 of colon cancer. All the ﬁber and carbohydrate and some (relatively little) of the
essential nutrients and phytonutrients are removed from fruits
and vegetables when the juice is pressed out of them. What
remains in the juice is a concentration of pure vitamins,
minerals, phytonutrients, enzymes, and protein in water. The
nutrients are concentrated because so many more fruits and/or
vegetables are needed to make the same volume of juice as are
used in a smoothie, which includes all the pulp. Ideally, you would drink at least one smoothie and one
juice per day.Ar e Juicing and Smoothies Only
for Health Nuts? It used to be that anyone who shopped at a health food store
was considered a health nut, someone who held extreme views
about food and supplements. These people were different from
the mainstream, often sporting beards and sandals and talking
about the environment. Today, things are different:
 Healthy, whole foods are found in mainstream
supermarkets, and some natural food stores have become
popular chain stores with a wide range of mainstream
customers. Science has proven the beneﬁts of eating organic,
sustainable foods that are whole, unprocessed, and as
close to their natural state as possible, and these ideas
have reached a large proportion of the population. It’s cool to know about what vitamins and other nutrients
do for you. Juicing and smoothies are the new buzzwords of people in
every age group, in every walk of life. Some of these people
would be proud to claim that they are health nuts, and
some of them are just happy to be doing something
healthy for their bodies. W ill I Feel Differ ent if I Start
Juicing Regularly?Yes! Right away, you’ll feel your digestive system responding,
especially if you’ve been eating mostly reﬁned, processed foods. I recommend that you take juicing slowly at ﬁrst so that your
body has time to get used to the raw power of fruits and
vegetables. Within two weeks, especially if you adopt a healthy diet, you’ll
start to notice the following effects:
 More energy
 Desire to eat fresh, whole foods and to eliminate fast,
reﬁned, junk foods
 Glowing skin
 Regular bowel movements
 Lightness and less bloat
Long-term effects of juicing (along with a healthy diet) include
the following effects:
 Healthier skin, hair, and nails
 Weight loss
 Increased immune function
 Improved memory
How Much W ill It Cost Me to Get
Started? If you already own a blender, it won’t cost you a dime, so get
blending! You’ll also ﬁnd that as you increase the fruits and
vegetables, both on your plate and in your glass, you’ll actuallysave money because you’ll be buying less meat and you won’t
be buying junk snacks, soft drinks, and processed foods. If you want to juice (and who wouldn’t?) but don’t own a juice
machine, you’ll need to invest $150 to $600, depending on the
make and model of the one that suits your needs (see Chapter
3). Think of it as an investment in your health and future well-
being. Isn’t Cleaning a Juicer a Pain in
the Neck? Yes and no. If you get into the habit and train everyone who
uses both the blender and the juice machine to clean it
immediately after using it, cleanup is easy. The natural sugars in
fruits and vegetables cause them to be sticky, and the tiny
pieces of pulp and juice that collect on the blades and other
parts of the machine will dry and harden into a mess if left for
more than a few minutes. Washing the juice machine parts with a scrub brush in hot
soapy water takes less than ﬁve minutes (we have it down to
two minutes at our house!) and it’s really not a big deal. What’ s the Big Deal about
Organic? Quite simply, organic foods are better for you, better for the
soil, better for the water, better for the air, and better for all the
other animals that inhabit this planet. When you include smoothies and juices into your daily routine,
you’re consuming a lot more fruits and vegetables, and you’redoing that because you believe in the health beneﬁts (and the
taste!). So, when you make a smoothie or juice, you don’t want
to be adding toxic chemicals from herbicide and pesticide
sprays, especially because you’ll be consuming more of them
than you used to. Children are especially vulnerable to the effects of toxic
chemicals and growth hormones because their nervous
systems aren’t fully developed. W ill My Skin T urn Y ellow if I Juice
Carr ots? It can, but only if you eat a lot of carrots. The yellowness is
temporary, with no other side effects. Carrots are high in beta-
carotene, which turns into vitamin A in your body and has all
sorts of beneﬁts (see Chapter 6). Beta-carotene is one of a
number of pigments belonging to the carotenoid group, which
are responsible for the orange/yellow color of carrots and other
foods such as sweet potatoes, pumpkins, squash, and mangoes. Ar en’t Smoothies Filled with
Calories? Smoothies can be very low or very high in calories, depending
on the ingredients you use to make them. Many of the
commercial smoothies contain super-high-calorie ingredients
that can push the total count higher than a light lunch (see
Chapter 2). The same goes for smoothies you make at home.Compare the following smoothies made with all-natural, healthy
ingredients:
 Low calorie: 1 cup carrot juice, 1/2 cup low-fat yogurt, 1
apple, 1 cup fresh raspberries (322 calories)
 Medium calorie: 1 cup fat-free plain yogurt, 1 cup low-fat
milk, 1 banana, 2 tablespoons wheat germ, 2 tablespoons
whey protein (441 calories)
 High calorie: 1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt, 1 cup whole
milk, 1 banana, 2 tablespoons wheat germ, 2 tablespoons
whey protein, 2 tablespoons ﬂaxseed oil (757 calories)
Bottom line: Stick to all-fruit or all-vegetable smoothies, and the
calories will stay low.Chapter 20
Ten Antioxidant-Rich Fruits and
Vegetables
In This Chapter
 Understanding how antioxidants work
 Using high-powered antioxidants for optimum results
 Preventing degenerative diseases
We’re all rusting on the inside. Yup, you read that right. We’re
oxidizing, which is the same thing that happens when air
attacks metal and causes it to corrode or rust. Ever left a cut
apple out on the counter? If not, try it and see how fast it turns
brown. The oxygen in the air is attacking or rusting the cells in
the apple that are exposed. The same thing happens to your
cells and organs and causes serious damage, leading to aging
and degenerative diseases. Free radicals are unstable oxygen molecules caused by stress,
chemicals, pollutants, toxins and just plain living. They attack
our cells in order to steal extra electrons and, in the process,
cause healthy, normal cells to die, mutate, or become weak and
susceptible to disease. Antioxidants found in plant foods stop free radicals from doing
their damage, but we have to eat enough of them in order for
them to work their magic. Remember that cut apple? Try
brushing lemon juice on a freshly cut apple and wait for it to
turn brown. It won’t because the vitamin C in the lemon juice is
an antioxidant that protects the ﬂesh from being attacked by
oxygen. The best antioxidants are found in the pigments that
give plants their color. In this chapter, I list the very bestantioxidant fruit and vegetables. Choose one or two from this
list to use as an ingredient in a smoothie or juice or eat them
fresh in salads or as a snack — just be sure to get lots of them
every single day! Measuring antioxidant value
How can you tell if a food is high in antioxidant s? Becaus e many of these
powerful phytonutrients are found in the pigments (the components that
give plants their color), look for brightly colored fruits and veget ables and
eat a variety of colors every day. How do food nutritionists know which foods  are highes t in antioxidant s? Scientists isolate components in food,  test their ability to neut ralize free
radicals, and give them a score. This score is the Oxygen Radical
Absorbance Capacity (ORAC). Foods with the highes t score cont ain the
strongest antioxidants. The highest scoring foods on the ORAC char t are raw sumac bran; ground
cloves and other spices, such as cinnam on, turmeric, and pepper ; high-
tannin sorghum bran; oregano and other herbs such as rosemary and
thyme; and powdered dark cocoa. Use these as ingredients in smoothies
and stirred into juices. Açai Berries
The açaí palm grows in the Amazon rain forest of Brazil. Its
berries, called açai (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) are large and
plump, about the size of a grape. What’s amazing about them is
their dark blue-purple color and their taste, which is
somewhere between a blueberry and chocolate.Although Brazilians have enjoyed aç


5, Station Main
Winnipeg, Manitoba
www.reflexologycanada.caReflexology Registration Council
of Ontario
PO Box 6
Palgrave, Ontario LON 1PO
Email: info@rrco-reflexology.com
International Council of
Reflexologists
PO Box 78060
Westcliffe Postal Outlet
Hamilton, Ontario L9C 7N5
www.icr-reflexology.orgNeW ZeALAND
The New Zealand Institute of
Reflexologists Inc.
