 letting Holy Spirit go before you
and lead you in the decisions of your life. You are making decisions to
unwind from the ego-thought system. The only way you authentically
unwind is to decide with God, to decide with Spirit, as you move
forward. It is beautiful and very, very practical. It can almost become
like the song of your heart: “Today I will make no decisions by myself. Instead, I want to be led. I am ready to be led. ” As you get into the joy of
joining, it becomes obvious that this is truly the way because there is
lightness and happiness with it. We can get to an experience of this gentle presence and guidance
together with others. If two individuals are deeply attuned to each other
and to the Holy Spirit, they can actually hear the same guidance
simultaneously. This is a glorious experience. It’s like becoming one
with another being. This is an experience apart from time, a holy instant
when you see no difference between yourself and the other. In that
moment, there are no bodies or persons. It is a true moment of being one
mind. You can experience great harmony when you have synchronicities
like this. You look into each other ’s eyes and say: “Are you hearing what
I’m hearing. ” “Mmm mmm…” You don’t even have to finish a sentence
because you are both feeling the intuitive yes. Exercise: Opening to Spirit’ s Guidance
To listen to a recorded version of this exercise, go to
http://www. newharbinger. com/41870. Before you begin this exercis e, take a few breaths and relax
your mind. Close your eyes and take as much time as you need to
feel present and focused. As you move through this assignment, I
encourage you to allow any reactions or emotions to come up
freely. Don’t restrict or censor yourself. Think of an area in your life where you feel you need some
direction right now, big or small. Close your eyes and relax into a
space where you feel attentive, clear, and calm. Bring the area to
mind and hold it in awareness as you prepare to offer it to the
Holy Spirit. Allow any images to appear in your mind that
represent the essence of this issue for you. Take your time. Now,
imagine a large round golden platter in front of you, and see
yourself placing your issue on this golden platter and offering it to
Spirit. Think of Spirit as a vast, warm light. Then let it go. Don’t
think about it. Try not to think of anything at all. You have  brought
your issue to the Spirit; now relax. Imagine giving yourself over to the Holy Spirit completely in
this moment. Stay in this place of communion with the Holy Spirit
for as long as it feels helpful. Just be in the moment without
expectation. Now, exercise your willingness and present capacity
to trust. If you find yourself reverting back to worrying about the
situation and taking it back into your mind, that’s okay. Relax and
forgive yoursel f, and just begin again by placing the issue on the
platter and offering it to Spirit. And let it go.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: What is the author's advice on what to do with thoughts and emotions after the exercise?,
A: Let them not hinder the peace that is your birthright.
Q: What is the author's perspective on the importance of trust in the Holy Spirit?,
A: Trust is the key to experiencing the ultimate experience and is a state of being that requires letting go of the ego's influence.
Q: What is the author's view on the role of the ego in decision-making?,
A: The ego wants to control and manipulate, but it is important to recognize that the ego's guidance is based on fear and will lead to unhappiness.
Q: What is the author's advice on how to discern whether one is following the ego or the Holy Spirit?,
A: The author advises to focus on how one feels, as the Holy Spirit's guidance is always accompanied by feelings of peace and joy, while the ego's guidance is accompanied by fear and doubt.
Q: What is the author's perspective on the importance of acceptance and trust in the Holy Spirit?,
A: The author emphasizes the importance of acceptance and trust in the Holy Spirit, as it allows for a state of inner guidance and peace, and ultimately leads to the experience of miracles and a life of purpose and fulfillment.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>If you were
married, if you had children, if you had a mortgage, and if you had a
boss, let’s see how happy you would be then.” Well, it would be really
strange if God would set up a world where some people could have
fortunate circum stances and other people could have unfortunate
circumstances. Wouldn’ t it be much more reasonable to think that
whatever world we are perceiving is there by our own choice? We have
chosen our life the way we know it. We built it. It is like the little child
with the building blocks, making a castle, making a little fort or
something, building, and then looking at what has been built. There is
really no point in lamenting circumstances. They are there by decision. On an unconscious level, they have been chosen. We chose everything inour movie the way we preferred  it. Even if it seems undesirable to us, on
some level, our ego-self wanted it that way. And, of course, this is why
you can learn to choose again. You are not locked into circum stances,
but by choosing peace more and more consistently, you get a whole new
experience of all circumstances  and situations. When the woman who
feels lonely focuses on gettin g in touch with her core desire, the
experience she wants, rather than on the external circumstances, she will
find present connection and fulfillment and therefore cultivate a
consistent and stable experience of peace of mind that is not dependent
on outer circumstances. The Power of Wanting
If everything that we experience  is there because on some level we want
it, it follows that nothing that we experience is apart from our wanting it
that particular way. Thus, instead of dwelling on weakness, it is
important to see how powerful our mind is. Even what we call chitter -
chatter, the crazy static in the mind that you’ve been telling to just go
away, has its powerful effects on the way we perceive the world around
us. Once we start to acknowledge the power of our wanting and the
power of our prayer, then we can start to go deeper inward, asking,
“Hmmm… Wha t is it really that I want? What is my priority?” As we go
deeper inward with that, we start to realize that we really want to use the
power of our wanting and direct it toward peace of mind. Wha t trinkets
of the world could you possibly want if you had the option of choosing
peace of mind? Everlasting peace! I had a friend who once asked me, “If
I open my mind  to God, can I still have my Maserati?” I said “Well, you
just have to get really clear about what matters most to you. What do you
really, really want?” Once you get into the power of your wanting, you
start to use discr imination. And that is where we’re going, to that zone of
discernment, funneling more and more to a place of realizing, “Oh, I
want a state of mind. What I really want is the peace of God.”
To say the words, “I want peace,” actually means nothing. But to
mean them is everything. We need to be in touch with what we wantbecause there are no spiritual clichés or phrases that can magically bring
us real peace. Like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, all that she had to do
was click her heels together, the little ruby red slippers, three times, and
say the words, “There’ s no place like home,” to go home! In one sense,
Glinda the Good Witch is the Holy Spirit speaking, “You always had the
power to go Home,” and that is true. But “wanting peace” is really
beyond a catchphrase, knowing the right mantra, or saying the right
words in just the right way. The experience of peace is not found in some
“abracadabra” where we’ve got to say just the right words to unlock the
spell. Instead, we have to cultiv ate the good habit of turning to our heart
within and really being sincere about this wanting. Ask your heart,
“What is it that I really, really want?” We don’t get to Heaven when we
die, because Heaven is a state of mind, a state of peace that is available
in the present. A Present Peace
Once we do our inner inquiry, we can open up to the choice for real
peace. This is a perspective that veers away from modern forms of
spirituality that often focus on “creating your own reality or
manifesting!” It differs from many of the psychotherapies and
counseling practices that guide you into your past to get in touch with
unconscious memories and events that are believed to be the cause of
your problems. The truth is, nothing in your past or your future is
causing any problem. This may seem radical to you, especially if you
have focused on, and even gotten in touch with, painful memories or
trauma. Unveilin g repressed memories can be a very important stepping-
stone


