 is that the more you give love, the more alert an d aware you
will bec ome! Love brings complete alertness. As you make a conscientious
ef fort to notice as many things around you that you love as you can each
day, you will become more aware and alert.How to Keep Y our Mind Focused
on Love
"Clarity of mind means clarity o f passion, too; this is why a gr e at and clear
mind loves ar dently and sees dis tinctly what it loves." (Blaise Pascal1623 -
1662)

One way to sta y alert is to trick your mind by asking questi ons such as
"What can I see that I love?" "How many things can I see th at I love?" "What else is there that I love?" "What can I see that thrills me? " "What can
I see that excite s me?" "What can I see that I'm passionate a bout?" ''Are
there mo re things I can see that I love?" "What can I hear that I love?" When y ou ask your mind questions, your mind can't help itself and it gets
busy ri ght away to give you the answers. It stops other thoughts
immediately so as to come up with the answers to your questions. The secret is to  keep asking your mind questions regularly. The more
questions you can ask, the more  you will be in control of your  mind. Y our
mind wi ll be working with you a nd doing what you want it to do, instead of
working against you. Sometimes your mind can take of f like a freight train down a mountain
without a driver, if you don't stay in control of it. Y ou are the driver of your
mind, so take c har ge and keep it busy with your instructions by telling it
where you want it to go. Y our mind only takes of f on its own if you're not
telling it what to do. "The mind acts like an enemy for those who don't control it." (Bhagavad Gita 5th Century BC Hindu T ext)
Y our mind is a powerful and magnificent tool you can use, but you must be
in c ontrol of it. Rather than letting it distract you with ou t-of-control
thoughts, you want your mind to  help you give love. It doesn't take long totrain your mind to focus on love, and once you have just watch what
happens to your life! The Key of Gratitude
"Y ou cannot exer cise much p ower without gratitude becau se it is
gratitude that keeps you connected with power." (W allace W attles1860
-191 1)

I kn ow o f thous ands of people i n the worst imaginable situations who have
changed their lives completely through gratitude. I know of miracles that
have taken place in he alth where there seemed to be no hope: failed kidneys
regenerate, disea sed hearts heal, eyesight is restored, tumors disappear, and
bones g row and rebuild themselves. I know of broken relationships that
have transformed into magnificent ones through gratitude: failed marriages
completely restored, estranged family members reunited, parents
transforming re lationships wit h children and teenagers, and teachers
transforming students. I have seen people who were in total poverty become
wealthy through gratitude: people turned around failing businesses, and
people w ho had struggled with money all their lives created abundance. Someone even went from living on the streets to having a job and a home in
a week. I know of people who were in depression who catapulted into
joyful and fulfilling lives throug h gratitude. People who have su f fered from
anxiety and every kind of mental illness have restored themselve s to perfect
mental health through gratitude. Every single savior of the world  used gratitude, because they all knew that
gratitude was one of the highest expressions of love. They knew that when
they wer e gratef ul, they were liv ing in exact accordance with th e law. Why
do you think Jesus said thank YOIl before he performed every miracle. Every time you feel grateful yo u are giving love, and whatever you give,
you receive. Whether you're giving thanks to a person or feeling grateful for
a car, a vacation, a sunset, a gift, a new house, or an exciting event, you aregiving love for those things, and you will receive back more joy, more
health, more money, more amazing experiences, more  incredible
relationships, more opportunities. T ry it now. Think of something or someone you're grateful for. Y ou could
choose t he perso n you love mo re than anyone else in the world. Focus on
that person and think about all the thing s you love and are grate ful for about
that person. Then, in your min d or out loud, tell that person all those things
you love and are grateful for about them, as though they were there with
you. T el l them all the reasons you love them.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        (Geor ge Bernar d Shaw)
Give It - Receive It
Remember that the law of attraction says whatever you give, you receive. If
you think of the law of attraction as a mirror, an echo, a boomerang, or a
copying machine, it will help ma ke you clearer on what to imagine and feel. The law  of attraction is like a mirror because a mirror reflects back exactly
what is in front of it. The law of attraction is like an echo becau se whatever
you give out is exactly the echo that comes back. The law of attraction is
like a boomeran g, because whatever boomerang you throw is the exact
same bo omerang that comes back to you. The law of attraction is like a
copying machin e, because whatever you give is reproduced exactly and you
will receive back an exact copy. A few years ago I was in Paris for my work and I was walking down a
street w hen a woman rushed past me wearing one of the mo st beautiful
skirts I had seen, intricately detailed in a Parisian style. My reaction was
love: "What a beautiful skirt. " A few weeks la ter I was happily driving to work in Melbourne, Australia,
when I was forced to stop because another driver was trying to do an illegal
U-turn at an inte rsection. As I loo ked at a store window where I had beenforced to  stop, I saw the exact same skirt I had seen on the woman in the
streets of Paris. I could no t believ e my eyes. When I got to work, I called
the store and they told me they had received only one skirt from Europe in
that styl e, and it was the skirt i n the window. Of course the skirt was my
size. When I we nt to the store to purchase the skirt, it was red uced to half
price, and the store attendant told me they had not ordered the skirt, and that
it had just appeared in their order accidentally. The only thing I had done to bring that skirt to me was to love it, and from
Paris to a suburban street in Australia, through circumstances and events,
the exact same skirt was delive red to me. That is the magnetic power of
love. That is love's law of attraction in operation. A few weeks la ter I was happily driving to work in Melbourne, Australia,
when I was forced to stop because another driver was trying to do an illegal
U-turn at an inte rsection. As I loo ked at a store window where I had been
forced to  stop, I saw the exact same skirt I had seen on the woman in the
streets of Paris.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: According to the law of attraction, what happens when you imagine something positive and feel love for it?,
A: You receive it.
Q: What is the key to creating what you want in your life, according to the author?,
A: To imagine what you want and feel love for it.
Q: What is the author's perspective on the concept of time?,
A: According to the author, time is an illusion.
Q: What is the key to changing a negative situation in your life?,
A: To imagine the opposite of the negative situation and feel love for it.
Q: What is the author's advice on how to keep your mind focused on love?,
A: To ask your mind questions like "What can I see that I love?" and "What else is there that I love?"<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Y ou can recall particular
instances or moments by saying, "Remember the time when... " As you're
doing it, feel the gratitude begin to fill your heart and body. The love you gave in th at simple ex ercise must and will return to you in the
relationship, and in your whole life. Tha t is how easy it is to give love
through gratitude. Albert Einstein was one of th e greatest scientists who ever lived. His
discoveries completely changed the way we see the universe. And when
asked about his monumental achievements, Einstein spoke only of giving
thanks to others. One of the most brilliant minds that has ever li ved thanked
others for what they had given to him - a hundred times a day! That means
at le ast a  hundre d times a day, Einstein gave love. Is it any w onder that life
revealed so many of its mysteries


 and cooled to the right
temperature, you can slowly lower your baby into the water feet first. You
can hold your baby face up with one hand under their head and neck and the
other hand under their bottom and allow them to float on their back in the
water. Your baby should appear warm and relaxed; they may uncurl their
arms and legs and reach out into the water. Assure that their feet are always
contacting a boundary, whether it is your body or the edge of the bathtub. They are used to the boundary of being in your womb, so too much space or
vastness can feel overwhelming—and even scary—to them. The best practice for a newborn bath is to keep the baby’ s umbilical
cord out of the water, and just allow your newborn to float on their back on
top of the water—the usual Ayurvedic recommendation is to wait until the
umbilical cord falls of f to give baby a full bath. However, a floaty herbal
bath can be a sweet, relaxing welcome into the world for your baby. The
herbs have the added benefit of being antibacterial and soothing to the skin. If the cord does get wet, simply dry it after the bath and apply powdered
goldenseal to the umbilical area to dry and help it heal. After a baby’ s welcome bath, it is not necessary or recommended to
bathe them again until the umbilical cord falls of f naturally. Optimally, the
umbilical cord will simply dry up and fall of f on its own without any
intervention. Make sure to use diapers small enough that they do not cover
the umbilical cord. Powdered goldenseal applied gently around the belly
button with a Q-tip once a day will aid drying and healing and help prevent
infection. Until the cord falls of f, you can wash the baby with a warm,
clean, damp washcloth or sponge if needed, but often a baby does not needto be washed at all. After the umbilical cord is gone, you can begin to bathe
the baby once every day or every couple of days in lukewarm water after a
massage (see the next section). BABY MASSAGE
A baby massage is a traditional practice that supports the health of a baby
and allows for deep bonding with the parents. The Ayurvedic
recommendation is to start baby massage after the umbilical cord falls of f
and to continue daily for at least the first year of the baby’ s life. BENEFITS OF BABY  MASSAGE
Activates important bonding hormones between parent and baby
Promotes healthy and nourished skin
Boosts baby’ s weight gain
Prevents bacterial infections
Increases circulation of the blood and the lymphatic system
Drains toxins from the body
Strengthens the immune system
Supports digestion and bowel movements
Helps with sound sleep
Strengthens limbs and joints
Soothes the nervous system
Pacifies excess vata dosha
TIPS FOR AN AYUR VEDIC BABY  ABHY ANGA
Use organic oils only (conventional oils have many pesticides).Use sesame oil in general. Use sunflower or coconut oil if your baby
is prone to overheating or rashes. Use the palms of your hands and closed fingers instead of finger tips
in order to calm your baby, rather than stimulate them. Take cues from your babe. If they are not enjoying the massage, you
can stop or change your methods. They should appear calm or
happy and not be upset with abhyanga. On that same note, always ask permission to give the massage. You
can ask by showing them your hands with the oil on it so they know
the massage is coming, and wait for their positive response before
moving forward. This is important even from birth—it teaches them
respect for their bodies and expectations for safe touch. Be sure that the pressure of the massage is moderate: not so light
that it tickles or so deep that it hurts. Only massage after basic needs (feeding and diapering) have been
met, and wait thirty minutes after a feeding. Massage from the heart outward down the limbs. Do not massage if the umbilical cord has not fallen of f yet, if the baby
is sleeping, if it’ s very soon after feeding, if baby is giving negative
cues (for example, crying or fussing), or if the baby is ill, congested,
or has a fever. Choose a song to sing during the massage. As soon as you start to sing, your
little hunny may light up, as they begin to understand that this certain song
means massage time. One of the most important parts of baby massage is transmitting love
through your hands, which means being totally and completely present with
your baby during this time. 1.Warm the oil first in your hands or place the oil bottle in hot
water for a few moments.2.Place little babe somewhere cozy and make sure the room is
warm. Be sure to place a sheet or towel underneath, as things
are about to get oily! 3.Gently begin by applying oil to the baby’ s scalp, rubbing their
head in circular motions with your palms. 4.Massage from the baby’ s heart down the arms and then the
legs. Use long strokes down the limbs, and circles around the
joints—making sure to really rub the oil into baby’ s tissues. 5.Massage baby’ s abdomen in a large clockwise motion, using a
gentle touch with little to no pressure. 6.Turn your baby onto their belly or side, and massage their back
and bum. 7.Let baby soak in the oily goodness for ten or twenty minutes. Make sure your little one stays warm! 8.Bath time! Ayurvedic Baby Soap
Ayurveda recommends using a soap made from the following recipe
for the first year of your baby’ s life. (Y ou can also use this soap
yourself after abhyanga massages!) This homemade liquid cleanser
is gentle on the skin and removes excess oil without being drying. No other commercial soap is necessary for your little one. Ingredients
1 tablespoon chickpea flour
½ teaspoon sandalwood powder
½ teaspoon rose water⅓ cup milk (can substitute milk with coconut milk or water in vegan
households)
Instructions
In a small saucepan, mix the chickpea flour and sandalwood with
enough milk to form a paste. Mix well and then add the rest of the
milk. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. When the mixture begins to bubble and thicken, it is ready. Make
sure the soap has cooled before applying it to your babe’ s skin. Since it is made with milk, this soap should be made fresh before
each bath. COMMON NEWBORN
CHALLENGES
If your babe is experiencing an imbalance in the newborn phase, it may be a
result of mama having an imbalance. Mothers and babies are so intrinsically
connected in those early days that the health of the mother directly af fects
the health of the baby. Not only your diet but also your mind and emotions
affect your little one. As Ayurveda emphasizes, most imbalances and
disease in the body and mind can be treated with diet and lifestyle alone—
so Ayurveda recommends evaluating mama’ s diet and lifestyle, as well as
the ener gy in the environment that is surrounding mama and little babe,
before treating baby. Please be assured, however, that sometimes babies have minor
imbalances that are not due to mama’ s diet and mood. My little one got a
heat rash a few days after his birth. At the same time, he had really wet,
yellow poop. These are usually obvious signs that there is too much heat in
the body, so my husband and I both felt an ur gency to lower the baby’ s
pitta. I felt added pressure to make sure I was not eating too many heating
spices, along with guilt that something I was doing (or not doing) could beharming my babe. Every time I ate, I would be worried that it would af fect
him negatively. Feeling like I could be the cause of his suf fering due to my
diet or emotions did not feel good! Then our midwife came for a home visit,
looked at his poop, and laughed: “That is what normal baby poop looks
like!” She also told us our house felt way too warm and to open the
windows to allow some cooler air in—oh, okay, so simple! The following is a list of what might arise in your newborn days, and
Ayurveda’ s approach to what to do if they do. COLIC
Colic is not a diagnosis but rather a description of symptoms. When a baby
is “colicky” they usually exhibit a combination of fussing, crying (for hours
at a time), and gassiness. If little babe curls their legs into their chest, turns
bright red with tense limbs, and cries inconsolably, your baby may be
experiencing the abdominal pain associated with colic. According to Western medical science, colic is something that just
happens sometimes with no apparent cause. According to Ayurveda, the
cause of colic in a breastfed newborn is the diet of the nursing mama. Colic
takes three weeks or more to manifest with symptoms, after poor eating
habits have accumulated. Before colic manifests, you will see symptoms of
gassiness in your little one; if mama’ s diet is not altered, after several
weeks, you may have a colicky baby. Often when certain foods are removed
from


