I love it when I meet people who have struggled against all odds, and still achieved success due to hard work and intense dedication. And I feel especially gratified when this is a lightworker. This lady has struggled and has been extra dedicated to make her dream come true. Dorothy Jeanne Engst is such a woman, and the magazine she has just launched is a blessing for us all.
Publishing a periodical is a labour of love, as I’m sure anyone who has ever worked at a newspaper or magazine knows. Even when things don’t always go right on deadline, and the sound of gnashing teeth fills the editorial office, there’s still nothing better than the pride you feel when you see a new issue coming off the press.
Dorothy is rapidly learning the ups and downs of the publishing industry. The Gabriola Island, British Columbia, woman is the publisher of True Blue Spirit (www.truebluespirit.ca ), a glossy bi-monthly magazine devoted to Spiritualism and wellness that is now six issues old.
In January 2008, Dorothy was visiting a friend who is a medium at Continuous Light Sanctuary, a Spiritualist church in B.C., and in the middle of the conversation she suddenly blurted out, “I’m going to publish a magazine in September.”
“I looked at my friend in surprise and said, ‘What am I saying?’” she remembers. “And she just said, ‘Well, let’s put it out there and see what happens.’”
A lot happened. Dorothy, who distributes vitamins, supplements and other organic health products, talked with many natural health food store owners who said they’d support a publication that embraced spiritual ideas. Suddenly, she was meeting like-minded graphic designers, writers and even a cartoonist.
The only non-Spiritualist on her staff is Editor Tom Masters. “I wanted someone ‘outside the box’ who would look at our stuff without any preconceived notions,” she says.
In September 2008, Dorothy put her faith to the test and put out the first issue of True Blue Spirit. She chose the name because the colour blue opens the flow of communication, and blue is the colour associated with the third eye. And the magazine is spirit-driven, she adds.
She drew on her line of credit to finance the first issue, a run of 5,000 copies. Today, she prints 11,000 copies, and mails the magazines to subscribers, New Age bookstores and Spiritualist churches across Canada. Each issue contains positive stories, and columns on topics like holistic health, crystals, dreams and Aboriginal spirit.
While the magazine has yet to break even, Dorothy believes spirit will help her find ways to “at least cover the costs. I didn’t get into this to make a million dollars,” she says. “The magazine is there to help people. It’s a gift of the heart.”
Dorothy says the death of her father in 2007 made her realize the importance of spirit in her life.
“My father was dying of pancreatic cancer,” she says quietly. “One night, I was driving with my daughter over a bridge, and I felt my father’s presence. He felt tense, like he was really scared. So I prayed silently, ‘Please give him an angel. Let him feel at peace.’ Then I felt an awesome peace within myself, and I knew he was gone. Tears filled my eyes, and I turned to my daughter and said, ‘Honey, I think grandpa just died.’ When I got home, I called my sister. She told me our dad died that night.”
Good luck with your venture, Dorothy. And remember this if you ever feel like you’re in the wrong business: Several years ago, a talented woman believed that she could publish a magazine that stressed the positive things in life. I bet many of you have seen that publication. It’s called, simply enough, O.
If you have any questions or comments on this subject or any other spiritual matter, please write me at mail @ carolynmolnar.com. And please visit me again!