achea, digestion is virtually arrested. Nervous influence is essential to the
proper action of the stomach, and, in the region of this organ, the nerves are so interlaced one with another that, even thou gh the
direct road be destroyed, by -paths will still remain for the passage of nerve energy. If the latter force were not needed in digestion,
no reason would exist for the suspension of function by its withdrawal. This is well illustrated when it is observed that the
invariable effect of wo rry, anxiety, fright, anger, and the like, is to arrest for a time all digestive action. Cause is obvious when the
close connection that exists between the brain and the pneumogastric nerve is considered. Also, if nervous force is diverted in
directions ot her than those pursued in the digestion of food, or if it is impeded by impingement of nerve substance at emergence
from the spinal column, similar results ensue as when the pneumogastric nerve is severed. Does the physical condition of the body in r eflex affect the minds. Observation shows that it has such influence upon brain
function that perfect reflection of physical condition is continuously displayed in the working of the intellect. A healthy a nd
balanced mind can emanate only from a healthy bo dy. The reverse is equally true. Page 58 of  72     In health the constructive and destructive changes that take place in the human body progress without noticeable diminution o r
increase in excellence of brain function so long as balance between assimilation and elimi nation is the rule. In conditions of
debility from whatever cause, but especially when the intake of food is in excess of demand, and waste is accumulated in quan tity
too great for disposal by the eliminative organs, absorption of poisons generated in ferm enting refuse retained in the intestinal tract
is continuous, and the subject becomes a victim of autointoxication, is drunk with the products of his own decomposition. Thi s
condition, long continued, is no less baneful in effect than is that of alcoholic saturation, and in some instances it takes the form of
insanity, while in all diminished brain power is in evidence. The digestion of a meal with the subsequent forcing of food waste through the bowels consumes nerve energy in amount greater
than is ordinarily conceived. Some investigators go so far as to say that the process involved requires nervous expenditure in
excess of that demanded in the exercise of the voluntarily controlled muscles. In any event overfeeding never fails to result  in
weakened  vitality. In the normal subject, sufficient food, perfectly digested and assimilated, produces a body with brain power
equal to clear thought, an organism with a maximum of both physical and mental energy. Food in amount more than the individua l
requires entails excessive labor upon the organs of digestion, drain upon nerve power, and consequent of vitality. Barring destructive changes in brain or nerve tissue from injury, the cause of mental disease is one and the same with that o f
physical unbalanc e. Physical signs invariably preceding mental danger signals should be heeded and remedied when first
displayed. One of the simplest of these warnings is the drowsiness that overcomes the overfed. Here the nerves evince fatigue, and
incidentally fatigue, b oth muscular and mental, is one of the safety valves of the human machine. If at this time stimulating effort
is resorted to, results are always detrimental, for, as in exercise, to stifle a feeling of fatigue in order to be able to co ntinue
muscular exert ion is like forcibly closing the safety gauge so that the boiler may be overheated. In other words, taking a stimulant
when tired in order to whip up flagging physical or mental vigor subsequently leaves both body and mind in condition more
exhausted than when the sensation of fatigue first signaled its warning. Likewise food, which in itself is stimulating in effect, taken
when either physical or mental weariness is felt, carries its own quota of detrimental consequences. We cannot escape the conclus ion that mind influences function just as function influences mind. It is also virtually axiomatic
that continued functional derangement finally ends in organic disease, and organic disease gives rise to characteristic menta l states
that vary from the fear ful anxiety of the sufferer from neuralgia of the heart to the hopeful attitude of the dying consumptive. It is an established feet that drugs, however powerful, do not affect the structure of brain tissue; and it is equally well k nown that