 gan
at least one inch in depth or thickness. As a result of the contraction of the outside coating of the stomach, it had become elongated
into a tube, and its normal capacity was much diminished. The duodenum and the upper three feet of the small intestin e were
dilated so that their lumen was three inches in diameter, a structural change which suggests the thought that nature had atte mpted
to remedy in this portion of the alimentary canal the deficiency in size and function existing in the stomach. It is s aid that cirrhosis
of the stomach is a symptom very rarely observed in disease, but in this case and in the one that follows, this organic chang e was
present in forms that could scarcely have been more perfect examples of their kind. Continuing the post mo rtem findings, below
the dilated section of the small intestines the remainder of the tract including the entire colon was apparently normal in si ze and in
functional ability. The gall bladder was small, while the kidneys, the pancreas, and the spleen all exhibited signs of tissue
hardening. Case 11, an unmarried woman of thirty -three, had never passed a year during infancy and girlhood free from acute illness, and
had been a sufferer through all of her later life from nervous exhaustion that at frequ ent intervals was accompanied with morbid
craving for food, a desire which was satisfied without reason whenever it occurred. About five years before death the medical
adviser of the patient ordered that she take some sustenance every two hours during her waking moments, with a full meal just
before retiring. In addition to her other suffering, for many years at the menstrual period, the young woman was compelled to  lose
four or five days from her duties. She had sought the world over for relief, and about two years before consultation had turned to
natural agencies for health restoration undergoing then a fast of ten days. At the time the case was presented for examinatio n there
could be no doubt but that some aggravated form of organic disease existed, and  no encouragement was offered in prognosis, but it
was agreed that the treatment given should be aimed at the relief that a light diet, coupled with the essential eliminative
Page 67 of  72 accessories, would be certain to afford. This course was pursued for a period of eighty days, when death occurred. The case when
first seen showed a cyanosed condition of the skin; the cheeks were blue and veined, as was the nose, and the entire surface of the
body exhibited deplorable deficiency in venous circulation. This state impro ved to some extent after entering upon the dietary
regimen. Examination of the body after death revealed a liver and stomach cirrhosed, the stomach walls showing no evidence of recent
function, being approximately three -quarters of an inch in thickne ss. The small intestines, infantile in size, were of the consistency
of cartilage in sections, and adhesions were present at various points. The colon was no larger than an adult thumb throughou t its
length, and it also exhibited adhesions. The only organs  of the body that were in anything like a condition of functional capability
were the lungs and the heart. The kidneys, the spleen, and the pancreas, as in the previous case, were incipiently hardened. In several of the cases quoted it has been menti oned that the patient after the beginning of a fast, experienced a renewal of
vitality for which no solid physiological foundation existed. Nature, struggling to restore organic function, invariably make s the
effort commensurate with the gravity of the exi stent defect. By the removal of the labor of digestion at least one -half of the total
organic work of the body is lifted, and relief that simulates recuperation is manifested despite structural deficiency in the  machine. In the presence of serious organic disease this seemingly favorable symptom is of short duration, and, as it passes, very evident
decline begins and progresses until nerve centers and brain no longer receive adequate support and the body dies. In Cases 3 and 4
the relief experienced after t he first fast was sufficient in each case, with organs still partially able to function, to enable the system
to maintain itself until accumulation again became too great to permit of continuance. Defects in organism, too serious to ha ve
been corrected in the earlier treatment or in the interim, now reached the stage either of degeneration or of atrophy, until finally
liberation of the life principle became no longer possible. When a case is first presented for examination the presence of serious orga nic defect cannot always be determined, but no doubt
is permitted shortly after entrance into a fast, for within a week or ten days symptoms are displayed that fix conditions. Th e third
week positively decides the outcome. In the two cases last described s igns of organic disease were such as not to be mistaken from
the very first. Soon or late the result in these and like instances must be death, and all that can be done towards possible recovery
must in the circumstances prove of no avail. Because of the h opeless outlook the cases described were placed upon restricted diet;
a diet that put no undue strain upon failing function, but that, nevertheless, did not ameliorate the distress of disease as would an
absolute fast. Family anxiety and outside criticism prevented the employment of the latter agency. In the circumstances life was
prolonged for several weeks, but it is virtually certain that, if food had been entirely excluded, relief would have been gre ater and
days would have been added to existence. Disease that is functional in character is self -limited. The amount of poison manufactured within the body is determined by the
intake of food or of drugs, and eradication of disease is fixed in limit of time by the ability of vital organs to resist and  east out
toxic products. The possibility always exists that these organs may prove unequal to their work, and this possibility becomes  a
certainty, with death as the outcome, in two situations --one, when the organs themselves are structurally defective, an d the other,
when, though fully capable of normal function, their powers are stimulated by food or by drugs, or by both, to the point of
exhaustion. But one of these conditions, that of irreparable organic defect, presents itself when disease is treated by  means of the
fast. Both are encountered in the therapeutics of medicine. In the majority of instances in medically treated cases the passing of life occurs under the influence of opiates that deaden  pain
and paralyze consciousness. Virtually from th e beginning of a fast pain ceases, consciousness is usually maintained with
exceptional mental clarity, and death, if it occurs, is like falling into gentle sleep. The results displayed in the post mortem findings cited, and the comparisons made in t he statement that follows, are tangible
assets in the claim that, in the absence of defects in the organs of the body, abstinence from food, together with the needfu l health -
giving and health preserving accompaniments elsewhere described in the text, is th e unfailing remedy for the correction of
functional ills. Both physician and patient from the outset of treatment possess the assurance of recovery; and confidenee th at rests
on infallible natural law is in itself of the greatest assistance in accomplishin g results. Comparative statement of post mortem findings is death by starvation (medical), and post mortem findings in death during the
fast as noted in the text. EMACIATION
Death by starvation:
Marked. Death by fasting:

    In cases where cirrhosed state of liver or stomach existed, emaciation was similar to that in chronic ailments, but in the ot her
instances it was not at all marked. Page 68 of  72 SKIN
Death by starvation:
    Shrivelled and wrinkled; emits a fetid odor; sometimes  dark brown, varnishy coating; tightly adherent to parts beneath; rough,
scurvy surface. Death by fasting:
    Smooth and pliable in all cases; free from odor; no coating; not adherent. Except in eases of cirrhosis of liver or stomach,
perfectly white. In the latter cyanosed condition as noted

SUB -CUTANEOUS FAT
Death by starvation:
    Absent. Death by fasting:
    In all eases sub -cutaneous fat was present. This was especially so where disintegration of the liver is noted. POST MORTEM RIGIDITY
Death by starvation:
    Pronounced. Death by fasting:
    Very slight. PUTREFACTION
Death by starvation:
    Sets in at once and progresses very rapidly. Death by fasting:
    Very slow in progress. No preservatives were used on any body before holding the autopsy. In one instance post mortem was
held one month after death, and putrefaction was hardly noticeable. Slowness of decay is attributable to the constant employm ent
of both external and internal baths during treatment. Fasting is a process of elimination in immediate result, and the product s that
tend to swift decomposition are removed from the body as rapidly as formed. HEART
Death by starvation:
    Usually contr acted, containing only a small amount of blood. Sometimes distinct atrophy. Death by fasting:
    Normal in all cases. LUNGS
Death by starvation:
    Normal but smaller. Death by fasting:
    Normal except as noted. BLOOD
Death by starvat ion:
    Lessened in amount, but thin and fluid from anemia. Death by fasting:
    Abundance of blood. No apparent anemia.


