A Pagan's Path to Meditation

By:   Val Rogers
Illustrated by:   Linda Tracy
Imprint:   Val Rogers Entertainment, LLC
Dimensions:   Height: 229mm,  Width: 152mm,  Spine: 7mm
Weight:   191g
ISBN:   9798988302001
Pages:   100
Publication Date:   01 November 2023
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

"Val Rogers began her journey of spiritual truth in 1995 after the passing of her mother from breast cancer. Her mother, Joan, was fifty-five years old. At that time, Val was recently married to her high school sweetheart, Scot, and was twenty-four years old. At a complete loss of understanding of why her mom passed and what happens to us when we die, she began her serious quest for spiritual knowledge. She read anything and everything she could get her hands on while exploring and participating in all avenues of religion, personal growth, self-help, women's groups, and spiritual quests. In 1996, her friend, Barb Nangle, gifted her Neal Donald Walsh's Book Conversations with God. His books continue to serve her today as a grounding rod and guidepost to inner growth. She is a constant student-and teacher-of personal growth and spiritual awareness topics and issues. She is particularly drawn to nature and the natural cycle of all living entities. She is a firm believer in the triad of the spirit, mind, and body and uses meditation to balance everyday challenges and demands. She has written and recorded over seventy original meditations for the MediMind Meditation App, which is available at the App Store on all Android and iPhones. Born under the Aquarian Zodiac Sun Sign, Val embodies the characteristics of the Air sign: creative, energetic, fun, positive, crafty, poised, and innovative. She confidently expresses the introvert and extrovert personality traits and considers herself a balanced blend of a ""left-brained"" and""right-brained"" thinker-feeler.An accomplished vocalist, writer, arranger, and entertainer, Val has performed for tens of thousands of troops as an esteemed member of the USO for the United States Department of Defense. She continues to perform regularly throughout New England for our veterans as well as for non-profits and at private and public events. She has a deep appreciation for spending time performing in assisted living, veteran centers, and senior centers across the state of Connecticut. She owns Val Rogers Entertainment, LLC. and co-owns the band Red Satin, a high-energy twelve-piece band based in central Connecticut.Valerie holds a B.S. in communications and a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from the University of Connecticut. Her professional career expanded over three decades working first in an environmental non-profit and then later in higher education administration. She has now embraced her destiny to create the life she wants where music, nature, and the health-wealth mindset meet.Val lives in Northeastern Connecticut and is a proud mother of two young men, Quin (United States Marine Corp) and Cole (esteemed athlete). She resides on her family farm property with her high-school sweetheart husband, Scot, their many chickens, two rescue dogs, two rescue donkeys, hundreds of Christmas trees, and countless weeds in her beautiful gardens. Linda Rondeau Tracy is originally from Willimantic, CT. She earned a B.S. in music education with a concentration in voice from the University of Connecticut and an M.S. in music education from Central Connecticut State University. She is a retired music teacher, having taught choral music in eastern Connecticut in the Tolland and Windham public school systems for thirty-four years. She was also very active as musical director and choral director for several years for the Windham Theatre Guild in Willimantic, CT. She is the creator and artistic director of the a cappella ensemble, Take Note!, based in Mansfield Center, CT, which was formed in 2003. The ensemble focuses on community outreach and has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, performing benefit concerts throughout eastern Connecticut and beyond, for those in need.Linda began exploring the world of painting around 2013, when she took an acrylic painting class at her local community center. During one of the painting sessions, the teacher had the class experiment with soft pastels, and Linda was hooked! She liked having direct contact with the paint in stick form and having her hand be the brush. It seemed to create a more personal connection with the art. From then on, she began her journey as a pastel artist, seeking out lessons via the internet and latching onto the teachings of accomplished pastel artists. She has been able to devote more time to this passion upon her retirement from teaching in 2018.Linda lives in Storrs, CT, where she and her husband, Kevin, raised their two boys, Connor and Brandon."