253 Mount Albert Road
Mount Roskill
Auckland
New Zealand Reflexology
Association
PO Box 31 084
Auckland 9
Phone: 64 9 486 1918rePubLIc of IreLAND
Irish Reflexologists’ Institute
1 St Anne’s CottagesGold Links Road
Bettystown, Co. Meath
Email: editor@reflexology.ie
National Register of Reflexologists
(Ireland)
Unit 13, Upper Mall
Terryland Retail Park
Headford Road, Galway
Phone: 353 91 568844
United Kingdom
Association of Reflexologists
27 Old Gloucester Street
London, WC1N3XX
Email: aor@reflexology.org
British Reflexology Association
Monks Orchard
Whitbourne
Worcester, WR6 5RB
www.britreflex.co.uk
International Federation of
Reflexologists
78 Eldridge Road
Croydon
Surry, CR0 1EF
Phone: 0208 645 9134resources 345International Institute of
Reflexology (UK)
255 Turleigh
Bradford-on-Avon
Wiltshire, BA15 2HG
Phone: 01225 865899
uNITeD sTATes
New York State Reflexology
Association
PO Box 262
Scarsdale, NY 10583
www.newyorkstatereflexology.org
Pennsylvania Reflexology
Association
PO Box 233
Hellertown, PA 18055
Reflexology Association of
America
4012 S. Rainbow Blvd. K-Box PMB 585
Las Vegas, NV 89103
Washington Reflexology
Association
www.washingtonreflexology.org
Websites
www.reflexology-research.com
Kevin and Barbara Kunz’s website:
Offers the basics on reflexology
theory, practice, and research. www.foot-reflexologist.com
Kevin and Barbara Kunz offer
information and advice for
professional reflexologists. www.reflexology.org
Links to important reflexology
websites, and list of worldwide
reflexology organizations.www.iol.ie/-footman/boolst.html
Lists useful reflexology books,
videos, and charts, and where to
purchase them
Further reading
Gillanders, Ann
Reflexology: A Step-by-Step Guide
Element Books, 1997
Hall, Nicola
Reflexology: A Way to Better
Health
Newleaf, 2001
Kunz, Kevin and Barbara
Reflexology: Health at your
Fingertips
Dorling Kindersley, 2003
Kunz, Kevin and Barbara
Hand Reflexology
Dorling Kindersley, 2006
Kunz, Kevin and Barbara
My Reflexologist Says Feet Don’t
Lie
Reflexology Research Project Press,
2001
Kunz, Kevin and Barbara
Hand Reflexology Workbook
(revised)
Reflexology Research Project Press,
1999
Kunz, Kevin and Barbara
The Complete Guide to Foot
Reflexology (revised)
Reflexology Research Project Press,
2005Kunz, Kevin and Barbara
Hand and Foot Reflexology: A
Self-Help Guide
Simon & Schuster, 1992
Lett, Anne
Reflex Zone Therapy for Healthcare
Professionals
Churchill Livingstone, 2000
Marquardt, Hanne
Reflex Zone Therapy of the Feet
Inner Traditions Intl Ltd, 1996
Eugster, Father Josef
The Rwo Shur Health Method: A
Self Study Book on Foot
Reflexology
Geraldine Co., 1988346 INDexIndex
Achilles tendon stretch 178
acne 218
adrenal gland reflex areas
 allergies 191, 192, 254
 anxiety & depression 191, 219, 254
 arthritis 223
 asthma 191, 250, 280, 283
 babies 204, 206
 bladder problems 193, 286, 287
 bronchitis 280, 283
 cardiovascular system 260, 261
 children 211, 215
 endocrine system 268, 270
 environmental sensitivity 256
 fibromyalgia 257
 foot maps 26, 27, 260, 268, 338
 foot self-help sequences 112, 113, 121
 foot sequences 90, 91, 104
 golf-ball technique 171, 176, 223, 244,
  256, 258, 282, 283
 hand maps 30, 31, 260, 268, 338
 hand self-help sequences 148, 149, 158
 hand sequences 128, 129, 138
 irritable bowel syndrome 266
 kidney infections 286, 287
 low blood pressure 263
 pregnant women 241
 psoriasis 257
 puberty 217
 respiratory system 192, 250, 280, 281, 282
 sinus problems 258
 sore throat 259
 stress 218, 244
 urinary system 193, 286, 287
adrenaline & fight or flight response   18, 19, 192, 250, 264
allergies 191, 192, 254, 256 asthma 191, 250, 280, 283
Alzheimer’s disease 55, 226-7, 278
angina pectoris 260, 263
ankle problems 308, 310ankle rotation 83, 99, 101, 107, 179, 196,
 209, 309
anxiety 191, 254
arm reflex areas
 foot maps 26, 27, 28, 29, 272, 342
 foot-roller technique 164
 foot self-help sequences 118, 119, 121
 foot sequences 100, 101, 106
 hand maps 30, 31, 272, 342
 hand self-help sequences 152, 153, 161
 hand sequences 132, 133, 140
 musculoskeletal system 272, 274
 skeletal reflex areas 35
 arrhythmia 260, 262
arthritis 223ascending colon reflex areas 26, 31, 92, 93,
 264
asthma 191, 250, 280, 283Babies 9, 40, 50-1, 54, 70, 202-7, 251
back reflex areas see specific areas (eg lower   back reflex areas)
backache, pregnant women 240
base of neck lateral marker 22, 23, 24
base of pelvis lateral marker 22, 23, 24
Bell’s palsy 278
benefits of reflexology 6, 8, 13, 20, 37, 40
 see also  specific benefits (eg relaxation)
bladder problems 192, 193, 286-7
bladder reflex areas
 bladder infections 287
 children 212
 foot maps 26, 27, 28, 286, 340
 foot-roller technique 165
 foot self-help sequences 114, 115, 120
 foot sequences 94, 95, 105
 golf-ball technique 167
 hand maps 30, 31, 286, 340
 kidney infections 286, 287
 urinary system 286, 287
blood pressure problems 260, 262, 263
blood sugar problems 251, 271, 291
brain reflex areas see head/brain reflex
 areas
brain stem reflex areas Alzheimer’s & dementia 226, 278
 arrhythmia 262
 cardiovascular system 260, 261
 children 213
 congestive heart failure 262
 depression 219
 foot self-help sequences 114, 115, 121
 foot sequences 95
 golf-ball technique 166, 228, 245
 incontinence 228, 286
 insomnia 257
 maps 26, 27, 28, 29, 260, 276
 multiple sclerosis 279
 nervous system 276, 277
 stress 245
breast reflex areas angina pectoris 263
 breast sensitivity 237
 fluid retention 239
 foot-roller technique 163
 foot self-help sequences 116, 117, 120
 foot sequences 98, 99, 107
 golf-ball technique 172, 177
 hand self-help sequences 156, 157, 160
 hand sequences 136, 137, 140, 141
 maps 28, 29, 32, 33
 pregnant women 239
 swollen feet 301
breathing 101, 107
breathing problems 57, 280 asthma 191, 250, 280, 283
 bronchitis 54, 250, 280, 283
bunions 46Cardiovascular system 193,


ated individuals who feel alone. Philautia
Philautia, or self-love, can express itself negatively or positively. On the
negative end, philautia can m anifest as narcissism, with the person
becoming self-o bsessed and driven to acquire personal glory, fame, and
power. The positive expression of philautia is when the person experiences
self-love from a higher level of consciousness and shares that higher love
with oth ers. Sel f-love in the ne gative becomes a disservice to society as a
whole. While I am not skeptical in general, I do see a trend today of narcissism
af fecting society. Whether it’ s p oliticians seeking political pow er for their
own self -glorification or young people seeking five thousand likes for selfie
pictures, this “me only” worldview is dangerous. It creates an “us” versus
“them” mentality that causes one group to rise up against another, and in the
end, everyone gets hurt. The negative form of philautia is the same as negative or unb alanced
third chakra ener gy. It’ s when the unruly child is ruling the world. Agape
The high est form of love and the one that best represents the fo urth chakra
is ag ape. This is  an altruistic for m of love. When the Greeks defined agape,
it was in relation to God’ s love for us and our love for God. This kind of
selfless love is extended to everyone, including strangers or enemies. As
Pope Francis so eloquently voiced  du ring the 20 16 US presidential
elections, love is about building bridges and not walls.Agape is about realizing that w hen you help others, you are helping
yourself. In the fourth chakra you begin to understand that there is no
separation. Society as a wh ole can make this shift in consciousness when  enough
individuals mak e the conscious choice to live at this level of lov e. Life is no
longer about survival or getting what’ s “mine” but about going through life
with the attitude “How can I help?” and “How can I serve?” When enough
of us make this decision and it reaches critical mass, we ca n all move
forward in a new direction to awaken to a dif ferent state of being. Living Life in the Anahata Chakra
The tran sition from living life in the lower chakras to living life in the
higher chakras is akin to awakening from a deep slumber for the first time. Life is no long er rooted in su rvival, procreation, attainment of worldly
pleasures, pleasing others, or self-serving goals. Life now becomes an
expression of service to others through compassion, giving, and
openheartedness. Fourth chakra living doesn’ t embody the go-getter attitude
of th ird chakra ener gy, but rathe r a passive openness, which att racts others
to it. Wh ile the third chakra embodies yang, or masculine ener gy, the fourth
chakra holds yin, or feminine ener gy. An air of peacefulness surrounds
Fourth chakra people. They’re lighthearted and laugh heartily. Their
laughter is contagious. Love flows from their beings. Fourth chakra people are compassionate to those around them. Their
hearts ache and feel deeply for those who suf fer. Their sense of empathy is
real. They readily cry or laugh with others out of genuine connection to
their experiences. Their giving comes from kindheartedness and not from
selfish m otives. The light that radiates from their hearts attracts others to
them. I’ve had the grea t pleasure of me eting Mata Amritanandamayi, o r as her
followers af fectionately call he r, Amma. She’ s known as the “hugging
saint.” B esides running many charitable or ganizations, she goes  around the
world gi ving hu gs to people for  sometimes up to twenty-two ho urs per day,
not leaving a site until everyone who wants a hug receives one. Amma grew
up poor in south ern India. Even as a child with little to no resources, Amma
would give to others in need. According to her Hindu religion, suf feringcomes a s a result of karma, or p ast action that must be repaid. In pondering
this concept, Amma continually  asks, “If i t is one man’ s karma to su f fer,
isn’ t it our dharm a (duty) to help ease his suf fering and pain?” Amma truly
represents fourth  chakra love. As you sit in her presence, you can feel the
peacefulness and calm that radiate from her being. Her eyes dance with joy
and laug hter. It’ s impossible to see any turmoil within her. Having felt her
powerful vibrational ener gy, I can only imagine what being in the presence
of Jesus must have been like. T rue love vibrates at a higher frequency than
most of us can imagine. Recognizing Fourth Chakra Imbalances
V ulnerability is an attribute of the fourth chakra. T o experience the rewards
that emanate from the heart requires openheartedness, a two-way exchange
of gi ver and rece iver in an authentic manne r. Intimacy and closeness are the
prizes to be gained by your willingness to be vulnerable. The lim itations arise in recognition that we don’ t live in a vacu um and
that even  those who live most o f the time in fourth chakra ener gy also live
in the ener gy of the first three c hakras. If you’ve read the limita tions of the
first three chakras, you’ve also learned how they can easily bring you back
down to lower states of consciousness. I’m sure you’ve experienced moments of vulnerability at some point in
your life. Y ou opened your heart to someone and received hurt i n exchange. Once th is happe ns often enough, you learn to put up walls or close your
heart to love a ltogether. The limitation lies in being selective in your
willingness to love and be loved based on past experience. Giving in to the fourth chakra limitations can lead to a continua l fear of
rejection and loneliness, and the refore putting up more walls. As you keep
people o ut, thos e same people w ho once opened up to you and approached
you with love w ill eventually leave, which further validates y our fear of
intimacy and vulnerability. The way to end this cycle is to access higher sources of love th at come
from your spiritual connection to your Creator. Healing your  heart each
time yo u’re af flicted by someone else or even by self-disappointment is
crucial to not falling prey to fourth chakra limitations.Maturity and growth in this chakra come from the realization that you
don’ t ne ed to remain in a state o f hurt. Y ou recognize that you have nothing
to gain and everything to lose when you refuse openness. Accepting Fourth Chakra Gifts
As many of us are used to the eros form of love, we become used to chaos
and dram a. W e tend to associate true love and real-life experiences with a
sense of disharmony that comes from passion. When we experience
moments of peace and harmony, we can disregard them or brush them of f as
boring as we look for the next intense experience. Some people will even
pick fig hts, find points to ar gu e, or surround themselves with dramatic
people just to “keep things interesting.”
