PBS: Public Broadcasting Service

January 30th, 2009

PBS, or the Public Broadcasting Service, offers programming to 355 non-commercial U.S. television stations. Founded in 1969, PBS also provides digital learning content and educational services mostly intended for pre-K-12 educators.

One of the most popular and longest running shows on PBS is Mister Rogers. The child-friendly show began in 1962 with Fred Rogers, the show’s host, whose mission was to teach children some essential things about the world. In 2001, the show said goodbye and 2 years later, Fred Rogers died.

Even after its host bid his final goodbye, Mister Rogers continued to teach and delight children as PBS showed reruns of the show.

Recently, however, PBS announced that it would cut the show’s weekday syndication and reduce its broadcast to once a week. In response, one of Mister Rogers’ fans started a campaign to help save the show. Brian Linder believes that Mister Rogers leaves a nurturing impact in children’s lives so he created SaveMisterRogers.com. The show also helped parents, and children, deal with childhood development. He cites himself as an example by revealing that as a highly sensitive child, he was able to properly deal with his feelings because of Mister Rogers.

Although PBS executives have not announced any shift in their decision, Fred Rogers’ widow, Joanne, openly supports Linder’s efforts.

Check out the profile of Courtney Ross on the Faces of Philanthropy website.

Courtney Ross is the founder of the remarkable Ross School.

To learn more about Courtney Ross, check out Interview Nation.

Divining Your Soul Number

January 26th, 2009

Your Soul Number, which defines your very essence or heart’s desire, is calculated using the vowels in the name that appeared on your birth certificate. This reading describes what you or another person value or want most in life.

First of all, eliminate all the consonants from your birth name by adding together the numerical equivalents displayed on the chart below.

A 1

E 5

I 9

0 6

U 3

For instance, let’s take Pamela Anderson, born Pamela Denise Anderson.

First we would eliminate all the consonants from her name. The result is

aea eie aeo

We would then add the number equivalents of all these letters together and reduce them to a single digit as in:
1+5+1+5+9+5+2+5+6 = 39

3+9 = 11

1+1 = 2

Pamela Anderson’s is a master number 11 as well as a 2 so she would read the interpretations for booth as described below.

INTERPRETATIONS OF THE SOUL NUMBER

Soul Number 1

More than anything else people with this number desire to be number one in all areas of their life. These often-flamboyant individuals crave being in the spotlight. They delight in experimentation and are the first to exploit a trend or new philosophy that will allow them to stand out from the crowd. More than anything the almost childish Soul Number 1 secretly desires unconditional approval from others.

Soul Number 2

Individuals with this number have a deep desire to always be right. They are black and white thinkers who often tell others “it’s my way or the high way.” As they often lead difficult lives that are fraught with criticism from others, especially in child hood, it is their desire for respect that leads them to be so difficult sometimes. Soul number 2’s greatly benefit from developing an accepting rather than autocratic approach when dealing with other people.

Soul Number 3

Soul number 3’s have a great desire to be beautiful. In childhood they are usually the ugly ducklings and even though many of them do grow into swans, they still often feel that there is something wrong with their appearance. Soul Number 3’s do not believe in aging gracefully and many of them resort to plastic surgery in later years to defy the ravages of time. Some Number 3’s also become artists or photographers so that they can convey the importance of beauty to others.

Soul Number 4

More than anything, Soul Number 4’s crave emotional and financial security. As a result they can be clingy, possessive and controlling of their loved ones. Their fear of taking risks can also cause them to be “stuck”, especially when it comes to academics and career. Number 4’s tend to stick to what they know works and react with hostility to any suggestion about change. Developing the confidence to handle anything that comes their way is the best way for number 4’s to overcome their insecurity.

