 in the wind.”
— D AVID  R. H AWKINS, M.D., P H.D. Have you ever seen a tree in autumn with half its leaves gone and then a
powerful gust of wind blows through and all the remaining leaves drop
instantly to the ground? This book can be that powerful wind for you. Like
the tree that’s already dropped many of its leaves, you are ready to let go of
a lot of old ways of thinking and limiting patterns of anxiety, grief, guilt,
shame, and anger. Let this book be the force that clears away the rest of the “leaves” that
you’re hanging  on to without even realizing they’re there—the false
promises of the ego, those hard-to-see attachments and false beliefs that
prevent you from realizing that you are one with All. As we know by
watching the seasons, a tree has to go through the winter ’s letting go before
it can yield the springtime’ s blossoms. Are you willing to let go of seein g yourself as the ego believes you to be? Are you willing to go further, to know that the ego itself  is an illusion? Dr.
Hawkins tells us that even the idea of the separate self as a seeker of Truth
is an illusion: “It is a hindrance to consider that there is a personal self or an
‘I’ or an ego that is doing the striving or seeking, or that will become
enlightened. It is much easier to realize there is no such thing as the ego or
an ‘I’ identity that is doing any seeking; instead, it is an impers onal aspect
of consciousness that is doing the exploring and seeking.”
This process is a shift from “who” we are to “what” we are. I learned this
from Dr. Hawkins in a funny way. One day he made up a nickname for me,
“Fran-Fran,” and this instigated a series of knock-knock jokes between us:Doc: Fran-Fran. Fran: Doc-Doc. Doc: Knock-knock. Fran: Who’ s there? Doc: It’ s not a “who” but a “what.”
We then broke into laughter. Do you see how brilliant he was at using
humor to crack open old habits of perception? Even as he connected to me
as a person, a “who,” his humor cut through the illusion of personhood. He
said, “You are not a ‘who’ but a ‘what.’” The ego personality is fixated on
being a successful “who” in the world, such as “I am this... I’ve done that
... I own this... I believe in that...” Dr. Hawkins recommends that,
instead of focusing on “who” we are, we ask ourselves in continual
contemplation, “ What  am I?”
As we surrende r “who” we think we are, we come to the “what,” the
Source of existence itself. Letting go of identities and personas,  beliefs and
attachments, and even letting go of ourselves as seekers, what is left? I remember a moment when I was with him and it dawned on me: “I’m
not a professor, though I work as one. I’m not a devotee, though I serve as
one. I’m not a woman, though  I live as one. I’m not a ‘me,’ though I
function as one.” The “what” replaces “who.” Love dissolves every “who”
we try to hang on to. The river loses its name when it flows into the sea. In this book, key teachings from Dr. Hawkins’ s body of work have been
selected to guide us in this process of Self-realization. Any one of the
teachings, if applied directly, reveals the Truth. “Any leg of the elephant
leads to the elephant,” as Dr. Hawkins says. As we read the book, Dr. Hawkins recommends that we seek to “know”
rather than “know about.” “Know” implies subjective experience; “know
about” means to accumulate facts. And he also recommends this inner prayer:
Ask to be the servant of the Lord, a vehicle of Divine Love, a
channel of God’ s Will. Ask for direction and divine assistance and
surrender all personal will throu gh devotion. Dedicate one’s life to the
service of God. Choose love and peace above all other options.Commit to the goal of unconditional love and compassion for all life in
all its expressio ns and surrender all judgment to God. — The Eye of
the I: From Which Nothing Is Hidden  (2002), Chapter 13:
Explanations, p. 265. If we can give up the illusion of this little “me,” Dr. Hawkins promises
that unsurpassab le joy will be ours: “There is absolutely nothing in ordinary
human experience to compare with the joy of the Presence of the Love of
God. No sacrifice is too great nor effort too much in order to realize that
Presence.” He verifies this promise with the certitude that’s possible only
from having, himself, surrendered everything on the altar of the Ultimate. This book is small in size, but it can have a massive impact on your life. It will take you through the process of a total transformation of
consciousness—if you choose to apply its teachings deeply within yourself. With devotion and gratitude,
Fran Grace, Ph.D.
OceanofPDF.comWhile the mind secretly believes  that its survival is due to the ego, on the
contrary, the person’ s survival is due to the spirit that energizes the ego to
accomplish important tasks. It is because of the intention of the spirit that
the lower self or ego even remembers to take its vitamins. In truth, we exist
and survive, not because of the ego, but in spite of it. The world of the ego is like a house of mirrors through which the ego
wanders, lost and confused, as it chases the images in one mirror after
another. Human life is characterized by endless trials and errors while
attempting to escape the maze. At times, for many people—and possibly for
most—the world of mirrors becomes a house of horrors that gets worse and
worse. The only way out of the circuitous wanderings is through  the pursuit
of spiritual truth. It is important to remember that the world operates within the limited
Newtonian paradigm of linear causality which has its prevailing perceptions
of what is “real.” Spirituality, on the other hand, is based on the invisible
realities and realms of nonduality and therefore may seem unreal or, at best,
an oddity to the ordinary world. Everything is happening of its own; nothing is causing anything else.... It is critical to grasp that the illusion of linear causality as an explanation for
the observed phenomena of life is the major and most profound limitation
of thinkingness.... Mentat ion, reason, logic, and language are all
structured dualis tically, based on the axiom that there is a subject and an
object, that there is a “this” doing or causing a “that.”
That the human mind, without help, is unable to tell truth from falsehood
due to its own innate structure and design is so staggering a discovery that it
is rough ly comparable to the discovery by Copernicus that caused cultural
shock in the 16th century. Beca use this single fact alone is confrontational
to the average mind, it will probably not be welcomed or warmly greeted by
those who profit from sophistry and its illusions. Profound silence  is more influential and beneficial than an avalanche of
redundant word s and actions that emanate from the spiritual ego and its
platitudinous rationalizations. Spiritual rhetoric is still just rhetoric and
represents spirit ual sophistry. Commitment to enlightenment  alters and
recontextualizes social roles. The mind acts as a processor of data simultaneously from both within
and without.... Some of the information is perceived and stored in
memory banks, but there is also unconscious processing of all the data that
is stored  in the unconscious. This processing screening device results in the
1/10,000th of a second’ s delay and acts as a separation between self and
Self/Reality. This processing screen represents “the experiencer” in action. The experiencer  screen is energized by desire and identification with it. This desire is like an appetite of curiosity, wantingness, and craving, and is
an addiction to the experience of experiencing itself. In additi on, there is
identification with experiencing and its content information as “self.”
Energy fields are so powerful that they dominate our perception. They
are really portals out of which we see the world. We often hear that this is
really just a world of mirrors, and that all we experience is our own energy
field reflected back upon us as perception and experiencing. The ego can be thought of as a set of entrenched habits of thoug ht, which
are the results of entrainment by invisible energy fields that dominate
human consciousness. They become reinforced by repetition and by the
consensus of society. Further reinforcement comes from langua ge itself. To
think in language is a form of self-programming. The use of the pronoun I
as the subject—and therefore the implied cause of all actions— is the most
serious error, and automatically creates a duality of subject and object. From a greater context, we can view that the ego is not “evil” but is
primarily a self-interested animal. Unless the “animal self” is understood
and accepted


 data. As Westerners we have been able
to produce the world we live in, to control it by achieving power
over nature. But the Wester n model is exclusive. It excludes the
mysterious and intangible from its reality because the immaterial
cannot be tamed, contained,  and controlled. In an eort to achieve
mastery over the world, connectedness with nature and humanity
often perish. Physicist Roger Jones comments upon the legacy of Descartes:
“His genius, which has cleanly cut through the dense web of
primitive mystery, has also severed our felt connection to the
universe.” This is where the Chinese model, still based on ancient
principles, can help the Cartesian separation become whole again. Science historian Joseph Needham tells us that “the mechanical
view of the world simply did not develop in Chinese thought, and
the organicist view in which every phenomenon was connected with
every other  … was universal among Chinese thinkers.” Rather, he
continues, “The harmonious co-operation of all beings arose, not
from the orders of a superio r authority external to themselves, but
from the fact that they were all parts in a hierarchy of wholes
forming a cosmic and organ ic pattern and what they obeyed were
the internal dictates of their own natures.”
OceanofPDF.comPhilosophy in the East: The Doctor As GardenerCHAPTER THREE
PHILOSOPHY IN THE  EAST: THE DOCTOR  AS
GARDENER
Everything observable by the senses is subject to change and
therefore in motion  … there are interlocking cycles of
change  … one cannot bid the winds and waves to cease, but
one can learn to navigate treacherous currents by conducting
ourselves in harmony with the prevailing process es of
transformation—and thus weather the storms of life. John Blofeld
I Ching
EASTERN PHILOSOPHY IS BASED ON THE PREMISE THAT ALL LIFE OCCURS  within
the circle of nature. 1 Things within this matrix are connected and
mutually dependent upon each other. Nature is one unied system,
the Tac with polar and complementary aspects: Yin and Yang. Nature is in constant motion, following cyclic patterns that describe
the process of transformatio n. When the elements of nature are in
balance, life is harmonic and ourishes. When the balance of polar
forces is upset, disaster looms. Within the Eastern worldview, the human being is a microcosm of
Nature, a smaller universe. Human beings represent the juncture
between Heave n and Earth, the ospring of their union, a fusion of
cosmic and terrestrial forces. The Chinese ideogram for human
being pictures a gure rooted like a tree in the Earth with hands
outstretched like branches toward the heavens, receiving power
from above and below. Sustained by the power of Earth and
transformed by the power of Heaven, humanity cannot be separated
from Nature—we are Nature, manifest as people. As a cosmos inminiature, we are propelled by the same forces. Good and bad are
relative, not absolute. Life and death balance each other. Seen and
unseen, soma and psyche, * are aspects of one continuous process, by
denition everchanging and in ux. 2
Since everything is connected by the circle, health is understood
broadly, den ing the whole being within the social and natural
order. What is good for nature is good for humanity, what is good
for one is good for all, what is good for the mind is good for the
body, and so on. To harm a part is to harm the whole. What is bad
for the heart is bad for the body, what damages one person damages
all people, what injures the earth injures me. Conversely, to restore
and preserve the good health of one body and mind is to foster the
well-being of the whole, the earth and all life upon it. The center of most ancient cultures, from China in the second
century B.C. to twentieth-century native America, was the earth. Human welfare was attached to the rains upon the soil, the wind of
the heavens, and pliable trees embedded in an abundant forest. Chief Seattle, in 1854, summed up this ancient view of how
humanity stands in relation to the world: “This we know—the earth
does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are
connected like the blood that unites one family. Whatever befalls
the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weav e the web
of life; he is merely a strand of it. Whatever he does to the web, he
does to himself.”
Most ancient cultures, engaged in tilling, sowing, cultivating, and
harvesting the soil, depended on the fruits of the land for survival. Agrarian cultures experienced power through nature and aspired to
be in harmony with the seasons, rhythms, and patterns that
connected all things with each other. Within this reality, the world
was like a garden. The garden was nature—the living earth, the
human person, the biosphere, the circle of all life. When people are like gardens, then doctors are like gardeners. The role of the Chinese doctor is to cultivate life.THE MOTIVE FORCE: QI
That which animates life is called Qi (“chee”). The concept of Qi is
absolutely at the heart of Chinese medicine. Life is dened by Qi
even though it is impossible to grasp, measure, quantify, see, or
isolate. Immate rial yet essential, the material world is formed by it. An invisible force known only by its eects, Qi is recognized
indirectly by what it fosters, generates, and protects. Matter is Qi taking shape. Mountains forming, forests growing,
rivers streaming, and creatures proliferating are all manifestations of
Qi. In the human being, all functions of the body and mind are
manifestations of Qi: sensin g, cogitating, feeling,  digesting, stirring,
and propagating. Qi begets movement and heat. It is the
fundamental mystery and miracle. Life cannot be separated from the way it manifests. When the
heart beats and the breath is warm, it is understood that life exists
within the body. When the heart stops beating and the body
becomes cold, the life force, or Qi, is no longer present. Life force
and Qi are one. Like fresh air, healthy Qi moves freely; like stale air,
stagnant Qi is heavy, oppressive, constrictive, and congestive. Like air, Qi has its own movement and also activates the
movement of things other than itself. Just as the wind moves the
trees, grasses, and water, so Qi moves the chest, causing inhalation
and exhalation. People do not inhale Qi. Rather, Qi is the motive
force that establishes respiration. In this way, Qi is the cause and
also the eect. The essence of food is also a form of Qi. This highly rened
essence is the source from which the material form of the body is
constructed. When the Qi of food and the Qi of air enter the body,
they become one entity known as “pure” or “righteous” Qi. Air Qi
represents the immaterial motivating aspect of Qi and Food Qi the
material or constructing aspect. Qi is both the foundation of
structure and the catalyst of transformation and movement. Scholar Nathan Sivin relates that by the year 350 in Chinese
writings about nature, the word Qi meant “basic stu.” Hecomments that in Chinese thought there was a tendency
to think of stu and its transformations in a unitary way.… [Qi
is] simultaneously “what makes things happen in stu and
(depending on context) “stu that makes things happen” or
“stu in which  things happen.”  … Qi is often the material basis
of activity, but the activity  itself is often also describ ed as
Qi.…  This is not an easy idea for moderns, with their clear
distinction between substance and function, to grasp. The
ambiguity is impossible to overlook, but discourse was adapted
to it, and the readers for whom it was intended did not
complain that it is confusing. By the time a medical literature
developed, its authors tended to use Qi predominantly in the
functional sense. 3
Medical under standing was generated from ideas about  nature. According to the ancient Chinese art of practical ecology, known as
Feng Shui (“Wind Water”), the earth has veins of energy that cours e
through it, hold it together, and act as a grid from which all life
derives its power. The movement of wind and water reects the
activity of Qi. The forces of Qi can work to our advantage or disadvantage. By
closely observi ng the formation of mountains, growth of trees, ow
of water, move ment of wind, and patterns of light and shadow, the
practitioner of Feng Shui places us in a favorable relationship to
these forces, to derive maximum benet from the environment. The
object is to align human dwellings, objects, and activities with the
current of Qi. The point of focus is the relationship between the
person and the patterns of Qi. This protects and enhances our power
and good fortune. The doctor as gardener practices Feng Shui in
that he seeks to place human


