  (1931), and Karezza: Ethics of Marriage by Alice Bunker
Stockham, MD (1903). All of these are available as free downloads from www.reuniting.info.
Stockham developed her method mainly to help her patients, and promoted it as producing better health, greater harmony and
spiritual attainment.
She believed that sexual energy may be directed into building bodily tissue and permeating every cell with health and vigor. For
Stockham, Karezza was a form of spiritual companionship. Partners seek union and mutual soul development rather than ﬂeeting
passionate gratiﬁcation, but the emphasis is on loving closeness, rather than denial of pleasure. At the appointed time and after joint
meditation the couple calmly engages in physical contact and expressi ons of endearment and affection, followed by the complete,
quiet union of the sexual organs.
Only the book by Dr Lloyd has still some practical value in regard to details of the technique, while the other two books are mainly of
historical interest. But all of them relate the great health and emotion al beneﬁts derived from this method. By the middle of the
twentieth century the practice of Karezza had greatly declined in the United States, although related non-ejaculatory methods
apparently had gained many followers in India and Egypt.
Peace between the Sheets
Presently Karezza enjoys a revival in the United States and is also spreading to other countries in large part due to the efforts of
Marnia Robinson and Gary Wilson. They maintain the website www.reuniting.info with a wealth of practical, scientiﬁc and spiritual
articles as well as a discussion forum and a monthly newsletter. The basis for this work is the book Peace between the Sheets –
Healing with Sexual Relationships, available from their website.
Gary had been a long-time alcohol addict and on prescription antidepressants. Within a short time of their new sex habits he found it
relatively easy to overcome these problems (although he still had some  tough moments), and also Marnia’ s chronic yeast infections
and urinary tract infections disappeared. This book, as well as many website testimonials, shows the many health and relationship
beneﬁts of this non-orgasmic approach to making love, and Marnia also provides easy to follow instructions and exercises for
beginners.
The Method
In Karezza the emphasis is on the inner feeling awareness as well as on the feeling of complete union with the partner. Orgasm is
avoided or at least minimized. Care sses and slow controlled movements during intercourse generate a steady stream of sexual
energy that is consciously converted into feelings of sublime joy and love. Typically, this may continue for an hour or more. It is not
necessary for the penis to be erect or even inside to enjoy this type of lovemaking. Part or all of the time the tip of the penis may just
touch the entrance of the vagina, or the sexual organs may not touch at all.
Initially concentrate awareness on the sensations at the point of contact with the partner, in the genital area and wherever the skin or
a caressing hand touches. This generates pleasant sensations, which can now easily be converted into a loving feeling. Open your
heart and send this love to your partner. In a more active fashion you can in your imagination lead the energy felt in the genital or
pelvic area upwards to the heart. There you feel it as love and radiate it out onto your partner, and also envelop both of you in a cloud
of love.
For many sensitive individuals this is more satisfying than just mecha nically experimenting with different positions or chasing an
elusive orgasm. You may also lie quietly connected, just to relax and feel close, cared for and protected, without attempting to
generate any speciﬁc effects. If sleeping together, you may develop a routine of connecting daily before going to sleep or after10/30/24, 2:56 PM Health-Science-Spirit - Sexual Relationships
https://health-science-spirit.com/Healing_with_Sexual_Energy/Sexual-Relationships.html 2/3awakening, or both. This may be done without moving, just to feel close to each other, or you may sleep together skin to skin. All this
is not only emotionally satisfying, but produces strong bonding and greatly strengthens the relationship.
A connection based on love provides a natural increase in sexual self-control, as explained by William Lloyd: “As you acquire the
habit of giving your sexual electricity out in blessing to your partner from your sex-organs, hands, lips, skin, eyes and voice, you will
acquire the power to satisfy yourself and her without an orgasm. Soon you will not even think of self-control, because you will have
no desire for the orgasm, nor will she.”
Lloyd also notes the ability of Karezza or controlled intercourse to nourish lovers. He reports a sense of “sweet satisfaction, fullness
of realization, peace, often a physical glow and mental glamour that lasts for days, as if some ethereal stimulant, or rather nutriment,
had been received.” And, “in successful Karezza the sex-organs become quiet, satisﬁed, demagnetized, as perfectly as by the
orgasm, while the rest of the body of each partner glows with a wonderful vigor and conscious joy…tending to irradiate the whole
being with romantic love; and alway s with an after-feeling of health, purity and wellbeing. We are most happy and good-humored as
after a full meal.”
Disclaimer: The aim of this web site is to provide information on using natural healing methods to aid in the treatment of illness and health improvement.
The author cannot accept any legal responsibility for any problem arising from experimenting with these methods. For any serious disease,
or if you are unsure about a particular course of action, seek the help of a competent health professional.
© Copyright W alter Last & Austpac Productions. All Rights Reserved. | W eb Design by Austpac.10/30/24, 2:56 PM Health-Science-Spirit - Sexual Relationships
https://health-science-spirit.com/Healing_with_Sexual_Energy/Sexual-Relationships.html 3/3<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>T able of Contents
T itle Page
Acknowledgments
How to Use This Book
Intr oduction
Chapter 1
The Quantum Possibilities
In the Language of Spirit
The W indow to Renewal
The Science of Aging
Research into Aging
Restoring Y our Life Ener gy
Chapter 2
Change Y our Perception of Aging
SETTING YOUR BIOST A T
Change Y our Perception of T ime
ACCESSING THE NONCHANGING F ACT OR
Change Y our Perception of Y our Body
The Body of Ener gy, T ransformation, and Intelligence
EXERCISE—YOUR BODY OF LIGHT
PERCEIVING YOUR LIGHT BODYChapter 3
The Restful A wareness Response
Restful Sleep
PREP ARING FOR RESTFUL SLEEP
Harmonize Y our Biological Rhythms with the Rhythms of Nature
Chapter 4
Making Sense of T aste
SWEET
SOUR
SAL TY
PUNGENT
BITTER
ASTRINGENT
Delicious and Nutritious
Optimizing Digestion
EA TING A W ARENESS TECHNIQUES
Eating as Celebration
Chapter 5
V itamins—The V ital Nutrients
W ater -Soluble V itamins
Fat-Soluble V itamins
Nutrients as Medicines
NOURISHING YOUR HEAR TKEEPING A W A Y CANCER
NUTRIENTS AND MEMOR Y
HEAL THY JOINT NUTRITION
THE NUTRIENTS OF IMMUNITY
Nutrients on the Horizon
S-ADENOSYL-METHIONINE (SAME)
GROWTH HORMONE
DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE (DHEA)
PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS
Our Daily V itamin Recommendations
Nutrient Ritual
Chapter 6
Breathing Integration
ENERGIZING BREA TH
SOOTHING BREA TH
RELAXING BREA TH
Mind/Body Movement
REVERSAL-OF-AGING YOGA
REVERSAL-OF-AGING T AI CHI AND QIGONG
CONSCIOUSNESS IN MOTION
MIND/BODY COMMUNICA TION
Chapter 7
T otal Fitness
FlexibilityBuilding Strength
The Basic Seven
Circulating the Life Force
CALCULA TING YOUR T ARGET EXERCISE LEVEL
Exercise on the Road
Staying Active
Chapter 8
Relinquishing T oxic Substances
THE INTENTION T O DET OXIFY
PRACTICE MINDFULNESS
SYSTEMICALL Y DET OXIFY
REJUVENA TION
W A TER—NA TURE’S PURIFIER
ELIMINA TE T OXIC FOODS
RELEASE T OXIC EMOTIONS
T ransform or Release T oxic Relationships
MEETING YOUR NEEDS
THE DIALOGUE OF NEEDS
Release T oxic W ork
Reversing the Appearance of Aging
PURIFY
REVIT ALIZE
REPLENISH
SUN PROTECTIONChapter 9
Flexibility
PRESENT -MOMENT A W ARENESS
FORGIVENESS
BREAKING HABITUAL P A TTERNS
Creativity
T AKING A CREA TIVE LEAP
OPPOR TUNITIES FOR CREA TIVITY
Chapter 10
What Is Love?
Personal Love as Concentrated Universal Love
Communicating Love
Love, Sex, and Spirit


