WINTER ISSUE OF IMAGINE MAGAZINE HIGHLIGHTS WAYS TO WARM LIVES IN COMING COLD MONTHS

SPOKANE, Wash. — November 2005 – In an effort to inspire inner and outer peace this winter season, Imagine magazine, an independent, national publication dedicated to developing the human spirit through creativity and contagious inspiration, has released a new issue highlighting ways for readers to bring joy and warmth to their own lives and the lives of others. The winter issue’s sections on personal growth, social awareness and global activism contain features focused on giving gifts that give back, keeping spring in a winter body by staying active year-round, and reaching out to the millions of Africans devastated by the AIDS epidemic.

Personal Growth: Keeping Spring in a Winter Body
This winter’s personal growth pages focus on maintaining a healthy mind and body throughout the winter season. Instead of curling up on the sofa and waiting for spring, Imagine encourages readers to find within them an eternal spring by staying active year round. Between 35 and 70 years of age, individuals lose 50% of their strength and 75% of their power. Senior trainers provide expert advice for all ages on how to generate the motivation to get moving, utilize the techniques of staying active and uncover the inspiration to actively use the body during this typically sedentary season.

The Power of Breath
Imagine also recognizes the importance of a calm and focused spirit. And, with holiday stress, many rarely take time to just breathe. This article helps readers re-discover the power of breath by developing breath awareness, and by providing additional tips that relieve anxiety, improve mental states and enhance the quality of life.

Warrior Wisdom
This article’s approach teaches readers to honor the humanity of both sides in a conflict by appreciating and respecting adversaries. Acting like, and eventually becoming such a warrior involves letting go and becoming open to learn from conflict. By examining the four stages of the learning process hidden within every conflict, and suggestions for managing anger, Imagine takes readers down the path from disruption and chaos to creativity and stability.

Social Awareness: Making Contributions Count
Every year, there are thousands of deserving causes and compelling needs competing for financial gifts. The article shows readers how to guarantee that their efforts will have the greatest possible impact by following a set of questions and ten guidelines to help create thoughtful and meaningful giving strategies, including choosing how to contribute and learning how to say no.

Gifts that Give Back
Imagine reminds readers of the truest spirit of giving by providing a buyer’s guide to gifts that give back. Items featured in the gift guide include organic wine from Frey Vineyards, environmentally friendly toys from Rosie Hippo and a gift purchase through Heifer International, a worldwide relief organization that donates animals to needy communities. These and the more than 20 other gifts and organizations were chosen because of the good they do in the world, and the good readers can do by giving them.

Global Activism: Reaching out to Africa
World AIDS Day is December 1, so this issue’s global activism section features many organizations working diligently to not only stop the devastating spread of AIDS in Africa, but also to assist those left behind by the disease. From an African AIDS walk to “adopting” families now headed by children, Imagine provides information on the various organizations and programs that offer ways in which readers can help Africans combat AIDS.

Other cause related stories include:
• Meet Helen Palit, a woman who realized that companies that had food as part of their business would have leftovers, and eventually became inspired to create the New Haven Food Salvage Project. Palit has since spread her City Harvest program to 215 cities worldwide.
• Join Craig and Patricia Neal’s Heartland Member Circle (HMC), a dynamic online community of visionaries and community leaders dedicated to progressive learning and social change.
• Visit www.savethemanatee.org to help save and protect one of the nation’s endangered species.
• Celebrate World Kindness Day on November 13 with the Global Playback for Kindness project’s reenactment of hundreds of stories of kindness told to them by audience members worldwide—in their own language and from their own cultural perspective.

Regular Columns: Heart Matters; Life Matters
In addition, the magazine features regular columnists who produce helpful and inspirational advice for readers, including author Caroline Leavitt’s Bibliotherapy column; author Gregg Levoy’s column, Life Matters, which offers guidance on living a more authentic, courageous life; and Dr. Harriet Lerner’s Heart Matters column where she provides questioning readers with everyday wisdom on matters of the heart.

Imagine: Creating a Meaningful Life
Imagine magazine’s mission is to stir the creativity, spirit and will of its readers to live their best lives and help others to do the same. Every issue features the Bridge Directory, which connects readers to life-changing resources throughout the United States. Its goal is to make personal growth and community outreach meaningful, substantive and joyful simply by imagining and acting upon the possibilities of life.

The magazine’s core audience includes a diverse but like-minded group of 50 million Americans who care deeply about relationships, peace, social justice, authenticity, self-actualization, spirituality and self-expression. These “Cultural Creatives” care intensely about both the most inner and soulful aspects of life and about the big picture of what is happening around the planet. Imagine is dedicated to inspiring this audience and all other individuals who imagine creating a meaningful life for themselves and others.

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Kate Spencer: Creating a Meaningful Magazine

Kate Spencer, Imagine magazine founder, editor and publisher, is committed to publishing a magazine that inspires readers to, as Ghandi advised, be the change they wish to see in the world. The magazine was a dream of Spencer’s for many years. She envisioned enough real and significant risks attached to launching an independent publication that she easily could have put it off indefinitely. However, after a life-defining turn of events, Spencer’s outlook on life and the magazine changed dramatically.

Just a few years ago, Spencer’s mother had a series of strokes that left her on the verge of death. Through these events and the experiences leading up to them, Spencer found the courage to live each day with meaning, and to create Imagine as an outlet of inspiration that allowed people around the world to do the same.

During her mother’s illness, Spencer became the primary family caregiver and a daily regular at the nursing home. In conversation, the two women, along with other residents, found themselves stunned by how quickly life passes, youth becomes middle age, and middle age becomes a nursing home. It was not until her mother’s seventh stroke that resulted in nearly complete paralysis, and her witnessing her nursing home roommate’s death, that Spencer’s mother stopped covering her terror in snipes at the rest of the world and began to consciously live. Time was measured in maximizing minutes, words were chosen with care, every gesture became important, and a simple bowl of ice cream held all the delicious bliss of the world.

Ultimately, her mother’s death gave Spencer the spirit with which to live and the determination to pass whatever she could on to others so they would not choose to wait until their last breath to finally take their first. Many people think Spencer named the magazine after John Lennon's song, “Imagine.” She didn't. She named it after Imogene, her mother.

Prior to starting Imagine, Spencer was the publisher of Massage magazine, an international trade publication for licensed massage therapists. Concurrent to that position, Spencer wrote a regular op-ed column for the Spokesman-Review titled “Real Time.” She also has worked as a freelance feature writer; edited manuscripts of fiction, nonfiction and poetry and helped prepare them for submission; worked for two small book publishers as an editor and manager; and is currently working on a novel and spiritual memoir.

A Spokane, Wash. resident, Spencer plays mother to numerous wildlife inherent to her home on the Little Spokane River, including two dogs, six cats, seven peacocks, eagles, moose and great blue herons alongside the Little Spokane Wildlife and Wetlands Refuge. The serenity of the area is something that was a tremendous gift to Spencer’s mother in the last years of her life, and her ashes were scattered in the river after she died. Today, the Little River Publishing offices are there too, both for practical reasons and because Spencer wants everyone who works on Imagine to be surrounded by and grounded in nature.