Southeastern Michigan's Conscious Living Magazines —
Our magazines are a resource on mindfulness, healthy living, spiritual growth, psychology, conscious parenting, and alternative therapies, plus community profiles, news, and events related to Southeastern Michigan's vibrant holistic and conscious living community.

Trailer for issue #89

Featured from our May through August 2025 Issue

Featured
Dirty Windows
Nature, wildlife, birdwatching, issue #89, personal essay
Dirty Windows
Nature, wildlife, birdwatching, issue #89, personal essay

The birds are exuberant this morning. By the dozens, tufted titmice, rose-breasted grosbeaks, cardinals, gold finches, black capped chickadees, blue jays, mourning doves, and an oriole sing and flit from branch to nearby branch in a riotous clamor just outside the living room windows. One of the delights of spring is the way one can luxuriate in the bookends of the day. Morning unfolds slowly as the light gathers until the sun crests the horizon, and then all at once the day bursts open like a flower. Evening lingers before the day finishes. It is at these times that I especially enjoy watching the birds come and go.

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Nature, wildlife, birdwatching, issue #89, personal essay
Kids in the Community—Abilities in Action: Resources and support for kids with special needs and their families
children, children's programs, families, special needs kids, issue #89, summer fun, local
Kids in the Community—Abilities in Action: Resources and support for kids with special needs and their families
children, children's programs, families, special needs kids, issue #89, summer fun, local

Raising a child with special needs comes with unique challenges, but it also brings moments of incredible growth, resilience, and joy. The proper support and strategies can make all the difference—whether it's navigating therapies, advocating at school, or creating a home environment where a child feels empowered. From practical tips to expert insights, community groups and carefully curated summer camps and classes, special needs children and their families will not just get by but will truly thrive. Every child deserves the chance to shine, and every family deserves the tools to help them do it.

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children, children's programs, families, special needs kids, issue #89, summer fun, local
Listening and Learning with Nature: Judy Liu Ramsey--Interspecies Counselor and Shamanic Healer
Judy Ramsey, animal communication, shamanism, healing, issue #89, spiritual development, animals
Listening and Learning with Nature: Judy Liu Ramsey--Interspecies Counselor and Shamanic Healer
Judy Ramsey, animal communication, shamanism, healing, issue #89, spiritual development, animals

Living on a farm in Chelsea, Ramsey’s journey from community developer and social worker to shamanic practitioner and animal chaplain exemplifies an authentic evolution of one’s unfolding of identity, own healing, and epiphany in recognizing one’s place within the actual world contrary to the confines and misperceptions of society.

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Judy Ramsey, animal communication, shamanism, healing, issue #89, spiritual development, animals
Out of My Comfort Zone: My Cat Ate My Comfort Zone
comfort zone, love, personal growth, issue #89, cats
Out of My Comfort Zone: My Cat Ate My Comfort Zone
comfort zone, love, personal growth, issue #89, cats

This is the story of Margot, a recently rescued tuxedo cat, and how she curled up in my heart and broke it open.

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comfort zone, love, personal growth, issue #89, cats
Kindred Conversations with Hilary Nichols: Phillis Engelbert, Owner of Detroit Filling Station, North Star Lounge, and Lunch Room Bakery & Cafe
local business, local food, issue #89, Kindred Conversations
Kindred Conversations with Hilary Nichols: Phillis Engelbert, Owner of Detroit Filling Station, North Star Lounge, and Lunch Room Bakery & Cafe
local business, local food, issue #89, Kindred Conversations

“Operate from a position of generosity and humanity. Watch how it benefits your business.” This simple statement is key to the working philosophy of Phillis Engelbert, owner of the Detroit Street Filling Station, North Star Lounge, and The Lunch Room Bakery & Cafe in Ann Arbor. The concepts of generosity and humanity might not be the most common buzz words in today’s business culture, and her central tenet doesn’t come without a cost—but that is not what concerns Engelbert. She recommends it for reasons that transcend the financials.

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local business, local food, issue #89, Kindred Conversations
Gardening Phenology: Planting by Nature’s Cues
gardening, planting, issue #89, food and nutrition
Gardening Phenology: Planting by Nature’s Cues
gardening, planting, issue #89, food and nutrition

As a gardener, and a general nature romantic, my heart begins to feel torn around mid-February. On one half, I want to honor the last of winter’s deep rest and on the other half, there is the burgeoning energy of spring’s return. One of my favorite activities at this time is to thumb through my seed stores, as well as the new year’s seed catalogs, and begin to plan my garden in earnest.