 people in good health do not become ill. The only way to
reduce disease is to promote health and thereby prevent disease in the first place.
Treating Symptoms Versus Restoring Health
The best way to deal with any problem—in business, personal lives, engineering,
etc.—is to identify the cause, address the cause and solve the problem.
Unfortunately, modern medicine does not focus on identifying the cause.
Traditional medicine suppresses symptoms, usually by poisoning patients with
toxic drugs, removing essential body parts or exposing the patient to cancer-causing
radiation— sometimes, all three tactics. Meanwhile, diseases remain chronic, and
disease-care costs continue to escalate to unsustainable levels.
Diseases are healed
with nutrients and the removal of toxins, not with drugs and surgical scalpels.
Relying on Doctors Versus Relying on Yourself
Most people wait until they get sick, then go to a doctor and hope to get well. I did
this when I was ill, only to discover that my physicians had no idea how to make me
well. This practice negates our own responsibility for health. Do we really think we
can eat an unhealthful diet and live an unhealthful lifestyle and that our doctor will
make us well after we have worked so hard to make ourselves sick?
Health and disease are choices. We, as a society and as individuals, are the ones
making those choices. Today, health is compromised at so many levels. If we want
to improve our health, prevent or reverse disease, and extend life, we have to make
special choices in order to compensate. We cannot rely on physicians to “fix” us
after we have spent decades making ourselves sick—almost all physicians are stuckin the old disease-care paradigm and have no idea how to restore cells to health.
The responsibility for health is ours, and we must teach this to our children so
they and their children can claim their birthright to lifelong good health. We must
also ask our governments and society at large to make changes. Why do we allow
soft drink and candy vending machines into our schools? Why is it that medical
insurance covers failed traditional treatments but does not cover alternative
treatments that are safer and more effective? Why do we allow our government to
subsidize the dairy and sugar industries? Why do we allow genetically modified
foods to be sold without labeling and without adequate testing for safety? Why do
we continue to allow the use of fluoride in our drinking water? Why do we continue
to allow dentists to put mercury in people’s mouths? All of us need to address these
questions and many others.
Eating Make-Believe Food Versus Eating Real Food
Until I educated myself, I used to think that what I purchased at the supermarket
was real food. What a surprise to find little or no real food in a supermarket.
Imagine the public outcry if someone had announced to us that they were going to
drastically lower the nutritional content of our food. Yet, this is exactly what has
happened. Where is the outcry? We are all eating nutritionally deprived, toxic,
make-believe foods that have been proven incapable of supporting healthy life in
either animals or humans.
Throughout this book we have looked at the history of the human diet and
environment and how dramatically these have changed, especially in the last
century. Our cells are designed with specific nutritional needs that are no longer
satisfied by typical modern diets and lifestyles. To achieve optimal health, we must
acquire daily all the nutrients for which we have genetic requirements. Scientist
Linus Pauling, a Nobel laureate, wrote that modern diets are incapable of supplying
optimal nutrient quantities, even if we make good food choices. According to
eminent scientist Emanuel Cheraskin, M.D., D.M.D., up to 80 percent of the U.S.
population suffers from malnutrition. Most of us now suffer from “affluent
malnutrition,” caused by an expensive diet rich in calories (from sugar and white
flour) and poor in nutrients. Because the food supply is unhealthful, and has been for
several generations, we are now seeing entire populations where no real perspective
of “health” exists. Disease has become the norm, so we view ourselves as healthy.
Entire populations are now suffering from diseases that are unquestionably related
to nutritional deficiency, yet we do not label them as such. This is because we
seldom encounter obvious deficiency diseases such as scurvy, pellagra or beriberi,
so malnutrition is not perceived as a major contributor to disease— but it is!
Deficiency in modern diets creates a host of problems including: diminished
overall competence and resistance to infection, premature aging, colds and flu, acne,tooth decay, mental illness, heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, kidney disease, lung
disease, autoimmune disease, anemia, diabetes, allergies, birth defects, alcoholism,
learning disabilities, violent behavior and more. Although these problems carry
different disease labels, they are all the result of sick cells. Which body parts get
sick does not matter, because the way to prevent disease or restore health is always
the same. Give your cells what they need, protect them from what they don’t need.
Nearly all supermarket fruits and vegetables have been grown in depleted soils
and are deficient in nutrients and high in toxic contaminants. These substandard
foods are often harvested before ripening so they can be shipped and stored without
spoilage. Foods are often chemically enhanced to increase shelf life. A huge part of
our diet has been processed and packaged, removing what little nutrition ever
existed.
Does anyone really think that a donut made of white flour and sugar and soaked in
rancid oils is real food? Real food is organic, fresh, raw, unprocessed and mainly
plant-based. White flour, sugar, milk, ice cream and coffee are not real foods, nor
are conventionally grown and prematurely harvested tomatoes, oranges and bananas,
not to mention old, waxed apples and cucumbers. To prevent disease or to restore
health, we must stop eating the make-believe and go back to what our healthy
ancestors ate: real food.
Germs Versus the True Cause of Disease
The popular misconception is that microorganisms (germs) cause infections. But
to be a true cause, the microorganisms would have to produce the same effect all the
time, which is not the case. Not everyone who is exposed to a particular organism
gets sick, and not everyone who gets sick does so to the same degree. In truth,
whether or not someone develops an infection depends on the balance between
several factors, namely the virulence of the organisms, the number of organisms
and, most importantly, their state of immunity. We live in a sea of microorganisms,
but they do not make us sick until we alter the natural balance between them and us.
Our normal coexistence with germs rather than a germ-free environment ensures our
health.
When we eat sugar and nutrient-deficient diets, expose ourselves to toxins, lose
sleep, fail to exercise and fail to adapt to stress, our immunity becomes depressed
and we open the door to infection. Then we blame the germ, when really we are to
blame. Rather than being obsessed with germs and rushing for flu shots and
antibacterial soaps, optimizing our immunity would be a far better approach. The
perspective that germs cause disease is so ingrained in us, many have difficulty
making the shift to the new way of thinking; but to avoid infection, we must do
exactly that. People such as the Hunzas lived into their hundreds without ever having
as much as a cold, not because they took flu shots but because they were healthy andtheir immune systems were strong. In truth, only sick people get sick. The problem
is we spend decades making ourselves sick, all the while thinking we are healthy.
Toxic Versus Nontoxic Living
Imagine what would happen if someone announced that they were planning to
poison our food, our homes, our workplaces or, for that matter, the entire planet? We
would be outraged. Yet that has happened and few are outraged. We are constantly
told that small amounts of toxins are safe. Yet chronic disease is rampant because
these small amounts of toxins, when added together, are disabling our detoxification
systems, exceeding our capacity to detoxify them, and bioac-cumulating in our
tissues to disease-causing levels.
Some toxins, such as estrogenic chemicals from pesticides, plastic bottles and
canned foods, are not safe even in amounts so small they cannot be measured by the
usual techniques. Every day we eat food, breathe air and use products containing
these and other harmful toxins. Some exposure is virtually unavoidable, but most
exposure is a choice. We have to start making different everyday choices about what
we put on and in our bodies and what we expose ourselves to in the workplace. What
we eat, wear and bring into our homes—and the personal care products that we use
—are under our direct control. We need to change our perspective that small
amounts of toxins are safe; we need to recognize that small amounts of toxins can
build up in our bodies over time. Most Americans are now accumulating hundreds of
man-made chemicals in their bodies, and yet we wonder why we get sick.
An Active Life Versus Sedentary Sickness
Human genes evolved at a time when a high level of physical activity was the
norm. All through the course of evolution, man had to be physically active in order
to survive. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors were nomadic peoples who were always on
the move, always foraging for food or drink. Because of the way we evolved, the


malignancy,  we must  assume that all those cases hereafter  mentioned
which  were alleged  by the  Profession  to be cancerous  had  been
wrongly diagnosed.
First I may briefly mention en masse the cases of five women  I will
classify as ABC, because all were unprejudiced  by any kind of previous
treatment,  and  every one of them was of recent development.  Their
cases at least suggest the wisdom of prompt  and  correct measures.  I
should stress, however,  at the outset, that not one of these patients
had  been labelled  cancer cases. Nevertheless  to be on the safe side, I
fasted  every one  of them my way, in addition to applying urine
compresses,  with complete  success; for in addition to the
disappearance  of the growths, the treatment  resulted in a state of
general health far in exce$s of that experienced  prior  to the fasts.  In
fact their growths disappeared  so completely  that they  were all
convinced  that they could not have been malignant;  especially  as I
make a point of never employing  such terms as cancer, malignancy  or
even tumour during my consultations.  Besides, it must be freely
admitted  that every lump or nodule that forms on the human  body is
not a malignant  growth‐ although only a surgeon is credited with the
ability or the authority  to label  it either malignant  or otherwise.  The
ruling unfortunately  results in many comparatively  harmless  lumps 38
 being labelled  as malignant  when such may  not be the fact, or it may
result in an operation  being advised  in case  they should become
malignant.  Thus, hundreds  of trifling lumps have been treated surgically
as a major  affliction,  and  cancer has eventually  developed,  because as
yet, neither doctors  nor laymen realise that the surest way to invite
malignancy  is the mutilation  of the female breast  or other  parts of the
human  body.  (*)
(*) For instance, San Francisco  is a surgically  ridden  city; it has few
physicians  but hundreds  of surgeons.  Therefore  we are not astonished
when we read that " the mortality from cancer in San Francisco  exceeds
that of any other American  city." (See  Victory over Cancer by Cyril
Scott.)
I will now give the case‐ history of Mrs.  R. (1923).  She was in the early
forties at the time. Condition ‐anaemic under average height, below
normal weight, lump about the size of a hen's egg in one of her breasts.
Diagnosed  as cancer by the late Dr.  Rabagliati,  and  i mmediate
operation  urged but firmly refused.  Fasted  on urine and  drank 22 pints
of plain cold tap‐water daily. Her husband rubbed  her from head to
foot with his own urine for two hours a day, and  packs wrung out in
urine were placed over both breasts day and  night. Cure in ten days.
Returned  to Dr. Rabagliati  on twelfth  day after last visit to him, and  he
could find ro trace of Anaemia had  vanished  also, abnormality  in the
breast  and the patient had been restored to perfect health.
Here is another  case  (1925).  Middle‐aged woman. Growth of some
proportions  situated near the armpit.  Two surgeons  advised  operation,
but made a concession  to her daughter's  suggestion  that the patient 39
 might rest and  take very light  nourishment  before facing the ordeal.
The operation  was accordingly  arranged to take place in the hospital a
week hence. However,  as the patient's daughter had  derived much
benefit herself from urinefasting,  she prevailed  on her mother to try
the treatment  in the interim. In five days not a trace of the growth was
left. I may  add  that two days after the patient should have presented
herself at the hospital for the operation,  the family doctor called in. He
was indignant  at having his advice  and  arrangements  flouted in this "
independent  " manner; but  when having thoroughly  examined  the
patient he found her condition  entirely normal, there  was nothing more
to be said. Subsequently  he called in his colleagues,  who, to express it
mildly, were extremely  astonished,  and  being human, were not
altogether  pleased. I merely  add  this part of the story  to show that the
patient had been properly examined  after her recovery.  She is at the
time of writing many years older, and quite well.
A case  may  now be cited relative to a youngish woman who had
developed  a growth  in her breast. I cite it because the  trouble
disappeared  in the shortest  period I had  yet witnessed  for what might
have been a malignant  tumour or merely  a swollen  milk‐ gland. I think,
none the less, that had the patient  put herself in the hands  of
physicians,  they  would have advised an operation  just as they  have
done in hundreds  of similar cases. On seeing her, I at once  advocated  a
fast  on her own urine, plus tap‐water,  and  urine compresses ‐in short,
the usual procedure  I advise. At the end of four days the growth had
entirely disappeared.
And now I will mention the case  of a lady who came to me in 1927. It is
instructive  as showing once  again that operations  merely  deal with 40
 effects and do not remove the cause  of the disease