 their own lives.In contrast with this model, American medical doctors are
assigned the active (powerful) roles while patients are resigned to
passive (powerless) ones. Efrem felt a kinship with the Taoist
physician who performed skillfully to mitigate distress but also
acted as teache r, sharing knowledge and power. Doctor and patient
then engaged in the mutual endeavor of grasping the problem and
accomplishing the healing. Sages describe  a state witho ut suering and a way to get there. That way is not to search for a single remedy, a panacea, a “magic
bullet,” but to engage in the ongoing process of learning to become
more animated, more connected: more charged with life. Both
Efrem and I were struck by the notion that Chinese medicine was
about just that—striving toward greater integration through the
cultivation of Qi. The excitement was and remains that Chinese
medicine oers an approach that includes, yet moves beyond, issues
of physical health. By the summer of 1972, at a time when few Americans had heard
of acupuncture, and at the risk of being considered cultural
renegades, we struggled to cross over ethnic, social, and intellectual
barriers, rivete d by the idea that with Chinese medicine we could
both understand the world and change it. Just as my younger sister
was nishing medical school, we were exploring foreign territory,
making our journey east. THE NATURE OF  REALITY  SHIFTS
After the acupuncture seminar at Esalen, the intrigue escalated. Efrem and I read what we could, but it wasn’t enough. Like hounds
on the scent of a fox, we were pulled irresistibly by the magnet of
Chinese philosophy and driven to discover whether these ancient
healing techniques really worked. At that time no schools oered
study program s in the Unite d States, and China had not yet been
opened to American students. So we traveled to England  in the fall
of 1972 to enroll in the College of Traditional Chinese Acupuncture.We were part of the rst class of Americans to study at this
college. Half of our group were Western medical docto rs. We all
went through major readjustm ents during our course of study as our
presumptions about the nature of reality, ourselves, health, and
healing were pulled apart, stretched, and rewoven into new cloth. I began to experience mysel f as a little tao, a galaxy of internal
planets spinning through time and space. These planets became
named as ve transformativ e phases: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and
Water. Each one functioned as an energetic eld linked with the
visceral organs of Liver, Heart, Spleen, Lung, and Kidney, whose lines
of force coursed through channels in my body like a lattice of
waterways crosses the earth. Physiological functions, personality
characteristics, even single impulses could be classied within this
new language. We came to recognize that each class member could be
characterized by the attributes of one Organ  and Phase. For example,
an enthusiastic cardiologist became easily excited, had a nervous
laugh, and liked to give running commentary about his experience
as he lived it. We identied him as expressing the inuence of Fire. A methodical and serious graduate student who dressed fastidiously
and set high standards for herself and others reected the inuence
of Metal  A dynamic, impatient psychologist who took the initiative
to set up the school’s rst training clinic exhibited typical Wood
characteristics. A socially reticent, intense nonconformist who
plunged into the learning, absorbing all he could in his fertile mind,
manifested a strong Water  aspect. And an internist able to heal with
his compassion ate touch and smile, who assumed care of us when
the stress of our studies took its toll, had the phase of Earth  speaking
through his personality. Just as I could see myself as a little tao, our class too became a
projection of a single body. We each performed our own function, a
distinct role appropriate to our individual nature. Our physical
shape, the quality of our movement and manner, our symptoms, the
tastes and avors we preferred, the odor of our esh, the color of
our tongue, the sound of our voice, the feeling of our pulse, revealedways our persona organized and expressed itself within the context
of these new categories. THE REALITY OF  MEDICINE  SHIFTS
We experienced a radical shift of focus from what we’d known. We
learned to feel the pulse in six positions on the radial artery of both
wrists, each position corresponding to a channel associated with an
Organ Network. This was particularly dramatic for the doctors. Since
medical school they had accepted as an article of faith and an
assumption of science the existence of only one pulse, which
reected the function of the heart alone. The notion that the shape,
force, and rhythm of the blood pulsing through the radial artery was
not merely determined by the activity of the heart, but was the
outcome of the interaction of all forces coalescing in the human
body at any given time, diverged sharply from their medical
education. Alongside our training, we were experiencing acupuncture for our
own maladies. In the midst of a particularly intense week of
uninterrupted study, Efrem felt ushed, agitated, and had the
unpleasant sensation of his pulse pounding throughout his body. His
blood pressure was abnormally high, 140/90. Our teacher inserted
one needle along the outer edge of his hand and another  along the
front border of his neck muscle. The change was striking—within
minutes his blood pressure normalized, the pounding ceased, and he
felt an expansive calm. What had been a pervasive mood of anxiety
and melancholy became one of exhilaration and repose. He
experienced acupuncture as simultaneously alleviating the distress
in his body and restoring his good humor. This imprinted  upon him
that within this medical system, mental discomforts need not be
ignored nor invalidated as being “only in your mind.”
CHANGING  DEFINITIONSAlthough I had always consid ered myself to be in perfect health, my
self-image was chipped away  by the chisel of this new perspective. As a child, whenever I had a snie my father gave me a powerful
pill to squelch it, and as a result, I never got sick. Later, even though
my stamina was capricious and I had low blood pressure,  my father
considered this a blessing—no need to worry about high blood
pressure. In my family, as long as you weren’t sick, you were
healthy. But bothersome aspects of my physical and emotional life
that I’d previously dismissed  as idiosyncratic began to appear as
lifelong signs of a pattern that betrayed less than optimal function. It dawned on me that although I was not sick, I could feel better. For years my hands and feet were ice blocks under the covers at
night and my lower back ached periodically. Cuts became easily
infected, and frequent canker sores burned in my mouth, aggravated
by the sweets that I craved. Sometimes a lingering hunge r persisted
after meals, and in the evenings when I was tired, my hearing
diminished to the hum of a dim tuner. Restful sleep eluded me if I
remained awake past eleven P.M., and rising the next morning could
seem an Olympian feat. Yet more limiting than any of these minor
body aictions was a nagging sense of fatigue. There was
constantly more on my agenda than I had energy to accomplish. In
the early afternoon I could be easily overcome by a mudd led feeling
that left me sluggish, unable to focus, and unproductive for several
hours of prime time during the work day. I felt hopeful and
optimistic but lacked the steady strength to fulll my ambitions. I had never assembled these  vague complaints. My father would
have dismissed  them since they didn’t make particular sense within
his framework, and besides, there was nothing in his repertoire to
“x” any of them. From his point of view I was normal. But within
the context of Chinese medi cine, each sign and symptom assumed
new meaning. Although Western lab tests would have indicated normal kidney
function, the coldness, tiredness, and hearing loss represented a
weakness of Water, the Kidney Network. The sores in my mouth and
surge of energy late at night  were characteristic of an imbalance ofWood, the Liver Network  Sleeping problems were associated with a
deciency of Fire, the Heart Network. Overall, my character was
most dominated by Earth, the Spleen Network. A sunny disposition,
an eagerness to help other people, and constant reection upon how
to generally improve the human condition are traits of Earth. A
xation with details, a somet imes obsessive need to get things done,
and that sudden soggy, muddled feeling are associated with
disharmonies of Earth. As I received acupuncture treatment, and later herbal medicine,
my resources increased and steadied; in addition, I could relieve my
monthly irritability, water retention, and insomnia. As my
complaints receded, I experienced myself as a more eective captain
of my vessel, guiding fate


