MAY NEWSLETTER

Dear Readers,

In the Irish calendar May 1 is Beltane (Bealtaine), the first day of Summer, and a public holiday is held on the first Monday in May.

This Month’s Recommended Merlian News Articles:

Podcasts: Spirituality Merlian News Podcasts with Sri Swami Vishwananda

In this podcast interview, Sri Swami Vishwananda speaks with Merryn Jose about Om Healing, Bhakti Kriya, the definition of a guru, the importance of unity, vibrations and water, and much more. Sri Swami Vishwananda was born on the Island of Mauritius. At the age of 14, Sri Swami Vishwananda experienced the state of Samadhi, literally meaning: experiencing intense union and direct communion with God. Many were led to him for healing and spiritual counseling. He left school to devote himself totally to his spiritual vocation. Sri Swami Vishwananda embraces all religious paths, all cultures and all races. He is here to uplift, inspire, and help people realize the Divine Light that resides within themselves.

Books Culinary Memoir a Feast for the Senses by Pauline Adamek

Siren’s Feast — An Edible Odyssey , is a culinary memoir, which makes it extra special. Mehagian takes us through a vivid period (the provocative 60’s and 70’s) of her amazing life and also charts the experience gastronomically, providing fantastic recipes along the way for us to sample in our own kitchens. We not only live through her words but can also create, smell and taste the foods she is describing with over forty recipes . “A spicy brew of recipes and adventures,” says Quincy Jones of Nancy Mehagian’s Siren’s Feast, An Edible Odyssey. “I don’t know whether to eat this book, smoke it or make love to it.”

Books Practicing Conscious Living and Dying: Stories of the Eternal Continuum of Consciousness by Annamaria Hemingway A society that tends to ignore “death, dying and the bereaved,” Hemingway believes, leads to “fear and alienation” and a sense of being “traumatized and alone” when death touches our lives. Acknowledging death and the dying process allows us to become “free to live life more fully,” and leads to an understanding of the connectedness of all beings. Viewing death as a transition, not an ending, is an “invitation to continue the work of the healer, the poet, and the philosopher — who use their creative gifts in the service of humanity.”

Books The Little Boy Who Listened: Portrait of a Medium by Ronald Hearn

In this awe-inspiring, heartwarming biography, The Little Boy Who Listened: Portrait of a Medium, fellow medium Ronald Hearn traces Molinary’s life from his Spanish Gibraltarian roots to his outstanding career at London’s celebrated College of Psychic Studies and, on the way, provides haunting accounts of some of the medium’s most notable readings, including celebrities such as the singer Sinéad O’Connor and MP George Galloway.

People Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor – Author, My Stroke of Insight On December 10, 1996, Dr. Taylor woke up to discover that she was experiencing a rare form of stroke, an arterio-venous malformation (AVM). Three weeks later, on December 27, 1996, she underwent major brain surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) to remove a golf ball size hemorrhage that was placing pressure on the language centers in the left hemisphere of her brain. What she experienced has forever changed her perspective on life and has touched her audiences everywhere. She speaks of Nirvana, the esoteric, and the potentials of world peace. Please be sure to watch the inspiring video linked inside!

Mediumship Arthur Molinary: Medium & Tutor At The College of Psychic Studies Arthur Molinary has been with the College of Psychic Studies for over 20 years, during which time he has proved to be a highly gifted and extremely popular medium who is always in great demand… He is always ready to accept a challenge and has become an expert in Tarot Reading, Mexican Candle Reading, Spanish Sand Reading and many other forms of divination. He has worked with the police in connection with solving murders and is often requested to help in other fields. His honesty and integrity are guaranteed.

Music Tell Me A Story 2: Animal Magic – Stories by Amy Friedman, Music by Laura Hall Poet and Jungian psychoanalyst Clarissa Pinkola Estes said it best: the simplest ingredient for healing is stories. And what could be better than legends about a Nigerian tortoise, a Chinese dragon and an Australian kangaroo? ANIMAL MAGIC, a one hour CD (the second in the TELL ME A STORY series), is full of folktales from seven countries around the world. Amy Friedman writes the adaptations of the myths, Laura Hall sets them to music and a variety of actors read them on CD.

Media Beijing ‘to talk to Dalai aides’ by BBC News Chinese officials will hold talks with the Dalai Lama’s representatives, state media say, in the first meeting since rioting broke out in Tibet last month. Xinhua news agency quoted an official as saying a meeting would take place “in coming days”. A spokesman for the Tibetan spiritual leader welcomed the offer of talks… “The resumption of dialogue carries some real hope,” he said in a statement. Meanwhile, the US embassy in Beijing hailed the announcement as a “very positive development”. And EU commissioner Jose Manuel Barroso, who earlier discussed Tibet with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, said he was “very happy”.

Website Of The Month: www.ishafoundation.org

“Isha Foundation is a non-religious, not-for-profit, public service organization. Isha activities are designed to create an inclusive culture that is the basis for global harmony and progress and reflects in Isha Foundation’s special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations.”

The Isha Foundation runs a program called Project Green Hands , seeking “to prevent and reverse environmental degradation and enable sustainable living. The project aims to create 10% additional green cover in the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India. Drawing extensively on people’s participation, 114 million trees will be planted state-wide by the year 2010.”

Thank you once more, for your positive feed back and support!

Merryn & Team

Merryn Jose – Editor & Publisher

Dena Ventrudo- Assistant Editor

Cheryl Shainmark- Book Reviewer

Donna Baker Church- Book Reviewer

Eugene Kelly- Book Reviewer

Carl Casella – Sound Editor