 for
come about.  Openness  in that center  promotes speech,  so that
the sentences  we use are  the ones  we live out.  An open  throat
center  also  brings  about  lucidity  in drea ms, the expressio ns between
our souls and our other  selves.  When the  center  is closed,  you
can feel choked  up, as wi th guilt,  and you may have  difficulty
swallowing, as if there  were a lum p in the  throat.  You may  feel an
unwillingn ess to change.  Feel  the energy  radiat e into the throat,  as
though  you are sunbat hing there.  Let go of all things  and all
memories of that  closed  feeling.  Feel  the throat  open  and blosso m
with the pow er of speech.  Be a ware of the  lucidity  in your dreams
and a flexibilit y manifested  in your abilit y to express  yourself.
   The energ y continues  to flo w down to the heart  center  again,  at
the middle of the  breast,  one inch  from the  lower end of the  sternum.
This heart  center  point  is a ver y important  point  in the  woman’s
practice.  It is the seat  of energy  transfo rmation,  and thus  the seat
of healing  and loving  energ y in a w oman.  From the  heart  point  the
energy  will flow down to the solar  plexus,  and then  dow n to the
navel.
L. Navel Center
    As the  navel  center  opens,  we feel a sense  of balance,
equanimity  and centere dness,  of allo wing ourselves  to be as  we
are, and ever ything else  to be  as it is, which takes  no effort.  The
experience  is one  of mindfulness.  An open  navel  center  allow s us
to let  things  be, put a  value  on every thing, and feel true abunda nce.
When it is closed,  there  is a lack of balance  and centerin g. The
navel  center  is a storage  place for excess  energ y, and so is a
storage  place  for the  energ y of our work. As w e continu e to bring
the energy  to the navel  center  the navel  naturall y centers  and opens.
As yo u feel the energ y accu mulating  in the  navel,  you will find it to
be the place  of value,  the original  connectio n you had with your
mother  and the place  of nourishment  as y ou cam e into  this w orld.
Here  we feel the natural  abun danc e of all things.
- 242  -Chapter VIII
   Try  to practice  holding  one point  at a tim e, and  move up one  by
one in sequenc e. Do not practice  all the  points  in one  session in
the beginning.  Once  you feel that  all your partner’s  channels  are
open,  you can choose  the appro priste  points  to use  at that time.
Judge  by the needs  of your partn er. Discuss the  hand  positions
ahead  of tim e with your partne r describin g what you would like to
acco mplish, and share  the entire  book  with him so that he can
understa nd the practice.  Your mutual unders tanding and working
together  on the practices  described  here  will result  in harmony.
   Once  you have  completely  open ed your partner’s  back chann el
with the help  of your hands,  you can use  the hands  to help  speed
up the flo w of sexual  energ y.
C. Ste p-By-Ste p Practi ce to Balance  and H armonize  the Total
System
    While your sexual orga ns are in contact  with your partne r, you
are joining  with his or her  front  channel,  the Function al Channel.
The energ y flowing through  each  one’s.  Functional  Channel  is more
easily  joined when there  is sexual  arousal.  At this  time a lot of energ y
is generat ed from the  organs  and glands,  and it all flo ws dow n to
the sexual regio n. Rem ember that if yo u do not redirect  it up,  the
most vital force  that your body creates  will be lost to the  universe,
with no benefit  to you at all unless  your intentio n is to  bear  a child.
1. Guide the  Aroused S exual Energy up the Spine.
    Begin  by guiding  the aroused  sexual  healing  energ y up the spinal
column to  the points  listed  belo w one at a tim e with the assistance
of the  hands.  As you become mo re advanced  in the  practice,  you
can put y our hands  on different  points,  thereby  causing  the energy
to jump faster.
A. Kidneys’  Point
   Start  with forepla y to bring  your partner  or your partner  to bring
you, up to  the boiling  point.  Rem ember that if the orga ns, glands
and sexual  energy  are not read y when you enga ge in love making,
there  will be less energ y to exchang e. This can  be harmful to  the
organs,  glands,  and sex orga ns. When you feel the sexual  healing
energy  is activated,  embrace  each  other  for a while. Then both  of
you can begin  to use  your hands  simultaneousl y or one  can
- 243  -Dual Cultivation
singularly  touch  the other  if yo u both  choose.  Put your right  hand
on the sacrum wi th the middle finger  touching  the tip of the  cocc yx
and the palm covering  the sacrum, especially  the opening  of the
sacral  hiatus.  (Fig.  8.26)  Feel  the heat being  absorb ed into the
spinal  cord  as it helps  to activate  the Sacral Pump which moves
the energy  upward. Place y our left hand  on the Door  of Life, opposit e
the navel  and betw een Lumbar 2 and  Lum bar 3. Feel  the sexual
energy  moving upw ard from the  sexual regio n, past  the sacru m
and up to the  kidney s’ point.  Use the  anus  muscle to  hold  and
guide  the energ y up, if necessary  At this  time you can inhale  to
pack and wrap the sexual  healing  energy, bathing  the kidne ys with
healing,  creative  and genera tive ener gy.
Fig. 8.26 Move the Energy to  the Kidneys Point.
B. T-11 Point
    When you feel the  sexual  energ y level is lo w, your partner  or
you should  resu me a three  shallow -one deep,  a six shallo w-one
deep,  or a nine  shallo w-one deep  series  of penet rations. Taoist
Maste rs discovere d the G-Spot  many thousan ds of years ago.  In
all their  manuals  on sex they  always advised  shallow  thrusts
because  the glans,  or head,  of the  man’s penis  will stimulate the
glans,  or clitoris,  of the woman,  and fit right  behind  the pelvic bone
where the G-Spot  is. Build the  energ y to the  point  in which both  of
you can exchang e the energ y. Embrace quietl y for a while with the
right hand  still holding  the sacru m, and  move the  left hand  to the T-
11, the point  of the  adrenal  glands.  (Fig.  8.27)  Hold this position
until both  of you feel the ener gy move.
- 244  -Chapter  VIII
Fig. 8.27  Move the Energy  to the T-11 Point.
C. Liver  and Sp leen Point
   Repeat  the above  step,  but this  time m ove the  left hand  to your
partner’s  liver and  the spleen  point,  belo w and betw een the
scapulae.  (Fig. 8.28)
Fig. 8.28  Move the Energy  to the Liver and Spleen Point.
Fig. 8.29  Move the Energy  to the Heart Point.
- 245  -Dual Cultivation
D. Heart Point
   Repeat  step  (b) again.  After both  of you have  built  up to  the
height  of sexual- healing  ener gy, embrace  again.  The right  hand
rem


 that I was losing stored-up fatfrom a long time ago. There is a different definition to my body. Itlooks and feels different.MIGRAINE HEADACHES AND KAREN H. 49 The other day I was cleaning out my medicine cabinet and I
came upon some Imitrex shots that were still good. One part of mewanted to keep them—what if I got another headache? These thingswere lifesavers at one point in my life. But I had the courage tothrow them out. I’ve been headache-free for 20 months, through allkinds of changes in my diet, and I don’t see any reason why thatshould change.
PROGESTERONE AND MIGRAINES
Karen is another example of a woman who had been estrogen
dominant her entire life. Migraine headaches are one result of theadverse effect estrogen has on blood vessels.
You might ask, why did Karen feel the toxicity of estrogen as
migraines, while in someone like Brenda J. it took the form offibroid tumors and troubled pregnancies? As I’ve explainedbefore, there are receptor sites for hormones all over the body,and in different people different sites predominate. Thus thesymptoms of estrogen dominance will vary according to where aperson’s estrogen sites are located. I suppose one could say thatKaren was lucky her excess estrogen didn’t eventually cause breastor ovarian cancer. However, you’d have had a hard time convincingKaren of her good luck in the middle of a migraine attack. Thoseare brutal. I once treated a woman who had severe menstrualmigraines starting at age 14 with her first menses. On twooccasions she had paralytic migraines resulting in strokes.
Everyone knows somebody who has migraines, and everyone
knows how excruciating they are, so it’s quite remarkable that themedical community has missed the simple fact that naturalprogesterone is a cost-effective cure for menstrual migraines.There are millions of women out there like Karen all desperatefor relief. Many of them attend pain clinics and explore every50 THE MIRACLE OF BIO-IDENTICAL HORMONES  avenue they can—meditation, acupressure, and so on—but
continue to suffer month after month.
Karen went all the way from her teenage years—when her
body first started producing estrogen—to menopause sufferingfrom these headaches. At menopause, she might have hoped toget some relief since her body was reducing its production ofestrogen, but doctors placed her on hormone replacementtherapy (HRT), which made sure the migraines continued.
All she needed to solve a lifelong problem was progesterone,
the hormone that protects women from the effects of too muchestrogen. As long as she continues taking it, Karen won’t have anymore migraine headaches.
She also tested low in thyroid, which isn’t surprising in
someone with low progesterone levels, because progesterone hasa major influence on the thyroid. Giving her the right thyroidmedication helped her to lose weight in a comfortable fashion.
When Karen talks about feeling as though she was losing
stored-up fat and seeing her body change in a way she had notseen before, she is talking about the difference between afat-burning weight loss program and a muscle-burning calorierestriction diet. In her youth, Karen did a lot of calorie restrictiondiets—those grapefruit-and-lean-meat diets that were popular inthe l960s and 1970s. Those make you lose muscle. They give youa sagging look, make your skin look droopy, and impair muscletone. T o Karen, actually losing fat and seeing some muscledefinition was a revelation.
Would it be fair to say that Karen felt eliminating her
migraine headaches with a natural bio-identical hormone wasa miracle?51 MIGRAINE HEADA CHES AND KAREN H. POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION
AND SUSAN B.
chapter SIX
When I first started to write this book, the headlines were filled
with news of the trial of Andrea Yates, the woman who struggledwith postpartum depression and eventually drowned her fivechildren. Although I think Yates’ problems went well beyondpostpartum depression, it was a major factor in her breakdown.This is a very real condition that causes untold misery to newmothers. Fortunately, it is easy to treat.
Susan B. found a solution to her postpartum depression by
balancing her hormones. I hope her experience will be instructiveto other mothers, particularly breastfeeding mothers, who canavoid the side effects of psychogenic drugs by taking thisapproach. I’ll let Susan tell you what happened:
Depression has been a problem in my family for a long time.
My mother and sister and I seemed always to be depressed when Iwas growing up. Eventually my mother committed suicide, whenI was 16 years old.
Along with our depression went low metabolism, and, in my
case, I can’t remember when I wasn’t battling my weight. I atenormal amounts of food but I was always fat.
Once, as an adult, I got so fed up with always being fat that
I went on this rigorous program, exercising three hours a day, six
53days a week. I did slim down, of course. But it was impossible to
keep up that kind of schedule. As soon as I slacked off even a littlebit, the weight came right back on.
At the age of 45 I had a child. The moment she was born, I
went into a massive depression. It was difficult caring for the babybecause I didn’t feel any of the joy of motherhood but I still hadall of the daily responsibilities. One day I was talking to mydoctor about my depression, complaining a bit about how beingover-weight contributed to my overall feelings of hopelessness. Shetold me about other patients of hers who had taken off weight bygoing to Dr. Platt. I decided to go see him, figuring that slimmingdown would be one way of improving my situation. Little did Irealize it would be the solution to my depression, too.
I was a size 20 when I went to see him. I weighed 190
pounds—it was hard just moving around with that much weighton my 5’3” frame. At first I just went on the diet and held offtaking the hormones he had recommended. After a few months Ilost 22 pounds.
At that point Dr. Platt said I had to start progesterone and
thyroid. So he started me on both of those and, my God, what adifference it made in my mood! It was an incredible difference. Ifeel like I’m a different person today, like a person I haven’t seen inabout 10 years.
Two months after starting the hormones I was able to start
weaning myself off my prescription anti-depressants.
With the progesterone and the thyroid medication, I had lots
of energy and a whole new outlook on life. The other beneficialthing was what it did for my skin. My skin looked so much betterafter I started the progesterone. It became more radiant, which isa great thing to have happen at my age. I used to have all of theseskin tags on my neck, and about a month after I started theprogesterone they all disappeared.54 THE MIRACLE OF BIO-IDENTICAL HORMONES  Ultimately, it took me ten months to lose about 60 pounds
and get down to a size 4. I must have gained a lot of muscle mass,because I don’t weigh 105 pounds like most size 4 women. I weigh137 pounds. Of course, with more muscle mass my metabolismis much higher than it used to be, so it is that much easier tomaintain my weight while still eating the foods I love to eat.
A LIFETIME OF BATTLING OBESITY
Susan B. is typical of the many people who have fought obesity
their entire life not because of an eating problem but because ofa hormone problem.
I believe the only cause for postpartum depression
is low progesterone.
Susan had the classic history of someone with a low
progesterone level who becomes estrogen dominant anddepressed. I believe the only cause for postpartum depressionis low progesterone. In the second and third trimesters theplacenta pours out progesterone, which is why women feel sogood during this time of their pregnancy. But after the baby isdelivered, progesterone levels go down.
For most women, once they start ovulating again, their
bodies begin producing progesterone and their moods lift. ButSusan was low in progesterone to begin with, and she was in her40s, when hormone levels are on the decline anyway. So she hadno source of progesterone.
Her low progesterone caused high insulin levels—the  num-
ber one cause of obesity. Low progesterone also led to an increasein estrogen—another hormone that creates fat. Low proges-terone leads to depression and other psychological problems.55 POSTP ARTUM DEPRESSION AND SUSAN B.  She also had the standard symptoms of an under-active
thyroid: her skin was dry, her nails didn’t grow well, she waseasily fatigued, and so on. Her blood tests bore out thisdeficiency. Her low thyroid contributed to her depression, too.The thyroid has a tremendous influence on the metabolism ofevery cell of the body, including the brain cells.
Helping Susan was a very simple matter. As soon as her
hormones were balanced she regained a zest for living. Theweight loss made her feel even better—it was a particularlysweet reward for a woman who had spent half a lifetimestruggling with obesity.
I hope you, the reader, are beginning to understand the
importance


