Ignite your heart and soul with Sara Troy and her guest Dr Ivan Figuero Otero, on air from November 23rd
Medical acupuncturist, Iván Figueroa Otero, MD. Dr. Figuero Otero will talk about his fourth book in the “School of Life” series, Reflections in My Magical Mirror (Spirituality 104), which encourages readers to remember that every difficult experience is a lesson of love. He will share with our listeners the importance of emotional and spiritual well-being and its role in preventive and therapeutic medicine. “The fourth book is an extraordinary guide that every person can use at any stage of their spiritual journey.”— Los Angeles Post Examiner As a physician and retired pediatric surgeon, how did he relate to spirituality? Why is it important to attend to spirituality in medicine? What is the “magical mirror” & does everyone have one? How can we harness it? The book is filled with relatable life lessons to learn from written from Ivan’s experiences. How he heals his patient’s practice today in Puerto Rico. Suggestions people do every day? Ivan’s other books in this series and how can readers work with them?
Iván Figueroa Otero M.D. FACS, FAAMA After graduating from the School of Medicine of the University of PR in 1970, Dr. Figueroa Otero trained as General Surgeon at the University Hospital of the UPR School of Medicine, integrating a one-year fellowship in the study of cancer, and one year in experimental research. He did his postgraduate studies in Pediatric Surgery at Miami Children’s Hospital and the San Juan Municipal Hospital. Looking for non-surgical or less invasive options for pediatric conditions, Dr. Figueroa Otero explored Eastern philosophies that emphasize a holistic concept of disease. He was one of the first physicians to become certified in medical acupuncture in Puerto Rico, training in traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture with professors from the University of Seville. Eventually, he was certified in medical acupuncture nationally.
In 2009, Dr. Figueroa Otero became certified in anti-aging medicine, and in December of that year, he retired from the practice of pediatric surgery, focusing instead on his holistic medical practice and emphasizing disease prevention and modification of lifestyles. In 2011, he was invited to become a Trustee of the American Board of Medical Acupuncture, which is the national body organization responsible for certifying physicians in the field of acupuncture through national exams. In that same year, he was recognized by Natural Awakenings magazine as Holistic Physician of the Year. Dr. Figueroa Otero is currently engaged in his private practice and continues in his role as an educator, trying to achieve full integration of traditional Chinese acupuncture courses in the curriculum of medical schools, promoting that physicians to be certified both locally and nationally and to establish clinical research protocols on the use of acupuncture in known conditions compared to the methodology established by modern medicine. Another immediate priority is to incorporate meditation techniques and their role in preventive and therapeutic medicine.
ECO Solutions with Sara Troy and her guest Stephanie Miller, on air from November 22nd
Five “Key” tips towards keeping the amount of waste down during Thanksgiving What is the 80-20 rule to avoid plastic and food waste? What are easy and affordable things we can all do now to help our planet? How can we recycle better? How do festivities like Thanksgiving offer us the opportunity to deal with food waste?
Having spent my career looking for solutions to climate challenges at a macro level, I began to question what could be done at the individual level. I wondered how I could have more of an impact, or perhaps less of an impact (!) by reducing my personal carbon and waste footprint. The questions I began to look at were: What can we– as individuals– do to reverse the current climate and waste crises? Could individual actions have a ripple effect that could lead to systemic change? If so, how could busy people make the necessary changes?
This led to my own personal experiment to see how I could create a zero waste lifestyle. I researched exhaustively, talked with prominent waste and plastics specialists, visited recycling facilities in my region, presented ideas and recommendations in my local community, and began advising others on how they could implement simple but important changes.
What I concluded from my research and my engagement in the community is that you don’t have to do everything under the sun to make a huge difference. My journey led me to the simplicity of the 80/20 rule. By focusing on those things (the 20%) that can make the biggest (80%) difference, every individual can make a real and sustainable impact. And I’m convinced that, collectively—through our daily actions and consumer choices—we can create cleaner air, cleaner oceans and mitigate climate change.
Stephanie believes we all can make a few relatively easy lifestyle changes and create a significant positive impact by using the simplicity of the 80/20 rule, which she follows personally. She has done a lot of research to understand what actions would make the most significant difference and be easy to incorporate into a busy lifestyle and settled on three areas that she calls the Magic Three: food, plastics, and recycling. Stephanie tries to help busy people get to 80% zero waste with minimal effort through her book.