pp. 57–59). OceanofPDF.comGLOSSARY OF  IMPORTANT  TERMS AND  CONCEPTS
Acupuncture Point Sites along the skin where the channels of Qi
come closest to the surface of the body. Access to Qi occurs through
gateways or acupuncture points along the channels that traverse the
body to carry the Qi. These points provide a communication system,
connecting the outside with the interior. Acupuncture points are
stimulated to encourage the circulation of Qi and Blood, to provide
analgesia, to aect particular Organ Network  function, and to
inuence the equilibrium of the organism as a whole. Acquired  (Postnatal ) Essence. The Essence  transformed from air, food,
and uid by the Lung and Spleen, the surplus of which is collected
and stored by the Kidney, supplements and to some degree osets
and postpones the attrition of prenatal Essence  due to the process of
aging. Adverse Climates. The internal or external pathogenic agents of Wind,
Heat, Cold, Dryness, and Dampness. Anabolism. The anabolic  process of metabolism in which food is
converted into tissue. In the context of Chinese medicine, anabolic
processes corre spond to Yin categories of assimilation and storage of
Qi, Moisture, and Blood  (known as the material substance of the
organism that is the expression of Jing or Essence ). Anchor. Through its power to consolidate Qi (Essence ), the Kidney  is
able to “grasp” or “hold on to” the Qi, thus giving the organism a
root, a lower center of gravity, which stabilizes the organism much
the way an anchor keeps a ship from drifting. If the Kidney  loses this
capacity, problems such as shortness of breath, dizzines s, and hot
ashes may arise.Archetype. A psychological idea articulated by Carl Jung that
describes universal human characteristics as symboliz ed in the
gures and characters that appear in myths and dream s. In our
discussion, we have constructed archetypal gures who embody the
essential physical, psychological, and social characteris tics of the
Five Phases. They are the Pioneer  (Wood ), Wizard  (Fire), Peacemaker
(Earth ), Alchemist  (Metal ), and Philosopher  (Water ). Blood  (xue). The most dense uid substance in the body, which
transmits nourishment and provides the material “matrix” for
mental and emotional life: “Blood houses the mind.” Blood  is stored
by the Liver, generated by the Spleen, propelled by the Heart, and is
the mother of Qi. Body Exterior. Inclu des body hair, skin, subcutaneous tissue,
muscles, peripheral blood vessels, and peripheral nerves. Body Interior. Includes bones, visceral organs, glands, major blood
vessels and nerves, and body cavities. Body Unit. An anatomical measure used to locate acupuncture
points. One unit is equal to the width of the second joint of the
thumb. Three body units are equal to the breadth of the second,
third, fourth, and fth nger s when held together. Dierent parts of
the body are divided according to specied numbers of body units—
for exam ple, the distance from the navel to the pubic bone is ve
body units; and the distance from the crease of the elbow to the
crease of the wrist is twelve body units. Catabolism. The catabolic process of metabolism in which tissue is
broken down to liberate energy. In the context of Chinese  medicine,
catabolic processes correspond to Yang categories of generation and
distribution of Qi, Moisture, and Blood  (in other words, the
animation of the organism that is the expression of Shen).Channels. Also called meridians, a network of nonanatomical
conduit vessels through which the Qi circulates. Each of the Organ
Networks  has a corres ponding channel: Liver, Gallbladder, Heart,
Small Intestine, Spleen, Stomach, Lung, Large Intestine, Kidney, Bladder,
Pericardium, and Triple-Burner. In addition there is the Conception
Vessel  which travels along the midline in the front of the body, and
the Governor Vessel, which travels along the back of the middle of
the head and down the spine. There are also “extra channels,”
which are made up of a combination of acupuncture points from
dierent channels. Character. In our terms, the inborn nature or matrix of the soma and
psyche express ed as one of the Five-Phase  types. Character is distinct
from personality insofar as the latter is an aggregate of what is both
inherited (genetic) and acquired (experience and development),
whereas chara cter refers to the innate tendencies and potentials of
the individual. Chinese Medicine. A methodology of medicine developed in ancient
China, also known as Chinese traditional medicine, that refers to a
system of thinking and practice rather than a description of current
medical convention in China. Cold. Characterized by aversion to cold, desire for heat,
hypoactivity, desquamation,  lack of thirst, loose stool, pallor,
lethargy, dullness, somnolence, weakness, profuse clear urine, thin
odorless discharges. Collapsed. A subtype of the Five-Phase  types corresponding to Yin
categories of attrition and dissipation of Qi. When a Phase  is
collapsed, the Organ Network  or individual associated with that Phase
shows signs of weakness, vulnerability, and passivity. Consolidate. Condense, tone, astringe: to consolidate is to counter
the weakening of body functions or the dissipation  of bodysubstances by gathering, densifying, and astringing Qi, Moisture, and
Blood. Herbs and herbal formulas that consolidate aid the body in
concentrating and retaining substances and tightening tissue. In the
body, consolid ation is exemplied by the Kidney Network, whose
function is to receive, concentrate, and store Essence. Context. The background or environm ent in which a particular event
or phenomenon occurs. In Chinese medicine all considerations are
contextual in the sense that no specic symptom, sign, or complaint
can be interpreted correctly without reference to the total
conguration, that is, all the manifestations of the organism that are
accessible to observation or intuition. Core. The deepest layer of tissue and function of the organism,
expressed by the interaction and integration of the Heart  (Shen) and
Kidney  (Jing). Correspondence Thinking. A logical system of descri bing reality in
which all phenomena are interrelated by association with a set of
categories. In Chinese thought these categories are generated by Yin-
Yang and Five-Phase  theories. All events can be described according
to the interaction of these primary variables. Entities and processes
that can be similarly describ ed are said not only to be related, but,
in a profound sense, to inuence one another. Paul Unschuld denes
Chinese traditional medicine as the “medicine of systematic
correspondence.” It is based on a nonlinear, synchronistic rather
than linear, causal method  of analysis. This mode of thinking
distinguishes Chinese traditi onal medicine from moder n Western
medicine. Dampness. Characterized by feelings of heaviness, swelling,
distension of chest and abdomen, uid accumulation, nodular
masses, watery stool, sore joints, stupor, sticky copious discharges,
and phlegm.Diagnosis. In Chinese traditional medicine there are four modes of
diagnosis: seein g, listening and smelling, questioning, and palpating. Primary among  these are inspection of the tongue and palpation of
the pulse at each wrist, observation of the complexion and facial
features, and palpation of acupuncture points. • To see: complexion, eyes, tongue, nails, hair, gait, stature,
aect, quality of excretions, secretions
• To listen and smell: sound of voice and breath; odor of breath,
skin, excretions, secretions
• To question: current complaints, health history, family health
history, patterns of sleep, appetite, weight, elimination, menses,
stress
• To palpate: texture, humidity, temperature, elasticity of skin;
strength and tone of muscle s; exibility, range of motion of
joints; sensitiv ity of diagnostic points; radial pulse evaluation
Disperse. Move,  circulate, distribute, disseminate: to disperse is
to relieve stagnation of Qi, Moisture, and Blood  or the
accumulation of Heat, Cold, Dampness, or phlegm. In the body
dispersion is exemplied by the functions of the Liver Network
and Lung Network  in evenly and rhythmically circulating Qi and
distributing Blood. Dispersing and Descending. The functio ns of the Lung Network
whereby the moist Qi of the upper body is distributed downward
throughout the chest and abdominal regions to be collected and
consolidated by the Kidney Network  in the region of the pelvis. Earth. The materia l realm of human existence, belonging to Yin,
including the soil, seas, and rivers, as well as the visible inuences
of the seasons and climates. In the human body, that


	use	muscle	testing	to	sort	out	the	content
of	one’s	spiritual	library. Put	the	books	that	allow	one	to	go	weak	on	one	side
and	the	ones	that	make	one	go	strong	on	the	other. It	is	highly	educative. It	is	very	important	to	remember	that	it	is	an	impersonal	fact	that	the
consciousness	of	the	seeker	is	naïve	and	has	no	means	of	discovering	truth
from	falsehood. Avoid	the	attractive	but	irrelevant. There	are	astral	realms
and	universes	without	number,	each	with	its	own	teachers,	masters,	spiritual
hierarchy,	and	belief	systems. Many	are	quite	intriguing. The	unwary	can	be
easily	entrapped	by	these	fascinating	and	esoteric	doctrines;	however,	the
seeker	of	enlightenment	will	remember	that	the	ultimate	state	is	not	reachable
via	the	levels	of	form. Many	people	think	they	ought	to	be	involved	in	spiritual	endeavor	but	are
intimidated	by	what	appears	to	be	complexity,	rituals,	requirements,
sacrifices,	commitments,	complicated	readings,	dogma,	and	money. Some
spiritual	groups	even	insist	that	the	applicant	become	‘initiated’	and	go
through	strange	ceremonies,	pledges,	and	agreements. Proprietary	groups
have	mandatory	attendance,	training	courses,	and	the	payment	of	many	fees. In	reality,	there	is	nothing	one	has	to	join,	do,	or	study. There	are	no	rules,
regulations,	or	requirements;	there	are	no	rituals	or	strange	garb,	and	no	odd
breathing	exercises	or	postures	are	necessary. Many	new-age	groups	sound	less	demanding	but	rely	on	misleading
sources	of	information. There	is	emphasis	on	strange	garb,	odd	diets,	weird
headdresses,	and	all	manner	of	necklaces,	symbols,	card	readings,	psychics,
channelings,	mediums,	chantings,	and	mantras. It	is	best	to	beware	of	and
avoid	all	manipulation	of	energies,	light	fields,	mystical	visualizations,	colors,
mystical	numbers,	signs,	and	‘ancient	secret	teachings’. Some	misleading
figures	claim	special	private	instructions	from	God	and	become	self-
proclaimed	prophets	and	visionaries. It	is	simple	to	see	through	all	this	with	a
simple	muscle	test. These	distractions	all	rely	on	form	and	specialness. The	whole	field	takeson	a	carnival-like	atmosphere,	with	reference	to	spaceships,	UFOs,
extraterrestrials,	and	doomsday	prophecies. All	these	aspects	are	mistakenly
labeled	as	spiritual	and	tend	to	be	accepted	at	face	value. One	is	easily	misled
into	the	astral	circus	thinking	that	it	is	‘spiritual’. The	whole	new-age
community	becomes	enamored	of	an	endless	array	of	‘babas’,	‘masters’,	and
legendary	figures,	most	of	whom	cause	one	to	go	weak	with	muscle	testing. Research	reveals	that	many	famous	gurus	have	sold	out	spiritual	integrity	for
power	over	others	and	delusions	of	grandeur.CHAPTER	10
The	Nature	of	God
Introduction
Although	it	may	seem	like	putting	the	cart	before	the	horse,	it	serves	the
spiritual	aspirant	to	know	something	of	the	destination	in	order	to	avoid	being
led	off	track	by	the	fallacious. Error	is	rampant	and	often	pervasive	by	the
sheer	masses	of	people	who	follow	erroneous	and	misleading	concepts	and
proselytize	error. To	know	God	via	direct	experience	is	extremely	rare. Enlightenment
occurs	to	less	than	one	person	in	more	than	ten	million	people. True	teachers
are	few	and	pretenders	abound. If	the	masses	were	headed	in	the	right
direction,	sainthood	and	enlightenment	would	be	common. They	are	not. The
Buddha	said,	“Put	no	head	above	your	own. Follow	the	true	teachings	only.”
The	true	way	is	simple	and	direct. The	Qualities	of	Divinity
This	knowledge	is	important	to	comprehend	so	that	one	can	quickly
discern	what	God	is
not
. Many	religions	teach	what	God	is
not
	in	the	form	of
misunderstanding	and	distortions	of	truth	that	occur	because	of	the	ego’s
misinterpretations	and	projection	of	anthropomorphic	perceptions. To	know
what	God	is	and	to	have	a	tool	available	that	can	calibrate	levels	of	truth	is	to
be	very	well	prepared	indeed	for	what	can	be	at	times	a	difficult	journey	or
process. God	is	everywhere	present,	including	the	here	and	now. God	is	not
elsewhere,	such	as	only	in	a	distant	heaven	or	in	the	future	so	as	to	be
available	only	when	one	gets	to	heaven. The	presence	of	God	is	thus	available
to	everyone	all	the	time. To	realize	this	is	just	a	matter	of	awareness. It	is	said
that	without	the	help	of	a	guru,	savior,	or	avatar,	this	awareness	is	unlikely	to
occur	in	the	lifetime	of	most	people,	which	may	be	true. God	is	beyond	perception,	duality,	positionality,	or	having	parts. God	is
beyond	all	opposites,	such	as	good	and	bad,	right	and	wrong,	win	and	lose. Like	the	sun,	God	shines	equally	on	all. God’s	love	is	not	reserved	for	the
favored	few. It	is,	however,	experienced	directly	only	by	the	few,	but	it	does
shine	through	the	clouds	via	the	love	we	experience	with	others,	including
even	pets	and	nature. The	degree	to	which	one	experiences	the	presence	ofGod’s	love	varies	markedly	from	one	person	to	another,	depending	on	one’s
level	of	consciousness. The	presence	of	God	is	the	quintessence	of	profound	peace,	stillness,	and
love. It	is	overwhelming	in	its	profundity. It	is	totally	enveloping,	and	the	love
is	so	powerful	that	it	dissolves	any	remaining	‘non-love’	held	by	the	residual
ego. Like	empty	space	that	is	unsullied	by	its	content,	or	water	that	is
unaffected	by	the	fish	that	swim	through	it,	the	Reality	of	God	is	beyond,	yet
within,	all	form. Like	space,	it	is	equally	present	in	the	objects	therein. That	which	is	omnipotent,	omniscient,	and	omnipresent	is	not	vulnerable
to	threat	or	emotional	upset;	thus,	God	is	not	prone	to	revenge,	jealously,
hatred,	violence,	vanity,	egotism,	or	the	need	for	adulation	or	compliments. The	beneficiary	of	worshipping	is	the	worshipper. God	is	totally	and
absolutely	complete	and	has	no	needs	or	desires. God	is	not	unhappy	or	upset
if	you	have	never	heard	of	him	or	do	not	believe	in	him. Many	of	the	old-world	descriptions	of	God	are	actually	reprehensible	and
figments	of	man’s	guilty	projections	of	fear. Primitives	thought	that	every
storm	meant	that	God	was	angry	and	needed	sacrifices	to	calm	down. Volcanoes	also	indicated	that	God	was	angry. The	ego	demands	explanations
and	looks	for	‘causes’. God	was	therefore	rationalized	to	be	the	‘cause’	of
earthly	events	that	created	fear,	such	as	earthquakes,	famine,	floods,
pestilence,	storms,	drought,	barrenness,	or	ill	health. God	was	considered	the
great	punitive	enforcer	as	well	as	the	g