Exercise 4
Exercise 5
Exercise 6
Exercise 7
Exercise 8
Exercise 9
Exercise 10
Exercise 1 1
Exercise 12
3 exercises for getting used to shallow breathing
Chapter 1 1. 10 important exercises to learn how to breathe properly
1. For the work of the upper parts of the lungs
2. Full breath
3. Acupressure of the nose
4. Full breathing with nose
5. Retraction of the abdomen
6. Maximum lung ventilation
7. Rare breath, or breathing by level
8. Double breathe holding
9. The maximum pause
10. Superficial breathing
Exercise "Breathing on the go"
Chapter 12. Exercises to get rid of illnesses and health problemsBronchial asthma
Stress
Anxiety, fear, gloom, depression
Fatigue
Headache
Stuffy nose, flu
Runny nose
Cough, asthma, angina pectoris
Tiredness and exhaustion
Weight loss
Blood circulation improvement
Prolapse of the stomach, intestines, kidneys and uterus
Conjunctival pallor
To improve blood circulation in the eyes
Chapter 13. Maternity exercises
Even breathing
Abdominal breathing
Chest breathing
Shallow breathing
Chapter 14. Breathing exercises in the water
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3
Exercise 4
Exercise 5
Exercise 6
Exercise 7
Exercise 8
Chapter 15. Massage of the internal or gans with the help of breathing
Massaging the stomach, intestines, liverMassaging the heart, liver, spleen, kidneys
Massaging the lungs and lymph nodes of the chest
More intensive massage of your lungs
Exercises to improve body function
Chapter 16. Cleansing reaction
Conclusion Chapter 1. A complete list of diseases that the
Buteyko method treats

Headaches, convulsive syndromes. Dizziness, fainting. Sleep disturbance. Noise in ears. Memory impairment. Fast fatigability. Irritability. Short temper. Poor attention span. Feeling of causeless fear. Apathy, decreased vitality. Hearing impairment. Paresthesia (loss of sensitivity, more often limbs). Wince in a dream. Tremor and teak. Visual impairment. An increase in senile hyperopia. Flickering in the eyes, a net in front of the eyes. Increased intraocular pressure. Soreness when moving the eyes up and to the side. Rolling strabismus. Radiculitis. Osteochondritis.Crisis type diencephalic and dystonic, sweating, chilliness, causeless
chills. Instability of body temperature such as thermoneurosis. Signs of hyperthyroidism, dysty roidism (defective functioning of the
thyroid gland). Obesity. Exhaustion. The phenomena of pathological menopause. Toxicosis and pathology of pregnancy. Fibromyomas. Mastopathy (fibrocystic breast disease)
Impotence. Frigidity. Infertility. Erosions and polyps of the cervix. Painful periods and cycle disruption. Miscarriages
Spasms of the larynx and bronchi (asthma attacks). Dyspnea. Mouth breathing. No pause after exhaling at rest. Respiratory arrhythmias. Frequent deep breathing. Periodic feeling of lack of air. Sensation of limited mobility of the chest. The feeling of inferiority of the breath. Fear of stuf finess. Rhinitis by the type of vasomotor.Loss of smell. Laryngitis, sinusitis, frontal sinusitis. Tendency to colds (bronchitis, flu). Cough dry or with sputum. Dry mouth or nasopharynx. Radiation damage. Emphysema. Chronic pneumonia
Bronchiectasis and spontaneous pneumothorax. Pain in the chest of a dif ferent nature. Violations of posture. Chest deformity. Tachycardia. Extra systole. Paroxysmal tachycardia. Spasms of the vessels of the heart, limbs, brain, kidneys. Protein in the blood. Bed-wetting. Oxalates, urates in the urine. Nocturia (frequent urination at night). Coldness of limbs and other areas. Pain in the heart. Angina pectoris. Hypertension. Hypotension. Phlebeurysm (varicose veins). Marbling skin. Vascular fragility (bleeding gums, nosebleeds).Sensations of pulsations in various areas (pulsating tinnitus). Myocardial infarction. Stroke. Increased blood coagulation. Thrombosis (thrombophlebitis). Hypercholesterolemia. Eosinophilia. Anemia. Lowering, increasing appetite. Salivation. Loss of taste or perversion. Pain in the pit of stomach. Colitis (constipation, diarrhea). Abdominal pain. Heartburn. Burping. Nausea, vomiting. Flatulence. Gastritis and peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum. Fast physical fatigue. Muscle pains. Muscle cramps. Twitching of various parts of the body. Amyotrophy (muscular atrophy). Pain in tubular bones. Dry skin. Pustular rash. Itchy skin.Eczema. Psoriasis. Pallor. Acrocyanosis. Angioedema. Pitting edema of the face. Lipomatosis
Osteophytes and salt deposition. Deposits of cholesterol on the skin. Alcoholism. Addiction, including hormonal dependence. HIV (not AIDS yet). Chapter 2. Introduction to breathing methods

Sages at all times said: in order to know God, a person must first... learn to
breathe! Or rather, improve your breathing and only in this case, a person
will be able to confidently manage not only his own words and emotions,
but also health and even fate. Therefore, in the history of mankind, the process of breathing and conscious
work with it has been given attention by all, without exception, religious
traditions and systems of spiritual practices. So, the Torah tells how God breathed life into Adam, thereby reviving him. It also says that breathing returns to God after a person dies. In many world cultures, breathi ng concepts are also key. Indee d, in many
languages    the words "spirit", "soul" and "breath" have a common origin. From time immemorial, people  have distinguished breathing as the main
property of all living and animated. In Chinese philosophy, one of the main categories of "qi" is defined as "air",
"breath", "ener gy". The ancient Chinese believed that qi permeates
everything in this world and connects everything together. In Indian medicine, the concept of "prana" literally in Sanskrit means "life",
"breath". And yogis are sure that “prana” permeates the entire universe. And from ancient Greek mythol ogy, the word "psyche", which translates as
"soul", "breath", has migrated to the arsenal of world philosophy,
psychology and medicine. Respiratory practices themselves began many thousands of years ago in the
East: in India - Pranayama, in China - Qi-gun, in Central Asia - the Sufiexercise system,  in Tibet - the breathing practices of Vajrayana  Buddhism. All these eastern teachings penetrated the West only in the 20th century. And in XXI became a vital necessity. The fact is that modern civilizat ion has greatly changed people. And first of
all, we changed because we for got how to breathe properly. You have to pay
a very high price for comfort. After all, our health depends on how we
breathe. Attention! This book is designed to ensure that every person, regardless  of age and
physical condition, can easily apply theory in practice. But it is always
important to remember that any, even the most harmless intervention in the
body can cause serious violations. Therefore, before starting exercise, you
must consult your doctor! Diseases of civilization

