Annette Noyes - The Emerald Box TurtleWhen the Devil is reversed, it indicates recovery from addictions or bad habits, saying no to temptations, or beginning a path of redemption and enlightenment. This is amazing news and I wish every one of you the very best of luck on your path! May you move forward with ease and your burdens practically step aside to allow you to pass!TheDevilCardReversed

Uh-huh…. You know those people who finally are able to quit smoking and then become completely insufferable about smoking and anyone who does? Substitute smoking for going on the Keto Diet, becoming a vegetarian or going totally vegan, giving up all forms of social media, consuming only free-range eggs, etc., etc. and those people are just as obnoxious about their super “woke” habits as those who recently quit smoking. 

It’s VERY easy to become arrogant and holier-than-thou when you’ve turned over a new leaf. Suddenly everything is seen in extremes…black/white, good/evil…there’s absolutely no wiggle room left for being human. “Did you see Martha chowing down on that ice cream cone? Ha! She who is vegan/gluten free/keto!!! Fell off HER throne, now didn’t she!!!” Yeah, and YOU took three drags on that vape pen in the car. 

Whatever you’re trying to do to become a better person in your own eyes, good on ya. Just do it on yer own mat and shaddap about Martha.

 

Happy August everyone!

Annette Noyes

The Emerald Box Turtle

Glass MandalaAugust is so amazing that we’re skipping our usual newsletter format to bring you all the excitement. There’s so much going on I just don’t know where to begin! We cannot be more excited and proud of this summer’s events!

What’s so amazing about August, you wonder? Thank you for asking, let me tell you:
1. We’ve moved!
2. The one-and-only amazing and inspiring Victoria Price is joining us this month!
3. Victoria Price & Rev. Rachel Hollander of SpiritStone Spiritual Center will be holding a special mini-retreat!
4. Our annual summertime Psychic Fair is coming!
5. A birthday celebration!

Great Conjunction Reading and Reiki Space1. We have moved! John Michael Thornton, everyone’s favorite Psychic and Medical Intuitive and I have moved into a quieter neighborhood very close to where we were (in fact it’s only 1.1 mile from our old house). And we have a beautiful new space in which to work with you! We can’t wait for you to see it (the picture doesn’t do it justice)!

So when you’re ready for a reading with John or a Reiki/energy session with me (Joe), just give us a call. We’re all set-up and ready to go.

2. Victoria Price is coming! In just a few weeks the one and only Victoria Price will be joining us. Victoria is not only the daughter of film legend Vincent Price but is an accomplished New York Times Best Selling Author, Life Coach, Interspiritual Minister, Inspirational Speaker, Artist (and the list goes on) will be with us on Tuesday, August 20th at the Holiday Inn Boardman.

Victoria PriceVictoria will tell some stories about the fascinating life and career of her famous father, but more importantly, she’ll sharing her unique story of how she changed her life through the daily practice of joy and how she got onto the road to her truest self.

Copies of her inspiring memoir “The Way Of Being Lost: A Road Trip to My Truest Self” will be available for purchase and to be autographed after her talk.

Get your tickets now, as space is limited. The cost is $20 online or $25 at the door.

Register online here.

Rachel Hollander3. Rev. Victoria Price & Rev. Rachel Hollander present a mini-retreat! On Thursday, August 22, Victoria Price will retur to Youngstown and Great Conjunction with her associate Rev. Rachel Hollander, the founder of SpiritStone Spiritual Center. Together they will be conducting a three-hour mini-retreat titled “Who Do You Think You Are? Reclaiming the Hearts of Our Truest Selves”.

Using journaling, visioning, meditation, music and reflective sharing practices, Victoria and Rachel will support participants in unpacking and releasing life-limiting narratives as they begin to reclaim the hearts of their Truest Selves.

This event will be held at the Coy Cornelius Studio at 1931 Belmont Ave. in Youngstown. Seating is limited to 20 and advanced sign-up is highly recommended as this will sell-out quickly! Tickets are $20 online.

Register online here.