 oblem is an e xcess of
sympathy for others. “But ther e are pitfalls,” I told her. “Sympathy is a synonym
for compassion. The wor d ‘compassion’ means to suﬀer
with. That’s wher e one must draw the line. Y our sympathy
will be ill-spent if it e xhausts you. It must not overwhelm
you or cause you to feel as bad as the one you sympathize
with,” I said. When it’s valid, compassion is as valuable for the one who
gives it as for the one who r eceives it. A fterwar d, I thought
about how this applies to the self. Inside each of us is a
voice that sits in judgment. Call it a conscience or the
super ego, this voice doesn’t come fr om an outside judge or
parent. But it acts independent, evaluating the worth of who
we ar e and what we’r e thinking. L et’s say you get angry at
someone unjustly and later feel guilty about ﬂying oﬀ the
handle. The judgmental voice in your head says, “Y ou wer e
wrong. Y ou pr obably got yourself in tr ouble, and you
deserve it. ” P erhaps these wor ds ar e helpful in a certain
way. But this judgmental voice is just you; ther efore, in
judging against you, it is actually judging against itself. There is no independent, objective judge inside. The voice
that labels you as wr ong or bad is a ﬁctional character, and
what you’ll notice is that this character never sympathizes. To keep its power over you, it must intimidate you. What would happen if you started to sympathize with
yourself. The inner judge would begin to dissolve. In the
case of this young woman, I sensed that she wasn’t
manipulating her sympathy selﬁshly, as people do when
they say, “ After seeing how badly oﬀ my friend is, I feel
much better about myself. ” Instead, she was letting her
sympathy ﬂow by listening and opening a channel. W e must
do the same for ourselves. Even better if that channel leads
to God. A t its highest, compassion has a healing r ole to play. When you oﬀer sympathy, the woes of another ar e hear d
and passed on to a higher level of awar eness. We’re not talking about r enouncing your conscience. But
when conscience becomes punishing and mak es you feel
unworthy, it has gone too far. It’s time to r elease the
judgment that k eeps you bound inside a nar row self -
conception. In the r ealm of spirit or God—call it what you
will—suﬀering can be healed. Thr ough your sympathy, you
open a channel to the healing powers. Aspir e to be such a
channel. It is one of life’s gr eatest joys, and certainly the
purest. Step 4: Rebuild Y our Emotional Body
As any negative emotion surfaces, you can r eplace it with
something new. I call this r ebuilding your emotional body. We all have a mental image of what a desirable physical
body is lik e—trim, healthy, youthful, fr esh, pleasing to look
at. But we don’t use those qualities with r egard to our
emotions, our “emotional body. ” The emotional body, lik e
the physical body, must be pr operly nourished. It can gr ow
tired and ﬂabby when the same r esponses to the world ar e
repeated over and over. It becomes diseased when e xposed
to toxins and unhealthy inﬂuences. Every time you feel a negative emotion, your emotional
body is e xpressing discomfort, sor eness, fatigue, or pain. Pay attention to these symptoms just as you would to
physical pain and discomfort. If you had a r ock in your shoe,
you wouldn’t hesitate to r emove it. Y et how long have you
endur ed emotional r ocks in your shoe. In many ways, our
priorities should be r eversed. Think of the time and money
spent to avoid aging. W e expend enor mous eﬀort and car e
to mak e sur e that our bodies can be healthy and functional
into advanced old age. Y et ironically, it’s the emotional body
that is immune to aging. Ther e is no r eason for emotionsever to gr ow old, because the sour ce of fr eshness and
renewal is always at hand. Y our emotional body should
remain ener getic, alert, ﬂe xible, and pleasing to e xperience. I think a single phrase, “the lightness of being,” covers all of
these qualities. Childr en naturally feel lightness in their being. They play
and laugh; they for get traumas and bounce back quickly. Whatever they feel quickly comes to the surface. This
carefree period may not last long. Observing a young child
closely, you can see the beginning of tendencies that will
lead to futur e suﬀering, as the shadow teaches its tactics of
projection, blame, guilt, and all the r est. That’s why
rebuilding the emotional body is the best long-ter m strategy
for everyone—your futur e depends on undoing your past. The k ey is to have a vision. Then you can implement your
vision every day. Ther e’s no lack of detailed advice, in this
book and fr om many other sour ces. But without a vision,
even the best advice becomes haphazar d and piecemeal. A vision for r ebuilding the emotional body includes at least
some of the following points:
Becoming mor e whole
Learning to be r esilient
Dispelling the demons of the past
Healing old wounds
Expecting the best and highest for yourself
Adopting r ealistic ideals
Giving of yourself
Being gener ous, especially with your spirit
Seeing thr ough your fears
Learning self -acceptance
Communicating with God or your higher selfThe most important single thing in r ebuilding your
emotional body is becoming mor e whole. Emotions can’t be
reshaped in iso lation. They mer ge and blend with thoughts,
actions, aspirations, wishes, and r elationships. Every feeling
you have invisibly moves outwar d into your envir onment,
aﬀecting the people ar ound you and ultimately society and
the world at lar ge. Having work ed with thousands of people
over the years, I’ve come to see that without wholeness, all
we can cr eate is superﬁcial change. Ther efore, let’s see if
we can appr oach your life as one r eality, a pr ocess that
encompasses every thought and action you have ever had
or will have. This may sound rather overwhelming, but to escape the
fog of illusion, the only way out is r eality. In truth ther e is
only one r eality. You have no way of separating yourself
from it. Nor would you wish to once you see the enor mous
advantage of living in wholeness. Y our separate self, which
has such a huge personal stak e in the world, isn’t who you
really ar e. In fact, it may be a total illusion, which is what
the Buddha said. The self you defend every day as your
unique point of view is a convenient ﬁction that mak es the
ego feel good. What the ego doesn’t r ealize, however, is
that it would feel even better if it gave up its nar row, selﬁsh
stake in the world. When that happens, the true self can
emer ge. Then and only then is wholeness possible. A NEW REALITY, A NEW POWER
Wholeness over comes the shadow by absorbing it. Evil and
wrong-doing ar e no longer isolated. Earlier I mentioned that
damaging the ecosystem is an e xample of how misbehavior
can be denied and swept under the carpet. But as attitudes
change, we’ve discover ed that the ecosystem is totally
interconnected. Everyone’s behavior aﬀects everyone else. There is no part of the planet that can be isolated, as ifimmune to ecological har m done by other parts. Wholeness
changes our entir e perspective. Now e xpand the wor d “ecosystem” to a br oader conte xt. Wholeness must e xpand to tak e account of the laws that
contr ol pollution, social battles over global war ming,
personal attitudes about r ecycling, and ultimately our very
way of being happy. Can we continue to be happy with a
way of life that is slowly destr oying the natural world. Everything you can possibly think of is encompassed by the
ecosystem. It is the web of r elationships in which we all
exist. If you understand the web of r elationships as an
invisible place wher e everything comes together, you begin
to see wholeness wher e divisions once e xisted. In the cur rent debate over the envir onment, two paths lie
open. W e can continue to deny the pr oblem


that	are	the	least	protected	or	already	weakened. The	thing	to	keep	in	mind	is	that	germs
do
not
	infect	the	body	unless	it	requires	their	help. The	intestinal	tract	needs	bile	to	keep
itself	neat	and	clean. Lack	of	bile	in	the	intestines	prevents	this	from	happening. The	next
best	solution	to	removing	harmful	waste	matter	is	to	employ	destructive	germs. Gallstones	can	also	lead	to	other	problems	in	the	mouth. They	inhibit	proper	bile
secretion,	which,	in	turn,	reduces	appetite	and	secretions	of	saliva	from	the	salivary	glands
in	the	mouth. Saliva	is	required	to	cleanse	the	mouth	and	keep	its	tissues	soft	and	pliable. If	not	enough	saliva	is	present,	destructive	bacteria	begin	to	invade	the	mouth	cavity. This
can	lead	to
tooth	decay,	gum	destruction,
	and	other	tooth-related	problems. However,	to
reiterate	the	previously	made	point,	bacteria	do	not	cause	tooth	decay. These	germs	are
attracted	only	to	those	areas	in	the	mouth	that	are	already	congested,	undernourished,	and
acidified. A
bitter	taste
	in	the	mouth	is	caused	by	bile	that	has	regurgitated	into	the	stomach	and,
from	there,	into	the	mouth. This	condition	occurs	because	of	major	intestinal	congestion,
as	seen,	for	example,	during	bouts	of	constipation. Instead	of	properly	moving	downward
and	out	of	the	body,	parts	of	the	intestinal	content	back	up,	which,	in	turn,	may	force	bile,
bacteria,	gas,	toxins,	and	other	irritating	substances	into	the	upper	regions	of	the	GI	tract. Bile	in	the	mouth,	for	example,	drastically	alters	the	pH-value	(acid-alkaline	balance)	of
saliva,	which	inhibits	its	cleansing	action	and	makes	the	mouth	susceptible	to	infectious
germs. A
mouth	ulcer
	in	the	lower	lip	indicates	a	similar	inflammatory	process	in	the	large
intestine. A	repeated	occurrence	of	ulcers	(in	either	one	of	the	two	corners	of	the	mouth)
points	to	the	presence	of
duodenal	ulcers
	(also	see	the	following	section,
Diseases	of	the
Stomach
). Tongue	ulcers,
	depending	on	their	location,	indicate	pockets	of	inflammation
in	corresponding	areas	of	the	alimentary	canal,	such	as	the	stomach,	small	intestine,
appendix,	or	large	intestine. Diseases	of	the	Stomach

