Spotlight: Be Your Own Medical Intuitive: Healing Your Body and Soul by Tina Zion

Be Your Own Medical Intuitive offers precise, doable, self-healing methods to positively change physical, mental, and emotional challenges.

Medical intuition is not a gift that only a few people in the world have. You are already wired to be intuitive and so is everyone else. It is a learned skill and this book brings that skill into your life to learn, heal, and master your life in profound new levels. Find yourself in this book as it guides you forward into your own personal healing. Be Your Own Medical Intuitive is your companion to exponentially increase your intuition to the highest level.

Excerpt

Excerpted from Be Your Own Medical Intuitive: Healing Your Body and Soul. Copyright © 2021 by Tina M. Zion. All rights reserved. Published by WriteLife Publishing (an Imprint of Boutique of Quality Books Publishing Company). 

The blocks that I am discussing here are the primary ones that come up in all of my workshops and my private mentoring sessions. So, these are the most common struggles that I hear from people all over the world. These issues get in the way of people who yearn to do medical intuition but who struggle, in some manner, to get where they want to be. These are the primary blockages that prevent you from becoming an exceptional healer for your own life.

Your Worries or Outright Fears

Seeing Non-Physical Beings – I am here to tell you that deceased people are everywhere. They are at your work, in the yard, in your car, in your house, and at the stores where you shop. They are already everywhere because they are a natural part of life. We are living and breathing in the non-physical world, and it is constantly all around us and within us. You are a spirit right now, and there are spirits everywhere coming and going because they are just as alive as you are. You are a spirit among spirits. So allow yourself to perceive them. You already know they are there, don’t you?

Being Overwhelmed – A common question is, “What if the spirit world takes over my life?” You will notice more as you allow yourself to notice. But the most fascinating thing is that spirits will do exactly what you tell them to do. They will do what you ask because they are real people. For example, if you asked your friend to leave the room for fifteen minutes, they might think it is strange, but they would politely leave the room. It is exactly the same if you are dealing with a dead person. They will do what you say so you must take care to say exactly what you really want them to do.

Life Might Change – Your life will change because you will be living at a more aware and more understanding life than ever before. You will understand what lies underneath other people’s struggles because you have a more profound understanding of what makes you tick, and you will look out of your own eyes at the world in completely different ways.

Failure to Become Intuitive – What happens if you think you have failed? Well, there really is no failure. Becoming more intuitive is about noticing the very subtle signal from the Universe. It is all about noticing or not noticing. Life is about a choice between learning and then improving based on what we’ve learned, or stopping and not moving forward. Every split second in our lives is a choice.

Being Wrong – If you are wrong in some way, then immediately examine how you think you are wrong. What steps did you take or not take? Learn to notice in a different way.

Making It All Up – This is one of my favorite struggles to hear from someone because it is so vitally important to every single medical intuitive. Hear this now: It will never stop feeling like you made it up, imagined it, or dreamed it up. It will never stop feeling that way. Intuition is real, but it will always feel like your imagination because it is information from the non-physical realms. It is not going to be solid like we are accustomed to perceiving in the physical realm that we live in.

Am I Worthy to Receive Intuitive Insights?

I was so surprised when I first heard this particular worry and concern. It had never occurred to me that someone would question if they were good enough. Intuition is truly only information. Granted, it is information from the non-physical life around you, but it is still only information. Do not think of it as something else.

You are also frequently receiving information from spirit guides, angels, and even archangels. You might become aware of Jesus, Muhammad, or Buddha, or any other revered entity. Hear this: If they come to you, then it was their decision and not yours. That in itself tells you how worthy you are. You are in control. It is imperative that you allow yourself to receive the intuition.

The Spirit World Might Dominate Me

Now this is a legitimate thought but does not need to be a worry or a fear. They are often confused, demanding, unaware, still feeling sick, and yes, even dead people can be afraid. Later on in this book, I will discuss the neediness of many, many deceased people. The good news is . . . they will do what you direct them to do. If you realize that you are in charge of a situation with a spirit person, there is nothing to be afraid or worried about. They are not more powerful than you are. They are really just another human in the room. If they come to you, it is because they need or want something.

Loving Intuitive Wisdom or the Spirit World So Much that You May Want to Leave the Physical World

Being an intuitive and a medical intuitive is much more than interacting with dead people. The more you allow yourself to notice the non-physical world, the more you will love it. You will love it because you, as a human, are non-physical and physical at the exact same time. It brings the depth of balance that most people have been searching for throughout their lives. You will not want to leave your current life, but you will realize how alive people are even after their death. The more you receive intuition into your daily life, you will realize a richness that you have never experienced before. If life is like your cake, intuition is the luscious icing on your cake. You will feel more alive than you have ever been before.

What if Family or Friends Find Out I am Intuitive?

