March
2015
Newsletter
Yam Noodles with Sweet Sauce, Marinated Mushrooms and Sesame Seeds
A sweet, scrumptious alternative to traditional pad thai, sure to tantalize the tastebuds. 

Try this fantastic recipe available here, at Raw Food Recipes
Christine Breese, Ph.D.
WHAT OUR STUDENTS ARE SAYING ABOUT UMS-

"  I would definitely recommend the UMS program to anyone that is interested in studying metaphysics.  The enlightenment I have and continue to receive are so valuable when dealing with everyday life. Learning at one's own pace and the payment plans are great. "
-Michele Holovacs

"The UMS course didn't just raise my consciousness, the course sent me out in the Universe.

 Each lesson was a gift, a challenge to rethink old thinking. As the days, months went by I knew my horizons had elevated, but the comments from friends and relatives was the best barometer. After the first few months the feedback was not only well received
it was a gift. The more I challenged the courses the more they challenged me. Unlike other work at the college level that awarded grades, this work awarded a better life, a new
beginning.....
"

-Gearil Leer



"My life vibrancy has stepped forward and upward. I view situations with a deeper softness and compassion. The craving to learn and understand is quenched with every new class and the excitement of many AHA moments are a blessing in itself. I have personally grown in all areas with great appreciation to UMS. My mind is once more awakened and alive with life.  Many blessings have been discovered in my life and I have such gratitude for this."

-Vickie Bricksaw

 

 

 "The UMS coursework in the Bachelor's program was extremely affirming of my love and passion for metaphysics. What drew me into the program has been validated again and again with each course I enjoyed. My ability to speak freely with others about the spiritual world that we are all a part of is now backed up strongly by my degree and my ongoing learning that will never end.  I am nearing completion of the master's program and eagerly look forward to putting it into practice as an author and spiritual counselor."

-Lynn Vann

Newsletter looking for Student Submissions

Do you have a submission for our newsletter?

 

Looking for Submissions for our future themes :

  

Spirituality for Children 

 

and
 
Self Care 
 

Please feel free to submit any work you feel might be appropriate (such as poetry, artwork or articles) to the email address,

 [email protected].  

 
 

We publish our school newsletter every month around the new moon, and are super excited about this publication as a way of sharing thoughts and inspiration from our students, and keeping our network aware of our goals and happenings. 

 

We humbly ask that you try to keep submissions under three hundred and fifty words, to ensure the flow of our publication, and allow room for different types of work.

 

We look forward to receiving your submissions

and to

integrating the knowledge and creativity of our students into our publication.
Gaia Sagrada Retreat Schedule
 Internal Spring Cleaning
    by UMS Advisor Elizabeth Erenberger

Spring is in the air, and this equinox, March 20th was the day when the light and dark were equal in length. Now is the time of the returning of the light. It is a time of rebirth and renewal, a time of creating new possibilities for the life we want to live.

As we let go of old beliefs and patterns that no longer serve us, we make room for new potentials of what it is we hope to create. And still, sometimes no matter how much clearing we have done, inviting in the new can feel uncertain and scary.

There is a spiritual irony to the passion and commitment we choose when creating change, and the actual process of integrating what it is we truly desire. In the internal process it can feel magical and mystical.  In the "real" world, integration can seem chaotic and un-grounding. 

There is a transition period as we redirect our energies, and often the unfamiliar feelings of change can send us spiraling back into more comfortable, all be it, less productive patterns, which help us feel secure and safe.

How do we honor and uphold our prayers during this uncertain time of magical re-calibration? My belief is by embracing all possible practices for letting go. 

We use strategies for letting go: such as breath, salt baths, and dietary cleanses. We outgrow past fears, emotional boundaries, and less than fruitful friendships. The more we can let go of, the more we can receive. 

Think of one thing that brings you worry or concern. How does your worry serve your higher vision? Not so much? Could that worry be blocking you from inviting in what lies behind your spiritual curtains?

It is a time for channeling the higher self, for refreshing our perspectives of individuality and higher purpose. But fears once cleared are not certain to be gone forever. We will do the clearing again and again, unfolding the layers of our inner landscape. Meeting ourselves again as if for the first time.

Whether in matters of Feng Shui or gardening, language or thought process, we simply cannot make room for the new without some good old fashioned release. We must first make a space for the new energy to fill. We must fully commit to trusting that the universe will provide. 

We show we are ready by clearing the space for the new to arrive. If it no longer serves you, know that now is the time for some healthy spiritual release. Know that your voids will inevitably be filled by the divine abundance available to us all. The powers of conscious invitation and intentional discrimination are our sacred tools for a divine spring cleaning on a multitude of levels.

