Your Life Review Now. www.karennoe.com