people surviving in good health to unheard-of old age.
On his visit to Abkhasia in 1972, Leaf struggled to keep up with Gabriel
Chapnian, a short, sprightly elder who easily climbed a steep hill to reach
his garden at the age of 117. At 104, Markhti Tarkhil still rose at dawn and
plunged into an icy stream for his morning bath. Leaf wrote, “Markhti
attributes his long life to God, to the mountains, and to a good diet—and he
warns against eating without pepper! His ‘best’ age was 18, but he agrees
with Vanacha that he regarded himself as a young man until the age of 60.
‘I still feel young, I sleep well, ride my horse, eat well, and swim every day,
so I still feel like a youngster, even though not so strong as I once was.’ ”
As we in the West age, our bodies lose muscle mass and replace it with
fat—at 65, almost half the body weight of both men and women is fat,
double what it was in their twenties. By comparison, nearly all the long-
living Abkhasia ns had lean physiques, with erect spines and firm muscles.Long after retirement, the oldest people thrived on outdoor life—they
tramped up to the high grazing areas in summer and dug potatoes in their
gardens. Even in cases where coronary arteries were blocked or other
damage had occurred to the heart muscle, the walking and climbing in
which everyone engaged seemed to of fset physical limitation.
When Leaf brought back photographs of the long-living for National
Geographic  in 1972, millions of readers saw a face of old age that had
never been seen before in this country and scarcely imagined. Twenty years
later, we are facing a huge increase in all age groups over 65, and the long-
living Abkhasians are more and more fascinating to us. In their culture the
“new” old age has existed for generations. They traditionally led lives in
which all the right ingredients came together for conscious, purposeful
longevity—not just a longevity of survivors but of “youth in old age,” the
title Leaf chose for his book.
Abkhasians managed to redefine youth so that it was not oppose d to long
survival. Someone could be chronologically old and yet young by their
standards. Jotting down his impression of one 98-year -old named Tikhed
Gunba, Leaf wrote, “Tikhed’ s blood pressure was 104/72 and his pulse was
regular at 84 [beats per minute]. He seemed a very placid individual with
much ‘mileage’ left. In the presence of two centenarians, Tikhed was still
regarded as a youngster.”
The Supercentenarian “Hoax”
Why, given this idyllic situatio n, haven’ t we all heard of Abkhasia? The
reason is that confusion and mistrust quickly clouded the initial reports
brought back by W esterners. What made Abkhasia so interesting in the mid-
1970s was not lifestyle but the phenomenon of supercentenarianism. The
then-Soviet government wanted to reap a harvest of propaganda by
claiming that their oldest people survived beyond anything known in the
noncommunist world. Tremendous focus was placed on individuals such as
Khfaf Lazuria, the most celebrated of the long-living.Khfaf Lazuria was reported to be the oldest woman who had ever lived.
She died in 1975, claiming to be 140, which meant she had been born
twenty-five years before the first shots were fired on Fort Sumter that set
off the American Civil War. While alive, Khfaf Lazuria was a petite woman
of only four feet two inches tall. Although frail, she moved nimbly, was
always eager to meet visitors, could thread a needle without glasses, and
was a lively storyteller.
Rare for a woman in Abkhasia, she liked to smoke cigarettes, a habit she
had picked up, she said, at age 100. (Since she was too old to be taken for a
woman, she liked to joke, she might as well act like the men.) Among her
colorful stories, Khfaf recounted her early memories of “the big war in the
North,” which Leaf guessed must refer to the Crimean War of 1853–56.
That was also the period when she was abducted by Turks and not returned
home until ten years later, around the year Lincoln was assassinated.
Perhaps even more remarkable than Khfaf Lazuria’ s claim to
superlongevity was that her immediate family boasted more than a dozen
members who had lived to be 100.
Spellbound, Leaf accepted these tales completely; it therefore came as a
blow when large inconsistencie s began to surface. As it turned out, Khfaf
Lazuria had told every visitor a somewhat different story about herself,
freely changing her age, the number of husbands she’d had, how long her
parents had lived—in fact, few details remained constant. Leaf can be
forgiven for not knowing, as no casual visitor could, that one of the
cherished customs in Abkhasia was lying to strangers! Western visitors who
lingered long enough to acquaint themselves with the area learned that the
Abkhasian love of exaggeration was legendary, particularly if tall tales were
being spun to an outsider.
When consulted about how old they thought the long-living actually
were, local gerontologists who had been sent into the region by the then-
Soviet government estimated that some of the long-living were certainly
quite old, upward of 115, but no one in the region who claimed to be 120,
much less 140 or 168, could supply reliable documents. In fact, since 90
percent of the local churches had been destroyed by the Soviets under
Stalin, almost no old records of births, communions, or marriage s existed in
Abkhasia.The final blow came when Zhores Medvedev, one of the most respected
Soviet geneticists, defected to the West in the early 1970s. Medvedev had
traveled through out the Caucasus and was intimately acquainted with the
methods of the gerontologists who worked there. In London he revealed
weaknesses in all the claims of superlongevity: Up to 98 percent of
Abkhasian old people were illiterate and many did not even know their
birthdays. For them, keeping track of time was haphazard, particularly
considering that there was an overlap of the Christian and Moslem
calendars in that region (the Moslem calendar is based on a ten-month
year). Soviet records before 1930 were nonexistent, and suspicions of a
deliberate hoax were raised when Medvedev pointed out that Stalin had
been born in Geor gia. Zealous attempts to convince him that he would live
a long life—som ething that most absolute despots are extremely eager to
believe—had added political fuel to the Abkhasians’ folkloric pride in
reaching extreme old age.
The bubble quickly burst. In the cold light of day, there was really no
convincing evidence that families in the Caucasus had produced several
generations of centenarians. When the American yogurt company originally
conceived their campaign of the mother pinching her son’s cheek, they
wanted to find a mother and son who were both over 100 (this seem ed
plausible in a society where women married around 20), but this proved
impossible. Nobody could find a family in which parents and offspring
were both centenarians. Most investigators concluded that the Geor gian
supercentenarians were products of a traditional culture in which being as
old as possible had always been a cause for great social respect.
Why We Need Abkhasia
Despite the inconsistencies in his findings, Dr. Leaf stood by the principles
of age preventi on he saw at work in the Caucasus. His work made a
significant difference in turning Americans toward more exercise and better
diet, particularly in terms of heart-attack prevention, but mounting
skepticism force d him to retrac t his support of superlongevity. Abkhasiashouldn’ t be dismissed, howev er; in a world where the vast majority of
societies condit ion their people to expect short lives and condemn the
elderly to a marginal existence, this one society fostered a conscious ideal
of old age as the most rewarding phase of life—and the reward was open to
all who wished to achieve it.
To me, Abkhasi a was the place where the traditional concept  of “old”
never took root. The word was banished, and in its place the long-living
pursued an ageless lifestyle—they galloped their horses, worked under the
sun, and sang in choirs in which the youngest member was 70 and the
oldest was no (contrary to Soviet propaganda, which boast ed that the
minimum age was 90). Abkhasia proved that growing older can be a time of
improvement.  Abkhas ians toasted one another with the words, “May you
live as long as Moses,” and they venerated the long-living as people who
were achieving an ideal.
By far the greatest advantage the long-living enjoyed was this: They
trusted in their way of life. Abkhasians struck Western visitors as
remarkably