Soul Number 5

Soul Number 5’s desire freedom more than anything else in their lives. They are somewhat claustrophobic and feel very confined by office jobs and routines. To avoid apathy and depression, number 5’s should seek out careers that involve a great deal of travel or a flexible time schedule. They function best as the owners of their own business or as entrepreneurs. Developing a regimen of spiritual study also greatly assists 5’s as that helps them quell their restlessness and develop a sense of inner peace.

Soul Number 6

Soul Number 6’s desire justice at all costs. These proactive individuals consider themselves to be agents of karma and often work behind the scenes to punish the undeserving and reward those who they consider to be underdogs. They are also perfectionists on many levels and often make unrealistic demands on themselves and others in their never-ending quest to balance the score. To mitigate a tendency to resent all authority or judge a book by its cover, 6’s need to learn a tolerance and acceptance of others who do not share their opinions or moral standards.

Soul Number 7

Soul Number 7’s desire unconditional love. Many of them come from abusive or addicted families, so often they succumb to addiction or codependences with toxic partners. 7’s are often motivated by the urge to love others without conditions, as they have always desired the same for themselves. Unfortunately their kindness is not always rewarded, as they tend to choose emotionally unavailable, mentally ill or otherwise difficult partners. Individuals following this difficult soul path often learn several hard lessons about “letting go” of bad relationships before the end of their life.

Soul Number 8

Soul Number 8’s are practical creatures that value success above all else. Even as children many of them demonstrate an incredible ability to relate to other people as well as make the right decisions regarding academics and career. Although they can appear selfish and materialistic to others, their actual desire (at least in the beginning) is to create a more prosperous future for their family, friends and community. 8’s are usually generous and philanthropic individuals who don’t feel that they deserve love unless they offer others a gift. Often they need to learn that aside from acquiring great wealth, there are simpler routes to happiness.

Soul Number 9

Those born with a Soul Number 9 have a great desire to transcend all karma by using humor. Many are witty writers, public speakers and filmmakers. They are also great teachers as they have a way of transforming spiritual messages and philosophies into entertainment for the masses. Most of them are gentle souls who have made it their life mission to make the world into a kinder place. Many of them are also liberal thinkers who support the right of each individual to make their own mistakes. Their motto is “Remember to take time out to smell the flowers.”

Soul Number 11

Number 11 is a master soul number. The prime directive of these individuals is to transform the world through the use of spiritual knowledge, talents or tools. More than anything these individuals often desire to be as close to God or enlightenment as is possible in this world. They often accomplish this by deliberately choosing to be born into bad situations that punish them for incorrect actions in other lives. This eventually leads them to an incarnation as a “wounded healer” later in life that enables them to enlighten others.

Soul Number 22

Number 22’s are the master manifesters of the numerology divination system. These individuals rarely make a move in life without first making sure that their decisions are aligned with the guidance of Divine Will. These souls are sent to us to transform the world for the better. They accomplish this by combining practicality and genius with inspiration, intuition and a heart-felt desire to do what is best for all. Most 22’s believe that it is possible to build a Kingdom of Heaven on earth.

Soul Number 33

Soul number 33’s value a state of grace above all else. Many of them appear as enigmas as it is next to impossible to determine the logic behind their motivations or actions. A master soul number of 33 is very, very rare. They often spend the majority of their lifetime being misunderstood or persecuted for their beliefs. However as many are enlightened and completely detached from emotions or events, the actions of ordinary mortals have little effect on their directive to spiritually transform the world.

Samantha Steven’s articles have been published in many high-standing newspapers and she has published several books. If you wish to buy Samantha’s books about metaphysics click here
http://www.insomniacpress.com/author.php?id=110
You can meet Samantha Stevens at http://www.psychicrealm.com where she works as a professional psychic. You can also read more of her articles at http://www.newagenotebook.com

How Your Credit Score Will Affect Your Mortgage

January 25th, 2009

Your credit history has a giant impact on the mortgage that you get and the terms that it will have. Lenders will go over your entire history with a fine-toothed comb. They will focus on your credit report, and your credit score.

