While shopping for marinara sauce at my favorite Italian deli recently, I happened upon a little jar of Dalmatia Orange Fig Spread. I couldn’t help but smile, as I was filled with fond memories of my grandmother. My grandmother, Marie, who lived to be 93 years old, was originally from Dubrovnik, a city on the Dalmatian Coast in Croatia.

When you think about typical storybook grandmothers, that is the image that my grandmother held for me. She loved to cook, and fed us full of roasted chicken and homemade apple strudel when we came to visit. Her garden was the envy of the neighborhood. She tended to her flowers and vegetables with such love and care that they couldnt help but flourish. In the front yard she had a fig tree that bore bountiful fruit. She stayed home most of the time. She didnt travel except for one trip back to Yugoslavia when she was in her 60s. She never drove a car, choosing instead to walk to the market to buy groceries.

So most people would not have thought of my grandmother as a very daring, or risk-taking person. But I know better. Marie was one courageous lady.

At her cousins urging, Marie left her family and her native country at the tender age of 16, taking a ship across the Atlantic, landing at Ellis Island, and traveling by train all the way across the country to Eureka, California. It was quite an adventure, to say the least, for a girl who had never left home. She did not speak English, or understand the currency, so she survived on the bread that she brought with her from home. At one point a kind man gave my grandmother a banana, and he had to demonstrate how to eat it because she had never seen one before.

Eventually she got to the train station in Eureka. Waiting for her there was her cousin, Emil, and his friend Jack, whom Emil had declared to be the perfect match for Marie. Of course, Jack and Marie were married, and the rest is family history.

Love knows no time or space, no borders or oceans. My grandmother was following her instincts when she embarked on a journey across the world to marry a man she had never met. My grandparents were true pioneers, in life and in love. They forged the way to create a new family here in the United States.

As I enjoy my Dalmatia Orange Fig spread on sunflower toast I cant help but be grateful for my brave and beautiful grandmother. She took a chance to create a better life for herself and her children, and now were all living that life. And I know she knows. I know she has everything to do with my own adventurous spirit, with the blooming flowers in my garden, and with the fact that I can find such a thing as this delicious fig spread.

By Psychic Medium Bill Philipps

I firmly believe that my ability as a psychic medium is a God-given gift, and that not just anybody can become one simply because he or she wants to. Trust me, I know many people who have tried, and without success. But I do believe all people have some psychic intuition — more than most know they have — that can be cultivated enough to enable them to receive and recognize signs from spirits.

The first step in tapping into that intuition is to set your intention by silently asking the spirits for help when you need it. If you are going through a difficult time and are looking for answers or guidance in a particular situation, you first have to ask for help and for signs. That’s the easy part. The second step, which is more difficult but equally important, is to open your heart and mind to receiving those signs.

Let’s say you are thinking about leaving your job to take one at another company, but you don’t know if you should. Pray about it, then keep your eyes and ears open for the answers. What does that mean? Well, chances are pretty good that a random person is not going to walk up to you after you pray and say, “You need to take that job.” I have told you how the spirits work — they love to play charades — so you know it’s usually not that simple. But if you go out to dinner in the midst of trying to make this decision, and your extremely happy waitress tells you it’s her first day on the job, that could be a sign to you that you need to accept your new job. Or if you are watching someone being interviewed on television who comments that the grass is not always greener on the other side, that could be a sign to stay in your current job.

Your intuition is a spiritual guidance system that you were born with. We all have it, but we often ignore it as we age because we become too concerned about our Earthly selves and duties rather than the spiritual side of our lives. How many times, when we’re trying to make a big decision, does someone remind us to “listen to your gut?” It happens a lot, and it’s something we should do more often, but we forget to do it because we have let our souls succumb to our humanness and fear.

So how can you better connect with your intuitive side? Here are four steps you can try:

1.) Meditate. I don’t know of a better way to connect with your intuition. You can meditate in several ways, such as through silence, with soothing music, or with sounds form nature. Meditation will help you to separate yourself from your earthly worries and to connect more closely with your soul. 

2.) Be more aware of your thoughts in your everyday life so that you can more easily separate them from your intuition. Thinking is a reflex for most people, so much so that it can be difficult to distinguish between what is your intuition and what is your ego, or earthly thoughts. The more we think and ignore what our gut is telling us, the more confused we can become about what to do in a particular situation. Yes, we need to think things through, but don’t let that overshadow your intuition. 

3.) Pray. Set your intention to being more in tune to intuition. Ask God or Spirit for the insight you are seeking. Doing that focuses your energy on what you want to achieve. We’ve all heard the phrase “Ask and you shall receive.” I believe that’s absolutely true. Asking is setting that intention. Receiving is listening to your intuition, which is coming from that higher place.

