International Super Moon Meditation for Our World Leaders

Participate in a bold experiment. Can we really influence our world leaders with meditation and prayer?

The full moon’s gravitational pull is a universal joke, but it is truly a powerful time of reflection, as it tends to bring out whatever is lurking in just under the surface of the unconscious. Astronomer and astrologers, scientists and philosophers all, hold the moon with fascination and respect. Each one of us, no matter what country, no matter what religion, no matter what political bent, can see the moon. We all have the moon in common.

This event is a call for each of us, as we gaze in wonder at the Moon, to take a moment, several moments, or even an hour or more to meditate and pray for international peace: that our leaders set aside greed and fear and return to actions of service; that we take courage and sit with our own emotions; and that we all turn to look at each other with a new perspective.

This full moon is the Cold Moon, or the Long Night’s Moon, a super moon as it occurs when the moon is at its closest point to the earth in its orbit. As the moon affects us, we affect each other, too. We contribute to the energy of the times.

Join this event, share, and participate in a bold experiment.

Add any of your positive world thoughts, moon thoughts, and peaceful thoughts below.

Author & Novel About to Launch Kickstarter Campaign

A preview of this book's kickstarter image

One of my designers and I have been working with an author on a new novel.  We've designed the website, and the book cover, helped him find an editing team, and are helping him launch a kickstarter campaign.  Its great fun.  Here is a preview of the image for that kickstarter campaign.  We expect to launch this next week.  Stay tuned!

Meet The Tender Foodie: Allergen-free & Foodie-worthy

I am officially a blogger.  Not just any blogger, but one of those double bloggers.

Having had food allergies for the better part of a decade, and having met an enormous number of people in the last five years who also have food allergies (and their sisters, brothers, cousins, and aunts-twice-removed... ), I've decided to write about it.  The blog is called "The Tender Foodie" and we address all kinds of food allergies, related health topics - I mean, its your immune system for heaven's sake - and offer recipes that are geared toward people who love food.  We go deep, too.  I've been interviewing organic meat & wine producers, trying out products and am working with doctors and other experts to answer questions like, "Where do food allergies come from?", "What is the best testing?", "Why are food allergies associated with other diseases like ADHD?", and "How do we Stop this Madness?"

While slamming away at my keyboard writing stuff for The Tender Foodie I'm also working on a bigger picture called, "The Tender Palate".  It will become the information marketplace for all things foodie-worthy and allergen-free.  I'm very excited about it and I hope you will check it out! 

In the meantime, here are a few of the topics so you can get an idea of what you might be in for!

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 If Chocolate Were the Perfect Man, Would He Be Dairy-Free?

 When I found out that my adult dairy allergies would limit the kinds of chocolate I would be able to eat, I went through a period of denial.  Those “traces” of dairy wouldn’t really harm me, would they?  My own body finally forced my illusions to hit the reality fan.  I realized that this secret romance with the forbidden was over.  Until I met Barry Callebaut.

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Recipe:  Grown-Up Chili

The wonderful thing about chili, is that it is easy to make allergen-free.  Of course, most chili recipes do not contain nuts or gluten anyway, and the dairy is usually "on top", so you can choose to leave it off.  But with most chili recipes, you still miss that taste and texture of dairy - to either compliment the spice or to simply make you happy.

So, if you cannot consume dairy products, have I got a recipe for you.  There is no cheese required, and these flavors will demand that you leave it off.

This recipe has a mix of French and Mexican flavors, with a sauce that compels you to lick your bowl.  I call this "grown-up" chili, because this is not your kids' chili (not your normal kid, anyway).  With this blend of flavors and a 1/2 bottle of red wine, it's for adults only.

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Power Chicks & Lemon Chicken

Sometimes you need a little extra IQ.  A shot of cool, quick inspiration.  A few of the best peops in your corner. 

Since The Tender Palate is a budding business, I can use as many healthy brain cells as I can get.  So I brushed off my rusty entertaining skills, dished up a light supper for a few new power chick friends and “experimented” on them with a totally gluten- and dairy-free menu.  These fun and generous women agreed to help me jump-start a couple of ideas, so I made a variety of dishes that were fairly well-practiced.  I use the word “experiment”, because I’m always curious to see how the palates of people without food allergies react to alternative ingredients. 

Although no men  were invited to this particular party (next time I'll do an ALL MEN Menu), I threw a bone to equality by serving the same number of dessert items as savory-type dishes.  Because when it comes to chocolate . . . baby, there ain’t no glass ceiling. 

My unsuspecting power chicks were not aware, however, that many of the yummy ingredients in each dish were also power foods.  Here’s the menu plus a little of the moxie behind it.

Part I: Awkward Acts & Creating Blank Slates . . .

Exploring 21st Centry Creativity

I was attending an unusual art installation last spring at the historic Leonard at Logan House, in Grand Rapids, MI (one of my favorite event venues.)  While milling about, I heard a group of youngish artists discussing the fate of creativity.  The passion and absoluteness in their exchange was rather riveting.  They were very excited about one video installation in particular because of its gender-bending insight.  As I listened, I heard one of the youngish women say, “I just don’t know if there is much left to create anymore.  I mean, haven’t we done it all?”

This struck me, since I have been going through a creative renaissance of my own in the last few years.  What was once a romantic struggle between both tormented and delicious forces is now simply a part of the day for me.   The mystery of the “blank slate” is now a more comfortable and really fun friend.  Perhaps I'm growing up.

After reflecting further upon that woman's comment, however, I noticed a few things in the language of friends and clients:

1. People are very creative, and want to express that.  It doesn’t matter if they are the next Van Gogh or not.
2. We all participate in each other’s creative efforts (and in modern society, this is essential).
3. We humans have certain beliefs that aren’t necessarily true and those false beliefs effect how and how well we create.
4. When creativity knocks, it demands a blank slate.  If you do not give it one, it is created for you (whether you like it or not).
5. In order to create something – whether individually or collectively – trust is paramount.

These observations are not restricted to the individual.  They are also part of a 21st century corporate phenomenon.   As we explore how to wriggle free of a manufacturing mindset, we find ourselves in a more collectively creative world.   Customers – by demanding knowledge (like where things come from, how they are made and how can they do it themselves) -- are one of the forces leading us into century 21.  Sharing knowlegde (not just information)  trumps isolating ourselves and employees to "just" a set of tasks.  These tasks are very important, but most of us would also rather be a part of something . . . bigger, more conversational, more narrative.  Now anyone can have a seat at the idea table and anyone can contribute to developing that idea.  Anyone can do something that changes a tiny piece of the world around them.  So when companies (of any size) look at the more innovative aspects of their employees amazing, -- and sometimes-accidental events happen.  These events lay the groundwork for great marketing.   Making a creative shift, however, requires a blank slate and enough trust to do something . . . awkward.

What Does that Mean?  (You might ask.)  Stay tuned for Part II:  Prepare by Surprising Yourself

I'll be exploring the importance of storytelling in life, marketing and in organizations in upcoming "On Marketing" posts.