300 years ago, when medicin e was not developed, sick people were
"rejected" by natural selection. And most people barely survived to
adulthood, without leaving sick of fspring. Under these conditions, only a small part of the diseases was determined by
genetic defects, but most of the diseases were the result of conditions and
lifestyle. Only after antibiotics appeared, serious infections were defeated. People began to die less and live longer. But life has changed. The first fruits of civilization was the emer gence of a huge number of
harmful products, due to which the human body began to become clogged
with toxic concentrates, chemical carcinogens, new refined food products
and alcohol. Human genes were not adapted to such changes. But natural
selection has stopped working because medicine has worked well producing
more and more medications. And then new chronic diseases appeared that
shortened life. Scientists called them "diseases of civilization." At first, they
develop imperceptibly for a person, as the harmful effects of the external
and internal environment accumulate. A person is not sick yet, but is no
longer healthy. But he could be healthy if he began to apply the necessary
measures in a timely manner. Prevention is of particular importance
precisely in the fight against "diseases of civilization." And one of the most important preventive measures is the ability to breathe
correctly. Expert s assure: breathing is a reliable barometer of the state of the
human body. Even


are	valued	or	desired	are	now	exposed	to	the	formless
spiritual	qualities	of	love,	forgiveness,	and	devotion. Through	humility	and
the	choice	of	peace	out	of	love,	one	can	relinquish	even	the	most	cherished	of
negativities,	such	as	revenge,	spite,	or	hatred. The	small	self	is	dissolved	by	the	Self. The	healing	attitude	of	the	Self	to
the	self	is	compassion;	it	is	through	forgiveness	that	one	is	forgiven. This
willingness	to	surrender,	arising	out	of	the	grace	of	God,	permits	the	power	of
God	expressed	as	the	Holy	Spirit	to	recontextualize	understanding	and,	by
this	device,	to	undo	the	reign	of	perception	and	its	attendant	duality	that	is	the
source	of	all	suffering. The	dissolution	of	duality	is	the	ultimate	gift	of	God,
for	it	dissolves	the	very	source	and	capacity	for	suffering. In	nonduality,
suffering	is	not	possible. Dogma
The	way	to	God	via	the	nonduality	of	consciousness	involves	no	dogma
or	belief	systems. Sufficient,	useful	information	is	available,	the	truth	of
which	can	be	verified	by	one’s	own	inner	quest	that	is	crucial	to	progress,
especially	if	one	is	dedicated	to	Enlightenment	in	this	lifetime. The	value	of
any	piece	of	information	can	be	easily	calibrated. It	will	also	be	discovered
that	each	time	this	exercise	is	done,	something	more	is	learned	that	was	not
part	of	the	original	question	verbatim. Diets,	Rituals,	Exercises,	Breathing	Techniques,	Mantras,	and	Symbols
Although	none	of	these	is	actually	necessary,	they	can	be	helpful	to	some
spiritual	devotees. It	is	useful	to	recognize	that	religions	have	their	own
agendas	and	limitations. The	spiritual	pathway	to	enlightenment	is	unique. It
is	not	the	same	as	‘practicing	a	religion’. Religions	tend	to	emphasize
historical	events,	their	geographical	locations,	and	past	cultures	with	political
alliances. Enlightenment	happens	in	the	present	moment	and	is	outside	time,	history,
or	geography,	which	are	therefore	irrelevant. Theology	is	concerned	with	the
consciousness	level	of	the	400s;	Enlightenment	is	concerned	with	the	levels
of	600	and	above. What	of	Music,	Incense,	and	Architectural	Beauty. These	are	inspirational	and	supportive	of	a	spiritual	and	reverential	mood
and	attitude	and	help	to	remove	the	focus	of	attention	from	thought	content. Beauty	is	uplifting	and	calibrates	in	the	high	500s,	which	is	akin	to	perfection. What	Is	The	Essence	of	Spiritual	Practice. To	activate	by	inspiration,	dedication,	and	decision	of	will	those	aspects	of
consciousness	that	become	progressively	self-actualizing. They	are
empowered	by	compassion,	devotion,	humility,	and	the	willingness	to
surrender	to	unconditional	love. Perception	then	transforms	into	spiritual
vision. This	evolution	evokes	a	supportive	response	from	the	highest	levels	of
consciousness	for	it	takes	great	power	to	overcome	the	‘gravity’	of	the	earthly
life	and	its	habits	of	perception. The	act	of	worship	is	an	entreaty	and
invitation	to	these	higher	energies	for	assistance	in	one’s	spiritual	endeavor. What	of	Daily	Life. There	is	a	shift	of	values	from	worldly	accomplishment	to	spiritual
realization,	which	colors	all	activity. It	places	it	in	a	different	context. The
overreaching	goal	of	life	becomes	altered,	and	life’s	events	take	on	a	different
significance	and	meaning	as	though	placed	in	a	new	dimension. Eventually,
the	focus	is	on	the	inner,	silent,	motionless,	still	presence	of	Awareness	itself
rather	than	on	its	passing	content. Suddenly,	the	sense	of	‘I’	shifts	from	the
content	to	the	context,	which	is	the	universal	‘I’	of	the	Self. Why	Is	‘Work’	Even	Necessary	in	Spiritual	Endeavor. The	ego	can	be	thought	of	as	a	set	of	entrenched	habits	of	thought	that	are
the	result	of	entrainment	by	invisible	energy	fields	which	dominate	human
consciousness. They	become	reinforced	by	repetition	and	by	the	consensus	of
society. Further	reinforcement	comes	from	language	itself. To	think	in
language	is	a	form	of	self-programming. The	use	of	the	prefix	‘I’	as	the
subject,	and	therefore	the	implied	cause	of	all	actions,	is	the	most	serious
error	and	automatically	creates	a	duality	of	subject	and	object. To	overcome	the	gravity	of	worldly	thoughts	and	beliefs	requires	the	work
of	implementing	the	decision	of	the	spiritual	Will	to	deprogram
consciousness. This	includes	the	refusal	to	accept	the	ego/mind’s
presumptions	and	statements	as	though	they	were	reality. Instead,	there	is	an
insistence	on	a	higher	understanding. Familiarity	with	more	compassionate	viewpoints	of	life	tends	to	potentiate
them;	thus,	the	traditional	spiritual	advice	to	‘mingle	with	holy	company’	and
avoid	negative	companions. This	potentiates	progressive	discernment	of	more
appropriate	attitudes	and	habits	of	thought. Of	What	Use	Is	Prayer. Supplication	is	an	act	of	humility. To	lower	levels	of	consciousness,prayer	is	an	attempt	to	‘get’	something	for	self	or	others,	such	as	a	new	car,	a
job,	recovery	from	an	illness,	or	special	favors. With	progress,	this	intention
to	control	God	is	given	up,	and	the	act	of	supplication	becomes	a	dedication
instead	of	a	request. In	war,	both	sides	pray	to	win. With	progression	of
consciousness	from	selfishness	to	selflessness,	the	quality	of	prayer	shifts	to
the	willingness	to	be	a	servant	of	the	Lord	and	a	channel	of	His	Will	without
trying	to	specify	the	what	or	the	how	it	is	to	be	done. Prayer	becomes	surrender	rather	than	supplication. Many	children	lose
their	faith	in	God	by	using	prayer	in	the	form	of	pleading	and	then	become
disappointed	when	the	requested	benefit	fails	to	appear. What	Is	The	Healing	Power	of	Prayer. All	love	arises	from	God. On	the	scale	of	consciousness,	Love	calibrates
at	500,	and	as	it	is	perfected,	it	reaches	Unconditional	Love	at	540,	which	is
the	level	of	healing. Healing	prayer	services	thus	seek	to	replace	negativity
with	an	energy	field	of	540	or	over. Some	spiritual	organizations	calibrate	at
540	or	above	and	therefore	provide	a	field	of	healing	energy	that	is	capable	of
accomplishing	‘miracles’. What	Is	A	Miracle. If	an	event	occurs	outside	the	domain	of	explanation	or	expected	linear
causality	and	the	Newtonian	paradigm,	it	is	termed	a	miracle. It	is	an
eventuality	that	is	brought	into	actuality	by	removal	of	the	impediments	of
negativity. This	may	involve	relinquishment	of	limiting	belief	systems,	such
as,“It’s	impossible,”	or	“It	is	not	deserved,”	or	other	ego	viewpoints. For
those	who	have	reached	higher	levels	of	consciousness,	the	miraculous	is	not
only	commonplace,	it	is	the	natural	course	of	events	and	becomes	continuous. The	miraculous	comes	out	of	creation	and	not	causality. Spiritual	Principles
Attitude
The	‘way’	of	spiritual	advancement	through	consciousness	is	actually
uncomplicated	and	simple. The	primary