4. Psychic Fair in Akron! Saturday, August 17th at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron at 3300 Morewood Rd., 10am – 7pm. Join us for an intimate day of spirituality, inspiration, guidance, energy work and clarity.

Free Gallery Readings, Evidential Medical Intuition, Mediumship, Crystal Healing, Aura Photography, Hand-made Candles and Soulful Jewelry.

Spend the day in the warmth of peaceful communion with other open-hearted people.

Joe Thornton, Great Conjunction Co-Founder5. A Birthday Celebration! This month I am celebrating my 55th birthday! I swear I still feel 26, but my birth certificate says otherwise! To celebrate, I’m holding a Facebook fundraiser for Great Conjunction Spiritual Center.

We have so many things going on with Great Conjunction Spiritual Center and things cost money. Being a non-profit, GCSC depends upon your love. We are so proud of how far GCSC has come in just four short years. From presenting fascinating speakers to hosting shamanic ceremonies; from offering classes and workshops to my pet project of bringing Guided Meditation & Reiki to “at risk” and “forgotten” populations.

All these programs take funding and we appreciate each and every one of you and all your support over the past four years. But we want to continue to grow and to expand our outreach. With your help and your love, we can.

There are two ways to donate to Great Conjunction Spiritual Center. Click on the link to donate to Joe’s Birthday Fundraiser on Facebook or contact us directly any time all year long.

To join in the birthday celebration, click here. https://www.facebook.com/donate/350704562526597/10158513091479989/

So join us for these incredible events and have an Awesome August!

Namaste,

Joe

Victoria PriceI cannot begin to tell you how excited I am about our August guest speaker, Victoria Price!  And she will be honoring us with two events in the same week.

I grew up watching the movies of her father, Vincent Price and am still a huge fan of his work. Once I got older, I learned about the man and just how fascinating he was.  I learned of his passion for cooking, his love and understanding of art and his involvement with the preservation of Native American art.  And this just scratches the surface of his life.

Through casual research of Vincent Price’s life, I stumbled upon some blogs by his daughter Victoria. For some time, Victoria, who previously penned a best-selling biography of her father, was regularly blogging about her daily practice of joy.  And that really struck a chord with me.  We all talk about feeling and living joy, but she took it much farther and was actually doing it.  And through following her blogs, I’ve been able use some of that in my own life.  

I also began to learn about Victoria Price, herself.  She’s a truly a fascinating woman.  She is a successful interior designer, writer and a cultural global tour guide as well as a life coach.  Victoria is a motivational speaker and she tours the world speaking about her father’s life.  

In 2011 Victoria began her own spiritual quest in earnest and has changed her life dramatically and joyously.  She is now an Interfaith/Interspiritual Minister and founder of Red Shoes Ministry. Last year she published a book about her spiritual journey called, “The Way of Being Lost: A Road Trip to My Truest Self”.  And I’ve got to tell you, it’s a must-read!Rachel Hollander

Victoria will be with us on Tuesday, August 20thspeaking on not only her father’s legacy but about her spiritual journey.  Her books will also be available for purchase and autographs.  We’ll be hosting her talk at the Holiday Inn Boardman and seating is limited, so please sign-up online quickly!  And signing-up online will save you money, and who doesn’t like that?!  Registration online is $20 per person, but admission will be $25 per person at the door. All the details are on our website at: An Evening with Victoria Price

Victoria and her associate, Rev. Rachel Hollander will be with us Thursday, August 22ndto present a mini retreat on a much smaller scale.  This experience is titled, “ Who Do You Think You Are? Reclaiming the Hearts of Our Truest Selves”.  This will be a three-hour workshop held at the Coy Cornelius Studio on Belmont Ave. in Youngstown.  Advanced registration for this event is required as space is extremely limited. You must pre-register online at: Who Do You Think You Are?

You won’t want to miss either of these events.  And you’ll definitely want to pick-up a copy of Victoria’s book and make it a part of your spiritual journey.