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gardening, planting, issue #89, food and nutrition
A Traditional Yoga School Hiding in Plain Sight on Main Street: An Interview with Angela Jamison
yoga, local, issue #89, around Ann Arbor
A Traditional Yoga School Hiding in Plain Sight on Main Street: An Interview with Angela Jamison
yoga, local, issue #89, around Ann Arbor

For the last 15 years, in the early morning between five and eight, the 200 block of South Main Street has filled with yoga practitioners who come and go before the town comes to life. It’s a diverse group, ranging from those in their teens to those in their 80s, across all sorts of life situations and physical capacities. The yoga they practice is tailored to the individual. Depending on the person, the practice might include various physical asanas, breathing techniques, and meditations. What they all have in common is that they’re all part of a school, and a community organization, called Ashtanga Yoga Ann Arbor.

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yoga, local, issue #89, around Ann Arbor
Getting to Know A Complete Unknown
Bob Dylan, music, issue #89, A Complete Unknown, film review
Getting to Know A Complete Unknown
Bob Dylan, music, issue #89, A Complete Unknown, film review

I recently went twice to see A Complete Unknown, the biopic about Bob Dylan’s early rise to stardom from 1961 until 1965 with Timothee Chalamet as Dylan. Both times the audience was mostly age fifty and up. I am eighty-five—two years older than Dylan. We are members of what is called, misleadingly, “The Silent Generation.” The postwar generation are Boomers, who are associated with the upheavals of the 1960s, but as Dylan puts it in his memoir, Chronicles, One, “I had very little in common with, and knew even less about, a generation that I was supposed to be the voice of.” The well-known movers of that era—Dylan, Warhol, Ginsberg, Baez, Beatles, Rolling Stones, and many others—are prewar or war babies.

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Bob Dylan, music, issue #89, A Complete Unknown, film review
No Matter Where You Go, You Are in a Watershed!
watershed, environment, green living column, issue #89
No Matter Where You Go, You Are in a Watershed!
watershed, environment, green living column, issue #89

Our Southeast Michigan watersheds are the Huron River, Rouge River, Clinton River, River Raisin, and Ecorse Creek Watersheds. All of these nets of nomadic water empty into the Detroit River (which has its own watershed). Detroit River waters flow into Lake Erie, then travel through the Niagara River merging into Lake Ontario, narrowing again into the St. Lawrence River, and releasing finally into the Atlantic Ocean.

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watershed, environment, green living column, issue #89
Book Review: Custodians of Wonder
book review, issue #89, traditions, culture
Book Review: Custodians of Wonder
book review, issue #89, traditions, culture

In Custodians of Wonder, author Eliot Stein embarks on a captivating journey across five continents, introducing readers to ten remarkable individuals dedicated to preserving endangered cultural traditions.

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book review, issue #89, traditions, culture
Serpentine
serpent, snake, pagan, creative writing, issue #89, spirituality, metaphysical
Serpentine
serpent, snake, pagan, creative writing, issue #89, spirituality, metaphysical

In winter, they brumate. A word that suggests mist and fog: “La brume,” pale smoke twisting and wending, shedding tendrils and opening portals. The etymology is successive. From French, mist and fog; from Old French, winter; this derived from bruma, Latin for the Winter Solstice.

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serpent, snake, pagan, creative writing, issue #89, spirituality, metaphysical
What if You Are the Plucky Comic Relief?
humor, personal essay, personal growth, issue #89
What if You Are the Plucky Comic Relief?
humor, personal essay, personal growth, issue #89

I’d like to think I’m a relatively bright person. By traditional measures, this is certainly true. I have a wall full of degrees and fond memories of being a professor to prove it. And yet, I continue to surprise myself with the levels of idiocy I am capable of. I’m thinking about this right now as I can’t swallow, having tried to gulp down near boiling, extra spicy kimchi soup that I overheated in the microwave. So far, I’ve been too embarrassed to go to the doctor on this one, but I’m pretty sure I have second degree burns on my upper palate and throat.