Thiscoughisaggravated ifanysinglepartofthebody
isuncoveredandconsequentlybecomescold.
Diarrhoea
SymptomsStools:mushy;watery.
Causesgettingwet;gettingfeetwet.
Exhaustion
SymptomsExhaustionnervous.Withheaviness;
RESTLESSNESS.
Betterforwalkinginthefreshair.
Worseforslightestexertion;forsittingdown.
Theexhaustion issostrongthattheslightestexertion,
includinggettingupandwalkingabout,isaneffort.
However,agentlewalkoutinthefreshairwillactu-
allyhelp.Itwillbeaccompaniedbythecharacteristic
Rhustoxrestlessness.
Eyeinflammation
SymptomsEyes:sensitivetolight;sore;watering.
Eyelids:gluedtogether;itching;swollen.
Worseformovingeyes.
Causescold,wetweather.
Theeyelidsarestucktogetherinthemornings.
INTERNALMATERIAMEDICA Rhustoxicodendron (Rhus-t.) •143
Fever
SymptomsHeat:alternatingwithchills;dry;burning.
Betterforhotdrinks.
Worseatnighrvevening/mid morning;formovement;
colddrinks;forbeinguncovered.
Thepatientsweatsfromtheslightestexertion,aswell
aswhenlyinginbedandwhenasleep,andwillsweat
overthewholebodyexceptforthehead.Willalso
urinatefrequentlywhilesweating.Hemaygetchilled
afterbeinghotandsweaty;anymovementalsobrings
onchillinessasdoesuncoveringwheninbed.Warmth
willhelpthechilliness.Thefevermaybeone-sided
(thatis,onesidemaybehotwhiletheothersideis
cold).Itmayfeelasthoughthereishotwaterrunning
throughthebloodvessels.
Flu
SymptomsPains;inbones;injoints;inlegs;aching;
snooting;sore,bruised.Withexhaustion(seeabove);
fever(seeabove);sneezing.
Headache
SymptomsPains:inbackofhead;rheumatic;violent.
Betterforgentlewalking;forwrappinguphead;for
movement.
Causeschangeofweather;coldair/wind;damp
weather;gettingwet;lifting.
Hives
SymptomsRash:burning;itching;stinging.With
jointpain(seebelow).
Worseforcold;afterscratching.
Causesgettingwet/chilled;coldair;duringafever.
Hoarseness
Causesover-usingvoice.
Insomnia
SymptomsSleep:restless;sleeplessaftermidnight.
Thepersonhasvivid,work-relateddreams,causedby
strainfromworkingtoohard.
Jointpain
SymptomsPains:aching,sore,bruised;shooting;
tearing.Withheaviness;lameness.Stiffness.
Betterforcontinuedmovement;forexternalheat;for
walking;forwarmcompresses;forwarmthofbed.
Worsefordampweather;duringafever;onbeginning
tomove;atnight;forsitting;whenchilled.
Thepainsareworseforrestandonbeginningtomove;
theyimprovetemporarilybutthepatientsoongets
tiredagain(seeGeneralSymptoms).Thepainscan
alsobebroughtaboutbyover-exertion, forexample
springcleaningorgardening.Mumps
SymptomsGlandsswollen/painful.Withfever(see
above).
Bettertorheat.
Worseforcold;onleftsideofbody.
Thisisoneofthemostimportantmumpsremedies,
providingthecharacteristicgeneralsymptomsagree.The
typicalglandsareaffectedanditisoftentheleftside
thatbecomesswollenfirst.
Sciatica
Betterformovement;forwalking;forheat.
Worseforcold;forcoldcompresses;onbeginningto
move;forlyingonpainfulpart;forwashingincold
water;forwetweather.
Sorethroat
SymptomsThroatdry.Ticklinginlarynx.Voice
hoarse.
Worseforcolddrinks;forswallowing;foruncovering
throat.
Causesstrainingvoice.
Thevoiceishoarse,orstrained,fromtoomuchtalking
orsingingbutitimprovesaftercontinueduse(asdo
Rhustoxjoints!).
Sprains
SymptomsPain.Withstiffness;trembling.
Causesfalling;lifting;twisting.
ItisimportanttouseArnicafirstafteraninjuryora
spraininordertodealwithanybruisingandpossible
swelling.ThengiveRhustoxifthesprainisaccom-
paniedbythetypicalgeneralsymptoms.Asprained
wristwillbeaccompaniedbyaninabilitytogripany-
thingproperlyandstrongly.
Stiffneck
Causesdraughts;gettingchilled;lifting.
Strains
SymptomsWithstiffness;trembling.
Betterforcontinuedmovement.
Worseforbeginningtomove.
Gardeningorspringcleaningcancausethisstiffness
inthejoints.Itisworsewhengettingupafterarest,
andbetterforgentleexercise(whereasArnicastiffness
andsorenessstaysinspiteofgentleexercise).
Toothache
Betterforheat;forwarmcompresses.
Worseforcolddrinks;inwinter.
Causescold,dampweather.
144•Rumexcrispus(Rumex) INTERNALMATERIAMEDICA
Thistoothache isonethatalwayscomesonafter
gettingcoldandchilled;itissensitivetocoldand
betterforheat,forexamplelyingonahotwaterbottle
ordrinkingwarmdrinks.
RUMEXCRISPUS(Rumex)
Familyname:Polygonaceae
Othernames:Narrow-leafed/sour/curled/yellow dock;
gardenpatience
Theyellowdockisacommonweedthatgrowsin
arablefarmland,onroadsides,inditchesandonwaste
groundthroughouttheworld.Itsleavesarenarrow
andcurledattheedges,andtherootisdeepyellow,
odourlessandbittertasting.
Therootistheusefulpartoftheplant:ithasbeen
usedsinceancienttimesasamildtonicandlaxative
(itslaxativeactionisverysimilartothatofrhubarbbut
itislesspowerful); ithasalsobeenusedtotreatmany
diseasesincludingdiphtheria,cancer,rheumatism,
piles,jaundiceandobstinateskindiseases,especially
ulcers,anditiswidelyregardedasabloodcleanser.
Forthehomeopathicpreparationthefreshrootis
gatheredattheendoftheautumnbeforethetrosthas
touchedtheplant.Thetinctureismadebychopping
andpoundingtheroottoapulpandthenmixingit
withalcohol,beforestrainingandsuccussing.GENERALSYMPTOMS
Thisremedyisonlyusefulinacuteprescribingfora
particulartypeofcough,butitisveryeffectivesoI
haveincluded ithere.Thegeneralsymptomsarethe
sameasthespecificsymptomsforthecoughitself.
Therearenonotableemotional/mental symptoms.
PHYSICALCOMPLAINTS
Cough
SymptomsCough:infits;constant;dry;irritating;
tickling.Painsinchest:burning;sore,bruised;stitch-
ing.Larynxraw.
Worseforlyingdown;forbreathingincoldair;for
freshair;forchangeoftemperaturefromwarmtocold;
forbecomingcold;forcoldair;onleftsideofbody;in
morningonwaking;fortalking;forbeinguncovered;
forwalkinginthecoldair.
Thecoughcausespainsinthechest,usuallyontheleft
sideorintheleftlung,orunderthesternum.These
painsareworseonbreathingincoldair,andpatients
willusuallycovertheirheads/mouthswithscarvesso
thatonlywarmairisbreathed.Thereisafeelingof
rawnessandticklinginthelarynxandthismakesthe
coughworse.Patientshawkupmucusfromtheback
ofthethroat,whereitgetsstuck.
Sorethroat
SymptomsThroat:raw;sore;irritated.Airpassages
irritated.Voicelost.
Worseforbreathingincoldair.
RUTAGRAVEOLENS (Ruta.)
Familyname:Rutaceae
Commonnames:commonrue;bitterherb;country-
man'streacle
Rueisanevergreen,shrubbyplantthatthrivesinpoor
soilinfullsun.IndigenoustosouthernEurope,itwas
firstcultivatedinthiscountryinthegardensofmonks
andisnowfoundinherbgardensthroughoutthe
world.
ThenameRutaisderivedfromtheGreekreuo('toset
free'),becausethisherbwasusefulinsomanydis-
eases.Countrypeopletreatedmanycomplaintswith
it-coughs,croup,col


 cosmetic balm
for the skin, and fiber to make fabric. At the same time it
was used to treat conditions such as bronchitis, respiratory congestion, boils, and a number of digestive problems. Given  the life-enhancing benefits that this and so many other plants conferred, it is hardly surprising that most cultures believed them to have magical as well as medicinal abilities. It is reasonable to assume that for tens of thousands of years herbs were probably used as much for their ritual magical powers as for their medicinal qualities. A 60,000-year-old burial site excavated in Iraq, for instance, was found to contain eight different medicinal plants, including ephedra (Ephedra sinica, p. 95). The inclusion of the plants in the
tomb suggests they had supernatural significance as well
as medicinal value. In some cultures, plants were considered to have souls. Even Aristotle, the 4th-century bce Greek philosopher, thought that plants had a “psyche,” albeit of a lesser order than the human soul. In Hinduism, which dates back
to at least 1500 bce, many plants are sacred to specific divinities. For example, the bael tree (Aegle marmelos,  p. 161) is said to shelter Shiva, the god of health, beneath  its branches. In medieval Europe, the Doctrine of Signatures stated
there was a connection between how a plant looked—
God’s “signature”—and how it might be used medicinally.
For example, the mottled leaves of lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis, p. 259) were thought to resemble lung tissue,
and the plant is still used to treat ailments of the
respiratory tract. Even in Western cultures, beliefs in plant spirits linger. Until
the first half of the 20th century, British farm workers would not cut down elder trees (Sambucus nigra, p. 132) for fear of arousing the anger of the Elder Mother, the spirit who lived in and protected the tree. In a similar vein, native peoples of the Andes in South
America believe that the coca plant (Erythroxylum coca,  p. 206) is protected by Mama Coca, a spirit who must be respected and placated if the leaves are to be harvested
and used.
Shamanistic Medicine
In many traditional societies today, the world is believed to  be shaped by good and evil spirits. In these societies, illness  is thought to stem from malignant forces or possession by  evil spirits. If a member of the tribe falls ill, the shaman (the “medicine” man or woman) is expected to intercede with the spirit world to bring about a cure. Shamans often enter the spiritual realm with the aid of hallucinogenic plants or fungi, such as ayahuasca (Banisteriopsis caapi, p. 176), taken  by Amazonian shamans, or fly agaric (Amanita muscaria), taken by traditional healers of the Siberian steppes.  At the same time, the shaman provides medical treatment
for the physical needs of the patient—putting salves and compresses on wounds, boiling up decoctions and barks
for internal treatment, stimulating sweating for fevers, and so
Mistletoe, which the Druids called “golden bough,” had a central place in their
shamanistic religious and healing ceremonies. The Druids had a well-developed knowledge of medicinal plants.
US_018-027_Early_Origins_To_The_19_Century.indd   18 26/02/16   4:42 pm19 Early Origins t O th E 19th C Entury
on. Such treatment is based on a wealth of acutely observed
plant lore and knowledge, handed down in an oral tradition
from generation to generation.
The Development of Medicinal Lore
It is generally recognized that our ancestors had a wide range
of medicinal plants at their disposal, and that they likewise
possessed a profound understanding of plants’ healing powers.
In fact, up until the 20th century, every village and rural
community had a wealth of herbal folklore. Tried and tested
local plants were picked for a range of common health
problems and taken as teas, applied as lotions, or even mixed
with lard and rubbed in as an ointment.
 But what were the origins of this herbal expertise? There
are no definitive answers. Clearly, acute observation coupled
with trial and error has played a predominant role. Human
societies have had many thousands of years to observe the
effects—both good and bad—of eating a particular root,
leaf, or berry. Watching the behavior of animals after they
have eaten or rubbed against certain plants has also added
to medicinal lore. If one watches sheep or cattle, they almost
unerringly steer a path past poisonous plants such as ragwort (Senecio jacobaea ) or oleander ( Nerium oleander ). Over and
above such close observation, some people have speculated
that human beings, like grazing animals, have an instinct that
recognizes poisonous as opposed to medicinal plants.
Ancient Civilizations
As civilizations grew from 3000 bce
onward in Egypt, the Middle East,
India, and China, so the use of
herbs became more sophisticated,
and the first written accounts of
medicinal plants were made. The
Egyptian Ebers papyrus of c. 1500
bce is the earliest surviving
example. It lists dozens of
medicinal plants, their uses, and
related spells and incantations. The
herbs include myrrh ( Commiphora molmol, p. 85), castor oil
(Ricinus communis, p. 262), and garlic ( Allium sativum, p. 59).
 In India, the Vedas, epic poems written c. 1500 bce, also
contain rich material on the herbal lore of that time. The
Vedas  were followed in about 400 bce by the Charaka Samhita,
written by the physician Charaka. This medical treatise
includes details of around 350 herbal medicines. Among
them are visnaga ( Ammi visnaga, p. 62), an herb of Middle
Eastern origin that has recently proven effective in the
treatment of asthma, and gotu kola ( Centella asiatica, p. 76),
which has long been used to treat leprosy.
Medicine Breaks from its
Mystical Origins
By about 500 bce in developed
cultures, medicine began to separate
from the magical and spiritual
world. Hippocrates (460–377 bce),
the Greek “father of medicine,”
considered illness to be a natural
rather than a supernatural
phenomenon, and he felt that
medicine should be given without
ritual ceremonies or magic.
 In the earliest Chinese medical
text, the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of
Internal Medicine  written in the 1st
century bce, the emphasis on rational
medicine is equally clear: “In treating
illness, it is necessary to examine
the entire context, scrutinize the Shiva, the Hindu god who oversees health, is traditionally thought to live under the bael tree,
an important medicinal plant in India.
The bump  in the right cheek of this
Peruvian figurine may represent
coca, taken in that country to
increase endurance.Castor oil plant
has been used
medicinally for
about 4000 years.
US_018-027_Early_Origins_To_The_19_Century.indd   19 26/02/16   4:42 pm
20
The developmen T of herbal medicinesymptoms, observe the emotions and attitudes. If one
insists on the presence of ghosts and spirits one cannot  speak of therapeutics.”
Foundation of Major Herbal Traditions
300 bce–600 ce
Trade between Europe, the Middle East, India, and Asia was
already well under way by the 2nd century bce, and trade routes became established for many medicinal and culinary herbs. Cloves (Eugenia caryophyllata, p. 97), for example, which are native to the Philippines and the Molucca Islands near New Guinea, were imported into China in the 3rd century bce, and first arrived in Egypt around 176 ce. As the centuries passed, the popularity of cloves grew, and by the 8th century ce, their strong aromatic flavor and powerfully antiseptic and analgesic properties were familiar throughout most of Europe.
 As trade and interest in
herbal medicines and spices flourished, various writers tried to make systematic records of plants with a known medicinal action and record their properties. In China, the Divine
Husbandman’s Classic
(Shen’nong Bencaojing), written in the 1st century ce, has 364 entries, of which 252 are herbal medicines, including bupleurum ( Bupleurum
chinense, p. 72), coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara,
p. 278), and gan cao ( Glycyrrhiza uralensis). This Daoist text
laid the foundations for the continuous development
and refinement of Chinese herbal medicine up to the
present day. In Europe, a 1st-century ce Greek physician named Dioscorides wrote the first European herbal, De Materia Medica. His intention was to produce an accurate and authoritative work on herbal medicines, and in this he was dramatically successful. Among the many plants


