Hello and welcome to the blog of Spiritus – the Spiritual Marketing Directory.

I am Shelagh Jones, and I have created Spiritus as a place for businesses to attract the customers they really want – with ease.

And as a place for customers to get to know something about the people and philosophy behind a business before starting the business relationship.

So a Search in the Directory produces a list of matching businesses. But this is not just a list of contact details. Each business answers three questions:

• What does "Marketing from Spirit" mean to us?
• How is that reflected in the way we run our business?
• What three values are most important to our business?

Visitors look through the list, then click to get full contact and business details of any business that attracts them to start the business relationship.

In this way, Spiritus aims to connect businesses and customers in a manner that is for the greater good of all.

Technorati Tags: Business Directory, Market from Spirit, Marketing Directory, Spiritual Marketing, Spiritual Marketing Directory, Spiritus

But he’s also an expert on creating Apps for iPads and iPhones and will be sharing his knowledge with Spiritus members and friends in a teleconference on Wednesday September 8th at 8pm UK, 3pm EST (US), 12 noon PST (US).

Some of the questions I’ll be asking Tom:

1. What makes a good app?
2. What’s the process for building one?
3. How do you go about promoting apps?
4. What’s the difference between an app and an iBook?
5. Will the iPhone and iPad get taken over by clones?

If you’ve got one you want to ask, and can’t be on the call, email me in advance.

For more about Apps, see these two articles by Tom:

iApp or Kindle?

iApp or iBook?

Call details:
Call (001 outside US) 218 632 4816, code 774748.

The recording will be available to Spiritus members in the Business Information Call Library.

(Tom’s a fascinating man!

He’s a 21st century Renaissance man. He has been described as being something between a polymath and a jack of all trades and master of none.

Throughout his career he has been a serial entrepreneur always working at the leading edge of technology. He has been living and breathing Light Bulb Moments since he was a child.

When not writing his own books, he mentors other authors and creatives on how to banish writer’s block and tap into their Creative Muse. He also acts as a catalyst, visionary and a seer [see-er] for businesses looking for new ideas and strategies.

As a boy, he was fascinated by the magic of TV and radio and used to take them apart to find out how they worked. Sometimes, to his parents’ chagrin, he had a few bits left of over. After taking a degree in Electronics, he embarked on a career as a broadcast engineer with the BBC. By the time he was 25, he was working with Sony Broadcast and recognised as one of Europe’s leading experts on camera and imaging technology .By the time he was 30, he had his own company manufacturing innovative widgets to broadcasters worldwide. He’d also received two Royal Television Society awards for his inventions and had several patents to his name.

In the 90’s, when the Internet came along, Tom built a new business providing innovative ecommerce and epublishing solutions for dot.com startups and established corporates.
Like many authors, he ended up being one sort of by accident. Like many people in his mid-forties, he paused for breath, took a holiday after giving up a perfectly good job without another to go to. On holiday, he wrote some poetry, made into an ebook and to his surprise people started downloading it – and paying for it. He had become an unexpected author – and got the bug.

A year later, the 100 Years of Ermintrude became a trilogy of interlocking stories and ended up in print. Somewhere along the way the downloads also raised loads of money for Walk the Walk breast cancer charity and Tom ended up walking round London in a bra for 26 miles. Now that same book has just been published on as an iPhone app. As an irrepressible technophile, Tom has also developed many iPhone and iPad applications.

The process of writing of this book by accident fascinated Tom and he started to research the true nature of thought, where ideas actually come from and what stops them in their tracks.

He has become a student of both the esoteric and exoteric and switched his personal research direction from technology to the magic of the human mind.

He has now trained as a hypnotherapist and specialises in past life regression and future life progression techniques. He is able to see all possible futures and helps clients manifest the ideal one for them – at the same time clearing past accumulations of karmic issues.

He is also a Master Trainer for Tony Buzan’s Mind Mapping software and teaches both Whole Brain and Whole Mind Thinking.

He started working with other authors on a one-to-one basis three years ago and he has helped many authors get in print. He has also delivered many creative writing and ideas generation workshops.
His second book, simply called Blocks, shows the enlightened way to clear writer’s block and how to connect with unlimited creativity. Removing blocks of course is a natural precursor to having unlimited light bulb moments on demand.

Later this year he has two new books being published. The first by O-Books called the Art and Science of Light Bulb Moments. The second will be self published and simultaneously published on the iPhone called The Flavours of Thought: Recipes for New Thinking.

His writing project for 2011 is to finally deliver the novel he started four years ago. You can download a free sample for the iPhone – just search for Soulwave in the App Store.