 receiving DMSO. The solvent is known to exert a palliative,
therapeutic effect on healing of cutaneous ulcers (ulcers on the skin) in systemic
sclerosis (scleroderma). In this study, which was described to the New York
Academy of Sciences, the therapeutic response was variable and, therefore, the
concentration of DMSO, as well as frequency and duration of treatments, were
individualized to obtain maximum healing effect with a minimum of adverse
reactions. There was no evidence of ocular (eye) toxicity or other serious toxicity
manifestations in this group of patients. They had been treated with topical DMSO
for one year or longer. Delayed improvement was observed in the untreated
extremity in the majority of patients studied. In no instance did improvement in the
untreated extremities exceed improvement in the other, treated limb. It is believed
by the investigators that this resulted from a systemic, carryover effect of DMSO
rather than spontaneous improvement in the disease course. “DMSO is a
worthwhile, supplemental, therapeutic agent providing the limitations of therapy
are understood,” said the investigator, Dr. A.L. Scherbel. 5
A prospective, randomized, double-blind trial was carried out in 1985 that
compared topical therapy with 0.85 percent normal saline (salt solution as a
placebo), 2 percent DMSO, and 70 percent DMSO for treatment of digital ulcersin 84 patients with systemic sclerosis. There were no statistically significant
differences among the three treatment groups in the improvement in the total
number of open ulcers, total surface area of open ulcers, average surface area per
open ulcer, number of infected ulcers, number of inflamed ulcers, or patient pain
assessment. While some patients improved during the study, improvement could
not be attributed to a specific treatment. Over one-quarter of the patients treated
with 70 percent DMSO were withdrawn from the study because of their
undergoing significant skin toxicity. 6
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTS CONFIRMING DMSO’S VALUE
FOR INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS
Interstitial cystitis is not an infectious disease, but it shows clinical manifestations
of bladder inflammation and irritation. The condition
may be related to the
collagen diseases, may be an autoimmune disease or an allergic manifestation, or
be secondary to an infectious agent not identified. At any rate, it’s apparent that
medical science does not know its cause and thus has no viable treatment for
interstitial cystitis except the administration of dimethyl sulfoxide. Histologically, the bladder wall in interstitial cystitis shows a unifocal or
multifocal—single-site or multi-site—inflammatory infiltration with ulceration of
the bladder’s mucosa (lining). Scarring develops, which ultimately results in
contraction of the smooth muscle, diminished urinary capacity, and symptoms of
frequent, painful urination and hematuria (blood in the urine). Typically, middle-
aged women are affected. To evaluate the effectiveness of dimethyl sulfoxide in the treatment of patients
with biopsies suggestive of interstitial cystitis, thirty-three patients underwent a
controlled crossover trial in 1988. The results were reported in the
Journal of
Urology. Patients were allocated randomly to receive 50 percent DMSO or salt
solution (saline) as placebo. The medication was administered intravesically every
two weeks for two sessions of four treatments each. Response was assessed
urodynamically (by checking urine) and symptomatically (by observing
symptoms). Thirty women and three men having an average age of 48 years and an
average duration of symptoms of 5.5 years were entered into the study. No
significant side effects to DMSO were noticed by the investigators. When
assessed subjectively by the patients, 53 percent of them felt markedly improved
compared to 18 percent on the placebo who felt improved. Of the dimethylsulfoxide group, 93 percent had objective improvement versus 35 percent of the
placebo group. Thus, DMSO proved to be superior to placebo in the objective and
subjective improvement of patients with interstitial cystitis. 7
REPORTS SHOWING DMSO’S VALUE FOR OTHER URINARY
SYSTEM PROBLEMS
Bladder diseases in general respond well to instillation of DMSO into the urinary
tract. For instance, as indicated in a 1985 published paper, complex irritative
bladder syndrome responded well to the solvent. 8
Intravesical instillation of DMSO was used in the treatment of patients with
intractable urinary frequency due to chronic prostatitis, chronic cystitis,
tuberculous contracted bladder, and interstitial cystitis. A 1985 report from Japan
indicated that before the application of dimethyl sulfoxide, all four patients were
examined carefully to rule
out cases of acute infectious diseases of the urinary
tract, active urinary tuberculosis, neurogenic bladder (nerve pain of the bladder),
and carcinoma in situ of the bladder (cancer within the bladder). Three of the four
patients achieved an excellent response both subjectively and objectively. In the
United States, intravesical instillation of DMSO had already been established as
the specific method in the treatment of interstitial cystitis and no side effects have
been reported so far. Therefore, the Japanese physicians used intravesical
instillation of DMSO with success and recommend its application for various
forms of intractable urinary frequency. 9
Urethral syndrome in women is an annoying condition that is not uncommon,
but a 1987 report from Poland indicates that it does respond well to DMSO
instillation. The chronic urination disorder is relieved by intravesical
administration of the solvent solution. 10
A case of bladder amyloidosis was treated successfully in February 1986,
report Japanese researchers, with DMSO bladder instillations. A diagnosis was
made by a biopsy of the bladder epithelium (cells lining the inside of the bladder). Amyloid fibrils were confirmed in the biopsy specimen with polarization and
electron microscopy. The patient was treated with trans-urethral resection (a
surgery) plus DMSO. From these bladder instillations the residual lesion
disappeared within four months. DMSO bladder instillations were given twelve
times without side effects. Thus DMSO bladder instillation with surgical resection
is designated as an excellent therapy for bladder amyloidosis. 11Epilogue
“Pain is only four letters, but it means different things to different people,” said
Ray Peppi of Stamford, Connecticut. Mr. Peppi suffers from excruciating pain
caused by undergoing three back operations for relieving spinal arthritis. “You can’t understand great pain unless you have it—unless you can’t
remember a day in your life when you didn’t have it. It makes you want to jump
off a roof. It drives you crazy,” Peppi explained. In desperation, because drugs prescribed by his doctors failed to alleviate his
pain, four years ago the man acquired DMSO from a nonmedical source. The
solvent is not authorized in Connecticut for use on back problems. State residents
whose pain is so severe that they are willing to try anything are using the crude
industrial grade. DMSO did what other remedies couldn’t, said Peppi. It got rid of
his pain. The Public Health Committee of the General Assembly for the State of
Connecticut considered legislation that would legalize DMSO for use in
Connecticut but rejected it eventually. Texas has passed such legislation, as have
Florida, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. Because of political pressure exerted by interested state assembly members
and by members of the United States Congress, the Food and Drug Administration
has been prevented from simply ignoring the drug. FDA officials promised the
House Select Committee on Aging that they would take another look at it. Dr. J.
Richard Crout told committee members that clinical trials of DMSO, which have
been around for twenty years, and are still being carried out, haven’t been precise
enough to merit the drug’s general use. Yet, when the medication proves, in fact, to be as effective and safe as the
evidence may show, the American people will certainly be
justified in wondering
why they have had to wait so many years to use it. Some FDA critics argue that if
the Salk vaccine or penicillin were developed today, it would take the same length
of time for them to become available to the people. How many would have died in
the interim? What numbers are suffering needlessly or dying now because DMSO
is unavailable on the legal, open market? This is another of those big questions
underlying the whole DMSO controversy. Government bureaucracy is known for waste and inefficiency in almost all
areas of activity. In agriculture, housing, welfare, and other areas it has not solvedthe problems for which government programs were initially instituted. Often it has
compounded them. With DMSO the problem is even more serious. Pain, health,
life, and death are involved. To leave an inefficient and ineffective bureaucracy in
charge of approving a pain-relieving, life-sustaining drug like DMSO will cost the
victims of injury and illness far more than tax dollars. I believe the medical consumer deserves to have the medicines he or she needs
as soon as they have proved to be safe and effective. I ask that the FDA fulfill its
mandate to protect Americans from foods and drugs


 mistake
of assuming that because the ego/mind operates on an illusory basis, one is
therefore not karmically answerable for decisions, deeds, and actions. Each
person is responsible at their own level of consciousness and not at some
other hypothetical ideal. The error can be understood by realizing that the
truth is the consequence of not only content but also of context. Thus,
karmically, everyone is accountable and culpable within the reality of their
own level of consciousness at a given time.Mixing levels of abstraction is also a defect of reason in the intellectual
domain (e.g. relativism), where ignoring context results in absurdities, for
what is truth at one level of abstraction is false at another. This accounts for
the well-known fallacies of rhetoric that ignore either context or the rules of
logic, or both. Each level of consciousness influences perceived significance,
understanding, and meaning, and thus, accountability is concordant with
comprehension. This is also a principle even in law, for to know or not to
know certain facts is important to the judge and the jury. Thus, culpability is
a variable dependent on circumstances, conditions, and such factors as age,
mental condition, motives, etc. It is true that the ‘who’ you are now is not
the same as the ‘who’ you will be at a later level of evolution. Each ‘who’
has a different level of culpability. Constancy
Effective spiritual endeavor is a consequence of constancy and
persistence rather than fits and starts of enthusiasm. Each state of spiritual
evolution is self-rewarding, gratifying, and complete unto itself. The
moments of prior anguish are found to have been worth the effort. In addition to inner-directed spiritual effort, the ‘karma yoga’ of selfless
service is also supportive of the evolution of consciousness. Inner
satisfaction becomes more important than worldly gain or the desire to
control or influence others. Attraction replaces promotion. Eventually,
resistances are no longer related to worldly life and its perceived values. Instead, the inner intention is one of purity and selflessness. Thus, evolution
becomes the consequence of the process itself rather than as a consequence
of seekingness or acquisition. With spiritual evolution, nurturance is no longer sought from the
narcissistic ego but instead from the Self. Fulfillment of potential is
rewarding in and of itself and is not needful of recognition or gain. Pleasure
at gain is replaced by gratitude for the unfolding of the inner process itself. The need for externals disappears spontaneously. The evolutionary process
requires less and less effort as it becomes a way of being in the world. Transition and transformation are self-actuating as a response of the Self to
entreaty by the self. The pace of spiritual evolution is not under personal
control and may take sudden, surprising leaps. Therefore, it is wise to
prepare beforehand with knowledge of what yet may come.It is important to realize that the destiny of those who choose
Enlightenment is Enlightenment—who else would be on such a quest? To
merely seek spiritual purification and awareness is already a great gift. There is no point to wondering, How am I doing? for the compass has
already been set by dedication and devotion to the highest truth. While the
pace may seem slow or even arduous at times, it is best to be prepared for
sudden, unexpected leaps. It is wise to avoid pessimism, even after a
seemingly long, dry period of frustration, for such periods are due to
overcoming major obstacles and attachments that often presage major
changes. An unseen benefit of spiritual endeavor and evolution is its positive
influence on the collective level of human consciousness itself. Each
evolving spiritual devotee counterbalances the negative effect of great
numbers of people of a considerably lower consciousness level. Consciousness calibration research reveals that the collective consciousness
level of mankind is moving upward. Thus, an optimistic view is warranted. One can be grateful to have been born a human with all its infinite potential
for karmic benefit. One can also be grateful that they have heard of
Enlightenment and have chosen to seek it, for such individuals are
extremely rare indeed. As reported in prior works, statistically, the
likelihood of a person’s choosing Enlightenment as the major purpose of
one’s life is one in ten million persons. Q: To choose to pursue Enlightenment is uncommon in our current
society, with its emphasis on worldliness and the dominance of the
media that in turn focus on the contentious or glamorize the
superficial. What true value can be derived from worldly life? A: The world can be seen as an optimal stimulus for inner growth as it is
merely a projection of the ego in overt dramatic expression. It is best to
learn from it rather than to be seduced by its illusions or entrapped by
them via identification or attachment. The worldly panorama reflects the
entire scale of the levels of consciousness in their most overt display. The panorama is like a school of discernment where the extremes serve
to reveal the essence that underlies appearance. Q: How can one simultaneously participate yet not get attached or
involved? Does that not lead to avoidance?A: It is the motive that determines the effects of participation. Activities are
merely what one ‘does’, but not what one ‘is’. All seeming events
present learning opportunities. One can participate and at the same time
experience phenomena from the level of the witness/observer and watch
what arises from within the psyche. It is important to differentiate
detachment from nonattachment. Detachment can result in avoidance or
withdrawal, whereas nonattachment allows for participation without
taking a stake in the outcome. Q: How then should one best relate to the world? A: To be ‘in’ it but not ‘of’ it. The world is a means and not an end. Nonattached interaction reveals habitual styles and attitudes that are
consequent to inner ego positionalities. It is interesting and educative to
note how others relate to the same circumstances. One can experiment
with different personality styles and, with flexibility, discover untapped
inner resources. This is the classic ‘as if’ experiment. One often avoids situations based on presumptions and their
subsequent resistances. An instructive practice is to pretend either in
imagination or in daily life to enjoy certain activities and people and
then surprisingly discover that the capacity for enjoyment and pleasure
stems from within (i.e., joie de vivre). Experimenting with other
attitudes and personality styles results in surprising inner discoveries. This type of ‘role playing’ is utilized in the group techniques of
psychodrama. Q: How can one really discern what is important from that which is
superficial and evanescent? A: Intention services techniques and learning styles. A simple one is to
mentally view one’s life as though it were on ‘fast forward’ on a
recording/playback machine. One then sees the body rapidly moving
through multiple activities, relationships, overt behaviors, and
progressive age periods. Eventually the ‘fast forward’ moves to the end
of the physicality, which is confrontive and brings out evaluation of the
importance of life goals, projected values, and significance, such as the
fulfillment of potential. When the tape comes to the end of life, the
questions automatically arise: What has been done of value? For what
would one wish to be accountable? One can imagine differentviewpoints and see the different choices and options that would have
been made. Q: The attractions of the world seem endless. Is it really safe to go
there? I often just want to escape. A: The attractions are not innate to the world but reflect projected values
and the expectation of the payoffs of ego satisfactions. In actuality, joy
stems from within and is not dependent on externals. Pleasure is
associated with what is valued and esteemed. Much of projected value
arises from imagination, and values reflect desires. In reality, nothing is
more valuable than anything else other than spiritual fulfillment. Routinely, people discover that the life of a celebrity is onerous and
burdensome once the novelty has worn off. Imagined pleasures are
really of the senses and the emotions. With inner spiritual evolution, all
activities become equal. Q: What about action? A: Actions are the automatic consequence of the integration of context,
field, and intention. All action is actually spontaneous and reflects
karmic propensities and local conditions that may or may not favor
expression. To depersonalize actions, it is only necessary to let go of the
belief that there is a separate, independent causal agent called ‘I’ or
‘me’. This awareness allows for the development of the ‘nonaction of
action’, which is possible by relinquishment of trying to control results. The only thing one can actually ‘do’ is to ‘be’ one’s potential to the
fullest. That ‘one is responsible for the effort but not the result’ is a
twelve–step program basic dictum that curbs the ego. Existence is its own reward. It is more gratifying in the long term to
fulfill potentiality than to try to achieve results. Therefore, one becomes
aligned with excellence of performance for its own sake. Everything in existence is already ‘being’ what it is to the fullest it can
be at any given moment. The ‘non-action’ of action does not move from
imperfection to perfection, or from incomplete to complete, but instead
from complete to complete and from perfection to perfection. All is
perfect by virtue of its identity’s being exactly