in most instances of insanity there is no apparent deterioration in quality or structure of nerve substance. In these  phenomena lies
strong collateral proof that the sources of mental disease are to be sought elsewhere than in the brain. Injuries and ailment s that
involve structural change in brain matter will necessarily interfere with brain function, and in softening o f the brain and in certain
forms of paralysis there are organic alterations that may be noted on dissection. But in hysteria, epilepsy, or any of the ma nias, no
changes in structure of either brain or nerve substance can be discovered, notwithstanding the presence of extreme mental
alienation. To illustrate the effect of abnormal physical condition upon mind function, the following case is cited. The patient, a man t hirty
years of age, presented a history of continuous digestive trouble accompanied by  melancholia. Examination pointed to the
conviction that the morbid mental symptom was the result of functional inactivity of the digestive tract, complicated with de cided
indications of organic disease. A tentative dietary of fruits and vegetable broths a fforded the relief usual when organic labor is thus
lightened. But skill in observing and determining the sequelae of dietetic changes caused delay in prognosis, for it is alway s
needful to distinguish between mitigation of the distress of disease that is temporary in character, and that which evinces progress
towards recovery. Hence, though symptoms in some respects were favorable, no predication was made as to the ultimate outcome. At the end of three weeks of the regimen imposed, the major signals all po inted to organic disability of extreme gravity, and at his
request for definite opinion for or against recovery, the patient was informed that there seemed no possible hope of restorat ion to
health. He then ceased his office visits, and a month later was d iscovered dead by suicide, an act committed, as the condition of the
body showed, within a few days after discontinuing treatment. The previous conduct of the man, his brooding depression, and t he
contents of a number of scribbled letters found among his e ffects, now definitely fixed the case as one of insanity, whatever the
state of his body might prove to be. The latter was in condition such that an autopsy could be performed, and it revealed the
following: the kidneys were normal; the lungs and the heart  were congested, but functionally equal to their tasks; the liver was
hardened, and there was but a rudimentary gall sac, which contained no bilious fluid and gave no indication that the liver ha d been
functioning, no characteristic stain being present, th e color of the sac being a chalky white; the stomach was dilated and filled with
food, and glandular activity in the organ must have been inoperative for some time previous to death; the small intestines sh owed
bleached portions that had undoubtedly been w ithout function for an indefinite period; the transverse section of the colon was
much dilated, contained a large amount of hardened feces and had fallen shaping the whole organ into a letter "M", with the v ertex
of the dropped portion resting upon the pel vis; it, as well as the ascending and descending parts, were adherent at their angles for
several inches; the bladder was apparently normal; the pancreas was a soft degenerated mass; the spleen was hardened; the
mesentery exhibited old lesions, while no tr ace of the omentum was found; but the brain was structurally perfect. Page 59 of  72     The instance cited shows a body exceedingly deformed internally in which, despite its faulty structure, the processes of grow th
and maintenance progressed for thirty years. The cau se of the organic defects discovered is to be attributed to digestive activity
partially inhibited in early life through disease, the effects of which were very probably augmented by the use of drugs. In this case
progressive inability to function produced  morbid mental disturbance. It may be asked why a similar result was not observed in
each of the instances related elsewhere in the text, or for that matter in any diseased human body; and reply is made that ph ysical
unbalance in any degree invariably affe cts mind -function, and this usually in adverse manner. But here again we enter the domain
of the idiosyncrasy of individuality, of the limitations and requirements of a subject segregated from other individuals by h is own
constitutional peculiarities and t endencies, be these mental or physical. For instance, it is well known that there are certain
temperaments that develop delirium in fever, even when the latter is mild in type, while there are others who may experience rise