Your credit report is where all of the details concerning how you handle credit is kept. This report will show any debts that you have had in the past years and how, when and if you have paid them according to schedule on time every month. This report will also show if you have ever filed for bankruptcy. Your credit score is derived from the information on your credit report. The lender will have a formula that they use in order to find your exact score. Some lenders use a slightly different formula for their own purposes. Your credit score will tell the lender whether or not they should trust you with a loan of any size. These scores range from around 300 to 900 and most people fall somewhere in the middle of these two numbers.

Your credit score is come to by putting together several different factors. The lender will look at how well you have been at paying your debts on time. If you have a habit of paying your bills late each month this will hurt your credit score tremendously and the worse your credit score is the worse the terms of your loan will be.

If you have had credit for a long time this looks good on your credit report and will help your credit score, assuming of course that you have been responsible with your credit. And the more available credit that you have the better you will look to lenders. If you have maxed out all of your credit they might think that you are too close to being unable to pay off your debts therefore less likely to be able to pay them back according to schedule.

Before you apply for a mortgage or any other type of loan you should take some time to go over your credit report. The lender is going to and if you can get to it first and then do some damage control. Sometimes credit reports have errors on them and if your does there are some things that you can do to fix this problem. You do need to take care of this though because your credit report is key to you getting approved for a good mortgage loan.

You will need to get a copy of your credit report from all three of the big credit bureaus. They d sometimes differ somewhat and you need to make all of these reports look fabulous.

When you are going over your credit report you need to look for any inconsistencies in the payment dates or amounts. If you have made any late payments or missed any payments recently write them down as well as an explanation because you will probably need this for the lender. And the number one way to get your credit report and your credit score in better shape is to start paying all of your bills on time each and every month.

Martin Lukac - EzineArticles Expert Author

Martin Lukac, represents http://www.RateEmpire.com, a finance web-company specializing in real estate/mortgage market. We specialize in daily updates, rate predictions, mortgage rates and more. Find low home loan mortgage interest rates from hundreds of mortgage companies! Visit http://www.RateEmpire.com today

Beach Wedding Dress Ideas

January 24th, 2009

Beach wedding dresses are seeked by many modern bride to be’s who are able to think out of the box. The average wedding these days is budgetted between fifteen and twenty-five thousand dollars. Why would a bright young couple want to be burdened by an expense that large for just one day? A beach wedding can be much more inexpensive, and make you feel much more relaxed. The important part is that you marry the right person, not how great your wedding party is. Beach wedding dresses have the ability to make you look absolutely stunning on your wedding day.

Just remember, that beach wedding dresses are much more casual, not as long as a traditional wedding dress, and are much more comfortable. They are also usually much more colorful and made of much lighter material. More bride to be’s are getting married in a variety of outdoor settings, and this is changing the way women dress on their wedding day. After all, you’re not going to be very comfortable saying “I do” on top of a mountain peak or on a beach wearing a huge wedding gown with a ten foot tail.

It is your wedding day, so please don’t get caught up into having a wedding a certain way just because it’s been that way in the past. Beach wedding dresses may be able to give you a different perspective on the way you may want to spend your wedding day. Whether it’s on the beach, on a boat, or on top of a mountain, make your day one that you and your guests will remember for years to come. This is your big day, you deserve to feeel comfortable and free. There are many accessories you can use to accentuate your beach wedding dress to make it unique and elegant, yet still help you feel at ease. What a great idea it can be to have your wedding on a beach. Imagine tieing the knot in a pair of sandals, or even barefoot. A great way to go for the modern day bride.

Dean Cecere is a successful author on a variety of everyday life issues. See Wedding gowns and bridal accessories
for more innovative ideas on how to make your wedding day one to remember.

