12 True Stories That Enable Discovery, Evoke Inspiration and Elevate Awareness
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“Liminal” means threshold, and thresholds are not just transitionary places; they are opportunities for discovery, awareness and choice, posits Sande Hart.
In her new book, The Liminal Odyssey, Hart invites readers to step into, not over, the thresholds of their daily lives to explore the transformative power of the space between crisis and action.
“Oftentimes, we simply step over the mundane or ignore what may seem meaningless, not realizing what gems these synchronicities and messages can actually reveal in our lives,” Hart says. “In this space, we can interpret and examine possibilities for creativity that help us move on from old problems, beliefs and myths of who we are.”
Combining true stories and lessons from Hart’s life with practical wisdom to inspire readers on their own journey, The Liminal Odyssey details how readers can alchemize their own lives. Hart outlines the 12 skills she deems foundational to such a journey, including the art of listening, forgiveness, grace, cultivation of synchronicities and trust. These skills, among others, provide the tools and lay the groundwork for a paradigm shift, allowing readers to explore the gifts that exist in the everyday. A reimagining of Joseph Campbell’s framework of The Hero’s Journey, a liminal odyssey goes even further to explore life’s pauses, transforming an experience into an experiment.
The Liminal Odyssey incorporates philosophy, science, shared indigenous knowledge and psychology by some of the world’s most spiritually prolific leaders, authors, scientists and indigenous grandmothers. Hart has created a call-to-action for the current era, where a changing world is summoning a cultural shift.
As Hart states, “Imagine the outcome when we grow collectively by way of individual contribution into that cultural liminal space. It is crowd-sourcing change at its best and is the only way that is sustainable and resilient for this next era we are moving into, with or without us.”
Everyone has an abundance of stories waiting to be discovered. The Liminal Odyssey is where these stories can take us.
About Sande Hart Sande Hart is an award-winning leader in the fields of women’s empowerment and interfaith community building. She founded the women’s interfaith international grassroots organization S.A.R.A.H. (The Spiritual And Religious Alliance for Hope) the morning of 9/11, an instinct to gather women of diverse faiths to protect all that they consider sacred, now in its 20th year. She founded and served as director of Charter for Compassion’s Women and Girls sector, served as chair for the United Religions Initiative for North America and serves on the Women’s Task Force for The Parliament of World’s Religions.
Hart is also the founder of Compassionate California. She is currently being inducted into the Women’s Oral History Library of Claremont Colleges.
For more information, please visit https://www.liminalodyssey.com/.
The Liminal Odyssey: The Alchemical Power of The Spaces In-Between ISBN-13: 979-8812367336 Available from Amazon.com
Trish Stevens Dea Shandera-Hunter Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone.
Vacation Plans Go Awry in Latest ‘Ladybug’ Adventure
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Sometimes, summer vacations don’t go exactly as planned, and in the new children’s adventure, Hillary and Malibug Beach, Hillary the Little Ladybug is eagerly anticipating her family’s trip to Malibug Beach and goes to sleep dreaming of mermaids. Are the mermaids in her dreams a hint as to what awaits her at Malibug Beach?
Co-authored by William Dandurand, Elisabeth Revel and Mary Cohen, The Adventures of Hillary the Little Ladybug series explores climate change and other topics through stories aimed at young readers. All proceeds from sales of the “Ladybug” books benefit Mother Nature Festival Live Inc., which endeavors to stop harmful climate change.
In the latest story, strange things happen that alter everything for the ladybugs. A comet explodes, and the green glow causes mutations among them. Hillary sees mermaids and vampires. The vampires try to bite Hillary and turn her into a vampire.
The King orders all castle workers back to the castle, and the family must leave their vacation early. Hillary ends up back home in her bed but has strange dreams. Oh well, tomorrow will be another day. Hillary says her night prayers with her mom and falls into a restful sleep.
Some familiar figures have appeared in the Hillary the Ladybug series, such as Bigfoot, Tiny Tim and the King. Hillary’s own name sounds a bit like a famous person who has expressed concerns about climate change.
The series features original illustrations, photography and playfully educational storylines to tell adventurous children’s tales from the perspective of a precocious ladybug.
A team of authors and illustrators have collaborated on this 16-book series, including Mary Cohen, Elisabeth Revel, Gary Revel, Naomi Kiber and William Dandurand, whose grandfather, Ray Lowe, worked for Disney.
In previous episodes of the Hillary the Ladybug saga, our heroine has solved the mystery of the secret cave, found herself in a post-nuclear world, joined the crew on a submarine, faced giant sharks, encountered a haunted castle, met the King of England, imagined herself as a queen, learned a valuable life lesson from a praying mantis and, in this new book, deals with challenges during a vacation with her family to Malibug Beach (no, not Malibu Beach, don’t be silly!).