I have noticed over many years that families are often alarmed at first when they find out you have been doing healings for yourself. People tend to judge and criticize the things they know the least about. If you do decide to share this part of your life with them then it is the exact time for you to become the teacher. Give them little bits of information at a time. I have seen this time and time again. When family and friends realize your accuracy and your healing abilities, they begin to sense the wonderment of it all and then they hold a respect for you.

I Have Already Experienced Strange Things and I Do Not Want That to Happen Again

People frequently tell me that they have already had spiritual experiences that either terribly frightened them or they terribly frightened their family members. They go on to explain that they have seen inside of themselves and found something dark, or they have known about events which then actually happened in real life. They might know when someone is pregnant before the woman even knows. These are just a few examples.

My response is this: “If you do not want to be aware of those things, then what has brought you to me or to this book? Working with me will absolutely heighten your abilities.” And with a surprised look on their face they often say, “Oh, I guess you are right. I guess I really want to understand what I am getting and not be afraid of these psychic things when they happen.” Then I respond, “Great, that is exactly what will happen as we work together!”

What if I Am Not Normal Anymore?

Living with one foot in the physical world and one foot in the non-physical world at the exact same time is the truest balance of all. You will be differently awake, knowledgeable, and mindful. You will be more powerfully aware, and this will be your new normal. Once you allow yourself to tap into the intelligence of cosmos, you will not be the same again. You will be more.

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Paperback | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Tina Zion is the globally acclaimed award-winning author of three medical intuitive books. Become a Medical Intuitive won 1st Place Gold from the Body Mind Spirit Book Awards in 2019 and Advanced Medical Intuition won the 2020 COVR Visionary Award along with 5 star ratings on Amazon. She is also the author of two Reiki books, The Reiki Teacher’s Manual and Reiki and Your Intuition. Her new book, Be You Own Medical Intuitive, can be preordered now and releases October 1, 2021.

Tina’s books sell in over 40 countries and have been #1 in Canada and Australia.

She teaches in Australia, New Zealand, UK, Europe, Canada, Mexico and throughout the USA. She is also a contributing author in Michael Newton’s book, Memories of the Afterlife. Tina has taught self-development courses for 30 years and specifically has specialized in medical intuition for over 10 years, always with 100% stunning reviews by her students. For more information, please visit https://tinazion.com and follow Tina on Facebook and Twitter.

Spotlight: The Enneagram Guide to Waking Up: Find Your Path, Face Your Shadow, Discover Your True Self by Beatrice Chestnut, PhD, MA and Uranio Paes, MM

A fresh approach to the Enneagram that encourages readers to embark on their own hero's journey for transformation.

This is a personal transformation book rooted in the wisdom of the Enneagram system of personality types. It is a book about waking up and growing into the best version of yourself. It is a book that shows you how to discover who you are and what you can be. It is a book about finding your path, facing your shadow, and discovering your true self.

It is a good news-bad news-good news story. The good news: you survived childhood. The bad news: in order to grow, you are going to experience some pain. The really good news: you can use your negative habits as a springboard to move beyond them. With a commitment to self-observation and reflection, you can develop greater self-awareness and open yourself up to a life filled with exciting choices and opportunities.
Each of the nine chapters includes these features:

• The problematic perspective, the process of self-discovery, and the path forward for that type

• How the main issues for that type get played out in 3 different ways--the 3 distinct sub-types of the main type (necessary for pinpoint accuracy in describing your personality and your path of growth)

Chestnut and Paes, two leading Enneagram teachers, frame this approach to personality types in a way that is accessible, practical, and filled with possibility.

Excerpt

You are not your personality. But who are you? 

If you’re like most people, you picked up this book because you want to understand more about why you are the way you are. Why do you do the things you do or react the way you do to certain things? Why, no matter how many times you think you’ve learned something, do you keep making the same mistakes? How you can make your relationships better and what happened in the one that didn’t work out? Why is there one issue in your life that you just can’t get past? 

Well, there’s a reason for all of these things. And there’s a reason why you have a difficult time understanding why you do what you do. 

Basically—you have become a zombie. 

No, we’re not saying you’re literally one of the undead. We’re saying you’re going through life in a zombie-like state—on autopilot, “asleep” to who you really are and what’s really going on inside you. Just like most of us do. 

This book can help awaken you from this state by introducing you to the Enneagram, a powerful growth tool based on timeless wisdom that can help you come to know your true self. The Enneagram can free you from defensive self-limiting patterns and help you grow into an expanded version of yourself. It can show you who you really are by showing you who you think you are. Only then can you know who you actually are—and who you are not. 

What Is the Enneagram? 

