A Reiki Masters take on Style {A Man's Version}

Angel Quintana December 29, 2015

A REIKI MASTERS TAKE ON STYLE
{A MAN'S VERSION}

Article by John Scardina
Photo Credit: Dasha & Mari
Magazine: Issue #32

While sitting and meditating upon how I’m going to pull off writing on this subject of Reiki and its relationship to fashion and style, my first thoughts were “maybe I should skip this one.” But not wanting to be defeated by my own fears, and quite frankly a lack of knowledge in regards to fashion, I meditated a bit longer and it did come to me that I have learned through being a Reiki Master/Teacher, that “everything is energy.” Once in tune with this statement, I for the first time ever visualized fashion as energy. This allowed me to discover my style while either teaching or just providing Reiki sessions to clients. Looking back at almost every instance during these events, I have almost always remained in the same realm of dress, a neat, professional, soft, earthy colored, low key and comfortable series of clothing always with greens, blues, and browns. Knowing now that at the time of these events, I was not choosing my clothing, the universal life force energy was choosing them for me.

I’ve already learned by myself that being comfortable as a practitioner is of the utmost priority; you want to be able to move around a Reiki table without restriction. But I did never in fact pay attention to colors as I would always go with the flow of what was available at my reach in the closet or did I? The energy within me seems to always go for earthy comfortable colors, even without thought.

Some of my favorite colors and some of their effects:

Green :: BALANCE, LOVE, SELF CONTROL

Helps relax muscles, nerves, and thoughts. Cleanses and balances our energy, to give a feeling of renewal, peace and harmony. Green connects us to unconditional love and is used for balancing our whole being.

Blue :: KNOWLEDGE, HEALTH, DECISIVENESS

This is a mentally-relaxing color. Blue has a pacifying effect on the nervous system and brings great relaxation. Ideal for sleep problems. Connects us to holistic thought, and gives us wisdom and clarity enhancing communication and speech.

Indigo :: INTUITION, MYSTICISM, UNDERSTANDING

The indigo energy connects us to our unconscious self, and gives us the experience of being part of the whole universe. Strengthens intuition, imagination, psychic powers.

Brown :: PHYSICAL COMFORT, SIMPLICITY

Brown is friendly and approachable. It is loyal, trustworthy and dependable in a practical and realistic way. In color psychology, brown is honest, genuine and sincere. It relates to the hardworking, the industrious and reliable, with both feet planted firmly on the ground. It is sensual, sensitive and warm, engulfing one in a feeling of calmness and comfort.
So without actually thinking about purchasing or wearing these colors consistently during Reiki work, the universe has chosen for me the necessary colors that will compliment and not hinder a transfer of healing energy.

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Projecting the Culture of Your Brand

Angel Quintana December 12, 2015

PROJECTING THE CULTURE OF YOUR BRAND

Article by John Scardina
Photo Credit: Dasha & Mari
Magazine: Issue #31

Projecting the Culture of Your Brand

As entrepreneurs we sell our brand, our business and ourselves in order to solve a problem. How we project our business and ourselves to our customers today is of the upmost importance. How our customers or clients perceive us personally and as entrepreneurs is what can make or break us. The difference between success and potential failure.

The most important thing to remember that is we have so many tools available to us.

The days of owning a brick and mortar business, and just running an ad to bring business to us has been over long ago. But we all know that, we have every app, social media and so many other avenues to bring customers and clients to us and we need to project our brand equally through each resource.

I have seen many entrepreneurs project larger than life on the internet and social media only to work closely with a client and not be prepared to provide product or services as stated in this larger than life projection. If we project magic products or project that we are experts in any particular field, then we need back up these events. A customer or client will see right through it, if you are not what you say you are. We need to be real and prepared with every client every time, so the importance of being exactly who you are is important.

Since social media is a huge must have for business owners, we need to be cautious upon how we are perceived to each and every customer or client. I have noticed totally by accident that we all have three personalities when reaching out from behind a computer.

Three personality traits:

Our social media personality.
Our actual personality.
Our perception of our personality.

When we project our brand or image on social media we can sometimes create an image that is much bigger than we actually are. It is so easy while tapping away at your laptop to enhance our product or talents. This is easy due to the fact that we as humans have been desensitized to the event of simple everyday contact, eye to eye contact. The event of being and the energy felt from this type of contact is not always transferable through electronic means.

Those who know us well most likely know our actual personality better than ourselves. They will experience the energy of your personality on a daily basis and can be a great resource in assisting you in informing you on social media events prior to releasing them.

Most people with have a perception of who they are, we live this every day! But when trying to exist in business this perception needs to be real and in close alignment with the other two personalities. When this alignment of all three personalities closely match one another you are projecting your culture properly. We need to be real in all platforms in order to succeed, be conscious of your projection to the world.

