REAL CURE FOR DEPRESSION and ANXIETY

Posted on February 24, 2010 by Julie Tallard Johnson

“Our soul is always calling us home. And the way home is through the mind” –Jiivanii So you are moving along in your life and then something happens that stops everything. You find yourself unable to get out of bed or off the couch. What once was easy is now riddled with anxiety and dificulty. Panic sets in and takes over the mind, body and spirit. What’s happening? Clearly a lot of people experience various degrees of depression and anxiety. Even in good times, there is an average of 16 million new cases of depression in the United States every year, leading … Continue reading →

The Meaning Maker

Posted on October 15, 2009 by Julie Tallard Johnson

“Ultimately, no human being can find genuine meaning in her life merely by accepting the meaning handed down from those who have gone before. Personal meaning must be created, not accepted, and the process of creating it requires testing and experimentation. A false self will neither test nor experiment; it is a defense against experimenting.” James F. Masterson, M.D. The Search for the Real Self When life offers us meaningful or even mystical experiences we often tend to seek other’s help to interpret and understand it. However, since the experience is in the context of your life it is important … Continue reading →

Healing Medicine for the Hidden Wound: Guru Meditation

Posted on July 6, 2009 by Julie Tallard Johnson

This is the final session of the Spring/Summer Meditation Class. Thank you for joining me. This last class is on Guru Meditation. We can get to the root cause of a wound or habit through the practice of Guru meditation. We all have repetitive issues that are diffcult or seemingly impossible to get to the root of and dislodge once and for all from our lives. All our habitual patterns come from our past, our “pain stories.” See more on freedom from our pain stories in my upcoming book: The Wheel of Initiation: Practices for Releasing the Inner Light. We … Continue reading →

Tonglen: Transforming Pain into Love

Posted on June 22, 2009 by Julie Tallard Johnson

“Tonglen is the quickest way to enlightenment.” His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Madison Wisconsin, June 2008 This is the seventh week of this series of meditation classes. Next week will be the final of this series. Much of my material, okay, all of my material is in reality borrowed wisdom. This week’s wisdom is borrowed from Lama Surya Das and his book: “Awakening the Buddha Within: Eight Steps to Enlightenment.” I highly recommend this and any of his books to further your practice of mind training and meditation. I imagine that what the Dalai Lama says is true, that the quick … Continue reading →

Our Search for Happiness

Posted on March 21, 2009 by Julie Tallard Johnson

I call upon the natural world and sciences to demonstrate skillful means when helping others decrease suffering and strengthen their well-being. Nature and science often point to the problem and to its neighboring solution. My husband is a wildlife biologist so the natural world and related sciences have become more available to me. I consider myself a true novice in these areas but a willing student. The other day I talked to him about how much energy, time and money people put into searching for happiness. I knew he would respond with some link between this phenomenon and the natural … Continue reading →

Posted on March 21, 2009 by Julie Tallard Johnson

The Spiritual Pilgrimage and our Psychic Gifts

Posted on January 22, 2009 by Julie Tallard Johnson

Entering the world from a different gate, A late arrival no one waits before or behind, though the labyrinth has been traversed before, Where did I put my traveling boots? It’s time to go. Today something will be offered up to you and to me, – – a challenge to our view of the world and of ourselves. What will that be? Will we let the roots of our way of seeing the world and others be shook loose, letting go of some familiar and favored way, opening up to something yet unnamable? Are you willing … Continue reading →

Dreaming Awake by Laurel Reinhardt, Ph.D.

Posted on December 20, 2008 by Julie Tallard Johnson

“Dreaming Awake,” is written by my friend, and dream partner Laurel Reinhardt. First a few words from me. I have been behind on my weekly Blog busy finishing up my manuscript on spiritual initiation. Mostly, it has been bliss. I so love the writer’s life. As I write this book I notice that throughout one’s personal initiation process dreams play a prominent part. Dreams also show us ways to tap into our intuitive nature and live a more symbolically enriched life. Laurel visited us a few weeks back and invited us to interact more consciously and purposefully with our dreams … Continue reading →

The Inner Healer

Posted on June 9, 2008 by Julie Tallard Johnson

“Illness is made from negative emotions frozen by time and bad habits.” –Letha Hadady, D. AC., taken from Asian Heath Secrets “Your choices make you Gods.” There is a Healer in each of us. Journal writing exercises, mindfulness meditations, visualization practices and exercise all get us in touch with the Healer Within. Last week we focused on slowing down enough to listen. When we take the time to listen we are open to a more enlightened choice in the moment. The food we choose to eat directly impacts our mental, spiritual and physical health. As we cleanse ourselves of poor … Continue reading →

An Invitation

Posted on June 2, 2008 by Julie Tallard Johnson

“In our daily routine, we can let go and set aside time for silence, meditation, and prayer. Even while engaged in work, we can breathe one conscious breath, letting go into God’s creative light and Name.” Neil Douglas–Klotz, taken from Prayers of the Cosmos So much of life is simply inviting you in. Into your body, your passions, your purpose. However this invitation is often missed in a busy life. Visitors from Europe often comment on how crazy-busy Americans are. Some one recently said to me, “You have all this abundance and take no time to truly enjoy it.” We … Continue reading →