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humor, personal essay, personal growth, issue #89
The Franklin Method® Pelvic Power
exercise, fitness, health and wellness, issue #89
The Franklin Method® Pelvic Power
exercise, fitness, health and wellness, issue #89

To build your pelvic power, it is vital to de-stigmatize the pelvis and its functions. No one feels uncomfortable talking about their arm, leg, or stomach muscles. There are dozens of classes and machines at the gym for building flexibility and strength in these areas—yet none for your pelvic floor.

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exercise, fitness, health and wellness, issue #89
Lauren Hoffman: Owner of Forged Barbell Holistic Strength Gym
exercise, fitness, wellness, health and wellness, issue #89
Lauren Hoffman: Owner of Forged Barbell Holistic Strength Gym
exercise, fitness, wellness, health and wellness, issue #89

As an accomplished athlete, real-food advocate, and wellness guru, Hoffman seeks to serve the whole person with her unique fitness philosophy.

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exercise, fitness, wellness, health and wellness, issue #89
Growing Trends in Home Gardening
gardening, garden, gardening trends for 2025, issue #89, outdoor spaces
Growing Trends in Home Gardening
gardening, garden, gardening trends for 2025, issue #89, outdoor spaces

Despite the obvious boost to our health, spending time in a forest, meadow, or by a lakeside can be difficult. For some, access, transportation, and free time may be limited. But you don't need to get away to immerse yourself in the outdoors, as many have discovered since the dawn of the 2020s. Staying home, enjoying time on a porch, patio, or in your own backyard also has benefits, and more and more people are taking advantage.

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gardening, garden, gardening trends for 2025, issue #89, outdoor spaces
Book Review: Wild, Willing and Wise: An Interactive Guide for When to Paddle, When to Rest, and When to Jump Naked into the River of Life
book review, personal growth, issue #89
Book Review: Wild, Willing and Wise: An Interactive Guide for When to Paddle, When to Rest, and When to Jump Naked into the River of Life
book review, personal growth, issue #89

HeatherAsh Amara’s Wild, Willing, and Wise: An Interactive Guide for When to Paddle, When to Rest, and When to Jump Naked into the River of Life is a profoundly introspective and empowering book that invites readers, particularly women, to embrace their wild nature, cultivate courage, and grow into wisdom. Known for her teachings in feminine empowerment, Amara has crafted a guidebook that seeks to awaken the primal, creative, and compassionate spirit within. This book blends self-help with spiritual exploration, challenging readers to step into their true power by balancing freedom, bravery, and deep knowing.

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book review, personal growth, issue #89
Out of My comfort Zone: Finding Light in the Darkness
comfort zone, mental health, issue #89, dreaming
Out of My comfort Zone: Finding Light in the Darkness
comfort zone, mental health, issue #89, dreaming

To jump or not to jump? As I stood in the corner of a six-story parking structure looking down, my thoughts were flooded with pain. Looking up from time to time I would notice the beauty of the colors in the sky as the sun started to set. These were fleeting moments with a heavy darkness and continual thoughts of all the horrors, terror, fear, and pain in the world and my own life.

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comfort zone, mental health, issue #89, dreaming
Nutrient Cycle at Strawbale Studio: An Evolving “Circle of Life”
permaculture, environment, farming, planting, food and nutrition, issue #89
Nutrient Cycle at Strawbale Studio: An Evolving “Circle of Life”
permaculture, environment, farming, planting, food and nutrition, issue #89

There are many ways nutrient recycling is implemented at Strawbale Studio that can be used in your home garden. You might even get together with your gardening friends and start an “idea map” of the various natural resources on your site or community garden, and in your region, and how they could be returned to the circle of life!

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permaculture, environment, farming, planting, food and nutrition, issue #89
Kindred Conversations with Hilary Nichols: Singer, Bandleader, and Performer Dani Darling
local artist, issue #89, Dani Darling, music, Kindred Conversations
Kindred Conversations with Hilary Nichols: Singer, Bandleader, and Performer Dani Darling
local artist, issue #89, Dani Darling, music, Kindred Conversations

Last summer, as she has every summer since 2018, Dani Darling performed at the Ann Arbor Summer Fest. This time she took to the main stage with her identical triplet sisters as guests to drop into an electrifying harmony like it was their first language—maybe because it was.

