coverartist
letterfrompublisher
“In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.” ~ The Beatles, Abbey Road
Valentine hearts showing up everywhere in February appear to be mostly the result of savvy marketing campaigns, yet having a month defined by a big-
hearted love fest right in the middle of it, prompting us to openly express tender affections, is certainly lovely. Such a heart-centered month naturally lends itself to reflections on the
Planted Hearts Darlene Seale
“Each heart image has its unique mark- ings and patterns, just as our own heart experiences make us who we are,” explains cover artist Darlene Seale. She created Planted Hearts on an iPad using a digital painting program with a specialized stylus as her brush. “I make every stroke by hand as if I were using traditional paint and a brush,” she says. Inspired by Russian painter Wassily
Kandinsky, she shares, “I admire artists that combine unusual elements that invite the viewer in. There’s always more to explore the deeper one is willing to look.” As a child, Seale discovered color via crayons and paint and recalls the power they gave her. “Those tools suddenly opened my eyes to so many possibilities,” she recalls. Seale’s artistic explorations are
executed in a variety of media, with a primary focus on graphic design, blending art and words. She shares, “I believe art heals the heart and its creation promotes joy. For this reason, I find myself drawn to making iconic images using an abundance of color, texture and pattern.”
Seale creates art and teaches art
workshops in her home studio near San Diego in Fallbrook, California. She remarks, “When I make something and it evolves into art that’s quite different than what I expect, I love it. It’s both humbling and joyful.”
View the artist’s portfolio at
BadBirdStudio.com.
6 Collier/Lee Counties
physical and emotional health of our own heart, and Editor Linda Sechrist leads the way with a comprehensive look at cardio care in, “Rethinking Heart Health,” on page 36. Beyond standard prescriptions for proper nutrition, exercise and stress management, a holistic approach explores the psycho- emotional components, as well. After many years of research, Dr. Stephen Sinatra, an integrative cardiologist and bioenergetics psychotherapist, concluded that heartbreak was one of the major causes of heart disease. His work now helps patients to repair and reopen a broken heart by releasing harmful long-repressed emotions. What emotions are seeded in your heart? We invite you to sit quietly and listen. Each day, I like to take time to tune into my heart’s desire and ask how I can best express it today. Inevitably, thoughts and inspirations flood in; someone might come to thought accompanied by a feeling that we need to connect; other times, the phone rings and they’re on the line. Intimate relationships are effective laboratories for opening and healing our hearts. I am witnessing many people moving through transitions lately… mirroring, I think, the deeper, more authentic connections and life openings we all long for. In preparing for this month’s interview with author Katherine Woodard
Thomas on her Calling in “The One” phenomenon, I enjoyed looking into her online course and find value in her work (page 34). As a single woman, I resonate with her insights for attracting love by going within to discover and release our hidden barriers to receiving it. Kathryn reminds us that usually, “A gap exists between how much we think
we want love and how much we are actually open and ready to receive it. Until we bridge that gap, we will covertly keep love at bay, and won’t even realize we are doing it.” Instead of running around trying to find love somewhere out there, she teaches us how to become a love magnet. Yes, it’s tough work to overturn internal issues and patterns that keep resurfacing and sabotaging our best intentions. The good news is that we now have updated approaches to assist us in more quickly accessing and releasing blocked energies. Starting on page 40, you’ll find plenty of local licensed psychotherapists and life coaches using more interactive methods and problem-solving tools to help you realize the next level of healthy self-awareness and happiness. My Valentine’s Day wish is that you fall unconditionally and deeply in love
with yourself first, so that your loving cup runs over to naturally flow outward and extend to all you meet. Let’s see how much love we can spread around this month!
To heart-centered living,
Sharon Bruckman, Publisher
swfl.NaturalAwakeningsMag.com
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