The Enneagram is a complex and meaningful symbol that relates to many different systems of knowledge, including psychology, cosmology, and mathematics. It forms the basis of a highly accurate typology that describes nine distinct personality types and serves as a sense-making framework for understanding the human ego and mapping out a process of growth. As a psychological and spiritual model that lays out specific paths of self-development, it helps us “wake up” to ourselves by revealing the habitual patterns and blind spots that limit our growth and transformation. 

The Enneagram is based on nine personality types grounded in three “centers of intelligence” that determine how we take in and process information from the outside world. 

• We think and analyze using our head center. Types 5, 6, and 7 are dominated by this center and their experience is shaped by thoughts. They are analytical and imaginative, and know how to plan and make sense of things, but they can be overly logical and detached from feelings and emotions. 

•  We feel emotions and connect with others using our heart center. Types 2, 3, and 4 are dominated by this center and their experience is shaped by feelings. They are usually emotionally intelligent and empathetic, and value connection and relationships, but they can be overly focused on image and fear rejection. 

•  We experience life through our senses using our body center. Types 1, 8, and 9 are dominated by this center and their experience is shaped by sensations. They are usually committed and responsible, and value truth and honor, but they can be judgmental and inflexible. 

We get “out of balance” when we use one of these centers more than the other two. The Enneagram helps us become aware of and redress this imbalance. 

Each of the nine types on the Enneagram circle can be defined in terms of a central survival strategy comprised of habitual patterns and motivations. We all develop unconscious strategies to avoid pain and discomfort as we move through the world. When we see ourselves as the sum total of these unconscious patterns, we lose sight of who we really are and what’s possible for us. The fact that these strategies are unconscious makes it hard (or impossible) to acknowledge and move beyond them. But we are actually much more than we think we are, and the Enneagram helps us to realize this.

Each of the nine personality types on the Enneagram circle has three distinct “subtypes,” making for a total of twenty-seven types. These subtypes are more nuanced versions of the original nine types and are defined by three instinctual drives: self-preservation, social belonging, and sexual (one-to-one) fusion. Each subtype reveals how these instinctual drives shape behavior and express our core emotional motivations. For each type, the three subtype personalities take slightly different shapes, including one of the three, called a “counter-type,” that goes against the general expression of the type in some ways, because the emotional driver and the instinctual goal go in opposite directions. 

To unlock the amazing insights of the Enneagram, you must first identify which of the nine types best matches your personality, then identify the subtype that most accurately describes you. This can be a challenging task, however, because different types look similar on the surface and you may identify with more than one. The fact that the type descriptions refer in part to unconscious habits, or blind spots, makes the task all the more challenging.

At one level, these personality types are based on a very simple thing— where we focus our attention as we move through the world. But what we see also defines what we don’t see—as well as the fact that we don’t see it. These are our blind spots. When we remain unaware of these key aspects of our experience, we stay blind to the impact they have on how we think, feel, and act. And this explains why we can be said to be “asleep”—going through life like zombies. 

To “wake up” from this state, we must confront the ego—as well as the Shadow cast by the ego. We need to become aware of the automatic habits that structure our defensive egoic persona, as well as all that remains unconscious in us connected to our ego’s need to protect itself. This self-protective persona keeps us focused on its needs and prevents us from feeling pain—or joy—condemning us to a kind of waking sleep in which we don’t know who we are and what’s possible for us. We suppress these Shadow elements because they create pain or challenge our self-image. By making these elements more conscious, however, we become more self-aware and whole. Without facing them, we can never know ourselves as we actually are. When we don’t see and own the unconscious tendencies connected to the personality we stay focused on (and limited by), we are held hostage to who we think we are, or who we fear we are, or who we would like to be. When we move beyond the ego and actively engage in the process of growth that the Enneagram maps out for us, we begin to awaken to our full potential.

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Paperback | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Beatrice Chestnut, PhD, MA, is a licensed psychotherapist, coach, and business consultant based in San Francisco specializing in integrating the Enneagram in supporting personal and professional development. She offers trainings and retreats based on the Enneagram internationally.

Uranio Paes, MM, is internationally recognized as a leading Enneagram facilitator, coach, and organization development consultant. He is the founder and CEO of Mundo Eneagrama/CP Online, a global Enneagram learning community. Together they cofounded the Chestnut Paes Enneagram Academy.

Spotlight: The Gathering Table by Kathryn Springer

From USA TODAY bestselling author Kathryn Springer comes a tale of starting over when life takes an unexpected turn.

Winsome Lake, Wisconsin, is postcard-pretty, but for chef Jessica Keaton it’s also a last resort. Fired from her dream job, Jess is starting over as a live-in cook and housekeeper. When she arrives, she finds her new employer is in rehab after having a stroke, and Jess expects she’ll be all alone in Elaine Haviland’s quaint house. A chef with no one to cook for.

