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Heal - Discover Your Unlimited Potential And Awaken the Healer - A Review

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Today I'm reviewing Heal: Discover Your Unlimited Potential and Awaken The Powerful Healer Within by Kelly Noonan Gores.


Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
Image Source - Heal


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Generally I like to start out with a disclaimer. I am an contemporary witch.  I look for the connection between magic and science without the need to search for a creator. I receive no compensation for these reviews and all my links are standard Amazon links and not affiliate links. I am a practicing photo reader and have spent the last 16 years honing my craft.  I offer personal readings by request and have a strong online history that boasts over 429,000 views.

Starting with the physical book I can say that this is another great one to toss into a bag or purse to read on the go.  It is small but the font was chosen well so that these elder eyes can read them without too much trouble.  The cover is smooth and contains no illustrations.  It does not have an index but does offer a section called "Meet the Experts" where the contributors images and brief bio can be found in its place.  We are also provided a further reading section with three pages of recommended books by those same experts, related to the topic of healing. 

The book is broken down into seven chapters which lead the reader on a journey of discovery. It covers what exactly our health actually is as well has how to work with food, nature and dealing with things such as the subconscious mind and the placebo effect.


Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
Image Source - Heal

The book contains and assortment of quotes from health professionals and those who have overcome adversity to create a place of learning and growth for the reader.  Each chapter has a summary at the end to help the reader understand what they experienced and how to connect with the information on both a physical and spiritual level. Understanding, in chapter one for example, the role that stress plays on the body and how we possess the power to heal ourselves completely, if we simply allow that process to occur.

I enjoyed the section related to understanding that holistic medicine considers a personal mental, emotional and lifestyle factors, not just their physical symptoms. I can say with confidence, after addressing the issues that I had across all facets of my life, I was able to improve not only my physical self, but also my sense of self.  Understanding that the more time I spent focusing on negative self talk and self abuse, the more negative I felt.  Those things all weighed heavily (both figuratively and literally) on my body.  As with the experiences of the journey of those in the book, I found that my ability to awaken my own positive thoughts brought back my bodies own desire to be healthy and to thrive.  I continue that practice today with mindful meditation, exploration of spirituality and healing and the desire to reach a place where I can reflect on the world without anger.  My desire is to feel only compassion instead of feeding the negativity in this life.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
Image Source - Heal


On page 57, the author beings a discussion on forgiveness.  For years, I have been of the mindset that while I did not dwell on the past, I was not required to forgive those who wronged me. When I read the following statement, it finally clicked.

I always say that all forgiveness is self-forgiveness because with resentment, unforgiveness, or rancor I may hold towards another, all of those thoughts are happening within me.

Recently I have started studying Buddhism, and I believe that the statement above is directly related to that type of mindset. When I get angry at someone, I hold that anger inside me. That anger eats at me. It has no impact on anyone but me. I feel the pain of it constantly. While I may not think if it all the time, there are reminders, such as seeing someone's face or a memory that pops into my head, that triggers that same feeling each time.  With forgiveness, I'm not approving their behavior.  I'm not giving in. I am however, allowing myself to say, this no longer has the power to make me sad. This no longer has the power to cause me pain because I forgive this behavior and I remove this behavior from having power in my life.
Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
Image Source - Heal


Chapter six has to be my favorite chapter of the book because it takes a subject that I hold near and dear to my heart into the limelight. It address how Food and Nature are medicine. It provides healing tips as well as quotes around how to use food to heal the body.  We are provided with a discussion on Epstein-Barr, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and other autoimmune illnesses that can be treated with food. 

Frozen wild blueberries are the most healing fruit on the planet and far superior to larger cultivated blueberries.  They pull heavy metals out of the brain and aid in the recovery from neurological problems.

The final chapter talks about Tapping the Intangible with a quote from Carl Sagan.


Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.


It goes on to provide examples of spiritual steps from meditation to prayer that has caused positive health changes in the lives of those practicing. The author invites us to imagine illness to wellness with an exercise on using our brain to literally change the way our body feels.  Ancient practices such as yoga are a way to reset or bring our body mind connection back into balance. As a student of yoga, I have been focusing these last few weeks on strengthening my connection to the simple breath as a way to continue to create a healing environment for my body. With dietary changes and listening to my body when it needs to rest, I have been able to reverse several serious inflammatory diseases that were creating havoc in my body.  Using gratitude, visualizations and meditation, I have been able to make significant changes in my overall health and well-being.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
Image Source - Heal


If you're looking for a book that outlines the basic steps you can take right now to create positive change in your life, I would say this is the book for you.  I'm not big on books that promote Christianity as it has done so much harm in our world today, I will give the author a pass on the quotes from the Christian Bible.  The ability to provide alternatives to prayer, such as meditation was enough to make the book something that I would recommend for others.