Expose Your Business with Videos on the Internet

January 23rd, 2009

Videos online are a great tool to market your company’s products. Sure, there are countless other kinds of marketing methods from article writing to blogging, from public relations to RSS. Though, nothing says “cool, connection, and creativity” like an Internet video. Vidify can work effectively to deliver white-label online video production and publishing solutions.

Each week more & more businesses of different sizes are generating video commercials about their products. They’re not only putting them on their business websites, but They’re adding them to their own blogs. To gain universal twenty-four-seven publicity, short format videos are being added to various video-sharing sites like that of YouTube & Kwego. And why not ? it is economical, easy-to-do, and can have a massive impact, in many cases, on the traffic it brings to your businesses website.

There are many other reasons why Web videos are a wonderful way to advertise your business.

Video commercials benefit from a wide circulation: Videos by their very nature are simple to “package” which makes them good to fit into a series of different distribution circulations. You can post them on your organisations site or blog, if you want you can put them onto your computer machine and run them constantly at a selected event. You can add them to dozens and dozens of Internet video-sharing social media websites. You can burn them onto CDs and give them away or sell them. You can even send them via email.

Videos on the Web are a marvellous way to advertise. As our knowledge of technology develops, so do the ways in which companies like to interact with others. Most people are visually oriented meaning that is how they best understand & interact with their world. This makes videos on the Internet the supreme company strategy to communicate to today’s consumers.

These are just a handful of the numerous reasons why videos online might be a good way to advertise your company’s services. Discover more about this topic to see how you may well exploit your precious time, funds, and energy to talk with your target clients in a modern and exciting way.

Troubleshooting your Cable Box

January 23rd, 2009

Unless you’ve recently moved from Alaska to Texas and you’re feeling a little homesick, chances are that the last thing you want to see when you turn on your TV is snow. Combine a snowy screen with that loud, obnoxious static sound, and you’ve got a problem on your hands. Fortunately you don’t have to be techie to fix your cable box – just follow these simple troubleshooting steps to get picture back in no time.

Cable Box Basics

Make sure your cable box is plugged in. I know that sounds silly, but after troubleshooting these things over the phone professionally, you can trust me on this one. Save yourself the time and embarrassment of calling a professional just to have them tell you to plug it in. That goes for the rest of the essential equipment as well (i.e. TV, VCR or DVR if you’re running the signal through one, etc.). It wouldn’t hurt to make sure the TV is on the correct channel – usually channel 3 or 4 or one of the input channels.

Make sure all the cables are connected. Even if you’re TV and cable box are both turned on, you won’t see a picture unless they are connected. Check each connection to ensure it is tight and that none of the wires or connecting pieces is damaged. Also check to see that the connections are all correct – meaning, video and audio should be going out of your cable or satellite box to your TV “in” ports. The signal should follow a logical path. If the connections are correct but you’re still not seeing any picture, replace the cables to see if that solves the problem. If you’re running the signal through a DVR or VCR and having problems, skip the middle man and plug the cables straight from the box to the TV. If you get a picture you know you’re problem is in the VCR.

After making sure everything is on and the cable connections are all correct, try rebooting your system. Each company’s receivers have different methods of rebooting, but one fairly universal way is to unplug the box for 10 to 20 seconds and then plug it back in. Do not just turn the box off and back on again – you’ll need to actually pull the plug out of the wall and then put it back in again. Once the cable box is plugged back in, turn the power on and cross your fingers. If you’re still not receiving any picture, unplug the receiver again for up to one minute and then plug it back in. This may be tedious and time-consuming, especially when you’re missing the fight of the year or the Super Bowl, but give it the full minute – you’ll spend less time doing it yourself than you will waiting for a repairman to come out and fix it.

Fuzzy Picture or Sound

If you are getting a picture but no sound; or sound but no picture; or a fuzzy picture or sound, recheck the cable connections to make sure they are tightened and that the wires or connecting pieces are undamaged. Poor picture or sound is typically caused by one of three problems: poor wire connections, signal interference, or TV settings.