Open your heart and your mind. Set your future free.
Featured Student Project
"The spiritual message of my creative project is to have faith that you are not alone. Trust that the angels are with you all the time, and especially in times of need. "
We Are With You
Painting by UMS Student Lena Donohue
"I was yearning to produce creative things but just couldn't seem to start.
 
Around this time I had a very close 'brush with death' on my property, when I was nearly hit by a falling eucalyptus tree. I looked up, saw it starting to come my way, and just had to turn and run. Those few seconds as I heard it coming down behind me and not knowing if I could outrun it or not, cannot be described. In that moment there is a feeling of 'this is out of my hands'. I was lucky that somehow I ran to one side slightly (although I was unaware I was doing this) and the leaves of one of the limbs hit my arm as it slammed to the ground.
 
I felt a sudden urge to go down to my art room, to clean and tidy it up, which I did. The next day, out came the paints and out came my creativity! I put on some headphones and while listening to some beautiful, classical music, I began painting on a huge piece of craft board. I went into a wonderful zone, with no plan as to what I was painting, no pre-drawing or anything. I just started putting paint in one corner and went from there!
 
A couple of hours later I had produced this piece, which to me seems like an angel coming down through a tunnel of some sort. It is definitely connected to my falling tree experience. I feel strongly within my heart that the angels were letting me know that they are always with us, surrounding us with love and protection, and forever guiding us in the right direction to fulfill our dreams."                        -Lena Donohue
Random Acts of Kindness -by UMS Advisor Alecia Rostad
From Doreen Virtue's Oracle Card Deck,
"Healing with the Fairies"
These past few weeks have been intense. There have been breakdowns and breakthroughs that have left me reeling in the aftermath. I had to call on support from my closest friends, family, and community. 

In the midst of all of this, I learned an important lesson about how much we have to offer those around us, even in the midst of chaos.

On a drizzly Sunday afternoon, I took my kids to the movie theater to see Cinderella. It had been one of the most challenging weeks of my life and I was looking forward to immersing myself in the fairy tale and letting go of the stress I was feeling, even if only for a few hours.
As we pulled into the parking lot, my husband and I noticed a van parked nearby with a flat tire. We got out of our car and asked the woman outside the van if she needed any help. As it turns out, she had twin babies in the car and another young child who was supposed to be attending a birthday party at the theater. Her husband was out of town, several hours away, and her AAA had just expired the week before. She was in tears.

I immediately felt a bond with this woman. I am also a mom of twins. Even a normal day, where everything goes as planned, can feel incredibly exhausting. Throw a flat tire into the mix and it's full on crisis mode. We tried to reassure her that we were there for her and that we would make sure she got her tire fixed. As we all watched the movie, her older child included, my husband spent most of the time out in the lobby on the phone, making arrangements to get the tire fixed, at least temporarily.

By the time the movie got out, her tire was mended and we all went on our way. Later that day, I saw that she had posted on our community Facebook forum about what had happened and how inspired she was by the random act of kindness that we had shown her. To us, it didn't seem like a big deal, but to her, it meant everything. She vowed to return the favor in the future, to a stranger in need. 

And so the good vibes will continue to ripple out. My heart soars in this affirmation that we can spread love and light in simple ways, every day, and we really are changing the world. When we are floundering in life, we still have much to offer to those around us. When we give something as simple as a smile and a helping hand, we are uplifted by the reflection of our true nature and we find balance once again.
 A Personal Path to Healing  -by UMS Student Jihan Richards

Hello metaphysical students and light workers! My name is Jihan and like many of you, I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to live in this world, and not feel like I'm going crazy. Oftentimes when someone is different, society labels them as broken in some way and tries to "fix" them with medication. If it's not through medication, it's through peer pressure, religious dogma, political coercion, you name it! It can be so hard to just live a peaceful, healthy, happy life. 

 

Well, they say that experience is the best teacher and my life experiences include having three bachelor degrees: in philosophy, communications and metaphysical sciences. I was a biofeedback practitioner, and I have a long history of working with energetic practices to help people help themselves. This is ironic because I was also "diagnosed" as having bipolar disorder and anxiety when I was only nineteen. After many years of studying ancient teachings, modern quantum mechanics, various holistic healthcare alternatives, I have found a few things that help me to live a full and healthy life, free from the stigma and the confines of a label that the world gave me and able to thrive without the use of harmful drugs. It is my goal to simply share information with anyone who cares to read it, that there are other ways to think about mental and physical health, and that you can be your own greatest healer. 