directions. But mak e the map personal. See your sour ce as
a point while your whole world is an e xpanding cir cle. The
more you see, understand, and e xperience, the bigger the
circle gets. Y et it is always e xpanding fr om the sour ce. What
this means is that the sour ce is never far away. It’s a
constant. When you can e xperience yourself as your sour ce and
your world at the same time, you have become whole. Thereason that your sour ce seems far away is that you have
identiﬁed with all the separate things in your world,
neglecting the cr eative origin that mak es everything
possible. (This is lik e forgetting your mother as you gr ow up. No amount of for getting will erase the fact that you had a
mother who was your sour ce. ) It isn’t possible to lose the
connection to your sour ce entir ely, because consciousness
is what the sour ce is made of. Being awar e that you ar e
alive means that you ar e connected to consciousness. This
makes the connection sound passive, however, and it isn’t. Through this connection pours every thought you’ve ever
had. Ther e’s also a silent side to consciousness that works
to keep you alive physically. Your heart is awar e of what
your liver is doing, not in wor ds but thr ough messages
encoded in chemicals and electrical signals. Y our body
requir es an inﬁnite range of r esponses to be coor dinated
among hundr eds of billions of cells. This is an aspect of
consciousness that never gains a voice, but its intelligence
far surpasses that of any genius. Ordinary people wor ry that God may be so far away that
he has for gotten us, while r eligious enthusiasts fervently
believe that God is close at hand every moment. Both views
have a ﬂaw. “Near ” and “ far” are actually false ter ms. They
derive fr om duality, since near is the opposite of far. But
imagine the color blue. Befor e you saw it in your mind, was
the color blue close to you or far away. Say the wor d
“elephant” to yourself. Befor e you br ought it to mind, was
your vocabulary far fr om you or nearby. W e use
consciousness for individual r easons, in the service of “I,
me, and mine,” but you can locate yourself in time and
space without being able to locate your consciousness. There is no distance between you and a memory, you and
your ne xt thought. F rom the perspective of wholeness, since
everything is being coor dinated at once, distance isn’t
relevant. Which leads to an e xciting conclusion: your potential for
change isn’t far away, either. Potential is the same as
unseen possibilities. Either you see that something is
possible or you don’t. So the impossible is just another
name for the unseen. Thus the shadow, which mak es you
see a limited, fearful world full of thr eat and dark
possibilities, is masking many unseen possibilities that could
spring into your awar eness if you e xpanded beyond the
shadow. Without e xpansion you ar e forced to have nar row
vision. Think of having a bad toothache. The pain occupies
your whole attention; you can’t think of anything else. If the
human race wer e in constant physical pain, consciousness
would never have e xpanded. F ear is anticipated pain, and it
has the same eﬀect of nar rowing your awar eness. Wholeness, it tur ns out, is the same as ﬁnding your sour ce. There is no division at the sour ce. You don’t have to conquer
every aspect of yourself that is tinged with darkness (which
would be impossible in any case). Become who you r eally
are, and fr om that moment on darkness is no longer
anything you can identif y with. You ar e living near the sour ce of consciousness when the
following ar e true:
You ar e at peace. You cannot be shak en from your center. You have self -knowledge. You empathize without judgment. You see yourself as part of the whole. You ar e not in the world.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: What is the key to undoing the shadow?,
A: To undo the shadow, you must see what you're doing, contact the feeling that is hidden beneath the surface, and make peace with that feeling.
Q: What is the main reason the shadow exists?,
A: The main reason the shadow exists is because we have been accumulating "emotional debt to the past" and are not willing to confront and heal our negative emotions.
Q: What is the key to repressing the shadow?,
A: The key to repressing the shadow is to deny, suppress, or judge your negative emotions, which only reinforces the unwanted feeling and makes it even more unwanted.
Q: What is the purpose of the shadow?,
A: The purpose of the shadow is to teach us that we are not separate from the world, and that our negative emotions are a part of our shared psyche.
Q: What is the ultimate goal of the spiritual path?,
A: The ultimate goal of the spiritual path is to transcend the ego and become one with the universe, allowing for wholeness and oneness with the divine.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>If you pull back fr om the spectacle, however, the whole
drama could have been avoided. An idealized self -image
isn’t a viable solution. Only true self -acceptance is, and
when that happens, ther e is nothing for others to r eject. This doesn’t mean you will be universally loved. Someone
else might still walk away, but if that happens, you won’t
feel r ejected. It won’t r esult in an emotional wound. How do
you know if you ar e falling for a false sense of self, which is
what an idealized self -image is? Y ou will hold such attitudes
as the following:
“I’m not lik e those people. I’m better.”
“I’ve never strayed.”
“God is pr oud of me.”
“Criminals and wr ongdoers ar en’t even human.”
“Everyone sees how good I am. Even so, I need to
remind them.”
“If I don’t have bad thoughts, why do other people?”“I alr eady know who I am and what I need to do. I’m not
conﬂicted.”
“I’m a r ole model.”
“Virtue isn’t its own r ewar d. I want my good deeds to be
validated.”
Dismantling your ideal image of yourself is a challenge,
because this is a much subtler defense than simple denial. Denial is blindness; the idealized self -image is pur e
seduction. The way out is to go past all images. Ther e is no
need to defend who you r eally ar e. Your true self is
acceptable not because you ar e so good, but because you
are complete. All things human belong to you. The most important ally you have is awar eness. Judgment
is constrictive. When you label yourself or anyone else as
bad, wr ong, inferior, unworthy, and so on, you ar e looking
through a nar row lens. Expand your vision and you will be
awar e that everyone, however ﬂawed, is complete and
whole at the deepest level. The mor e awar e you ar e, the
more you will accept yourself. This isn’t an instant solution. You must spend time looking at all the feelings you’ve so
diligently denied, suppr essed, and disguised. F ortunately,
those feelings ar e temporary; you can go beyond them. There’s nothing to r eject, just a lot to work thr ough. This is
how a ﬁgur e like Jesus or Buddha could have compassion for
anyone. By seeing the wholeness behind the play of light
and dark, they found nothing to blame. The same holds true
along the spiritual path you follow. As you see yourself mor e
completely, you will have compassion for your faults, and
that will lead to complete self -acceptance. The One V ersus the Many
The solution: Sur render to being.Finally, we ar rive at the war in your soul. A t this level, the
conﬂict is very subtle, which sounds odd, because we tend
to think that the cosmic battle between God and Satan must
be titanic. In fact, it’s very delicate. As you get closer to
your true self, you begin to sense that you ar e part of
everything. Boundaries sof ten and disappear. Ther e’s a
blissful feeling of mer ging. As beautiful as this e xperience is,
one last r esistance cr ops up. The ego says, “What about
me? I don’t want to die,” lik e the W icked W itch in The
Wizard of Oz,  whose last wor ds wer e “I’m melting, I’m
melting!” The ego has been incr edibly useful. It has guided
you thr ough a world of inﬁnite diversity. Now you ar e about
to experience unity. No wonder the ego feels fatally
threatened; it sees it usefulness (and its domination) come
to an end.


 Alwaysrememberthatwherethereispain,thereislife. Your
paintellsyouthatyournervesandyourbody’stissuesarealive
andwellandaretryingtocommunicatewithyou. Itistelling
youtotakecorrectiveactiontorestorenormalfunctiontoyourbody. ‘Wherethereispain,thereisalwaystheopportunityforhealing. Painisnotnegativeorpunitive,butratherapositive,instructive,helpfulmessagefromyourbody’shealingsystem. Painisaconsummateteacher,andyoushouldconsiderityourfriend,notyourenemy. Painisalwaystemporaryandneedstobeunderstood,notignoredorsuppressed. Whenyousuppresspainthroughartifi
cialmeans,youareturningadeafeartovaluableinformation
yourbodyistryingtosharewithyou. Asmokealarmisinstalled
foryourprotection,andifyouweretosnipitswiresbecause
youdidn’tliketheirritatingsounditmadeeverytimeitwasactivated,yourhousemightburndown. Snippingthewiresto
yourinternalalarmsystemiswhatyoudowhenyousuppress
yourpain. Unfortunately,throughthewidespreaduseofpainsuppressingmedications,peopleinoursocietyarelearninghow
tosuccessfullyignoretheirbodies. Doingthisisoftenvery
254ActivatingYourHealingSystemWhenYoureSick
harmfulbecausemostconditionsgetworsewhentheunderly
ingcauseshavenotbeenaddressed. Sometimes,chronicpaindoesn’thaveaphysicalcausebut
hasitsrootsindeeperemotionalpain. Thisemotionalpainseeksbodilyexpression,whichcancomeintheformofunbear
ablephysicalpain. Thistypeofpainisoftendescribedasfunctional,whichmeansthatnothingstructuralcanbefound
asthesource,asopposedtoorganic,whichmeansthatthereis
adefinitephysicalcauseforthepain. Youmustaddressfunctionalpainjustasseriouslyasyoudoorganicpain,andyou
mustlistentotheseimportantmessagesfromyourbodytoacti
vateyourhealingsystemandbeginthehealingprocess. LearningtoWorkwithYourPain
Painisapotentmessagefromyourhealingsystemthatsomethingisoutof
order. Underlyingcausesalwaysneedtobeaddressed,butifnoseriousorlife-threateningcausehasbeenfound,andyourpainstillpersists,youcan
takethefollowingstepstoworkwithyourpain,nomatterhowlongithas
beenwithyou:
oListentoyourbody. Regularlypracticethe“HowtoListentoYourBody”exerciseaccordingtotheinstructionsgiveninChapter4. Ifyourpainis
severeandlongstanding,youinitiallymightneedtopracticethisexercise
uptofourtimesaday,foraminimumof30to45minutesforeachses
sion. Allowseveralmonthsforimprovementifyourpainhaslastedforsixmonthstoayear. Allowmoretimeifyourpainhasbeenpresentlonger. Ifyouaretakingstrongpainsuppressants,practicingthisexerciseand
gainingfullbenefitsmaybedifficult. Togainfullbenefitsandformaximumhealing,reduceordefertakingthesemedicationswhileyouarepractic
ingtheexerciseoflearningtolistentoyourbody. Asthepaineventuallybeginstolesseninintensityandyourbodyheals,youwillcometoappre
ciatethisdisciplineandseethatitwaswellworththeeffort. oDialoguewithyourpain. Throughtheguided-imageryandvisualizationtech
niquespresentedinPartOne,youcanlearntohaveaconversationwith
yourpainandgainvaluableinsightsaboutitsspecificpurposeandfunc
tion. Youcangainmuchhealinginformationinthisway. Yourhealing
BeforeYouBegrn 255
systemisintelligentandknowsmoreaboutyourillnessthanyoudo,
andbypracticingthesetechniquesyoucanaccessinformationthatmay
becompletelyunavailablethrough‘othermeans. Thisinformationcan
guideanddirectyourhealingeffortsandhelpyoudecidewhatothertreatmentsmaybeofbenefit. Itiscritical,however,thatyoumakeacommitmenttoimplementintoyourlifewhateverinsightsyougainfrom
thesetechniques. (Formoreinformationaboutthesevaluabletech
niques,consultthe“Resources”sectioninthebackofthisbook. ) ~Breathewithyourpain. Inyoga,breathandenergyarenearlyequivalent. Byworkingwithyourbreathing,youcanincreaseyourenergyandgaintremendouscontroloveryourpain. Whenyoulearntoslowlyandgen
tlylengthenyourbreathing,notonlydoyoubringmoreoxygenandheal
ingenergyintoyourbody,butyoualsohelprelaxyournervoussystem,
themastersysteminyourbody. Yournervescontrolallofyourmuscletissues,whichcontainthe
largestnumberofpainreceptorsinyourbody. Sowhenyournervesare
calmandrelaxedbecauseofyourbreathing,yourmusclesrelax. When
yourmusclesrelax,tensionandpainautomaticallydiminishthroughout
yourentirebody. Breathingisoneofthemostpowerfulmodalities
knowntohelpdiminishpainandstrengthenyourhealingsystem. Breath
ingissimple,easytopractice,andalwaysavailabletoyou. (Formoreinformationonbreathing,pleaserefertothebreathingexercisesinthestress-managementsectioninChapter6. ) ~Stretchwithyourpain. Stretchinglengthensmusclesinyourbody,decom
pressesnerves,helpstorestorevitalmovementofimportantstructures
andfluids,improveslymphaticcirculation(whichaidsimmunefunction),
andcreatesspacewithinwhichmorebloodflowandhealingenergycan
enterproblemareasofyourbody. Stretching,whendonegentlyandcor
rectly,andwhencombinedwithslow,gentle,deepbreathing,isapower
fulmodalityforeliminatingpain. Whenyouarestretching,keepthese
basictipsinmind:
I. Followtheguidelinesforstretchingdescribedearlier,andremember
nottostretchtoofar.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: What was the diagnosis given to Merry, and how did she respond to it?,
A: Merry was diagnosed with severe, progressive osteoarthritis, and she responded by committing to a regimen of yoga and gentle physical therapy.
Q: What is the author's view on the concept of "incurable" diseases?,
A: The author believes that the concept of "incurable" diseases is misleading, as many people have recovered from previously thought incurable diseases, and it's crucial to focus on the healing process.
Q: What is the author's advice on the importance of prevention?,
A: The author emphasizes the significance of prevention and encourages readers to take proactive steps to maintain their health and well-being.
Q: What is the author's stance on the role of diet in healing?,
A: The author advises that each person has unique nutritional needs and encourages readers to listen to their body and make informed choices about their diet.
Q: What is the author's view on the importance of spiritual well-being?,
A: The author stresses the significance of spiritual well-being and encourages readers to cultivate a sense of connection with a higher power, engage in activities that bring joy, and prioritize self-care.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Thesamenaturaltreatmentsforabscessescanalsobeeffective
foracne.Dryingagents,includingalcohol,canalsobehelpful.Oily,fatty,richdiets,alongwithstress,canmakeacneworse.Peoplewithnaturallyoilyskinneedtopayparticularattentiontotheirdiets.Amacrobioticdiet(averylow-fat,plant-baseddietthatoriginatedinJapan)canoftenclearupstubborncasesofacneinashorttime.In
manycases,conventionalmedicinesmayalsobenecessary.Thesemedicinesincludetopicaldryingagents,suchasthosethatcontain
284ActivatingYourHealingSystemWhenYoureSick
benzoylperoxide,orinternalpreparations,suchasaccutane,avitamin-Aderivative,which,whenprescribedunderthecareofaknowledgeabledermatologist,canbehighlyeffective. Boils,Carbuncles,Furuncles
Theseareinfectiousswellingsintheskinsimilartoabscesses.Many
startwithjustasimpleingrownhair,buttheymaybecomeirritat
ed,painful,andoftenquitelarge,especiallyiftheyaresqueezedorpicked.Theycanalsobecomeunsightly,especiallyiftheyareonthe
faceorshoulder.Naturaltreatmentsthatworkbestwithyourhealingsystemincludesoakingorcompressinginwarm,concentratedsaltsolutions,applyingclaypacks,exposingtosunlight,treatingwithalco
holandotherdryingagents,andkeepingalldirt,oil,andbacteria
awayfromtheaffectedarea.Ifboils,carbuncles,orfurunclesare
severeandareallowedtoprogress,antibioticsand/orlancingmaybenecessarytohelpyourhealingsystemrepairtheseconditions. Burns


	into	a	thick,	mucus-
like	substance. Its	high	concentration	makes	bile	the	powerful	digestive	aid	that	it	is. Figure	5
:	Location	of	the	gallbladder