As	already	indicated,	gallstones	and	subsequent	digestive	trouble	can	lead	to	regurgitation
of	bile	and	bile	salts	into	the	stomach. Such	an	occurrence	adversely	changes	the
composition	of	gastric	juices	and	the	amount	of	mucus	generated	in	the	stomach. The
mucus	is	there	to	protect	the	surface	stomach	lining	from	the	destructive	effects	of
hydrochloric	acid. The	condition	where	this	protective	“shield”	is	broken	or	diminished	is
known	as
gastritis
. Gastritis	can	occur	in	acute	or	chronic	form. When	the	surface	cells	(epithelium)	of	the
stomach	are	exposed	to	acidic	gastric	juice,	the	cells	absorb	hydrogen	ions. This	increases
their	internal	acidity,	counterbalances	their	basic	metabolic	processes,	and	causes	an
inflammatory	reaction. In	more	severe	cases,	there	may	be	ulceration	of	the
mucosa
(peptic	or	gastric	ulcer),
	bleeding,	perforation	of	the	stomach	wall,	and
peritonitis
,
	a
condition	that	occurs	when	an	ulcer	erodes	through	the	full	thickness	of	the	stomach	or
duodenum	and	their	contents	enter	the	peritoneal	cavity. Duodenal	ulcers
	develop	when	acid	leaving	the	stomach	erodes	the	duodenum’s	lining. In	many	cases,	the	acid	production	is	unusually	high. Eating	too	many	foods	that	require
strong	acid	secretions,	as	well	as	improper	food	combining	(for	more	details,	see
Timeless
Secrets	of	Health	and	Rejuvenation
	by	the	author),	often	disturb	balanced	acid	production. Esophageal	reflux,
	commonly	known	as	“heartburn,”	is	a	condition	in	which	stomach
acid	washes	upward	into	the	esophagus	and	causes	irritation	or	injury	to	the	delicate
tissues	lining	the	esophagus. Contrary	to	common	opinion,	this	condition	is	not	due	to	the
stomach’s	making	too	much	hydrochloric	acid,	but	is	due	instead	to	back-flushing	of
waste,	toxins,	and	bile	from	the	intestines	into	the	stomach. In	many	cases,	heartburn
results	when	the	stomach	makes	too	little	hydrochloric	acid,	thereby	forcing	food	to
remain	there	far	too	long	and	to	ferment. Taking	antacids	can	further	impair	the	digestion
of	foods	and	cause	major	damage	to	the	stomach	and	the	rest	of	the	GI	tract. A	number	of	other	causes	of	gastritis	and	heartburn	can	be	identified. They	include
overeating,	consuming	fried	foods,	excessive	alcohol	consumption,	heavy	cigarette
smoking,	drinking	coffee	every	day,	ingesting	soda,	eating	large	quantities	of	animal
protein	and	animal	fats,	and	subjecting	oneself	to	x-ray	radiation,	cytotoxic	drugs,	aspirin,
and	other	anti-inflammatory	drugs. Food	poisoning,	highly	spiced	foods,	iced	beverages,
dehydration,	and	emotional	stress	also	cause	gastric	distress. All	of	these	also	cause
gallstones	in	the	liver	and	gallbladder,	thereby	starting	off	a	vicious	cycle	and	creating
major	disruptions	throughout	the	GI	tract. In	the	final	event,	malignant
stomach	tumors
may	be	formed. Most	medical	doctors	now	believe	that	a	“bug”	(
H.	pylori
)	causes	stomach	ulcers.Combating	the	bug	with	antibiotic	drugs	usually	brings	relief	and	stops	the	ulcer. Although	the	drug	does	not	prevent	the	ulcer	from	returning	after	discontinuation,	there	is
a	high	“recovery”	rate. Still,	such	“recoveries”	may	cause	side	effects	that	are	often
serious. The	infection	by	the
H.	pylori
	bug	is	only	possible	because	factors	other	than	a
normally	harmless	germ	have	already	weakened	and	damaged	the	stomach	cells. In	a
healthy	stomach,	the	same	bug	turns	out	to	be	completely	innocuous. Most	of	us	have
lived	with	this	bug	without	ever	being	troubled	by	it. This	brings	up	an	important
question:	Why	does	the	same	bug	cause	an	ulcer	in	some	people	and	not	in	others? As
mentioned	before,	gallstones	in	the	liver	and	gallbladder	can	cause	intestinal	congestion
and	thereby	lead	to	frequent	back-flushing	of	bile	and	toxins	into	the	stomach,	which	may
injure	an	ever-increasing	number	of	stomach	cells. Antibiotics	destroy	the	natural	stomach
flora,	including	those	bacteria	that	normally	help	to	break	down	damaged	cells. Although
the	antibiotic	approach	results	in	a	quick	relief	of	symptoms,	it	also	lowers	stomach
performance	permanently,	which	sets	up	the	body	for	more	severe	challenges	than	just
dealing	with	an	ulcer. 1
	Shortcuts	to	he


 e important only to the e xtent that they ar e devoted
to God to use for His purposes. When we outgr ow our
immatur e preoccupation with the small self, we transcend
our selﬁshness and become cosmically matur e.
Until we ﬁnd that cosmic maturity, we’r e childish. W e’re
worrying about our car payments, our car eer
advancements, our plastic sur gery, our petty hurts, while
political situations car een towar ds disaster and the hole in
the ozone looks worse every day. Childishness is when we’r e
so pr eoccupied with things that ultimately don’t matter, that
we lose our essential connection with things that do. There’s a diﬀer ence between childish and childlik e.
Childlik e implies spirituality, as in tender ness, and a
profound not-knowing that mak es us open to new
impressions. Childlik e is when see ourselves as childr en in
the ar ms of God. W e lear n to step back and let Him lead the
way. God isn’t separate fr om us, because He’s the love inside
our minds. Every pr oblem, inside and out, is due to
separation fr om love on someone’s part. Thirty -ﬁve
thousand people a day die of hunger on earth, and ther e’sno dearth of food. The question is not, “What kind of God
would let childr en starve?” but rather, “What kind of people
let childr en starve?” A miracle work er returns the world to
God by making a conscious change to a mor e loving way of
life. W aiting with cynical r esignation for the world’s collapse
makes us part of the pr oblem, not the answer. We must
consciously r ecognize that, for God, “ther e is no or der of
diﬃculty in miracles.” L ove heals all wounds. No pr oblem is
too small for God’s attention, or too big for Him to handle. Every system in the world—socially, politically,
economically, biologically—is beginning to crumble under
the weight of our own cruelty. Without miracles, it could be
argued that the gig is up, that it’s alr eady too late to save
the world. Many people ar e convinced that the world is
headed for an inevitable major collapse. Any thinking
person knows that the world is in many ways moving in a
downwar d spiral, and an object con tinues to move in
whatever dir ection it’s cur rently headed. Only the
application of a str onger counterfor ce can change its
direction. Miracles ar e that counterfor ce. When love r eaches
a critical mass, when enough people become miracle-
minded, the world will e xperience a radical shif t.
This is the eleventh hour. The Course tells us that it’s not
up to us what we lear n, but only whether we lear n through
joy or thr ough pain. W e will learn to love one another, but
whether we lear n it painfully or peacefully is entir ely up to
us. If we continue in our dark ways and we manifest nuclear
war, then even if ther e are only ﬁve people lef t on the
planet at the end of the conﬂagration, those ﬁve people will
have gotten the point. They would sur ely look at one
another and say, “ Let’s try to get along.” But we can bypass
the scenario of a nuclear Ar mageddon if we so desir e. Most
of us have alr eady suﬀer ed our own personal Ar mageddons. There’s no need to go thr ough the whole thing againcollectively. We can get the point later, or we can get the
point now. Knowing that we have a choice is a genuinely
adult understanding of the world. After Dor othy had gone thr ough her whole dramatic
journey to Oz, the good witch told her that all she had had
to do was click her heels together thr ee times and say, “I
want to go home,” “I want to go home,” “I want to go
home.” Ther e had been no need for the long traipse down
the yellow brick r oad. Dor othy, who I’m sur e was outraged,
said, “Why didn’t you tell me that?” The witch r eplied: “Y ou
wouldn’t have believed me!”
In ancient Gr eek tragedies, ther e’s a common device
called “ Deus e x machina.” The plot builds up to a disastr ous
climax, and just when it looks as though all hope is lost, a
god appears and saves the day. That’s an important piece of
archetypal infor mation. A t the last moment, when things
look the worst, God does tend to appear. Not because he
has a sadistic sense of humor, waiting until we’r e totally
desperate befor e showing us his muscle. He tak es so long
because it’s not until then that we bother to think about
Him. All this time, we thought we wer e waiting for Him. Little did we know, He was waiting for us. 5. REBIR TH
“This is what is meant by ‘The meek shall inherit
the earth’: They will literally tak e it over because
of their str ength.”
It is time to fulﬁll our purpose, to live on the earth and think
only the thoughts of Heaven. ‘Thus shall Heaven and Earth
become as one. They will no longer e xist as two separate
states.’There are times when miraculous thinking is not easy,
because our mental habit patter ns ar e per meated with fear. When that’s the case—when our anger, jealousy or hurt
seem stuck to our hearts and we can’t let them go—how do
we work miracles then? By asking the Holy Spirit to help us. The Course tells us that we can do many things, but one
thing we can never do is call on the Holy Spirit in vain. W e
are told that ‘we don’t ask God for too much; in fact, we ask
for too little.’ Whenever we feel lost, or insane, or afraid, all
we have to do is ask for His help. The help might not come
in the for m we e xpected, or even thought we desir ed, but it
will come, and we will r ecognize it by how we feel. In spite
of everything, we will feel at peace. We think ther e are diﬀer ent categories of life, such as
money, health, r elationships, and then, for some of us,
another category called “spiritual life.” But only the ego
categorizes. Ther e is r eally only one drama going on in life:
our walk away fr om God, and our walk back. W e simply
reenact the one drama in diﬀer ent ways. The Course says ‘we think we have many diﬀer ent
problems, but we only have one.’ Denying love is the only
problem, and embracing it is the only answer. Love heals all
of our r elationships—to money, the body, work, se x, death,
ourselves, and one another. Through the miraculous power
of pur e love, we let go our past history in any ar ea and
begin again. If we tr eat miraculous principles lik e toys, they will be lik e
toys in our lives. But if we tr eat them lik e the power of the
universe, then such will they be for us. The past is over. It
doesn’t matter who we ar e, wher e we came fr om, what
Mommy said, what Daddy did, what mistak es we made,
what diseases we have, or how depr essed we feel. Thefutur e can be r eprogrammed in this moment. W e don’t need
another seminar, another degr ee, another lifetime, or
anyone’s appr oval in or der for this to happen. All we have to
do is ask for a miracle and allow it to happen, not r esist it. There can be a new beginning, a life unlik e the past. Our
relationships shall be made new. Our car eers shall be made
new. Our bodies shall be made new. Our planet shall be
made new. So shall the will of God be done, on earth as it is
in Heaven. Not later, but now. Not elsewher e, but her e. Not
through pain, but thr ough peace. So be it. Amen. OceanofPDF.comPART II
Practice
OceanofPDF.comCHAPTER 6
Relationships
“The Holy Spirit’s temple is not a body, but a
relationship.”