 

I believe that we're all here on a mission to help save this planet from the imminent destruction it is currently facing if things do not change. I also believe that a lot of the medications being manufactured and prescribed are unnecessary and can even be harmful! I believe that there are natural alternatives to anti-depressants, dangerous narcotics used for pain management and perhaps, even cures for some of today's biggest ailments all through a natural way of living and eating. But I also believe we must find balance between our minds, bodies and souls and that it is in finding that balance that we will find true peace and health. 

 

I know this sounds like a lot, and it is. This is why I made a website, called the LightWorkerWorkshop.com. It started out as my Masters Culminating Project, but I plan on continuing it and expanding it into a real community of sharing information of all types of alternative health care modalities as well as a good dose of metaphysical teachings that have legitimate real world applications and can actually be a huge part in anyone's path to wholeness. 

 

I also want to thank UMS for being such an amazingly, supportive and progressive school that is helping to educate as well as connect all people who are awakening to the need of the hour. I hope that you'll check back in the future at Light Worker Workshop to see what's new and hopefully share your own insights to help others. After all, we're all in this together.

                ____________________________________________________
Winter's Gift: Welcoming the Renewing Energies of Spring  
-by UMS Advisor Devon Love

Throughout time, the turning of the seasons has given us inspiration to fuel our spirits and mark turning points and shifts in our lives. We are so intimately connected to the earth, the sun, and the sacred marriage they share, sustaining physical life for us all. 

How powerful and satisfying it can be to cultivate our awareness of these harmonic rhythms, and to feel our own energy and cycles as they are supported by the greater cosmic movement.
 
 
As spring arrives here in the northern hemisphere, we can connect with our breath and release the deeply contemplative, sometimes stagnant winter energies. We are now being invited to move fully into the creative fires of Aries and celebrate what is emerging from the lessons learned in the previous cycle.

What are you excited about? What stokes your inner fire, and fuels your passion? What is your heart's desire? This spring is the time to plant the seeds to create the life you want. Use your inner vision, your inner feeling, and your inner knowing, to see, feel, and call your dreams into being.

I love the idea of the winter energies and lessons providing a rich and abundant compost for us to plant the seeds of our intentions in. We can  then water them with our love and compassion for ourselves and the planet, and warm them with our excitement, commitment, and conscious action.

I am rededicating myself to my yoga practice right now, and it feels so good to surrender all the tensions and worries left over from the dark winter months, using my inner fire and my breath to move and shift, release and strengthen, opening up to allow space for these creative energies to flow more freely. 

I am also fired up right now about plans for my own spring garden, getting ready to break up the earth, clear the paths, and enrich the soil. I am deciding on the seeds I want to plant, and envisioning the beauty and nourishment that will be created from my efforts. I know that I will soon be immersed in days of satisfying work connecting with the elements and feeling the beauty of Life.

This spring, let yourself be carried away by your passion, your intention, and your creative fire, and see what your harvest brings!
Eternal Guides    -Poetry by Gardenia Moore, UMS Student 

The human forms a bond with an invisible entity.

One that is cloaked in warmth and messages.

It comes in foreign scents, touches, and stillness.

Still we accept and question its existence.

It plays with insanity while uncovering sanity.

A bond unbroken by the questionable.

Labeled as the direct link between the heaven and earth.

The seen and unseen...knowing follows.

Connected to the soul internally.

Without a doubt, the eternal compass.

Driven to speak through intuition

As doubt falls asleep. 

Gaia Sagrada: 
A Safe Sacred Space for Transformative,
Personalized Healing

 
"For centuries, Amazonian shamans have used ayahuasca as a window into the soul. The sacrament, they claim, can cure any illness." -National Geographic
 
Looking to broaden your horizons, merge with like minded spiritualists, and heal your inner child? Why not take a moment to imagine the possibility of Gaia Sagrada retreat center as a destination for growth and rebirth. 
 
Deep in the stunning landscapes of Cuenca, Ecuador we offer the ancient healing practices of Ayahuasca and San Pedro ceremonies, run by professional native shaman. 
 
Participants are raving about the Gaia Sagrada experience, from organic vegetarian diet, to steaming hot tubs, and a stellar network of spiritual support. Weather you long to take a journey to the depth's of your soul, or just want to experience the power of plant medicines, Gaia Sagrada offers something for everyone. 
 
Every answer you ever sought is within you, and when you are ready, this magical wonderland awaits your graceful presence.

Learn more about our retreat center at gaiasagrada.com .
Check out the monthly blog for more insight on the latest news from Gaia
(Ad created by Elizabeth Erenberger)