ivation Soy is native to south -
western Asia, and is cultivated in warm temperate
regions. The pods are gathered when ripe.
Parts Used Beans, sprouts.
Constituents Soy contains protein (about
30%), fixed oil (about 17%), including lecithin
(2% or more), linoleic acid, and alpha-linolenic acid,
isoflavones, coumestrol, sterols, saponins, vitamins,
and minerals. Coumestrol and the isoflavones
closely mimic estrogen within the body.Related Species A North American relative,
G. polycephalum, was used to treat respiratory and
intestinal congestion, and was applied as a poultice
for bruises. G. keriense, native to New Zealand, is
also considered a remedy for bruises.
Gnaphalium uliginosum
(Asteraceae)
Marsh Cudweed
Description Annual plant growing to 8 in
(20 cm). Has narrow silver-grey leaves and tiny
yellow flower heads.
Habitat & Cultivation Marsh cudweed is
native to Europe, the Caucasus, and western Asia,
and is naturalized in North America. It prefers damp
areas, and is gathered in summer when in flower.
Parts Used Aerial parts.
Constituents Marsh cudweed contains a volatile
oil and tannins.
Medicinal Actions & Uses While little used
medicinally today, marsh cudweed has astringent,
antiseptic, and decongestant properties. In British
herbal medicine, it is occasionally taken for tonsillitis,
sore throat, and hoarseness, and for mucus in the
throat, nasal passages, and sinuses. Marsh cudweed
is used in Russia to reduce high blood pressure. It is
thought to be antidepressant and aphrodisiac.
US_202-223_Digitalis_lutea_Iris_versicolor.indd   217 26/02/16   12:47 pm
218
other medicinal plantsGrindelia camporum
Research Cotton seeds and seed oil cause
infertility in men, and have been tested as a male
contraceptive in China. However, in addition to lowering sperm count, cotton seed oil causes the degeneration of sperm-producing cells.
Related Species The American species
G. hirsutum was used extensively as a medicinal herb by the Maya and Aztecs, and was also cultivated for its fiber. Columbus carried samples of this species back to Europe from his first voyage. Native American people used the bark to ease the pain  of childbirth, and by the 19th century it was used as an inducer of menstruation and abortion.
 RQ Cautions Cotton root bark and seed
oil are potentially toxic and should only be used under professional supervision. Do not use  during pregnancy.Guaiacum officinale
(Zygophyllaceae)
Lignum Vitae,
Guayacan (Spanish)
Description Evergreen tree growing to 10 m
(33 ft). Has compound oval leaves, small, deep blue
star-shaped flowers, and heart-shaped seed capsules.
Habitat & Cultivation Lignum vitae is native
to South America and the Caribbean islands. It grows in tropical rainforests. The tree is felled for its timber, and resin is extracted from the heartwood.
Parts Used Wood, resin.
Constituents Lignum vitae contains lignans
(furoguaiacidin, guaiacin, and others), triterpene saponins, 18–25% resin, and volatile oil.friction rub on rheumatic areas. Absorbent cotton moistened with the resin may be applied to aching teeth. A decoction of the woodchips acts as a local anesthetic, and is used to treat rheumatic joints and herpes blisters.
Related Species G. sanctum, which grows
in Central America and parts of Florida, and  G. coulteri, native to Mexico, are used in the  same manner as lignum vitae.
Caution Lignum vitae is subject to legal
restrictions in some countries and is endangered.
Guarea rusbyi syn. G. guidonia
(Meliaceae)
Cocillana,
Guapi Bark
Description Evergreen tree growing to 150 ft
(45 m) with pale grey bark, compound lance-shaped leaves, and green-white flowers.
Habitat & Cultivation Cocillana is native
to the eastern Andes. The bark is gathered throughout the year.
Part Used Bark.
Constituents Cocillana contains anthraquinones,
proanthocyanids, and a volatile oil.
History & Folklore Cocillana has been used
as an emetic in traditional South American and Caribbean medicine, probably for many centuries. The plant was first introduced to Western medicine by H. H. Rusby, who collected samples in Bolivia  in 1886.
Medicinal Actions & Uses Cocillana is used
in cough mixtures, being an even more powerful expectorant than ipecac (Cephaelis ipecacuanha,  p. 186). Cocillana is taken as a treatment for coughs, excessive mucus production in the throat and chest, and bronchitis. At a high dosage, the plant induces vomiting.
Related Species A gum resin derived from
the Caribbean G. guara is used as a clotting agent, and a decoction of the leaves is taken as a treatment for internal bleeding.
 QCaution Use cocillana only under
professional supervision.Lignum vitae was once in high demand in Europe as
a purported cure for syphilis.Grindelia camporum syn.
G. robusta var. rigida (Asteraceae)
Gumplant
Description Perennial herb growing to 3 ft
(1 m). Has triangular leaves and yellow-orange
daisy-type flowers.
Habitat & Cultivation Native to the
southwestern U.S. and Mexico, gumplant grows in arid and saline soil. It is harvested in late summer when in flower.
Parts Used Leaves, flowering tops.
Constituents Gumplant contains diterpenes
(including grindelic acid), resins, and flavonoids.
History & Folklore Gumplant was used by
Native Americans to treat bronchial problems and skin afflictions. Gumplant was officially recognized in the Pharmacopoeia of the United States from 1882 to 1926.
Medicinal Actions & Uses Gumplant is
a valuable remedy for bronchial asthma, and for states where phlegm in the airways impedes respiration. Both antispasmodic and expectorant, gumplant helps to relax the muscles of the smaller bronchial passages and to clear congested mucus. Additionally, it is thought to desensitize the nerve endings in the bronchial tree and to slow the heart rate, both leading to easier breathing. Gumplant is also taken for bronchitis and emphysema, and to clear mucus buildup in the throat and nose. It has been employed in the treatment of whooping cough, hay fever, and cystitis, and externally to help speed the healing of skin irritation and burns.
Related Species G. squarrosa, a North American
species used interchangeably with G. camporum, was taken by Native Americans to treat respiratory problems such as colds, coughs, and tuberculosis.
 RQ Cautions Toxic in excessive doses. Only
take under professional supervision. Do not take if suffering from kidney or heart problems.History & Folklore In 1519, Ulrich von Hutten,
a German satirist, was said to have cured himself  of syphilis after a 40-day regimen involving fasting, profuse sweating, and drinking decoctions of lignum vitae. Furthermore, in 1526, Oviedo, one of the earliest chroniclers of American natural history, wrote that “Caribbean Indians cure themselves very easily” of venereal disease with this plant. For some years, lignum vitae was in great demand in Europe but it slowly fell into disrepute, its use as a cure for syphilis being seen as a long-lasting hoax. However, it is possible that the herb might have some effect if combined with an intensive naturopathic regimen.
Medicinal Actions & Uses Used in Europe,
especially in Britain, as a remedy for arthritic and rheumatic conditions, lignum vitae has anti-inflammatory properties that help to reduce joint pain and swelling. It is also diuretic, laxative, and sweat-inducing and speeds the elimination of toxins, which makes it valuable for treating gout. Tincture of lignum vitae is commonly used as a Gymnema sylvestre
(Asclepiadaceae)
Gymnema,
Gurmar (Hindi)
Description Large, evergreen, twining plant,
climbing up through forest trees, sometimes to a
considerable height. Has dull green leaves about  2 in (5 cm) long, and umbels of small yellow flowers.
US_202-223_Digitalis_lutea_Iris_versicolor.indd   218 26/02/16   12:47 pm219Hibiscus sabdariffaother medicinal plantsHabitat & Cultivation Gymnema is native
to forests of central and southern India, Southeast
Asia, and as far south as northern Australia. It
prefers loamy soil.
Parts Used Leaves.
Constituents Gymnema contains saponins
(gymnemic acids) and a polypeptide (gurmarin).
History & Folklore Gymnema has long been
used in Indian domestic medicine as a remedy