He lives in the Surrey Hills with his life partner and two Labradors who are the best friends any writer could wish for.)

Technorati Tags: Apps, iPad, iPhone, Spiritual Marketing, Spiritus, Tom Evans

It made me realise that I’ve seen this same pattern year after year.

For women in particular, August is a time when we nearly all end up spending a lot of not just “Mummy-time” but “Daughter-time”, “Cousin-time”, “Partner-time”.

Often we’re hot, which slows us down. Our routines are disrupted because others are on holiday- we have to cover for their work, water their plants, entertain them when they visit. In lots of ways things are different from the rest of the year.

So stuff doesn’t get done.

Then, ping – September arrives. And I find it the most exhilarating, exciting, productive month of the year.

Suddenly, everyone seems to realise that there are still 4 months of the year left, and if those goals for 2010 are to be reached, now is the time to get into action.

All that seemingly dormant time is often a bit like a month of quiet meditation, and ideas and projects seem to pop up, almost perfectly formed, apparently out of nowhere.

Nearly every year, after the frustration of August, I’ve seen this in myself in September.

This year, I’m helping things along a bit!

We’re planning some really exciting events here at Spiritus in September, October and beyond.

The first change, to the format of our newsletter, starts this week -and there’s lots more to come!

Technorati Tags: August, Market from Spirit, Spiritual Marketing, Spiritual Marketing Directory, Spiritus

Stephanie Wood talks about how she did it!

So if you have a book inside you waiting to be written, come along and learn from her!
…
AND – you can get a 10% discount at http://www.bodyawe.com/

Wednesday July 28th 2pm Eastern (US), 7pm UK
Call (001 from the UK) 218 632 4816, access code 774748#.

Technorati Tags: body awe, Body knowledge, Business Directory, Spiritual Marketing, Spiritus, spiritus business information call, Stephanie Wood

We’ve all heard of Facebook and Twitter and YouTube, and maybe even Squidoo and Hubpages and more..

But are they really relevant to our business? Do they really matter?

And if they do matter, what are the most important things I should be doing?

In this Spiritus Business Information webinar, accessed through your computer (and either a headset or on the telephone using a local number in your country), Julieanne van Zyl of Infinite Marketing Consulting will take us through the labyrinth of the brave new world of social media and show us the most important things to be doing for our businesses right now.

Social Media is changing incredibly rapidly; Julieanne is really up to speed with it all, so I stronly recommend this call to all Spiritus members.

UPDATE:

Technorati Tags: Julieanne van Zyl, social media, Spiritus, spiritus business information call

Today, I am delighted to be the first stop on the blog tour for Dr. Goode’s newest book, Kids Who See Ghosts, guide them through their fears, available June 8, 2010.

Listen to us talking about the launch and the book in this short conversation:

Shelagh Jones interviews Dr Caron Goode

“Kids Who See Ghosts takes an up-close and personal look at ghosts, kids who see them, and the parents who want to help. The purpose of this book is to bridge the gap between the mainstream minds and the psychic minds, providing answers and guidance….” – From the Preface

When children see ghosts, what’s a parent to do? Moms and dads ask themselves, “Does my child possess unique gifts, or is my kid possessed? Will this be a one-time, ‘weird’ event, or is my child destined to be haunted for life? Does my child need psychological help or some kind of meds? Should I believe what my child reports even if I don’t believe in ghosts?”

When kids report ghost sightings, parent’s reactions may range from feeling paralyzed with fear to being curious and supportive. If their children are scared by encounters with the spirit world, parents naturally fret about how to best help their kids through this fear. And this can be a challenge because in some cases fear can be so intense that it causes the child – and sometimes the parent, too – to become physically sick. On the other hand, what if children feel open and comfortably connected to the world of ghosts, parents may feel less worried – or even more alarmed. Either way, parents are sure to be perplexed about how to proceed.

Seeing ghosts can be an opportunity for both children and parents to move through fear, explore different realities, and learn about the world of spirits. However, in this month’s column, we open the door to a topic that has been swept under a proverbial rug and not discussed openly.

The Hushed Topic

In some households, kids are told, “Hush. Don’t talk about that. Don’t tell any one. You’re crazy. You’re lying.” In other families, parents are fascinated with the subject. Yet very few professionals who work with children want to talk about ghosts and people who see them.