32

 Accelerating the detoxification process    33
  1. Cleaning the bowel      33
  2. Fasting       35
  3. Oxygen Therapies      39
  4. Exercise       41
  5. Sauna       41
  6. Removal of Dental Amalgams    42

 Some unusual effects of detoxification    43

 Diet – minimizing the intake of toxins    44
  Why we should avoid eating meat    47
  Vegetarian cuisine      48
  Microwaves       48
  How much to eat. 48  4   When should we eat. 49
  Tradition       49

POLLUTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT     50

DETOXIFICATION AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE   50

HELPING OTHERS        51

THE BOTTOM LINE        52

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS       54

APPENDIX A: HERBAL METHOD OF PURGING PARASITES   55

REFERENCES        56

SUMMARY         58

ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND RELATED LINKS    59

  5 INTRODUCTION

Living should be a wonderful experience. The best and most important  things in life
should be free and effortless. When we are born our bodies are perfect  and they should
stay in a perfect state of health for as long as we want. O ur attention should be free
from any worries whatsoever about disease, so we can fully conce ntrate on our own
development to achieve complete satisfaction and fulfillment. So why we observe so much suffering around us. Why are so many people developing
cancer or other incurable or extremely uncomfortable diseases. Why are there more and more incurable or chronic diseases. Why  does our society
develop more sickness and it costs us more and more each year. Why our medical
sciences cannot succeed in improving our health. This book attempts to answer the above and many other similar questi ons, with
simplicity, logical arguments and by referring to the avail able scientific literature for
those who might need it. This book was written by a scientist (but not in way a medical pra ctitioner), with a true
love for all human beings and all the life on our planet. Please forgive the author’s
criticism, which may seem to be too sharp at first. Among us, ther e are people who are
less loving than others. Some of us are less honest than most. There w ill also be those
among us who will sometimes try to take advantage of others. The intention of this book is not to criticize anyone, but to provide for t hose interested
some critically selected information, and some loving advice so tha t everyone can help
himself/ herself to become healthier, happier and more loving for the benefit of  us all. All advice in this book is given with love, sincerity and the best sc ientific ability of the
Author who cured himself first and actively uses the techniques prese nted here on an
everyday basis. The book was prompted by the increasing number of people becoming interest ed in the
spectacularly simple method of restoring health, engaging the Author  in long and
exhausting discussions. The main message of this book is following: you are totally  (100%) responsible for the
state of your own health (all your diseases) and you also have com plete power to
improve your health to the best possible state (in particular free  yourself from any
disease). There are no incurable diseases, only distorted knowledge, misinformati on and your
limited understanding of what your mind and body are doing and why. This book will not be long and laborious to read. The author is of opinion, that t he
concise presentation is best. Information and arguments selected for  this book are  6 carefully chosen from many books and articles to illustrate the m ain message and
present it in a logical and convinsing way. Those who might need addit ional
information and scientific evidence in certain areas in order to f ollow the author’s
reasoning, are referred to specific literature, which is listed in the Re ferences. If you intend to use the advice from this book to heal yourself, please make sure, that
you fully understand that it is you who accept the full, undivided responsi bility for the
health of your own mind and body. By taking the advice presented in this book you
confirm, that you have assumed such responsibility. It is a sad fact, that we do not value our health until we lose it. While the advice in this book will be helpful at any stage of any  disease, it will be the
most effective, when your body is not yet damaged beyond repair. Prev ention is much
better than cure. 7 WHAT’S WRONG WITH ORTHODOX MEDICINE. Before we start to discuss the limitations of conventional medic ine, let us consider the
following facts, which are very easy to verify, but for some rea son or another escape
the attention of the public:

1. Medical Practice and research concentrates on the study of cur ing diseases,
rather than on the study of maintaining perfect health. 2. Medical Practice is BIG business (doctors, hospitals, medical equi pment, drugs,
pharmaceutical supplies, health insurance, etc). This business  as whole is not
interested at all about people getting healthy. On the contrary the more people
are sick, the better the business. 3. It is in the best interest of medical business to fight, criticize, ridicule, discredit
and preferably make illegal any method potentially capable of im proving the
health of the population. 4. Medical Education and Research are funded to a large extend by c hemical and
pharmaceutical companies, which are in a position to decide what to te ach
doctors and what research direction should be funded. Note, that no research
can be performed if there are no funds to support it. 5. Centralized Medical Authorities (with members educated in the envi ronment
describe above) have complete monopoly and also final jurisdiction over our
health. These authorities advice Governments that there will more sick to treat
next year, and it will cost more. They make recommendations, that he alth
insurance should be mandatory and that the best way to ensure this is  to
introduce a health tax. Guess who benefits most from such a scheme. 6. People who control the chemical industry – the largest business on thi s planet –
are in a very special business position: on one hand they invent, manufac ture
and recommend food  additives, artificial sweeteners, food extracts, food
processing, plastics, cleaning agents, solvents, pollute our environment etc, and
on the other hand, they benefit greatly from our bad health by selling us drugs. This state of affairs offers a unique opportunity for corruption. Such c orruption
could be very difficult to detect, especially if there is a long  delay between the
consumption of food additives or living in polluted environment and related
health effects (20 years for example) and if there are many possible diseases
(due to the varying proportion of additives and pollutants taken by each person). 7. Medical Business educates the population, that the only one way to cure
diseases is to use drugs (and surgery in extreme cases). We are told that drugs  8 are supposed to do the healing, and if one drug does not help, we should tr y
another. We are made to believe that for each disease there should be a different
“cure” in the form of a drug. The single most important document in any
modern medical, practice becomes a prescription. Have you ever a left a
doctor’s surgery without one. 8. We are told that we are not in any way responsible for our diseas es. They “just
come with age” or “they are result of an infection”, or “there ar e aggressive
bacteria, viruses and other micro-organisms trying to kill us” a nd everybody
around is getting sick anyway, so we are not alone in our sufferin g Therefore,
we should accept our sickness together with drug treatment and pay for it too. 9. Doctors are paid in accordance with the number of patience they att ended
without regard to the results they produce (the cure rate). This encourages
doctors to work in a hurry to attend as many patients as possible. 10. Doctors who successfully cure patients using their own observation, ta lent and
reasoning and who do not strictly follow the prevailing medical docto ring, not
only risk to be criticized by orthodox practitioners, but also risk l osing their
“license” to practice, even if ALL their patients are grateful helping the m. The above facts suggest the conclusion, that progress in the medical sc ience is limited
to the areas of study of diseases and to the development of drugs, extracts, hormones,
etc. to “cure” these diseases and/or provide some relief. It was therefore convenient for medicine to adopt the so called “ bacteria theory of
disease”. Briefly speaking, this theory, introduced by Pasteur, sta tes that each disease is
“caused” by the corresponding “bug” – a bacterium. This theory h as gained universal
public and scientific acceptance. According to the theory, killing bac teria by newly
found chemicals, antibiotics, enzymes, etc. should be the ultimate function of medicine. 9 Bacteria and viruses

Most of us, (including most doctors and medical scientists) are kept unaware that the
“bacteria” theory of disease is simply NOT true, and