Being fully open to fourth chakr a gifts is about being able to find peace
in th e m idst of chaos. It’ s about letting go of drama in exchang e for deeper
enjoyment in the events of life. As I once heard Dr. Deepak Chopra say,
“Where is the enjoyment in chao s and hysteria?”  Wh en you find your sense
of inner peace, life begins to flow. Y ou become lighthearted and you’re able
to laugh  in any life circumstanc e. Y ou’re aware that there is beauty in all
things, even in t ragedy, and that beautiful things can be born out of tragedy. One example is Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), which was
formed in 1980 by moms who’d lost their children. This great or ganization
has managed to  lo wer the numb er of deaths by  drunk and drugged drivers
by 5 5 percent s ince its inception. I’m sure you’re able to think of other
or ganizations that were born as a result of tragic events. Living in laughter, love, peace, and harmony daily doesn’ t mean you
have to sit in a  drum circle singing “Kumbaya” all day, and  the world
wouldn’ t necess arily benefit from that anyway. When you live f rom a space
of inner  peace, you automatically raise the consciousness of those around
you, even as you go about the mundane activities of your day. Y ou get in
touch with a m ore spiritual existence in each moment. Y our experiences
become more meaningful as your perception widens. Healing AnahataDAIL Y AFFIRMA TION
Om mani padme hum. May the lotus flower contained within my heart be open to love, compassion, and
for giveness. Healing the Physical Body


 own sake, without judging it. Concealment. I conceal who I am if that is what is needed for growth. If you already
knew yourself totally as spirit, there would be no path and no growth. Therefore some  things remain hidden at certain times. In my role as
concealer I lay out the steps of the path. Revelation. I reveal myself as needed to open up new possibilities. Time and space
are constantly unfolding. If they simply unfolded more time and more
space, there would be endless repetition of the known. But time and space
are only curtains to the drama lying behind them. The drama is the
unfolding of spirit, which happens through revelation. If you listen to the voice speak ing these lines, it is remarkable  how the
“I” can be interpreted as God, spirit, love, or simply your own nature. You
are simultaneously in touch with all these levels, although your mind, made
insensitive by its conditioning, may not let you see this. Shiva isn’t hiding,
since there is no place for the One to hide. The gr eatest sign of God’ s love is that He wants to be known. Now we come to our deepest definition of passion: passion is the free
flow of awareness from the unmanifest to the manifest. Your existence here
on earth makes you the love child of Shiva’ s passion for Shakti, and hers for
him in return. Your life appears to be a tapestry of outward events ranging
from birth to death. But all this activity depends entirely upon the invisible
flow of awareness working on every level. Shiva and Shakti ar e eternally married because both ar e composed of awar eness. One is
awar eness r esting in silence; the other is awar eness flowing out into cr eation. This is what I mean by saying that you are passion itself, for you marry
silence and power, the two polarities between which awareness flows. Without the flow of awareness everything in and around you would collapse
into a heap of dead matter. When you aspire to enter a sacred marriage with
someone you love, you are expressing your own nature and nothing less. The miracle of love is that feeling a grain of love for another person can
suddenly reveal the divine. Such a tiny shift of perception is needed toregain infinity. When I stop heeding separation and follow love, my beloved
will be mirrored  in my being; I will feel exuberance, exaltati on, and joy
flowing from their silent wellspring. The manifestations of love will
multiply becaus e my lover will become sacred to me; that is why love is
called holy, because it expresses wholeness. OceanofPDF. comLOVING  PRACTICE
Heeding Spirit
IF SPIRIT IS sending  signals to you, how can you heed them. Second
attention has much in commo n with intuition and creativity. It is well
known that both are faculties of the human mind. From a spiritual
viewpoint you are always a creator. The tiniest situation in your life is not
made “out there” but “in here,” from the source of reality, which is
awareness. People who believe that the material world is causi ng things to
happen are simply unconscious creators—they haven’ t taken responsibility
for being authors of their own lives. Second attention gives you the ability to take authorship of your life,
putting you at the center of the daily process of making the reality you
perceive. Since all of us are conditioned to believe that nature operates
independently of what we think, wish, dream, and feel, reclaiming
authorship of our reality is a gradual process. Signals fr om spirit all serve the same purpose: to give you back your life as a cr eator. The attitude toward life of someone who functions as a creator  is based
on these  five cardinal beliefs, few of which you have been taught unless
you were extremely fortunate:
1. I am an empty vessel. Inspiration fills me every day, but I am not here
to hold on to anything that comes to me. 2. I am here to pass ener gy from one state to another. Hopefully I move it
from a lower to a higher state, since my purpose is to direct everything
toward spirit. 3. I do not have to control the flow of reality. I bend where spirit bids me. 4. The fullness of spirit, not my ego, provides. 5. If I live from the source of creation, only good can come to me. Everything from spirit comes from love. Getting to these beliefs and making them work for you is a goal that spirit
can help you with. Society in general is not attuned to such a life, which is
why all artists and true lovers have had to travel far outside the accepted
framework of social beliefs. Society supports struggle, competition, and
ego, which means that it supports separation. The worldview of separation
is extremely convincing—millions of people spend every day simply trying
to cope with survival. But living in separation isn’t love; by definition it
cannot bring you to unity. Spirit is your chief and only ally in your quest for unity. The tactics of non-love will never get you
to love. In the following exercise you will learn how to transmute the beliefs and
behaviors of separation into those of love, using the signals that spirit is
always sending. PART ONE
The voice of spirit is constantly competing with other voices inside you,
and the outcom e of your life depends on which voice you follow. Since
inner voices are constant, you can estimate what a person expec ts from life
by looking at his or her inner voices for a period no longer than forty-eight
hours. Read the follow ing statements and check those that have applied to you
over the past two days:
1. I was afraid something wasn’ t going to work out for me.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: What is Shiva's role in the Bhagavad-Gita?,
A: Shiva is not an aggressive god who destroys the universe, but rather absorbs the universe back into himself at the end of creation.
Q: What is the purpose of the five actions of Shiva?,
A: These actions are meant to impart spiritual growth and understanding, not to be taken as a literal guide for external actions.
Q: What is the main difference between the voice of the ego and the voice of spirit?,
A: The ego's voice is loud, demanding, and often negative, while the voice of spirit is silent, gentle, and loving.
Q: What is the key to unlocking the voice of spirit and the experience of ecstasy?,
A: The key is to let go of old beliefs, fears, and judgments, and to take responsibility for one's own feelings and desires.