All of our shows/interviews are done by donation, if you enjoyed this show please support us here with either a one-time donation or subscribe and support, thank you. and please support Our Forgotten Children’s anthology and help to bring this book into production.
Choose Positive Living with Sara Troy and her guest Duane Light, on air from November 16th
The Problem Clients often come to me with so much anxiety, sadness or anger that they feel at a loss for what to do. They are often losing sleep, and experiencing negative impacts on their relationships, work, and joy in life. This is understandable, since an important life issue is at stake for them, and the legal system can be distressing and expensive. Over my 25+ years as a licensed, holistic attorney, and training as a coach and meditation teacher, I’ve learned and developed essential tools that help my clients to become more calm, clear and courageous so they can more effectively navigate their legal issues. I’ve handled most types of legal cases, and have done dozens of mediations, arbitrations, negotiations and trials. I’ve seen witnesses, and sometimes clients, not follow the principles outlined in these tools, and end up making their cases costlier, longer and more stressful. Here are the 5 tools: 1 Graciously Pause 2 Compassionately Move Through Your Emotions 3 Re-Vision Your Legal Situation – People, Circumstance, and the Legal System 4 Gather Information / Meditate / Pray / Get Clear Guidance 5 Plan and Move Forward
Graciously Pause When our minds and hearts are racing, we can’t think straight or make good decisions. So, we first need to PAUSE. This means that when we are in any intense emotion – fear, anger, sadness, feeling lost and confused – we take a break from making decisions or taking actions. This Pause usually lasts at least one day, so we can “sleep on it” before making an important decision. Often three or more days are needed, so there’s time to calm emotions and connect to a more peaceful, enlightened place. My clients have successfully used meditation, contemplative prayer, movement, dance, yoga, nature, sacred reading, journaling, or talking it through with a spiritually oriented friend to find that place of quiet and stillness. It’s important to practice this, many times over, to retrain yourself from thinking you must do something right away. We often react quickly, such as send out a harsh email, as a way to get rid of the negative feeling, yet all we do is infuse a negative reaction into the situation and create an often-selfharming result.
Compassionately Move Through Your Emotions There are many effective methods to compassionately meet, be with, and eventually calm your emotions. This is not about stuffing, over-riding, denying or avoiding what you are feeling. In fact, these processes take some courage, a willingness to be real with ourselves. And you’ll need to invoke some strength and intention to delay at least for a while any response while in the heat of strong emotions. My suggestion is that you begin by connecting to your inner resource of peace, compassion and wisdom, however you define that. You might do this through meditation, prayer, reading sacred words, listening to sacred music, time in nature, a hot bath with candles and calming uplifting aromas – whatever works for you. This will provide some support for you before you dive in. Then I suggest that you gently feel into whatever feelings or emotions are arising (one at a time helps). Then there are processes for inner sensing, accepting, and perhaps dialoguing, to see, hear and feel what may be the source of the feeling. (My free meditation, below, can take you through an effective process). I’ve continuously found over many years of practice that once our wounded, fearful, angry or freezing parts are seen, felt, and heard in a loving way, they can relax. And we often receive an important understanding or message. The time for the emotions to calm may take minutes, a few hours, or a day or two or three. What is important is quality of the inner listening, with an approach of self-love and patience.
Re-Vision Your Legal Situation – People, Circumstances, and the Legal System When we are facing a difficult legal situation, our defenses can quickly arise. We criticize and feel angry toward or fearful of the other. These reactive defenses can lead to our injecting negative thoughts into the situation. And these usually lead to increased conflict, time, and stress.