in body heat of as much as four or five degrees above register without sign of loss in mental equilibrium. But the close observer
notes that the latter in the circumstances will exhibit certain other vagaries of the mind that are not apparent when functio n is
normal in character. Yet we must not neglect to mark and to ponder the other side of the question, for, as has been said, as mind influences functi on,
so function influences mind. As an example, it is admitted that arterial strain, an undue pressure upon the walls of the arte


an avid reader of and subscriber to NEXUS magazine and, at the time, although the doctor demanded to know what self treatment I had taken, neither Margaret nor I would divulge that the application of urine did the track, but the nurse in question (NEXUS reader) stood at the back quietly smiling to herself. Later she said when no one was about, “”You tried that urine therapy, I’ll bet! You old devil; trust you!” The nurse agreed to bring her issue of NEXUS into the inner sanctum of the clinic and leave it in conspicuous places in the hope the one of the doctors might just pick it up, read it and come to some sort of conclusion on their own. We are still waiting for some feedback news from “our nurse on the inside”. Margaret and I still keep on monitoring the entire arm, but it seems remarkable that just one outbreak of cancer on just one area of the surface of the body can actually drain one’s strength and affect one’s general health the way it did with myself. I have, since the treatment, experienced a remarkable improvement in strength, health, and general well-being and, yes, quite a wonderful success story. Duncan, I feel personally indebted to this brave woman, and you have my permission to give her a copy of this personal authentic experience. Kind regard to all at NEXUS, Robert Adams, Whakatane, New Zealand.”  Urine: The Holy Water by Harald W. Tietze  SKIN DISEASE  “R.N. Patel, Nairobi, Africa, had a small eruption on his leg-joint and it slowly turned into skin-disease on the whole body. There was an itching sensation all over the body, and there was oozing of a watery substance at some places. Doctors could not cure the disease, even though he spent hundreds of dollars. He underwent Urine Therapy and was completely cured, even though he did not observe all the rules of treatment. Thereafter, he became a propagator of Urine Therapy and cured his wife's diabetes and his friend's burning sensation at the time of urination by Urine Therapy. His brother's disease, heart-disease and sinus problem were completely cured by this treatment.”  Urine Therapy by Dr. John O'Quinn 170  SKIN DRYNESS  “She has very dry skin to the extent that she gets deep cracks. They are very painful and do not heal easily. External use of urine therapy every two hours relieved the pain almost instantly and the cracks healed within twelve hours.”  Drink Your Own Water by Tony Scazzero  SKIN INFECTION  “Kalyanjibhai Mehta, the first Speaker of Gujarat State Assembly, had a skin infection. He had an itching sensation on the leg, and then there was burning, and blood began to ooze. He tried various medicines for a month, but to no avail, and was much harassed by the disease. He applied urine-soaked pads on the spot for three nights and was completely cured.”  Urine Therapy by Dr. John O'Quinn  SKIN LESIONS  Mr. T. California "Seven years ago, I was diagnosed with a lymphatic disorder. The doctors first thought it was Hodgkin's disease. During a vacation in Brazil I contracted some parasites. One was Shigella and the other was Giardia. I was treated with penicillin and many other antibiotics. But I still lost weight and the diarrhea was persistent. Then the new testing for AIDS came out, and I tested positive. I had constant problems with thrush. I also suffered from Kaposi's sarcoma intermittently over portions of my body. My energy level was very low. To make long story short, I started Urine Therapy. The first treatment with urine was on my skin. The second day I noticed that the KS lesions were starting to fade. Then I stared to drink my own urine. I took about one ounce a day in the beginning. My thrush went away. Every time when I apply urine to any aberration or sore on my skin, it all but disappears. The KS lesion I was talking about is not even one-fourth the original size. Also, my energy level is much higher. I had colitis. I no longer have an inflamed colon. I am steady as a clock and do not suffer anymore from chronic diarrhea. So evidently this is working for me." World-wide Case Histories of Urine Therapy by Gary Ward  171 SKIN MARKINGS  “I have been washing my face with urine and I have taken all the black marks off my face. As I am very fair, I used chemical cream all my life until the last six years or so, when I woke up to the rot. Congratulations on your books for making them small and good.”  