Q: What is the ultimate goal of spiritual growth and self-discovery?,
A: The ultimate goal is to transcend the ego and become one with the universe, achieving a state of unity and wholeness.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>For some lovers it is
possible to use orgasm as a means to reach elevated states of consciousness,
yet even in these cases the visions, sensations, and emotions being evoked
are not necessarily ecstasy. They are whatever the lovers have made them
into.To make things shining and new has everything to do with perception. This brings us to the second broad definition of ecstasy, which is mythic  or
archetypal. In ordinary perception we see ourselves in unmythic terms,
overshadowed as we are by so much mundane activity. Ulysses didn’ t have
to commute through tangled traffic every morning; Athena’ s mind wasn’ t
filled with worri es over meeting the mortgage this month. But as Carl Jung
long ago pointed out, beneath the turmoil of daily activity our unconscious
motivations dwell in the mythic world. Inside each of us are primal gods and goddesses. We know this without
knowing it, insofar as we obey  our mythic drives without bringing them
into conscious awareness. Striving to succeed in a corporate takeover bid
partakes of the heroic quest as much as the Argonauts seeking the Golden
Fleece; climbing Everest is driven by the same ambition to reach the abode
of the gods as Icarus flying toward the sun. In mythic terms ecstasy is a
sacred journey into the unconscious as underworld, heroically portrayed in
countless ways, from Persephone’ s abduction by Pluto to Orph eus seeking
his bride among the shades of Hades. If the physical definition of ecstasy falls short because it lacks meaning,
the mythic definition flirts with being too intellectual. Through the arduous
process of bringing the unconsc iousness to light, a person may be able to
reach his mythic roots, but whether this will bring ecstasy is questionable. In the language of archetypes ecstasy has been traced back to the Greek god
Dionysus, whose devotees engaged in ritual orgies, using wine and
sexuality to attain altered states. At the sacred site of Delphi, a secret cult of
women called maenads (deriv ed from the Greek word for “madness”)
worked themselves into ecstatic frenzies in their rites, which included
skinning animals alive with their bare hands and devouring them. We still look askance at Dionysiac revels, supposing that their
participants reached wild excesses of drunkenness and promiscuity. To
mythic thinkers, though, nothing could be further from the truth. The
worship of Dionysus, they tell us, was not about excess and violence


. What so intrigu es me about phantoms is that all of us have one—
we just happen to call it our body. Being basically an inert lump, the
body is as dead as a false limb. Its sugars have no more feeling than
a gum drop; its proteins are no more sensitive than a pinto bean. Through the nervous system, which inltrates every ber of the
body, we have learned to project ourselves into this inert lump,
tting it on the way an amputee ts on his prosthesis. When a foot
or hand  goes to sleep, we can feel what a dead weight it really is. “Going to sleep” is a temporary paralysis that results when the
nerves have been crushed, usually under the weight of our torsos
when we inadvertently roll over in bed or sit with one leg curled up
under us too long. Many other people besides amputees rely on misguided phantoms. A young woman aicted with anorexia looks in the mirror and is
confronted with a thin, almost skeletal image. The body she has
starved throug h her eating disorder is there before her eyes. But
inside she has a contrary image of herself as too fat (or rather, not
thin enough), and this visual phantom rules her mind. She “sees” a
fat person in the mirror, just as an amputee “feels” that he has a
two-inch or eight-foot leg. Whatever the phantom tells you is real becomes real. I “know”
that my leg is three feet long, that my body weighs 150 pounds, that
I am sitting upright and am awake, but to believe these things is to
take them on trust, for my phantom could be tricking me. The
nature of the mind is to crave continuity, to bridge one thought with
another, to give our actions consistent motives and look for
consistency in others. To get some idea of how much it takes to organize a continuous
reality, we can consider the plight of schizophrenics, whose brains
process the world so poorly that what emerges as speech is a
chaotic, jumbled outpouring called “word salad. ” In David Noonan’s
penetrating book, Neuro-, there is a vivid account of the kind of
“loose association” that cannot hold logic togeth er when
schizophrenia strikes. One patient says, “My last teach er in that
subject was Professor A. He was a man with black eyes. There are
also blue and gray eyes and other sorts too. I have heard it said that
snakes have green eyes. All people have eyes. ”
Seemingly overwhelmed by thoughts and sensations, the mind of
a schizophrenic can no longer form any ordered or logical
statements from the swirl of impressions generated inside and out. Another patie nt was asked to comment on the energy crisis. “They’re destroying too many cattle and oil just to make soap,” he
replied. “If we need soap when you can jump into a pool of water
and then when you go to buy your gasoline, my folks always
thought they should, get pop but the best thing to get, is motor oil
and money. May as well go in there and trade in some, pop cans
and, uh, tires, and tractors to grup, car garages, so they can pull cars
away from wrecks, is what I believed in. ”
It is clear that this patient understood the question he was being
asked, but he could not sort out the images, memories, and concepts
that it brought to mind. They all became mixed into a salad that is
quite crazy but hints poigna ntly at the lost days when the world
made sense. The resulting verbal garble reminds me that my own
words are glued together  in a very mysterious way by a
consciousness I take for granted. I do not have to go through any
mental struggl es to make sense when I speak—it just happens or it
doesn’t. Without this deceptively automatic continuity, life would turn
into “life salad. ” Yet there is a seeming paradox here. How can one
maintain continuity and still be open to unexpected things, to the
ever-changing ow of events and the lightning ash of revelation. My choice plays the key role in whether I accept the world as it is or
alter it to suit my desires. Maya and I have been very good about
abiding by our agreement to keep the world predictable. Yet—who
knows. —I may decide to break the agreement tomor row. Or a
minute from now. Reality is always open to revision. Waking from the Spell
Milton Erickso n, a great pioneer in the therapeutic use of
hypnosis, was once giving a lecture-demonstration to an audience of
medical students. He asked for a volunteer to join him on the
platform. A young man came forward, took a seat facing the
audience, and placed his hands on his knees as Erickson requested. Then Erickson asked him, “Would you be willing to continue to see
your hands on your knees. ” The student said that he would. Whilehe was talking, Erickson silently gestured to a colleague, who
walked up on the other side of the young man and raised his right
arm in the air. The arm stayed there. “How many hands do you have. ” Erickson asked. “Two, of course,” the young man answered. “I’d like you to count them as I point to them,” Erickson said. “All right,” the young man replied, a patronizing note in his voice. Erickson point ed to the hand  resting on the left knee, and the young
man counted, “One. ” He pointed to the right knee, where  there was
no hand, and the young man said, “Two. ” He then pointed out the
hand dangling in midair. The student became hopelessly confused. “How do you explain that other hand. ” asked Erickson. “I don’t know,” said the young man. “I guess I should  be in a
circus. ”
You may have guessed by now that the volunteer was already
under hypnosis. The astonishing part of the story is that he was not
hypnotized beforehand. Erickson was such a master of his art that
he induced a trance merely by asking the question, “Would you be
willing to continue to see your hands on your knees. ” That
suggestion is exactly what the student carried out when he “saw” a
hand on his right knee. And what about me. Everything I see around me right now is just
as precarious as that third hand. I have a “sense of reality” that I
trust, not because it is real, but because my trust makes it real. A
hypnotist can, with the slightest twist of my attention, make me
believe that there are six people in a room instead of two dozen, or
that a foul-tast ing concoction brewed up by a local pharm acist is the
most delicious  glass of dry sherry. Both of these were done to R. D. Laing by a hypnotist friend in Glasgow. Commenting on the dry sherry episode, Laing bewails, “How
could one’s sense of taste, such an intimate sense, be so readily
deceived. I could not believe my taste. This was not merely
interesting. It was profoundly disquieting. It baed me. It scared
me. ” High emotions are aroused when we feel ourselves swaying
over a bottoml ess gorge. As Laing quite logically asks, “What is the
real taste of anything. In what sense are any phenomena reallyreal. ” This is the very question that teased the old men gathered on
our veranda on Babar Road. Laing is more dismayed. “How far is
the whole feeling and fabric of our ordinary, everyday world
socially programmed, an induced ction, in which we are all
enmeshed. ” he asks. The only ones to escape the net are “a few
whose conditioning has not ‘taken,’ or has broken down, or who
have awakened from the spell—a motley crew of geniuses,
psychotics, and sages. ”
Exactly—the only way out of Maya is to wake up from its spell, to
join the few who are not utterly enchanted. In our culture, the spell
has become respectable as “hard” science, but that does not make it
truer. The advantage of seeing through Maya is that the scientic
spell, although  it has given us this convenient modern life with its
jets and computers, CAT scans and carrot juicers, has not done away
with fear, violence, hatred, and suering. Those have been
programmed into Maya, too. They come with this dream when you
agree to be its dreamer. Every once in a while, I meet someone who already belongs to the
motley crew whose conditi oning did not “take. ” They are not
necessarily psychotics, geniuses, or sages; they are just people who
cannot be convinced as easily as the rest of us. Invariably, our
encounters shake my dream a little. I walk away aching to see what
they see and to be what they are. But there is also happiness and
even hilarity when we realize what is happening. For a moment, we
have looked across the illusion to nd that we are equals. “Who
knows. ”


 own birth with a vitally important stock of nutritional reserves, reserves put there during
her own fetal development. If that "start" was less than ideal, the mother -to-be (as fetus) got "pinched" and nutritionally short -
changed in certain, predictable ways. Even minor mineral fetal deficiencies degrade the bone structure: the fetus knows it ne eds
nutritional reserves more than it needs to have a full -sized jaw bone or a wide pelvic girdle, and when deprived of maximum fetal
nourishment, these non -vital bones become somewhat smaller. Permanently. If mineral deficiencies continue into infancy and
childhood, these same bones continue to be short -changed, and the child ends up with a very narrow face, a jaw bone far too small
to hold all the teeth, and in women, a small oven that may have trouble baking babies. More importantly, those nutrient reser ves
earmarked especially for making babies are also deficient. So a deficient mother not only shows certain structural evidence o f
physiological degeneration, but she makes deficient babies. A deficient female baby at birth is unlikely to completely overco me
her bad start before she herself has children. So with females, the quality of a whole lifetime's nutrition, and the life -nutrition of her mother (and of her mother's mother as
well) has a great deal to do with the outcome of a pregnancy. The sins of  the mother can really be visited unto the third and fourth
generation. This reality was powerfully demonstrated in the 1920s by a medical doctor, Francis Pottenger. He was not gifted with a good
bedside manner. Rather than struggling with an unsuccess ful clinical practice, Dr. Pottenger decided to make his living running a
medical testing laboratory in Pasadena, California. Dr. Pottenger earned his daily bread performing a rather simple task, ass aying
the potency of adrenal hormone extracts. At that ti me, adrenaline, a useful drug to temporarily rescue people close to death, was
extracted from the adrenal glands of animals. However, the potency of these crude extracts varied greatly. Being a very power ful
drug, it was essential to measure exactly how st rong your extract was so its dosage could be controlled. Quantitative organic chemistry was rather crude in those days. Instead of assaying in a test tube, Dr. Pottenger kept several  big
cages full of cats that he had adrenalectomized. Without their o wn adrenals, the cats could not live more than a short time By
finding out how much extract was required to keep the cats from failing, he could measure the strength of the particular batc h.
    Dr. Pottenger's cats were economically valuable so he made e very effort to keep them healthy, something that proved to be
disappointingly difficult. He kept his cats clean, in airy, bright quarters, fed them to the very best of his ability on past eurized
whole milk, slaughterhouse meat and organs (cats in the wild eat organ meats first and there are valuable vitamins and other
substances in organ meats that don't exist in muscle tissue). The meat was carefully cooked to eliminate any parasites, and t he diet
was supplemented with cod liver oil. However, try as he mig ht, Pottenger's cats were sickly, lived short and had to be frequently
replaced. Usually they bred poorly and died young of bacterial infections, there being no antibiotics in the 1920s. I imagine  Dr.
Pottenger was constantly visiting the animal shelter an d perhaps even paid quarters out the back door to a steady stream of young
boys who brought him cats in burlap sacks from who knows where, no questions asked. Dr. Pottenger's assays must have been accurate, for his business grew and grew. Eventually he  needed more cats than he had
cages to house, so he built a big, roofed, on -the-ground pen outdoors. Because he was overworked, he was less careful about the
feeding of these extra animals. They got the same pasteurized milk and cod -liver oil, but he did n ot bother to cook their
slaughterhouse meat. Then, a small miracle happened. This poorly cared for cage of cats fed on uncooked meat became much
healthier than the others, suffering far fewer bacterial infections or other health problems. Then another mira cle happened. Dr.