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3 Reasons to Meditate as an Entrepreneur

Angel Quintana November 9, 2015

Three Reasons To Meditate As An Entrepreneur

3 REASONS TO MEDITATE AS AN ENTREPRENEUR

Article by John Scardina
Photo Credit: Dasha & Mari
Magazine: Issue #30

Meditation has been around forever and we all know the benefits of its practice. The mindful relaxation and clarity that it brings to our mind, body, and spirit.

As entrepreneurs, we often struggle through our day looking for that mindful peace, and seldom make time for it. After all, there are clients, products, marketing, and at least thousands of other fruitful projects bouncing throughout our mind. As a business owner, you do not have the same mindset as your regular nine to five employee. We push, we strive, we plan, we conspire (in a good way); all of this to become successful. We do not run at full speed only eight hours a day and go home and try to forget the previous hours- we sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and start a project or new business plan. Because it is fresh in our mind and now is always the right time.

We become our business and our business becomes us, it is a spiritual journey always evolving into what our minds have created prior to any physical action. After all, we are the power that is regarded as inspiring a poet, artist, thinker, or the entrepreneur.

1| Seeing your business from the inside or with your inner self
During meditation you are removing all external noise and forces that will conflict during your normal day. While meditating and mindfully bringing your business into your relaxed quite thoughts, you can process each individual component of your business and bring it to the forefront and evaluate it without stress. This allows you to really see the life or energy that each portion of your business holds clearly viewing in what direction it will grow or which direction you choose that it will grow.

2| Gain mental clarity for major decisions
We all struggle with major decisions from time to time. Making these decisions quickly during the normal course of an extremely busy day is not always the best time to act or decide. These quick types of responses will always carry energy that is already part of your day and may not be the energy you want attached. Meditating on major decisions will allow you to be in a relaxed state and bring a calm clarity to all factors affecting your choices prior to making any decision.

3| Combine your business into your being, don’t just leave it as something you own or run
Meditating on all aspects of your business can create a bond that creates an energy between you and your business that will eventually become one living organism. This, once achieved, balances out all future ventures and decisions, as you will start making decisions about the business easily and not as an outsider.

Admittedly this does take practice, and sometimes most of us think we are short of time, but the result makes you your business, and your business you. One cohesive force that is firmly connected, nurtured, and in tune with your future success. Try it!

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Cocktail Hour: Asparagus with Dijon Vinaigrette

Angel Quintana October 14, 2015

COCKTAIL HOUR: ASPARAGUS WITH DIJON VINAIGRETTE

Article by John Scardina
Photo Credit: Hailley Howard
Magazine: Issue #29

YIELD :: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
1 1/2 lb. medium asparagus, trim woody ends and lower half of stalk peeled
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 hard-boiled large eggs at room temperature (optional)

Preparation
Prepare a bowl of ice and cold water.

Put asparagus in a 12-inch skillet, then cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and add 1 teaspoons salt, then reduce heat and simmer asparagus, uncovered, until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer with tongs to ice water, then to a clean kitchen towel. Pat dry.

Whisk together vinegar, onion, mustard, pepper, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl, then add oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified.

Halve eggs, then dice into another small bowl. Toss asparagus with 1 tablespoon vinaigrette in a large shallow bowl, then divide asparagus among 4 plates. Spoon additional vinaigrette over asparagus and top with egg. (Optional).

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Astral Business Tools, a Gift for the Taking

Angel Quintana October 6, 2015

ASTRAL BUSINESS TOOLS, A GIFT FOR THE TAKING

Article by John Scardina
Photo Credit: Hailley Howard
Magazine: Issue #29

I have been on a spiritual journey for many years since becoming an entrepreneur. One statement that I’ve found to be true is “Religion is for those who believe in hell, spirituality is for those who have already been through hell”. We all understand in the beginning process of building a business or brand (or at least we think that we do), those moments when planning and executing consumes us with an overwhelming amount of decisions. We as business owners make final decisions based on a plethora ideals that originate from experience, coaching, facts, science, and advice. As we use our arsenal of tools for decision making, we sometimes forget how many other tools are available to us that are gifts free for the taking.

Astral events including moon phases may be something to pay attention to when making decisions especially as an entrepreneur. Something so simple and yet so powerful, the moon has the ability to cause oceans to rise and lower. With that said, the full moon can also affect our decision making just ask Police, doctors, nurses or anyone that works in an emergency room during a full moon. As entrepreneurs we have an extra tool to use if we watch these astral events and use them to our benefit.

There are a couple of astral events that I utilize on a regular basis. At this point in our lives we are all aware of manifestation, yes it works! But we can also manifest and bring it to a higher momentum by following the moon’s phases. The moon phases include new, waxing, full and waning.