Urine: The Holy Water by Harald W. Tietze  SKIN SORE  “Last year a Jain Mulli told me that Shri Satyendra Muniji propagates the urine therapy. In somana Mandi (Punjab), I met him after Divali. He told me that at his instance several people had been free from their respective ailments. He also narrated his own case. He had cured but it turned into a sore. Western and indigenous medicines, even the so-called "germs-cutter" proved futile. He had to suffer from it for nine years. At last urine massage and urine intake drove away the nine-year-old complaint.”  from Manav Mootra by R. M. Patel  SLEEPING PROBLEMS  Mr. D. Georgia "I am a PWA. Three months prior to starting Urine Therapy I experienced heavy night sweats, and I needed 18 hours of sleep daily! Also my skin was very dry and ashy looking. All these symptoms got resolved within 10 days of Urine Therapy. I now play one hour of basketball every day. What a difference!" World-wide Case Histories of Urine Therapy by Gary Ward  SORE THROAT  “Mrs. Mistri from Bombay (Karve Road), informs that she could cure her own sore throat and could get rid of tonsils of her son by the use of urine by taking it orally and by its garglings.”  Manav Mootra by R. M. Patel  SORE THROAT  172 “Shri Dinubhai Joshi (Advocate, Bombay High Court) advised his brother to take to urine therapy for curing his sore throat and tongue. In three weeks he was cured of his trouble.”  Manav Mootra by R. M. Patel  SNAKE BITE  “Ishwarbhai K. Mehta ( Gangasadan, Matave Road, Malad Bombay 64 ) had a good chance to treat a case of snake-bite. A young man of 25 had a snake-bite and was about to die. His blood-mixed urine was given to him constantly, and he was massaged with urine. His life was saved.”  Urine Therapy by Dr. John O'Quinn  SNAKE BITE  “Urine is an anti-poisonous substance and a good tonic. Snake-charmers keep a bowlful of urine handy while catching a snake, so they may be able to drink and apply it without loss of time in case of a snakebite. Jain monks say that one who drinks urine regular for six months becomes immune to snake-poison.”  Urine Therapy by Dr. John O'Quinn  SNAKE BITE  “A friend who lives in New York, told me that he was once bitten by a poisonous snake in the African bush. He knew that the bite of that snake was fatal and could kill him in a few minutes. He was so terror stricken that he could not control himself and started  urinating. In that instant he was inspired to collect the urine in his hands and drink it. A few minutes later he started to feel pain and his leg became numb. He slept a few hours, had fever for two days, but did not die and had no permanent damage to his limb. ‘Drinking urine saved my leg and my life,’ he beamed.”  Uropathy by Martin J. Lara  SNAKE BITE, COPPERHEAD  In the thick jungle… “A snake, most probably a copperhead, pressed its teeth deep into my lower leg. Blood was streaming out - the distance to the next hospital was at least one hour. Certainly, I 173 remembered my mention on the front cover of my book and treated myself with the miracle juice [urine]. I went to the hospital and continued my treatment but had to give some of my urine to the doctor for analysis. The effect of the bite was to our surprise minimal. I left hospital without ‘modern’ treatment, on my own feet and not in a wooden box.”  Urine: The Holy Water by Harald W. Tietze  SNAKE BITE, COBRAS  “Following the first All India Conference in 1993, I met a man who had been bitten twice by cobras. I am sorry I didn’t get the exact details of his treatment. How did you handle your snakebite… in detail? I kind of vaguely recall he had a local doctor inject the region of the bite along with drinking his urine and applying it topically. Urea has a mild de-naturing effect on proteins. That may be one of the mechanisms of the antidote. Our house has always a lot of brown recluse spiders. I don’t worry much about them… maybe its because I know pee.”  Urine: The Holy Water by Harald W. Tietze  SPIDER BITE, FUNNEL WEB SPIDER  From B.J.K. “I would like to share from personal experience, an effective remedy for treatment of poisonous bites and stings. Firstly about two


1½ c. celery
½ c. chopped parsley
• Place the corn silk, tangerine peel, ginger peel, and a bunch of