Pottenger began to meditate on the first miracle. It occurred to him that cats in the wild did not cook their food; perhaps cats had a digestive system that couldn't process o r
assimilate much out of cooked food. Perhaps the problem h e had been having was not because the cats were without adrenal
glands but because they were without sustenance, suffering a sort of slow starvation in the midst of plenty. So Dr. Pottenger  set up
some cat feeding experiments. There were four possible combinations of his regimen: raw meat and unpasteurized milk; raw meat and pasteurized milk;
cooked meat and raw milk; cooked meat and pasteurized milk, this last one being what he had been feeding all along. So he
divided his cats into four groups and fed  each group differently. The first results of Pottenger's experiments were revealed quickly
though the most valuable results took longer to see. The cats on raw meat and raw milk did best. The ones on raw meat and
pasteurized milk did okay but not as well. The ones on cooked meat and raw milk did even less well and those on all cooked food
continued to do as poorly as ever. Clearly, cats can't digest cooked food; all animals do better fed on what they can digest. A lot of people have taken Potteng er's
data and mistakenly concluded that humans also should eat only raw food. This idea is debatable. However, the most important
result of the cat experiments took years to reveal itself and is not paid much attention to, probably because its implication s are very
depressing. Dr. Pottenger continued his experiments for several generations. It was the transgenerational changes that showed  the
most valuable lesson. Over several generations, the cats on all raw foods began to alter their appearance. Their faces go t wider,
their pelvic girdles broader, bones solider, teeth better. They began to breed very successfully. After quite a few generations, the healthiest group, the one on all raw foods, seemed to have improved as much as it could. S o
Dr. Pottenger too k some of these cats and began feeding them only cooked food to study the process of nutritional degeneration. After three "de"generations on cooked fodder the group had deteriorated so much that the animals could barely breed. Their fa ces
had become narro w, their teeth crooked, their pelvic girdles narrow, their bones and body structure very small, and their
dispositions poor. Mothers wouldn't nurse their young and sometimes became cannibalistic. They no longer lived very long. Before the degenerating group completely lost the ability to breed, Pottenger began to again feed them all raw food. It took four
generations on a perfect, raw food diet before some perfect -appearing individuals showed up in the group. It takes longer to repair
the damage than it  does to cause it and it takes generations of unflagging persistence. I think much the same process has happened to humans in this century. With the invention of the roller mill and the consequen t
degradation of our daily bread to white flour; with the  birth of industrial farming and the generalized lowering of the nutritional
content of all of our crops; our overall ratio of nutrition to calories worsened. Then it worsened again because we began to have
industrial food manufacturing and national brand prepared food -marketing systems; we began subsisting on devitalized, processed
foods. The result has been an even greater worsening of our ratio of nutrition to calories.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        If on the other
hand, when it was dark (we had no electricity), and there was a cold wind creating huge banks of snow, I would ‘just skip it,'
because the alternative --an indoor chamber pot, white enamel with a lid --was worse. This potty had  to be used more or less
publicly because the bedrooms were shared and there was no indoor bathroom. I was always very modest about my private parts
and private functions, and potty's were only used in emergencies, and usually with considerable embarrassme nt. No one ever
explained to me that it was not good for me to retain fecal matter, and I never thought about it unless my movements became s o
hard that it was painful to eliminate. Later in life, I continued this pattern of putting off bowel movement s, even though outhouses and potties were a thing of the
past. As a young adult I could always think of something more interesting to do than sitting on a pot, besides it was messy a nd
sometimes accompanied by embarrassing sound effects which were definite ly not romantic if I was in the company of a young
man. During two pregnancies the tendency to constipation was aggravated by the weight of the fetus resting on an already slug gish
bowel, and the discomfort of straining to pass my first hard bowel movement  after childbirth with a torn perineum I won't forget. Rapid Relief From Colon Cleansing
    During fasting the liver is hard at work processing toxins released from fat and other body deposits. The liver still dumps i ts
wastes into the intestines throug h the bile duct. While eating normally


 many nervous patients. It does not remove the cause of the cold. What should we do when the first symptom of a cold arises? All food should be discontinued at
once. Instead of large quantities of water, as commonly advised, only as much water as thirst
demands should be taken. Indeed, it seems that the less water taken the more rapid the recovery. The fast should not be less than twenty-four hours, it may be three or four days in duration,
depending on the severity of the symptoms. Following the fast, eating should be light for the first few days: orange or a grapefruit—no sugar
—for breakfast, a vegetable salad at noon, and fresh fruit in season in the evening, for the first one
to two days, after which the eating should be sparse until all symptoms have subsided. While fasting, the best place for the patient is in bed. He should be warm and comfortable and
should have fresh air in the room both day and night. A daily lukewarm bath may be taken, but no
heroic bathing is advisable. If it is not possible to quit work and go to bed, one should obtain as
much rest as circumstances permit and get to bed early at night. If these simple suggestions are carried out, no cold will evolve into pneumonia. Prolonging a
cold by eating and by suppressing its symptoms with drugs, may end in death. Fasting does not
cure
 a cold. One may get well of a cold if one eats heartily, drinks heavily, gets
little sleep, works hard and is chilled by day. People have been doing this throughout history. All
that we claim for the foregoing fasting program is that it greatly lessens the discomforts of the cold,
shortens its duration and leaves the patient in much better condition when the cold has ended. 8520
Multiple Sclerosis
Widespread fund-raising campaigns to fight the crippling effects of this disease, and to perform
research into its cause and treatment, have made multiple sclerosis familiar to the public. Yet there
may be some basic causes already known in terms of diet and activities of the individual and even
possible avenues of recovery in the fast. I recall a case of an optometrist whose condition became so bad that he had to give up his work
and turn his office over to someone else. For a few years he had been under the care of several of
the best neurologists of the East and, as they had warned him at the outset, had grown
progressively worse. They had frankly told him that they had no
cure
 for multiple sclerosis. They were telling him the truth, yet after seven weeks in a
Hygienic
 institution, he walked out
under his own power, returned home and resumed his professional activities. He was not a well man at the end of seven weeks. It is too much to expect a full recovery in such
a short time. But he had made such great improvement that he felt justified in returning home and
getting back to work. This is often a wrong position to take, especially with a condition like
multiple sclerosis, but it is a mistake that the sick frequently make. Many patients seem to be satisfied to stop their efforts in recovering health when they have been
freed of their most annoying symptoms. They are often unwilling to go on to full health, and are
convinced they can take care of themselves. After having made a certain amount of initial
improvement they expect to take charge and they feel they can carry on, from that point, as well as
their professional adviser. In a few cases it works out; generally they fail. In cases watched and
controlled, results of fasting can be established. Sclerosis means induration or hardening. It has special reference to hardening of a part due to
inflammation. In the nervous system the term denotes an overgrowth of connective tissue
(hyperplasia of connective tissue) in the nerve tissue. Multiple sclerosis—also called disseminated sclerosis and sometimes
known as Charcot’s
disease—is characterized by hardening (sclerosis) occurring in sporadic patches through the brain
and spinal cord or both. These hardened patches range from the size of a pin head to that of a pea
and are scattered irregularly through the brain and cord. At autopsy, it is found that the insulating sheath of the nerves is broken down and the nerve cells
and fibers have fused together. I have emphasized that this is what is found at autopsy for the
reason that the trouble does not start as a sclerosis (hardening), but as an inflammation. A man dies after suffering with multiple sclerosis for fifteen or twenty years and an autopsy is
performed. His brain and nervous system are subjected to the closest scrutiny and certain
pathological changes are found. But this is the end-point. What was the condition of his nerves five
years, ten years or fifteen years prior to death? It is reasonable to think that if the condition of the
nerves was the same five years or ten years prior to death that they are found to be in at death, he
would have died five to ten years earlier. The disease is said to be “incurable.” It may last for years before the patient dies. The end-
point, as found at death, is certainly irreversible, but can we be sure that the earlier stages of the
disease are irreversible? The very progress of the disease would seem to negate such an
assumption. In the inflammatory stage of the disease it would certainly seem to be remediable. 86Indeed, spontaneous remissions are known that may last for weeks or even years. Once the
hardening has occurred, there would seem to be no possibility that the disease could intermit, or
that recovery could be effected. A fatty insulating material called the myelin sheath, which surrounds the nerves, is lost and this
is said to cause abnormal nerve behavior. Some of the nerves work energetically, some work very
weakly and others fail to work at all. No two cases are alike because in no two cases are the same parts of the brain and nervous
system affected. The development of the hardening does not progress at the same rate in each case,
and does not take place at the same rate at all points in the body of the same patient. For the reason
that no two cases are identical, no description of the disease will fit any particular case. Among the leading symptoms of the disease are weakness, strong jerky movements,
incoordination of the extremities that is often more marked in the arms than in the legs, and
amemomania, which is a form of insanity with agreeable hallucinations. Also other abnormal
mental exaltations, scanning speech and an involuntary rapid movement of the eyes, called
nyastagmus are evident. The tremor is jerky, is increased by voluntary efforts to restrain it, and is
entirely absent during complete rest and sleep, returning when movements are resumed. The nature of the symptoms in each case will depend on the locations
and severity of the
changes in the nervous tissues. A sudden loss of vision in one eye or a period of double vision may
be an early symptom. The eye symptoms usually clear up in a short time and they may not recur for
months or years. The patient may develop peculiar feelings, with tingling and numbness in various
parts of the limbs and body. Weakness in the legs and difficulty in walking may later develop. There may be trembling,
jerking of the legs, difficulty in talking, a hand may become clumsy or useless. Tremor of the hand
may develop when the individual attempts to pick up something. Trouble with the rectum and the
urinary bladder may also develop. These symptoms may remain mild for a number of years or they may clear up and not recur for
long periods. It is this remission of symptoms that indicates that in the early stages of the disease
the developments are not irreversible. About half of these patients are still able to work after
twenty-five years, a fact which indicates the slowness of the development of the disease. This
certainly provides ample time for something constructive to be done. Many cases are so mild and the symptoms so evanescent that they are not diagnosed as sclerosis
for years. The tendency of the symptoms to cease for periods of time is said to be one of the basic
characteristics of the disease, the other being the scattered character of the symptomatic
developments, as the hardening is scattered. I have previously pointed out that no two cases are alike in their symptoms or in their
development, each patient lending his own individuality to the disease; but this is no more true of
multiple sclerosis than of any other disease. No germ or virus has been found upon which to lay the blame for the development of the disease
and it is freely confessed that “the cause is unknown.” It is, however, thought to be “probably of
infectious origin.”
