Getting a thorough eye exam has always been about more than reading letters off an eye chart. That’s even more true today. One reason: We’re harder on our eyes than ever before. Many of us spend hours each day staring and squinting at screens, developing digital eyestrain and exposing our eyes to potentially damaging blue light. But the typical tests offered during a standard eye exam, even one during which your pupils are dilated, may not go far enough to find problems as early as possible.

As I sat on the floor in my closet, unpacking boxes of dusty journals and notebooks I’d collected over the past 20+ years, the task at hand seemed overwhelming. How do I organize all of these life experiences into a coherent story? How do I put these events into a clear, chronological order for my kids to understand? You see, I had no plans to write a book. My original intention for writing was simple and somewhat selfish. I was hoping to explain to my children some of the discoveries I’ve made on this crazy adventure of life. Maybe all parents feel this way at some point. Why should my kids have to experience the same struggles, pain, and suffering I’ve been through?

The last several days of winter have seemed particularly snowy, dark, and icy. It’s been a struggle for many, with virulent viruses abounding, exacerbated by the bitterly cold weather. What has kept me going is the discipline of my daily routines: Qi Gong , meditation and exercise. My spirits are always lifted and I realize anew how rewarding is the ability to control one’s mind and body. Most recently, I have thought of the Buddhist monks who practice tummo , the art of controlling one’s body temperature through meditation

If you’re like me, your heart has been breaking over the wave of images coming from fire stricken Australia: the burning homes, the loss of life, the destruction of habitat affecting millions of animals, and finally, the disturbing peril of the animals themselves. While the death toll for humans is 25 at this time,  estimates place the loss of animal life at over half a million victims. As reported on PBS, thousands of Australians are in need of assistance as massive wildfires continue to tear across the continent.

After serving in a scout-sniper platoon in Mosul, Tom Voss came home carrying invisible wounds of war — the memory of doing or witnessing things that went against his fundamental beliefs. This was not a physical injury that could heal with medication and time but a “moral injury” — a wound to the soul that eventually urged him toward suicide. Desperate for relief from the pain and guilt that haunted him, Voss embarked on a 2,700-mile journey across America, walking from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to the Pacific Ocean with a fellow veteran.

Technology impacts and shapes our lives in countless ways. Our technologies surely bestow benefits, but our relationship to technology is often fraught with imbalance. In particular, our vision suffers from the hours we gaze at two dimensional screens. The good news is that, as part of the brain, our eyes share in our brain’s innate adaptability. The not so great news is that modern demands on vision, especially our constant focus on close-up screens, is causing our eyes to make unhealthy adaptations. But there’s more good news—you can do something about that! Here’s how…

Happy Holidays from Merlian News!  We thank you for your support, and wish you and your loved ones a season of warmth, joy, and good tidings!

Helping your kids make good, healthy decisions is tricky. You can do everything in your power to set strict rules about a healthy lifestyle, but they are going to have plenty of opportunities to break them as they get older. Instead of worrying so much about setting the right rules, you should perhaps focus on creating the right environment at home, one which prepares them for responsible choice-making when they are older.

Soul Star ~ Child of the Universe is a collection of quotes and poems from the Source and Soul Series. As the author explains, “Allow yourself to dip into these pages and read the poems you feel drawn towards. They each carry a message for you to trust in the dark mystery of the feminine; calling you to follow your heart and trust in the subtle messages that speak to you in the language of your soul.”