parsley in a muslin bag and simmer them in the stock along
with the poria and barley for 1 hour.• Diagonally slice the aspara gus and celery into bite-size pieces
and add them to the herb stew, simmering this an additional 15
minutes. • Remove the muslin bag. • Garnish with parsley and serve. Decongest Blood
Promotes circulation, reduces fatty accumulations, count eracts
constriction
Especially benecial for Liver, Heart
1 oz. white peony
½ oz. ligusticum rhz. 3 tsp. turmeric
5 medallions fresh ginger
7 c. vegetable or chicken stock ( this page –this page )
2 leeks (white and pale green portions only)
½ oz. saower
1 c. beets
2 c. eggplant chunks (1 globe or 2
Japanese eggplants)
½ c. rice wine
¼ c. rice vinegar
• Place all the herbs in a muslin bag, and simmer in the stock for
30 minutes.• Chop the leeks, peel and dice the beets, and cut the eggplant
into 1-inch chunks
• Add the beets, leeks, and eggplant, and continue to simmer for
15 minutes. • Add the rice wine and vinegar, simmer 5 more minutes, and
serve. INGREDIENTS TO  ELIMINATE  HEAT, COLD, W IND, AND  PHLEGM
The following are some suggested groupings of ingredients to
address specic conditions. You may devise your own recipes and
prepare these foods in one or more dierent dishes. Dispel Heat
Cools the body, reduces inammation, neutralizes toxins
Benets Heart, Liver, Lung, Small Intestine, Gallbladder, Large
Intestin e, and Bladder
2 burdock roots
1 daikon radish
1 c. tofu
1 c. mung bean sprouts
1 cucumber
Dispel Cold
Warms the body, stimulates circulation
Benets Spleen, Lung, Kidney, Stomach, Large Intestine
1 oz. fresh ginger
¼ oz. cardamom seeds (grated)1 oz. fresh coriander
1 c. mustard greens
½ c. chives
½ c. rice wine or vinegar
Dispel Wind
Soothes the nerves, relaxes the muscles, promotes perspiration
Benets Liver, Lung, Gallbladder
1. oz. Pueraria  root
½ oz. chrysanthemum owers, steeped
½ oz. peppermint or ¼ oz. rosemary leaves
2 whole scallions
1 c. celery
Dispel Phlegm
Helps expectoration and elimination of excess mucus
Benets Lung, Spleen, Stomach, Large Intestine, Gallbladder
½ oz. orange or tangerine peel (1 oz. fresh)
½ oz. apricot or almond seeds
1 fresh pear (diced)
1 c. daikon radish
2 inches fresh gingerRECIPES FOR THE  FIVE PHASES: SEASONS AND  CLIMATES
In winter Qi consol idates at the core, and in summer it disperses
toward the surface. In sprin g Qi mobilizes and begins to expand
outward, and in fall it begins  to coalesce and sink inward. Seasonal
recipes promote these processes, smoothing our transition from one
state to the next. Through the law of correspondence, the foods for
each season benet the Organ Network  associated with it. Spring recipes assist the Liver in moving and discharging Qi and
Blood. Summ er recipes help the Heart  to circulate Blood  and
eliminate Heat. Fall recipes aid the Lung in tightening the surface
(skin) and moistening the Qi, while winter recipes support the
Kidney  in storing, replenishing, and concentrating Essence. Recipes
that benet the Spleen  are good throughout the year, since it is the
job of the Spleen  to generate Qi and Blood  and harmonize the
interaction of all Organ Networks. Regardless of the season, foods that counteract Wind, Heat,
Dampness, Dryness, and Cold protect the body from sudden changes
in the weather. Spring and fall are usually associated with dramatic
variations in temperature, pressure, humidity, and wind, so cooking
with herbs like astragalus, white peony, dioscorea, and fresh ginger
improve the body’s resistan ce to Wind, Dampness, and Cold and
defend it against the acute, infectious illness that often occur at
these times. Even in the tropics, during the winter season, it is still
important to eat foods like dioscorea, lotus seed, and cornus, which
will help the Kidney  to consolidate Qi and Essence  but will notgenerate additional Heat and Dampness. The coolness of northern
regions, even in the summer, may require that warming herbs and
foods continue to be eaten in order to protect the body’s interior
from Cold and Dampness  and to ensure  sucient Qi and Essence  to
survive an even colder winter. Five-Phase Yin-Yang Correspondences
(see larger image)
The following  recipes sustain the Organ Networks  and buer
seasonal stress es. If you are unsure which one to try rst, start with
the recipe to supplement and harmonize Earth —it has a pleasant,
hardy taste and is a choice general tonic.Supplement and Harmonize  Earth
Spleen  congestion occurs when food and uids accumulate, causing
stagnation of Qi and Moisture. Foods that decongest Qi, promote
peristalsis, and eliminate Dampness  are needed. Spleen  depletion results from deciency  and stagnation of Qi,