No treatment has proved satisfactory. This is true in so many diseases that it is almost the rule. How can there be satisfactory treatment of a disease the cause of which is unrecognized? Standard
works on the disease say: “The cause of the disease is entirely unknown … there is no specific or
really effective treatment … always a long-standing disease, total recovery from it is very
doubtful.”
87Certainly we cannot expect total recovery if the cause is unrecognized. The failure to recognize
the general impairing influences in the life and environment of the patient as the true cause of
functional and organic deterioration blinds us to the causes of disease. The search for specific causes has about reached its end. The time has arrived when we must
find in wrong living habits the cause of the failures of the organism and the evolution of its
diseases. When these are


 PE and Verma S (2005) ‘Red
Wine and Your Heart’. Circulation,
Journal of the American Heart
Association. 111: e10–e11.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: Who are the authors of the article "Endothelial function in post-menopausal women: effect of folic acid supplementation"?,
A: Paradisi G, Cucinelli F, Mele MC, Barini A, Lanzone A, and Caruso A
Q: What is the name of the journal that published the article "Folic acid and breast cancer"?,
A: Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
Q: What is the name of the book "Food for Health: A Nutrition Encyclopedia"?,
A: Food for Health: A Nutrition Encyclopaedia
Q: What is the name of the author of the book "Foods to Fight Cancer"?,
A: Béliveau, R and Gingras, D
Q: What is the name of the book that contains information on the health benefits of pomegranate?,
A: The Pomegranate: Nature's Power Fruit<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>More Books by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
Being in Balance
Everyday Wisdom
Getting in the Gap (book-with-CD)
Incredible You
InspirationManifest Your Destiny
No More Holiday Blues
The Power of Intention
A Promise Is a Promise
Pulling Your Own Strings
Real Magic
The Sky's the Limit
Staying on the Path
10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace
There Is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem
What Do You Really Want for Your Children? Wisdom of the Ages
You'll See It When You Believe It
Your Erroneous Zones
Your Sacred Self
All of the above are available at your local bookstore, or may be ordered by visiting: Hay House USA:
www.hayhouse.com© Hay House Australia: www.hayhouse.com.au Hay House UK:
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Dr. Wayne W. DyerFor my son Shane. I watch you live these principles every day, and I am so proud. I love you. Chasing success is like trying to squeeze a handful of water. The tighter you squeeze, the less water you
get. When you chase it, your life becomes the chase, and you become a victim of always wanting more. If you refuse to change your job (if you don't like it), the only sensible thing you can do is practice loving
it every day.The more you see yourself as what you'd like to become, and act as if what you want is already there, the
more you'll activate those dormant forces that will collaborate to transform your dream into your reality. When you become certain that nothing is impossible for you, you'll attain everything you desire. Go the extra mile to acquire what you want to both attract and give away. Know that success and inner peace are your birthright; that you are a child of God; and as such, that you're
entitled to a life filled with joy, love, and happiness.As you place more and more of your energy on what you intend to manifest, you'll start seeing those
intentions materializing. Send out love and harmony, put your mind and body in a peaceful place, and then allow the Universe to
work in the perfect way that it knows how. Each experience in your life was absolutely necessary in order to have gotten you to the next place, and
the next, up until this very moment.Most people are searching for happiness outside of themselves. That's a fundamental mistake. Happiness
is something you are, and it comes from the way you think. Never forget that doing what you love is the cornerstone of having success in your life. You control your emotions. You do not have to explode with anger whenever someone else decides to
behave in an angry or vindictive way. No one can create negativity or stress within you. Only you can do that by virtue of how you process yourworld. Either you have control or you don't. If you do, take control; if you don't, don't waste your energy on
worry. If you are suffering in your life right now, I can guarantee that this condition is tied up with some kind of
attachment to how things should be going. When you argue for your limitations, all you get are your limitations.Forgiveness is the most powerful thing you can do for yourself. If you can't learn to forgive, you can forget
about achieving true success in your life. Being relaxed, at peace with yourself, confident, emotionally neutral, loose, and free-floating-these are
the keys to successful performance in almost everything you do.Did you ever notice how difficult it is to argue with someone who's not obsessed with being right? Your soul-that inner quiet space-is yours to consult. It will always guide you in the right direction.Be consistently aware of the need to serve God and serve others in any and all of your actions. Having a plan for success isn't necessarily unhealthy, but falling in love with the plan is a real neurosis....
Don't let your plan become bigger than you are.Why not think about some things you've never done before and do them simply because you've never done
them and for no other reason? You create your thoughts, your thoughts create your intentions, and your intentions create your reality. The person looking back at you in the mirror is the one you have to answer to every day. If you want to find deeper meaning in your life, you can't find it in the opinions or the beliefs that have
been handed to you. You have to go to that place within yourself. Anything that bothers you is only a problem within. Only you can experience it, and only you can correct
it. Life is never boring, but some people choose to be bored... boredom is a choice. If you want to be confident but don't normally act that way, then today, just this once, act in the physical
world the way you believe a confident person would. Remember that every single thing you've gone through has helped lead you to where you are today. You'll come to find that anything you must have comes to own you. The funny thing is, when you release it,
you start getting more of it. If you want to find your true purpose in life, know this for certain: Your purpose will only be found in
service to others, and in being connected to something far greater than your body/mind/ego. Make an internal commitment to respect yourself and feel worthy of all that the Universe has to offer.Treat yourself and others with kindness when you eat, exercise, play, work, love, and everything else. That which offends you only weakens you. Being offended creates the same destructive energy that
offended you in the first place-so transcend your ego and stay in peace. Let go of your ego's need to be right. When you're in the middle of an argument, ask yourself: Do I want to
be right or be happy? Be thankful for the wonderful gift of being able to serve humanity, your planet, and your God. That's a lot
to be grateful for!A purpose is not something that you're going to find. It's something that will find you. And it will find you
only when you're ready and not before. This magnificent Universe provides abundantly when you're in a state of gratitude.Genuinely feeling abundant and successful is possible when you detach yourself from the things you
desire and allow them to flow to youand through you. All of the "stuff" in your life has arrived to serve you, rather than to make you a servant of the stuff.The qualities of creativity and genius are within you, awaiting your decision to match up with the power
of intention. Every thought that you have impacts you. By shifting in the middle of a weakening thought to one that
strengthens, you raise your energy vibration and strengthen yourself and the immediate energy field.Self-esteem comes from the self, not from acquisitions and approval.It's not what is available or unavailable that determines your level of success and happiness; it's what you
convince yourself is true. Alcohol, as well as all drugslegal and otherwise-lower your body's energy level and weaken you. By
retreating from these substances, you can achieve the level of success you crave. Anonymously perform acts of kindness, expecting nothing in return, not even a thankyou. The universal
all-creating Spirit responds to acts of kindness by asking: How may I be kind to you? Your belief about yourself is the most telling factor in determining your level of success and happiness.Individuals who use self-labels are stating, "I'm a finished product in this area, and I'm never going to be
any different." If you're a finished product, all tied up and put away, you've stopped growing. If you find yourself believing that you must always be the way you've always been, you're arguing against
your own personal growth.If a problem arises, then go within. Get very quiet about it, and find the answers inside you. Be cognizant of the fact that the more you attach your value and humanity to those things outside yourself,
the more you give those things the power to control you.You can never fail in anything you try to do. You can only produce certain results.Involve yourself in high-energy levels of trust, optimism, appreciation, reverence, joy, and love when you
engage in every activity in your life. Once you begin working on your problem areas with small, daily, success-oriented goals, the problems
will disappear. The use of mental imagery is one of the strongest and most effective strategies for making something
happen for you. Doing what you love is the cornerstone


 be conducive to maintaining long-term weight loss, and
while it is relatively easy to shed a few pounds with a bu rst of well-
intentioned exer cise and healthy eating, the Holy Grail is to  reach and
maintain your ideal weight—no  one wants to spend their life struggling on
a restrictive diet. The exe rcise Breathe Light to Breathe Right on page 74 has been
specially design ed to help you bring your attention away from the mind and
onto the  breath. This exercise is performed while sitting or lying down, but
a certain amount of focus and concentration is still required to follow the
breath and gently allow it to reduce to create a tolerable a ir shortage. Observing your  breath, slowing it down, and bringing a feeling ofrelaxation throughout the body is in itself a meditation. An additional
benefit of practicing this exercis e and nasal breathing is an improvement in
body oxygenation, thereby reducing brain cell excitability and stress. Meditation does n’ t have to be  about sitting in a corner in a lotus
position saying “om.” At first it will be necessary to find a quiet  place to sit
so that you can focus on observ ing your breath to practice, but in time this
exercise can be b rought into any aspect of your life. As describe d in chapter
8, make your life a meditation b y taking your attention out of your head and
into the current moment. It is i mpossible to experience life when we hide
away fro m it by allowing the m ind to be permanently occupied by worries
and stress. Y ou are not just a head. In fact, imagine you are h eadless. No
matter what activity you partak e in, bring your a ttention out of y our head,
into your body, and on to the a ctivity. Become the activity. And you can
apply this theory to your eating habits too. Eating is a basic function that often receives very little conscious
attention during our busy daily routines. It is common practice to stuf f food
into our  mouths unconsciously,  not even really tasting anything after the
first bite. The next time you e at, observe how many times y ou actually
noticed the texture, taste, and sm ell of your food. Did you eat m ost of your
meal wi th your attention elsewhere? Or did you experience the sensory
wonders of your food, bite by bite? Forty-one-year -old T essy considers herself a born worrier. As the eldest