But instead, she encounters a constant stream of colorful visitors who draw her back into the world. As Jess contends with local teenagers, a group of scrappy women and a charming football coach, Elaine faces some battles of her own that extend past her physical challenges. For both of them, all the ingredients for a fulfilling life are within reach, if they’re willing to take a leap. And maybe Jess will start to see that it’s not just what’s on the table that matters—it’s the people gathered round it.

A must-read novel from Love Inspired: Stories to Uplift and Inspire.

Excerpt

A wooden privacy fence, weathered to a dull silver by the changing seasons, didn’t look strong enough to contain the mass planting of flowers and herbs that had taken control of the backyard.

Basil. Rosemary. Roses. Lemon verbena. Poppies.

The clash of colors and fragrances reminded Jess of the potager gardens she’d admired during a virtual culinary tour of France. Only this one was untamed, rebellious, flourish­ing in spite of its obvious neglect.

Jess stepped off the patio into a bed of creeping thyme. Following the stone pavers turned into a game of hopscotch.

A leap over a spiky mound of hens and chicks. A quick side­step past the rosebush.

She bent down, plucked a purple viola and popped it into her mouth. The burst of sweetness unlocked a memory of the garden party Gwyneth had hosted for the top tier of her elite clientele two summers ago.

Jess had overheard one of the guests complain it wasn’t fair that Gwyneth kept such a talented chef all to herself. Gwyn­eth had dismissed the comment with an airy laugh, but it had taken root in Jess’s heart. The moment her dreams had dared to outgrow Gwyneth’s kitchen.

“I prefer a good burger myself, but whatever floats your boat.”

Jess’s head snapped up.

A man had materialized out of nowhere. Close to thirty, Jess guessed. Clean-cut. Slim with an athletic build and broad shoulders; traits she would have admired until a few days ago. Until Ian. Now he was merely a six-foot-tall obstacle between her and the house.

“I thought I heard someone back here.” He waded toward her through an ankle-deep patch of lemon balm.

Jess remained mute; the viola lodged halfway down her throat.

Her silence didn’t seem to make the guy uncomfortable, though. He stopped a few feet away from her. “Sorry if I startled you. I was expecting to see Elaine. I’ve been taking care of her yard the past few months.”

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Audible

About the Author

Kathryn Springer grew up in a small town where her parents published a weekly newspaper. As a child, she spent hours sitting at her mother’s typewriter, plunking out stories, and credits her parents for instilling in her a love of reading – which turned into a desire to tell stories of her own.

Kathryn has written over thirty books and lives and writes on a lake in northern Wisconsin. She enjoys long walks in the woods and the change of seasons (although sometimes she wishes the “change” between winter and spring didn’t last quite so long!) When Kathryn isn’t at the computer, she’s spending time with family and friends, paging through cooking magazines or sitting in the sun. A really, really good day includes all three!

Connect with Kathryn: Website | Facebook | Instagram

Spotlight: Mistle Text by Whitney Dineen & Melanie Summers

(An Accidentally in Love Story, #5)
Publication date: September 25th 2021
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance

Synopsis:

Twas the text before Christmas…

Twenty-eight-year-old Holly Snow is the only mother her five-year-old niece remembers. Three years earlier, when her sister and brother-in-law were killed, Holly’s dream of becoming an international flight attendant was put on hold so she could be home for baby Faith.

Holly is doing everything she can to keep the rent paid, including working as an online travel agent, filing medical claims, and cleaning apartments in her building. When her friend Toni tells her that her boss needs someone to buy his Christmas gifts, she leaps at the opportunity.

Tall, dark and Scroogy, investment banker, Archibald Harrington is too busy to do his own Christmas shopping. When his assistant tells him she knows of a professional shopper, he happily checks another dreaded task off his holiday list. The last thing Archie is expecting is for his hired elf to text him insistently to find out more about the people on list.

The last thing Holly expects is to develop feelings for grumpy man who’s stealing her Christmas spirit.

Will there be a Holiday miracle, or will Holly and Archie miss their chance at love? Find out in the fifth installment of the Accidentally in Love Series.

Excerpt

“My boss needs a personal shopper for Christmas, and I’ve already told him I know the very best one in Manhattan.” Toni gives me an open-mouthed smile, clearly expecting me to jump up and down.

“Your boss. As in Archibald Snooty Pants the Forty-Second?” I ask, pursing my lips. 

She opens her mouth, but I cut her off with one finger in the air. “You complain about the man all the time.”

“It's not like he’s a horrible person, he’s just a one trick pony—all work and no play. Plus, it’s not like you’ll have to work side-by-side with him or anything. You probably won’t even have to see him.” 

“I’m not a personal shopper,” I tell her. “Unless his family and friends want ramen noodles or discount t-shirts from the guy who sells them out of his trunk in front of my apartment building, I would have no idea what to buy.”

“Yeah, well, Archie doesn’t know that.” She pumps her eyebrows up and down like a comedian. 