 is  used  hulled  and  split  in  North  Indian
cooking. A  relative  of  toor  dhal,  when  split  it  is  pink-
ish in  color. Best  for  Pitta  and  Kapha  types,  these
beans  may  be  used  occasionally  by  Vata  types. Matar  Dhal
The  common  split  peas  which  are  yellow  or  green. Mung  Dhal
This  dhal  has  been  used  since  Vedic  times. Also  known
as  masha  and  green  gram,  they  are  available  as  whole
mung  {sabat),  split  form  without  the  skin  (mung),
and  split  form  with  the  skin  (chilke). Mung  is  a
tridoshic  bean. Muth
Dew  bean. These  beans  are  used  fresh,  as  a  vegetable,
or  dried. They  are  greenish-brown  in  color. Muth
may  be  used  in  any  recipe  that  calls  for  lentils. Best  for
Pitta  and  Kapha  types,  these  beans  may  be  used  occa-
sionally by  Vata  types. Navy  Beans
These  large  white  beans  are  exceptionally  good  in
stews  and  soup. Best  for  Pitta  and  Kapha  types. Rajma  Dhal
Kidney  beans. These  are  mostly  used  in  North  Indian
dhals. They  may  be  used  in  all  chili  dishes. Best  for
Pitta  and  Kapha  types. Soybean
Native  to  India,  China,  and  lapan,  the  soybean  is  a
medium-sized  bean,  either  white  or  black  in  color. Both  varieties  are  high  in  nutrients  and  have  a  cooling
energy. The  soybean  has  many  derivatives:  tofu,  soy
milk,  soy  granules. Soy  milk  is  excellent  for  infants
who  are  born  lactose  intolerant. While  both  Kapha  and  Pitta  types  may  use  this
bean,  it  is  tailor-made  for  the  Pitta  type  because  of  its
cooling  energy  and  high  nutritive  value. Vata  types
may  indulge  in  soybean  and  soybean  derivatives  oc- casionally. Toovar  Dhal
Also  known  as  toor  or  arhar  dhal,  this  golden  dhal  is
popular  in  South  Indian  cooking. Best  for  Pitta  and
Kapha  types,  these  beans  may  be  used  occasionally  by
Vata  types. Urad  Dhal
Urad  is  an  ancient  dhal  also  known  as  black  gram. It
is  available  in  whole  form  (sabat),  which  is  black;  in
split  form  without  the  skin  (urad),  which  is  white;  or
in  split  form  with  skin  (chilke). Urad  is  a  tridoshic
bean. Cleaning,  Washing,  and  Soaking  Dhals
All  dhals  need  to  be  sorted  through  to  have  stems,
stones,  and  debris  removed,  then  washed  until  the
water  runs  clear. Follow  instructions  on  page  167  for
cleaning  grains  and  washing  grains. Soaking  times  vary  greatly  for  dhals,  depending  on
what  type  of  dish  is  being  prepared  and  whether  a
pressure  cooker  is  being  used  or  not. While  split  peas
and  dhals  do  not  need  soaking,  it  is  helpful  to  soak
whole  dhals  to  reduce  their  gas-producing  qualities. Small  legumes  are  soaked  for  2  to  5  hours,  medium
ones  for  5  to  8  hours,  and  large  and  hard  legumes,
overnight. If  you  do  soak  them,  decrease  the  cooking
time  listed  below  by  about  20  percent  and  use  ap-
proximately 10  percent  less  water. Like  grains,  dhals  may  be  cooked  in  a  pressure
cooker,  or  in  any  of  the  following  types  of  pots:
enamel-coated  cast  iron,  stainless  steel  (heavy),  or
clay. Whatever  pot  you  use,  it  must  have  a  tight-fitting
lid. Since  beans  tend  to  boil  over  more  easily  than
grains,  use  a  taller  pot  to  cook  them  in  if  possible. Whole  dhals — such  as  whole  mung,  soy,  or
chickpeas — are  best  cooked  in  a  pressure  cooker  or
cast-iron  pot  because  of  their  density. Split  dhals,
such  as  split  peas,  mung,  or  urad,  may  be  cooked
172
^Cr
FOOD    SADHANAS
PRESSURE  COOKING  CHART
(FOR  1  CUP  DHAL)
DHAL CUPS  WATER TIME  (MINUTES)  CUPS  YIELD
Small  whole  beans
(mung,  aduki,  urad,  muth)
Medium  whole  beans
(Navy,  soy,  lima,  black-eyed  peas)
Large,  hard  beans
(rajma,  chickpea,  kala  chana) 2'/2
3V, 25-30
40-^5
65-75
CONVENTIONAL  COOKING  CHART
(FOR  1  CUP  DHAL)
DHAL CUPS  WATER TIME  (MINUTES) CUPS  YIELD
Small  whole  beans
(mung,  aduki,  urad,  muth) 272 35-40 3
Small  split  beans 2 20-25 272
Medium  whole  beans
(navy,  soy,  lima,
black-eyed  peas,  turtle) 3 55-65 3
Medium  split  beans
(chana,  split  peas) 272 25-30 272
Large,  hard  beans
(rajma,  chickpea,  kala  chana) 472 120 3
without  pressure. Adjust  the  water  amount  and  cook-
ing time  to  yield  the  desired  result. Sprouting
The  seed  or  grain  is  considered  holy  by  the  an-
cient peoples  of  all  cultures. Each  grain  carries  the
potency  of  being  the  source  of  thousands  of  seedlings. When  sprouted,  it  loses  the  ability  to  flourish  into
its  full  nature  and  produce  many  more  seeds. For
this  reason,  it  is  considered  inauspicious  to  sprout
grains. In  Vedic  times,  sprouting  was  not  done — this  prac
tice  has  only  gained  popularity  in  recent  times. How-
ever, since  there  is  a  such  need  in  today's  world  lor high  potency  minerals,  a  minimal  amount  o! sprout
ing  is  acceptable. In  attempting  to  honor  the  ancient
value  of  grains,  I  recommend  sprouting  only  legumes,
such  as  mung  or  aduki. (Foi  instructions  on  How  to
sprout,  see  page  195.) SADHANAS   OF    SPICKS
In  ancient  times,  the  enei  gies  between  human  beings,
food,  and  the  eai  th  were  continually  being  re\  italized
on  m\  endless  wheel  ol  ex(  hange. The  aiu  ientS  reCOg
nized  the  sadhanas  oi  sowing,  re


ha v ing f ound t he
mag ic al k er osene and helping her sear c h t his out. She t hen t ook t he tur pentine and her afflic tions c lear ed up, just as she hoped. She
had
been in t he S t at es f or about at least 30 y ear s, and had been look ing and
look ing and
look ing t o f ind t he mag ic al k er osene t hat had helped her so muc h
w hen she’ d been in
R ussi a. I ’ l l t el l y ou anot her tur pentine st or y. T he per son I tr eat ed w as f air l y w el l -
educ at ed, and she
w as ac tual l y a sc hool pr inc ipal suff er ing f r om multiple
afflic tions. A s a g ood doc t or, I r ene w ed al l her dr ug s and c hec k ed her f or side eff ec t s per iodic al l y. O ne
d a y, she c ame in and said, " D oc t or, m y t humb is par al y zed. I ha v e f eeling t her e, but I c an ’t
mo v e it. It is simpl y par al y zed. " I said, " O h, let me see. " S ur e enoug h, she c ouldn ’t mo v e her t humb. I pr essed and pok ed, and it w asn ’t t ender
an y w her e and I c ould not see an y anat omic al pr oblem. I said, " W el l, y ou k no w w hat? I c an ’t guar ant ee y ou t his is g oing t o help at al l, but it
seems t o
me t his mig ht be a c ase f or tur pentine. " She br ok e out l aug hing and said, "Y ou k no w w hat, I t hink I ’ l l tr y it. " She tr ied t he tur pentine,
t ak ing it t w ic e a w eek. O ne mont h l at er, she c ame bac k and she
said, " I ’v e g ot somet hing t o
sho w y ou. " " O h, w hat c an t hat be?" I ask ed. She pul led out her hand and w ig g led her t humb, and said, “ T her e’ s absolut el y not hing
w r ong w it h it; it' s per f ec t l y f ine, and isn ’t t hat g r eat? I t hink it w as t he tur pentine. ”
I also
c hec k ed her blood pr essur e at t he time, and she w as able t o c ut bac k her blood
pr essur e
medic ations. H er br eat hing had also impr o v ed, and af t er about 2 y ear s w it h
some diet ar y
c hang es, she w as ultimat el y able t o st op t ak ing al l her medic ation. N o w, t hat is a v er y
amazing t hing. T her e is no medic ation w it h w hic h tur pentine int er ac t s. I ha v e obser v ed
people t ak ing it
along side al l manner of medic ines, but y ou c ert ainl y
don ’t w ant t o t ak e blood pr essur e
medic ine w hen y our blood pr essur e has
f al len t o nor mal. B ec ause tur pentine is v er y
po w er f ul and c ur es man y
c onditions, y ou w ant t o ha v e y our medic ations monit or ed so
y our doc t or
c an st op t hem as needed. In f ac t, w it h t his l ad y, I sa w her ag ain and her blood pr essur e w as 120
s y st olic. W it h her l ast
itt y bitt y pi l l she w as t ak ing, I said, " I t hink it' s time t o
st op t he blood pr essur e medic ine. S o,
st op y our blood pr essur e medic ine
and I ’ l l see y ou bac k in about a mont h. If y our blood
pr essur e has g one up,
t hen y ou k no w I ’ l l put y ou bac k on t he medic ine. B ut if it st a y s lo w,
t hen
y ou’ l l be ok a y. " I sa w her bac k in a mont h and her blood pr essur e w as 90 s y st olic. I said,
" E x c use me, Miss
J ones, ar e y ou sti l l t ak ing y our blood pr essur e medic ine?" She said, " O h y es, y es, I am sti l l t ak ing it. I f eel so af r aid t o st op it. "S inc e t hen, man y ot her people ha v e had a simi l ar e x per ienc e, so I w ould sa y t o
an y one
w ho elec t s t o embar k on t ak ing tur pentine f or w hat e v er r eason t o be
sur e t o c hec k w it h
y our ph y sic i an, ha v e an y of y our medic al c onditions
monit or ed c losel y, and ha v e y our
medic ations ad just ed ac c or ding l y.She had ast hma, art hr itis, h y pert ension, her pes, and t hen hor mone r epl ac ement, w hic h
w as t he f ashion of t he d a y. She c ame t o see me w it h al l t hese dr ug s.1 3
S t ep 4
S upplement s should be minimal, as C andid a
eat s y our supplement s and, li k e an y
g ood
par asit e, g et s f ed f ir st. I ha v e t old man y a
patient t o c ut bac k and e v en st op
quit e a f e w
supplement s f or t his r eason. I used t o f eel
t hat t he mor e supplement s,
t he bett er ; t hen I
notic ed t hat m y patient s w ho r elied on
supplement s k ept t ak ing
mor e and mor e,
but did not g et bett er. /Cx7 2 B C omple x 5/C7x
/Cx7 V it amin A : 25, 000 I U, one d ai l /Cx0
/Cx7 V it amin C,3 g a d a y /C55
/Cx7 V it amin E mi x ed t oc opher ols, 400 I U d ai l y /C55
/Cx7 S elenium, 200 mc g d ai l y /C94
/Cx7 B ioti/Cx4
/Cx7 P s y i l lium Husk P o w de/C80
/Cx7 B12 sublingual, 5000mc /C5x
/Cx7 T r ac e miner als : shi l ajit, 200mg t o 500mg a d a y as t ar f or 4 d a y s a
w eek/C94
/Cx7 1 ⁄ 4 c up br o w n fl ax seed, soak ed o v er nig ht in 1 c up of w at er. S tir and
dr ink in t he mor ning (ma y substitut e 2 t ablespoons c hi a seeds). S h op No w  o n www. vit alit y c y c l e s. co mHe r e is a list o f supp l e m e n t s th at I d o r eco mm e n d:
2 3
I said, " W el l, Miss J ones, if y ou k eep t ak ing t hat blood pr essur e
medic ine, I do belie v e y ou
ar e g oing t o pass out and hit t he side w al k. "

A nd so, she st opped her blood pr essur e medic ine, and t o t his d a y, her
blood pr essur e is
110 o v er 7 0. A nd of c our se, she sti l l t ak es her
tur pentine, and e v er y no w and t hen, she’ l l
ha v e a litt le question about
tur pentine and