Going outside to make sure nothing is interfering with your signal will help with the second problem. Of course, if you have underground cables there is not much you can do about making sure they are clear of interference (that’s read, “Your neighbor cut through it while gardening”). If you have a satellite dish, know that excessive rain or snow buildup on the dish can cause signal interference. Use caution when checking your dish, especially if it is on your roof or some other hard-to-reach place around your house. The installer should have verified that no trees or other objects would interfere with your signal from the satellites, but take a quick look around to see if new foliage is blocking the signal. If it is not on your property, do not cut or remove anything without prior permission from the property owner.

Finally, adjusting your TV settings can help when you are receiving a clear signal and all the connections are fine. Horizontal and vertical settings are the adjustments that most often need to be made, but consulting your owner’s manual can give you a better indication of other settings that can be tweaked.

Troubleshooting requires patience, so make some lemonade, roll up your sleeves, and get started. If none of these suggestions work (9 times out of 10 they will), contact your service provider. They may have additional troubleshooting steps or resources they can make available to you to get your cable or satellite TV up and running.

About the Author

Nick Smith is a client account specialist with 10x Marketing – More Visitors. More Buyers. More Revenue. To find out how to replace your cable box with a digital satellite receiver, check out I-Satellite.

For Sale By Owner – Pricing It Right 3 Reasons Why!

January 20th, 2009

Pricing your home correctly is the first and most important step in the selling process. Whether you list with an agent or sell by owner the wrong price will cause lost income and/or excessive marketing time. You have options, either to contract with a professional Real Estate agent or do your due diligence and research to find the true Market Value of your home. In the examples below we show why pricing is so important.

Example 1: A $250,000 home is priced 10% below the true market value at $225,000. The home sells quickly with little or no negotiation for possibly an all cash offer to close quickly. This buyer maybe an investor who is extremely market savvy or a buyer who works closely with a Real Estate Agent using cutting edge buyer programs. This buyer probably has a VIP Buyer Agreement with his agent and receives emails daily with all the new listings as they come on the market. Both of these buyers are able to act before most other buyers even know the home is for sale, they know the area and the pricing. The seller leaves $25,000 on the table and doesn’t know it until it’s too late.

Example 2: A $250,000 home is priced 10% above the true market value at $275,000. The home gets no buyer interest or activity, no drive bys after 90 frustrating days the seller reduces the price to $264,500 (still above market value). The home still has no buyer interest or activity, maybe an occasional drive by. So again after 90 more agonizing days they reduce the price to $259,900 (still above the market, but within the at least look at range). Activity does pick up but the home now appears old on the market, the advertising photo’s are all now out of season, the visual tour looks dated. Finally an offer if you’re lucky at $235,000, after days of back and forth negotiation you get it up to $242,000, what a deal. Now after 6 months of agonizing frustration you lose $8,000 plus all the extra costs of mortgage payments, interest, taxes, marketing, repairs, maintenance, explaining to your friends why, and worst of all, the home you wanted to buy is now sold.

Example 3: A $250,000 home is priced correctly for the true market value between $249,500 and $251,900. This home gets more buyer activity and more offers than the over priced homes on the market. Homes priced at true market value normally sell within 30 days. Of all homes listed less than 40% sell in the first 30 days on the market. This seller will probably get a close to full price offer and negotiate it up to full price without much effort. No extended marketing, no explaining to friends and family why and you get to buy the house you wanted first. Price it right, sell quickly and for top dollar. Move on with family to your new home with the least amount hassles.

There are costs involved with selling your home. You must decide which cost you want to pay, the normal marketing, commissions, and closing costs or add in the costs of too high or too low pricing. With a little research and knowledge you can price it right and save a bundle.

The Rise of Islam or Just another Side road Away from True Salvation

January 19th, 2009

Question
Is the world wide rise of Islam something told about anywhere in Bible prophecy?

