 and the
clitoris, and the bulbocavernosus and ischiobulbosus, which have
a cen tral role in n1ale t.•rection and t.'jaculation, and in female com
pression of the vaginal oritlce and sphincter. This web of mus
cles, centering around the perincun1 (the area between the anus
and the genitals), is linked to several sacral and coccygeal nerve
trunks.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

      's pritnevallitc-energy, front which
pcoplt. · dt. ·rive their sexual vitality. Son1eday we n1ight find a genuine, sate aphrodisiac, one that
brings instant sexual arousal without unwant ed side effects. Up
to now. however. all known aphrodisiacs that create the illusion of
arousal have been found to be hannful. Son1c-such as Spanish
fly. and perhaps the palace grapes eaten by the otlicial in the story
recounted carlier-n1ay n1on1entarily heighten "arousal" of the
sexual organs, but they do not enhance genuine sexual desire. They stin1ulate the body in ways not intended by nature and drain
it of its lin1ited vitality. and their long-tenn side effects n1ay in
dude eventual in1potence and even death. The answer docs not lie in a pill that instantly gives people
overworked sex organs and lat er rewards them with impotence
and ill health. Perhaps the real aphrodisiac is something that first
boosts sexual health, then in turn naturally arouses sexual desire. Up to now little has been studied in the modern laboratory,
not even the long -term side effects of aphrodisiacs as defined in
the classical sense. The ultimate laboratory is the human body
itself The ancient Chinese, with their fervent though discreet
pursuit of sexual vitality, have been at it more or less for several
thousand years. Perhaps their interest in sexual nutrients can give
us some hints in our own quest for the perfect aphrodisiacs. Foods and Herbs for Love
145 11
Sexual Vitality from
the Sea of Chi
The Taoist Fountain o/ Youth. IN THEIR SEARCH into the art of lovemaking, the ancient Chinese
Taoists went beyond food and herbs, even beyond erotic tech
niques. The quintessenc e of their Art of the Bedchamber was to
generate and maxi mize sexual vitality by consciously maneuver
ing the human body's chi, or life -energy. They did this to enhance
sexual arousal, control orgasn1, and intensify ecstasy for both
men and won1en. Was this pure mysticis m. Or can it be reconciled with modern
science. The answer may con1e n1ore easily fron1 the rnodern bed
roonl than fron1 the n1odern laboratory. Scientists have, it is true,
stumbled on son1e intriguing findings in the laboratory, but in
doing so they luvc con1e up with rnore questions than answers. This chapter, which exarnines Taoist ideas of sexual enhancen1cnt,
touches on both the n1ystical and the scientific. In rnodern tenns, the Taoists' dri tnaneuver is a fonn of nlind
body interaction in which the n1ind consciously attempts to direct
the body. It is intriguing first to survey \Vhat ancient physicians
and st·xologists tht·orized and practiced, on their tern1s and with
their rationale, and then to kan1 about discoveries in this area by
conternporary scientists, East and West, and finally to sec specifi-Srxual Vitality from tire Sea ��(Chi
cally how the ancients used n1ind-body interaction to boost their
sexual vitality. The notion that there is powerful, albeit elusive, life-t(Hce in
the hurnan body has been n1aintained tlrrnly and continuously in
China for rnore than three thousand years. Chinese traditionalists
believe that this prirneval force of life can be controlled and nu
nipulated not only to intensify sexual prowess, but also to rein
force nurtial arts strength and irnprove health and longevity. According to the ancients, chi is generated and stored in a
ntysterious reservoir inside the lower abdon1en between the navel
and the pubic region. This reservoir, the ta11-ticn, or cinnabar field,
however, is not an anatornical structure that can be found in
surgery or by autopsy. It is rather an energy field whose role is in
dicated indirectly and tenuously by many n1edical and health
practices. Ancient Chinese meditation is aimed directly at the cin
nabar field, as sugg ested by the colorf ul though inaccurate expres
sion "contemplating the navel. " As long as a person is alive, his chi circulates ceaselessly in his
body in a network of energy channels called meridians, which are
linked to specific organs or physiological functions. Dotting these
meridians like pumping stations are acupoints. The acupoint
nearest the cinnabar field is called chi-hai (sea of chi) and is be
lieved a key point connected to the cinnabar field. By selectively manipula ting specific acupoints with needles,
burning herbs, or fingers, one can sedate or stimulate a particular
organ or physiological function. According to the ancients, acu
puncture cured diseases because it regulated the flow of chi and
restored the balance of Yin and Yang for life-energy. Chinese physicians and acupuncturists, Zen Buddhists, Tao
ists, kung fu masters, acrobats, dancers, and sexologists all have
considered the cinnabar field of supreme significance in their re
spective domains. They use various forms of physical exercise and
mental therapy to cultivate and train it. CHI -KUNG
Among the various Chinese practices to manipulate life-energy,
the most potent is chi- kun g, or qi-,gotlJ. (life-energy skill), a com
bination of meditation and diaphragm breathing that consciously Cot� temporary
acupututure chart THE ART OF THE BE DCHAM BER
harnesses vital energy. The practitioner sits on a stiff chair or in
the lotus position on the floor, or stands, breathing slowly, while
directing his mind on the circulation of life-energy to and from
the cinnabar field. This becon1es more complex a·s the practi
tioner progresses through half a dozen stages, including reverse
diaphragm breathing, throat breathing, rectal breathing, and the
most advanced, cinnabar field breathing. The catatonic appearance of chi-kung practitioners belies the
powerful results of this purely internal exercise. Usually the first
noticeable result is improved digestion; the next, enhanced sexual
vitality; and finally, blooming health. The Chinese consider chi
kung a rejuvenation exercise because it is believed to energize
internal organs and thus to aid digestion, facilitate blood circula
tion, and stimulate hormone secretion. It is a potent exercise-so
potent that those practicing more advanced stages rnust be trained
by a chi-kun. _� master to avoid possible serious injury. In recent years, Chinese scientists have been conducting ex
periments on chi-kun g that border on the mystical. By consciousl y
directing their chi toward specific acupoints of patients, medical
technicians trained in chi- kun g have been successfully anesthetiz
ing patients for thyroid and stomach surgery-without using
drugs, acupuncture, or even human touch. Physicians with the
proper training are popular in China for chi-krm. � treatments in
which they direct their energy at patients, without touching thent,
to cure certain ailments. How such seemingly outlandi sh prac
tices are appraised by sotne scientists will be discussed later in this
chapter. Chi-krm. � is the basis of all higher tonns of Chinl·se tnartial
arts. Tai chi chuan (great ultin1ate fist) is a ntind-body exercise
very popular for health and for self-defense. Its graceful, ball etlik e
ntovctnents reinf(. lfce the flo\v of chi, so that when the practitioner
docs strike, the blow can bl· dev astating. It also epitotnizes the
Taoist philosophy of softness con qul·ring rigid ity: one uses the
opponl ·nt's own force to attack hint. Japanese judo and jujitsu are
sintplitil·d sdf:. dd(:nse systen1s derived front tai chi chuan. An esotl ·ric branch of tnartial arts kno\vn as tit'11-hs ud1 (point
ing acup oin ts) is a lil·adly art in \vhich a kung fu fighter can tent
por arily paralyzl'. or rl·ndcr unconscious. or even kill an opponent
by pressing a sp


,
but they referred me to a list  of about thirty names that
they sa id were persons essential to their investigation. The ent ire executive managem ent team from the original
Medical Manager Corporation was on the list, as were
Marty, the attorney Jim Mercer, and some top people
from WebMD’ s corporate accounting. My mouth must
have been agape as I looked at the list. But there were
also a few oth er names that really floored me, like the
senior auditor from the highly respected public
accounting fir m we had used for Medical Manager
Corporation. I was taking everything in very calmly, but
my mind was spinning trying to find clues about what
was behind all of this. It w as actually the presence  of one name on the list
that first caught my attention. The name was Pat
Sedlacek. Unlike everyone else on the list, this person
was nei ther part of our execu tive team nor part of legal
or accounting. Pat worked on the dealer acquisition
team, which was run by B obby Davids, our VP of
acquisitions. Bobby had come into the company at the
time of the 199 7 initial public offering, along with John
Sessions, our chief operations officer; and David Ward,
our VP of sales. I would hardly have recognized Pat’s
name out of our twenty-three hundred division
employees, except that we were currently in the process
of investigating him for taking kickbacks from some of
the dealers. That investigation had begun in late 2002
and by  early 2003 had included Bobby Davids and acouple of other employe es. WebMD’s corporate
attorneys, with the help of outside counsel, were
handling the matter. We had already fired the people
involved and sued them in a Tampa court in order to
obtain subpoena power and freeze Bobby’s and Pat’s
assets. As our investigation went on, we were finding more
and more incidents of Bobby and/or Pat arranging
kickbacks from  the dealers they were acquiring. The
subpoenas we obtained of their bank accounts had
revealed an intricate network  of shell companies Bobby
had been using to hide the money. The investigators
were ab le to trace the funds coming in and going out of
these accounts to see who w as involved in the money
trail. Pat had already begun  to cooperate, and it was
obvious that Bobby Davids was the ringleader. By the
time of the raid, we had traced millions of dollars, and it
was still an ongoing investigation. With both Pat’s and
Bobby’s names  on the list, and the search warrant listing
more th an a hundred of our dealer acquisitions, it was
likely that these raids were somehow related to what
Bobby had been doing. But his kickback schemes
involved only  four or five employees, and our
investigation of the matter was being dealt with in the
open. Why couldn’t the government just talk to the
investigating a ttorneys? Wh y a sneak-attack raid in
Alachua, Tamp a, and New Jersey when everything was
readily available? I was finally able to get Charlie, WebMD’s general
counsel, on my cell phone. He confirmed that they had
been ra ided by the FBI at WebMD’s headquarters in New
Jersey, and he was as much i n the dark as I was. He also
suspected that this might be associated with the illegal
activity Bobby  Davids had been involved in. We
discussed the possibility that Bobby had tried to strike a
deal by telling the government that all the executives
were involved in his kickback s. If so, it didn’t seem likelythat his  story would hold up given all the hard evidence
we had of his bank accounts and cancelled checks. Charlie said that we would get more clarification over the
next few days; in the meant ime, we were to cooperate
fully with the agents. A sense  of total peace came over me and pretty much
remained there  the entire day. It was so thick it felt like a