The original illustration of Hillary the Little Ladybug was created by American-born Gary Revel Jr., a 2006 Finnish Star Winner who lived in Finland for 16 years. Revel Jr. has received acclaim for his singing, dancing and acting in Finland and Hollywood, California.
“The Adventures of Hillary the Little Ladybug is in development at Jongleur Pictures LLC for the making of an animated series to be produced by Jeff Olm,” says Gary Revel. “Jeff has been on the film-making team of many top-grossing films over the last 20 years. These include Titanic, The Revenant, Shrek Forever After, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and many more.”
Jongleur Books publishes other William Dandurand-authored books, including ABC Owl: Who Are You, Lochy the Loch Ness Monster, Harry the Fairy, Global Warming A to Z, Halloween A to Z, California Girls A – Z, Treasure Stories Told by My Grandfather and Hillary and the Haunted Castle. The publishing company’s backlist includes over 70 books, novels and chapter books from over 20 authors and illustrators.
For more information about how the Hillary the Little Ladybug series is helping to stop global warming, visit https://mothernaturefestival.live.
Also visit https://garyrevel.com/book/, or follow the publisher on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jongleurbooks. The Adventures of Hillary the Little Ladybug series is available from Amazon.com.
Trish Stevens Jaqueline Cooper Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
Has Humankind Ever Been More Broken Than Now? Writings of the Late Dr. Noomen Preach ‘Connectedness’
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Does it sometimes seem as if political parties, the country and perhaps the entire world has fallen into an unprecedented morass of divisiveness and animosity? Read the news, turn on the TV, listen to the radio or just eavesdrop on conversations. Has there ever been a time when civilization was any less agreeable? Can anything be done to help fix this rampant and dangerous antagonism?
Author and scholar Dr. Pieter Noomen wrote at length about his belief that “all is connected,” and although he passed away three years ago, his writings are still available to all, free, anytime, on his website (www.wordsforall.org). Among the 12 “booklets” he posted is one he called “Connectedness.”
“If on your inner level you do connect with the universal sphere, boundaries blur,” Dr. Noomen wrote. “You then experience that your universal links are not vague or impractical at all. You can hook up to a world that poses no threat and lets you know and feel that.”
Dr. Noomen’s writings speak largely about his belief system and often refer to messages he said he received from a higher power, but his words can resonate with all, regardless of faith. The booklet on “connectedness” is written in first-person, with the “I” being the higher power that he believed spoke to him.
He begins the booklet thus: “One of the most amazing statements I make is related to this ‘all is connected;’ not that the fact itself that all is connected is surprising, as you observe it on earth … but indirect all-connectedness makes good sense. You and, say stars, are separate worlds; yet what is in between serves as link. And so it is with everything. All that exists is acting in the same play of being. Let the word play conjure a sphere of playfulness, team spirit and adventure.”
That may sound like Pollyanna wishful thinking in 2022, but what if the Russians and Ukrainians, the pro-life and pro-choice folks, the Republicans and Democrats, and all the other so-called diametrically opposed groups could look at civilization as one big family?
“Truth has ways to overcome confusion, to a point of restoring clear vision,” Dr. Noomen wrote. “For this, you’ve the whole eternity at your disposal. So do not worry or panic. Realize the sixth component of being well-connected is already a part of you. For present humans, this connectedness is severely disturbed. And it shows. Yet, in you, ‘all is connected’ waits to be recognized and be applied positively.”
Born in the Netherlands, Pieter Noomen worked as a psychotherapist and staff member at a Los Angeles church. He completed doctoral studies in theology and pastoral psychology at the Free University of Amsterdam and became senior minister of three Protestant churches.
An example from Dr. Noomen’s Wisdoms of the Week from his website, as we continue to hold out hope that better days lie ahead:
“It seems scientifically proven that laughing is good for our health. (I still regret that I can’t even tell a joke. Sorry!) Yet I know a source that always lets me smile inside. That happens when I realize how awesomely great the universe is and how tiny I am. And much more, when I realize that this Totality of all, Life in its full volume, is essentially a love reality.”
Trish Stevens Gloria Gonzalez Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 281.333.3507 Main [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
Protests, Blockages, Threats of War: What Happened to Freedom? Dr. Pieter Noomen’s Website Offers Guidance for a Troubled World
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Long before he died in 2019, Dr. Pieter Noomen explored deeply the meaning of life, death, freedom and so many other topics that the writings on his website will continue to enlighten and inspire readers for decades. In a time when mass protests and threats of war fill our daily news, his musings on freedom seem starkly meaningful.