Answer
Jesus said that in the last days many false Christ’s and false prophets would appear around the world along with their spurious and ridiculous teachings. Mt 24:1f. The rise of Islam is only another part of the last days offering of other roads on the broad path to destruction. The popularity of Islam can only be fully appreciated by taking another look at the nature and purpose of the one who makes all the other roads available. Among the many names used for Satan in the Bible few of them show his nature better than, 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Islam is not only a product of the arch deceiver but it is now roaring around the globe with its message of death and destruction.

Regardless of what deception is offered on the supper table of the devil, it is always a recipe for his ultimate purpose, destruction. One of the most naive and subtly destructive notions in the world is that Satan will use anything to deceive people, but must stop short of anything labeled or recognized as a religion. We make a distinction between cults, heresies, the occult, and recognized and old established religions of the world. The question is why. The truth is that Satan does not stop short of using religions to deceive people, but rather they are one of his major tools and devices to destroy the souls of men. He isn’t called the arch-deceiver by mistake. He uses any and all means at his disposal to bring down the souls of men, and carry them with him to hell, religions of the world notwithstanding.

Another book could be written on why Islam has nothing at all to do with the salvation of men. Fortunately for us since nine-eleven many good writers and teachers have undertaken to write such books. My best advice to anyone today is that they take the time to read a few of these revealing books.

Question
Isn’t there any safe place in the world, a country or an island of the sea where the rule of antichrist won’t reach?

Answer
No; there is no safe place in this world from the reach of the antichrist. Revelation 13:7 says he will rule every nation, tongue and tribe. Yet, there is one safe place to hide although it is not of this world and that is in the arms of the Lord Jesus Christ. John 10:28-29

Michael Bresciani - EzineArticles Expert Author

Rev Bresciani has written many articles over the past thirty years in such periodicals as Guideposts and Catholic Digest. He is the author of two books available on Amazon.com, Alibris, Barnes and Noble and many other places. Rev Bresciani wrote “Hook Line and Sinker or what has Your Church Been Teaching You,” publisher, PublishAmerica of Baltimore MD. He also wrote a book published by Xulon Press entitled “An American Prophet and His Message, Questions and Answers on the Second Coming of Christ.” His book is now being heralded as the clearest book on the subject of the second coming of Christ since Hal Lindsey’s “Late Great Planet Earth” Rev Bresciani’s website is,
http://americanprophet.org.

Guide to Gambling House Betting: Games Gambling Fanatics Take Part in

January 17th, 2009

In case you have not grasped gambling house gaming, do please read on.

For the sake of clarity, a betting establishment is a building that accomodates gaming. Here, guests will gamble by operating the coin-operated machines or alternative pastimes of chance. Gaming establishment games ordinarily have transparent likelihoods governing them which insure the casino retains an upper hand against the clients.

A huge number of gaming hall games can get you far too infatuated very quickly. A case in hand is the good old one-armed bandit, a cash operated machine with three, occasionally more discs that orbit once a crank hitched to it is moved. This gadget on the whole will compensate punters corresponding with an array of glyphs presented on the panel of the contraption. Sadly, betting establishment games proffer a mirage of power, thus hoodwinking the bettor – the participant is given a few decisions, but in reality these can not realistically level the client’s long term disadvantage. That is brought about by the the gaming room never paying up the full stake as expected. This system can usually be noticeable in well known casino games such as Texas hold’em, dice games, roulette or blackjack.

Five card stud poker is doubtlessly an immensely popular casino pastime. The gambling aficionados, holding fully screened hands, will bet into a principal pot which is then given to the last player blessed with the winning hand. (Obviously, the coolest bluffing hand may well prevail too!)

internet online gambling

Just like five-card stud poker, blackjack is likewise an immensely fashionable casino game. A substantial part of its popularity is based on its peculiar mix of luck and cleverness and choice making, not to forget a routine labeled “card counting”. This is a particularly sophisticated strategy by which gaming enthusiasts may significantly reverse the odds of the card game to their advantage both by wagering & strategy decisions in correlation to the cards shown.