persistent Dampness, and accumulation of Cold. Foods that tonify
and disperse Qi and eliminate Dampness  and Cold are required. Remedial principle: Tonify Qi and Moisture, disperse Moisture,
activate digestion
1 oz. astragalus root
1 oz. codonopsis root
1 oz. dioscorea rhizome
1 oz. lotus seeds
1 oz. poria curls
12 red dates, soaked and pitted
1 in. fresh ginger, chopped
7–8 c. vegetable or chicken stock ( this page –this page )
¼ c. uncooked white rice
2 carrots
1 yam
½ c. black or shiitake mushrooms (if dry, soaked), slivered
½ c. spinach• Place the astragalus and codonopsis in a muslin bag or tie them
in a bundle with string. Break the dioscorea into half-inch
pieces. • Place the muslin bag, dioscorea, the remaining herbs, and the
rice in the stock and simmer for 1 hour. • While the stock is simmering, dice the carrots and yam and cut
the spinach leaves into 1-inch sections. • Add the carrots, yam, and mushrooms to the herbal stew, and
simmer for 30 minutes. • Remove the muslin bag. Option: After the codonop sis has
cooked it can be removed from the muslin bag and cut into ¼-
inch lengths and added to the stew. • Add the spinach for 5 additional minutes, and serve. The following variations on the basic Earth  recipe substitutes
ingredients that more particularly address specic disharmonies. For Congested  Earth
1 oz. astragalus root
1 oz. lotus seeds
1 oz. poria curls
1 oz. white peony root
12 red dates, soaked and pitted
½ oz. dried tangerine or orange peel, soaked and slivered
7–8 c. vegetable stock
1 in. fresh ginger
1 c. radish
2 beets
½ c. black or shiitake mushrooms (if dry, soaked), slivered
½ c. brown rice
½ c. spinachFor Damp  Earth
2 oz. astragalus root
2 oz. poria curls
1 oz. corn silk (place in bag, along with astragalus)
1 oz. lotus seeds
12 red dates, soaked and pitted
1 in. fresh ginger
7–8 c. vegetable or chicken stock
2 carrots
½ c. turnip
½ c. black or shiitake mushrooms (if dry, soaked), slivered
½ c. chopped parsley or cilantro
½ c. pearl barley
For Dry  Earth
1 oz. polygonatum rhizome
1 oz. lotus seeds
1 oz. poria curls
12 red dates, soaked and pitted
1 in. fresh ginger
7–8 c. vegetable stock
½ c. uncooked white rice
2 carrots
2 zucchini
1 c. tofu
½ c. fresh basil
For Cold  EarthFollow the basic recipe, but
delete  mushrooms and spinach
add another inch of fresh ginger, ½ oz. cardamom, and ½ c. rice
wine
Supplement and Harmonize  Wood
Liver congestion occurs when Heat and Wind  plus stagnation of Qi
and Blood  persist. Foods that clear Heat, moisten Dryness


,	unpleasant	events	and	feelings. Silencing	the	Mind;	Going	Beyond	It
Motives
One	can	observe	that	the	mind	gains	satisfaction	from	its	musings	and
thought	processing. Pleasure	results	from	thinking	and	the	function	of	‘doing
something,’	e.	g.,	“Don’t	bother	me;	I’m	thinking.”	Part	of	the	pleasure	of
doing	something	is	the	illusion	that	one	is	accomplishing	some	goal,	creating
solutions	by	rehearsal	and	planning,	righting	imaginary	wrongs,	or	giving
other	people	a	piece	of	one’s	mind. There	is,	therefore,	the	motive	of
reworking	one’s	life	and	its	history	into	a	more	favorable	and	satisfying
picture	that	reflects	more	favorably. There	is	an	attempt	to	restore	self-esteem
and	increase	one’s	capacity	to	survive. The	basic	intentions	of	ordinary
mental	activity	are	(1)	to	feel	better,	and	(2)	to	survive. The	Formation	Of	Thought
To	accomplish	the	objectives,	it	can	be	observed	that	the	mind	is	primarily
concerned	with	its	own	moment-to-moment	operation	with	the	control	of	the
next	instant;	it	is	endlessly	poised	in	anticipation	of	being	on	top	of	the	nextsplit	second,	and	it	tries	to	monitor	each	succeeding	instant	of	experiencing. This	core	intention	underlies	all	the	forms	that	mental	processing	can	take,
and	it	is	ever	present. It	lies	just	beneath	the	surface	of	the	content	of	thought
itself. Its	motive	is	the	survival	and	perpetuation	of	its	own	functioning. The
mind	seems	to	have	a	fear	that	it	will	disappear	if	it	is	silent	for	even	a
moment. (Most	people	drown	out	silence	with	background	music	and
conversation.) To	quiet	the	mind,	certain	motives	have	to	be	surrendered	and
relinquished	to	God:
1. The	desire	to	think. 2. The	desire	for	the	pleasure	of	thinking. 3. The	comfort	of	the	guarantee	of	the	continuation	of	one’s	existence. It	is	not	recommended	to	try	to	stop	thought	by	an	act	of	the	will	as	that
merely	perpetuates	the	mind	by	forcing	it	to	continue	to	will	its	own	stoppage. A	more	effective	technique	is	to	let	go	of	the	wanting	to	think	and	the
imaginary	rewards	or	benefits	that	one’s	thinkingness	would	presumably
