How do you glisten? Artwork by Heather Taylor for "Yin and Yang"

Today, Mind Key writers, Tamara Rokicki and Danielle Rose, share their thoughts on anthology contributor Heather Taylor and her photography which is included in Yin and Yang: The Duality of Balance, available for preorder today.

Heather Taylor is a mom first, but she refuses to let motherhood define her solely, and is continually creating, whether photography, art, crafts or food. 

Glisten Dichotomically by Heather Taylor

Tamara writes that in Heather's anthology photo, Glisten Dichotomically, shown here, Heather brings us an ethereal concept wrapped in raw natural beauty. 

"The spirit of the earth reaches out from the picture and allows us to connect with foliage, landscape and wildlife," Tamara said.  "I can hear the footsteps reverberating off the wooden planks of the trail, the cool air caressing my face as I take in the smell of sage and earth."

Tamara appreciates the yellow selection of the leaves, as she writes that yellow expresses energy, joy and happiness, and stresses the importance of positive vigor and contentment even throughout the coldest phases of our lives. Tamara is particularly struck by this message as we revel through autumn to prepare ourselves mentally and spiritually for winter by taking courage and inspiration from Mother Nature. 

This photo is also her son's graduation portrait, and it reflects Heather's passion for her family, who have inspire her to show the world the amazing gifts a family can bring and the legacy it can leave.

Heather's spirituality is essential to her as a person and allows her to see the world with a wide angle perspective. 

"I hope through photography to remind people to always look at life and the people you love with a different perspective sometimes," Heather said.

Glisten Dichotomically shows us beauty in all phases of life, and as Tamara writes, "that beauty around us is at its peak only when everything has a season.  It  is a reminder that the world follows the fecund cycle of life, blossoming and fading—a rebirth of the senses, passion, and life.

"Glisten Dichotomically highlights Mind Key’s focus to connect with nature and ourselves on a deeper level."

To view Heather's art and the work of other inspired artists and writers, visit www.mindkey.me/anthology today and help us fund this project with great discounts before its too late.

Check out more from the interior of "Yin and Yang" by clicking the image to the left, and our other reviews:

Kevin Hall's Using Light by Night

Using Light by Night by Kevin Hall: From "Yin and Yang: The Duality of Balance"

This week we will be sharing some of the beautiful artwork and writing included in our upcoming anthology Yin and Yang: The Duality of Balance.  We hope that you will consider supporting us by pre-ordering a copy of this book at great prices before it is too late.

In "Using Light by Night," Dr. Kevin Hall talks about his struggle with life's curveballs.  In his medical practice Kevin encompasses a wide variety of modalities for health to create a wide-angle vision of what’s happening.  So, this wide-angle applies in his essay as well.

“There are people that looked up at the starts and just saw stars, then there are those that looked up and saw constellations,” Kevin said.  “I’m a constellation seer.”

Kevin approaches both health and life from the understanding that there is “an accessible greater intelligence that we can tap into and draw from.” 

This intelligence offers a place to still our minds and hearts, Kevin said, so we can view our thoughts and emotions from a distance, creating a new perspective for how we feel and think. He brings this new optic into his writing, sharing his perspective with others through his words as well as his practice.

Photography by Danielle Rose

“Once you’ve done that and shared that," Kevin said, "you’ve changed this greater intelligence for everyone else.”

In "Using the Light by Night," Kevin tells of his transformation through the darkness to recognize the light in each daily trial.  Yet Kevin does not try to trip the reader into believing that these "lessons of darkness" are easy to love. 

Instead, he writes that, "I now recognize that my dark period may be the result of my success at my recent growth and my need to grow still."

Kevin's journey to appreciating the shadows of life is ongoing.  He is learning to allow himself the opportunity to feel distraught, victimized, and at times under siege.  He has learned to accept these moments as ones to slow down, rest and regenerate under the onslaught of life… while at the same time accepting that this does not always happen as gracefully as one might like!

Read Kevin's piece, and many others in Yin and Yang: The Duality of Balance.  Please consider supporting us by going to www.mindkey.me/anthology and placing a pre-order this week so that we can get our first print run off the ground… And check in during the week for more reviews and images from the book. 

Thank you for your support!

Check out more from the interior of "Yin and Yang" by clicking the image to the right, and by reading our other reviews (more posting throughout the week):

Heather Taylor's Glisten Dichotomically

3 Reason to Love the Darkness

Now that autumn has cast its shadows on us, here are a few points that may lead you to love the darkness a little bit more, for we should all take a moment and, "Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness." - Anne Frank    

1. Darkness Is Healthy.
 Our bodies produce the hormone, Melatonin, to help us sleep. According to a May 17th report from Bill Blakemore of ABC News, scientists discovered that only when there is complete darkness can the body produce enough of this hormone.