protective blan ket. I was no t concerned in the least. I
knew I had not  done anything wrong, and therefore they
were no t going to find anyt hing. If this was a case of
Bobby lying to try to save hi s neck, the evidence would
clearly reveal the truth. I w anted to make sure I was
present enough to fully take in this extraordinary
experience. It’s not every day that the FBI shows up and
raids your place for absolutely no apparent reason. My und erstanding is that nationwide more than fifty
government agents were involved in the raid. They took
the enti re day,  and by the time they were done, they left
with pretty much everything. My desk was cleared of
every single scrap of paper. All my file cabinets were
empty, as were all those of m y executive assistant, Sandy
Plumb. All legal fil es were  removed from Lisa’s office and
from the legal filing rooms. My conference room table
used to have stacks of file folders piled up that were
actively being used to run t he business. They were all
gone with no w ay to re-create them. And it was not just
the paper documents that were being taken; agents were
also making mirror images of all our computer disk
drives, both the desktops and the servers. The day progressed pretty much without my input. I
used m y time to work on remaining completely
comfortable with the radical situation life had stuck me
in. Ther e was really no reaso n to be thinking about why
this was happening or how it  would turn out. Since I had
absolutely no idea what was going on, thinking about it
wasn’t g oing to  help. Instead, I enjoyed spending my day
letting go of wh atever that voice in my head was trying tosay and  deeply relaxing whenever my heart began to feel
anxious. In this situation, sur render was not an option; it
was only sane thing to do. When I left that evening, I sought out the lead agents. I
thanked them for being so c ordial and told them that I
wished we could have met under better circumstances. To m e, they we re just people doing their jobs to the best
of their ability—it certainly wasn’t their fault. When the sun set on September 3, 2003, nationwide,
the gov ernment had taken 1.2 million e-mail messages,
1,500 b oxes of files containin g more than 3 million pages
of documents, and 830,000 computer files. This was,
indeed, a day that would live in infamy.5 1. A t t o r n e y s,  A t t o r n e y s,  a n d  M o r e
A t t o r n e y s
T he next  morning I got a preview of what my life was
going to be like for a while. The headlines of the
Gainesville Sun  r ead, “FBI Raids Alachu a Medical
Manager Offices.” Underneath was my picture next to
the story heading, “Wall Street Halts the Trading of
WebMD Stock Just Before Noon.” I knew it didn’t make
any difference  that I hadn’t done anything and that I
didn’t even know what the raid was all about—I was
headline news. I had never been publicly disgraced
before, and I noticed that it definitely stirred up the
psyche. That voice inside my head kept wanting to
explain that this had nothing  to do with me. There was
certainly no lack of people wa nting to hear what I had to
say. Media outlets from all over the country, including
the Wall Street Journal  and New York Times,  were
trying to reach me for a comment. Fortunately, I knew better. I had spent all these years
quieting down  that mental vo ice, and I had learned that
listening to it only fuels the fire. I knew how powerful it
was to simply relax and release past that urge to defend
oneself. I resolved to only discuss the matter when
absolutely necessary. Otherwise, I would just go about
my bus iness as usual. I hadn’t done anything wrong, so
why should I le t this affect me? Over time it would work
itself ou t. In the meantime, I was not going to let it steal
the great peace and joy I felt deep inside. Right from the
beginning, I resolved to use the whole situation to finally
free my self fro m whatever was left of that scared personinside who had always held me back. This was my entire
journey—liberation at any cost. We had a conference call with the corporate attorneys
first thing in the morning. No one could make sense of
what had happened. Regardless, the first order of
business was to hire an attorney. Well, not exactly an
attorney—separate law firms to represent both the
company and the board of directors, and a criminal
attorney for everyone whose name was on the list. I
could see that the corporate attorneys were taking this
very ser iously. They explaine d that it didn’t matter if you
were as clean as a whistle; a raid of this magnitude
foreshadowed major problems, and everyone needed
legal representation. That meant at least twenty
attorneys. I soon found


sought	out	the	findings	of	other	researchers	and	clinicians. The	findings	of
these	individuals	have	proved	to	be	some	of	the	most	exciting	findings	of	the
past	fifty	years. These	findings—the	contents	of
Part	II
	of	this	book—show	that	heart
disease,	diabetes	and	obesity	can	be	reversed	by	a	healthy	diet. Other	research
shows	that	various	cancers,	autoimmune	diseases,	bone	health,	kidney	health,
vision	and	brain	disorders	in	old	age	(like	cognitive	dysfunction	and
Alzheimer’s)	are	convincingly	influenced	by	diet. Most	importantly,	the	diet
that	has	time	and	again	been	shown	to	reverse	and/or	prevent	these	diseases	is
the	same	whole	foods,	plant-based	diet	that	I	had	found	to	promote	optimal
health	in	my	laboratory	research	and	in	the	China	Study. The	findings	are
consistent. Yet,	despite	the	power	of	this	information,	despite	the	hope	it	generates
and	despite	the	urgent	need	for	this	understanding	of	nutrition	and	health,
people	are	still	confused. I	have	friends	with	heart	disease	who	are	resigned
and	despondent	about	being	at	the	mercy	of	what	they
consider	to	be	an
inevitable	disease. I’ve	talked	with	women	who	are	so	terrified	of	breast
cancer	that	they	wish	to	have	their	own	breasts,	even	their	daughters’	breasts,
surgically	removed,	as	if	that’s	the	only	way	to	minimize	risk. So	many	of	the
people	I	have	met	have	been	led	down	a	path	of	illness,	despondence	and
confusion	about	their	health	and	what	they	can	do	to	protect	it. Americans	are	confused,	and	I	will	tell	you	why. The	answer,	discussed	in
Part	IV
,	has	to	do	with	how	health	information	is	generated	and
communicated	and	who	controls	such	activities. Because	I	have	been	behind
the	scenes	generating	health	information	for	so	long,	I	have	seen	what	really
goes	on—and	I’m	ready	to	tell	the	world	what	is	wrong	with	the	system. The
distinctions	between	government,	industry,	science	and	medicine	have
become	blurred. The	distinctions	between	making	a	profit	and	promoting
health	have	become	blurred. The	problems	with	the	system	do	not	come	in	the
form	of	Hollywood-style	corruption. The	problems	are	much	more	subtle,	and
yet	much	more	dangerous. The	result	is	massive	amounts	of	misinformation,
for	which	average	American	consumers	pay	twice. They	provide	the	tax
money	to	do	the	research,	and	then	they	provide	the	money	for	their	health
care	to	treat	their	largely	preventable	diseases. This	story,	starting	from	my	personal	background	and	culminating	in	a
new	understanding	of	nutrition	and	health,	is	the	subject	of	this	book. Six
years	ago	at	Cornell	University,	I	organized	and	taught	a	new	elective	course
called	Vegetarian	Nutrition. It	was	the	first	such	course	on	an	American
university	campus	and	has	been	far	more	successful	than	I	could	haveimagined. The	course	focuses	on	the	health	value	of	a	plant-based	diet. After
spending	my	time	at	MIT	and	Virginia	Tech,	then	coming	back	to	Cornell
thirty	years	ago,	I	was	charged	with	the	task	of	integrating	the	concepts	and
principles	of	chemistry,	biochemistry,	physiology	and	toxicology	in	an	upper-
level	course	in	nutrition. After	four	decades	of	scientific	research,	education	and	policy	making	at
the	highest	levels	in	our	society,	I	now	feel	I	can	adequately	integrate	these
disciplines	into	a	cogent	story. That’s	what	I	have	done	for	my	most	recent
course,	and	many	of	my	students	tell	me	that	their	lives	are	changed	for	the
better	by	the	end	of	the	semester. That’s	what	I	intend	to	do	for	you;	I	hope
your	life	will	be	changed	as	well.Part	I
THE	CHINA	STUDY1
Problems	We	Face,	Solutions	We	Need
“He
who	does	not	know	food,	how	can	he	understand	the	diseases	of
man?”
—Hippocrates,	the	father	of	medicine	(460-357
B.C.
) O
N	A	GOLDEN	MORNING	IN
	1946,	when	summer	was	all	tuckered	out	and	fall
wanted	to	be	let	in,	all	you	could	hear	on	my	family’s	dairy	farm	was	quiet. There	was	no	growl	from	cars	driving	by	or	airplanes	burning	trails	overhead. Just	quiet. There	were	the	songbirds,	of	course,	and	the	cows,	and	the	roosters
who	would	chime	in	once	in	a	while,	but	these	noises	merely	filled	out	the
quiet,	the	peace. Standing	on	the	second	floor	of	our	barn,	with	the	immense	brown	doors
gaping	open,	allowing	the	sun	to	soak	through,	I	was	a	happy	twelve-year-old. I	had	just	finished	a	big	country	breakfast	of	eggs,	bacon,	sausage,	fried
potatoes	and	ham	with	a	couple	of	glasses	of	whole	milk. My	mom	had
cooked	a	fantastic	meal. I	had	been	working	up	my	appetite	since	4:30
A.M.,
when	I	had	gotten	up	to	milk	the	cows	with	my	father	Tom	and	my	brother
Jack. My	father,	then	forty-five,	stood	with	me	in	the	quiet	sun. He	opened	a
fifty-pound	sack	of	alfalfa	seed,	dumped	all	the	tiny	seeds	on	the
wooden	barn
floor	in	front	of	us	and	then	opened	a	box	containing	fine	black	powder. The
powder,	he	explained,	was	bacteria	that	would	help	the	alfalfa	grow. They
would	attach	themselves	to	the	seeds	and	become	part	of	the	roots	of	the
growing	plant	throughout	its	life. Having	had	only	two	years	of	formal
education,	my	father	was	proud	of	knowing	that	the	bacteria	helped	the	alfalfaconvert	nitrogen	from	the	air	into	protein. The	protein,	he	explained,	was
good	for	the	cows	that	would	eventually	eat	it. So	our	work	that	morning	was
to	mix	the	bacteria	and	the	alfalfa	seeds	before	planting. Always	curious,	I
asked	my	dad	why	it	worked	and	how. He	was	glad	to	explain	it,	and	I	was
glad	to	hear	it. This	was	important	knowledge	for	a	farm	boy. Seventeen	years	later,	in	1963,	my	father	had	his	first	heart	attack. He	was
sixty-one. At	age	seventy,	he	died	from	a	second	massive	coronary. I	was
devastated. My	father,	who	had	stood	with	my	siblings	and	me	for	so	many
days	in	the	quiet	countryside,	teaching	us	the	things	that	I	still	hold	dear	in
life,	was	gone. Now,	after	decades	of	doing	experimental	research	on	diet	and	health,	I
know	that	the	very	disease	that	killed	my	father,	heart	disease,	can	be
prevented,	even	reversed. Vascular	(arteries	and	heart)	health	is	possible
without	life-threatening	surgery	and	without	potentially	lethal	drugs. I	have
learned	that	it	can	be	achieved	simply	by	eating	the	right	food. This	is	the	story	of	how	food	can	change	our	lives. I	have	spent	my	career
in	research	and	teaching	unraveling	the	complex	mystery	of


	AICR,
might	get	the	credit.MISINFORMATION
It	may	seem	that	I	am	coming	down	a	tad	harshly	on	an	organization	that
most	people	regard	as	purely	benevolent,	but	the	American	Cancer	Society
acted	differently	behind	the	scenes	than	it	did	in	public. On	one	occasion,	I	traveled	to	an	upstate	New	York	town	where	I	had	been
invited	to	give	a	lecture	to	the	local	chapter	of	the	American	Cancer	Society,
as	I	had	done	elsewhere. During	my	lecture,	I	showed	a	slide	that	made
reference	to	the	new	AICR	organization. I	did	not	mention	my	personal
association,	so	the	audience	was	not	aware	that	I	was	their	senior	science
advisor. After	the	lecture,	I	took	questions	and	my	host	asked	me,	“Do	you	know
that	AICR	is	an	organization	of	quacks?”