child, she often felt an overwh elming sense of responsibility toward her
family and younger siblings; throughout childhood, her parents constantly
reinforced the notion that T essy’ s primary role was to show a go od example
to her younger brother and sister. At school she excelled at both  sports and
academic work and became focused on achieving top marks—anything
other than an A grade was unacceptable. The few times she re ceived a C
grade, sh e and her parents woul d get very upset. On one such o ccasion her
father w ent to the extent of taping her report card to the refriger ator door to
remind everyone in the house that marks like this were not to be tolerated. It so metimes seemed to T essy that her parents were trying to realize
their ow n ambitions through her, but that it was impossible for them to be
fulfilled. Her brother and sister  had far less pressure put upon them, were
required to do l ess homework and fewer household chores, and enjoyed
much more freedom. These ineq ualities became even more apparent duringtheir tee nage ye ars when the yo unger ones were allowed to wa tch hours of
television and go to parties while T essy was expected to concentrate on her
studies. T essy gr ew rese ntful of her par ents. She hated the fact that there was
one set of rules for her and another for her siblings. Through the molding by
her parents, T essy felt that she  always had to be a people pl easer and a
perfectionist, and if she failed to reach her high expectations, she would feel
very low and critical of herself. Things came to a head a year ago when T essy’ s mother came  to visit
and stayed for a whole month. It was then that T essy realized just how
much her mother ’ s high-strung personality made T essy feel stressed. Although she had long been an adult, T essy had never escaped the
attentions of her overbearing mother, who advised her, smothered her, and
always said she knew what wa s best for her. As her mother had grown
older, T e ssy chose to keep the peace and continued to bottle up her feelings
rather than confronting her. Unsurprisingly, T essy’ s mother ’ s visit was very stressful. In a bid to
distract herself from the stress, T essy found herself eating more and more. Whenever she felt that things w ere getting to be too much, she would cook
a meal or head to the local diner to dissipate her feelings. She enjoyed the
pleasure of cooking, tasting, an d eating, and now the food was serving an
additional purpose by helping her to cope. Six wee ks ago, I received a cal l from T essy complaining that she was
feeling increasin gly short of breath. Feelings of dizziness while driving had
made he r feel very anxious ab out her health, suspecting that something
more s erious was going on, and she had begun to suf fer from
breathlessness, u nable to take a satisfying breath. Recognizing the angst in
T essy’ s voice, I asked her to come in to see me the following day. She
explained the situation that led to the changes in her breathing and the use
of food as a crutch. She was co nscious about having a “spare tire” around
her wais t, which  wasn’ t helping with her self-esteem, and she was anxious
about her breathing issues—the time had come to make a change. W e started by measuring T essy’ s BOL T score and found it to be 10
seconds. Although she was predominantly a nasal breather, she used her
upper ch est to breathe and sighed regularly. I explained to her that optimal
breathing should be dif ficult to see and not heard, with gentle movementsfrom below the diaphragm. During stressed-out breathing, however, the
opposite takes place, leading to an unnecessarily lar ge breathing volume
and all its assoc iated problems. T essy needed to learn how to use slow and
gentle breathing to bring her body into relaxation. First, I asked her to place one ha nd on her chest and one hand above her
navel and to bec ome aware of h er breathing, to feel the air as it entered and
left her body. W hen she was c onscious of her breathing, I a sked her to
breathe light and gently soften her breathing in order to create a tolerable
need for air for  a couple of minutes. T essy felt uncomfortab le with the
feeling of air hu nger, so I asked her to reduce the time spent on the exercise
in order to gently condition her body to acclimatize to the sensation. She
repeated 3 sets of 1.5 minutes each, with a small rest of 1 m inute or so
between them, and soon became accustomed to practicing the exercise. T o help quicken her progress, I decided to teach her a walking exercise
with bre ath hold s. This involved walking with her mouth closed  for about 1
minute o r so, followed by gently exhaling through her nose and pinching it
with her fingers to hold her breath for 10 paces. Following each breath hold,
T essy continued  to walk whil e breathing through her nose for 1 or 2
minutes, followed by exhaling through her nose and holding her breath. T essy found this exercise much more comfortable and proceeded to increase
the lengths of h er breath holds to 15 and then 20 paces. Each time she
advanced, I checked to ensure T essy’ s breathing remained un der control,
and soo n she was able to ho ld her breath for 30 paces, even feeling
comfortable with the feeling of air shortage. T essy explained tha t she found
it easier to practice reduced breathing while walking than sitting still, as she
knew that the air hunger was only temporary. T essy made such good prog ress that we decided to mo ve onto
abdominal breathing to change her breathing pattern from the up per chest to
the diaphragm and address her  chronic overbreathing. For this exercise I
asked he r to stand up, as an up right position provides an ideal posture for
abdominal breathing, and gave her the following simple instructions:
•  Breathe in—gently allow your abdomen to move outward. •  Breathe out—gently allow your abdomen to move inward.By f ocusing her attention on her chest and abdomen, T essy was able to
switch f rom upp er -chest to abdominal breathing ef fortlessly. Th e next step
was to gently soften and slow do wn her breathing to produce a comfortable
hunger for air. T essy practiced lightening her breathing for 3  mi nutes be fore
taking a break for 1 minute or so. After 3


 nutrient that naturallyprevents the body from forming harmful fatty deposits in the arteries. Sea weeds are a wonderful source of minerals and should be eaten in soups
and salads. Other invaluable fortifying foods are algae of all kinds (such aschlorella and spirulina), lecithin, brewers yeast, and fresh bakers yeast. Manypeople have had very unpleasant experiences trying to eat living bakers yeast andso use brewers yeast instead. But brewers yeast is cooked and the proteins itcontains are not nearly as assimilable as those in raw yeast. Raw yeast is sopowerful, it feels like pep pills! It takes a special technique to eat raw yeast because in the stomach and
intestines the yeast does the job it is supposed to do: convert sugars into alcoholand carbon dioxide gas. The entire digestive tract then bloats with gas and theperson will feel very uncomfortable for some time. However, raw yeast is amarvelous source of B vitamins and proteins and can make someone feel veryenergetic—if they know how to use it. The secret is to eat live yeast very firstthing in the morning on an empty stomach and then, not eat anything at all forabout two hours, giving the stomach acids and enzymes time to kill the yeasts anddigest them before adding sugars from another meal. Some like to eat yeast infresh cake form, buying it from a bakery. Others prefer dry granular baker’s yeastblended with water into a sort of “shake.” This is not a bad place to put your rawegg yolk either. If you need it sweetened to drink it, use an artificial or herbalsweetener like nutrisweet or stevia. Live yeast cannot consume milk sugars verywell. So if you can handle dairy, try one or two tablespoons of granulated liveyeast, an egg yolk and a little raw milk or yogurt, well whizzed. Wheat germ is also a great, rich food, but is usually rancid unless it is taken out
of the refrigerated display; unless it is refrigerated, in a dated package and fresh,don’t eat it. Herb teas and roasted grain beverages are healthy beverages, along
with mineral and distilled water avoiding where possible chlorinated and
fluoridated water. Diet Is Not Enough
Those isolated, long-lived peoples discovered by Weston A. Price had to do
hard physical labor to eat, had to walk briskly up and down steep terrain to getanywhere. But today, few North Americans output very much physical energy inprocess of daily life or work. Not only cars, but all of our modern conveniencesmake it possible to live without ever breaking into a sweat. We pay for this ease;it costs us a significant degree of health. Exercise has many benefits when combined with excellent nutrition. It creates
an overall feeling of well-being that can not be created by diet alone. Exercisingtemporarily makes the heart beat faster, increasing blood circulation throughoutthe body right out to the tips of your fingers and toes. This short-term elevatedflow of blood flow brings increased supplies of oxygen and nutrients to all parts ofthe body, facilitating healing and repair. Without revving up your engine every daymany of the body’s systems never get the sludge burned out of them and neverperform optimally. Exercise also changes the metabolic rate so your body burns more calories–
not only while you are exercising, but also for a 24 hour period following exercise.This maintains a healthful body weight into old age, or helps to lose weight. Mostpeople find that exercise in moderation does not increase appetite, so that it ispossible to consistently burn more calories in a day, and gradually reduce weight ifthat is desirable. It is necessary to burn 3,500 calories to lose a pound of weight.Most forms of exercise allow you to burn 300 to 600 calories per hour at amoderate pace which would be achieved by doubling the resting pulse. Withouteven considering the weight-loss benefit of achieving a raised metabolism, an hourof daily exercise continued for a week or two dependent upon the type ofexercise and pace should lead to one pound of weight loss if the caloric intake is
held constant. The flip side of having a higher metabolism is rarely appreciated but is
extremely important. Recall the basic equation of health: Health = Nutrition /Calories. Exercise permits a person to eat somewhat more while not gainingweight. If the food is nutrient rich, the body has a chance to extract more vitamins,more minerals, more amino acids. The person who remains slender by rigidlyreducing their food intake to near starvation levels may lack vital, health-buildingnutrition. And only exercise moves lymphatic fluid. The blood is pumped through the
body by the heart, but the lymphatic system, lacking a heart, requires muscularcontractions to move from the extremities of the body to the central cavity. Thelymphatic system picks up cellular waste products and conducts these toxins todisposal. Frequently, people with rheumatic aches and pains or other generalizedmuscular discomforts physicians like to give Latin diagnostic names to can give uptaking pain pills if they will but begin exercising regularly. Only when they beginmoving their lymph can they begin to detoxify properly. There is another benefit from exercise which is not to be ignored, and that is
that it gives the person a chemical sense of well being. It actually will help toemotionally boost up people who are chronically depressed and make them smile.After a good workout, especially one done outside, everything seems brighter,more positive; whatever was bothering you somehow just doesn’t seem like thatbig of a deal now. I am not making pro-exercise propaganda. This is not a figmentof the imagination. An exercising body really does make antidepressantneurochemicals called endorphins, but only after about 45 minutes to an hour ofaerobic workout. Endorphins are powerful, with painkilling and euphoric effects equal to or
greater than heroin, but without any undesirable side effects. If chemists couldlearn to cheaply synthesize endorphins I’m sure that millions of people wouldwant to become addicted to them. Because I make such a point of getting in my
workout every day, my husband has accused me of being an endorphin junkie,