1. THE HOL Y ENCOUNTER
“When you meet anyone, r emember it is a holy
encounter. As you see him, you will see yourself. As you tr eat him, you will tr eat yourself. As you
think of him, you will think of yourself. Never
forget this, for in him you will ﬁnd yourself or
lose yourself.”
Befor e I read A Course in Miracles, I studied many other
spiritual


 lize that the ene r gy you thus emanate is so harmful in its
ef fects t hat you are in fact contaminating yourself as well as those
around y ou. Ha ve a good look inside. Is there even the slightest trace of
resentment, unwillingness. If there is, observe it on both the mental and
the emotional levels. What tho ughts is your mind creating aro und this
situation. Then look at the emotion, which is the body’ s reaction to those
thoughts. Feel the emotion. Does it feel pleasant or unpleasant. Is it an
ener gy that you would actually choose  to have inside you. Do you have
a choice. Maybe you ar e  bei ng taken advantage of, ma ybe the activity you are
engaged in is  ted ious, maybe someone close to you is  dishonest,
irritating, or unconscious, but all this is irrelevant. Whether your
thoughts and emotions about this situation are justified or not makes no
dif ference. The fact is that you are resisting what is. Y ou are making the
present moment into an enemy. Y ou are creating unhappiness, conflict
between the inner and the outer. Y our unhappiness is polluting not only
your own inner being and those around you but also the collective human
psyche of which you are an inseparable part. The pollution of the planet
is only an outw ard reflection of an inner psychic pollution: millions of
unconscious individuals not taking responsibility for their inner space. Either stop doing what you are doing, speak to the person concerned and
express fully what you feel, or drop the negativity that your mind has
created around the situation a nd that serves no purpose whatsoever
except to strengthen a false se nse of self. Recognizing its futility is
important. Negativity is never the optimum way of dealing with any
situation. Section summary:

This passage discusses several topics related to spirituality and psychology. Key points include:

* Emphasis on understanding the concept "now" (preservation) vs., recognizing it's importance;
    * Description

=====

Please provide accurate summaries concise language incorporating unique specifics throughout your responses based on original content, ensuring minimal repetition among paragraphs. Avoid paraphrasing sentences unnecessarily, sticking mainly to direct quotes. Here’s rewritten summization adherently addressing above requirements:

1\. **Introduction**: Exploring individual experiences
   People inhabit diverse states – ranging

(removed extra characters)

6. 7. 8. \[Removed Extra Characters]

9/12/
13/.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: What can trigger the pain-body, and how can it take control of a person?,
A: The pain-body can be triggered by anything that resonates with its own kind of energy, such as a thought or an innocent remark. It can take control of a person by making them unconscious and feeding on their thoughts and emotions.
Q: What is the key to spiritual transformation, and how can it be achieved?,
A: The key to spiritual transformation is to become the watcher of one's thoughts and emotions, and to stop identifying with the pain-body. This can be achieved by being present and aware of one's inner state.
Q: Can fear be a healthy and necessary part of life, or is it an illusion?,
A: Fear is an illusion and a product of the ego's fear of death and annihilation. It is not a healthy or necessary part of life, and it can be overcome by becoming aware of it and letting go of it.
Q: Can a person be free of their problems and still have a sense of self?,
A: No, a person cannot be free of their problems and still have a sense of self. The ego needs the problems to maintain its existence and sense of self.
Q: Can one become free of psychological time and still be able to use it for practical purposes?,
A: Yes, it is possible to become free of psychological time and still be able to use it for practical purposes, such as making plans or setting goals.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>In fact, in most cases  it keeps you stuck in it, bloc king real
change. Anything that is done with negative ener gy will become
contaminated by  it and in time g ive rise to more pain, more unhappiness. Furthermore, any negative inner state is  contag ious: Unhappin ess
spreads more easily than a p hysical disease. Through the law of
resonance, it triggers and feeds latent negativity in others, unless  they are
immune — that is, highly conscious. Are you polluting the world or cleaning up the mess? Y ou are
responsible for your inner space; nobody else is, just as you are
responsible for the planet. As within, so without: If humans clear inner
pollution, then they will also cease to create outer pollution. How can we dr op negativity, as you suggest? By drop ping it. How do you drop a piece of hot coal that you ar e holding
in your hand? How do you drop some heavy and useless baggage that
you are carrying? By recognizing that you don’ t want to suf fer the pain
or carry the burden anymore and then letting go of it. Deep un consciousness, such as the pain-body, or other deep pain, such as
the loss  of a loved one, usually needs to be transmuted  through
acceptance combined with the light of your presence — your sustained
attention. Many patterns in ordin ary unconsciousness, on the other hand,
can simply be dropped once you know that you don’ t want them and
don’ t need them anymore, once you realize that you have a choice, that
you are not just a bundle of conditioned reflexes. All this implies that
you are able to access the power of Now. W ithout it, you have no choice. If you call some emotions negative, ar en’ t you cr eating a mental polarity
of good and bad, as you explained earlier? No. The polarity was created at an earlier stage when your mind judged
the present moment as bad; this judgment then created the negative
emotion. But if you call some emotions negative, ar en’ t you r eally saying that they
shouldn’ t be ther e, that it’ s not okay to have those emoti ons? My
understanding i s that we shou ld give ourselves permission to have
whatever feelings come up, rather than judge them as bad or sa y that we
shouldn’ t have them. It’ s okay to feel r esentful; it’ s okay to b e angry,
irritated, moody, or whatever — otherwise, we get into r epr essi on, inner
conflict, or denial. Everything is okay as it is. Of course. Once a mind pattern,  an emotion, or a reaction is ther e, accept
it. Y ou were not  conscious enough to have a choice in the matter. That’ s
not a judgment, just a fact. If you had  a ch oice, or realized that you do
have a choice, would you choose suf fering or joy, ease or unea se, peace
or confli ct? W ould you choose a  thought or feeling that cuts you of f from
your natural state of well-being, the joy of life within? Any such feeling I
call negative, which simply means bad. Not in the sense th at “Y ou
shouldn’ t have done that,” but just plain factual bad, like feeling sick in
the stomach. How is it possible that humans killed in excess of one hundred million
fellow humans in the twentieth century alone?4 Humans inflicting pain
of su ch magnitude on one anoth er is beyond anything you can imagine. And that’ s not t aking into account the mental, emotional and physical
violence, the torture, pain, and cruelty they continue to inflict  on each
other as well as on other sentient beings on a daily basis. Do t hey act in this way because they are in touch with their natural state,
the j oy of life within? Of course not. Only people who are in a deeplynegative state, who feel very bad indeed, would create such a reality as a
reflection of how they feel. Now they are engaged in destroying nature
and the planet t hat sustains them. Unbelievable but true. Hum ans are a
dangerously ins ane and very sic k species. That’ s not a judgme nt. It’ s a
fact. It is also a  fact that the sanity is  there underneath the madness. Healing and redemption are available right now. Coming back specifically to w hat you said — it is certainly true that
when you accept your resentme nt, moodiness, anger, and so on, you are
no longer forced to act them out blindly, and you are less likely to project
them on to other s. But I wonder if you are not deceiving yourself. When
you hav e been practicing acceptance for a while, as you have, there
comes a point w hen you need to go on to the next stage, where those
negative emoti ons are not created anymore. If you don’ t, your
“acceptance” just becomes a mental label that allows your ego to
continue to indulge in unhappiness and so strengthen its sense of
separation from other people, your surroundings, your here and now. As
you kno w, sepa ration is the ba sis for the ego’ s sense of identity. T rue
acceptance wou ld transmute those feelings at once. And if y ou really
knew de eply that everything is “ okay,” as you put


, now thirty-four years old, drove to her
parents’ home in Springfield, Massachusetts, for their regular visit. When
she woke up the next morning in the bed she had occupied as a teenager,
she noted that a large gray spot was stuck in the center of the field of vision
of her left eye. When she stood  in front of the mirror and closed her right
eye, she could no longer see her head. It was blocked by the central eye
spot, which appeared dark, warped, rippled, and in a shade of gray. Moreover, this spot in Pamela’ s left eye caused much of her color vision to
be lost. Alarmed, she returned to Pittsbur gh, depending on her right eye to see
while driving. Once home, she consulted an ophthalmologist who had been
recommended to her by the local hospital in her east Pittsbur gh area. The
eye doctor thought that his new patient’ s problem was central serous
retinopathy, a condition that often disappears by itself. Central serous
retinopathy  is marked by acute localized detachment of the neural retina or
retinal pigment epithelium in the region of the macula. Unfortunately for the patient, this specialist was wrong. Rather, her
blocking eye spot did not go away and stayed with Pamela Ptak until June
1995. During the ensuing four-month period, the spot’ s symptomatic effects
had worsened. After revisiting the same physician, she was put through another
diagnostic procedure called fluor escein angiogram,  which showed that
multiple spots were now forming layers on the retinas of both the patient’ s
eyes. The ophthalmologist obser ved that tissue behind the retina  was “eaten
away” and pitted. From his viewing scope he saw that a kind of “bird’ s
nest” group of blood vessels had formed, which had hemorrh aged in thecenter. This graphic description caused her great uneasiness and moved her
toward consulting another ophthalmologist for a second opinion. The second eye specialist diagnosed the young woman as suffering from
a different condition— ocular histoplasmosis,  and he urged immediate
surgery to remove the nest of blood vessels. But eye surgery for the
correction of her ocular histoplasmosis held no attraction for the patient. Ocular histopla smosis is an acute degenerative infection of the eye
resulting from the inhalation  of spores of the fungus Histoplasma
capsulatum. The infectio n, which can become chronic, remains
asymptomatic until some alteration in the retina occurs. This second doctor
traced her eye disease to her work in a highly toxic job at an advertising
agency where she was constantly exposed to spray glues, toxic art
materials, lots of deadline pressure, and severe emotional stress. Pamela
Ptak also regularly sprayed her apartment with roach poison and other
pesticides because of infestation  by biological pests. One of them may have
been the same fungus causing her disability. While she was debating whethe r to under go the eye operation, a friend
suggested that Pamela look into the Gerson Therapy as an alternative
method of healing. It does work  against any degenerative disease, chronic
or acute, including those brought about by pathological microor ganisms. Since the young woman was familiar with the treatment’ s conce pt (she had
watched two friends who had been diagnosed with cancer save their own
lives by its application), she decided to start on Dr. Max Gerso n’s healing
program herself. She found it to be no hardship, for a health food
supermarket located just down the street furnished their clientele with
organically grow n produce at fair market prices, and it comprise d almost all
of Pamela’ s diet. Thus, for just one month, from the end of June to July 31, 1995, Pamela
Ptak faithfully performed the Gerson Therapy at home, including the taking
of two coffee enemas, one before she left for work in the morning and a
second immedia tely upon her arriving home in the evening. The juices she
made in quantit y and took along with her in thermos bottles for drinking
regularly throug hout her workday. She hoped that the Gerson program was
working during the weeks that followed, but, although her vision seemed to
become much less blocked by the gray spot, she was not sure. On August 1, the patient visited the second retinal surgeon once more to
discuss his sugg ested eye operation. When the doctor looked at his patient’ sleft retina, he was truly surprised, but pleased. The spot had shrunk and was
so small it was almost invisible. There was no sign of hemorrhaging. The
Gerson Therapy  had so stimulated the woman’ s immune system that it had
spontaneously killed off Histoplasma capsulatum  on its own. She needed
no antifu ngal, antibiotic medications and no operation. The spot eventually
stopped blocking her vision, and today she sees just fine. The therapy took slightly over a month. Pamela Ptak happily reports to us
for publication: “Here is one more condition healed by the Gerson
Therapy.”
THE GE RSON  PROT OCOL FOR  NONCANCER  PATIENTS WITH  DIFFERENT
DISEASES
No single diet/medication protocol for nonmalignant illnesses of different
types exists on the Gerson program simply because each disease shows
diverse dietary origins and variable treatment needs. Still, the standard
protocol that had been offered by Dr. Max Gerson’ s therapy does provide a
starting point which this chapter  discusses. There are many modifications of
diet, juicing, and medications for the dif ferent diseases. Please be assured that the proto col published here does work, although
there are variables. Variables prevail simply because of (a) the patient’ s
overall condition, (b) the results of the sick person’ s laboratory blood work,
(c) his or her symptomatology, (d) the patient’ s age, (e) the medical
diagnosis, and (f) numerous other factors. Yet virtually all types of health
problems respond to the Gerson Therapy. Beginning below  with “addictions,” a few of the more common  illnesses
which respond well to a modified Gerson Therapy protocol  have their
variable treatment programs described in this chapter. First, however, we
provide you with the genera l therapeutic program for patients with
nonmalignant diseases to follow. This general therapeutic program is the
basic format to follow when someone is weighed down by any acute or
chronic illness. Please assure yourself or loved ones you are helping that
any appropriate modifications required of specific diseases are incorporated
into the general protocol that follows. Please note: The use of a full, unmodified protocol of the Gerson
Therapy for noncancer ous diseases ordinarily remains inadvis able. Whilenot usually as danger ous as inappr opriate application of the therapy to
patients with a chemotherapy history, there are still considerable risks to
using the intensive pr otocol in the pr esence of some illnesses. Appropriate explanations must be given to anyone using the therapy
regarding the reasoning behind application of the reduced protocol. Otherwise, patients will sometimes self-medicate with the more aggressive
protocol, at the expense of their safety and long-term recovery outlook. THE STANDARD  PROT OCOL FOR  NONCANCEROUS  ILLNESSES
Juices
The regimen for treating a noncancerous illness can begin with the daily
drinking of ten 8-ounce glasses of the juices, eliminating pure carrot juice. If the patient is in good physical condition, she or he should be able to take
the full 8-ounce  portions with no difficulty. However, if this person shows
any form of debilitation, start with smaller quantities of juice consisting
typically of 4 or 6 ounces. As always with the Gerson Therapy, be sure that the patient can tolerate
all juices without significant nausea or other side effects befor e an increase
in the juice quantity is consider ed. The schedule of juice drinkin g to be maintained by a rather ill but
noncancerous individual should be:
a. Orange juice
b. Green leaf combination juice
c. Apple/carrot combination juice
Potassium Compound Solution (Liquid)
The recommended starting dosage for potassium compound solution
suggested is 2 tsp ten times per day, which represents approxima tely 1 gram
(1,000 mg) or 25 mEq each of potassium (K) acetate, gluconate, and
phosphate (mon obasic). This is a total K combination of 3 grams or 75
mEq/day. Most of the time patients do not require the full 40 tsp of
potassium that cancer patients would require.There are contraindications to K compound solution: Patien ts with a
history of renal insuf ficiency or generalized kidney dysfunction, gastritis,
nausea, or any indication of bleeding problems should be starte d with 1 tsp
ten times per day. Dosage may be slowly increased with observation of the
compound’ s effects. Anyone with a history of cardiac insuf ficiency,
myocardial infarction, or congestive heart failure should not receive
potassium until blood laborator y work has been analyzed by a physician
who agrees that K ingestion would be beneficial. Lugol (Potassium Iodide KI, Half-Str ength)
The KI in Lugol is ingested