“No,”	I	said,	“I	don’t.”	I’m	afraid	I	didn’t	do	such	a	good	job	of	hiding	my
skepticism	of	her	comment,	because	she	felt	obliged	to	explain,	“That
organization	is	being	run	by	a	group	of	quacks	and	discredited	doctors. Some
of	them	have	even	served	time	in	prison.”
Prison	time? This	was	news	to	me! Again,	without	revealing	my	association	with	the	AICR,	I	asked,	“How	do
you	know	that?”	She	said	she	saw	a	memo	that	had	been	circulated	to	local
American	Cancer	Society	offices	around	the	country. Before	leaving,	I
arranged	for	her	to	send	me	a	copy	of	the	memo	she	was	referring	to,	and,	in	a
day	or	so,	she	did. The	memo	had	been	sent	from	the	office	of	the	national	president	of	the
American	Cancer	Society,	who	also	was	a	senior	executive	of	the	prestigious
Roswell	Park	Memorial	Institute	for	Cancer	Research	in	Buffalo. This	memo
alleged	that	the	scientific	“chair”	of	the	organization,	without	naming	me,	was
heading	up	a	group	of	“eight	or	nine”	discredited	physicians,	several	of	whom
had	spent	time	in	prison. It	was	total	fabrication. I	didn’t	even	recognize	the
names	of	these	discredited	physicians	and	had	no	idea	how	something	so
vicious	could	have	gotten	started. After	snooping	around	a	little	more,	I	discovered	the	person	in	the
American	Cancer	Society	office	in	Buffalo	who	was	responsible	for	the
memo. I	phoned	him. Not	surprisingly,	he	was	evasive	and	only	said	that	he
had	gotten	this	information	from	an	unnamed	reporter. It	was	impossible	to
trace	the	original	source. The	one	thing	I	do	know	for	sure	was	that	this	memo
was	distributed	by	the	office	of	the	American	Cancer	Society’s	president. I	also	learned	that	the	National	Dairy	Council,	a	powerful	industry
lobbying	group,	had	obtained	a	copy	of	the	same	memo	and	proceeded	to
distribute	a	notice	of	its	own	to	its	local	offices	around	the	country. The	smearcampaign	against	the	AICR	was	widespread. The	food,	pharmaceutical	and
medical	industries	through	and/or	parallel	to	the	American	Cancer	Society
and	the	National	Dairy	Council	were	showing	their	true	colors. Prevention	of
cancer	with	low-cost,	low-profit	plant	foods	was	not	welcomed	by	the	food
and	pharmaco-medical	industries. With	support	from	a	trusting	media,	their
combined	power	to	influence	the	public	was	overwhelming.PERSONAL	CONSEQUENCES
The	ending	of	this	story,	however,	is	a	happy	one. Although	the	AICR’s	first
couple	of	years	were	turbulent	and	difficult	for	me	both	personally	and
professionally,	the	smear	campaigns	finally	started	to	wane. No	longer
considered	“on	the	fringe,”	the	AICR	has	now	expanded	to	England	(the
World	Cancer	Research	Fund,	WCRF,	in	London)	and	elsewhere. For	over
twenty	years	now,	the	AICR	has	run	a	program	that	funds	research	and
education	projects	on	the	link	between	diet	and	cancer. I	initially	organized
and	chaired	that	grant	program,	and	then	continued	as	the	AICR’s	senior
science	advisor	for	several	years,	in	a	few	different	stints,	after	its	initial
founding. One	more	unfortunate	affair,	however,	bears	mention. I	was	informed	by
my	nutrition	society’s	Board	of	Directors	that	two	society	members	(Bob
Olson	and	Alf	Harper)	had	proposed	to	have	me	expelled	from	the	society,
supposedly	because	of	my	association	with	the	AICR. It	would	have	been	the
first	expulsion	in	the	history	of	the	society. I	had	to	go	to	Washington	to	be
“interviewed”	by	the	president	of	the	society	and	the	director	of	nutrition	at
the	FDA. Most	of	their	questions	concerned	the	AICR. The	whole	ordeal	proved	stranger	than	fiction. Expel	a	prominent	society
member—shortly	after	I	was	nominated	to	be	the	organization’s	president—
for	being	involved	with	a	cancer	research	organization? Later,	I	found	myself
reflecting	on	the	whole	ordeal	with	a	colleague	who	knew	the	inner	workings
of	our	society,	Professor	Sam	Tove	of	North	Carolina	State	University. He,	of
course,	knew	all	about	the	investigation,	as	well	as	other	shenanigans. In	our
discussion,	I	told	him	about	AICR	being	a	worthy	organization	with	good
intentions. His	response	has	resonated	with	me	ever	since. “It’s	not	about
AICR,”	he	said. “It’s	about	what	you	did	on	the	National	Academy	of
Sciences	report	on	diet,	nutrition	and	cancer.”
When	the	NAS’s	report	concluded	in	June	1982	that	a	lower	intake	of	fat
and	a	higher	intake	of	fruits,	vegetables	and	whole	grain	products	would	make
for	a	healthier	diet,	I	had	betrayed,	in	the	eyes	of	some,	the	nutrition	research
community. Supposedly,	as	one	of	the	two	diet	and	cancer	experimental
researchers	on	the	panel,	it	was	my	job	to	protect	the	reputation	of	the
American	diet	as	it	was. After	my	failure	to	do	so,	my	subsequent
involvement	with	the	AICR	and	its	promotion	of	the	NAS	report	only	made
matters	worse. Luckily,	reason	prevailed	in	this	whole	farcical	encounter. A	board
meeting	was	held	to	vote	on	whether	I	should	be	expelled	from	my	society,
and	I	handily	survived	the	vote	(6-0,	with	two	abstentions).It	was	hard	not	to	take	all	of	this	personally,	but	there’s	a	larger	point	here,
and	it’s	not	personal. In	the	world	of	nutrition	and	health,	scientists	are	not
free	to	pursue	their	research	wherever	it	leads. Coming	to	the	“wrong”
conclusions,	even	through	first-rate	science,	can	damage	your	career. Trying
to	disseminate	these	“wrong”	conclusions	to	the	public,	for	the	sake	of	public
health,	can	destroy	your	career. Mine	was	not	destroyed—I	was	lucky,	and
some	good	people	stood	up	for	me. But	it	could	have	gone	much	worse. After	all	of	these	numerous	ordeals,	I	have	a	better	understanding	of
why
my	society	did	the	things	it	did. The	awards	funded	by	Mead	Johnson
Nutritionals,	Lederle	Laboratories,	BioServe


, described the individual, then a young man, as "tremendously powerful" being capable of
undergoing great physical exertion over long periods of time
"without showing the slightest signs of fatigue." Another such
case reported March 3, 1935, involved a girl found in a
remote region of the Carpathian mountains of Europe, where
she had subsisted for several years upon flowers, plants,
grass, and other raw foods which were available. Upon
capture, she was said to exhibit "superhuman strength" as
may well have been required to sustain her difficult existence. Similar cases have been re
ported in past years, one as recently as 1950, in which children were forced to subsist
upon raw foods in wild nature, and such observations as have
been made in these instances revealed superior physical
condition of the children involved, with the strength and
endurance above average. THERAPEUTIC PROPERTIES OF RAW FOOD
   Individual raw food histories are important, but even more
so is the applied clinical work in the field of science. Here also we find strong evidence of the value of raw foods. In America this was noted as early as August of 1907, when an
announcement was made by the New York Post Graduate
Hospital that a cure for long-standing and obstinate cases of consumption was found in certain raw foods. Under the
supervision of Dr. John F. Russell, eleven patients were given
four ounces of raw vegetable juices each day in addition to
their regular meals. The juices were extracted from such
vegetables as potato, rhubarb, summer squash, beet, turnip, cabbage, celery, carrot, parsnip, radishes, string beans, and
peas. Later fifty additional patients were placed on the same
dietary regime. Within seven months the eleven patients were
discharged as fit subjects for a life insurance risk, and the
fifty patients who started later were described as well on the
road to recovery. At a later period, in California, raw vegetable juices were
again used in the treatment of tuberculosis. In this instance,
Dr. H. E. Kirshner was placed in charge of 200 tuberculosis
patients for the county of Los Angeles at the Olive View
Sanatorium. Some of the patients had spent as long as nine
years on their backs with very little progress towards recovery. The diet was composed largely of spaghetti,
macaroni, and other cooked foods. Dr. Kirshner added a glass
of "green drink" consisting of the raw juices of alfalfa, spinach, and parsley, to the diet of each of these patients
every day. Results were highly favorable, and the course of
the patients was changed to recovery. Some of the patients
who had been considered hopeless were able to get out of bed
within six to eight months. In Dr. Kirshner's private practice, raw carrot juice, in addition to the green juice mixture, was
included in the diet of tubercular patients, which brought about more rapid recovery than did the green juice alone. Dr. Kirshner has also reported that other chronic ailments
can be treated very successfully with raw vegetable juices,
taken in some cases in amounts exceeding two quarts per day. He has cited recoveries from heart disease, prostrate gland disease
, cancer, neuritis, arthritis, and hemorrhoids throu gh the use of raw juices. In one diabetic case, remarkable
improvement was noted within the first 21 days of treatment,
and the insulin dosage was reduced from 15 to 5 units per
day. The most remarkable case history cited by Dr. Kirshner, however, was that of a severe case of splenic leukemia. The
patient in this instance was given raw carrot juice—small
quantities at first, with gradual increases to very large
quantities—and her weight increased from 65 to 135 lbs. Recovery was complete within 18 months, and at no later
time was there any recurrence of the disease. The famous cancer specialist, Dr. Max Gerson, has
employed a diet containing large amounts of raw vegetable
juices as part of his treatment for cancer. Some of Dr.