So, Re-Visioning takes some more inner work – exploring what might be judgmental feelings inside. And, importantly, we continue to invoke our highest beliefs, values, and spiritual principles: Acceptance. Humility. Compassion. Empathy. Forgiveness. Trust in a Higher Wisdom, Love and Peace. If we can move toward seeing everyone as having a soul, a spirit, a Higher Self connected to the Divine, then we can feel more compassion for them. Gandhi did it. Jesus did it. Nelson Mandela did it. Martin Luther King, Jr. did it. And their actions changed the world. I’ve seen application of these qualities create great relief to my clients, and often create profound transformations in their cases. We can be that kind of example in the world—to those in the legal system, to our family, our friends, our community. What better place to live and represent the Divine within us? And this is so effective. If we are kind and respectful, even to someone who is angry, it tends to defuse the situation. We do the same inner work with our attitudes toward the difficult life circumstance we are facing. If we are having resistance to the way things currently are – with “should haves” and “could haves” and “I wish they wouldn’t” or “I wish they didn’t” or “why did they have to _,” then those can also generate more negative thoughts, words and actions, and unnecessary suffering for us and everyone around us. With this acceptance, not fighting reality, we are gifted a sense of peace. We are then able to proceed in a more balanced and effective way. The same holds true for our attitudes toward the legal system, judges and lawyers. I probably know more lawyer jokes than you do! (and many of them are deserved). However, if we walk into court with judgment, fear and anger toward the judge, the clerk, other attorneys and our “opponent,” not thinking we’ll be treated fairly, acting up-tight and defensive, let me tell you, that is not persuasive or effective! Imagine this instead – you walk into court like it’s your living room, nodding and smiling to the judge, the clerk, and even the other attorney and the person on the other side. You see through their external thoughts and actions to their souls, and you care for them on that deep level.
You’re relaxed, confident and friendly. I’ll tell you, when any of us raise ourselves up like this, it is a shock to the system! (in a good way). Courts are so often filled with people who are dishonest, manipulative and blaming, that when a “whole human” walks in – kind, fair and friendly – it is incredibly powerful. I’ve literally seen a light come into the courtroom when the words I and my client have spoken, calmly and truthfully, are borne out by the evidence. Most judges can see and feel who is telling the truth. It’s really a beautiful experience to see people in the courtroom affected by these expressions of truth and love. I’ve been in trials where, at some point, it becomes so obvious who is telling the truth that the judge and I look at each other, and I know the case is over! This is the experience that I deeply want for you.
Gather Information / Meditate /Pray / Get Clear Guidance Once you have worked with your emotions and attitudes, you will be better able to access that “still, quiet voice within.” You will have access to higher wisdom, higher truth, and more clear guidance on steps you can take to be as strong as needed, while also moving toward peaceful resolution. You are now ready to gather necessary information. That includes facts and evidence you may need for your case, and some understanding of the laws and procedures that apply. If you are representing yourself in your legal issue, then you should at minimum do some research online. I often recommend Nolo.com books for a good overview of law and procedure (they have books and materials on over 150 types of legal issues). Even if you have an attorney, it’s best for you to be more informed as a client. You might also consult more than one attorney, or people with experience or expertise in your type of issue (doctor, accountant, etc.). Some attorneys will act as your coach for you. For the meditation / prayer stage, one of my favorite spiritual teachers, Marinda Macpherson, counsels us to “come before God with empty hands.”
5, Plan and Move Forward
Only after we have attained some degree of inner calm and peace, compassionately met our emotions, re-visioned our attitudes and feelings about people, the situation and the legal system, and taken time to seek higher guidance, do we plan next steps and take action. Planning is best done on several levels, including: (a) The big picture. How do I want to BE in this situation? What kind of example do I want to set for my family, friends and community? (b) This specific life issue: What would be the highest outcome, on a soul/spirit and practical levels, for everyone involved? (c) The next significant stage in this process: This might be in the next month or three months. What is most important to focus on right now? What are reasonable goals? With my new approach of being compassionate, defusing tension, and raising the vibration, how can I reach out, how can I show some empathy, respect and care to everyone involved, while also being strong and taking care of myself? (d) The next week or two: What can I do on a personal level to ground these attitudes and practices of humility, respect, compassion, forgiveness, trust, and prayer or meditation? What can I do right now to begin to shift the energy and focus? Write an email or letter? Talk to my attorney about how I want to proceed, moving from “war” to “peace with strength?” Where can I find support from specific family members, friends, teachers or spiritual resources to help me ground more in this approach?
6. Peace in the Law 6 That means relaxing, even if temporarily, our judgments, criticisms, pain, anger, fears, plans, and whatever else is churning in heart and mind. We can then approach the Divine with empty hands, in humility, completely open to receive guidance. This also means letting rest, at least for this time, our preconceptions about what would be the best way forward or even the best outcome. If we believe that there is a higher truth or wisdom, then we need to “empty our cup” so it can be filled, and we can be guided. Humility, surrender, and trust serve us best here.