1| Plan large projects during a new moon.
2| Manifest events that you want to happen or add to your business during a waxing moon.
3| Celebrate all positive efforts that have be created in your business during the full moon.
4| Manifest events that you want to remove form your business during the waning moon.

Never discount any new ideas to your decision making efforts. By realizing there are forces so much older and larger than ourselves we can achieve better results as entrepreneurs from a higher spiritual perspective.

Many people speak of Mercury retrograde with despair. Although this is a time of a slowdown and caution we should not worry about not making decisions during this event that occurs four times a year. We should most likely make precise decisions, checking every detail prior to committing to the final one.

1| Accept that Mercury retrograde is a time to slow down, do not stop making decisions make conscious ones.
2| Realize that this is also a good time to slow down yourself and review all events in your business. Double check each event in detail.
3| Do not fear this event make it work for your needs.

Astral events are gifts and they are free, just understand how to utilize and embrace them, these are tools that can bring you to a higher level of your business.

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Thriving as an Empath: 4 Steps to Your Inner Healer

Angel Quintana September 24, 2015

THRIVING AS AN EMPATH: 4 STEPS TO YOUR INNER HEALER

Article by John Scardina
Photo Credit: Dasha & Mari
Magazine: Issue #29

Empathy: the feeling that you understand and share another person's experiences and emotions, the ability to share someone else's feelings. Absorbing the feeling of others.

It may sometimes take a lifetime to understand why we feel the way we feel around others or especially in a crowd of people. Why are we sad consistently when near certain people, why we are filled with anxiety with others, why do we make bad decisions while around certain others? If you sometimes prefer to be alone rather than be in a crowded environment or be somewhere in nature and solitude as much as possible, you may very well be an Empath and not even realize the gift you possess.

Most people when trying to figure out why certain emotions seem out of their control while surrounded by certain people, go through a plethora of reasons why these events occur, never checking into the option of being an empath. Some consider being an empath equal to a disease or affliction. This can be true if you do not realize the power that is inside of you waiting to be polished and serve you well throughout your life. Empaths hold many traits such all-knowing or intuition and tapping into and understanding this may allow you to be a self-healer and or the ability to heal others.

The challenge to thriving as an empath is to be able to zero in as to what type of empath you are. Rather than being overwhelmed by absorbing others emotions or traits you can learn to block the negativity and become a master of your own emotions, with that ability to heal yourself and others. An amazing positive for anyone willing to manifest and become the type of empath that they may be.

1| Identify what type of empath exists in you.
2| Develop and own the traits you possess.
3| Learn to block the events that are not productive.
4| Manifest the inner healer that exists inside of you.

Types of empaths:

Telepathy – the empathic ability to read people’s thoughts

Mediumship – the empathic ability to feel the presence and energies of spirits

Physical Healing – the empathic ability to feel other people’s physical symptoms in your own body (and often the ability to heal, transform or transmute them)

Emotional Healing – the empathic ability to feel another person’s emotions

Animal Communication – the empathic ability to hear, feel and communicate with animals

Nature – the empathic ability to read, feel and communicate with nature and with plants

Geomancy – the empathic ability to read the energy of places and of the land – geomancers can feel the energies of the Earth, such as Ley lines. They can also get headaches, pain or anxiety before earthquakes or other disasters occur anywhere on the planet.

Precognition – the empathic ability to feel when something important is about to happen (often this can be a feeling of inexplicable dread or doom)

Claircognizance or Knowing – the empathic ability to feel what needs to be done in any given circumstance, often accompanied by a feeling of peace and calm, even in the midst of a crisis.

All of these types of empaths have benefits for the healer once properly attuned to their type. Knowing and trusting your intuitiveness is one of the many keys to discovering your inner healer.

It’s a Sign is a compilation of self-improvement articles written by entrepreneurs seeking to bring holistic solutions to everyday problems. Read more articles from this feature.

John Scardina is Holistic Health Consultant, Reiki Master/Teacher that works on manifesting the inner healer in the individual. “My Thriving as an Empath” program allows you determine the type of empath you are, understand and manifest this power within you. This program aligns you with the empath that you are in order to allow you master or own the benefits of being an empath. Learn more about "My Thriving as an Empath" here.

9 Practices For a Better Business & Higher Self

Angel Quintana September 8, 2015

9 PRACTICES FOR A BETTER BUSINESS & HIGHER SELF

Article by John Scardina
Photo Credit: Dasha & Mari
Magazine: Issue #28

The list of struggles when starting or operating your own business is long depending on how you approach and view your business plan. I could write about these struggles in detail for days and not cover all of them. There is only one struggle that should be addressed so that all others will be diminished greatly. One thing I have learned since being introduced to Reiki as a Master/Teacher is that everything is energy and amazing amount of this energy is within your control. With controlling this energy you have the ability to reach your higher self, a wonderful tool for self-improvement in life and business.