Gerson's patients are given as much as 16 glasses of raw juice
each day, but most of them are given somewhat smaller
amounts, including daily doses of 4 glasses of carrot and apple juice, 4 glasses of green leaf juice, 2 to 3 glasses of
calf's liver juice, and 1  glass of orange juice. About 75 per
cent of Dr. Gerson's cancer diet, including all juices, is
uncooked; the balance consists of vegetable broths and other
foods which are cooked by the least destructive methods. Dr. Gerson has reported gratifying results in about 50 per cent of
his cancer cases, with many complete recoveries. Indeed, Dr.
Gerson's experience in treating cancer at the Gotham Hospital
in New York was so successful that he was called upon to
testify before a subcommittee in the U. S. Senate in 1946. In Canada, Dr. Gerson's counterpart may be found in the person
of Dr. J. R. Davidson, formerly of the University of Toronto,
who has also reported curing a number of cancer patients on diets which consisted of raw foods and foods subjected to a
minimum of cooking. Among other foods, Dr. Davidson
prescribes rare meats, raw milk, raw vegetables, and raw
vegetable juices made from ca rrots, celery, and lettuce. In Great Britain, physicians have been equally successful in
utilizing freshly-extracted raw juices for therapeutic purposes. The Ministry of Health and Public Health Service Laboratory has issued a report pointing out the value of using the juices
of cabbage, kale, parsley, and other uncooked vegetables in
the treatment of a wide variety of diseased conditions. The
report states: "Juices are valuable in relief of hypertension,
cardiovascular and kidney diseases and obesity. Good results have also been obtained in rheumatic, degenerative and toxic
states. Juices have an all-around protective action. Good
results can be obtained in treatment of peptic ulceration, also
in treatment of chronic diarrhea, colitis and toxemia of gastro and intestinal origin." The dental scientist
, Dr. Harold F. Hawkins, has re ported that correct dietary control, with at least half of all foods used
in their raw state, is of much value in treating the symptoms
of pyorrhea, including infection of the alveolar bone which
supports the teeth and gums. According to Dr. Hawkins, in caring for the pyorrhea patient, it is "essential to work out a
plan of eating that will include food that can be eaten raw
such as raw milk, raw eggs, oysters on the half shell, raw
vegetable salads and raw fruit." Dr. Hawkins states that when
an adequate dietary is followed, "the gum tone usually shows a definite improvement in 60 or 90 days, and the X-rays show
an improvement in bone density in about a year." During the years 1929, 1930, and 1931, Dr. Milton T.
Hanke, working through the facilities provided by the
University of Chicago and the Chicago Dental Research
Club, studied hundreds of school children in the city of
Mooseheart, Illinois, to determine the effects of adding the uncooked juices of citrus fruits to a conventional diet. During
the first year the children were studied as controls; the second
year was the test period, and the third the recheck period. Approximately 16 ounces of freshly extracted raw orange
juice, plus the raw juice of one lemon, was added to the diet
of each of 341 children on each day of the test period. This
brought about a sharp increase in growth rate over the control
period, as well as a 50 per cent reduction in the incidence of
dental caries and the almost complete disappearance of
gingivitis. During the recheck period, when the quantity of
juice was reduced to three ounces a day, the accelerated
growth was maintained, though dental decay again increased and most of the gingivitis reappeared. Other fruits and juices also have therapeutic qualities. The
"grape cure" is well known in parts of Europe and has found extensive employment in the sanitariums and resorts of
Merano, Italy, parts of France, and southern Germany. The
patients of these institutions are fed almost exclusively upon
raw grapes for four to six weeks at a time, starting with about
a pound a day and gradually increasing the amount to five to eight pounds a day. Johanna Brandt reported a number of
cures from cancer through the employment of the raw grape
diet, and others have used it successfully in the treatment of
constipation, rheumatism, catarrh, gallstones, exzema,
jaundice, malaria, hemorrhages, and other ailments. Grape
cures are even recommended in certain mental disturbances
and in weakened conditions of the entire muscular system, including the heart. Raw cabbage juice has been used with remarkable success
in treating ulcers. Dr. Garnett Ch aney at Stanford University
treated 63 ulcer
patients with one quart of raw cabba ge juice per day, and 60 of these showed pronounced healing. In most
cases, the pain disappeared within a few days and recovery
was complete within three weeks or less. Six patients with
"huge" ulcers required 56 days of treatment. The three patients who failed to respond had dense scar tissue in the
stomach and liver damage before treatment started. Dr.
Chaney's experience was almost


ipa tion. Laxatives, taken as an aid in elimination, either act to increase the amount of liquid retained in the feces, or act as a l ubricant to
allow for easy passage. Oftentimes laxatives are compounded to be an irritant or poison and stimulate the muscle walls to cau se
abnormal contractions to expel the irritating substances. It is very easy to become dependent upon these drugs and t hereby
permanently destroy normal bowel function. The expulsion of liquid feces or diarrhea, can be produced by excessive use of
laxatives, nervous stress, infection or the presence of toxic substances in the bowel. Proper bowel management enhances the
natural flow and rhythm of the digestive organs providing regular, painless and efficient functioning as described in this chapt er. THE SHAPE OF THE COLON
A healthy, normally functioning bowel is shaped as seen in the illustration on the next page. The cecum is located in the lower
right abdomen. From there the bowel rises up into the ascending colon until it reaches the first turn toward the left. This t urning
point is called the hepatic flexure because of its proximity to the liver. From there the bowe l travels across the abdomen beneath
the stomach until it reaches the second turn called the splenic flexure. This section of the bowel, the transverse colon, is the only
organ within the body that makes a transit from right to left. In a normal bowel the transverse colon makes a slightly upward grade
to the splenic flexure. From the splenic flexure, the bowel moves down as the descending colon until it reaches the sigmoid c olon
just above the rectum. Here in the sigmoid is the holding place for feces waiti ng to be eliminated. The rectum continues from the
sigmoid and makes an ‘s’ -like bend into the anus where the anal sphincter muscle is found. NORMAL DIGESTIVE TRACT
CHAPTER 3
AUTOINTOXICATION
In the preceding chapter, I discussed the anatomical and phy siological functioning of an idealized bowel. Unfortunately, there are
many obstacles we must be aware of that interfere with this ideal. Autointoxication is the result of faulty bowel functioning  which
produces undesirable consequences in the body and is the root cause of many of today’s diseases and illnesses. If we can make the
analogy of the large intestine, or colon being the body’s waste disposal or sewer system, we can begin to understand the proc ess
more clearly. Imagine what would be the result of a pump failure in a city’s sewer system or what would happen if all the pipes got
plugged up with some unmovable material so that the system failed to move waste? It wouldn’t take very long before a crisis
developed and a huge sanitation problem would thre aten health and society. From open sewers in the past sprang the devastating
plagues and diseases that literally destroyed whole cities and populations. When the sewer backs up, we have an immediate hea lth
problem potential. Call the plumber! In addition t o the above scenario there is the possibility that the proper functioning of the
waste elimination and treatment process can be shut down due to a power failure. The works themselves are O.K. but the energy
that feeds all the machinery is shut off or is on ly partially available. We can liken this to what happens in our bodies when food is
nutritionally deficient and fails to give us energy. All the above conditions are being experienced in our bowels today. Why? The
full explanation would fill volumes and v olumes. We can distill the main causes for brevity and still get the message however. Basically, modern civilization, especially the industrialized nations, have the greatest bowel disturbances. We find that nat ive
peoples living close to the land and natu re do not experience these problems and such diseases as diverticulitis and colitis are
virtually unknown. So what is it that makes these bowel disturbances in our culture? It’s hard to point a finger at any one a spect in
particular because they are all co ntributing in varying degrees. Individuals suffer from one aspect more intensely than another due
to environmental factors and personal living habits. In general, the overall major contributing factor is our straying away from a simple, natural lifestyle,  wherein all the preconditions
for happy, healthy living are found. We find that the further we stray from natural processes and the more we depend upon
unnatural and artificial processes our disease and illness increase in frequency and intensity. In part icular, we find that the food
situation has contributed most heavily to imbalances in people’s bodies today. The way we grow, harvest, process and market o ur
food is at the root of much disharmony in our population. Economic factors have totally overruled all other considerations in food
marketing and distribution. Vital, nourishing, life -giving food simply cannot be had when it is treated as it is today. Unfortunately our foods are hybridized to promote high yields, follow specific climatic conditions, mee t harvesting and processing
requirements, and have economically advantageous marketing and shelf life characteristics. Nutrient quality, freshness, taste  and
vitality as it becomes part of the human body is totally neglected. Processed, cooked, dried, roas ted, burned, chemicalized,
embalmed, preserved foods do not react well in the human body. In fact, they produce very unpleasant things, as you will witn ess
later in this book. Anyone who is aware of health conditions as they exist today is familiar with th e case against the present system
of food production. Therefore, let us go on to the other considerations that are responsible for bowel troubles today. As a r esult of
our poor food conditions, the body is not able to get the proper nutrition. Food grown o n poor soil does not have all the vitamins,
minerals and enzymes necessary for good health. Our people are growing up with shortages in their nutritional balance. These
shortages produce abberations in body chemistry which reflect in disease, illness and u nbalanced mental states. Additionally, processed, devitalized foods are notoriously lacking in fiber and bulk. They tend to be dry, goopy, sticky and pasty. They do not do well in making the transit in the bowel. They have a tendency to stick to the inside s like glue and are difficult to
move out. A constant diet of this kind of food puts one upon the path to all the things we are going to discuss in this book. Unfortunately this process gets started early in life. Other factors we should consider in auto intoxication are the stresses and tensions put on the members of modern society. When the
body is under stress and strain, as is so often en -countered today, it needs an extra amount of nutrition to cope with the increased
needs caused by this stress. Sadl y, the food eaten is so deficient that the body is always in a state of “catching up!” Never getting
what is required, a vicious cycle is set up where starvation of vital tissues begins to occur. This situation is in itself st ress
producing and vitality re ducing. Symptoms such as lack of energy, tiredness, irritability, restlessness, intolerance, quarrel -
someness, fatigue, lack of endurance and increasing frequency of illness are all products of the things I’ve been discussing. Now let’s combine these condi tions and see what happens. First of all, the sewer lines are beginning to get plugged up because of
all the glue in the pipes. This causes a backing up of all systems. Waste material is staying around longer than it used to. There
hasn’t been a reduction in the need to eliminate those materials and therefore the machinery has not had a break, but must instead
labor even harder to move the same amount of materials. We find that more electricity is required to do this extra work and a ll
equipment is now oper ating at a higher wear rate and will require additional maintenance to keep it all going. The possibility of