. I took this affirmation into my daily
meditation. Soon enough, a new plan of action appeared. I felt guided to
have a series of sessions with my good friend Raina Nahar, a Reiki master
and healer in London. My physiotherapist encouraged me to take up Pilates. I ordered a reformer, a scary-lo oking but very effective resistance-exercise
machine for classic Pilates training. It arrived a few days later. I also
followed two leads, given to me by friends, and met a local osteopath, FinnThomas, and a new physiotherapist, Alan Watson: both helped me make
significant breakthroughs in healing the sciatica. Even with this new schedule and all the appointments and discomfort, I
was still able to write this book, meeting each deadline on time along the
way. As I write these words, the sensations in my sciatic nerve have
continued to ease. I still have some messages I need to pay attention to. Writing Life Loves You has helped me love myself in a new way. It has also
helped me be more open and receptive to letting life love me. It’s a journey
I’m grateful to be on. Path of T rust
“I didn’t have a healing attitude  when I was first diagnosed with cancer,”
Louise tells me. “What was your attitude?” I ask her. “I was very afraid.”
“What were you afraid of?”
“Cancer was a death sentence 40 years ago,” she says. “So you were afraid of dying?”
“Yes. I was also full of superstition.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I believed cancer was a sign I was a bad person and that I’d got
life all wrong,” she says. “How did you change your attitude?”
“I got a lot of help along the way.”
“None of us are healed alone,” I tell her. “The willingness to heal was the real miracle,” she says. “How so?”
“When I was ready to do whatever it took to heal, I seemed to be led to
exactly the right people.”
“Can you give me an example?”
“In You Can Heal Your Life, I tell the story of how after learning about
foot reflexology, I wanted to find a practitioner. That night, I attended a
local lecture series. Usually I sat at the front, but this time I felt compelled
to sit at the back. I didn’ t want to do this, but something inside me made medo it. Anyway, as soon as I sat down, a man came and sat next to me. He
was a reflexologist, and he did home visits. So I booked him up!”
“That’ s beautiful,” I say. “As if by chanc e,” she continues, “wonderful books would land on my
lap, I’d hear about lectures in my neighborhood, and I’d meet all sorts of
interesting people.”
“You were being led on a path.”
“Yes. It was a path of trust, and everything fell into place for me.”
“What do you believe was leading you on this path?”
“My inner ding,” Louise says, pointing to her chest. “Thank God for the inner ding,” I say, smiling. “I quickly learned to trust my inner ding because of all the little miracles
and coincidences that were happening to me,” she tells me. “It sounds like the big plan was taking care of you.”
“Yes. And after six months, my doctors confirmed I was in remission. I
knew, without any doubt, that the cancer was gone from my mind and my
body.”
In 1999, I wrote  a book about personal growth and evolution called Shift
Happens! In it I explored the power of trust and how trust can carry us
through the worst of times and the best of times. Listening to Louise tell her
story, I was reminded how trust can transform a mind-set of fear into love
and how a path of trust can take us on profound and wonderful healing
journeys. A couple of years after I wrote Shift Happens! I received an e-
mail from a reader named Jenna, who told me about her own healing
journey. Here’ s what she wrote:
Dear Dr. Holden,
I am a 42-year -old woman, living in New York City. A few months back (it feels like years
ago now) I was diagnosed with breast cancer. My world stopped. I found myself in hell all of a
sudden. It’s been a long journey. So many people along the way have helped me. There have
been miracles. Many miracles. One of them was finding your book on an empty seat on a
subway train one day. I remember when I picked up your book a voice in my head said, “This is a gift for you.” I
took one look at the title, and I smiled. The title was perfect. The title summed up how I felt
about my life. “This is exactly what I need right now,” I said to myself. I read and reread your
book over the next few weeks. I kept it in my handbag. It sat on my bedside table. I took it to
my doctor ’s appointments. Y our book was my companion. It has been a friend to me. Yesterday, I received the all-clear from my doctor. I am well again, but in a different way. Now I am well in my soul, not just in my body. This whole experience has helped me to see
everything differently. I mean everything  differently—even the title of your book. You see, Ithought I was reading  a book called Shit Happens! The title was perfect! Every day, ten times
a day at least, I picked up Shit Happens! and read another chapter. I even recommended Shit
Happens! to all my friends. It was only yesterday, while sitting on the subway on my way home from the doctor, when I
got out Shit Happens! again, that I saw for the first time what the real title of your book is. I like this new title! The title is perfect. It sums up how I feel about my life. Thank you,
Jenna
“When you are afraid, it is a sure sign that you are trusting in your own
ego,” I wrote in Shift Happens! (spelled with an f). The ego, whic h is your
sense of a separate self, struggles to understand trust because trust is felt
only in alignment with your soul. In Shift Happens! I wrote,
To the ego, trust feels like walking the plank. It is a death march. This is because trust takes
you past your ego’s perceptions to a field of greater possibilities. Trust invokes the highest in
you. It gives you access to the unlimited potential of your Unconditioned Self. With trust, all
things are possible. Trust is not just positive think ing, it is a way of being. In its highest
expression, it is a quality of awareness that belongs to your Unconditioned
Self. Trust shows you that when  your life is falling apart, it isn’t you that’s
falling apart. The essence of who you are is always okay. What falls apart is
your sense of self, your ego, and its plans, hopes, and expectat ions of how
things should be. “Lives fall apart when they need to be rebuilt,” writes
Iyanla V anzant, in Peace fr om Br oken Pieces. As I was prepar ing to write this chapter, I got news that my dear friend
Sue Boyd had been admitted to Bristol Hospital. She was in a coma,
diagnosed with encephalitis and unlikely to live. Doctors told us that if by
some miracle Sue did regain consciousness, she would suffer severe brain
damage. Sue’s friends immediately set up a prayer circle. After a few days,
we heard that Sue was awake. I made the journey to Bristol Hospital as
soon as I could. I felt a wave of hesitation when I got to her ward. I was
afraid that I might find Sue in terrible condition. I needn’ t have worried,
though. Sue was sitting up in bed. Two nurses were by her side, and she was
making them laugh about somet hing. “Bloody hell, old boy, it’s so good to
see you,” she said, smiling when she noticed me. Sue and I have known
each other for 20 years. She is love on legs. Everyone who knows herwould agree with this description. She’s a soul friend. We’ve shared much
of our spiritual journeys together. While I was with Sue that day, I saw her
take her first faltering steps with the help of her nurses. “These don’t feel
like my legs,” she told them. I listened to Sue’s story of what happened. “What a big surprise!” she
said. “I didn’ t think something like this would ever happen to me.” Later
on, she told me most emphatica lly, “I trust that there is a higher plan, with
benefits, and I am fully signed up for it.” When I mentioned how brave I
thought she was, she said, “It’s not really bravery, it’s trust. All I can do is
trust.” During our conversation, I shared something that the spiritual teacher
Ram Dass once said when we were talking about trust:
Trust is the awareness that
who you think you are cannot handle your life,
but who you really are can and will. I told Sue that I was about to write a chapter on gratitude that would
include something about trust. Before I left, I gave her one of Louise


 a
time. W ith each passing day he became more and more aware of his calling. Yet, time was pressing. If he stayed in the palace for just a few more years,
the king would be old enough to step aside and bequeath Siddhartha the
throne. He couldn’ t let that happen. Not love, not family, not his own
conscience could force him to betray himself. And this is what you call being true to yourself? Gautama’ s mind wasn’ t convinced. The rain continued to pour from the
sky, and the road was so dark that more than once he slipped into the gullyon the side. There was no use ar guing with his mind, which seemed
untamable anyway. Gautama wondered if he was alone among mortals,
wanting to abandon all that was good in order to suf fer the torment and
uncertainty of the wild world. He’d add that to his long list of questions to
ask his teacher once he found him. If he found him. OceanofPDF.com12
Gautama passed several travelers on the road who could have directed him
to one of the forest ashrams where teachers were located. He greeted them
humbly, letting them decide to accept his company for a few miles or not; a
handful of fered him food for his bowl. But he was reluctant to throw
himself into the midst of a band of disciples. Gautama wanted to learn, but
he didn’ t want to give up who he was. His only model for a spiritual teacher
was Canki, who had a hidden motive for everything he said. It wasn’ t long before he ran across a wandering monk, a thin, sunburned
man who seemed old enough to have had a family with grown children. Gautama expected that the sannyasis he met would be very serious or very
eccentric. But this monk, who gave his name as Ganaka, turned out to be
cheerful and sociable. “I’ve been away for twelve years now, lad,” he said as they walked
along the road. “Y ou meet all sorts. But now the local people know me, and
I’m treated pretty well. Y our first holdup’ s a shock, though. The dacoits like
you to know who’ s boss.”
“Do you belong to an ashram?” Gautama asked. Ganaka shrugged. “I’ve visited them. Y ou get too hungry sometimes.”
“What Dharma do you follow?”
The older monk gave him a look. “Is that what you’re after? I didn’ t
know you were one of those.” He had nothing more to say for a while, andGautama wondered with some puzzlement if the word Dharma  had
offended him. How could you be a monk without a teaching? When he
decided to speak again, the older monk said, “Don’ t let them fool you.”
“Who?”
“These teachers who promise enlightenment. Listen to the voice of
experience. I’m not enlightened, and you won’ t be either. They’ll feed you a
pack of high-sounding ideas, you’ll work for them year after year, and then
when they’ve worn you out, you’ll leave with the taste of ashes in your
mouth.”
There was a lot to read in Ganaka’ s bitter tone. In a sympathetic voice
Gautama said, “T ell me your experience. I want to know.”
Ganaka sighed. “In that case, you’d better have some of my bread. I was
going to save it until you were out of sight.” He reached into his shawl and
pulled out a lar ge round roti, or flat bread, folded into quarters. He ripped
off half for Gautama, but not before blessing it. “I see myself in you,” the
older monk began. “I left home after my wife died. I was a vendor of ghee
and spices in a village, never rich enough to own a proper store but not poor
either.”
“And you were devout?”
“Oh, yes. Raised by a strict father who sent us to the temple for lessons
as soon as we could walk. As a child I believed. Even when my dear
Bhadda died in so much pain, moaning pitifully for her suf fering to end, I
believed. I gave away all my earthly possessions, and with the blessing of
the priests I set out on my journey.”
“I think you’re still devout,” said Gautama. “Y ou bless your food. Even
when no one is watching, I imagine.”
“Habit,” the older monk said curtly. “Anyway, the road is a hard life. I
went to visit the forest ashrams, eager as a bridegroom the night after the
wedding. I sat at the guru’ s feet and waited, mouth open like a gaping fish. That’ s why I see myself in you. Y ou want them to drop their wisdom intoyour gaping mouth. Y ou’re prob ably a philosopher. No of fense, but I can
tell by your accent that you never sold rubbish from a stall in the open
bazaar.”
“I can’ t disagree,” said Gautama diplomatically, caught between smiling
at the older monk, who clearly had been dying for someone to talk to, and
worrying about the tale of disillusion that was about to unfold. Ganaka tore of f a chunk of roti with his yellow teeth. “They’re
shameless, these gurus. The garbage they spew as truth! Do they think
we’re fools? They must, as I found out the hard way. I took some of the
younger disciples aside and joked with them a bit. Little stuf f. Does this
guru get paid by the yarn, like a wandering storyteller? Does he think you
can feed cows on moonbeams? Next thing I knew, I got thrown out bodily,
like I came to steal their shoes. Hypocrisy.” His voice trailed of f mournfully
as he ran out of spleen. “Moonbeams and hypocrisy.”
“What did you decide to do?”
“I couldn’ t go home. I’d given almost everything to the priests, and they
don’t give back. But you’ve got some sense, you could see that I’m still
devout. I pray, and I have a circuit of householders who feed me and let me
take refuge from the storm.”
“Pardon me, but aren’ t you simply waiting to die?” asked Gautama. Ganaka shrugged. “It’ s a life.”
Before Gautama could pose another question, they heard a commotion
up ahead. A man was screaming curses, a woman was crying. Gautama’ s
steps quickened, and when he rounded the next curve he saw what the
trouble was. A laden bullock cart going to market had run of f into the ditch. Several bags of grain had spilled out. A woman was crouched on the
ground trying to scoop up the scattered grain with her hands, while over her
stood her furious husband. “Are you an idiot? Y ou’re putting dirt back in the bags. Stop bawling!”
he shouted. He began to beat her about the shoulders with his bullock goad.Gautama came toward them. When he saw a monk, the husband
sullenly lowered his stick. “Is your animal hurt?” Gautama asked, noticing
that the bullock, which was old and blind in one eye, had fallen onto its
front knees. Without answering, the man began to apply the goad heavily to the
bullock, who lowed mournfully as it struggled to regain its footing. Out of
panic it pulled the wrong way and tilted the cart farther over; more bags
spilled out, and the woman began to weep loudly. Beside himself now, the
man couldn’ t decide which one to beat next, the bullock or his wife. “Wait,” begged Gautama. “I can help you.”
“How?” the husband grumbled. “If I have to give you a bag of rice,
you’re cheating me.”
“Don’ t think about that, just try to calm down,” Gautama coaxed. Once he got the husband to back of f from his rage, Gautama helped him
free the bullock from its yoke and unload the cart. Then he and the man
shouldered the cart from the rear and with considerable grunting and
groaning rolled it out of the ditch. While they sweated in the hot sun, the
wife sat in the shade holding the bullock’ s tether and fanning herself with a
palm leaf. “There.” Gautama stood back after the last bag of grain had been put
back into place. Without a word the man got into the driver ’s seat. “Are you coming or
not?” he said sourly to his wife. She put her hands on her hips. “Why? So I can go home with a man
who beats his bullock into a ditch and is so stupid it takes a monk to show
him how to get it out again?”
Gautama could see that the man wanted to hit her again with the goad,
but his shame kept him from doing it in front of a holy man. He bit his lip
while his wife climbed into the cart, flashing a contemptuous smile at theyoung monk. The cart began to trundle of f. Over his shoulder the man said,
“Whatever rice you can pick out of the road is yours. Namaste.”
Gautama turned around to find