4.) Pay close attention to how your intuition works for you because it works differently for everyone. Some might feel chills. Others may have more of a gut feeling. And yet others could have a daydream that comes true. What works for one may not work for another. Understand and trust how your intuition works for you and what the strongest way is for you to receive information from Spirit.

Don’t doubt that you have a guidance system within you. You were born with intuition, whether you know it or not. It is up to you, though, to find it. Having that intuition and knowing when it is trying to tell you something can make your life much easier, especially when faced with difficult circumstances.

 # # #

Bill Philipps is the author of Expect the Unexpected and is known for being one of the world’s youngest psychic mediums. He has appeared on the Dr. Phil show and has helped countless individuals deal with the grief of losing loved ones by bringing through validations, evidential information and beautiful messages which heal and bring a sense of peace. Visit him online at http://www.billphilipps.com/.  

Based on the book Expect the Unexpected ©2015 by Bill Philipps. Printed with permission of New World Library. www.newworldlibrary.com

BEST FILM
12 YEARS A SLAVE Anthony Katagas, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen
AMERICAN HUSTLE Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison, Jonathan Gordon
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca
GRAVITY Alfonso Cuar�n, David Heyman
PHILOMENA Gabrielle Tana, Steve Coogan, Tracey Seaward

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
GRAVITY Alfonso Cuar�n, David Heyman, Jon�s Cuar�n
MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM Justin Chadwick, Anant Singh, David M. Thompson, William Nicholson
PHILOMENA Stephen Frears, Gabrielle Tana, Steve Coogan, Tracey Seaward, Jeff Pope
RUSH Ron Howard, Andrew Eaton, Peter Morgan
SAVING MR. BANKS John Lee Hancock, Alison Owen, Ian Collie, Philip Steuer, Kelly Marcel, Sue Smith
THE SELFISH GIANT: Clio Barnard, Tracy O’Riordan

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
COLIN CARBERRY (Writer), GLENN PATTERSON (Writer) Good Vibrations
KELLY MARCEL (Writer) Saving Mr. Banks
KIERAN EVANS (Director/Writer) Kelly + Victor
PAUL WRIGHT (Director/Writer), POLLY STOKES (Producer) For Those in Peril
SCOTT GRAHAM (Director/Writer) Shell

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
THE ACT OF KILLING Joshua Oppenheimer, Signe Byrge S�rensen
BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR Abdellatif Kechiche, Brahim Chioua, Vincent Maraval
THE GREAT BEAUTY Paolo Sorrentino, Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima
METRO MANILA Sean Ellis, Mathilde Charpentier
WADJDA Haifaa Al-Mansour, Gerhard Meixner, Roman Paul

DOCUMENTARY
THE ACT OF KILLING Joshua Oppenheimer
THE ARMSTRONG LIE Alex Gibney
BLACKFISH Gabriela Cowperthwaite
TIM’S VERMEER Teller, Penn Jillette, Farley Ziegler
WE STEAL SECRETS: THE STORY OF WIKILEAKS Alex Gibney
ANIMATED FILM
DESPICABLE ME 2 Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin
FROZEN Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
MONSTERS UNIVERSITY Dan Scanlon

DIRECTOR
12 YEARS A SLAVE Steve McQueen
AMERICAN HUSTLE David O. Russell
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Paul Greengrass
GRAVITY Alfonso Cuar�n
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Martin Scorsese

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
AMERICAN HUSTLE Eric Warren Singer, David O. Russell
BLUE JASMINE Woody Allen
GRAVITY Alfonso Cuar�n, Jon�s Cuar�n
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
NEBRASKA Bob Nelson

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
12 YEARS A SLAVE John Ridley
BEHIND THE CANDELABRA Richard LaGravenese
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Billy Ray
PHILOMENA Steve Coogan, Jeff Pope
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Terence Winter

LEADING ACTOR
BRUCE DERN Nebraska
CHIWETEL EJIOFOR 12 Years a Slave
CHRISTIAN BALE American Hustle
LEONARDO DICAPRIO The Wolf of Wall Street
TOM HANKS Captain Phillips

LEADING ACTRESS
AMY ADAMS American Hustle
CATE BLANCHETT Blue Jasmine
EMMA THOMPSON Saving Mr. Banks
JUDI DENCH Philomena
SANDRA BULLOCK Gravity

SUPPORTING ACTOR
BARKHAD ABDI Captain Phillips
BRADLEY COOPER American Hustle
DANIEL BR�HL Rush
MATT DAMON Behind the Candelabra
MICHAEL FASSBENDER 12 Years a Slave