equipment failure has increased due to the overload. Now imagine a brown out or worse yet, a complete failure in the energy
supply. All systems com e to a very sticky halt. When the bowel becomes encrusted with unexpelled fecal material due to poor
dietary habits, the absorption of vital nutrients slows down to the degree of encrustation. This is equivalent to a brown out. The
energy cycle is short ci rcuited and a downward spiral of tissue integrity ensues. In addition, the accumulations on the bowel wall
become a breeding ground for unhealthy bacterial life forms. They begin to multiply on this putrid, decaying material and the  stage
is set for seriou s consequences. The heavy mucus coating in the colon thickens and becomes a host for putrefaction. The blood
capillaries to the colon begin to pick up the toxins, poisons and noxious debris as it seeps through the bowel wall. All tiss ues and
organs of the body are now taking on toxic substances. Here is the beginning of true autointoxication on a physiological level. By this time, there is little to no existent friendly bacteria in the bowel. The colon has been completely overrun by harmful, toxin -
producing  virus and bacteria. The sewer is backed up and the power has been turned off. Call the doctor! It is an indisputable fact
that not only illness and old age, but even death are due to the accumulation of waste products of body chemistry and, on the  other
hand, to the inability of the body to replenish its cellular structures and organs with fresh vital nutrients. Therefore, immu nity and
freedom from disease can


 something
significant to happen to them, continuously miss the insignificant, which
may not be insignificant at all. The philosopher Nietzsche, in a rare
moment of deep stillness, rote, For happiness, how little suf fices for
happiness. the least ting precisely, the gentlest thing, the lightest thing,
a lizard's rustling, a breath, a wisk, an eye glance little maketh up the
best happiness. Be still. Why is it the least thing that makes up the best happiness. Because true
happiness is not caused by the thing or event, although this is how it first
appears. The thing or event is so subtle, so unobtrusive, that it takes up
only a small part of your consciousness and the rest is inner space,
consciousness itself unobstructed by form. Inner space consciousness
and who you are in your essence are one and the same. In other words,
the form of little things leaves room for inner space. And it is from inner
space, the unconditioned consciousness itself, that true happiness, the joy
of Being, emanates. T o be aware of little, quiet things, however, you
need to be quiet inside. A high degree of alertness is required.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: What is the key to true happiness, according to the philosopher Nietzsche?,
A: The key to true happiness is not the event or thing, but the subtle, unobtrusive, and gentle things in life.
Q: What is the primary purpose of human life, according to the text?,
A: The primary purpose is to awaken to one's true nature and bring consciousness into the world.
Q: What is the main obstacle to finding inner space, and how can it be overcome?,
A: The main obstacle is the compulsive and unconscious naming of things, and it can be overcome by becoming aware of your breath and the present moment.
Q: What is the relationship between the ego and the universe, according to the text?,
A: The ego is a reflection of the universe, and the universe is a reflection of the ego. The ego's existence is dependent on the universe, and the universe's existence is dependent on the ego.
Q: What is the author's message about the nature of the universe and its relationship to human existence?,
A: The author suggests that the universe is a unified, interconnected whole, and that human existence is a microcosmic reflection of this unity.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>And when your form
dissolves, a world comes to an end one of countless worlds.A New Earth
A W A K E N I N G  A N D  T H E  R E T U R N
M O V E M E N T
The return movement in a person's life, the weakening or dissolution of
form, whether through old age, illness, disability, loss, or some kind of
personal tragedy, carries great potential for spiritual awakening the dis? identification of consciousness from form. Since there is very little
spiritual truth in our contemporary culture, not many people recognize
this as an opportunity, and so when it happens to them or to someone
close to them, they think there is something dreadfully wrong, something
that should not be happening. There is in our civilization a great deal of ignorance about the human
condition, and the more spiritually ignorant you are, the more you suf fer. For many people, particularly in the W est, death is no more than an
abstract concept, and so they have no idea what happens to the human
form when it approaches dissolution. Most decrepit and old people are
shut away in nursing homes. Dead bodies, which in some older cultures
are on open display for all to see, are hidden away. T ry to see a dead
body, and you will find that it is virtually illegal, except if the deceased is
a close family member. In funeral homes, they even apply makeup to the
face. Y ou are only allowed to see a sanitized version of death. Since death is only an abstract concept to them, most people are totally
unprepared for the dissolution of form that awaits them. when it
approaches, there is shock, incomprehension, despair, and great fear. Nothing makes sense anymore, because all the meaning and purpose that
life had for them was associated with accumulating, succeeding,
building, protecting, and sense gratification. It was associated with the
outward movement and identification with form, that is to say, ego. Most
people
cannot conceive of any meaning when their life, their world, is being
demolished. And yet, potentially, there is even deeper meaning here than
in the outward movement.It is precisely though the onset of old age, through loss or personal
tragedy, that the spiritual dimension would traditionally come into
people's lives. This is to say, their inner purpose would emer ge only as
their outer purpose collapsed and the shell of the ego would begin to
crack open. Such events represent the beginning of the return movement
toward the dissolution of form. In most ancient cultures, there must have
been an intuitive understanding of this process, which is why old people
were respected and revered. They were the repositories of wisdom and
provided the dimension of depth without which no civilization can
survive for long. In our civilization, which is totally identified with the
outer and ignorant of the inner dimension of spirit, the word old has
mainly negative connotations. It equals useless and so we regard it as
almost an insult to refer to someone as old. T o avoid the word, we use
euphemisms such as elderly and senior. The First Nation's grandmother
is a figure of great dignity. T oday's granny is at best cute. Why is old
considered useless? Because in old age, the emphasis shifts from doing
to Being, and our civilization, which is lost in doing, knows nothing of
Being. It asks: being? What do you do with it? In some people, the outward movement of growth and expansion gets
severely disrupted by a seemingly premature onset of the return
movement, the dissolving of form. In some cases, it is a temporary
disruption; in others a permanent one. W e believe that a young child
should not have to face death, but the fact is that some children do have
to face the death of one or both parents through illness or accident or
even the possibility of their own death. Some children are born with
disabilities that severely restrict the natural expansion of their lives. Or
some severe limitation comes into a person's life at a relatively young
age. The disruption of the outward movement at a time when it is not meant
to be happening can also potentially bring forth an early spiritual
awakening n a person. Ultimately, nothing happens that is not meant to
happen, which is to say, nothing happens that is not part of the greater
whole and its purpose. Thus, destruction or disruption of outer purpose
can lead to finding your inner purpose and subsequently the arising of a
deeper
outer purpose that is aligned with the inner. Children who have suf fered
greatly often grow into young adults who are mature beyond their years.What is lost on the level of form is gained on the level of essence. In the
traditional figure of the blind seer or the wounded healer of ancient
cultures and legend, some great loss or disability on the level of form has
become an opening into spirit. When you have had a direct experience of
the unstable nature of all forms, you will likely never overvalue form
again and thus lose yourself by blindly pursuing it or attaching yourself
to it. The opportunity that the dissolution of form, and in particular, old age,
represents is only just beginning to be recognized in our contemporary
culture. In the majority of people, that opportunity is stile tragically
missed, because the ego identifies with the return movement just as it
identified with the outward movement. This results in a hardening of the
egoic shell, a contraction rather than an opening. The diminished ego
then spends the rest of its days whining or complaining, trapped in fear
or anger, self?pity, guilt, blame, or other negative mental?emotional
states or avoidance strategies, such as attachment to memories and
thinking and talking about the past. When the ego is no longer identified with the return movement in a
person's life, old age or approaching death becomes what it is meant to
be: an opening into the realm of spirit. I have met old people who were
living embodiments of this process. They had become radiant. Their
weakening forms had become transparent to the light of consciousness. On the new earth, old age will be universally recognized and highly
valued as a time for the flowering of consciousness. For those who are
still lost in the outer circumstances of their lies, it will be a time of a late
homecoming when they awaken to their inner purpose. For many others,
it will represent an intensification and a culmination of the awakening
process.A New Earth
A W A K E N I N G  A N D  T H E  O U T G O I N G
M O V E M E N T
The natural expansion of one's life that comes with the outward
movement has traditionally been usurped by the ego and used for its own
expansion. Look what I can do. I bet you can't do that,says the small
child to another as he discovers the increasing strength and abilities of
his body. That is one of the ego's first attempts to enhance itself through
identification with the outward movement and the concept of more than
you and to
strengthen itself by


 Graham
received national attention as he traveled throughout the eastern
states telling members of his audiences not to eat bread made
from bolted flour. Bakers and millers became so aroused that riots
t were started and barricades frequently had to be erected at lec-
tures for protection. Nevertheless Graham was neither a quack
nor a faddist and the medical press of the day gave him widespread
support. He arrived at the same conclusions through rational ob-
servation that nutritionists now do through experimentation. To
this day whole wheat flour is often called "Graham flour:' and
"Graham crackers7' are a well known food. I It was not until the twentieth century, however, that the most
conclusive and convincing evidence began to arrive as to the
effects of the process of refining, and then it came from scientists
in all parts of the world. From England in 1912 came the report
from Dr. Frederick Gowland Hopkins, of the University of Cam-
bridge, that the "superior value of whole wheat meal lies in the
fact that it retains certain food substances whose presence allows
I I our systems to make use of the tissue-building elements of the
grain:' In a series of experiments Dr. Hopkins showed that young
1 animals grow much more rapidly on brown flour than white
I flour, and he was able to alter at will the tissue-building rate of
I animals by altering the ratio of brown flour to white flour in the
diet. Also in England, Benjamin Moore, Chief of the Biochemical
Department of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, re-
ported that experiments with pigeons indicated the development
of a wide variety of pathological conditions resulting from white
t flour, even when unbleached. The pigeons fed such flour, he
reported, "all speedily developed marked symptoms of malnutri-
tion and serious nerve derangements. Besides losing weight they
, sit listless and shivering, lose power in their legs, suggesting nerve
I DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS REFINED GRAlN PRODUCTS
paralysis, while many develop convulsions17 The pigeons fed
whole wheat remained healthy and up to normal weight through-
out the length of the experiments. Just two years later, in France, similar experiments were con-
ducted yielding similar results. Two scientists, E. Weill and G.
