Project Knitwell: Knitting with a Purpose 

By Lauren Brennan

At Project Knitwell (PK), our mission is to provide opportunities for those facing stressful situations to learn to knit and build resilience at the same time. Resilience is typically defined as the capacity to recover from difficult life events. When we teach those facing stressful challenges how to knit, we create more community and comfort with each rhythmic stitch. Helping people experiencing hardships by providing knitting instruction and shared community opportunities promotes wellness and resilience….

AstroYoga 101

By Emily Ridout

Have you ever practiced a sun salute in Yoga, or overheard a conversation after Yoga class about what phase the moon is in? Astrology and Yoga are connected. Many people intuit this fact, but few modern practitioners realize that astrology and Yoga have been linked for thousands of years, and that the AstroYoga connection is much deeper than you might suspect….

Connecting Deeply with Nature Heals the Mind

By Jerry Chesnut

…In the midst of so many human-caused stressors, the natural world, too, is suffering. Not only have mental imbalances — greed, selfishness, etc. — negatively-impacted nature, but people have lost sight of what nature means to them in a most fundamental and profound sense… As we know, humans benefit from the material resources that nature provides, but time spent in nature can also help resolve human mental afflictions. On top of that, the more time well-spent in nature, the greater the benefits for both parties….

Foods for the Face: Top 10 Eating Tips for Healthy Skin

By Helena Amos

Here are my top 10 tips to ensure your diet is providing the right ingredients for healthy skin during the winter months and beyond….

The Shadow Self

By Jena Morrison

Dualistic thinking of good and evil are problematic. The truth is we all contain both good and evil, and much of what’s inside of us isn’t easy to neatly label. What is important for us on our Spiritual Journey is to get to know ourselves, honestly and with compassion. That is where shadow work — a tool for dealing with our less attractive human tendencies — comes in….

End-of Life Doulas: Care for Crossing Over

By Jennie Sikes

…There is another type of lesser-known Doula — an End-of-Life Doula, or Death Midwife. Both Birth Doulas and End-of-Life Doulas are similar in capacity. Both have been around since creation; doula even being noted in biblical times. As one is providing comfort and care to the mother and their child in the days leading up to and moments of and after birth, End-of Life Doulas are non-medical professionals that provide the same level of care for the elderly or terminally ill as they prepare to cross over….

Travel With Zen: Mindful Tips Before, During, and After Your Trip 

By Lindsey Van Wagner

…Recently, I was invited to a workshop I really wanted to attend, and it happened to take place in Scotland. Given my trepidation, I amazed no one more than myself by getting there and back in one piece! I took some mental notes along the way as I realized how to stay calm and centered in each moment….

Winter Quarter 2022-23: Living Responsibly

By Misty Kuceris

As the winter quarter begins astrologically, Mars in Gemini is in retrograde motion and remains retrograde until January 12, 2023. This is important because Mars represents our stamina, our physical vitality… how we expend energy. Usually Mars is in a sign for a couple of weeks, but when it goes retrograde, it is in that sign up to seven months….

How to Set Your Intention and Get What You Want

By Patricia Bonnard

When you set your intention for the personal fulfillment of something important to you, give it the significance and attention it deserves. Do this by choosing one or more of these 7 ways to honor and encourage fulfillment….

Wheel of the Year — Late Autumn and Winter

By Lisa Adams

Nature always shows us what to do. The solar-based agrarian model known as the Wheel of the Year creates understanding of the natural cycles of the Sun, Moon, and Earth. We know what season we are in, what nature is doing, and we — as “farmers” in our lives — work the cycles of planning, planting, growing, tending, harvesting, letting go, and resting. It is the cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth that is infinite…and often goes unnoticed….

Decisions, All the Time Decisions!