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
JENNIFER LAWRENCE American Hustle
JULIA ROBERTS August: Osage County
LUPITA NYONG’O 12 Years a Slave
OPRAH WINFREY The Butler
SALLY HAWKINS Blue Jasmine

ORIGINAL MUSIC
12 YEARS A SLAVE Hans Zimmer
THE BOOK THIEF John Williams
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Henry Jackman
GRAVITY Steven Price
SAVING MR. BANKS Thomas Newman

CINEMATOGRAPHY
12 YEARS A SLAVE Sean Bobbitt
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Barry Ackroyd
GRAVITY Emmanuel Lubezki
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS Bruno Delbonnel
NEBRASKA Phedon Papamichael

EDITING
12 YEARS A SLAVE Joe Walker
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Christopher Rouse
GRAVITY Alfonso Cuar�n, Mark Sanger
RUSH Dan Hanley, Mike Hill
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Thelma Schoonmaker

PRODUCTION DESIGN
12 YEARS A SLAVE Adam Stockhausen, Alice Baker
AMERICAN HUSTLE Judy Becker, Heather Loeffler
BEHIND THE CANDELABRA Howard Cummings
GRAVITY Andy Nicholson, Rosie Goodwin, Joanne Woodlard
THE GREAT GATSBY Catherine Martin, Beverley Dunn

COSTUME DESIGN
AMERICAN HUSTLE Michael Wilkinson
BEHIND THE CANDELABRA Ellen Mirojnick
THE GREAT GATSBY Catherine Martin
THE INVISIBLE WOMAN Michael O’Connor
SAVING MR. BANKS Daniel Orlandi

MAKE UP & HAIR
AMERICAN HUSTLE Evelyne Noraz, Lori McCoy-Bell
BEHIND THE CANDELABRA Kate Biscoe, Marie Larkin
THE BUTLER Debra Denson, Beverly Jo Pryor, Candace Neal
THE GREAT GATSBY Maurizio Silvi, Kerry Warn
THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG Peter Swords King, Richard Taylor, Rick Findlater

SOUND
ALL IS LOST Richard Hymns, Steve Boeddeker, Brandon Proctor, Micah Bloomberg, Gillian Arthur
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor, Mike Prestwood Smith, Chris Munro, Oliver Tarney
GRAVITY Glenn Freemantle, Skip Lievsay, Christopher Benstead, Niv Adiri, Chris Munro
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS Peter F. Kurland, Skip Lievsay, Greg Orloff
RUSH Danny Hambrook, Martin Steyer, Stefan Korte, Markus Stemler, Frank Kruse

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
GRAVITY Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk, Neil Corbould, Nikki Penny
THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, Eric Reynolds
IRON MAN 3 Bryan Grill, Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Dan Sudick
PACIFIC RIM Hal Hickel, John Knoll, Lindy De Quattro, Nigel Sumner
STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS Ben Grossmann, Burt Dalton, Patrick Tubach, Roger Guyett

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION
EVERYTHING I CAN SEE FROM HERE Bjorn-Erik Aschim, Friederike Nicolaus, Sam Taylor
I AM TOM MOODY Ainslie Henderson
SLEEPING WITH THE FISHES James Walker, Sarah Woolner, Yousif Al-Khalifa

BRITISH SHORT FILM
ISLAND QUEEN Ben Mallaby, Nat Luurtsema
KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES Megan Rubens, Michael Pearce, Selina Lim
ORBIT EVER AFTER Chee-Lan Chan, Jamie Stone, Len Rowles
ROOM 8 James W. Griffiths, Sophie Venner
SEA VIEW Anna Duffield, Jane Linfoot

At CoffeyTalk, we’re all about ancient wisdom and modern style.  We’ve discovered many beauty secrets from throughout time and cultures.  Now we’re found something of a gem – and it comes from that land of Egypt.

Stanley Jacobs is a facial plastic surgeon by day and somewhat of an “Egyptologist” in his spare time.  Like an Indiana Jones character, when he came upon the “Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus” – a document that contains many extraordinary descriptions of medical and surgical techniques dating from 2500 to 3000 B.C., he knew this contained valuable information.  In the back of the text was a chapter about “transforming an old man into a youth.”  In it, a recipe with the key ingredient being “hemayet.”  Maybe this is how Cleopatra kept her youthful glow…

Ah!  The mystery continues, as our hero is on the case!  He travels to Egypt, meets with world-renown experts and scholars, and hemayet is translated to mean “bitter almonds.”  However, these almonds are inedible, and not available in the United States.  Jacobs continues his study to determine that the almonds were used as a part of a topical mixture applied to the skin, and he begins the process of importing the almonds from China.  Enter New York chemist and cosmetic researcher extraordinaire Jules Zecchino, who finds that the real secret in the almonds is their “mandelic acid” – one of the most powerful of the alpha-hydroxy acids, currently used to fight the bacteria that causes acne.