Mouriquant, reported that the pigeons fed on refined barley
"showed similar waste and paresis of the limbs and wings as has
been frequently noted on a white bread diet. These symptoms
were followed by ataxic cerebellar or labyrinthine phenomenon - the animals falling backward or laterally with hyperextension of
the limbs and head, ending in death. A cataleptoid condition
sometimes preceded death where there had been no previous
symptoms17
In America T. B. Osborne and L. B. Mendell found that ani-
mals fed refined grains rapidly declined in health, even though ~
crystallized mineral salts were added to the diet. Other American
scientists made similar observations. In New York it was noticed
that both cattle and horses showed symptoms of acidosis, emacia-
tion, and anemia when fed degerminated corn meal, and prompt
recovery occurred when the animals were given whole grains and
fresh grasses. The famed breeder of thoroughbred horses, David
T. Arret, reported that his animals, when fed unprocessed and
unbleached grain foods, remained immune to all of the equine
diseases which were then so common among horses. The general
conclusion of scientific workers in America was summed up at
that time by Harvey W. Wiley with his statement that there
was "an almost universal consensus of opinion among dietetic
experts to the effect that properly ground whole wheat flour is a
more wholesome product both for children and grown people
than the fine white flour of commerce:'
While scientists in the western world were discovering the
effects of refined wheat, rye, barley, and corn, those of the Orient
were reporting that beriberi and general ill-health were wide-
spread in China and the entire Far East because of the increasing
use of refined polished rice. In the Philippine Islands, the health a ives official, Dr. V. G. Heiser, showed that beriberi among the n t'
was due to the consumption of polished rice. Dr. Fraser of Singa-
pore, Dr. DeHaan of Java, and Dr. Highet of Siam followed with
similar reports from their areas. In the famous Coulion Leper
Colony nearly all of the inmates fell ill with beriberi. ~reatment
consisted of replacing polished rice with the natural rice grain
and extra rice bran. In just sixty days the disease was not only
interrupted, but complete cures among many of the afflicted
were established. Since that time whole brown rice has come back
into use in many parts of the Far East, and when beriberi devel-
ops in other areas, the food is introduced as a specific remedy. Still more damaging evidence against the use of refined foods
has come in recent years, in particular with respect to the bleach-
ing of flour. In 1948 Dr. Anton J. Carlson, the world-renowned
physiologist of the University of Chicago, described the extreme
danger of nitrogen trichloride, used in the bleaching process. He
pointed out that the chemical causes running fits and epilepsy
in dogs, monkeys, and rats. He referred to the chemical as "a
nerve poison" which "changes a good protein into a bad one,
and causes nervous instability:' It should be noted that nitrogen
trichloride had been used for bleaching 90 per cent of all white
flour during the prior twenty years. Now its use is prohibited for
bleaching purposes, but other poisons are employed as substi-
tutes. Most flour is presently bleached with the well known
toxic chemical, chlorine dioxide, which was approved for use
over protests of U.S. Army nutrition experts. Chlorine dioxide
is much more powerful than nitrogen trichloride and need be
used in only one-third to one-half the quantity of the latter. According to Lockwood7s Flour Milling publication, the chem-
ical is "particularly valuable for bleaching very low grade flours:'
So the millers had good reason to welcome the change, but the
consuming public received a doubtful advantage. Along with bleaching, the use of chemical softening agents
is widespread and dangerous. Bakers use tlie softening agents so
that their bread will keep fresh-looking and soft for two weeks or DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS
longer. Until 1953, more than ten million pounds of bread each
year were treated with Polyethelene monstearate. This chemical
emulsifier was tested by Dr. John C. Krantz, who had been hired
by one of the chemical companies to test the harmlessness of
their product. But the experiments showed that white rats, mon-
keys, and rabbits did suffer when given the softener, some of
them developing spontaneous tumors, others dying, and some of
the rabbits being victims of cannibalism. Other scientists noted
damage to liver and kidneys when the softener was fed to animals. Polyethelene monostearate was finally banned after an exhaustive
hearing lasting 116 days and involving 160 witnesses, 17,000
pages of records, and more than 500 exhibits. Yet, in spite of
all the evidence presented against the chemical, the legal decision
was appealed to the Supreme Court, and the very firms whose
scientists had proved the dangers of the chemical fought for its
continued use up to the very end. Today we do not have Poly-
ethelene monstearate in our bread, but we do have other chem-
ical softening agents which may or may not present serious risks
to human health. Some nutritional scientists have apologized for the baker's
production of white bread on the grounds that the natural whole
grain product often becomes infested with vermin when not
transported and stored under refrigeration. As Prof. E. V.
McCollum remarks: "There are good and sound commercial
reasons why most people should eat white bread.... It is safest
and most economical to transport the flour and get it to the
consumer in the form of bread than it is if whole wheat flour
were used, since the latter tends to spoil more readily:' Whereas
this is a good argument for commercial profit, it is an argument
against good nutrition. The lower forms of animal life do not
infest white flour and white bread because these foods do not
offer them suitable nourishment. They need living foods, rich in
nutritional factors, in order to thrive. And man is no exception
to this rule. We are no more capable of being well nourished on
white flour products than are insects and vermin. REFINED GRAIN PRODUCTS
The fact that white bread is an inferior food does not mean
that we can automatically obtain good nutrition simply by pur-
chasing dark bread. Ordinary dark wheat bread is usually com-
posed of about one-third whole wheat flour and two-thirds white
flour. Ordinary rye bread, and even most pumpernickel breads,
are made from a combination of rye and white flours. Some loo
per cent whole grain products are available, but even they are
often inferior foods. They are not always free from the harmful
ingredients found in


6. Filonov, Dry Medical Fasting, 127. 7. Dale Bredeson, The End of Alzheimer’s: The First Program to Prevent and
Reverse Cognitive Decline  (New York: Random House, 2017), 147. 8. National Institute on Aging, “International Symposium to Honor
Pioneer in Neuroscience and Fasting,” May 29, 2019, https://www
.nia.nih.gov/news/international-symposium-honor-pioneer
-neuroscience-and-fasting.ST ARVING TO HEAL IN SIBERIA | 33
Copyrighted Material
Chapter 18
1. Sergey Ivanovich Filonov, Dry Medical Fasting: Myths and Reality (Barnaul,
Siberia: Publishing House, 2008), 7. 2. Rumi, A Year with Rumi, ed. Coleman Barks (New York: Harper Collins,
2006), 146. 3. Virginia Woolf, On Being Ill  (Ashfield, MA: Paris Press, 2012), 12. 4. Herbert Shelton, The Science and Fine Arts of Fasting (Mansfield Centre,
CT: Martino, 2013), 28. 5. Mark P. Mattson, “What Doesn’t Kill You . . .,” Scientific American  313,
no. 1 (2015): 40–45. 6. Filonov, Dry Medical Fasting, 100. 7. Wim Hof Method, “Cold Therapy,” accessed February 15, 2022, https://
www.wimhofmethod.com/cold-therapy. 8. For more about the Personalized Nutrition Project, visit the project’s
website, at http://personalnutrition.org/AboutGuests.aspx. 9. Rumi, The Essential Rumi, trans. Coleman Barks (New York: Harper
Collins, 2004), 193. Chapter 19
1. Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto  (New York:
Penguin Press, 2008), 135. 2. Fred Bisci, Your Healthy Journey  (New York: Bisci Lifestyle Books, 2009),
33. 3. Bisci, Your Healthy Journey, 33. 4. Danna Faulds, Into the Heart of Yoga: One Woman’s Journey (Greenville,
VA: Peaceable Kingdom Books, 2011), 331. Epilogue
1. Danna Faulds, Into the Heart of Yoga: One Woman’s Journey (Greenville,
VA: Peaceable Kingdom Books, 2011), 22. 2. The Upanishads, trans. Eknath Easwaran (T omales, CA: Blue Mountain
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whole organism. Any variations which may occur can be assumed
to be variations in the flow of energy in the system, a flow of
energy which arises first of all in chemistry and is controlled and
directed by the electro-dynamic field of the whole organism. 57 THE FEMA LE FIELD
1
The experiments which had shown the positive correlation
between the electro-metrics of the generative tract in women and
the presence of malignancy throughout the tract led at once to a
further examination of the possibility of electro-metric correlates
of malignancy elsewhere. In the growth and development of every living system there
is obviously some kind of control of the processes. In the midst
of incredibly complex flux, direction is available for the control
of this growth and for differentiation. As a distinguishe d zoolo
gist once said, 'The growth and development of any living system
would appear to be controlled by someone sitting "on the
organism" and directing its whole living process.' One of the few things we know of in the Universe that has
direction are the electrical properties of things, in general. The
Field Theory suggested that it should be possible to determ ine
the pol arity and direction of the flow of energy transformations
in the living system. The organism, as a whole, depends on such
directives for its continued existence; so also does atypical
growth. Energy, however, is a basic requirem ent, indifferent to the
direction in which it flows. It is important, therefore, to realize
that in the development of growth and development of the
organism there are forces in addition to the undirected properties
of chemical changes, factors which give direction to the flow of
energy. It cannot be denied that morphogenesis is directed. This is true
of the whole organism and also of its constituent parts. Moreover,
the very direction of developm ent implies a necessary relation
ship between the units of which the system is composed, a re
lationship which imparts to the organism that quality which
makes the whole greater than the Sllm of its parts. Conside rations such as these led to an examination of the
electrical properties of cancer-susceptible mic e. The experiments
v. ere designed to determine whether or not the polarity vectors
were altered in atypical growth. 58 THE FEMALE FIELD
Through the courtesy of Dr. L. C. Strong and Dr. G. M. Smith,
a considerable number of mice from the colonies of Dr. Strong,
were studied weekly. There were four groups of such mice:
A. normal control, B. a strain of mice known to have a high in
cidence of mammary cancer occurring spontaneously, C. a strain
of mice prone to atypical growth following the administration of
carcinogens, and D. a number of mice from a strain which readily
accepted implanted malignant tissue. Comparison of the groups made it clear that statistically the
control group showed a different electrical pattern from that
found in the animals with spontaneous breast cancer, malignancy
produced by carcinogens, or the atypical growth of transplants. There were also statistically significant differences between spon
taneous carcinogenics and the transplanted growth. While day
by-day variations in both magnitude and polarity occurred there
was sufficient variability to make it difficult to show a direct ane
ta-one relationship for any individual animal. Clearly enough,
there are other factors in the presence of atypical growth re
sponsible for the variability. To carry out an experiment it is necessary to control conditions
of food, water, and temperature. A few preliminary experiments