, is the predominance of superior feelings. This
sensuality is another specific symptom of the age we live in.
Ninety per cent of all nervous disorders are derived from a
single source—sensuality and its consequences. The material
source of sensuality is excess of energy and over-secretion of
the glands. Instead of being turned into useful channels, this
excess takes the form of sensuality and becomes a blind and
destructive force within us which destroys us if it continues to
predominate. It is necessary that there should be instruction in the laws of sexual hygiene, so that young people at the period
of increased glandular activity may know how to solve their
problems of sex as they arise. At present they are given much
useless knowledge, but left without intellectual or moral
support at a time when they most need it.
One of the most formidable enemies of the will is
disease. Muscular or nervous pain paralyses the will. On the
other hand, when we are in a dynamic and healthy condition,
the will obeys our commands. Good health is the will's
greatest friend. But health itself is rare and is the possession
only of a small group of people—those that have will power.
So often a vicious circle is set up.
There are two false conceptions current with regard to
the will. There are those who hold that the will is entirely free
and that there is consequently no need to educate it. This is
indeterminism. At the other extreme is the view that the will
cannot be educated. This deterministic outlook tends to or
results in pessimism. The truth is that the will is not entirely
free nor entirely incapable of education. It has enemies which
have to be overcome by the use of a certain psychological
technique. The key to the education of the will is the direction
of the feelings by a powerful creative imagination.
Every great value in human culture owes its creation to
the exercise of human will. To-day we see many valueless
politicians enjoying the limelight and gambling with human
life and happiness, while great scientists who render real
services to mankind are neglected or even persecuted. The
latter are governed by will, the former by blind emotion and
inferior instincts. The true values remaining after the passage
of an epoch are not the deeds of soldiers and dictators, but the
patient researches of philosophers and scientists. Man is
governed by the true values of the past and leaves only true
values for the future. And these true values are the product of
the small aristocracy of the will. Will is the master key to the
future. It is not only necessary for the enjoyment of health,
but a great moral duty owed to human culture.
For health, harmony and balance, three things are
needed: will, will and will.

THE 12 RULES OF THE HYGIENE OF THE BODY
AND MIND

(Air, Water, Sun, Exercises, Respir ation, Altruism, Culture  Harmony)
1.   Spend as much time as possible in the fresh air.
2.   Always take a cold or lukewarm  shower in the morning when you wake
and in the evening before you go to bed.
3.   Devote   one  half-day   a  week   to   alternate   sun-baths and
waterbaths (swimming where possible).
4.   Go for 30-50 minutes walk in the fresh air after lunch and supper every
day breathing deeply and rhythmically.
5.   Do some simple physical culture exercise for 10-15 minutes every
morning on rising.
6.   Always sleep in a cool, airy and quiet place.
7.   Follow the middle path of moderation and naturalness in all things,
particularly in food, rest, work, recreation and sleep.
8.   Beware of psychic toxins (inharmonious thoughts and feelings)   even
more than  of chemical poisons.    Be   an   optimist   and   have
confidence   in yourself,  in human  progress  and  in  the  forces of
nature.
9.   Be a sincere altruist, love and help others.   Appreciate people's good
qualities and forgiv e their bad  ones.
10.   Enjoy  the  beauties   of  nature  and  the  masterpieces of literature,
the arts an d philosophy.
11.   Study and observe the natural and cosmic laws and live in complete
harmony with the natural and cosmic forces.
12.   Do everything possible to propagate cosmotherapy, and  spread the
knowledge  of the contents of this booklet in order to lessen the
suffering and chaos around you.

MEMBERSHIP

Membership shall be open to all persons, of any race, creed, or nation
who believe in the Essene ideals of the Fatherhood of God, the Motherhood
of Nature and the Brotherhood of Man, based on creative altruism and
scientific knowledge of the Natural and Cosmic Laws.
The School shall always be free to maintain Essene principles by
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wherever it considers such action desirable.
The membership fee shall be one dollar ($1.00) per month, payable
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The membership fee has been computed from experience, based
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Essene School of Life.
Annual members receive all the above, and in addition, ten more
semi-monthly lesson s (a total of twenty lessons during the twelve months),
as well as the personal assistance of Professor Edmond Bordeaux Szekely
in their individual Life-problems.

LIST OF PUBLICATIONS
BOOKS BY EDMOND BORDEAUX SZEKELY

Health, Life & Wisdom, International Quarterly
subscription for two years $1.00

COSMOTHERAPY,  COSMOVITALISM
Guide to Health, Happiness & Abundance.25
Health, Youth, Longevity .50
Cosmotherapy, the Medicine of the Future 5.00
Scientific Vegetarianism .90
The  Cure  of Constipation  1.75
One Health Day a Week .75
The Therapeutics of Fasting .75
The Diet Chart of Cosmotherapy .50

BIOCHEMISTRY, DIETETICS
Introduction  to  Minerals,  Vitamins,  Herbs.25
Mineral Therapy of Biological Functions 2.75
Vitamin Therapy of Biological Functions  2.00
Natural Herb Therapeutics  2.00
The  Biochemical  Diet  Book  2.75

MODERN MAN'S PHILOSOPHY
Modern Man's Philosophy—Vol. I & II 2.75
Origin of Christianity—Vol.  I & II  2.75
Sexual Harmony and the New Eugenics  2.00
The Dialectical Method of Thinking 1.00
Books, Our Eternal Companions.75
Natural  Economics  &  Sociology  .50
One World—One Language .90
Esperanto, World  Language .50

ESSENE SCIENCE OF LIFE
The Essene Gospel of John $1.00
The Natural and Cosmic Laws  3.75
Essene Communions with the Angels  4.75
Essene  Renaissance    3.50
The Sevenfold Peace 2.50
The Ancient Essenes.50

GREAT TEACHINGS OF HUMANITY
The  Living Jesus.50
The  Teaching  of Buddha  .50
Zoroaster, The Master of Life.50
Quetzalcoatl, the Soul of Mexico  7.50
The Essenes, by Josephus  .50
The Future of Humanity.50
The Meaning of Christmas .50
Yoga in the Twentieth Century.50
Will-Power,  the  Creator  of Happiness .50
Sleep, A Source of Harmony .50
. Beethoven, Prometheus of the Modern World.50
Guide to Scientific Thinking.50
Creative Simplicity .50

NOT FOR SALE—RESERVED FOR MEMBERS
Edmond Bordeaux Szekely's Pers onal  Semi-Monthly Letters
The Art and Method of Study—10 lessons
General and Applied Dietetics—50 lessons
The Biochemical Health Garden—10 lessons
Semi-Monthly Lessons on Vital Subjects
 <|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>L o u i s e  L. H a y
I  C a n  D o  I tP u b l i c a t i o n  D a t e : A u g u s t  1 0 t h  2011
h t t p :/ / w w w