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local artist, issue #89, Dani Darling, music, Kindred Conversations
Sustainable Health: Hypnosis For Peace of Mind
sustainable health, hypnotherapy, issue #89, book excerpt, local practitioner
Sustainable Health: Hypnosis For Peace of Mind
sustainable health, hypnotherapy, issue #89, book excerpt, local practitioner

Peace is the felt experience of an inner sanctuary—a place of tranquillity and calm detachment that you can always access. Equanimity is composure under stress. It is a deep internal knowing that no matter what happens you will handle it and be okay.

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sustainable health, hypnotherapy, issue #89, book excerpt, local practitioner
What’s on Your Horizon? The Importance of Your Rising Sign in Astrology
astrology, metaphysical, issue #89
What’s on Your Horizon? The Importance of Your Rising Sign in Astrology
astrology, metaphysical, issue #89

What’s your zodiac sign? If someone’s asked you this, you’ve probably answered with your sun sign–the zodiac sign the sun was in at the time of your birth. According to a recent Harris poll, 95% of Americans know their sun sign and almost two-thirds believe that their sun sign is an “accurate description of themselves.”

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astrology, metaphysical, issue #89
Namaste, Katie: Our Spring 2025 Yoga Column
yoga, Yoga column, issue #89
Namaste, Katie: Our Spring 2025 Yoga Column
yoga, Yoga column, issue #89

Whether you're a seasoned yogi or getting ready to roll out your mat for the first time, here you'll find

a variety of useful tips from local yoga instructor, Katie Hoener.

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yoga, Yoga column, issue #89
Weekend Getaway: A Visit to the Maryville Retreat Center
Weekend Getaway, retreats, Michigan, issue #89
Weekend Getaway: A Visit to the Maryville Retreat Center
Weekend Getaway, retreats, Michigan, issue #89

As a center established by the Felician Sisters on over 200 acres, I expected a degree of formality, so I was pleasantly surprised that I could casually enter. Moving from the entrance and through the dining area to reach accommodations, the staff member’s warmth and attentiveness complemented the positive vibes from a fellow retreatant, a repeat visitor who told me she/he planned monthly escapes to Maryville.

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Weekend Getaway, retreats, Michigan, issue #89
Fifty Shades of Grey…(Hair) and Gratitude
humor, personal care, issue #89, aging
Fifty Shades of Grey…(Hair) and Gratitude
humor, personal care, issue #89, aging

In a box of Crayola crayons there is only one shade of grey. As for my aging body, there may be fifty shades of grey. As I’ve aged, I’ve learned that there is a skill set needed to age gracefully.

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humor, personal care, issue #89, aging
Guilt, Judgment, & Forgiveness
personal essay, death and dying, issue #89
Guilt, Judgment, & Forgiveness
personal essay, death and dying, issue #89

Earlier this year an obituary in The New York Times caught my eye. It was of Clint Hill, who died in February at the age of 93. Hill was the Secret Service agent who, on November 22, 1963, immediately after President Kennedy was shot, jumped on the back of the presidential limousine and shielded the President and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy with his body as the motorcade sped from Dealey Plaza to nearby Parkland Memorial Hospital.

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personal essay, death and dying, issue #89
Spirit Seeds: Spring/Summer 2025
crystals, issue #89, metaphysical, spirits
Spirit Seeds: Spring/Summer 2025
crystals, issue #89, metaphysical, spirits

I’m feeling stuck in my shadow work, particularly around my past traumas. Are there specific crystals or energy-healing techniques that could help me move forward?

For deeper and more powerful healing, consider using moldavite and black tourmaline. Moldavite is known for its intense, transformative energy often called the “stone of transformation.” It can help accelerate spiritual awakening and deep healing by bringing to light deeply buried traumas. Black tourmaline is a robust, grounding and protective stone that can shield you from negative energies and transmute them into positive ones. In addition to these crystals, energy healing techniques like Reiki and Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) can be highly effective. Reiki helps balance your chakras by penetrating and clearing blockages with pure universal energy promoting overall well-being.

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crystals, issue #89, metaphysical, spirits
What's New in the Community: Spring/Summer 2025
What's New in the Community, issue #89, local practitioner, local author, around Ann Arbor
What's New in the Community: Spring/Summer 2025
What's New in the Community, issue #89, local practitioner, local author, around Ann Arbor

This ongoing column features upcoming events within Ann Arbor/Washtenaw County and surrounding areas’ Body/Mind/Spirit communities, new (during the past year or two) practitioners and holistic businesses, new books written by local/regional authors, new classes, as well as new offerings by established practitioners and holistic businesses.