 the
story of her husband came up in our second session, and she cried as if theloss had been yesterday. She had hundreds of stories about how awful it
was, how she wasn’t there for him (she had been), and more. We tapped on
several of the biggest of the traumatic events till she experience d neutrality. Soon thereafter, she understood  that she was staying in the job she’d had
since shortly after he died becau se she was working with peop le in similar
situations to what hers and her husbands’ had been. But she was ready to
move on now. She no longer equated moving (which they had done right
before the cancer was diagnosed ) with his suffering, her “inability” to help
him, and all the dif ficult moments surrounding his illness. Let Grief Out and Resolve It
Unresolved grief is like unrequited love. It can lead to getting stuck in dead-
end jobs and shutting down in a marriage. It can give rise to displaced
emotions, such as getting overly angry with others or overly  angry with
ourselves, even though they’ve /we’ve done nothing to deserve our wrath. Unresolved grief can lead to depression, difficulty making changes,
hoarding, problems with intimacy, and illness. It can mask our joy. Over time, unresolved grief compounds. Grief from past emotionally
unresolved losses has a way of surfacing every time a new loss is
experienced. Additionally, the way we normalize or cope with a loss can sometimes
make it difficult  for us to experience life to its fullest. Kara had a sister who
had been  murdered decades back. When Kara went anywhere new, she felt
an immediate need to call at least one family member to let them know she
was safe. EFT helped her realize there was not a murderer lurking behind
every café’ s door. In another case, Serena’ s mother had been murdered by
her father. Decades later, Serena feared telling her husband the truth about
anything she thought might upset him, because she feared he would kill her. After addressing some of the key events with Tell the Story around that
belief, she was able to start telling him the truth. The marriage improved
and so did her life.Grief manifests in many ways, from being stuck, body symptoms, and big
fears, to self-sabotage of all kinds. Underneath the symptoms are specific
events associated with grief. These hold the energy disruption in place. Each event can be tapped with Gold Standard EFT until the whole grief
tabletop collapses. Here are some events different clients associated with
loss:
Seeing Mom’ s face at the funeral
When I heard the news on the phone
Not being able to say goodbye
All the things that couldn’ t happen with this person
The last words between us were angry
What I miss about him
The punched-in-stomach feeling
Proof I took him for granted
What I can’ t ever tell him now
Can’ t talk about him without crying
What that well-meaning neighbor lady said that really hurt
What I’d really like to say to some of the well-meaning people in my life
who are just making it worse
Remember to note where you are feeling the events in your body as you
tap. Keep tapping on your tap-down points while you read. Secondary Gains and Limiting Beliefs of Grief
Ask yourself what “secondary”  gains you are receiving for holding on to
the grief. What does your grief give you the excuse to do or not do? How is
that affecting your whole life? Grief manifests in some very interesting
ways, as you know. List what you are “getting” and tap on your
unwillingness to give it up. Limiting beliefs, core issues, and self-talk surround people dealing with
unresolved grief. Many say things they really don’t mean, such as “my life
is over,” or “I’ll never recover.” You’ll want to undo those vows. Whatvows did you make at the time of your loss? What did you tell yourself? What decisions did you make? What do you believe about yourself as a
result of the loss? These are generally not beneficial vows, decisions, self-
talk, and beliefs. How are these things playing out in your life? Simply
becoming aware of these decisions is the beginning of releasing them. Case Study: Dawn’ s Loss Stopped Her in Her T racks
When Dawn learned her sister had died, she said “my life is over,” and “it’s
my fault.” She acted like it too. Nothing moved for her after the death some
five years back. She no longer traveled, exercised, was stuck in a dead-end
job, and was tired all the time. “How could I not have been there for her?”
she thought often. We started with what she missed about her sister, what
she didn’ t get to do with her sister, and then she was able to start to share
some of the good times she and her sister had. We tapped on her sadness
that those good times were over—until she realized she could touch upon
them any time in her mind and experience the joy. Finally, we went to the
day it happened, tapping on the knock on the door, the police officer’s face,
the way she knew, where her brother was standing, the thoughts that came
to mind, the belief that her life was over, the belief that it was her fault, the
guilt, and more until she had neutrality here. We “undid” the vow she had made, and her belief that life was over
changed— a shift in belief. Dawn understoo d her sister ’s death was not her
fault; she had done everything she could, and she could not have prevented
it (this is the cognit ive shift). She had more energy in her daily life and her
vitality returned. (This is what emotional release can feel like.) She made
travel plans, began to exercise again, created and began circul ating a new
resume. She signed up for a week-long “change-maker” workshop, and her
fear of losing her job because she was wrong had all but dissipa ted. (These
are behavioral shifts.) Life again had possibility. Case Study: Jean’ s Underground Grief and Her Seemingly
Unrelated ProblemsJean couldn’ t say her mother ’s name without crying, even five years after
the death. She was having difficulty parenting and was especially resentful
of her youngest  child. There were problems in her marriage (especially
relating to her husband “being there” for her), low self-esteem causing
trouble for her at work, and an intense phobia of germs. A vibrant full-time
working mother of two young children, Jean had shut down so she could at
least function, but she was a prisoner to her loss. Grief had robbed her of
her ability to see the whole. After tapping, the specific event that came up was the time when Jean
was eight months pregnant with her youngest, exhausted, and visiting her
dying mother. Key aspects included her mother hadn’ t been there
emotionally for her (she was dying), the mom said bad things about Jean’ s
toddler, and her husband hadn’ t been able to come with her on this visit. We
tapped on all aspects we could uncover until Jean was neutral and reported
feeling much lighter. Another session involved tapping on everything she
didn’ t get from her mom at that crucial time when she was pregnant, and
everything she couldn’ t do for her mom because she was pregnant and
working full time. Over the next several sessions, Jean reported that she
was no longer tearing up at her mom’ s name or resentful of her youngest. She understood she’d projected the lack of being there from her mom onto
her husband, and her marriage began to improve. She began sleeping better,
and the germ phobia (which had been related to an aspect of her mom’ s
illness) disappe ared. She experienced more joy in all areas of her life,
especially with her children. Questions Relating to a Loss in Y our Life
Think about what you have told yourself, what decisions you have made,
and what beliefs  you have formed about yourself or the world as a result of
your loss. Do you have unresolved fears about making chang es or about
losing someone or something? What happens when you think of giving up
what you no longer need? Do you want to make the change but feel as
though something’ s holding you back? What might that be, if you had toguess? What happened the last time you made a big change? What is your
earliest memory of loss? Did anyone help you understand the loss? If there
are stories about it that you don’t remember because you were too young,
what are the key points of the story? Has that loss affected you, and if so,
how? Are there areas of your life where it still hurts to think of a part of
your life that is now long over, or to think of something or someone or a
dream that has long since died? Little Losses and Letting Go
You don’t even have to have big, capital-T Trauma to have  unresolved
grief. What I’m talking about are little losses growing up. What happened
when you lost something growing up? Children feel keenly—ha ve you ever
seen a tantrum? Maybe you lost the full attention of your parents when your
younger sibling was born? What happened when your caregivers
experienced loss? How was it handled or not handled in your family