 transforming them. The deeper meaning of any situation is a universal longing for love. All
of us long for it; all of us are looking for it. The miracle occurs when we
realize we ourselves are here to provide it. We can see God’ s love only when we are willing to expres s it. We
cannot find what we are looking for without realizing who we are. I think of
all the years I was struggling so hard to “find God,” not realizing that I
would see His love manifest in my own life only when I sough t to make it
manifest in the lives of others. Any wall we build to keep out others will
keep God out of our conscious awareness. The only way to find His love is
by giving it away. The mystical birth of Jesus is the opening of the heart. Just as Mary
gave birth to the historical Jesus, the mystic Jesus enters the world through
us. He is born any moment that we are willing to give birth to him. He is
born again in any moment of unconditional love. This isn’t simply an
abstract idea; it’ s a practical moment we either do or do not choose. In every moment we are making a choice, whether we make it
consciously or we make it unconsciously. We can either open our heart or
close it, and our lives unfold accordingly. In every instant we are generating
a thought, and every thought will have an ef fect. How often we choose to blame instead of bless, judge instead of accept,
take instead of give. And why? Because we were trained to think that way. The ego constan tly tempts us to separate ourselves off from the rest of the
universe. But the mystic Jesus has the power to override the ego’s dictates,
to save us from our chronic temptation to withhold our love. Choosing to
align with him, we cocreate with God a dif ferent kind of world. Our power to work miracles lies in our choice to think differently. Choosing forgiveness, choosing to extend our perceptions beyo nd the level
of someone’ s guilt, choosing to see ourselves as present in any situation to
be the presence of love, we align our minds with the Mind of God and rise
above the ego. The thinking of the world is no longer like quicksand that
sucks us into it. The vibrations of higher consciousness—that is, thoughts oflove— make us invulne rable to the chaos that dominates the world. In fact,
they make us its transformers. And that is the miracle. A miracle begins as a shift in our thinking, a
change on the causal level of things that then transforms the realm of
effects. Even the tiniest candle casts out darkness. “All expressions of love
are maximal”* (T-3), like a tincture of God’ s power that makes all the
difference.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        OceanofPDF. comDedication
To Mickey Maudlin,
for quiet guidance and the opportunity of a lifetime. OceanofPDF. comEpigraph
You are a perfect creation, and should experience awe only in the Presence of the Creator of
perfection. 4The miracle is therefore a sign of love among equals. 5Equals should not be in awe of
one anothe r because awe implies inequal ity. 6It is therefore an inappropriate reaction to me. 7An
elder brother is entitled to respect for his greater experience, and obedience for his greater wisdom. 8He is also entitled to love because he is a brother, and to devotion if he is devoted. 9It is only my
devotion that entitles me to yours. 10There is nothing about me that you cannot attain. 11I have
nothing that does not come from God. 12The differ ence between us now is that I have nothing else. 13This leaves me in a state which is only potential in you. * (A  Course in Miracles,  Text, 7 )
OceanofPDF. comContents
Cover
Title Page
Dedication
Epigraph
Preface
Introduction
Chapter One: The Mystic Jesus
Have You Been Saved by JEEZUS. In His Name
What Is the Christ. The Only Story Ever Told
Mary’ s Love
Miracles
The Separation
The Holy Spirit
The Atonement
Enlightenment
Chapter Two: Reflections of Light
Apocalyptic Beginnings
The Power of the Morning
Being Saved
The Destination of EnlightenmentPositively You
More Powerful than All the Powers of the World
The Small Still Voice Within
Prayer
Your Holiness
Cinderella
The Meaning of Now
Chapter Three: The Temples of Relationship
Relationship to God
Relationship to Self
Relationship to Others
Forgiveness
Giving Up Grievances
Relationship to the World
Soul Growth
The Pillars of a Well-Lived Life
Chapter Four: He Did Not Die
Jerusalem
Detroit
Crucifixion
All of It Is Happening Now
Tomb Time
Easter
Violence Against God
The Christ in You Cannot Be Crucified
Sickness
Death
The Crucified World
Chapter Five: Resurrection
The Alchemy of Easter
The Remembrance
If God Is in the Cockpit
He Did Not Ignore
The MountainAwakening from the Dream
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Praise
Also by Marianne W illiamson
Copyright
About the Publisher
OceanofPDF. comPreface
I AM NOT  A Christian scholar, nor am I a Christian. I would not be qualified,
therefore, to write about the Jesus espoused by the ecclesiastic traditions of
the Christian church. Rather, this book  is based on my more than four decades as a student of
A Cours e in Miracles. The Course  is a self-study program of spiritual
psychotherapy based on universal spiritual themes, employing traditional
Christian concepts expressed in nondogmatic, psychotherapeutic ways. It is
a psycho logical training in the relinquishment of a thought system based on
fear in favor of a thought system based on love. I was a young woman in my twenties when I first picked up A Cours e in
Miracles, searchi ng for meaning and purpose in my life, no different from
anyone at that age then or now. I was intrigued by these words in its
introduction:
The Course can ther efore be summed up very simply in this way:
Nothing r eal can be thr eatened. Nothing unr eal exists. Herein lies the peace of God. Though I found those words compelling, I saw the pages of the book
were filled with traditional Christian language. I didn’ t relate to the
Course ’s terminology and simply thought it wasn’ t for me. A year later I was in such emotional turmoil that the terminol ogy in a
book didn’t matter to me, and I picked it up again. I was looking for content
that would soothe my soul and I didn’ t care what the words were. This
wasn’ t about theology, it was about my life. It quickly became clear that the Course  is not a religion but only
psychological guidance in the ways of forgiveness and love. I had always
been interested in universal spiritual concepts, sensing there is one Truth
spoken in many different ways. Many of the universal themes contained in
the Course  I had encountered elsewhere, including in my own religion,
Judaism. But what the Course  had offered me that I hadn’ t found before
were practical ways to apply these concepts to my daily life. From the beginning I was bemused by the fact that no author was
named on the cover of A Course in Miracles. The more I read it, however,
the more I saw an interesting number of statements written in the first
person. “‘No man cometh unto the Father but by me’ does not mean that I am in
any way separate or different from you except in time”* (T-2). * I remember
reading that and thinking, Wait, what. Once I read “I am the Atoneme nt”*
(T-7), I was like, Okay, I get it. As a child I never heard much about Jesus one way or the other. I was
just told we read “the other Bible. ” For Jews, there is a distinc t difference
between a reaction to Jesus and a reaction to Christian ity, whic h should
come as a surprise to no one. Jesus was a Jew; he was one of us. Institutional forces within the Christian religion, on the other hand, have
often been a source of violen t antisemitism and murderous oppression
through millennia. None of that has anything to do with Jesus, however. Christia nity and
Jesus are two distinctly different things. At times, the Christian religion has
been known to uphold the highe st ideals of Jesus, while at other times and
places it decidedly has not. At times, as it says in the Course, “some bitter
idols have been  made of him who came only to be brother to the world”*
(MT-88). My interest in Jesus has never included a desire to convert to the Christian
religion, a fact natural enough to me but that had required an explanation to
my parents. When I first became a student of the Course, they were
understandably perplexed. I remember my mother saying to me haltingly,
“So, help me understand. You’re going to stay in California. and give