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What's New in the Community, issue #89, local practitioner, local author, around Ann Arbor
Pure Levels: Tree City’s Futuristic Space Funk Odyssey
music, local interest, issue #89, local artists
Pure Levels: Tree City’s Futuristic Space Funk Odyssey
music, local interest, issue #89, local artists

In the world of independent rap, the release of an album is often the culmination of years of work, development, and growth. For the Ann Arbor hip-hop collective Tree City putting out their new album, Pure Levels, has been anything but a conventional journey. With a sound that Tree City dubs “futuristic space funk,” the group has crafted an album that stands as both a personal testament to the 13 years it took to create and a nod to the vibrant music scene of Ann Arbor.

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music, local interest, issue #89, local artists
Cooking with Lisa: Chickpea Salad Sandwhich and Herbed Polenta
food and nutrition, vegan, recipes, issue #89, cooking, cooking with Lisa
Cooking with Lisa: Chickpea Salad Sandwhich and Herbed Polenta
food and nutrition, vegan, recipes, issue #89, cooking, cooking with Lisa

his sandwich is a celebration of simple ingredients coming together in the most satisfying way…a little moment of deliciousness—one that feels both nourishing and delightfully familiar.

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food and nutrition, vegan, recipes, issue #89, cooking, cooking with Lisa
Buddhism and the Beats: An American Cultural Saga
Buddhism, Beatnik Generation, issue #89, writing, creative writing
Buddhism and the Beats: An American Cultural Saga
Buddhism, Beatnik Generation, issue #89, writing, creative writing

Buddhists comprise only around 1% of the U.S. population, yet Buddhism has exercised a disproportionate influence on American culture, especially since the end of World War II. Buddhist images, whether of Shakyamuni or Tibetan mandalas, seem ubiquitous. Buddhist-based mindfulness practices are taught in countless American institutions, from prisons, to schools, to hospitals. And influential cultural figures, including actor Richard Gere, composer Philip Glass, and poet Jane Hirshfield, speak openly of their Buddhist practice.

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Buddhism, Beatnik Generation, issue #89, writing, creative writing

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An ongoing epidemic: The Death of Discussion
Michelle McLemore
An ongoing epidemic: The Death of Discussion
Michelle McLemore

“War is Peace” is one of the three slogans in 1984 by George Orwell. The antithetical idea has long been utilized by governments around the world. The essence: people unite against a common foreign enemy. However, what to do when no one else in the world will play war? Or if there is no perceivable direct threat to one’s country? The next step is to divide within to control the masses. How best to create division? Step 1, create a threat. Step 2, blame a group by using generalities to incite fear. Step 3, discourage rational discussion and critical thinking.

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Michelle McLemore
Green Guardians: The plants of the Women’s Health Center
Peggy River Singer
Green Guardians: The plants of the Women’s Health Center
Peggy River Singer

Earlier this year I made my annual mammography visit to Trinity Health’s Women’s Health Center in Ypsilanti. On that particular morning, the sun beaming in the windows really lit up the healthy, beautiful plants at the entry. Inside the mammography suite, there are several beds of green Pothos plants with golden highlights, and every plant looks so vibrant and perfect that at first glance, you might think they are artificial. While I was waiting for my appointment, I realized that these lovely green beings were offering messages.

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Peggy River Singer
Weaving Earth's Energies: A conversation with Madam Squirrel
Peggy River Singer
Weaving Earth's Energies: A conversation with Madam Squirrel
Peggy River Singer

I see (in my mind) a very large Fox Squirrel sitting on a branch of a maple tree framed by a clear blue sky, its red-gold fur glistening in the sunshine. And I feel a deep wave of love-energy move through my body.

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Peggy River Singer
In These Times...
Kirsten Mowrey
In These Times...
Kirsten Mowrey

We practice for these times, for times like this in the world. We go to our mat, under our shawl, sit on our cushion, to find peace amid the rubble of grief, rage, and fear. We attend to our practice precisely so that when the tides of emotion are strong, so is our practice. We return again and again to our breath, to our body and mind in the moment, returning to ourselves. Our ancestors developed these practices because they knew—they knew that we could be swept off our feet by our emotions, our ability to choose wisely blinded by the redness of rage or the waters of our grief

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Kirsten Mowrey