Even if there is a little light around your bed, say from a street lamp shining through your window or from an exceptionally bright alarm clock, this tells the body to stop melatonin production.

Melatonin also aids us in fighting some huge diseases such as breast and prostate cancer. Our power to fight the common cold can become an issue if we don't spend enough time in the dark. "Even watching TV turns on other immune system hormones that should be active only in daytime. They get depleted, and you're more likely to get a cold," Blackmore states.

So why play Russian roulette with the body's need for sleep and total darkness? We need to completely shut down to survive. The dim and cabin-fevered days of Fall and Winter offer us plenty of opportunity to give our bodies the sustenance that it needs from darkness.

2. The Dark Ages Were Actually Awesome

The period of human history, from 476 AD to 1000 AD, was known as The Dark Ages. Petrarch, an Italian Scholar, coined this term in the 1330s to refer to the weakening of Latin Literature. The term was later used by the people of the Enlightenment (18th century) to refer to earlier periods that weren't so "enlightened".

Overall, the time period isn't completely deserving of a name with a negative connotation, so now it is referred to as the Early Middle Ages. Here are a few things that made the Dark Ages not so dark, according to Jamie Frater of listverse.com.

The Carolingian Renaissance - welcomed advancements in literature, writing,    architecture, and music (particularly Classical music). Checking out the art work is highly recommended.

Algebra was born! Ok, maybe this isn't the greatest thing to come out of a presumed  "dark" time, but like it or not, it's still a notable achievement.

Universities flourished - The University of Bologna was the first to grant degrees    starting in the year 1088. Even though universities did not admit women at that time,   convents educated young women using The Classical Education system developed in the universities of The "Dark"Ages.

Historical examples of light coming from a perceived state of darkness.

3. The Yin and the Yang
 There is no better time than the orange veils of autumn to evaluate (or perhaps reevaluate) the lighter or darker half you need to achieve wholeness. Find who or what may give the Yang to your Yin or the Yin to your Yang once the carefree days of summer are gone. As Tao Te Ching beautifully asserts...

 "When people see things as beautiful,
 ugliness is created.
 When people see things as good,
 evil is created.
 Being and non-being produce each other.
 Difficult and easy compliment each other.
 Long and short define each other.
 High and low oppose each other.
 Fore and aft follow each other."
 So why can't the dark be as alluring as the light?

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Explore the darkness in each of us with The Mind Key Project's new Anthology: Yin and Yang the Duality of Balance.  Click here for more information!

"Yin and Yang: The Duality of Balance"- The Mind Key Anthology, Second Edition

As the Mind Key Project continues to grow and evolve, we are looking ahead at some exciting collaborations.  One of them is the second edition of the Mind Key Anthology, a collection of art, stories and poems that reflect Mind Key’s passion for life and discovery to one’s purpose. 

The first edition of “The Mind Key Project:  An Anthology” attracted the exquisite work of many artists and writers, all of which contributed to the book by sharing their love and passion for life.  The beautifully composed book shared captivating images of nature, magic and health while reflecting on intrinsic stories of faeries, Celtic rituals, and much more. Visit www.mindkey.me/anthology to see some interior images and purchase a copy of this first edition.

Mind Key is thrilled to announce the making of a Second Edition.  Focusing on the balance of life and of the human spirit, “Yin and Yang: The Duality of Balance” will reflect on the essential equilibrium of light versus darkness.  Centering this theme on a gray scale tone and wintery attitude, the visual book will explore the ever changing world, where light and darkness work together to achieve balance and harmony. 

The Second Edition of the Anthology will delve deeper into the Mind Key focus.  The understanding and mastering of balance is the core of Mind Key’s message to discover what makes us whole individuals and how to achieve a healthier, more passionate life.  

Mind Key editor, Charla Dury, who also edited and contributed to Anthologies, says, “I’m excited about the new Anthology as a place to explore the darkness and the light within myself.  I also enjoy watching others’ experiences of the same concept because they’re never the same as my own.”

“Yin and Yang: The Duality of Balance” will be an 8.5" x 11" glossy photo book, its contents contributed by talented artists of any genre.  The Mind Key community and anyone interested in submitting their work are encouraged to do so. 

Click here to view our guidelines and deadlines and to submit your work. Artists will be notified by November 1^st if their work has been selected to appear in the Anthology.