bring	about. There	is	actually	no	personal	entity	behind	the	thoughts. They	are
selfmotivated	out	of	habits. Thoughts	actually	serve	mere	convenience	but	not
survival	because	when	the	mind	becomes	silent,	life	goes	on	joyously	without
them. As	one	approaches	surrendering	the	mind,	one	will	first	notice	that	the
mind	is	creating	stories	and	lengthy	scenarios. Its	desire	to	do	this	can	be
surrendered. Then	the	mind	talks	in	shorter	paragraphs	and	then	in	shorter
sentences,	phrases,	and	word	groupings. Underneath	whatever	form	the
thoughts	take,	irrespective	of	the	thought	content	or	images,	there	is	the	same
motive	for	the	desire	for	self-propagation	and	thinkingness	directed	toward
controlling	and	anticipating	the	experience	of	the	next	instant. Thoughts	take	on	increasing	detail	of	form	as	they	emerge	from	a	more
diffuse
anlage
	that	arises	out	of	the	energy	field	that	supports	and	propagates
thought. As	one	focuses	on	letting	go	of	the	motives	behind	thinkingness,	it	is
possible	to	catch	the	thoughts	as	they	are	in	the	very	process	of	formation. This	thought-form	matrix	can	be	detected	in	the	split	second	just	preceding
the	formation	of	a	specific	thought. This	matrix	is	the	locale	of	the	subtle
pressure	behind	thought	production. Surrendering	this	intention	results	in	the
cessation	of	thought. In	the	silence	that	ensues,	the	stillness	of	the	Presence
prevails	as	All	That	Is. The	divinity	of	its	Essence	radiates	forth	as	the
formlessness	behind	all	form	in	exquisite	perfection	beyond	all	time	and
space.The	letting	go	of	thinkingness	is	facilitated	by	the	awareness	from	the
spiritual	viewpoint	that	all	thoughts	are	vanities	with	no	intrinsic	reality	or
value. Their	attraction	stems	from	the	exaggerated	value	that	accrues	from
their	being	considered	as	‘mine’	and	therefore	special,	worthy	of	respect,
admiration,	or	careful	preservation. To	undo	the	grip	of	the	mind	requires	a
radical	humility	and	an	intense	willingness	to	surrender	its	underlying
motivations. This	willingness	receives	energy	and	power	from	the	willingness
that	arises	from	the	love	of	God	and	the	passion	for	surrendering	love	of
thought	for	love	of	God. One	reluctance	to	letting	go	of	thought	is	the	illusory	identification	of	the
thoughts	not	only	as	‘mine’	but	also	as	being	the	‘me’. The	mind	tends	to	be
proud	of	its	thoughts	as	though	it	were	preserving	a	great	treasure. It	is	helpful
to	realize	that	the	Self	is	comparable	to	the	hardware	or	the	main	frame	of	a
computer,	and	the	thoughts	are	really	just	on	the	software	as	replaceable
programs	of	external	origin. Of	all	the	programs,	opinions	are	often	highly	valued,	although	when
looked	at	critically,	opinions	are	basically	worthless. Every	mind	has	endless
opinions	on	everything,	even	it	if	knows	nothing	at	all	about	the	subject. All
opinions	are	vanities	with	no	intrinsic	value	and	are	actually	the	result	of
ignorance. Opinions	are	dangerous	to	their	owners	because	they	are
emotionally	charged	triggers	for	dissent,	strife,	argument,	and	positionality. One	cannot	hold	to	an	opinion	and	at	the	same	time	transcend	the	opposites. The	undoing	of	opinion	is	facilitated	by	humility;	when	the	mind	penetrates
through	its	own	self-infatuation,	it	discerns	that	it	is	not	actually	capable	of
knowing	anything	in	the	true	sense	of	what	knowing	actually	means. The
mind	has	only	information	and	imaginations	about	anything;	it	cannot
actually	‘know’	because	to	know	is	to	be	that	which	is	known. All	else	is	only
speculation	and	supposition. When	the	mind	is	transcended,	there	is	nothing
to	know	because,	in	reality,	the	Self	is	All	That	Is. There	is	nothing	left	out	to
ask	about. That	which	is	complete	lacks	nothing,	and	that	completion	is	self-
evident	in	its	Allness. The	letting	go	of	all	pretensions	to	knowledge	or	of	knowing	about
anything	is	a	great	relief	and	is	experienced	as	a	tremendous	benefit	instead	of
as	a	loss	as	one	had	feared. One	had	been,	without	knowing	it,	in	bondage	to
the	content,	and	therefore	the	release	from	mind	is	accompanied	by	a
profound	sense	of	peace	and	absolute	security. When	this	occurs,	one	is
finally	profoundly	at	home	at	last,	with	no	doubts	remaining. There	is	nothing
more	to	be	gained,	nothing	that	needs	to	be	accomplished	or	thought. Its
finality	is	absolute,	profound,	motionless,	and	still. The	endless	nuisance	of
desires	and	wants	and	pressure	of	time	have	come	to	a	final	end	and	theirhollowness	stands	revealed. Positionality
As	positionality	ceases,	one	becomes	aware	that	it	was	the	source	of	all
prior	miseries,	fears,	and	unhappiness	and	that	every	positionality	is
inherently	in	error.