However, concerned and caring parents do want to talk about it because their kids see spirits, ghosts, fairies, and light orbs. Thirteen-year-olds who see shadows at night and at school during the day need someone to talk with and listen to them.  Teens who have seen ghosts all of their lives have to sort through their realities and determine whether or not to speak openly. Parents of younger children, who won’t sleep in their rooms because a resident ghost visits them, ask me how they can help their children.

How they help depends on the parent’s viewpoints. Are the parents as scared of the spirits as their children are? Or are they thrilled with their child’s ability and want to know how to encourage the talent?  Or do they feel at a loss with a crying toddler?

Why Aren’t We Talking About It?

Not talking about the topic only adds an element of mystery and increases fear about the subject. One reason for not talking about ghosts is the lack of understanding of how people see. What a person sees takes place within the brain’s chemistry by virtue of how our eyes work. Our eyes see light only, and our brains then interpret the images based upon our memory banks. This is an ongoing process in which memories are updated as our brains adapt to our environments, learn new skills and have new life experiences. So are all ghosts figments of one’s own brain chemistry? Or are they real? It depends upon our cultures and how we adapt our worldviews.

A second reason we don’t talk about ghosts is based upon cultural norms. One Native American child who speaks with his grandmother in her spirit body is very different from a child raised to believe that dead bodies go into the ground and that the person-to-person connection is over. Did your culture and upbringing provide a place for spirits and afterlife, or was death “spooky” and not talked about?

A third reason to remain silent is simply the fear of being accused of being crazy. Those who have experiences outside of the norm may find little support in mainstream teachings to validate their reality.

Yet, Watch The Trend Grow!

Ghosts and other such unknowns live within a metaphorical Pandora’s box. This column opens that box to clear the air and breathe some new life into the topic. More kids are seeing ghosts, and I expect the trend to grow. Why?

Ghosts are a hot topic, as evidenced by the average ten million viewers of the television show “Ghost Whisperer.” Current media interest on this topic of ghosts will continue and expand because the public is fascinated by what we once called the “paranormal.” I am thinking the term “normal” is now more appropriate because more television shows on paranormal topics are airing and books on topics like vampires and fairies of this fantasy genre grow in popularity.

Also, according to a 2007 pre-Halloween poll conducted by the Associated Press, 34% of people polled said they believed in ghosts, and those who believed included people of all religions and socioeconomic levels. That percentage is going up. The Harris Poll conducted a survey during the week of November 2, 2009 to find that 42% percent of Americans believe in ghosts.

Ghosts can be children’s best friends, and facing a fear of ghosts is a way for parents and kids to become empowered. Life is to be enjoyed and for finding passionate purpose. If ghosts are part of that experience, then together let’s explore why and how.

I hope you will feel inspired by the book summary. If you do, be sure to sign up for the book launch reminder so you can buy Kids Who See Ghosts and receive free personal development gifts on June 8, 2010. To register, go to: http://www.kidswhoseeghosts.com (if you are reading this article after that date, you may buy the book directly from that page).

Also, follow the Kids Who See Ghosts blog tour. Go to Day 2 at http://www.margodill.com/blog/ and read about more great books for parents and kids.

Technorati Tags: Dr Caron Goode, Kids Who See Ghosts

Mike Schwager of http://www.enrichment.com has a fascinating post on the Huffington Post blog, entitled “Can Communications Serve the Human Heart”.

Interesting reading!

Technorati Tags: Mike Schwager, Spiritual Marketing, Spiritus

I’m delighted and honoured to be today’s Guest Blogger on Tony Eldridge’s exceptionally informative blog  “Marketing Tips for Authors”.

This is the link to my post – -all about enrolling people to help in a book launch (as well as partnering with your Spiritus colleagues, of course!)

Technorati Tags: Marketing Tips for Authors, Spiritual Marketing Directory, Spiritus, Tony Eldridge

I am delighted to announce that the Helping Hand fund for February is awarded to the Red Cross to support its relief work in Haiti and Chile.

The Red Cross  was chosen to receive the Helping Hand Fund award by Lynn Serafinn of Spirit Authors. 

Spirit Authors is a comprehensive, inclusive, community-based programme for aspiring, first-time and experienced mind-body-spirit authors, to enable you to transform your personal dream into a life-changing business asset in less than 1 year.

Spirit Authors is created, designed and delivered by award-winning teacher/coach and best-selling author, Lynn Serafinn -who is also a great friend to Spiritus!

Technorati Tags: helping Hand fund, Spiritual Marketing, Spiritus

Her story of how things have evolved since April 2009 is an inspiring example of the very best use of this new Social media tool.

Technorati Tags: lynn serafinn, spirit authors, Spiritual Marketing, Spiritus, Twitter