  e x p e r i e n c e. I  k n o w  a  w o m a n  w h o  h a s  b e e n  t h r o u g h  a  t e r r i b l e  d i v o r c e
a n d  y e t  n o w  g l o w s  f r o m  w i t h i n. I  o n c e  o v e r h e a r d  h e r  s a y,
“ Y o u  g e t  b i t t e r  o r  b e t t e r. ”  I  w a n t  t o  b e  l i k e  h e r  i n  t h a t  s e n s e ;
I  w a n t  t h e  n e g a t i v e  t o  f a l l  a w a y,  l i k e  a  b a l l  t h a t  h a s  b e e nt h r o w n  t o  m e  b u t  t h a t  I  d o n ’ t  h a v e  t o  h o l d  o n t o. E v e n  w h e n
w e  a r e  v i c t i m i z e d,  w e  u s u a l l y  m a d e  s o m e  m i s t a k e s  w e  n e e d
t o  t a k e  a  g o o d  l o o k  a t. A n d  f o r  t h a t,  w e  c a n  t h a n k  e v e n
t h o s e  w h o  h u r t  u s. F o r  t h r o u g h  t h e  e x p e r i e n c e s  t h e y
e n g e n d e r e d,  w e  w i l l  l e a r n  t o  a v o i d  s u c h  s i t u a t i o n s. W e  w i l l
g r o w,  a n d  p e r h a p s  t h e y  w i l l  t o o. A n d  l i f e  w i l l  g o  o n,
b e c a u s e  G o d  l o v e s  u s  a l l. I n  G o d,  t h e r e  a r e  n o  g o o d  g u y s  a n d  b a d  g u y s. T h e r e  a r e
l o v i n g  c h o i c e s  w h i c h  w i l l  b e  m e t  w i t h  h a p p i n e s s,  a n d
u n l o v i n g  c h o i c e s  w h i c h  w i l l  b e  m e t  w i t h  p a i n. A n d  t h e
m i r a c l e  w o r k e r  i n t e r p r e t s  a l l  t h a t  i s  n o t  l o v e  a s  a  c a l l  f o r
l o v e. *  R e g a r d e d  i n  t h i s  l i g h t,  t h e  c l o s e d  h e a r t  o f  a n o t h e r
c a n n o t  h u r t  u s  a n y m o r e. F o r  i t  w a s  n o t  t h e  c l o s e d  h e a r t  o f
a n o t h e r  t h a t  c a u s e d  u s  t o  s u f f e r  b u t  r a t h e r  o u r  i n s t i n c t  t o
c l o s e  o u r  h e a r t  i n  r e s p o n s e. P r a y  f o r  t h o s e  w h o  h a v e
w r o n g e d  y o u,  a n d  t h e  p a i n  y o u  h a v e  s u f f e r e d  w i l l  t u r n  t o
p e a c e. I t  m a y  n o t  h a p p e n  i n s t a n t l y,  t h a t  i s  t r u e. I f  s o m e o n e  l i e d
a b o u t  y o u,  o t h e r  p e o p l e  m a y  b e l i e v e  t h e  l i e s. I f  s o m e o n e
s t o l e  f r o m  y o u,  i t  m i g h t  t a k e  t i m e  t o  m a k e  y o u r  f i n a n c e s
r i g h t. B u t  t h a t  i s  t h e  m e a n i n g  o f  t h e  s y m b o l i c  t h r e e  d a y s
b e t w e e n  t h e  c r u c i f i x i o n  a n d  t h e  r e s u r r e c t i o n. I t  t a k e s  t i m e
f o r  t h e  l i g h t  t o  a s c e n d  a g a i n,  b u t  i t  w i l l. A s  l o n g  a s  o u r
h e a r t s  a r e  o p e n  w h i l e  w e ’ r e  i n  t h e  m i d s t  o f  a  c r u c i f i x i o n —
o p e n  t o  l o v e,  t o  f o r g i v e n e s s,  a n d  t o  w h a t  w e  o u r s e l v e s  n e e d
t o  l e a r n  a n d  a t o n e  f o r — t h e n  r e s u r r e c t i o n  i s  i n e v i t a b l e. W h a t e v e r  i t  i s,  t h i s  t o o  s h a l l  p a s s. R a d i c a l  C h a n g e

I ’ v e  h e a r d  i t  s a i d,  “ P e o p l e  d o n ’ t  c h a n g e, ”  b u t  i t  i s  a
p r i n c i p l e  o f  f a i t h  t h a t  t h r o u g h  t h e  r a d i c a l  a l c h e m y  o f  G o d ’ s
l o v e,  w e  c a n  a n d  d o  c h a n g e. T h e r e  i s  s o m e t h i n g  i n  e a c h  o f
u s  t h a t  w a n t s  t o  b e c o m e  b e t t e r,  t h a t  w a n t s  t o  i m p r o v e. T h e
s p i r i t  i s  a l w a y s  s e e k i n g  t o  r i s e  u p. I n  1 9 9 9  o n e  o f  m y  c l o s e  f r i e n d s  a d o p t e d  t w o  y o u n g
b r o t h e r s,  f i v e  a n d  s e v e n  y e a r s  o l d,  f r o m  a  c


 t  t h e  m i r a c l e  w o r k e r  h a s  a
m o r e,  n o t  a  l e s s,  s o p h i s t i c a t e d  v i e w  o f  h o w  t o  d e a l  w i t h  i t. D i d  G a n d h i  n e v e r  f e e l  a n g e r  t o w a r d  B r i t i s h  i m p e r i a l i s t s? D i d  M a r t i n  L u t h e r  K i n g  J r. n e v e r  f e e l  a n g e r  t o w a r d
S o u t h e r n  b i g o t s? O f  c o u r s e  t h e y  d i d. T h e y  w e r e  h u m a n. Y e t
w i t h  t h e  h e l p  o f  G o d  t h e y  w o r k e d  t h r o u g h  t h e i r  a n g e r,
m o v i n g  p a s t  i t  t o  s o m e t h i n g  m u c h  m o r e  p o w e r f u l :  t h e  l o v e
t h a t  l a y  b e y o n d. T h e i r  s p i r i t u a l  p r o c e s s  i n f o r m e d  t h e i r
p o l i t i c a l  a n d  s o c i a l  p r o c e s s,  g i v i n g  t h e m  t h e  u l t i m a t e
a u t h o r i t y  t o  m o v e  h e a r t s  a n d  t h u s  m o v e  m o u n t a i n s. U n t i l  w e  d o  t h a t,  w e  m i g h t  g e t  a l l  k i n d s  o f  p e o p l e  t o
a g r e e  w i t h  u s  i n  o u r  p o s i t i o n  a n d  s u p p o r t  u s  i n  o u r  a n g e r. B u t  i n  t h a t  w a y  w e  w i l l  a c h i e v e  s h o r t - t e r m  g a i n s  a t  b e s t ;  w e
w i l l  n o t  w o r k  m i r a c l e s. L o v e  i s  n o t  j u s t  a  f e e l i n g ;  i t  i s  a
f o r c e. A n d  i t  i s  a  f o r c e  t h a t  i s  u l t i m a t e l y  m o r e  p o w e r f u l  t h a n
v i o l e n c e  o f  a n y  k i n d. T o  f o r g i v e  t h o s e  w h o  h a v e  t r a n s g r e s s e d  a g a i n s t  y o u  i s
n o t  t o  c o n d o n e  e v i l  b u t  r a t h e r  t o  s u r r e n d e r  i t  t o  a  h i g h e r
a u t h o r i t y  f o r  u l t i m a t e  j u s t i c e. I n  t h e  B i b l e  i t  i s  s a i d,
“ V e n g e a n c e  i s  m i n e,  s a y e t h  t h e  L o r d. ” T h a t  m e a n s  i t ’ s  G o d ’ s
b u s i n e s s,  n o t  y o u r s. E v e n  w h i l e  p r o s e c u t i n g  t h e  w o r s t
c r i m e s,  w e  c a n  r e m e m b e r  t h a t  g u i l t  i n  t e r m s  o f  h u m a n l y
m a d e  l a w  i s  n o t  s y n o n y m o u s  w i t h  g u i l t  b e f o r e  G o d. W h e nG o d  p a r t e d  t h e  R e d  S e a  i n  o r d e r  f o r  t h e  I s r a e l i t e s  t o  c r o s s,
t h e  E g y p t i a n  s o l d i e r s  t h e n  r a n  a f t e r  t h e m. A t  t h a t  p o i n t,  G o d
c l o s e d  t h e  w a t e r s,  a n d  t h e  E g y p t i a n s  d r o w n e d. W h e n  t h e
I s r a e l i t e s  b e g a n  t o  r e j o i c e  a t  t h e  d e s t r u c t i o n  o f  t h e i r
e n e m i e s,  h o w e v e r,  G o d  c o m m a n d e d  t h e m  t o  s t o p. T h e y
w e r e  n o t  t o  r e j o i c e  a t  t h e  d e a t h  o f  o t h e r  h u m a n  b e i n g s,  e v e n
w h e n  G o d ’ s  j u s t i c e  h a d  d e e m e d  i t  n e c e s s a r y. S o  i t  i s  t h a t  w e
s h o u l d  n e v e r  t a k e  p l e a s u r e  i n  a n o t h e r ’ s  s u f f e r i n g,  e v e n  i f
t h e y  “ d e s e r v e ”  i t. W e  a r e  t o  h o l d  t o  t h e  l i g h t,  t o  d i v i n e
c o n s c i o u s n e s s,  e v e n  w h e n  w e  h a v e  t o  d e a l  w i t h  t h e
d a r k n e s s  o f  t h e  w o r l d. O n l y  i n  t h a t  w a y  w i l l  t h e  t w o  o n e
d a y  b e  r e c o n c i l e d. I f  y o u  w e r e  c o m p l e t e l y  v i c t i m i z e d  a s  t h e  w o r l d  d e f i n e s
i t,  t h e n  t a k e  h e a r t  f r o m  D r. M a r t i n  L u t h e r  K i n g  J r. ’ s  n o t i o n
t h a t  t h e r e  i s  “ r e d e m p t i v e  p o w e r  i n  u n e a r n e d  s u f f e r i n g. ”  I t ’ s
o u r  s p i r i t u