Two huge struggles when starting or running a business are self-doubt and taking advice from those around you who may be negative about your dreams of solving problems. Everyone reading this will understand exactly what I’m talking about if you own or are starting a business. The daily decisions of your business plan will leave you with doubt at almost every turn and those who fear for your failure or many others reasons, will tell you don’t take risks. These two reasons alone are enough to grasp the knowledge and practice on tuning into your higher self. This alone is your connection to your inner wisdom, which is connected to all universal energies and this is a place that holds every answer that you will need to succeed in business and life. We are wired for this and all have the ability to tap into our higher self, if only we practice.

In the process of accessing your higher self, some of the best practices are to...

1| Believe in that fact that your inner wisdom is already in you and connected to energy that is all things, or the divine if you will. It is in you and you can find it and access it with practice.

2| Remove for a moment the materialistic world and enter into the spiritual world. You want to explore your conscious and subconscious.

3| Make time for yourself alone, in order to hear your inner voice. This allows you to make room for your higher self to connect without a cluttered mind.

4| Become one with your inner voice, hold conversations. It will most certainly have the right answers.

5| Meditate if even for only a few moments a day.

6| Ask yourself every day, no matter what daily life or business activities may be, what you have learned today? Never stop learning.

7| Pay attention to your dreams, when daily stress and activities are removed from your mind, your inner voice speaks. Journal these dreams, we all dream about our businesses, don’t we? A surprising business plan, or at least part of it came to me while sleeping.

8| Focus more on the present, planning is great but the present is happening every minute. The practice of being conscious of every present moment without the concern of what has already happened and what will happen is just golden.

9| Be patient reaching and connecting with your higher self does not happen quickly for some. It is a process. Your higher self is always there just be patient and conscious of how to connect. Only then will you get the true support you need in all aspects of life and business.

It is with these practices that I have been able to contact my higher self and make business and life decisions that I already know the answers to that otherwise would have been changed by self-doubt and negative advice. We all want to succeed in business and as visionaries and change makers we do have the answers in us, we just need to make a direct connection to them. One more lesson learned from being attuned to Reiki.

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Failure Does Not Define the End of Your Business

Angel Quintana July 22, 2015

FAILURE DOES NOT DEFINE THE END OF YOUR BUSINESS

Article by John Scardina
Photo Credit: Nancy Schoenmakers
Magazine: Issue #27

Some businesses have and some have not. That event when you realize that owning your own business is not working out. That moment when failure is the only foreseeable outcome, at least in your own mind that impending feeling of helplessness and doom that consumes you. This consumption can be devastating to your mind and body.

Definition of FAILURE: Source Merriam-Webster

1 :: a: omission of occurrence or performance; specifically: a failing to perform a duty or expected action <failure to pay the rent on time>
b: (1): a state of inability to perform a normal function <kidney failure> — compare heart failure (2): an abrupt cessation of normal functioning <a power failure>
c: a fracturing or giving way under stress <structural failure>

2 :: a: lack of success
b: a failing in business: bankruptcy

3 :: a: a falling short: deficiency <a crop failure>
b: deterioration, decay

4 :: a: one that has failed

Enough of the doom and gloom portion of this. These events sometimes unavoidable can be controlled and overcome with the right mindset rather than being consumed by the fear of failure. These moments are teaching moments and you already have experience and knowledge of what was not working. Now is the time to take this event and manifest it into an entrepreneurial dream and reality. Failure is that teaching moment that helps you better prepare a business plan and continue with well calculated decisions for your successful future.

For myself the following quote holds so true and is something that has been engrained into my mind. “In business there are only challenges and opportunities”, author is unknown to me. This quote alone allows the entrepreneur the mindset to never accept failure and turn negative events into a positive solution for your business. Utilizing what you already know, at don’t leave out items that did not work for you in the past. These are lessons of ever changing opportunities. I’m a huge cheerleader of this process as I have had a failed business in the past and this now allows me not to repeat past fruitless efforts and to push forward in a market that has some many variables, learning to quickly adapt to all and any market changes.

Items to consider when adapting to your next endeavor...

Preparation list:

1| Positive attitude only, never let the negative manifest itself
2| Define your product or service
3| Product or service need in a niche market
4| Marketing, Holistic Fashionista, what a resource for everything you need to know.
5| Customer acquisition and retention
6| Ability to adapt quickly to changing trends
7| Do not accept failure as an option
8| Embrace challenges and seek opportunities

Remember “There are only challenges and opportunities in business”

HOLISTIC FASHIONISTA RECOMMENDED!

Natural Ways Consulting LLC. A holistic Lifestyle and Nutrition consulting service that provides individual analysis to help promote wellness and lifestyle changes: To inspire, educate, and support the benefits of natural health. Learn more at NaturalWaysConsulting.com

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