The original recipe for this serum called for frankincense, so Jacobs added that, along with other components that were listed like licorice root, as well as resveratrol, to come up with a beautiful new product that is easily accessible today: “Visco-Elastic Transforming Serum.”

With twice-daily application of the serum over a one-month time period, studies show that there is an average increase in skin elasticity of 50%.  The elasticity of the skin is measured with a German device called a “Cutometer.”

When I first heard of this product, I was intrigued.  Since I don’t want to recommend anything to you that I haven’t first tried myself, I gave it a go.  The serum itself is opaque and creamy.  It smoothes in easily.  I find that it takes 5 pumps to cover the entire face and neck.  After 3 weeks of twice-daily use, I have noticed a difference!  The little crepe-y patch that was starting to form under my eye is now gone.  My skin feels fresh and dewy, and the fine lines are much less noticeable.  I like it!  Normal.dotm 0 0 1 23 133                     1 1 163 12.256

And the best part is that you don’t even have to travel to ancient Egypt to get this little treasure – you just have to go to the amazon – amazon.com that is.

 Visco-Elastic Transforming Serum

This is an interesting time of year the week between Christmas and New Year’s.  It seems on the surface that not much is happening. Work is slow, the freeways aren’t as crowded because people are on vacation.  But underneath the surface a lot of activity is taking place.  We’re preparing ourselves for the New Year. We’re taking down the decorations, getting organized, and coming up with our goals and resolutions.  This is a creative time – in Ayurveda this is Vata season.

We see it on a global scale.  We have elected a new president, but he hasn’t taken office yet.  He’s busy planning and preparing, choosing his cabinet, figuring out just how to get things done.  And we see it in nature, too.  Trees shed their leaves in preparation for a new Spring.

In life, we can’t be in two places at the same time.  We can’t keep both feet on the ground and expect to go anywhere.  If we want to take that leap of faith, and really make changes in our lives, then both feet have to leave the ground.  How can we do this?  We need to release.  We need to let go. 

Today I led the service at a church, and instead of the traditional “burning bowl” ceremony, we put the “ancient wisdom, modern style” CoffeyTalk twist on it.  We wrote down what we wanted to release, and then put the papers through a shredder!  This is the prayer I wrote for releasing.  Enjoy, and take it to heart.  I love you!  Happy New Year!

Dear God, Sweet Spirit,

Knowing that all is one and I am one with all that is –
I recognize that certain habits, or thought patterns, or misconceptions
No longer serve me, no longer contribute to my greatest good.
I choose, here and now, to release any and all
judgments, anger, guilt, or self-destructive behaviors.
I choose to let go of pain, and heartache, to let go of resentment and blame.
I choose to unburden myself of any heaviness that is weighing me down.
I choose to leave behind any pettiness of the past.
I choose to relinquish control, to let You,
the guiding light of the Universe, in Your infinite Wisdom,
take care of the details of my life. I choose to open the door, to clear out the clutter, in my life and in my mind and to make room for
All that is offered to me.
I choose to let go completely – and let GOD! I choose, right here and now, to give up the struggle.
I choose, right here and now to release all my fears, all my doubts, any falsehoods that are holding me back from knowing and experiencing and celebrating all that I am. I choose to get with the program, to embrace the
Trust and Faith, and Health, and Light, and Truth, and Opportunity, and Love and Prosperity and Wholeness
That right here and now runs in and around and through each and every one of us.  This is who I am.
And I am truly grateful. I now release and let go of anything that contradicts this fact.  Whatever it is, I let it go.  Happily, with grace and ease, and forever. And so it is, Baby – and so it absolutely is!
Amen!

If you have, or have had, a senior in high school, you know what I’m talking about.  Every day it’s a mad dash to the mailbox, a little prayer said before it’s opened, and then the tentative sorting through envelopes looking hopefully for that big one, the one that starts with: “Congratulations!”  Brian has made me promise not to open his mail, but he calls me from school every day at 1:30 to see what letters he has received.  A large envelope is a good sign, one that portends acceptance to the university that he applied for. A regular sized envelope contains the letter that starts with: “Unfortunately…” Brian has some good choices already – but we’re still waiting to see the outcome for several others.  Until he has the full picture, he won’t be able to decide just where it is he’ll be going come September.  Schools have promised to get letters to students by April 1, which means our waiting game should be over soon.  And then it’s decision time – and we have until May 1 to declare our intentions. It’s Sunday, and there’s no mail today… so we can breathe a little bit, at least until tomorrow!