“Craps” is another famous gambling hall game where you bet money on the roll of 2 dice. Gamers are placing bets on the outcome of of one cycle, or on a string of rolls of two dice. Contrary to blackjack, there’s no realistic bona fide killer tactics people can put to use to improve the odds.

Roulette is a celebrated casino pastime: here, a croupier twirls a roulette wheel that contains a set of precisely thirtyseven (French roulette) or thirtyeight (applies to Vegas roulette) distinctively numbered cells in which the tossed pellet will finally come to rest, thereby signifying the winning number as well as the accompanying sequences. Supposing that a participant has placed a chip on a number and wins, which is to say she’s having a streak of luck, the recompense will be 35 to 1, the initial bet will be rebated. Hence in totality it is multiplied by a factor of 36.

Beginning to Reclaim My ENCHANTED SELF – Part 1

January 16th, 2009

Please stay with me as I share this excerpt from The Enchanted Self, A Positive Therapy over two weeks with you. This section reveals the way that I initially began to reclaim my own Enchanted Self.

My enchanted self was beginning to emerge, unpeeling as an onion is unpeeled, layer by layer. This is important because I think so many of us shy away from our innermost positive feelings perhaps as much as we do from the dark shadows around us. The search for The Enchanted Self is intimate in revealing and it’s scary — and maybe people really won’t understand or appreciate it. Maybe we have to fight through shame or humiliation before we find it. Maybe we won’t understand or give credit to our own enchanted selves when we do! That would be the most violating thing of all, if I were to find my own enchanted self and then discard it. If I can’t have it anymore, because I thrown it out.

One of my first self-discoveries was recognizing my lost capacities for engaging with people without being paid. As I interviewed the women I realized how much fun I was having, how I felt on equal footing and yet privileged to be hearing their stories, how “female” I felt and how connected. I loved this wonderful opportunity to have time with women that was not social time and yet not work time, either. I began to realize how hungry I had been for this kind of “at ease time” with women. My childhood had pushed me away from such time with women. After all, I had to get out, to get going, to be competent and, often, competitive, not connected.

The second layer was feeling profoundly more connected to women, all women, than I had ever felt before. I found myself suddenly able to ally myself with and have compassion for many women, an ability which had eluded me prior to these interviews. Family members, friends, my mother, all took a softer hue.

As therapists, we can certainly wonder why this hadn’t happened as a result of my training and my time in therapy. After all, I had been exposed to hundreds and hundreds of intimate stories over 15 years. My hunch is that while in the treatment room, I, like any paid healing professional, saw myself, to some extent, as being in the authority position. This may have reinforced some natural biases that I carried with me from my childhood. I think I continue to withhold some deep level of empathy, still seem myself as being apart. When interviewing the women, however, I was automatically their equal, and that placed me differently. Having the privilege of listening to the 18 women, began to listen to other women’s voices with less bias and value judgments. For example, I had always valued certain capacities, such as pragmatic decision-making and the capacity to carry through once a decision had been made. This is a capacity which can be restricted for women. After this glimpse into the girlhood dreams and shattered hopes of many of the women interviewed — the compromises made with life and the painful, yet successful ways of salvaging one’s soul after many lost opportunities — I was able to cross a barrier and join them at some level of womenhood — removing my old iron bars, my negativity and judgments.

About the Author

Dr. Holstein is the originator of The Enchanted Self and a psychologist since 1981. She is the author of two books: The Enchanted Self, A Positive Therapy and Recipes for Enchantment, The Secret Ingredient is YOU!
Dr. Holstein speaks on radio, and appears on television in NY and NJ. She gives lectures, seminars, retreats and audio interviews on LadybugLive.com and is in private practice in Long Branch, NJ with her husband, Dr. Russell Holstein.

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