Many of these protests focus on the freedom to decide for yourself what you will inject into your body or put on your face. But what about the freedom of others not to be impacted by decisions you make that might endanger them? It’s a slippery slope to be sure.
On his website, www.wordsforall.org, Dr. Noomen writes:
“’Yes’ a free will, ‘no’ a free will, argued the sages of all ages. Like they did, it does in me. I vacillate, how much am I free? By my logic, no answers do fit. Yet freedom is, and that is it. It features as essence and substance in all life’s creatures. You see that we are free to even choose our own slavery?” He also wrote that “all living is based on free participation.” Freedom is embraced in many of the world’s nations, but not all, and the chaos of early 2022 may echo for many years to come. How can we make sense of it all and find some semblance of inner and outer peace?
Visitors on www.wordsforall.org can explore Dr. Noomen’s comprehensive collection of vivid experiences and wisdom drawn from the communications he shared with what he called a “spiritual presence.” He grew to believe that, either directly or indirectly, all life stems from one common source, and when we can reconnect with that source, we reach the highest level of existence. And perhaps more importantly, he believed that being in direct contact with the ALL of existence is possible for anyone and everyone.
In essence, we’re all in this together, and the path forward starts with accepting that. As Dr. Noomen wrote, “Let it sink in that you are part of the oneness of all. You’re one of its constituents.”
Born in the Netherlands, Pieter Noomen completed doctoral studies in theology and pastoral psychology at the Free University of Amsterdam and became senior minister of three Protestant churches. Later, he worked as a psychotherapist and as a staff member of a Los Angeles metropolitan church, working in mental health fields like suicide prevention and hospice.
An example from Dr. Noomen’s Wisdoms of the Week from his website:
“If today all people decided to drop negative behavior, and our societies would become peaceful for all, we still face that nature won’t follow the change. It will remain violent at will, not caring about our human needs. In other words, the brokenness and imperfections of life do not depend on our human behavior. The roots of that go deeper. Our earth and its potential for carrying life is put together as a faulty product. Any hope for fundamentally changing the world? No! Any hope for substantially changing people? Yes! When we as individuals connect with the Real, the full, Reality.”
Trish Stevens Gloria Gonzalez Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 281.333.3507 Main [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
Story of Precocious Ballerina Sparks Joie de Vivre in the Hearts of Young Readers
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With a turn of her tutu and a playful plié, precocious 6-year-old ballerina Lilly Nilly dances her way into readers’ hearts with a joie de vivre that will entertain and inspire kids and adults alike in the delightful new children’s book, Pardon My French – It’s the Language of Ballet: The Adventures of Lilly Nilly.
From the creative mind of real-life former NYC-based dancer and choreographer Nancy Paris, Pardon My French takes young readers inside the mind of a spunky, determined young dance student whose self-appointed mission is to figure out what the heck ballet –– and coincidentally life –– are all about.
Lilly Nilly sees the world in a unique way and delivers her humorous, offbeat observations with childlike honesty. She wears her curiosity on her sleeve and asks burning questions like, “Why can’t you hang upside down on a ballet barre if it looks just like an ordinary bar?” Or, “If you’re going to travel in a carpool, should you wear a bathing suit?”
“Young readers will find Lilly’s stories funny and very relatable, especially if they are ballet students themselves,” Paris said. “Adults will find her sharp wit and strong-willed spirit a charming reminder of just how empowering a joyful approach to life can be.”
Pardon My French – It’s the Language of Ballet is complete with illustrations that only Lilly Nilly could have drawn — with a little help from Paris, of course, who used her own experiences as a professional dancer and teacher to inform her narrative. Her mission, Paris said, is to encourage all readers to trust their instincts, seek their own answers, and be kind to all.
“I want people to know that although it was written as a children’s book, I always had an adult audience in mind,” Paris added. “And — it’s funny!”
Author Nancy Paris is an alumna of The Juilliard School and has performed professionally across the U.S. and Canada. As a dancemaker, she has choreographed industrials and private events in New York City, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Palm Springs and Puerto Rico. Most of the incidents in her stories are based on personal experience, with the names changed to protect the innocent.
Paris lives in Manhattan with her husband, Charles Yurick, and loves writing and drawing because she can do it sitting down! Pardon My French is the first of at least three books in The Adventures of Lilly Nilly series.
For more information, please visit www.lillynilly.com, or connect with Paris on Facebook at @adventures.of.lilly.nilly.