The	muscular	walls	of	the	gallbladder	contract	and	eject	bile	when	acidic	foods	and
most	protein	foods	enter	the	duodenum	from	the	stomach. A	more	marked	gallbladder
activity	is	noted	if	food	entering	the	duodenum	contains	a	high	proportion	of	fat. The	body
uses	the	bile	salts	contained	in	bile	to	emulsify	the	fat	and	facilitate	its	digestion. Once	the
bile	salts	have	done	their	job	and	left	the	emulsified	fat	for	intestinal	absorption,	they
travel	on	down	the	intestine. Most	of	them	are	reabsorbed	in	the	final	section	of	the	small
intestine	(ileum)	and	carried	back	to	the	liver. Once	in	the	liver,	the	bile	salts	are	collected
again	in	the	bile	and	secreted	into	the	duodenum. Intestinal	congestion	sharply	reduces	the
amount	of	bile	salts	needed	for	proper	bile	production	and	fat	digestion. Diminished	bile
salt	concentration	in	the	bile	causes	gallstones,	and	leaves	large	amounts	of	fats
undigested;	this	is	hazardous	to	the	intestinal	environment. Gallstones	in	the	gallbladder	may	be	made	primarily	of	cholesterol,	calcium,	or
pigments	such	as	bilirubin. Cholesterol	is	the	most	common	component,	but	many	of	the
stones	are	of	mixed	composition. Besides	the	above	ingredients,	gallstones	may	also
contain	bile	salts,	water,	and	mucus,	as	well	as	toxins,	bacteria,	and,	sometimes,	dead
parasites. Typically,	stones	in	the	gallbladder	keep	growing	in	size	for	about	eight	years	before
noticeable	symptoms	begin	to	appear. Larger	stones	are	generally	calcified	and	can	be
detected	easily	through	radiological	means	or	by	using
ultrasound
. Some	85	percent	of	the
gallstones	found	in	the	gallbladder	measure	about	¾	inches	across	(see
Figure	6a
),
although	some	can	become	as	large	as	2	to	3	inches	across	(see
Figures	6b
	and	6c	of	a
calcified	gallstone;	I	personally	examined	and	photographed	this	stone	moments	after	my
wife	released	it	without	any	pain	during	her	ninth	liver	cleanse;	the	stone	emitted	an
extremely	noxious	odor	unlike	any	I	had	ever	come	across). Such	stones	form	when,	for
reasons	explained	in	Chapter	3,	bile	in	the	gallbladder	becomes	too	saturated	and	its
unabsorbed	constituents	begin	to	harden. Figure	6a
:	Gallstones	in	a	dissected	gallbladder

Figure	6b

(left):	A	large	calcified	gallstone,	passed	painlessly	and

Figure	6c

(right):	The
same	stone,	cut	in	halves

If	a	gallstone	slips	out	of	the	gallbladder	and	becomes	impacted	in	the
cystic	bile	duct
	or
common	bile	duct
,	there	is	very	strong	spasmodic	contraction	of	the	wall	of	the	duct	(see
Figure	3
). The	contraction	helps	to	move	the	stone	onward. This	causes	severe	pain,
known	as
biliary	colic,
	and	is	accompanied	by	considerable	distension	of	the	gallbladder. If	the	gallbladder	is	packed	with	gallstones,	it	can	suffer	extremely	painful	spasmodicmuscle	contractions. Gallstones	can	cause	irritation	and	inflammation	of	the	lining	of	the	gallbladder,	as	well
as	of	the	cystic	and	common	bile	ducts. This	is	a	condition	known	as
cholecystitis. There
may	also	be	superimposed	microbial	infection. It	is	quite	common	to	encounter	ulceration
of	the	tissues	between	the	gallbladder	and	the	duodenum	or	colon,	with
fistula	formation
and
fibrous	adhesions. Gallbladder	disease	generally	originates	in	the	liver. When	the	occurrence	of	gallstones
in	the	bile	ducts	of	the	liver	and,	eventually,	the	development	of	fibrous	tissue	distort	the
structure	of	liver	lobules,	venous	blood	pressure	starts	to	rise	in	the	portal	vein. This,	in
turn,	increases	the	blood	pressure	in	the	cystic	vein,	which	drains	venous	blood	from	the
gallbladder	into	the	portal	vein. The	incomplete	elimination	of	waste	products	through	the
cystic	duct	causes	a	backup	of	acidic	waste	in	the	tissues	composing	the	gallbladder. This
gradually	reduces	the	stamina	and	performance	of	the	gallbladder. Subsequently,	the
formation	of	mineralized	gallstones	is	just	a	matter	of	time. Intestinal	Diseases

The	small	intestine	is	continuous	with	the	stomach	at	the
pyloric	sphincter
	and	has	a
length	of	16-19	feet. It	leads	into	the	large	intestine,	which	is	about	3.5-5	feet	long. The
small	intestine	secretes	intestinal	juice	to	complete	the	digestion	of	carbohydrates,
proteins,	and	fats. It	also	absorbs	nutrient	materials	necessary	for	nourishing	and
maintaining	the	body	and	protects	it	against	infection	by	microbes	that	have	survived	the
antimicrobial	action	of	hydrochloric	acid	in	the	stomach. When	acid	food	(
chyme
)	from	the	stomach	enters	the	duodenum,	it	combines	first	with
bile	and	pancreatic	juice,	and	then	with	intestinal	juice. Gallstones	in	the	liver	and
gallbladder	drastically	reduce	the	secretion	of	bile,	which	weakens	the	ability	of
pancreatic	enzymes
	to	digest	carbohydrates,	proteins,	and	fats. This,	in	turn,	prevents	the
small	intestine	from	properly	absorbing	the	nutrient	components	of	these	foods	(such	as
monosaccharides
	from	carbohydrates,
amino	acids
	from	protein,	and
fatty	acids
	and
glycerol
	from	fats). This	incomplete	absorption	can	lead	to	malnourishment	and	food
cravings. Since	the	presence	of	bile	in	the	intestines	is	essential	for	the	absorption	of	life-essential
fats,	calcium,	and	vitamin	K,	gallstones	can	lead	to	life-threatening	diseases,	such	as
heart
disease,	osteoporosis,
	and
cancer. The	liver	uses	the	fat-soluble	vitamin	K	to	produce	the
compounds	responsible	for	the	clotting	of	blood. In	case	of	poor	vitamin	K	absorption,
hemorrhagic	disease
	may	result. The	body	cannot	fully	absorb	this	vitamin	when	a
problem	with	the	digestion	of	fat	exists. The	main	cause	of	inadequate	vitamin	K
absorption	is	an	insufficient	supply	of	bile,	pancreatic	lipase,	and	pancreatic	fat. It	stands
to	reason	that	following	a	lowfat	or	no-fat	diet	can	actually	endanger	your	life. Calcium	is	essential	for	the	hardening	of	bone	and	teeth,	the	coagulation	of	blood,	and
the	mechanism	of	muscle	contraction. Poor	bile	secretion	can,	therefore,	undermine	the
uptake	of	calcium,	a	mineral	the	body	requires	for	some	of	its	most	vital	activities. What	applies	to	vitamin	K	also	applies	to	all	other	fat-soluble	vitamins,	including
vitamins	A,	E,	and	D.	The	small	intestine	can	only	absorb	vitamin	A	and	carotene
sufficient