“Toni, you told me the guy was a rich stuck-up preppy from the Hamptons. While I would love nothing more than to make some extra money, I don’t have the foggiest notion how to shop for rich people.” 

“So watch some holiday episodes of Real Housewives and see what they buy each other. He’ll tell you how much to spend on each person. Come on, Holl, it’s not brain surgery. It’s shopping. You know how to shop. And you need the money.”

“What if he hates me?” I despise feeling so pathetic, but I’m totally out of my league here.

“Then he hates you. So what? Believe me when I tell you, Archibald Harrington only thinks about work. You can’t take anything he says personally.”

Dread slams into me like a wrecking ball. “How much do you think I can make?”

“Enough to pay for Christmas and at least the next three months of Faith’s preschool tuition. How can you pass that up?”

The answer is, I can’t. And if it means working for a cranky billionaire, then Toni is right. I’ll do whatever I have to do in order to take care of Faith. I just can’t guarantee I’ll like it. 

“Fine,” I tell her. “How many gifts am I supposed to buy?”

“He’ll need all of his family gifts, which include his godfather’s family. He’s spending Christmas with them in Newport. He wants you to cover his business gifts, as well. The VIPs are starred, meaning those particular gifts need to be extra-amazing. I’ve also made you a list of everything that I want, so I don’t wind up with another Monte Blanc pen. I’ve already sold three of those suckers on eBay and I only get a fraction of what they’re worth.”

“I don’t even know what a Monte Blanc pen is.” My chest tightens like I’m not getting enough oxygen. 

She hands me a piece of paper. “This is a list of websites to check out.  You can order everything and have it delivered here.”

“Why can’t I just have everything sent to his office? What am I going to do with it?”

After taking a healthy swig of white zinfandel, Toni says, “You’re going to wrap everything up and make it look like Santa himself cracked the whip on the gift-wrapping elves. Once you have everything purchased and ready, I’ll send a car to pick the gifts up.”

“You’ll send a car, will you?” I tease. 

“Yeah, well, I can do those fancy things in the name of my boss.”

“How am I going to pay for everything?” I ask. “I have about two hundred dollars of credit left on my card. I don’t think that’s going to cut it.”

Toni opens her purse and hands me a shiny black credit card. “There’s no limit, so if you don’t mind doing a little jail time, you could have a lot of fun.”

“No limit? I can’t imagine such a thing.” I fantasize about what damage I could do with plastic like this. Not only could I pay for Faith’s school for the rest of the year, but I could also get my mom into one of those nursing homes that has a hair salon and restaurant. I could upgrade to a two-bedroom apartment so Faith doesn’t have to sleep in the closet anymore, and I could even splurge and buy myself some real leather gloves.

“You’re imagining, aren’t you?” Toni jolts me out of my daydream.

“I most certainly am. The first thing I’d do is buy Faith whatever winter coat she wanted and then I’d take her out to a nice restaurant.”

Toni rolls her eyes. “If you’re going down for a crime, you’ve got to think bigger.”

I stare at the card for a second, then look back up at Toni. “How can you stand working for someone who has so much? Don’t you just want to steal cash out of his wallet once in a while?” I don’t really have the heart of a felon, I’m just tired of always being broke. 

“The nice thing about Archie is that even though he has the personality of a killer shark, he’s generous. He has a Friday lunch catered for his staff every week, and he makes sure to float us enough extras that none of us are tempted to steal from him. He’s a good businessman.”

“Even though he’s a stuck-up preppy?” I ask for clarification. 

“Exactly.”

I look at the list of stores she thinks I should shop at—Tiffany’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Harrods, The House of Bijan … “What’s my budget?” 

She hands me another piece of paper. The handwriting isn’t hers, so I’m guessing it’s Archie’s. “He wants me to spend four thousand dollars on his mother?!”

“Yup. He wants her to have two gifts. One of them needs to be the main. The other can be fancy ass chocolates or something.”

“Right, but probably not gas station chocolates.”

“Quit stressing, Holls, you’ve got this.”

I don't know why, but for the life of me I can't see this ending well...

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Paperback

About the Author

Whitney loves to laugh, play with her kids, bake, and eat french fries -- not always in that order.

Whitney is a multi-award-winning author of romcoms, non-fiction humor, and middle reader fiction. Basically, she writes whatever the voices in her head tell her to.

She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband, Jimmy, where they raise children, chickens, and organic vegetables.

Gold Medal winner at the International Readers' Favorite Awards, 2017.

Silver medal winner at the International Readers' Favorite Awards, 2015, 2016.

Finalist RONE Awards, 2016.

Finalist at the IRFA 2016, 2017.