and he is right! I admit it, I’m really hooked on the feeling of well being Iconsistently get from any sustained exercise. I defend my addiction staunchlybecause it is the healthiest addiction I know of. I have also been accused of carrying exercise to extremes, and I admit to that
also. For a few years I trained for Ironman triathlons. I now think doing ironmandistances is immoderate and except for a few remarkable individuals with “iron”constitutions, training that hard can only lead to a form of exhaustion that is nothealth promoting. I have become much more sensible in my “old” age, and inrecent years have limited my participation to the Olympic distance triathlons. Iwas on the Canadian team at the World Championship in 1992, and intend to doit again in 1995. I do not find the Olympic distance exhausting, in fact I think it isgreat fun and truly exhilarating. I get to see all these wonderful age groupcompetitors from all over the world who look and feel fantastic. It does my soulgood to see a group of people aging so gracefully, not buying into the popularnotion that old age is inevitably disabling, depressing, and ugly. Sport brings adegree of balance to my life after spending so much time in the presence of thesick. I plan to maintain my athletic activities into old age, barring accident or otherunforeseen obstacles to fitness. To maintain basic fitness it does not matter so much what form of exercise is
chosen, as long as it is not damaging to the skeletal system or connective tissues.Many people are unable to run due to foot, knee, hip, or back problems, butalmost everyone can walk. Walking outside is better than inside on a treadmill,and walking hills is better than walking on flat ground. Exercise machines such asstationary bikes, cross country ski machines, and stair steppers work well for alot of people who live in the city, especially in the winter, or for those who hateexercise. Whatever you choose to do, it is important to at least double the restingpulse for 30 minutes no less than four days a week. This is the absolute minimumrequired to maintain the health and function of the cardiovascular-pulmonary
system. If your resting pulse is 70, you must walk, jog, ski, bike, swim or what
have you, fast enough to keep the pulse at 140 beats per minute for at least 30minutes. I have a strong preference to exercising outside in isolated places where there
is only me and the forest, or only me and the river. Running along logging roads inthe hilly back country, or swimming in the green unpolluted water of a forest riveris a spiritual experience for me. It is a time to meditate, to commune with nature,and to clear my mind and create new solutions. The repetitive action of running orwalking or swimming, along with the regular deep breathing in clean air, with nodistractions except what nature provides is truly health promoting. Sharing theseactivities with friends or family can also be great fun and some of the best in socialinteractions. It is one of my favorite ways of visiting with people. I don’t expectother people to be as enthusiastic about exercise as I am, but I do hope thateveryone will make an effort to be minimally fit as an ongoing part of their healthprogram into old age. Diet For A Long, Long Life
Some people not only want to be healthy, but they want to live in good health
long past the normal life span projected by statistical tables for Homo Sapiens. Dr. Roy W


 that I’ve been calling
intention. In a sense, this universal mind is totally impersonal. It is pure
love, fondness, beauty, and creativity, always expanding and endlessly
abundant. You emanated from this universal mind. And as I keep telling
you, universal means everywhere and at all times. In other words, infinite. As long as your wishes are aligned with the forward movement of this
everlasting principle, there’s nothing in nature to restrict you from attaining
the fulfillment of those wishes. It’s only when you choose to allow ego to
oppose the expanding, receptive forward movement of the infinite mind of
intention that the realization of your wishes doesn’t feel fulfilling. Life itself
is eternal, and you spring from this infinite no thing called life. Your ability
to connect to the eternal and live in the here-and-now will determine your
staying connected to intention. Life Is Eternal
We all live on a stage where many infinities gather. Just take a look
outside tonight and contemplate the infinity of space. There are stars so
distant from you that they’re measured in the distance that light travels in an
Earthly year. Beyond those stars that you can see are endless galaxies that
stretch out into something we call eternity. Indeed, the space that you
occupy is infinite. Its vastness is too huge for us to see. We’re in an infinite,
never-ending, never-beginning universe. Now pay close attention to this next sentence. If life is infinite, then this is
not life. Read that again and consider that life truly is infinite. We can see
this in everything that we scrupulously observe. Therefore, we must
conclude that life, in terms of our body and all of its achievements and
possessions, which without exception begins and ends in dust, isn’t life
itself. Grasping life’s true essence could radically change your life for the
better. This is an enormous inner shift that eliminates fear of death (how can
you fear something that can’t exist?) and connects you permanently to the
infinite Source of Creation that intends everything from the world of
infinite Spirit, into a finite world. Learn to be comfortable with the concept
of infinity, and see yourself as an infinite being.While we’re in this finite world of beginnings and endings, the power of
intention maintains its infinite nature because it’s eternal. Anything you
experience as other than eternal is simply not life. It’s an illusion created by
your ego, which strives to maintain a separate address and identity from its
infinite Source. This shift toward seeing yourself as an infinite spiritual
being having a human experience, rather than the reverse—that is, a human
being having an occasional spiritual experience, is loaded with fear for most
people. I urge you to look at those fears and face them directly right now;
the result will be a permanent connection to the abundance and receptivity
of the universal Source that intends all of Creation into temporary form. Your Fear of the Infinite
We are all in bodies that are going to die, and we know this, yet we can’t
imagine it for ourselves, so we behave as if it weren’t so. It’s almost as if
we’re saying to ourselves, Everybody dies but me. This is attributable to
what Freud observed. Our death is unimaginable, so we simply deny it and
live our lives as if we weren’t going to die... because of the terror that our
own death instills. As I sat down to write this chapter, I said to a friend that
my goal was to leave the reader with a complete absence of the fear of
death. Let me know if it touches you in that way, even on a minor scale. When I was a seven-year-old, I lived with my older brother, David, in a
foster home at 231 Townhall Road, in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. The people
who took us in while my mother worked to reunite her family were named
Mr. and Mrs. Scarf. I remember this as if it occurred yesterday. David and I
were sitting on the back porch of our home, and Mrs. Scarf came outside
with two bananas in her hand and tears flowing down her face. She gave us
each a banana, saying, “Mr. Scarf died this morning.” It was the first time
I’d experienced the concept of death connected to a human being. In my
seven-year-old naïveté, I asked her, attempting to soothe her obvious pain,
“When will he be back?” Mrs. Scarf responded with one word that I’ve
never forgotten. She simply said, “Never.”
I went upstairs to my bunk, peeled my banana, and lay there attempting
to comprehend the concept of never. What did being dead forever really
mean? I could have handled a thousand years, or even a billion light years,
but the idea of never was so overwhelming, with its no ending, and more noending, that I was almost sick to my stomach. What did I do to handle this
incomprehensible idea of never? Simple, I forgot about it and went on about
the business of being seven years old in a foster home. This is what
Castaneda meant when he said that we’re all in bodies on their way to
dying, but we behave as if they’re not, and this is our greatest downfall. Your own death. Essentially, there are two points of view regarding this
dilemma of your own death. The first says that we’re physical bodies that
are born and we go on to live for a while; and then ultimately we
deteriorate, our flesh wears out, and then we die and are dead forever. This
first perspective, if you embrace it either consciously or otherwise, is
terrifying from our alive viewpoint. Unless you embrace the second point of
view, it’s completely understandable that you fear death. Or you may
welcome it if you hate or fear life. The second point of view says very
simply that you’re eternal, an infinite soul in a temporary expression of
flesh. This second point of view says that only your physical body dies, that
you were whole and perfect as you were created, and that your physicalness
emanated from the universal mind of intention. That universal mind was
and is formless—it’s the pure energy of love, beauty, kindness, and
creativity, and it can’t die, since there’s no form involved—no form, no
death, no boundaries, no deterioration, no flesh, no possibility of it wasting
away. Now which of these two points of view gives you the most comfort? Which is associated with peace and love? Which invokes fear and anxiety? Obviously the idea of your infinite self keeps you on friendly terms with
infinity. Knowing you’re first and foremost an infinite being consciously
connecting with your Source, which is eternal and omnipresent, is surely
the more comforting prospect. Because of its infinite nature, it’s
everywhere, and it then follows that the whole of Spirit must be present at
every point in space at the same moment. Thus, Spirit is present in its entirety everywhere, which includes you. You
can never, ever be separate from it. You’ll learn to laugh at the absurd idea
that you could ever be separate from the universal mind. It’s your Source.You are it. God is the mind through which you think and exist. It’s always
connected to you, even if you don’t believe in it. Even an atheist doesn’t
have to believe in God to experience God. The question then becomes, not
whether your body is going to die, but rather, on what side of infinity you
wish to live. You have two choices, either you live on the inactive or the
active side of infinity. In either case, you have an appointment with infinity,
and there’s no way to avoid it. Your appointment with infinity. Reread the Joseph Campbell quote at
the beginning of this chapter. Eternity is now! Right now, right here, you’re
an infinite being. Once you get past the fear of death as an end, you merge
with the infinite and feel the comfort and relief that this realization brings. We identify everything in this material world through a space-time
continuum. Yet infinity has no preference for time and space. You aren’t the
elements that make up your body; you merely make use of the elements. You go beyond space and time and are merged with the infinite universal
mind. If you haven’t recognized it, it’s because of your fear. You can keep
your appointment with infinity while you’re in your temporary body, with
its slavish adherence to time and space. My objective in this chapter is to
help you realize and do this. If you make this merger, I assure you of a life
without fear of death. Let’s take a look at both of the elements in the space/time prison in which
we find our material bodies and all of its treasures. The factor of space
means that we’re experiencing separation from everyone and everything. This is my space as defined by my boundaries; those are your spaces. Even
your most cherished soul mate lives in a world apart from yours. No matter
how close in space you get, the boundaries are separate. In space, we’re
always separate. Trying to imagine an infinite world without space and
separation is extremely difficult, until we make our appointment with
infinity. Time is also a factor of separation. We’re separated from all of the events
and memories of our past. Everything that has happened is separate from
what’s happening right now. The future is also separate from the here-and-now where we’re living. We can