 the pan, stirring the pan a little to roast
evenly—you wi ll begin to smell when they are roasted. Coarsel y grind
them manually with a mortar and pestle.
5. Place th e dates, raisins, and spices into the food processer and a dd the
orange juice
6. Pulse in food p rocessor until everything is coarsely ground.  If the
mixer looks too thick and does n ot move, add a couple of teaspoons of
orange juice.
7. Add salt, nutmeg, and ginger, and pulse again briefly.
8. Pour into a glass container and refrigerate.
Enjoy with meals or by itself.R A P I N I  A N D  B R O C C O L I  S A A G  ( S A R S A U N
K A  S A A G )
A g reat dish anytime and can be made with any greens of your choice.
Rapini S aag is very typical in Northern India and is served with yellow corn
bread. If  you are cooking for one, as I often am, I will freeze pa rt of this to
be used within a week or two. Y ou can sauté it with fresh onions, tomatoes
and ginger to liven it up—it tastes yummy! This dish is best e njoyed with
chapati o r any other flat bread. As bitter greens can be drying, serving them
with a little extra ghee is always nice…and tastes great!
Prep time: 25 minutes
Serves 2-3M a i n  I n g r e d i e n t s
1 bunch fresh rapini, chopped coarsely
½ cup water, more if necessary
1 stalk broccoli
½ small tomato, chopped
½ small onion
1 teaspoon chopped ginger
½ small chili (optional)
H e r b s / S p i c e s
½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chick pea flour or arrowroot flour for binding or thickening.
O i l / G h e e
3-4 teaspoons ghee *
K i t c h e n  G e a r
Colander
Medium pot
Hand blender, food processor or blender
Small frying pan
*  recipe in Chapter 16
D i r e c t i o n s
1. Place rapini in the colander and give it a good wash.
2. T ransfer it to the pot, add ½ cup of water, cover the pot and put it on
the stove on medium heat.
3. Cook fo r 10 minutes, checking every few minutes to make sure it does
not dry out. If it does, add another ½ cup of water.
4. W ash the broccoli, chop it in  small pieces (include the ste m and
leaves) and add to the pot. Keep the pot covered.5. Cook for another 10 minutes. T here should be no water remaining in
the pot. T urn the stove of f.
6. Use a hand blender to blend the mixture in the pot, or put the m ixture
in a blender or food processor to purée.
7. T ransfer puréed  vegetables back to the pot if they were not puréed
there.
8. Mix chick pea flour or the other thickener in a little bit of water and
add it to the pot.
9. T urn the  heat to low, add salt an d cook for another 5 minutes, stirring
occasionally.
10. In a separate pan, heat ghee an d then sauté onions until brow n. Add
tomato and ginger and cook for another 2 minutes.
1 1. Push the mix t o the side and  add fenugreek seeds. Cook for 15
seconds, and then add to the main pot and stir.
12. Garnish with ghee.
Enjoy!R I C E  W I T H  V E G E T A B L E S  A N D  N U T S
Another great Sunday Brunch idea! Add your choice of vegetab les. Y ou can
make rice at the  same time so both the vegetables and rice get  done at the
same tim e. My favorites are c auliflower, carrots, green beans, and peas.
Serve with mint or coconut chutney.
Preparation time 30 minutes
Serves 2-3
M a i n  I n g r e d i e n t s
¼ cup chopped onion
1 small potato, chopped
1 cup chopped beans
1 cup chopped cauliflower
½ cup chopped carrots
½ cup frozen peas
½ cup peanuts or cashews
2 cups cooked riceH e r b s / S p i c e s
1 tablespoon brown mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
5-6 curry leaves
2 green chili peppers, chopped
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
2 lemons
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon salt
Dash of black pepper
O i l / G h e e
3 tablespoons saf flower oil, olive oil or coconut oil
K i t c h e n  G e a r
Medium pan
Small frying pan
D i r e c t i o n s
1. Put oil in pan and heat for 1-2 minutes.
2. Add onion and s auté until light brown. Push onion aside and let the oil
pool in the bottom of the pan. Then add mustard seeds, cumin seeds,
curry leaves, chili peppers and turmeric powder. Stir and then add all
veggies, plus the salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 7-10 minu tes on
slightly less-than-medium heat.
3. Once the vegetables are cooked, turn the heat of f.
4. Dry roast the pe anuts or cashews in small frying pan and add to the
mixture.
5. Add 2 cups of c ooked rice to the mixture, mix it well and cover the
pan for 2 minutes to let the flavor to infuse together.
6. Garnish with cilantro.
Enjoy!S A V O R Y  C H I C K  P E A  P A N C A K E  ( B E S A N  K A
P U R A H )
Chick p ea flour is versatile and this particular recipe is great fo r a Sunday
Brunch! Packed  with nutrition a nd tasty, you may make this plain and eat it
with a vegetable dish or add the vegetables I’ve suggested here right into
the pancake.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Serves 2
M a i n  I n g r e d i e n t s
½ cup besan (chick pea flour)
½ cup water
1 teaspoon semolina or cream of wheat
¼ onion, cut in thin small slices
Handful of spinach, chopped
¼ cup chopped cilantroH e r b s / S p i c e s
¼ teaspoon celery seeds
¼ teaspoon coriander seeds
A little less than ¼ teaspoon salt
O i l / G h e e
4 teaspoons of ghee *  or butter
K i t c h e n  G e a r
Blender
Non-stick pan
*  recipe in Chapter 16
D i r e c t i o n s
1. Mix besan and water in a blender or vita mix to a smooth consistency.
2. Add semolina or cream of wheat and mix with a fork.
3. Add onion, spinach, cilantro and all of the spices.
4. The mix ture should be the con sistency of pancake batter. Y ou may
need to add a bit more water to thin it out if it is too thick.
5. Heat a nonstick pan on medium heat for one minute.
6. Pour mixture into pan and gently spread with a wooden spatula. No
need to grease the pan.
7. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the edges begin to lift of f of the pan.
8. Gently f lip the purah over and cook the other side for anoth er 3-4
minutes
9. T urn of f heat. Slide purah onto your plate, and spread surface with 2
teaspoons of ghee or butter
10. Serve with avocado.
Enjoy!S M A R T  C O O K I E S
I n ever baked u ntil I became a  mom. I got this recipe for chocolate chip
cookies in the mail on a card  from Great American Home Baking. I
followed the recipe, as I have no skills when it comes to baking. These
became my son’ s favorite cookies and we bake them on special occasions
and “just because.” When my son left home to go to college, I started to
sneak healthier ingredients into the recipe and that’ s how these “smart
cookies” were invented. Y up! Cookies! Mom’ s secret weapon!
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Makes 30-40 cookies
M a i n  I n g r e d i e n t s
1 cup all-purpose flour1 cup almond meal
½ cup coconut sugar
¼ cup turbinado sugar
1 lar ge egg
1 cup carob chips
1 cup oats
H e r b s / S p i c e s
1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
O i l / G h e e
2.5 sticks unsalted butter, softened
K i t c h e n  G e a r
Medium mixing bowl
Lar


 Some of the p eople he
tested reported the kind of open, clear, silent awareness associated
with Buddhism. Still others, however, had no idea what to make of
their state of awareness.
In late r reports Martin notes that a small number of his
subjects had experiences that defy normal explanations. A small
number “experience a deep bliss sensation all through their body,
including during moments that would otherwise be ph ysically
painful. For some this seems to bring pain tolerances that appear
infinite. A few of [them] have reported experiences that should
have involved horrific amoun ts of pain, but only resulted in bliss.
Others who experience ongoing bliss find that they can reach its
limits. They report a threshold, unique to each individual, above
which pain is experienced.”
It turns  out, as his researches deepened, that Martin disco vered
more and more uniqueness among these people. Beyond Location
4 a few  progr essed as far a s Location 9, for example. In that
location, Marti n notes, people would “say something like ‘it feels
like it is just the universe looking out these eyes.’ ” But g enerally
speaking, all of his subjects were amazed at the amount of well-being th ey were experiencing, and this grew as they moved further
along the spectrum. Paradox ically, in Location 4, all emotion fell
away, even love, which Martin associates with a larger shift—the
self that was built up through a continuous story (he calls this the
Narrative-Self) falls away, along with socially defined em otions.
After L ocation 4, emotions begin to return in a different form,
based on the foundation of co ntinuous well-being. Yet even before
this re turn, his subjects reported that they didn’t miss the
experience of emotions, beca use in freedom they had found the
highest state of well-being.
T e a c h i n g  P e o p l e  t o  W a k e  U p
Martin had made what he considered “the fundam ental
discovery that these were psychological states that had been
identified and adopted for thousands of years by many cultures
and belief systems.” In the present climate, where consciousness is
an expl oding growth field, the real issue isn’t skepticism. In one
survey, one-third of American adults believe in things widely
considered fringe or New Age, from reincarnation and the
paranormal to medical applications long opposed by mainstream
medicine. (According to vari ous sources, between one-th ird and
38 percent of American adults use alternative medicine. This
includes the 30 million, for ex ample, who visit chiropractors every
year.)
Martin was not unique in saying that higher consciousness
wasn’t “inhere ntly spiritual or religious, or limited to any given
culture or population.” Given his academic and technical bent, he
decided to put his data to wo rk. He sifted out the techniq ues that
his subjects considered the most powerful in getting them to
arrive at higher consciousness, and he organized these into a
fifteen-week Finders course. What’s fascinating is that the
students would  be ordinary people who, for whatever reason, were
attracted to take the course.Three participants gathered at the website Reality Sandwich to
report on their experience: Catherine, a business and leadership
consultant from Paris; Paul, the co-owner and manag er of a
garden center in Wales; and Rebekah, a semiretired photographer
from Texas.
Each had different reasons for taking the course. Paul
described a period of personal difficulties. “I’d become
disconnected, disillusioned, mostly due to physical and material
matters. I had a very spiritu al upbringing, but I seemed to have
lost the  plot altogether.” His general state was “not quite suicidal,
but about as low as I could possibly be.”
Catherine had heard about Martin’s research and was intrigued
by t he possibility of higher st ates of consciousness. It particularly
interested her that these states could be specially described—“It’s
not just nirvana all day long. My objective was to go through the
experience and to reach higher states of well-being and quiet.”
Rebekah had no prior expect ations. “[I] did not know wh at to
expect, just open to whatever.” But she had heard about Martin’s
research projects, and said, “I trusted the science in them.” She
also knew what she wanted out of the course. “My g oal was
spiritual evolu tion. How can I raise my consciousness to a higher
level?”
The m ethods presented to them were highly inten sive,
amounting to two to three hours a day, which they were expected
to k eep up w hen they went back to their everyday liv es. The
instruction consisted of a weekly video about what the participants
would b e doing for the follow ing week. Before the next video, as
Catherine describes it, “[y]ou  do a summary of the week. How do
you feel? What has happened to you? How many times a day did
you do the different activitie s?” There was meditation and also
group discussion. Some exe rcises came straight from standard
therapy, such as writing down and forgiving people from your past
who had wronged you.
At the core of the course, however, was Martin’s eight-year
research into people who con sidered themselves enlightened. He
gave ea ch a questionnaire ab out which practices they found most
useful i n their journey, leadin g to a wealth of data. “We lo oked atall of that, and only a handfu l of things rose to the top. Some of
them were across all tradition s, like, for instance, a mantra-based
meditation practice.” Other techniques were more specific. For
example, says  Martin, he adopted a “direct awarene ss–type
method. This involves placing your attention on awareness itself.
Now that sounds simple, but as I’m sure all of these folks will tell
you, it’s rather tricky.”
From students’ feedback, he quickly learned that some
practices work ed better than others for each person. He also
mixed in techniques: “It’s not all ancient practices. We also
include some of the gold standard exercises from positive
psychology.” In a general way, the course had two aims, to
increase well-being as quickly as possible and to deepen
awareness. The success that  resulted sounds remarkable : “More
than 70 percent of participan ts who completed the course report
having persistent forms of an ‘awakening’ experience, and
100 percent say that they ar e happier than they were w hen the
course began, even those who rated themselves as ‘very unhappy’
at the start of the course.”
Paul, the near-suicidal manager of a garden center, offers
personal testimony to that: “It was the dropping away of sloth;
that wa s the biggest single thing that I noticed. The chatter was
going, the general day-to-day worries and anxieties were dropping
away at a terri fic rate. That was what resonated for me initially.
The lack of fear, of worry, of anxiety. That was the biggest impact
for me initially.”
So do we have a final answer—has metahuman become
accessible through a cocktail of psychotherapy, group sharing,
self-help, meditation, and a program as personalized as a fitness
regimen at the gym? There’s no cut-and-dried answer. Too many
people f ind too many paths to waking up. Martin’s researc h is only
one version of a trend to ma ke the mind a kind of techie project,
and although he claims that 70 percent of participants who
experienced some form of awakening continued to have the
experience, only time will tell. An intensive lifestyle change that
includes hours of practice a day will attract only the dedicated few.
The mystery of awakening in cludes the 14 percent in Martin’s
surveys who awoke spontaneously. One day, without w arning,they found themselves fully se lf-aware or they eased into th at state
over time but without effort.  We’ve already touched on a  similar
phenomenon i n sudden genius syndrome (see this page ), and
there are rare c ases where people discover suddenly that they have
total recall of everything t hat has happened in their life (a
phenomenon known as “su perior autobiographical memory”).
Such people can get together and chat about things like “W hat was
the best Tuesday in your life?” or recall the theme song to a TV
series that aired only a few times in the seventies.
In all these cas es, a person’s awareness doesn’t accept imp osed
limitations as normal. Under hypnosis, ordinary people can
uncover detailed memories they can’t otherwise retrieve, such as
knowing the number of roseb ushes in a garden from child hood or
how many stairs led to the basement in their parents’ home. Is it
normal to remember or forget? Both, of course. Unfiltered raw
data bombards  us in waves too overwhelming to absorb, so we
selectively forg et and remember. The point of waking up is to
remove some barriers created by memory and other barriers
created by forgetting. Happiness is blocked if you keep
remembering and rehashing old hurts, but just as effective ly if you
forget how happy you once w ere—it’s a matter of perspective. You
can