indicated that the individual variability could be reduced sig
nificantly. All the evidence so far collected makes it necessary to
study them under more controlled laboratory conditions. Through the generous cooperation of Dr. H. S. N. Greene,
some three hundred mice were intensively studied following
the implantation in the breast region of the C38 strain of mice. The implantations were made by Dr. Greene in the right axilla. They were from malignant tissue labelled 4578B-PXB-PX and
MTH. In addition, foetal and visceral implants were made from
normal animals. Measurements were made between the right axilla and the left
axilla in unanaesthetized mice. The common reference point for
the potential differences between the axillae was the placement of
an electrode in the mouth of the animal. Since the left side of
the animal was not involved in implantation, it served to some
extent as a control for the operated side. The results of the experiment were surprisingly consistent. 59 THE FEMALE FIEL D
Twenty-four to twenty-eight hours after the implantation
changes were to be observed in the voltage gradients. This differ
ence increased steadily and quite smoothly to reach a maximum
of approximately five millivolts on or about the eleventh day,
following which it decreased. In the animals with the foetal implant representing, therefore,
a rapidly growing mass of embryonic tissue, the difference began
to appear a little later, and reached a peak on approximately the
sixth day, following which the potential difference dropped to
zero and reversed its polarity until the end of the experiment. In the slow-growing tumours potential differences began to
emerge on the third or fourth day but reached their maximum
of approximately three millivolts on the tenth or eleventh day. From there, until the end of the experiment, the differences in
potential fell steadily to zero. The control, and those without
growth, showed a variable between the two sides of less than a
millivolt for the entire experiment. In all of these measurements,
the axilla containing the implanted foreign material was negative
to the opposite axillary region. It is cIear from these findings that the crest of atypical growth
in the host organism produced measurable and reproducible
electro-metric correlates. The rapidly growing tumours devel
oped higher potentials more quickly than the slow-growing im
plant. The foetal tissue started off rather promptly but early
reached an electro-metric peak and thereafter declined to zero,
subsequen tly to appear as a polar reversal which, in turn, re
turned to zero. The slow-growing implants started late but ex
hibited an electro-metric curve paralleling the essential slope
of the rapidly growing tumours, but reached their lower maxi
mum at approximately the same time as the rapidly growing
tumours. These experiments on mice, of course, offered valuable con
firmation of our findings that atypical voltage-gradients in the
fields of women are associated with malignancy. 60 CH APTER FOUR
The Ubiquitous Field
1
While we were carrying out experiments on men and women we
were also exploring the electro-dynamic fields in other forms of
life because we wanted to assure ourselves that these fields are
a universal property of all living forms and are not confined to the
higher forms of life. We explored the fields of a frog's eggs-as mentioned in the
first chapter-not only to satisfy ourselves that something so
small and relatively simple possessed a field but also to find sup
port for our theory that the field controls the growth and de
velopment of the form. Using micro-pipettes filled with salt solution and connected to
the voltmeter we found different voltage gradients across differ
ent axes of the eggs. We marked the axis of the largest voltage
gradient with spots of Nile blue sulphate and later found, as the
eggs developed, that the frog's nervous system always grew along
the axis with the highest voltage gradient. This was an indication
that the field is primary-the matrix that shapes the living form. Next we looked for a living system with some unquestioned
design or pattern, the field of which could be examined through
growth and developm ent. The nervous system of a vertebrate
offers a pattern which can be analysed and which, we hoped,
would yield some clues to the nature of the forces or laws which
determine the pattern. Our choice fell on salamanders for our experimental animals
because they are easily obtained and can be observed from the
egg stage up to adult form; and the changes in the form as it
grows and develops can be observed and described with great
accuracy. 61 THE UBIQUI TOUS FIELD
Amphibia, too, are admirably suited to the experimental
analysis of the growth and development of the nervous system. They are vertebrates and, therefore, have a head and tail axis,
a bilateral symmetry, a right side and a left side, a dorsal and
ventral side. This is the most elementary aspect of the pattern
of organization of the vertebrate nervous system. Moreover, by using microsurgical methods, it is possible to
perform operations on the nervous system, to remove parts of
it and to observe the consequences to its development. Pieces
can be transplanted from one part of the nervous system to an
other in order to examine the results. Finally, salamanders are easily raised in the laboratory, with
no serious problems of care. No anaesthe tics are necessary and
they are abundant in the spring of the year. We were reinforced in our choice of salamanders by the evid
ence, slowly increasing over the years, that they possess certain
electrical properties. We started with numerous experiments on the developing
embryos of salamanders, because an analysis of the embryology
of the nervous system promised data to support our Field Theory. In the first place, as the embryo is an aquatic animal, it was
necessary to determine whether or not there


 kick out of people using the word avatar  in
the advertising of some program or something, because they don’ t
understand what Avatar is. Avatar is of such enormous power that it changes
all of mankind for thousands of years henceforth. It is the ideal by which
everything else is measured. Every action of mankind, every court decision,
every headline in the newspaper is unconsciously, if not consciously,
measured according to the teachings of the Buddha or Christ or Muhammad
or so. Muhammad calibrated at 700. You see, Buddha was 1,000; Christ was
1,000; Krishna was 1,000. All the great enlightened, fabled gurus of ancient
times—Zoroaster at 1,000. Muhammad I’ve repeatedly calibrated at 700, so
there was not the enormous power of spiritual truth to overcome, let’ s say,
the tribal proclivities of that part of the world, perhaps, so the teaching
breaks through—it breaks through. But don’ t forget, it broke through in
Christianity also in the middle. Certainly, the end times being positioned. The truth of Christianity has broken through by some primitive negativity
and savagery, which expressed itself in that way. And now we see it sort of
delayed in the coming from that part of the world. So, the spiritual person now is confronted with how to contextualize and
comprehend and understand the current world events, but then again, it has
been that way since I have been on the planet. World War I had just expired,
and then came the Great Depression, and then World War II, and I don’ t
know how many wars since then. And so, we’re always confronted with the
spiritual—the seeming  spiritual dilemmas of the expression of the ego, in its
expression as the actions, collective actions, of society. In any case, all any of us can do is within our own heart to reach the
highest level of compassion and understanding and try to recontextualize it
compassionately, because in so doing, we undo it. So each of those who
were able to undo great negativity did so because in a way, their heart wassupported by the hearts of all of us. They just didn’ t reach 550 all by their
lonesome, out there on an ice floe, you know. So, the evolution of the
consciousness of mankind is dependent on all the contributions of all of us. So, each one of us counts, and each one of us counts quite decisively. Each
one of us certainly counts quite decisively. “That’ s a fact: resist” (T rue). You know, I’ve always been suspicious of holy-sounding religious
teachings, you know what I’m saying. Holy-sounding religious teachings,
you say, “Yeah, right.” I want to see, is that a fact, or is that not a fact? The Harmony of the Universe
There’ s the question of where astrology, for instance, fits into this whole
picture. Well, if the universe is one karmic whole, one karmic oneness, then
all that’ s within the universe, including its physical expressions as the
planetary systems, et cetera, is part and parcel of that harmony, huh? Therefore, the planets are also in harmony with that universality. I would
see it that, from a high level—we’ve said that archangels calibrate 50,000
and up, and you realize that we’re talking about logarithmic progression
here—one archangel at 50,000 that even thinks of you is likely to knock
you out of your body for some 20 or 30 years. And you’re lucky to breathe
again. Well anyway, so from some very higher level of Divinity, then... let’s say, if everything is the interaction of ener gy fields, which can be
represented symbolically as an attractor field, that means that all things are
therefore in harmony. So, I don’ t see a constellation as causing something
within human experience on this planet. I see a third factor out here. Because of this third factor, this constellation is in this position and this
event is happening commonly within the human experience, but this
astrologic position is not causing the human experience. Both the human
experience and the astrologic positionalities are expressing. So, if it is the
time for great harvesting, let’ s say, that which is supportive of life in all of
its expressions is expressing itself astrologically this way and has greater
crops on this planet at this time, right? And then, at a later time in the cycle,
the harvesting goes down and the astrologic position at that time is
different. So, to explain the harmony of the universe, which is consistent with the
concept of the holographic universe and also the nonlinear dimensions of
reality, it isn’ t that “this” on this side of the universe is causing  “this,” but itis concordant; and those of you who are familiar with advanced theoretical
physics know that the spin of an electron on... and the spin of an electron
in another part of the universe—this one is not causing  the spin of this
electron, but if this one stops and reverses, so does this, but there’ s no
connection between the two of them. Which means that which you want to
call “cause” is really just a terminology, a verbalization and a concept, and
not a reality. But if you want to say there is a cause, the cause would then be
outside both the electrons and that which causes this electron to go this way
and this one, this way. So, this electron is not causing this. So, to me, an
astrologic position does not cause  pots and pans to break, but the timing of
pots and pans breaking is simultaneous with that but not caused by that, you
understand? Simultaneity does not mean causality. Just as peace appearing
on the earth and all people praying for peace—it doesn’ t mean necessarily
that the praying for the peace is causing  the peace. But the appropriate time
is an appropriate time for all things. And the appropriate timing of peace
appearing and the appropriate time of praying for peace are probably
simultaneous but not causal. Some Spiritual Sayings Are Not Accurate
There are a lot of sayings, you know, spiritual sayings that are not exactly
accurate. I mean, if they were all accurate, everybody would be enlightened. A lot of them are greatly inaccurate. To say, “All things are possible with
God,” is usually a hypothetical statement to counter somebody else’ s
argument in order to prove that you’re right. In usage, when looked at
exactly, it cannot be so, because that which God cannot be is “not God.”