By Rev. Trish Hall

As humans we have no choice but to make decisions constantly about everything in our ever-changing world. We do not have the option not to change, only how and when, with or without pain. Having to make decisions is inescapable. We are constantly confronted with “choice points.” Options and alternatives such as food and clothing may seem simple, but for some may be stressful. Major decisions such as health, finances, relationship and employment decisions can be overwhelming. Too many options may become paralyzing. A multitude of choices can discombobulate even skilled decision makers depending on perspective: perceived level of control and context can become mind-boggling….

There and Back Again: The Power of a Quilted Life

By Carol Burbank

When most of us are young, we imagine our lives like a portrait, naturally consistent, organically evolving, and yet ultimately predictable. We see the path so clearly. We believe it’s not only possible but also inevitable. And then we take a leap of faith towards the future, to find a life well lived is more like a quilt than the pretty picture we thought we’d create.

What a relief that our leap takes us into something larger and different from our childish vision! The first step towards understanding the quilted, improvisational experience of being human is to choose discovery over disappointment….

Finding That Perfect Holiday Sparkle! A Foolproof Way to Select the Perfect Crystal Gift

By Andee Zahorchak

That wonderful time of year is here — Gift Giving Time! It’s a time full of sparkle, wonderment, loved ones, and giving gifts from the heart. Holiday gifts are just a small token of appreciation to show those around us what they have meant to us throughout the year. Getting a gift for a loved one should not be a stressful event, but when you start to look for that special something, it can seem overwhelming. If you are thinking of gifting crystals to your special someone, this is especially true when confronted with lots of sparkly crystals and the incredible amount of metaphysical knowledge swirling around. Whether you’re new to crystals, or buying for a crystal enthusiast, it can be a daunting task….

Winter Plant Picks

By Kathy Jentz

Wintertime and the new calendar year is a great period for reassessing and resetting. That is true in the garden as well. While the leaves are off the trees and the perennials have died back to the ground, it is a good time to walk your landscape and see where you could use more evergreens and other all-season interests, such as trees with interesting bark or bulbs that bloom in the colder months. Here is a selection of five plants to consider adding — or adding more of — to your garden for winter interest and beyond….

Liquid Comfort: Herb-Infused Beverages For Winter

By DMV Herbalists; Compiled by Michelle Alonso

…We’ve reached out to some of our local herbalists to give us their favorite herb-infused concoction for the season. Here are the responses we received, along with their recipes so you can make them at home. We encourage you to try something new, explore the world of herbalism from some local experts, and use these and other local merchants to source the ingredients you need to enjoy these wonderfully warming winter drinks. Cheers!….

A Trip to The Slaughterhouse

By Milton Mills, MD; Edited by Cam MacQueen

A slaughterhouse in Berkeley? I was surprised. “They couldn’t have something like that going on in the middle of a city”, I thought. But they did. With an eye towards convincing people that an unsanitary slaughtering process is one of the many reasons meat eating is unhealthy, I decided to see for myself what happens in a slaughterhouse….

BOOK REVIEWS

By Alyce Ortuzar

• Bet the Farm: How Food Stopped Being Food, By Frederick Kaufman

Author Frederick Kaufman wants to end world hunger. His book is an accounting of his quest to identify and understand what causes hunger amidst an abundance of available fresh foods.

• Waste and Want: A Social History of Trash, By Susan Strasser

…Seeing the act of throwing things away as “a good thing” is not new. Convenience, cleanliness, and disposability have been effective selling points for products since there were paper collars in the 1860s….“The demise of the system that recycled waste materials from middle-class and even well-to-do households is an integral part of the history of American mass production and mass distribution at the end of the nineteenth century.”… For the first time in human history, disposal became separated from production, consumption, and use….

Reuse is the New Recycle: Why Small Habits Make a Huge Impact

By Nikhita Prasanna

What if there was a better way to reduce waste and lessen the impact on the planet? Instead of using something and throwing it out (or even recycling it), reusing it guarantees it won’t end up in a landfill….

All Pathways readers can sign up for The Rounds for a $10 credit using the code  PATHWAYS here.

In Remembrance: Jamie Whitbread

ON THE COVER

Psychedelic Snowflake

By Carlos Lopez – Mr. Symmetrical