Overall, the book offers a positive way to work with the natural world of food and thought as a healing mechanism for what ails ya!


If you're interested in learning more about my journey of self healing I encourage you to follow my Facebook Page - Real Rations.  I share information on healing the body with medicine and mindfulness.  A process that has resulted in a 135 lb weight loss for both my husband and I as well as curing a range of illnesses from Fibromyalgia to High Blood Pressure.
Renee Olson
                                                                                                        
Elijah Olson


Politics & Facebook - A Witch's View

This week has been pretty tumultuous in politics.  We have seen the POTUS actually ban an entire group of people based on their national origin which directly violates out Constitution. While everyone seems to have an opinion on this action, I believe few seem to actually realize the real implications of what this means.  This changes what American is to everyone one around the globe.



What is interesting here is that Reagan is the Conservative saint and yet they seem to have moved so far away from their path.  Some may say much like Christians today who scream ProLife and then say no to refugees or starving children.



On issues like gun control, abortion, racial relations and so much more the access to information about our friends and family has never been so immediately available. When we visited our family we didn't really know how they felt about specific things.  This is, in my opinion the whole, ignorance is bliss situation.  Facebook has made it so easy to see that people you love are racist or leaning a little too far left for you.  The power of a simple Facebook Like can change the entire course of Christmas dinner. Even to the point of people being killed over posts.

Recently a friend of mine, who I worked with for several years in real life, posted their concern at how Conservatives are being demonized by Liberals.  They said that Liberal were guilty of doing what they accused Conservatives of doing and it was wrong.  This particular friend did not vote for Trump and felt wronged due to everyone blaming Conservatives/GOP members for the massive swing in rights that is happening right before our eyes. When I mentioned that for the most part, I was surprised at the missing Conservative voice in the shouts for action they said that it was no different than asking all Muslims to condemn ISIS.  I thought for a moment and then agreed.  Even though we would love to hear from our Conservative friends and family on this, we're just not going to.  And you know what, they don't have to.  Thirty years ago we would not know who our friends voted for or who they supported. We wouldn't see their like to a Facebook page supporting White Nationalism. We wouldn't know they were OK with LGBT rights being taken away.  We would sit obliviously at Christmas dinner, tell them we loved them and go about our day.

Social Media and Facebook specifically has given everyone a voice.  A loud, and sometimes obnoxious voice.  We have keyboard warriors and home row bullies coming out of the woodwork to share their opinions, even if we don't want to know them. Everyone seems to have an opinion on something today and with this change in climate in American it seems to now be OK to promote hatred, bigotry and infighting at every turn. From a little restaurant in South Carolina to a yarn shop in Tennessee, we get information and misinformation immediately.  We have to look at this information and determine if it is something we need to respond to or not.  We have to see our brother like a post that says Trans people should not be allowed to use the bathrooms of their gender and weigh our response.

So what can you do?

The first thing you have to do is understand that people have a right to their own opinion. No matter how much you disagree or even how wrong that opinion might be. You have to decide if you can not only accept that opinion but also be able to engage with that person in a safe manner. Sometimes it just isn't possible to sit down at Christmas dinner with someone who you know feels that you are not equal.  And quite frankly I'm not suggesting that you do. There comes a time in life when the student becomes the teacher. Before you worry about should I go over for a visit, ask yourself what do you want from this relationship? What do you need? What do you have to give? If you were not related by blood to these people, would you want to be around them on a daily basis? With those questions answered you can decide if you want to move forward with it.

Not everyone is OK with Uncle Joe's drinking on the weekends or Cousin Ryan's constant belittling of his wife. You can remove yourself from the situation and end the drama. I never recommend confrontation on hot button issues. Usually this only ends in fights. If you have friends and family that you can talk to about these issues you are probably not the person I'm writing to. Discussion is great, when it can be civil.  Be sure to take care of yourself.  There is a reason why so many people have families of choice. Be with your family of choice. Be who you are and remember to protect yourself.

Be kind, be honest, but don't be a victim.  You can control social media simply by turning off the switch.