7. Peace in the Law 7 (e) Today: What can I do today to connect to my Inner Peace, compassionately meet my emotions, re-vision my legal situation, gather needed practical information and seek higher guidance, so I can effectively move forward? Rinse and Repeat! Make sure you keep cycling back through all 5 of these Skills for every major decision and action. The most important to train yourself in is the first part of Tool #1 – The GRACIOUS PAUSE – and then take time to find your Ground of Peace, Compassion, and Wisdom before taking any important action. I wish you the best in your personal life as well as for your legal issue. And let me know if I can help you through personal coaching or my weekly low-cost online holistic coaching call.
Beginning November 10, 2021, I’ll host a weekly Zoom call through my
DISTRESS TO SUCCESS: Holistic Legal Coaching with Duane Light, JD
private Members group. I’ll answer questions that are emailed to me at least
a day in advance, selecting from the most universal or relevant each week.
To find out more and take advantage of my special launch price of just
$29/month, available until December 1, 2021, click this link:
https://peaceinthelaw.kartra.com/page/Transformative-LegalCoaching
Offerings for Further Support Personal Coaching from me? Rarely is a legal problem purely legal. Almost all disputes involve emotional and interpersonal dynamics. If you are in a middle of a difficult legal situation, I currently have space for five more clients. To sign up for a free 45 minute Empower Your Case phone or zoom call, where we will explore whether it would be beneficial for you to work with me, click this link: Weekly Holistic Legal Coaching onlin
Disclaimer: This material does not constitute legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. When you are making important legal decisions or taking action, please consult an attorney. By following these steps, I cannot guarantee success in any life or legal situation, or guarantee the actions of any third person, company or government agency.
Author William Halal PHD offers up his uniquely powerful perspective on how to understand our world…
Beyond Knowledge Lies the Triumph of Human Spirit. The Knowledge Age of the past two decades is passing today as the digital revolution and artificial intelligence replace knowledge work. Halal’s study of social evolution explains how this marks the passage to a new frontier beyond the knowledge that is poorly understood – an “Age of Consciousness” is here. But more pandemics, climate change, gross inequality, gridlock, and other threats form a “Crisis of Maturity” that is blocking this historic transformation.
This book provides a wealth of evidence and leading examples of an emerging “global consciousness” now driving the world to grow up, resolve this global crisis and develop a sustainable world order – or perish. With foresight and hard work, we could see the triumph of the human spirit, once again.
At the heart of Mr. Halal’s book are 3 principles discussed at length within:
1. Why Consciousness is Today’s Next Step in Social Evolution 2. What is the Crisis of Global Maturity 3. How Mental/Spiritual Revolution is Likely
William Halal is a seasoned educator and expert with extensive writing, multiple awards, and other credentials and is available to speak on a myriad of issues affecting us today including the recent Facebook shut down, how media messaging is impacting the average citizen’s opinion of the world and his work as a futurist in predicting major global events including the pandemic.
Halal is Professor Emeritus at George Washington University, Washington, DC, with degrees from Purdue and UC Berkeley. Prof. Halal has published 7 books and hundreds of articles, consults to corporations and governments, and is a frequent speaker, once substituting for Peter Drucker. Bill also served as a major in the US Air Force, an aerospace engineer on the Apollo Program and a business manager in Silicon Valley. He received the 1977 Mitchell Prize ($10,000) for his article “Beyond the Profit-Motive,” and another article, “Through the MegaCrisis,” was awarded Outstanding Paper of 2013. Halal was cited by the Encyclopedia of the Future as one of the top 100 futurists in the world.
Sara’s View Of Life with Sara Troy, on air from November 16th
Does a place matter? Should we find our self-discovery ourselves from within and not care about our environment? A good vibrational space matters to me, a place that exudes tranquility and deep peace, allows me to find it within myself.
I believe that a place that has good vibrations helps us go within and see our selves more deeply. I live on Vancouver Island where the vibrations are so warm and inviting. Here I have found a peace that makes me feel open and tranquil and embracive of all that is possible.
Are you living in a place that welcomes you and makes you feel free and grounded? Is it a place that allows you to grow and become yourself? ARE YOU LIVING IN GOOD VIBRATIONS?
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