 s h o u l d  d o  t h i s  o r
t h a t  w h e n  f r o m  a  s p i r i t u a l  p e r s p e c t i v e  w h a t ’ s  m o s t
i m p o r t a n t  i s  n o t  w h a t  w e  d o  s o  m u c h  a s  w h o  w e  b e c o m e. S o m e  t h i n g s  G o d  i n d e e d  w o u l d  h a v e  u s  d o,  b u t  f i r s t  w e
m u s t  b e c o m e  d i f f e r e n t  p e o p l e  i n  o r d e r  t o  k n o w  h o w  t o  o r  t o
b e  a b l e  t o. G o d  c a n ’ t  w o r k  f o r  u s  u n t i l  H e  c a n  w o r k  t h r o u g h
u s. O n c e  I  w a s  t a k i n g  a  v a c a t i o n  a n d  h a d  b e e n  w o r k i n g  w i t h
a  t r a v e l  a g e n t  n a m e d  C o n n i e. A t  t h e  l a s t  m i n u t e,  b e c a u s e  o f
a  w o r k  c o m m i t m e n t,  I  n e e d e d  t o  c h a n g e  m y  d a t e  o f
d e p a r t u r e. W h e n  C o n n i e  l o o k e d  i n t o  i t,  h o w e v e r,  s h e  f o u n d
t h a t  s h e  h a d  s o l d  m e  a  c o m p l e t e l y  n o n r e f u n d a b l e  a n d
u n c h a n g e a b l e  t i c k e t. I  w a s  u p s e t  b e c a u s e  I  w o u l d  n o t  h a v e  b o u g h t  t h e  t i c k e t
h a d  I  k n o w n  t h a t. B u t  I  a l s o  k n e w  t h a t  t h i s  w a s  a  g r e a t
o p p o r t u n i t y  f o r  m e  t o  s t r i k e  t h e  b a l a n c e  b e t w e e n  a s s e r t i n g
a p p r o p r i a t e  d i s p l e a s u r e  r e g a r d i n g  s o m e o n e ’ s  p r o f e s s i o n a l
p e r f o r m a n c e  a n d  s h o w i n g  g r a c e  a n d  c o m p a s s i o n  t o w a r ds o m e o n e  w h o  h a d  s i m p l y  m a d e  a  m i s t a k e. A s  m y  f o u r t e e n -
y e a r - o l d  d a u g h t e r  s a i d  t o  m e  a f t e r  l i s t e n i n g  t o  m y  e n d  o f  t h e
p h o n e  c a l l,  “ Y o u  d i d  g r e a t,  M o m. Y o u  l e t  h e r  k n o w  s h e  h a d
d o n e  i t  w r o n g,  b u t  y o u  d i d n ’ t  s h a m e  h e r. ”
F r o m  a  p u r e l y  m o r t a l  p e r s p e c t i v e,  G o d ’ s  p l a n  m i g h t  h a v e
b e e n  t h a t  I  t a k e  a  v a c a t i o n. B u t  o n  a  d e e p e r  l e v e l,  G o d ’ s
p l a n  h a d  t o  d o  w i t h  w h a t  C o n n i e  a n d  I  b o t h  l e a r n e d  f r o m
t h a t  e x p e r i e n c e :  s h e,  t o  b e  m o r e  c a r e f u l  i n  t h e  w o r k  s h e  w a s
d o i n g  f o r  h e r  c l i e n t s,  a n d  I,  t o  h a n d l e  s u c h  a  s i t u a t i o n
w i t h o u t  b e i n g  e i t h e r  t o o  e a s y  o r  t o o  h a r d  o n  s o m e o n e
a r o u n d  m e. N o  m a t t e r  w h a t  g r e a t n e s s  m i g h t  o t h e r w i s e  u n f o l d  i n
C o n n i e ’ s  l i f e,  i t ’ s  b l o c k e d  i f  s h e ’ s  n o t  p e r f o r m i n g  a t  h e r
b e s t. A n d  n o  m a t t e r  w h a t  g r e a t n e s s  m i g h t  u n f o l d  i n  m y  l i f e,
i t ’ s  b l o c k e d  b y  w h a t e v e r  i s s u e s  I  m i g h t  h a v e  i n  d e a l i n g  w i t h
p e o p l e. A n d  t h a t  i s  G o d ’ s  p l a n — t h a t  t h e  b l o c k s  t o  o u r  i n n e r
l i g h t  b e  r e m o v e d,  t h a t  H i s  l i g h t  m i g h t  t h e n  s h i n e  t h r o u g h. T h e  C o u r s e  i n  M i r a c l e s  w o r k b o o k  e x e r c i s e  “ I  a m  a m o n g
t h e  m i n i s t e r s  o f  G o d ”  s a y s,  “ I t  i s  n o t  o u r  p a r t  t o  j u d g e  o u r
w o r t h,  n o r  c a n  w e  k n o w  w h a t  r o l e  i s  b e s t  f o r  u s ;  w h a t  w e
c a n  d o  w i t h i n  a  l a r g e r  p l a n  w e  c a n n o t  s e e  i n  i t s
e n t i r e t y …. ” I t  c o n t i n u e s,

W h a t e v e r  y o u r  a p p o i n t e d  r o l e  m


significant and capable of transforming
Alcohol or drugs do not in themselves
and become immersed in spiritual statistical figure, produced by, among
both one's life and one's ef fect on the
have the power to create a "high" at all;
pursuit. Some astonish their friends and
other things, the unfortunate fact that
world at lar ge. they calibrate at only 100 (the level of
(81) families by sudden breakthroughs into
people's cumulative life choices not
vegetables), The so-called "high" that the
new subjective contexts of reality. uncommonly result in a net lowering
of 6. NEW HORIZONS IN RESEARCH
drug or alcohol user experiences can
Consciousness at this level can be
their level of consciousness. As will be
OUR CONCERN THUS F AR has been
calibrate from 350 up to 600. The actual
described as vision and may focus on
enumerated in detail later (see Chapter
primarily to elucidate the structure of the
ef fect of drugs is merely to suppress the
uplifting society as a whale. From this
XXIII, p. 234), the influence of a very
anatomy of consciousness, with some
lower ener gy fields, thereby allowing the
level a few make the great leap to the
few individuals of advanced (82)
reference to the mechanisms of force anduser to experience exclusively the higher
region which calibrates at 600. At this
consciousness counterbalances whole
power. But ours is in no sense a purely
ones. It is as though a filter screened out
point an individual's life may become
populations at the lower levels. But,
theoretical subject. The unique nature of
all the lower tones coming from an
legendary. The signature of the 600s is
conversely, the extreme negativity of a
the research method described herein
orchestra, so that all that could be heard
compassion, pervading all motivation
few perverse individuals can sway entire
allows exploration of hitherto were the high notes. The suppr ession of
and activity. cultures and produce a global drag on the
inaccessible areas of potential the low notes does not cr eate the high
general level of consciousness, as history
knowledge. It is as applicable to the most
ones, it mer ely r eveals them. Progression of Consciousnessillustrates too well. Kinesiological testing
prosaic practical questions as to the most
W ithin the levels of consciousness, the
Although the levels we have described
indicates that a mere 2. 6% of the human
advanced theoretical explorations. Let us
higher frequencies are extremely
span great variation, it is not common for
population, identifiable by an abnormal
investigate a few general examples. powerful, and few people routinely
individuals to move from one level to
kinesiological polarity (testing strong to
experience these as pure states because
another during their lifetimes. The ener gy
negative attractors and weak to positive
Social Problems
they are masked by lower ener gy fields
field which is calibrated for an individual
attractors), account for 72% of society's
Drug and alcohol addiction is a crucial
of anxiety, fear, anger, resentment, etc. at birth only increases, on the average, by
problems. social concern which feeds parallel Rarely does the average person get to
about five points. That an individual's
Nonetheless, it is possible for isolated
problems of crime, poverty and welfare. experience, for instance, love without
level of consciousness is already in ef fect
individuals to make sudden positive
Addiction has proved an intractable
fear, or pure joy, much less ecstasy. But
at birth is a sobering idea with profound
jumps, even of hundreds of points. If one
social and clinical problem, thus far not
these higher states are so powerful that
implications. Consciousness itself, in its
can truly escape the egocentric
understood beyond the most basic once experienced, they are never
expression as human civilization, evolves
entrainment of sub-200 attractor fields,
description. By the term "addiction" we
for gotten and are sought ever after. slowly indeed, through innumerable consciously choosing a friendly,
earnest, mean clinical addiction in the (84)
It is to this experience of higher states
generations. kind and for giving approach to life, and
classical sense of continued dependence
that people become addicted. 1 A good
39
40
illustration is presented in the classic
them when they experience them,
balance of nature dictates that to between "haves" and multitudes of
movie, Lost Horizon. Shangri-La (the
because they identify with their lower
artificially acquire that state without
"have-nots. " What working classes envy
movie's metaphor for unconditional love
ego states, with their own lowest
having earned it creates a debt, and the
in the lives of upper classes is,
and beauty) calibrates as a concept at
common denominator. A negative self-
negative imbalance results in negativeappropriately, their pleasures, from the
600. Once experienced, it reprograms the
image blots out the joyous brilliance that
consequences. The cost of such stolen
pleasures of the exercise of power in its
experiencer so that he is never (85) content
is the true essence of their identities,
pleasure is the desperation of addiction,
varied forms to the beautiful trophies of
with ordinary consciousness again. The
which therefore goes unrecognized. That
and finally both the addict and society
self-indulgence. The realization that the
hero of the movie discovers this fact
this joyous, peaceful, fulfilling state is
pay the price. pleasures denied oneself are being
when he is unable to find happiness again
really one's own essence has been a basic
Ours is a society which idealizes the
enjoyed by others begets the outrage of
in the ordinary world after returning fromtenet of every great spiritual teacher (e. g.,
pleasureless-hard work, stoicism, self
revolution or, sublimated, the repression
Shangri-La. He then gives up everything
"the kingdom of God is within you"). 2
sacrifice, restraint, etc. --and condemns
of restrictive laws against the pleasures
in order to seek out and return to that
A "high" is any state of consciousness
pleasure in most of its simpler forms,
of one's peers. state of consciousness, spending years in
above one's customary level of
frequently even declaring these illegal. The moral code thus functions as a
a struggle, which almost costs him his
awareness. Therefore, to a person who
(Politicians, whether secular or rationalized exploitation of the life life,
to find Shangri-La again. lives in (86) Fear, moving up to Courage is
ecclesiastic, understand this phenomenon
ener gy of the masses through a calculatedThis same reprogramming process occurs
a high. T o people who live in hopeless
well. Part of the standard repertoire of
distortion of values. The illusion
in people who have reached high states
Apathy, Anger is a high (for instance,
local politicians to gain headlines today
prof fered is that the more hellish one's
of consciousness by other means, such as
rioters in third-world ghettos). Fear feels
is the public announcement of intent to
life, the more heavenly will be one's
the experience of Samadhi through at least better than Despair, and Pride
prohibit Playboy Magazine in the reward. This distorted coupling of
meditation, or near death experiences. feels far better than Fear. Acceptance is
prisons, for instance, or deny the inmates
pleasure with suf fering has produced a
Such individuals are frequently observed
much more comfortable than Courage;
tobacco or TV. )3 In our society, morally perverse social milieu, in which
to have changed forever. It is not
Love makes any lower state seemunfulfilled promise and enticement are
pain becomes associated with pleasure. uncommon for them to leave all that the
comparatively unattractive, While joy
legiti- (87) mized, but satisfaction is
In this atmosphere the insane alternation
material world represents and become
surpasses all lesser human emotions,
denied. Commercialized sexual allure,
of suf fering and euphoria that typifies
seekers after truth. Many who had
ecstasy is a rarely-felt emotion in a class
for instance, is used to sell products
addiction becomes at least provisionally
transcendental experiences with LSD in
by itself. The most sublime experience of
endlessly, but the enjoyment of actual
tenable, in a deadly antisocial game of
the 1960s did the same thing. Such
all is the state of infinite Peace so
commercial sex is forbidden as immoral. winning and losing the forbidden high. higher states are also attained through the
exquisite that it belies all attempts at
Historically, alt ruling classes have From the same life-view arises
society's experiences of love or religion, classical
description. achieved status and wealth by controlling
current method of "treating the problem"
music or art, or through the practice of
The higher the attainment of each of
society through some form of puritanical
by playing the other half of the game:
spiritual disciplines. these states, the greater is its power to
ethic