 Spirit’s
laboratories in which He brings together people who have
the maximal opportunity for mutual gr owth. He appraises
who can lear n most fr om whom at any given time, and then
assigns them to each other. Like a giant universal computer,
He knows e xactly what combination of ener gies, in e xactly
what conte xt, would do the most to further God’s plan for
salvation. No meetings ar e accidental. “Those who ar e to
meet will meet, because together they have the potential
for a holy r elationship.”The Course says that ther e are ‘thr ee levels of teaching’
in relationship. The ﬁrst level is what we think of as a casual
encounter, such as two strangers meeting in an elevator or
students who “happen ” to walk home fr om school together. The second level is a “mor e sustained r elationship, in which,
for a time, two people enter into a fairly intense teaching-
learning situation and then appear to separate.” The thir d
level of teaching is a r elationship which, once for med, lasts
all our lives. A t this level, “each person is given a chosen
learning partner who pr esents him with unlimited
opportunities for lear ning.”
Even at the ﬁrst level of teaching, the people in the
elevator might smile at one another or the students might
become friends. It is mostly in casual encounters that we
are given a chance to practice the ﬁne art of chiseling away
the har d edges of our personalities. Whatever personal
weaknesses ar e evident in our casual interactions will
inevitably appear magniﬁed in mor e intense r elationships. If
we’re crabby with the bank teller, it will be har der to be
gentle with the people we love the most. At the second level of teaching, people ar e brought
together for mor e intense work. During their time together,
they will go thr ough whatever e xperiences pr ovide them
with their ne xt lessons to be lear ned. When physical
proximity no longer supports the highest level of teaching
and lear ning between them, the assignment will call for
physical separation. What then appears to be the end of the
relationship however, is not r eally an end. R elationships ar e
eternal. They ar e of the mind, not the body, since people
are ener gy, not physical substance. Bodies joining may or
may not denote r eal joining, since joining is of the mind. People who have slept in the same bed for twenty -ﬁve years
may not be truly joined, and people who ar e many miles
apart may not be separate at all.Often we see a couple who has separated or divor ced
and look with sadness at the “ failur e” of their r elationship. But if both people lear ned what they wer e meant to lear n,
then that r elationship was a success. Now it may be time for
physical separation so that mor e can be lear ned in other
ways. That not only means lear ning elsewher e, from other
people; it also means lear ning the lessons of pur e love that
come fr om having to r elease the for m of an e xisting
relationship. Third-level, life-long r elationships ar e generally few
because “their e xistence implies that those involved have
reached a stage simultaneously in which the teaching-
learning balance is actually perfect.” That doesn’t mean,
however, that we necessarily r ecognize our thir d-level
assignments; in fact, generally we don’t. W e may even feel
hostility towar d these particular people. Someone with
whom we have a lifetime’s worth of lessons to lear n is
someone whose pr esence in our lives for ces us to gr ow. Sometimes it r epresents someone with whom we participate
lovingly all our lives, and sometimes it r epresents someone
who we e xperience as a thor n in our side for years, or even
forever. Just because someone has a lot to teach us, doesn’t
mean we lik e them. P eople who have the most to teach us
are often the ones who r eﬂect back to us the limits to our
own capacity to love, those who consciously or
unconsciously challenge our fearful positions. They show us
our walls. Our walls ar e our wounds—the places wher e we
feel we can’t love any mor e, can’t connect any mor e deeply,
can’t for give past a certain point. W e are in each other’s
lives in or der to help us see wher e we most need healing,
and in or der to help us heal. 6. THE SPECIAL RELA TIONSHIP“The special love r elationship is the ego’s chief
weapon for k eeping you fr om Heaven.”
We can all r elate to the desir e to ﬁnd Mr. or Ms. Right. It’s
almost a cultural obsession. But accor ding to A Course in
Miracles, the sear ch for the perfect person to “ﬁx” us is one
of our biggest psychic wounds, and one of the ego’s most
powerful delusions. It r epresents a notion that A Course in
Miracles  calls the “special r elationship.” Although the wor d
“special” nor mally implies something wonderful, fr om a
Course perspective, special means diﬀer ent, ther efore
separate, which is characteristic of ego rather than spirit. A
special r elationship is a r elationship based on fear. ‘God cr eated only one begotten Son’ and He loves all of
us as one. T o Him, no one is diﬀer ent or special because no
one is actually separate fr om anyone else. Since our peace
lies in loving as God loves, we must strive to love everyone. Our desir e to ﬁnd one “special person,” one part of the
Sonship who will complete us, is hurtful because it is
delusional. It means we’r e seeking salvation in separation
rather than in oneness. The only love that completes us is
the love of God, and the love of God is the love of everyone. That doesn’t mean that the for m of our r elationships is the
same with everyone, but it means that we ar e seeking the
same content in every r elationship: a quality of br otherly
love and friendship that goes beyond the changes of for m
and bodies. Just as the ‘Holy Spirit was God’s answer to the
separation, the special r elationship was then the ego’s
answer to the cr eation of the Holy Spirit.’ A fter the
separation, we began to feel a huge gaping hole within us,
and most of us still feel it. The only antidote for this is the
Atonement, or r eturn to God, because the pain we feel is
actually our own denial of love. The ego, however, tells usdiﬀer ently. It ar gues that the love we need must come fr om
someone else, and that ther e’s one special person out ther e
who can ﬁll up that hole. Since the desir e for that person
actually stems fr om our belief that we’r e separate fr om God,
then the desir e itself symbolizes the separation and the guilt
we feel because of it. Our sear ch then car ries the ener gy of
the separation. It becomes about guilt. This is why so much
anger is of ten ar oused in our closest r elationships. W e’re
projecting onto someone else the rage we feel against
ourselves for cutting oﬀ our own love. Often when we think we ar e “in love” with a person, as A
Course in Miracles  indicates, we’r e actually anything but. The special r elationship is based not on love but on guilt. The special r elationship is the ego’s seductive pull away
from God. It is a major for m of idolatry, or temptation to
think that something other than God can complete us and
give us peace. The ego tells us that ther e is some special
person out ther e who will mak e all the pain go away. We
don’t r eally believe that, of course, but then on the other
hand we r eally do. Our cultur e has br ed the idea into us,
through books, songs, movies, advertising, and mor e
importantly, the conspiracy of other egos. It is the job of the
Holy Spirit to transfor m the ener gy of special love fr om
treachery to holiness. The special r elationship mak es other people—their
behavior, their choices, their opinions of us—too important. It mak es us think we need another person, when in fact we
are complete and whole as we ar e. Special love is a “blind”
love, seeking to heal the wr ong wound. It addr esses the gap
between ourselves and God, which doesn’t actually e xist but
which we think does. By addr essing this gap as r eal, and
displacing its sour ce onto other people, we actually
manufactur e the e xperience we seek to r ectify.Under the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we come together to
share joy.


 become present. I do understand what you just said, but it seems to imply that Being, the
ultimate transce ndental r eality, is not yet complete, that it is under going
a pr ocess of development. Does God need time for personal gr owth. Y es, but  only as seen from the limited perspective of the m anifested
universe. In the Bible, God declares: “I am the Alpha and the Omega,
and I am the living One. ” In the timeless realm where God dwel ls, which
is also your  home, the begin ning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega,
are one, and the essence of everything that ever has been and ever will be
is et ernally present in an unmani fested state of oneness and perfection —
totally beyond anything the human mind can ever imagine or
comprehend. In our world of seemingly separate forms, however,
timeless perfection is an inconceivable concept. Here even
consciousness, w hich is the lig ht emanating from the eternal Source,
seems to be subject to a process of development, but this is du e to our
limited perception. It is not so in absolute terms. Nevertheless, let me
continue to speak for a moment about the evolution of consciousness in
this world. Everything that exists has Bein g, has God-essence, has some d egree of
consciousness. Even a stone has rudimentary consciousness; otherwise, it
would not be, and its atoms and molecules would disperse. Ever ything is
alive. Th e sun, the earth, plants, animals, humans — all are expressions
of consciousness in varying degrees, consciousness manifesting as form. The world arises when consciou sness takes on shapes and forms, thought
forms and material forms. Loo k at the millions of life forms on this
planet alone. In the sea, on land, in the air — and then each life form is
replicated millions of times. T o what end. Is someone or something
playing a game, a game with form. This is what the ancient  seers of
India asked themselves. They saw the world as lila, a kind of divine
game th at God is playing. The individual life forms are obviously not
very imp ortant in this game. In the sea, most life forms don’ t survive for
more tha n a few minutes after being born. The human form turn s to dust
pretty qu ickly to o, and when it is gone it is as if it had never bee n. Is that
tragic or cruel. Only if you create a separate identity for each  form, if
you for g et that its consciousness is God-essence expressing itself in
form. But you d on’ t truly know  th at until you realize your own God-
essence as pure consciousness. If a fish is born in your aquarium and you call him John, write out a birth
certificate, tell him about his f amily history, and two minutes later hegets eate n by another fish — th at’ s tragic. But it’ s only tragic  because
you projected a separate self where there was none. Y ou got hold of a
fraction of a dy namic process, a molecular dance, and made a  separate
entity out of it. Consciousness takes on the disguise of forms until they re ach such
complexity that it completely loses itself in them. In present-day humans,
consciousness is  completely identified with its disguise. It only knows
itself as form an d therefore lives in fear of the annihilation of its  physical
or psyc hological form. This is the egoic mind, and this is where
considerable dysfunction sets in. It now looks as if something had gone
very wro ng som ewhere along the line of evolution. But even this is part
of lila, t he divine gam e. Finally, the pressure of suf fering created by t his
apparent dysfunction forces consciousness to disidentify from form and
awakens it from its dream of for m: It regains self-consciousness, but it is
at a far deeper level than when it lost it. This pro cess is explained by Je sus in his parable of the lost s on, who
leaves h is father ’ s home, squanders his wealth, becomes destitute, and is
then forced by his suf fering to return home. When he does, his father
loves him mor e  than before. The son’ s state is the same as it was before,
yet not the sam e. It has an added dimension of depth. The parable
describes a journey from unconscious perfection, through apparent
imperfection and “evil” to conscious perfection. Can you now se e the deeper and  wider significance of becoming present
as t he watcher of your mind. Whenever you watch the mind, you
withdraw consciousness from mind forms, and it then becomes what we
call the  watcher or the witne ss. Consequently, the watcher — pure
consciousness beyond form — becomes stronger, and the mental
formations beco me weaker. When we talk about watching the mind we
are pers onalizing an event that is truly of cosmic significance: Through
you, consciousn ess is awakening out of its dream of identifica tion with
form and withdrawing from form. This foreshadows, but is already part
of, an event th at is probably still in the distant future as far as
chronological ti me is concerned. The event is called — the en d of the
world. When conscious ness frees itself from its identification with physical and
mental forms, it becomes wh at we may call pure or enlightened
consciousness, or presence. This has already happened in  a few
individuals, and it seems destine d to happen soon on a much lar g er scale,
although there is no absolute guarantee that it will  hap pen. Most h umans
are still in the grip of the egoic mode of consciousness: identified with
their mi nd and run by their mind. If they do not free themselves from
their mind in time, they will be destroyed by it. They will experience
increasing confu sion, conflict, violence, illness, despair, madne ss. Egoic
mind has become like a sinking ship. If you don’ t get of f, you will go
down with it. The collective eg oic mind is the most dangerous ly insane
and dest ructive entity ever to in habit this planet. What do you think will
happen on this planet if human consciousness remains unchanged. Already for most humans, the only respite they find from their own
minds is to occasionally revert to a level of consciousness below thought. Everyone does that every night during sleep. But this also happens to
some e xtent through sex, alcohol, and other drugs that suppress
excessive mind activity. If it weren’ t for alcohol, tranquilizers,
antidepressants, as well as the illegal drugs, which are all consumed in
vast quantities, the insanity of th e human mind would become even more
glaringly obviou s than it is already. I believe that, if deprived of their
drugs, a lar ge part of the p opulation would become a danger to
themselves and others. These drugs, of course, simply keep you  stuck in
dysfunction. Their widespread use only delays the breakdown of the old
mind structures and the emer gence of higher consciousness. While
individual users may get some relief from the daily torture inflicted on
them by their minds, they are prevented from generating enough
conscious presence to rise above thought and so find true liberation. Falling b ack to a level of consc iousness below mind, which is the pre-
thinking level of our distant ancestors and of animals and plants, is not
an optio n for us. There is no wa y back. If the human race is to survive, it
will have to g o on to the next stage. Consciousness is evolving
throughout the universe in billions of forms. So even if we didn’ t make
it, this wouldn’ t  matter on a cosmic scale. No gain in consciousness isever lost, so it w ould simply express itself through some other f orm. But
the very fact tha t I am speaking here and you are listening or rea ding this
is a clear sign that the new consciousness is  gaining a footh old on the
planet. There is nothing personal in this: I am not teaching you. Y ou are
consciousness, and you are listening to yourself. There is an Eastern
saying: “The teacher and the tau ght together create the teaching. ” In any
case, the  words in themselves are not important. They are not t he T ruth;
they only point to it. I speak from presence, and as I speak, you  may be
able to join me in that state. Alth ough every word that I use has a history,
of cours e, and comes from the p ast, as all language does, the words that I
speak to you no w are carriers of the high-ener gy frequency of p resence,
quite apart from the meaning they convey as words. Silence is an even more potent carrier of presence, so when you  read this
or listen to me speak, be aware of the silence between and underneath the
words. Be aware of the gaps. T o listen to the silence, wherever  you are,
is an easy and direct way of be coming present. Even if there is noise,
there is always some silence u nderneath and in between