Finalist at the Book Excellence Awards, 2017

Finalist Top Shelf Indie Book Awards, 2017

Connect:

https://whitneydineen.com/

https://twitter.com/whitneydineen

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8145525.Whitney_Dineen

https://www.instagram.com/whitneydineenauthor/

https://www.facebook.com/Whitney-Dineen-Author-11687019412/

Melanie Summers also writes steamy romance as MJ Summers.

Melanie made a name for herself with her debut novel, Break in Two, a contemporary romance that cracked the Top 10 Paid on Amazon in both the UK and Canada, and the top 50 Paid in the USA. Her highly acclaimed Full Hearts Series was picked up by both Piatkus Entice (a division of Hachette UK) and HarperCollins Canada. Her first three books have been translated into Czech and Slovak by EuroMedia. Since 2013, she has written and published three novellas, and eight novels (of which seven have been published). She has sold over a quarter of a million books around the globe.

In her previous life (i.e. before having children), Melanie got her Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta, then went on to work in the soul-sucking customer service industry for a large cellular network provider that shall remain nameless (unless you write her personally - then she'll dish). On her days off, she took courses and studied to become a Chartered Mediator. That designation landed her a job at the R.C.M.P. as the Alternative Dispute Resolution Coordinator for 'K' Division. Having had enough of mediating arguments between gun-toting police officers, she decided it was much safer to have children so she could continue her study of conflict in a weapon-free environment (and one which doesn't require makeup and/or nylons).

Melanie resides in Edmonton with her husband, three young children, and their adorable but neurotic one-eyed dog. When she's not writing novels, Melanie loves reading (obviously), snuggling up on the couch with her family for movie night (which would not be complete without lots of popcorn and milkshakes), and long walks in the woods near her house. She also spends a lot more time thinking about doing yoga than actually doing yoga, which is why most of her photos are taken 'from above'. She also loves shutting down restaurants with her girlfriends. Well, not literally shutting them down, like calling the health inspector or something--more like just staying until they turn the lights off.

She is represented by Suzanne Brandreth of The Cooke Agency International.

Connect:

https://mjsummersbooks.wordpress.com/

https://twitter.com/mjsummersbooks

https://www.instagram.com/mj_summers_author/

https://www.facebook.com/MJSummersAuthorPage

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17105602.Melanie_Summers

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Spotlight: Grave Watch by Annie Anderson

(Soul Reader, #3)

Publication date: September 28th 2021

Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy

Synopsis:

Meeting long-lost siblings should be awesome, right?

Well, when you happen to be on the wrong side of the law and have every intention of staying there, having a cop for a sister isn’t exactly ideal. And teaming up with said sister? Well, that is just the cherry on top of the craptastic pie that has been my life.

But when our brother decides to attack us head on, banding together is the least of our problems.

Because in our family? Being the hunter also means being the hunted.

Excerpt

Simon wiped at his leaking eyes before striding across the grass and pulling me up by my biceps. “He gave you an hour and we’ve wasted enough of it. You have to get ready.”

Dumbstruck, I allowed him to pull me by the forearm back to the house. 

“Clem, get their leathers ready,” he called over his shoulder as we crunched over broken glass and fallen books. 

The house looked no better than it had a week ago after our little invasion, and I had to wonder how many times it had broken apart and been put back together by magic over the years. Simon muttered to himself for a second before picking through the debris, yanking me behind him to the staircase. An irritated trill pulled my gaze to my feet, and an angry set of glowing green eyes pierced me with an annoyed glare. Simon yanked me again, and Isis wound around his feet nearly tripping him.

“Damn and blast, Isis. It’s not my fault you went and hid under the bed. The whole bloody house was going to fall on us, you mangy feline, and you can’t die.”

She couldn’t? Well, that was new information—and sort of comforting if I was being honest. The world without a little skeleton kitty in it seemed just a bit awful to me. I pulled my arm out of Simon’s hold and picked up the bone cat, cuddling her in my arms as I continued following him up the stairs. 

“Did evil Simon leave you behind, my sweet girl. What a bad daddy.” Scratching at her nonexistent fur, I smiled evilly when Simon shot me a look over his shoulder as he muttered something about children these days.

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About the Author

Annie Anderson is a military wife and United States Air Force veteran. Originally from Dallas, Texas, she is a southern girl at heart, but has lived all over the US and abroad. As soon as the military stops moving her family around, she'll settle on a state, but for now she enjoys being a nomad with her husband, two daughters, an old man of a dog, and a young pup that makes life... interesting.

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Spotlight: Threads of Yoga by Pamela Seelig

Yoga draws many practitioners because of its physical benefits, but it is often the experience of peace that people return for. Threads of Yoga supports those seeking to learn more about yoga’s deeper spiritual teachings, helping to deepen and enliven your yoga practice with 30 themes based on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras that can inspire on and off the mat.