“All things are possible with God” is usually used to explain or give some
kind of reification of the potential truth of something preposterous and quite
unlikely. However, there is a correct usage to it within the infinite power of
God in another context, in another sense... No, it’ s still not true. Because
of the nature of creation itself that each thing becomes the essence of its
own potentiality as the fulfillment of its own karma, there can’ t really be the
fulfillment of something else’ s karma, or a bird would turn into a toad. No,
a toad can only become a toad. So, we could say that that which “is” cannot
become that which it is not. It can only be that which it is. That has to do
with the self-identity of reality. The most dif ficult thing to see about in the
enlightened condition—let’ s say, the radical sense of “I”—the thing thatmakes it the most dif ficult to understand is that everything is radically only
that which it is. It sounds like a nonsensical statement, but the ego cannot
deal with anything except creating—cannot make any statement without
creating a duality, thereby negating the reality of that which it is attempting
to describe. Even the word is is incorrect. The radical reality of that which
sits and speaks through this is-ness here is beyond is-ness; it is beyond
beingness. Even a transitive, intransitive verb is incorrect. There is neither a
subject nor a predicate. There is neither a “this” doing a “that,” nor a “here”
as compared to a “there.” Those are all positionalities within mentalization. Those are all mentalizations. No such thing can be. The only thing that’ s
possible is the reality of the cat being absolutely, completely, 101 percent
cat—not caused by anything extraneous to itself. The only absolute
statement of truth that’ s possible is the word I. To say “am,” the suf fix “am”
to “I,” is already a negation of the reality of the truth of “I,” “is-ness,” and
“beingness,” because the radical reality of that which I am is beyond either
“is-ness” or “beingness.” It is beyond existence or nonexistence. All such
terminologies are mentations. So the most dif ficult thing about seeing the
truth of the reality of who you are is the radical identity of the self as the
Self. That which you subjectively experience as Self is that and nothing
else. Then the ego comes in and tries to destroy that realization by adding
all kinds of adjectives, adverbs. “I am that


are	brought	into	each	other’s	lives	“for	a	reason,	a	season,	or	a
lifetime.”	It	isn’t	the	length	of	time,	but	rather	the	depth	of	knowing	and
forgiveness	and	growth	that	occurs,	which	determines	the	meaning	of	a
connection	between	two	people. I	love	the	Joni	Mitchell	lyric	that	love	is
souls	touching	souls. Some	people	have	slept	together	for	30	years	but	their
souls	have	never	touched. By	some	estimation,	theirs	is	still	a	successful
marriage	…	but	there	are	many	ways	to	estimate	love. I	once	knew	a	man	who	was	younger	than	I	was	chronologically,	but	much
more	firmly	grounded	in	the	truth	of	his	being	than	I	was	in	mine. I	kept	up
this	inauthentic	mantra	about	how	he	was	much	too	young	for	me,	until	one
day	I	realized	that	the	quizzical	look	on	his	face	wasn’t	disappointment,	it	was
disrespect. He	had	expected	more	of	me. He	expected	me	to	be	more	honest. What	a	convenient	front	for	my	fear	it	was	to	go	on	and	on	about	how	he
hadn’t	had	his	babies	yet	and	since	I	couldn’t	give	him	those	then	of	course	I
wasn’t	the	woman	for	him. “For	a	lifetime,	you’re	probably	right,”	he	said. “But	I	didn’t	ask	you	for	a	lifetime. I	asked	you	for	Saturday	night.”
But	how	can	I	relax	on	Saturday	night,
	I	thought,
when	I	already	know	that
this	is	a	limited	run? I	saw	an	episode	on
Sex	and	the	City
	where	that’s	called
“expiration	dating”:	You	know	in	advance	that	there’s	a	date	past	which	you
can’t	continue	this. It	took	a	while	for	me	to	realize	that	that	had	never
stopped	me	from	enjoying	yogurt,	so	it	didn’t	have	to	stop	me	from	enjoying
men	either. The	idea	of	falling	for	someone	with	whom	there	was	a	built-in	time	limit
seemed	terrifying	at	first,	until	I	realized,
But	isn’t	that	what	death	is? Had	I
ever	said,	“Sorry,	I	can’t	love	you—after	40	or	50	years,	you’ll	probably	be
out	of	here”? No. We	have	the	double	illusion	that	life	is	long	and	love	is
short. In	fact,	life	is	short	but	love	lasts	forever. So	I	gave	the	young	man	a	chance—as	though	I	had	so	much	to	teach	him,
you	see. And	the	irony,	which	was	no	irony	at	all	to	him	but	simply	an
obvious	point,	was	that	he,	carrying	so	much	less	fear	than	I,	came	to	the
experience	with	more	wisdom	and	strength. Whatever	I	had	in	accumulated
knowledge,	he	bested	with	his	more	open	mind:	fewer	rules,	fewer	limits,
fewer	affectations	of	knowing	things	that	can’t	be	known. It	wasn’t	I	who	wasthe	guru	at	love	here;	it	was	he. I	thought	he	might	be	blessed	by	the	love	of
someone	more	knowing	than	he,	but	I	think	I	was	more	blessed	to	be	loved	by
someone	more
unknowing
	than	I. People	are	matched	perfectly	for	the	gifts
they	bring	to	each	other,	and	sometimes	it’s	those	who	teach	us	when
not
	to
reason	who	are	as	important	as	those	who	teach	us	how	to. Knowledge	has
many	dimensions.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        And	Lord,	what	boring	bedrooms. But
today	the	convent	experience—the	internal	variety—means	anything	but	that. It	means	no	fun	that	isn’t	laced	with	the	sacred,	no	excitement	that	isn’t	laced
with	the	sacred,	no	sex	that	isn’t	laced	with	the	sacred. Or	put	another	way,	it
means	that	the	sacred,	once	you	realize	what	it	is,	is	actually	fun	and	exciting
and,	where	appropriate,	sexual. It’s	important	to	celebrate	your	life,	because	it’s	the	one	God	gave	you. If
He	were	leaving	you	a	text	message,	I	think	it	would	say:	“Enjoy	yourself. ”
I	read	an	interview	with	actress	Cameron	Diaz	where	she	said	that	she
didn’t	think	being	light	and	bubbly	was	any	less	valid	than	being	dark	and
moody. I	took	that	in	for	a	moment,	realizing	it	had	taken	me	decades	longer
to	see	this	than	it	had	taken	her. Baby-boomer	women	wanted	to	be	taken	so
seriously,
	primarily	because	our	mothers	weren’t. We	suppressed	our	joy
under	the	false	assumption	that	joy	is	silly. In	fact,	it’s	when	you	realize	how
very	serious	life	truly	is	that	you	take	every	opportunity	to	laugh	when	it
comes	along. Mariane	Pearl,	the	widow	of	slain
Wall	Street	Journal
	reporter
Daniel	Pearl,	has	said	that	happiness	is	an	act	of	resistance. There	are	so	many	ways	we’re	punished,	including	by	ourselves,	for	the
ecstatic	impulse	that	runs	through	our	veins. Whenever	I	see	a	homeless
person	walking	down	the	street	in	some	absurd	and	ridiculous	outfit—usually
sporting	something	like	a	hat	with	rabbit	ears	or	lots	of	buttons	proclaiming	a
UFO	invasion—part	of	me	thinks,
Oh,	poor	lost	soul,
	and	part	of	me	thinks,
I
wish	I	had	the	nerve	to	wear	that. It	has	occurred	to	me	that	I’ve	never	seen	a	statue	of	a	Greek	or	Hindu
goddess	in	which	she	wasn’t	dressed	to	the	nines. The	idea	that	a
spiritual
woman	chooses	to	have	less	going	on	for	her	in	the	looks	department	was
introduced	into	our	thought	system	by	a	womanhating	institution,	let’s
remember—the	same	club	that	used	to	burn	women	at	the	stake. So	when
they	suggest	a	woman	should	dress	plainly	and	simply	in	order	to	show	her
piety,	I	rush	to	put	on	a	camisole. Makeup	and	jewelry	go	back	longer	than
they
	do;	thousands	of	years	ago,	women	wore	rouge	and	rubies	and	knew
exactly	what	they	were	doing. Queen	Esther	didn’t	save	her	people	by	looking
unattractive	that	night. Any	effort	to	desexualize	women	is	an	effort	to
disempower	us,	and	making	us	feel	guilty	about	wanting	to	look	good	is	more
of	the	same	oppressive	game. Our	society	is	of	two	minds	about	a	mature	woman	trying	to	look	good. She’s	shamed	for	“letting	herself	go,”	yet	she’s	often	shamed	for	trying	to
hold	it	together. All	this	talk	about	“natural	aging”	is	sort	of	ridiculous. Can
we	talk	about	pesticides,	pollution,	carcinogens,	the	hole	in	the	ozone,	worry,
economic	anxiety,	and	divorce	statistics. There’s	nothing	necessarily
natural
about	all	that	stress	on	your	face. If	a	woman	wants	to	order	the	newest
antiaging	cream	from	an	800	number,	get	Botox,	or	employ	any	other
cosmetic	procedure,	then	I	think	s