Pardon My French – It’s the Language of Ballet: The Adventures of Lilly Nilly ISBN-10: 0578316889 ISBN-13: 978-0578316888 Available from Amazon.com
Trish Stevens Julie Henderson Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
What If ‘The Force’ Were Real? This Doctor Believed It Was Dr. Pieter Noomen’s Website Explains Mystical Connection to Oneness.
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George Lucas called it “The Force” in his Star Wars movies, Taoists call it “The Way,” and the late Dr. Pieter Noomen called it “Oneness.” It’s a belief that everything and everyone is interconnected. Dr. Noomen’s website, www.wordsforall.org, is filled with writings on the subject, and his words may offer healing for a divided world struggling to find truth and meaning.
Dr. Noomen wrote of having transformative visits on the spiritual level, and his website brings to light the universal and eternal “facts of life” that were communicated to him.
“I can only say that the information came from a presence on my innermost spiritual level that I was in communication with for some time,” he said. “The words seem the result of my spirit merging with the spirit of life.”
While Dr. Noomen’s personal revelations may seem to have a religious tone, he does not use the word God. Instead, he relays his journeys on the spiritual plane with a freedom that invites readers to uncover and explore their own accessibility to Oneness without labels or specific constructs. What others will experience, he said, will be as unique and as personal as the individuals themselves.
Visitors on www.wordsforall.org can explore Dr. Noomen’s comprehensive collection of vivid experiences and wisdom drawn from the communications he shared with that “spiritual presence.” He grew to believe that, either directly or indirectly, all life stems from one common source, and when we can reconnect with that source, we reach the highest level of existence. And perhaps more importantly, he believed that being in direct contact with the ALL of existence is possible for anyone and everyone.
Born in the Netherlands, Pieter Noomen, completed doctoral studies in theology and pastoral psychology at the Free University of Amsterdam and became senior minister of three Protestant churches. Later, he worked as a psychotherapist and as a staff member of a Los Angeles metropolitan church, working in mental health fields like suicide prevention and hospice.
An example from Dr. Noomen’s Wisdoms of the Week from his website:
“In many parts on our planet, the beginning of a new year is celebrated. The heart of it could and should be not so much the public displays, fireworks, speeches of leaders, etc., but the reflection in our personal minds on the merits of last year and what to look forward to. Even that can be superficial. What really can gladden our hearts is that regardless of circumstances, we are not just the center of our little world, but of the whole world, as only we can make real changes for the better! If we all would do that…. wow!”
Trish Stevens Gloria Gonzalez Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 281.333.3507 Main [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
All the World’s a Stage for Precocious Ballerina Lilly Nilly
(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing.)
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Enter the mind of spunky and precocious 6-year-old Lilly Nilly in the delightful new children’s book, Pardon My French – It’s the Language of Ballet: The Adventures of Lilly Nilly, from author/illustrator and former NYC-based dancer and choreographer Nancy Paris.
Lilly Nilly is a wickedly smart, determined young dance student whose self-appointed mission is to figure out what the heck ballet –– and coincidentally life –– are all about. She sees the world in a unique way, wears her curiosity on her sleeve, and approaches life with a joie de vivre that kids and adults alike will find entertaining and inspiring. In her musings, Lilly asks burning questions like, “Why can’t you hang upside down on a ballet barre if it looks just like an ordinary bar?” Or, “If you’re going to travel in a carpool, should you wear a bathing suit?”
“Young readers will find Lilly’s stories funny and very relatable, especially if they are ballet students themselves,” Paris said. “Adults will find her sharp wit and strong-willed spirit a charming reminder of just how empowering a joyful approach to life can be.”
Pardon My French – It’s the Language of Ballet is complete with illustrations that only Lilly Nilly could have drawn — with a little help from Paris, of course, who used her own experiences as a professional dancer and teacher to inform her narrative. Her mission, Paris said, is to encourage all readers to trust their instincts, seek their own answers, and be kind to all.
“I want people to know that although it was written as a children’s book, I always had an adult audience in mind,” Paris added. “And — it’s funny!”
Author Nancy Paris is an alumna of The Juilliard School and has performed professionally across the U.S. and Canada. As a dancemaker, she has choreographed industrials and private events in New York City, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Palm Springs and Puerto Rico. Most of the incidents in her stories are based on personal experience, with the names changed to protect the innocent.
Paris lives in Manhattan with her husband, Charles Yurick, and loves writing and drawing because she can do it sitting down! Pardon My French is the first of at least three books in The Adventures of Lilly Nilly series.
For more information, please visit www.lillynilly.com, or connect with Paris on Facebook at @adventures.of.lilly.nilly.
Pardon My French – It’s the Language of Ballet: The Adventures of Lilly Nilly ISBN-10: 0578316889 ISBN-13: 978-0578316888 Available from Amazon.com