Each short chapter introduces a foundational yogic theme, such as letting go, the breath, the yamas and the niyamas, and the chakra system. Each theme is accompanied by practices, including meditation, complementary poses, breath work, or quotes to contemplate.

Threads of Yoga is an ideal guide for both practitioners and teachers who want to connect with the spiritual wisdom of yoga, deepen their personal practice, or develop and support a theme for yoga class.

Excerpt

The Initiation 

My introduction to yoga began in my twenties, not with postures, but with meditation. At the time, I had less than no interest in yoga, which looked to me like a weird practice for flaky people. I considered myself a serious person with more important things to do. As so often happens, life circumstances stepped all over my worldview. My story is similar to those of so many others who turned to yoga and meditation only as a desperate last resort but found healing and relief in what yogis have known for so long. 

I was working on Wall Street in the late eighties during one of the biggest bull markets in history. It was a heady time, and I thought my rather large paycheck proved my importance and worth. I embarrassingly personified the word yuppie—young, upwardly mobile professional. My dreams were coming true. I was living and working in Manhattan, making lots of money . . . which was pretty much the extent of my goals. I’m not proud of these rather shallow, early-in-life dreams, but that’s who I was. 

My job was demanding and, looking back, not sustainable. As a woman trying to excel in an aggressive, male-dominated industry, I put unrealistic demands on myself and did not appreciate the notion of balance. Eventually, I began to feel the stress taking a toll on my body. One night I woke with a powerful headache. I couldn’t get up or even lift my head, and I eventually passed out from the pain. The next morning, I slowly opened my eyes and strangely felt zero pain. Brushing my teeth, I watched in the mirror as the left side of my face began to melt. I thought for sure that I was having a stroke. The left side of my face was completely paralyzed. 

Panicked, I went to the emergency room and learned that I had a fairly common condition called Bell’s palsy. I was relieved that this was not considered serious but rattled when told to expect a three-month recovery. There was also the possibility that there would be no recovery. 

I went home with a small electrical device to intermittently shock the side of my face to delay muscle atrophy, and that was it. There was no medication, no additional physical therapy, nothing I could “do” to end the symptoms of Bell’s palsy. I taped my left eye closed because it didn’t blink, wore an eye patch, and put an earplug in my left ear as loud noises were painful with an inactive eardrum. This new look was made complete with a slight drool out of the corner of my mouth. 

If I went outside, I used my hand to hold up the left side of my face. I remember trying to place an order at my favorite lunch spot. The familiar guy behind the counter just shrugged because he couldn’t understand what I was saying. I left dejected and hungry, thinking this would be the low point of my Bell’s palsy experience. That came later when I was asked to take a leave from work, as my appearance made people uncomfortable. 

Even though Bell’s palsy is not a life-threatening illness, it was the first time I had ever felt physically challenged. I had always been an athlete, with the illusion that I was in charge of my situation, especially my physical body. Now strangers looked at me with what may have been compassion but felt like pity. I was devastated and frightened. 

I began to visit different doctors, hoping for some innovative course of action, but they all said there was nothing to do but wait. One doctor wisely asked if I had “considered meditation or alternative medicine?” I had no idea what that meant, but I now see that the question was a lifeline, and I am so grateful that I grabbed it. 

Even though I had previously dismissed alternative medicine as “wacko,” I was now all in. I read as much as I possibly could with one eye patched and began meeting with energy healers, meditation teachers, a chiropractor, a medium, past-life regression therapists, and more. 

At one of my first appointments, a meditation teacher asked me to do some deep breathing on her count. I was sitting in her comfortable office, and I somehow couldn’t breathe slowly and deeply. I apologized and ran out of her office in tears. The more I tried to relax, the more I realized that I couldn’t. It was at this point that I understood I had some sort of problem. I had no idea what was wrong but believed that figuring it out was critical to recovering and living a healthy life. 

So I started with some meditation at home. I did not start slowly. Reading with one eye was uncomfortable, so I just skimmed some basic instruction and meditated. I liked it. I’m sure this was because I couldn’t go to work, read, or watch TV, but I was doing something. I meditated earnestly for hours, right from the start. I craved the feeling of transcending my physical body. I didn’t know then that it’s best to start with a few minutes of meditation and slowly increase your time. 

What I experienced during meditation blew my mind—from metaphysical experiences to senses of love and light to energetic presences. I glimpsed firsthand that there was more happening than just the physical, five-sensory world. 

I had no idea what was happening, but again I was determined to find out, and with Bell’s palsy, I had some time on my hands. This was pre-internet, so I began my research primarily in bookstores, while also asking doctors and the healers I had started seeing. 

Fortunately, I worked with an experienced energy healer who clued me in. She listened and told me that I could find answers to what was happening by studying yoga. Yoga? I thought skeptically. I did not realize at that time that meditation was a central aspect of yoga. After doing some digging, I was flat-out astonished to find that she was right. This was not at all what I thought yoga was about. 