, 1996. OceanofPDF.comChapter Nineteen
HOW T O FOLLOW THE GERSON THERAPY ON YOUR OWN
What are the characteristics of a person who survives cancer or another
“incurable” disease? We, whose work entails furnishing information for
coping with incurables, have observed the traits shown by those  who thrive,
even against life-threatening odds. T o open this chapter, we are sharing such
information. Every day, the incurable disease survivor embarks on a healing journey
and:
• asks lots of questions and makes multiple new health discoveries;
• seeks out others knowledgeable about health care;
• questions the practices of conventional oncological medicine (COM);
• examines of ferings in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM);
• uncove rs and then puts aside the abundant myths perpetuated  by both
medical disciplines (COM and CAM);
• associates closely with a higher spiritual power;
• keeps faith in, acquires hope for, and expects healing from that higher
power;
• abandons self-pity and accepts personal responsibility for homeostatic
bodily functions;
• avoids stressors and masters stress; and
• prepares a set of principles for living well and abides by them. In the October 1999 issue of the Townsend Letter  for Doctors & Patients,
Al Schaefer of Seattle, Washington, discusses the successful cancer
survivor. Mr. Schaefer writes: “The survivor questions him/her self and
wonders what steps to take for correction—how to recover [and remain in a
state of wellness]. He/she asks [informed persons], ‘If you were in my
shoes, what would you do?’ ”
The cancer survivor discovers that there is a definite belief system about
malignancy programmed into allopathic doctors that trickles down tomedical consumers through the journalistic media, which invariably take
their material from organized medicine’ s propaganda mechanisms. This
programming states: “Cancer is death; it is tumor; tumor is autonomous;
under no circumstances can it be conquered!” If accepted by a cancer
patient, these erroneous beliefs severely hinder recovery and are likely to
come true. Alternately, when they are not believed their falsity becomes
apparent, and the person with cancer survives splendidly.1
A second set of falsehoods leveled at the public by a brainwashed North
American medical orthodoxy is that (1) surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy
is the only effective cancer treatment, and all other therapies  should be
considered quac kery; (2) biopsy, excision of the lump accompanied by a
pathology examination, CAT scans, mammograms, X-ray films, and other
forms of high technology are the most reliable diagnostic methods; (3) food
quality and good nutrition have no effect upon cancer ’s progre ss; (4) early
detection and treatment increas e the odds of survival; and (5) if someone
with cancer lives five years, such an interval counts as a cure of the disease. The above five propaganda pronouncements are unmitigated myths
perpetrated by the cancer industry, usually for financial gain. The knowing
cancer survivor recognizes statements such as these as coming from
allopathic sourc es. He/she knows that they are sheer fantasies, and
subsequently, develops more accurate personal beliefs based on observation
and education. “Identifying these fabrications as altogether wrong and harmful to the ill
individual, I know there must be a more effective way to gain healing and
health maintena nce,” says the “incurable disease” survivor who puts the lie
to such an inaccurate label. This positive-minded patient seeks out and finds
the better way. In doing so, he or she becomes totally confide nt and self-
reliant. Some survivors  discover their inspiration through the actions of an
empathetic health professional who has become disenchanted with the
various conventional myths of medicine. This doctor radiat es love for
patients who eventually do push him or her into some form of alternative
method of healing—a rare physician who deserves to be cherished. Other
patients become  inspired by the testimonies of survivors who are proof that
cancer or another illness is reversible. Tumor, for instance, turns out to
merely be a symptom of some  pathology that’s treatable, but to which
treatment had not yet been applied.The “incurable disease” survivor becomes anchored in reality. He/she
wastes no time searching for “silver bullets” or some anticance r vaccine or
another form of “miracle” cure repeatedly being promised but never
delivered by the cancer establ ishment. It’s realized by the sophisticated
individual that our cancer industry reaps vast profits each time it predicts
such a cure if only enough money could be donated. Instead of a miracle cure, the disease survivor searches for nontoxic
alternatives and asks, “How many have been helped by this treatment? Do
you know someone who recove red by its use? Can I talk to the recovered
person? Does it have detriment al side effects? What are they? Also, what
are the product’ s ingredients or the method’ s procedures?”
A cancer survivor continues to nourish his/her body with excellent food
containing all the essential nutrients and cleanses it internally and
externally. One’ s body is considered a temple for the soul. The patient has
become vegan with the ingestion of no animal products, drinki ng from ten
to fourte en glasses of vegetable or fruit juices a day. All drugs,  soft drinks,
coffee, chocolate, and processed  foods are avoided. And only those certain
adjunctive practices or medications permitted by the Gerson program are
brought home to be introduced into the body. If engag ing in the Gerson Ther apy at home, the supposedly “incurable
disease” survivo r requires self-discipline, determination, and the vigorous
pursuit of huma n body knowledge. He or she becomes a student of organic
agriculture, nutritional science, body detoxification, psychology,
visualization, meditation, the politics surrounding cancer ’s medical
treatments, and much more general information connected with
degenerative diseases. This individual becomes an educator about what’ s
pure, good, and true for the welfare of body and mind. There is much
sharing with others. Most of all, although difficult to pursue, complete
recovery from illness using the program developed by Dr. Max Gerson
continues for the patient at home. Without any question or doubt, an incurable disease survivor affirms that
self-administering the Gerson Therapy at home is the principal means by
which one ensures that perfect health remains evermore. AN INTRODUCTION T O SELF-ADMINISTERING  THE GERSON  THERAPY A T
HOMETo unde rstand and apply the Gerson Therapy at home to increase the
chances of beating back most of the incurable diseases, the balance of this
chapter offers a quick reference format for various aspects of the healing
program. It also explains recen t developments in adjuvant therapies, too. Practical help for those seeking the required materials and suppl ies used for
the Gerson Therapy, sometimes difficult to obtain, is given. The authors,
primarily Charlotte Gerson, who is most conversant with her father ’s
therapy, are drawing on more than forty years of experience in “curing the
incurables”. For peop le who are afflicted, or who have loved ones suffering  with all
types of life-threatening degenerative diseases, starting immedi ately below
with informatio n about adjuvant therapies we show how patients can
become their own healers. Because the Gerson Therapy is the primary management tool for
eliminating illness, any agent, material, technique, or procedure added to it
must be characterized as adjuvant, or supportive in nature. No adjuvant
agent should be used at the expense of a regular Gerson procedure or
medication in the hope of improving that adjuvant’ s performance. If a
Gerson-trained physician makes an alteration in the healing program,
however, adjunctive treatment under that doctor ’s supervision is
permissible. Furthermore, always consult your Gerson Therapy physician
with regard to any promising new addition to the treatment. ADJUNCTIVE  THERAPIES  THAT FIT INT O THE  GERSON  PROCEDURE
The procedures and materials listed below are available at all Gerson
facilities in a form compatible with the Gerson Therapy. Pleas e be aware
that each Gerson Center is separately owned and licensed by the Gerson
Institute. At any given facility, certain additional therapies cited below may
or may not be available. The Gerson-trained physician in charge may
choose to recommend the addition of one or more of such adjunctive
therapies. Laetrile,  the purified form of amygdalin, which occurs naturally in the
pits of apricots and in some  other foods, is a cyanogenic glycoside
(containing cyan ide). While it is nontoxic, laetrile by itself does not cure. Itis used as an analgesic and has other purported anticancer properties. Lactrile is not part of the routine Gerson Therapy. When a Gerson patient elects to add lactrile to the Gerson program, this
supplemental material must in no way replace the central and continuous
work of the Gerson Therapy. (Some laetrile therapists have recommended
dietary measures counterproductive to natural healing progress with the
Gerson Therapy. Do not follow those non-Gerson measures.) Polarizing