This month some excellent questions have come up.  Thank you so much!  Here are two questions I thought might be of the most interest to everyone.

Question One:

 I rarely practice my Reiki... both self healing and on others. Is my chakra still open?  Can I start over again to make the chakras active again?

~ Setia P.

Setia, once you have studied and been attuned to Reiki, you are always Reiki; it cannot and will not go away.  There is no need to start over again, though you are always welcome to do so.  And honestly, if you are out of practice as you say, it might help to reinforce the information you learned previously if you do take a Reiki class again.  I would be happy to welcome you to one of my classes if you would like.

As a Reiki facilitator and, more importantly in this scenario, I feel the need to remind you that you should be doing Reiki every day. If you don’t share Reiki with anyone else, that’s okay.  But you should be doing Self-Reiki as often as possible… ideally every day.  As I state in my soon to be released book, “Reiki and Beyond”, you don’t have to spend a whole lot of time doing Self-Reiki; a few minutes when you are able are enough.  Not ideal, but enough.  Keep that energy flowing and working you’re your body, on your mind, on your spirit. We just cannot get enough pampering and every little bit of Self-Reiki will do you a world of good.

And if you would like to re-take a Reiki level I class, just let me know.

Questions Two:

Can I do Reiki on a person with a pacemaker?   My heart says nothing will go wrong with Reiki but my therapist head knows to be super careful . A friend of mine in her 40s is in definite need of assistance and her drs don't think it warrants putting anything in writing because, "Reiki isn’t a real thing anyway".  

~ Amanda D.

Amanda, that’s an excellent question and the short and simple answer is no, there is no conflict between the energy of Reiki and the energy generated by a pacemaker. 

 
But let’s take a slightly deeper look at this question.

I am thrilled that you’re concerned about this and feel the need to be certain not to hurt anyone.  Remember, Reiki cannot cause harm.  A person cannot even get too much Reiki as it will stop flowing when necessary.

When I have worked with clients who have pacemakers, I have felt the energy they emit.  To me it felt like static over their heart.  Or like turbulence for an airplane, if you will.  But I’ve never felt any negativity or conflicting energies. 

I certainly understand your concern and the first time I encountered a pacemaker I was a bit intimidated to place my hands on that client’s chest.  I quickly got past that trepidation, however.  

As I discuss in my forthcoming book, “Reiki and Beyond”, whenever you’re in doubt, double check that your intention is set for your client’s greatest and highest good.  But if, for any reason, you’re uncomfortable touching a client, you are always able to “hover” over the area in question rather than make a physical contact. Don’t forget, contact is not a requirement for Reiki to flow successfully.   

Also, don’t forget to work with your guides.  Ask them directly if it’s okay to proceed when the client has a pacemaker, or any other issue.  Listen to them; they won’t steer your wrong.

Thank you for submitting your questions about Reiki and energy work.  I’m looking forward to more of them.  So if you have a question you’d like to ask, please email me at:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  I will respond to you personally as well as post the answers to a couple of them in the GCSC newsletter.

Annette Noyes Head Shot 2June is going to be a time of shaking things up a bit and breaking out of your normal, daily rut. Take some time and examine your personal rules, values, and/or beliefs. Do they still ring true to you? Have you outgrown your views on politics? Have you shifted your stance on human rights? Does your religion nurture you spiritually or are you attending services simply out of habit? The Emperor reversed

Living hidebound by the “shoulds” and “oughts” society dictates (we’re not talking about  actual laws here) can stifle your individuality. I mean, on whose authority do we ladies not wear white shoes before Memorial Day or after Labor Day? It’s time to step out of the box you’ve stuck yourself in and make some rules of your own when it comes to your wardrobe, beliefs, and habits. As long as you don’t harm anyone else or break the law, be  the “weird” one; it can be enormously liberating and rewarding!

If you can let go of some of the restrictions you’ve followed, you may find your innovative juices will flow. Expect a burst of creativity this month that will be recognized as something valuable to not just you.

 

Have a happy avant garde June!

Annette Noyes

The Emerald Box Turtle