I began to study older texts from schools in India and was amazed to find that the mystical experiences of some devoted yoga practitioners mirrored my own. I learned about kundalini energy and realized that I had to settle this energy; the way to do that was through yoga postures and breathwork. I had to get healthy by grounding and balancing my system. 

At this point, about three months in, there was no sign of facial recovery. Thankfully, meditating and reading about yoga and other esoteric subjects made the time move along. I became completely enthralled by what I was reading and experiencing. It was like an entire unknown universe opened up, or honestly, a universe I had previously thought was fake. I am sorry I once had that opinion, but now I get it if people roll their eyes when I teach about “out-there” subjects. 

When I started to learn about kundalini energy and life force, or prana, I intuitively knew that this energy was the key to my particular issue. I felt a sense of hope and relief that by getting to the root of the problem, I had the best chance of recovery. I suspect the cause of Bell’s palsy is different for everyone, so by no means do I believe this is a universal cause or a medical opinion. 

I began to incorporate some basic gentle yoga movements with breathwork and lots of meditation into my routine and felt the therapeutic effect on my body. I learned a little about Ayurveda, the medical sister science to yoga, and self-diagnosed that my system was overheated, or in Ayurvedic terms, had excessive agni (fire). When this occurs, the nerves are at risk. My prescription became cooling down my body. I cut back on heating foods such as sugar, alcohol, and coffee—basically my previous diet—and added cooling foods such as green tea, green vegetables, and oatmeal. I intuitively felt that I was on the road to recovery. 

After about four months, I noticed a little flutter in my eyelid, and the corner of my lip started to move. In twelve months, I looked somewhat more like my previous self. Bell’s palsy was the wake-up call or punch in the face I needed to begin to find more balance in my approach to life. It gave me the opportunity to discover a life’s passions: yoga and meditation. Some muscle weakness remains on the left side of my face thirty-some years later, but I am forever grateful for this medical and personal initiation. I struggled to integrate what I was learning into my day-to-day life. At first, I became a bit of a “yogavangelist.” With a lack of subtlety, I steered every conversation toward meditation or yoga. I was utterly intrigued by all things esoteric and genuinely thought that everyone else should be captivated as well. I was perplexed when people would not want to discuss these subjects at length all the time. A lot of people were struggling, and I knew modalities such as meditation could genuinely help.

It took some time, but eventually, I realized that people might be interested in other worthy topics and not so much in meta-physics. I now get (sort of ) that it’s a good thing that we’re all fascinated by different subjects. We each have our role to play in the world, and if we listen to and follow what we’re interested in, life will certainly be more fun and fulfilling for everyone. However, I believe yoga and meditation offer so much benefit to our lives and our world that I remain motivated and energized to share whenever I can.

While I did stay in the finance industry for a few years, eventually my interest in yoga and meditation, along with marriage and two children, led me to leave Wall Street. After a decade of yoga practice, I became an instructor and ultimately opened a studio in my hometown. 

Over the past thirty years, I have witnessed how yoga and related concepts have become more mainstream and popular in the United States and around the world, to the point that we now commercialize and exploit words like nirvana and karma to sell cars. But this commercialization of yoga comes with costs— few people understand the roots of the practice and the depths beyond the postures. I hope that Threads of Yoga will help you explore and experience these concepts in your own practice, begin or continue to share them if you are a teacher, and weave them into your life. I hope they also inspire you to delve into some of the original yoga texts for yourself. 

Yoga teaches us who we are, and it’s time we remember and embrace this astonishing gift.

From Threads of Yoga by Pamela Seelig © 2021 by Pamela Seelig. Reprinted in arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc. Boulder, CO. www.shambhala.com

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About the author

Pamela Seelig is a yoga teacher and the author of Threads of Yoga: Themes, Reflections, and Meditations to Weave into Your Practice. She began her yoga and meditation journey in 1991 when an illness interrupted her Wall Street career. Along with helping recovery, the impact of her meditation led to a lifelong pursuit of perceiving and sharing yogic wisdom through practice, teaching, and writing. She completed her teacher training in 2006 at Integral Yoga Institute in New York. Pamela considers Swami Satchidananda, the founder of Integral, as her primary teacher (root guru), but she has trained with many of the top yoga luminaries in the world today. Pamela is a fervent student of yoga and continues to deepen and expand her yogic knowledge and understanding. Along with Hatha yoga, Pamela also studies Patanjali's Yoga Sutras and is a certified Raja Yoga instructor. While grateful for so many brilliant teachers along the way, she regards the practice itself as the greatest teacher. She lives in New Jersey where she practices yoga, teaches yoga workshops, writes, and empty-nests with her husband, Bob, and dog, Bodhi.