 to follow the
wisdom we’ve gained from living life so far, then we will avoid a global
calamity and go straight for global peace. In both of those  scenarios, Jesus is standing there when the apocalypse
is over. In a mystical interpreta tion he is with us now, showing us how to
bypass the darkness and go directly for the light. He has already
transcended. Now so can we. OceanofPDF.comThe Power of the Morning
I look at morni ng prayer and meditation the way I look at physical
exercise. If I do it, it works. It takes work to strengthen our attitudinal
muscles, just as it takes work to strengthen our physical muscles. We use
spiritual exercise to counter the emotional gravity of victimization and
anger, shame and self-hatred, the way we counter physical  gravity by
working out. The mystic Jesus is like a spiritual trainer. He can’t do the
work for you, but he can show you how to do it for yourself. There’ s no better time to do it than in the morning. When I was pregnant with my daughter many years ago, I could feel
how much was going on inside me as I simply sat on a chair with my feet
up drink ing a cup of chamomile tea. I was in awe of the thought that new
life was being created inside my body. The greatest way I could serve the
process was to cultivate health and stillness and inner peace, for myself and
for the child within me. Now I’m similarly in awe of the life that gestates in the womb of
consciousness. Sometimes the greatest service I could offer to the child in
my womb was to sit quietly and merely be; a life that’s pregnant with
greater awareness is similarly grounded in stillness and rest. Inner peace is a
fertile field for the birth of the mystic self. It is also its ultimate goal. Giving birth to another human being, but also giving birth to a higher
version of ourselves, means we’re participating in the birth of a new world. While the species can’t continue unless enough of us conceive  children, it
won’ t survive unless we conceive enough wisdom. The effort to become more spiritually conscious involves changes on
both the inner and outer planes. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr., we
need “qualitative shifts in our souls as well as quantitative changes in our
circumstances.” Some of those changes are lifestyle changes, one of whichinvolves the earliest hours of our day. All great religious traditions
emphasize the importance of the morning. When we first awaken, our minds are most open to new impr essions. That’ s when we download the state of consciousness that will dominate our
day. We have a sacred responsib ility to ourselves to choose wisely what that
download will be; if we go straight to social media, for instance, rather than
going first to God, it’s like eatin g a bowl of candy for breakfast. Your body
doesn’ t want that, and your mind doesn’ t want it either. Morning should be sacred, a time when we ground ourselves in a
reverent view of ourselves, our relationships, and the world around us. It’s a
time to conscio usly call in the light so darkness won’ t overwhelm us. Particularly given the chaos in the world today, acquiescing to the ego’s
worldview first thing in the morning is one of the most self-sabotaging
things we can do. We do not need to create the world; it has already been created and
created perfectly. Our problem is our attachment to an unreal world that lies
in front of it. The world on this side of the veil is the ego’s kingdom, in which
thoughts of fear and limitation prevail. Through the eyes of the Holy Spirit,
we gain the power to see beyond the veil. Withdrawing our attachment to
one world, we gain the ability to invoke another. Beyond this world is a
world we want* (WB-235). It’s ours to decide which realm  of reality we wish to show on the big
screen that takes up space in our mind. But according to A Course in
Miracles  the vision of one world will cost us the vision of the other. Grounding ourselves in peace and stillness, love and forgiveness, in the
morning is one of the most powerful medicines we can apply to our
wounded souls. Spiritual liberation is not a bursting out, but a gentle
melting in. The mystic Jesus is the tender power at the core of who we are,
and the protector of the mystic mind. We wake up in the morning and take a shower or bath in order to wash
dirt off our body. We want to wash ourselves clean of physical impurities
left over from the day before. Through meditation, prayer, mindfulness, or
whatever spiritu al practice we follow, we do the same thing with our mind. We take a shower to wash away  the dirt that has accumulated on our body,
and we meditate and pray in order to wash away the stress that has
accumulated on our mind.It’s not just our intellect that is assaulted by the fear and chaos of the
world today: our nervous system  is assaulted by it. And that weakens our
capacity to be effective in the world. We can’t bring peace to the world
around us if we ourselves are not at peace. We’re not going to change the
world if we ourselves remain unchanged. “Do not conform to the pattern of
this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans
12:2, New International Version). That’ s why prayer and meditation matter. Meditation is a scientifically
proven process that shifts our brain waves, leading to chemical changes in
the brain that cause a deep exper ience of inner peace. Time spent meditating
removes the mental plaque that accumulates on our psyche—the layers of
ego thinking that cover over our miracle impulses and make access to the
higher mind impossible. Accord ing to A Course of Miracles, five minutes
spent with the Holy Spirit in the morning guarantees He will be in charge of
our thought forms throughout the day. Simply sitting, reading inspirational
or script ural material, following  a serious prayer or meditation practice, we
allow our mind to be in a receptive mode to something higher than
ourselves. It transforms our experience of life. The ego’s resistance to a quiet moment can be very strong, of course; it
loves to make a direct beeline for our adrenal system, addict us to fearful
thinking, and destroy all impulse control. There are times when it takes
more emotional discipline to be quiet and do nothing than it does to send a
reactive text. That’ s why one of the most undermining things we can do is
check email, Instagram, Twitte r, and so forth before we meditate in the
morning. Just as we train our physical muscles to help us move  powerfully,
we train our spiritual muscles to help us be powerfully nonreactive and still. Being a mother myself, I know how many young parents are saying to
themselves as you read this, “Oh, but mornings are impossible! She doesn’ t
understand what it’s like having little kids around!” But yes, I do. And this
is what I learned: small children  love it when we say very softly, “Hey, now
we’re going to have our quiet time with God, okay? We’re going to sit here
with each other and just love Him!” I cannot stress how important it is to
help small children get used to spiritual practice. Try to do it early. Once the
eye-rolling years begin, it’ s almost impossible. Nothing would do more to repair the damage to our families than to
cultivate quiet among ourselves. The French philosopher Blaise  Pascal said
that every problem in the world can be traced to man’ s inabili ty to sitquietly in a room  alone. In both Judaism and Christianity, there is the notion
of the small, still voice within, but that voice is easily drowned out by the
cacophonous noises of the world. If we do not fill our minds in the morning with the light of a higher
love, the darkne ss of the world will have its way with us. Our mental energy
is going to go somewhere, and if we don’t proactively direct it, devote it,
and surrender it to love, then it will be used for the purposes of fear. And of
course, that jangles us. Our only two real choices today are between
enlightenment or neurosis. If you’ve chosen a prayer or meditation practice that feels right to you,
try adding this every morning: Close your eyes, visualize everyone you’re
going to meet in the day ahead of you, imagine everyone you don’t even
know you’re going to meet, and simply send love from your heart to theirs. See Jesus embrace them, along with whatever other imagery emer ges. We are far too tolerant of mind-wandering* (T-29), casually traveling
the back alleys of fear and meaninglessness that pervade the world today. We need to consciously, routine ly quiet our minds if we wish to hear the
Voice for God. The mystic Jesus  will speak to us, but it’s our responsibility
to develop the habit of listening. Yes, that means turning off television and
iPads during dinner. Yes, it means pulling ourselves away from addictive
patterns of thought and behavio r. And it definitely means knowing when to
put the phone down. None of this


alous, or vengeful. These are the poisons that enter your
subconscious mind. You were not born with these negative attitude s. Feed your subconscious mind life-giving thoughts, and you will wipe
out all the negative patterns lodged therein. As you continue to do this,
all the past will be wiped out and remembered no more. • The subconscious heals a malignancy of the skin
A personal healing will ever be the most convincing evi-dence of
the healing power of the subconscious mind. Over forty years ag o I
resolved a malignancy of the skin through prayer. Medical ther apy
had failed to check the growth, and it was get-ting progressiv ely
worse. A clergyman, with a deep psychological knowledge, ex-plained to
me the inner meaning of the 139th Psalm wherein it says, In thy book
all my members were written, which in con-tinuance were fashi oned,
when as yet there was none of them. He explained that the term book
meant my subconscious mind, which fashioned and molded all my
organs from an invisible cell. He also pointed out that inasmuch as my
subconscious mind made my body, it could also recreate it and he al it
according to the perfect pattern within it. This clergyman showed me his watch and said, “This had a maker,
and the watchmaker had to have the idea first in mind before the
watch became an objective reality, and if the watch was out  of order,
the watchmaker could fix it. ” My friend re-minded me that the
subconscious intelligence, which created my body, was like a
watchmaker, and it also knew exactly how to heal, restore, and direct
all the vital functions and processes of my body, but that I ha d to give
 44  it the perfect idea of health. This would act as cause, and the  effect
would be a healing. I prayed in a very simple way as follows: “My body and al l its
organs were created by the infinite intelligence in my sub -conscious
mind. It knows how to heal me. Its wisdom fashioned all my organs,
tissues, muscles, and bones. This infinite healing presence wi thin me
is now transforming every atom of my being making me whole and
perfect now. I give thanks for the healing I know is taking pla ce now. Wonderful are the works of the creative intelligence within me. ”
I prayed aloud for about five minutes two or three times a da y
repeating the above simple prayer. In about three months my sk in was
whole and perfect. As you can see, all I did was give life-giving patterns of wholeness,
beauty, and perfection to my subconscious mind, thereby oblitera ting
the negative images and patterns of thought lodged in my
subconscious mind which were the cause of all my trouble. Nothing
appears on your body except when the mental equivalent is first in
your mind, and as you change your mind by drenching it with
incessant affirmatives, you change your body. This is the basis of all
healing. Marvelous are thy works; and that my soul [subconscious
mind] knoweth right well. PSALM 139:14. • How the subconscious controls all functions of the body
While you are awake or sound asleep upon your bed, the ceaseless,
tireless action of your subconscious mind controls all the vit al
functions of your body without the help of your con-scious mind. For
example, while you are asleep your heart con-tinues to beat
rhythmically, your lungs do not rest, and the proc-ess of inhalation
and exhalation, whereby your blood absorbs fresh air, goes on just the
same as when you are awake. Your subconscious controls your
digestive processes and glandular secretions, as well as a ll the other
mysterious operations of your body. The hair on your face continues
to grow whether you are asleep or awake. Scientists tell us that the
 45  skin secretes much more perspiration during sleep than during t he
waking hours. Your eyes, ears, and other senses are active during sleep. Fo r
instance,   many of our great scientists have received answe rs to
perplexing problems while they were asleep. They saw the an-sw ers in
a dream. Oftentimes your conscious mind interferes with the normal rhythm
of the heart, lungs, and functioning of the stomach and intestines b y
worry, anxiety, fear, and depression. These pat-terns of thought
interfere with the harmonious functioning of your subconscious mind. When mentally disturbed, the best procedure is to let go, rela x, and
still the wheels of your thought processes. Speak to your subconscious mind, telling it to take over in pea ce,
harmony, and divine order. You will find that all the functions of your
body will become normal again. Be sure to speak to your
subconscious mind with authority and convic-tion, and it will confor m
to your command. Your subconscious seeks to preserve your life and restore you t o
health at all costs. It causes you to love your children, which a lso
illustrates an instinctive desire to preserve all life. Let us suppose you
accidentally ate some bad food. Your sub-conscious mind would
cause you to regurgitate it. If you in-advertently took some poison, your subconscious powers
would proceed to neutralize it. If you completely entrusted your self to
its wonderworking  power, you would be entirely restored to health. • How to get the subconscious to work for you
The first thing to realize is that your subconscious mind is al ways
working. It is active night and day, whether you act upon it or not. Your subconscious is the builder of your body, but you cannot
consciously perceive or hear that inner silent process. Your busi ness is
with your conscious mind and not your subconscious mind. Just keep
your conscious mind busy with the expectation of the best, and make
 46  sure the thoughts you habitually think are based on whatsoever thi ngs
are lovely, true, just, and of good report. Begin now to take c are of
your con-scious mind, knowing in your heart and soul that your
subcon-scious mind is always expressing, reproducing, and
manifesting according to your habitual thinking. Remember, just as water takes the shape of the pipe it f lows
through, the life principle in you flows through you according to the
nature of your thoughts. Claim that the healing presence in your
subconscious is flowing through you as harmony, health, peace, joy,
and abundance. Think of it as a living intelligence, a lovely
companion on the way. Firmly believe it is continually flowing
through you vivifying, inspiring, and prospering you. It will respond
exactly this way. It is done unto you as you believe. • Healing principle of the subconscious restores atrophied  optic
nerves
There is the well-known, duly authenticated case of Madame Bire of
France, recorded in the archives of the medical department of
Lourdes, France. She was blind; the optic nerves were atrophi ed and
useless. She visited Lourdes and had what she termed a mira culous
healing. Ruth Cranston, a Protestant young lady who investigated and
wrote about healings at Lourdes in McCalls magazine, November,
1955, writes about Madame Bire as follows: “At Lourdes she rega ined
her sight incredibly, with the optic nerves still lifeless  and useless, as
several doctors could testify after repeated examinations. A month
later, upon re-examination, it was found that the seeing mechanism
had been restored to normal. But at first, so far as medical
examination could tell, she was seeing with ‘dead eyes. ’”
I have visited Lourdes several times where I, too, wit-nessed some
healings, and of course, as we shall explain in the next c hapter, there
is no doubt that healings take place at many shrines throughout the
world, Christian and non-Christian. 47  The waters of the shrine did not heal Madame Bire, to whom we
just referred, but by her own subconscious mind, which responded to
her belief. The healing principle within her subconscious mind responded to
the nature of her thought. Be-lief is a thought in the subconscious
mind. It means to accept something as true. The thought accepted
executes itself automatically. Undoubtedly, Madame Bire went to the shrine with expectancy and
great faith, knowing in her heart she would re-ceive a heali ng. Her
subconscious mind responded accordingly, releasing the ever-pres ent
healing forces. The subconscious mind, which created the eye, can
certainly bring a dead nerve back to life. What the creativ e principle
created, it can recreate. Accord-ing to your belief is it done unto you. • How to convey the idea of perfect health to your subconscious
mind
A Protestant minister I knew in Johannesburg, South Africa, told me
the method he used to convey the idea of perfect health to his
subconscious mind. He had cancer of the lung. His technique, as give n
to me in his own handwriting, is ex-actly as follows: “Severa l times a
day I would make certain that I was completely relaxed menta lly and
physically. I relaxed my body by speaking to it as follows