 his own shadow. ”
It’s important, ther efore, to r ealize that the shadow is a
human cr eation. It was for ged in the collective unconscious. Hating an enemy (yester day it was Communists; today it’s
terrorists) isn’t the fault of human natur e. You and I
inherited the feeling of enmity. It comes fr om the shadow,
whose contents ar e of human construction. Speciﬁcally, the
shadow sets up the model of “them,” people who ar e alien
from “us. ” “They” want to hurt us and tak e away what we
value. Unlik e us, they ar en’t fully human. W e have a right to
ﬁght them, even destr oy them. This invisible model, which
shapes the minds of many people rather than one, which
survives generation af ter generation to under mine rational
thought, is what the shadow ar chetype is all about. Human beings have consciously cr eated vast civilizations
as settings for our own evolution, yet at the unconscious
level we have been amassing a history that goes far beyondthe e xperience of any single person or epoch. What you call
“me” is actually “us” to a far gr eater degr ee than you know. The evidence can be found in your body. The immune
system is a collective pr oject. Under your br eastbone lies a
gland, the thymus, which pr oduces the antibodies you need
to resist infection fr om invading ger ms and viruses. When
you ar e bor n, your thymus gland is undeveloped. Y ou
depend for the ﬁrst year of life on immunity fr om your
mother’s body. But the thymus begins to gr ow and matur e
until it r eaches maximum size and function at age twelve,
after which it shrinks. During its period of gr owth, the
thymus gives you antibodies for the diseases that wer e
encounter ed by the entir e human race. You do not have to
be infected by every disease; the inheritance of immunity is
collective—and at the same time we k eep adding to the
storehouse as we confr ont new diseases. This e xample shows that you don’t have a separate
physical body. Your body participates in a collective pr oject,
a process that never ends. I could have pick ed other
examples, such as the evolution of the brain, but they all
come down to DNA. Your genes r ecord the history of human
development on the physical level. Even though genetics
hasn’t r evealed all the secr ets of the genome, I think the
next leap won’t be physical—it will tak e place at the level of
the soul. And the ﬁrst task, once we ar rive ther e, is to r enew
the soul itself. The era of the shadow can come to an end
once we choose unity over separation. The fate of the
divided self is in our hands. The Process Continues
Wher e did the shadow come fr om. The impulse for
separation cr eated the contrast—and the war—between
light and dark. When separation goes pathological, it
manifests as the shadow’s anger, fear, envy, and hostility. So the human soul feels simultaneously divine and
diabolical, sacr ed and pr ofane, saint and sinner. In Easter n
wisdom traditions we have a saying that the sinner and the
saint ar e mer ely e xchanging notes. The sinner has a futur e
and the saint has a past in which their r oles ar e reversed. Forbidden lust and unconditional love ar e two sides of the
same coin. Y ou can’t have a coin without a head and a tail,
or an electrical cur rent without a positive and a negative
terminal. Like electricity, life has no juice unless one pole sends a
current to the other. Once you understand this, the ﬁrst
thing you r ealize is that to have a shadow is nor mal. The
shadow is the separation impulse. But the divine impulse is
the impulse that seeks unity. The choice to cr eate a shadow
has pr oved ir resistible. It gave us the self we see as human,
a familiar “I” who can be both good and bad. Ther e is no
real mystery ther e. The truly mysterious self enters when
we ask if the power of self -creation can be used for
something new : unity in place of division. Separation has been a fascinating trip. The ego took
human beings on a wild ride thr ough bliss and tragedy. Our
soul, this place of contradiction, parado x, and ambiguity,
has constantly struggled between the two impulses, divine
and diabolical. W e see little r eason to give up one for the
other. We secr etly love our bad boys and bad girls. Calling
someone “devil may car e” is a grudging compliment. Yet from another perspective we have been wandering in
the fog of illusion. Instead of e xercising our power to cr eate
any self we want, we have passively inherited a split self,
with all the misery and conﬂict it brings with it. Once you
decide that “I, me, and mine” deﬁnes who you ar e, the
perils of separation ar e inescapable. Y ou can’t have God
without the Devil. What is the Devil. It’s the mythical shadow, the fallen
angel, but it was bor n divine. In fact, another way of
interpr eting the wor d “devil” is as “the divine not feelingwell. ” Ther e’s a shocking conclusion hidden in this: you
can’t have a universe if you don’t have darkness contending
with the light. Contrast doesn’t sound e xciting, but once it
exploded into the visible universe, the r esult was incr edibly
dramatic: a living hologram of good and evil. Ther e isn’t an
atom or subatomic particle in the cosmos that hasn’t been
enlisted into the drama of opposites, starting with electrical
charges and ascending to the battle between Satan and
God. The visible universe gave us the scenic backdr op for our
evolution; the invisible domain gave us the soul. The two go
hand in hand. In fact, they ar e one. Any change you mak e at
the level of the soul also cr eates a change in the outer
world, which is the mir ror of the soul. Y ou ar e not stuck with
inheriting the same old drama in which a fallen, sinful soul
struggles to r each the light—and may or may not succeed. That spiritual drama underpins the ego’s wild ride. It tur ns
the whole world into a playgr ound for good and evil, and all
that goes with it: sin and r edemption, temptation and
righteous ness. The notion of cr eating a new soul—and a
new story line to go with it—is both strange and e xciting. The impulse for separation gave us the r eality we know. What impulse will give us a new r eality. Call it the
holographic impulse. The holographic impulse bypasses
details and aims for wholeness. It cr eates thr ee-dimensional
settings in which inner and outer fuse into one. Most people
have seen a hologram cr eated by using laser light. By taking
no mor e than the fragment of a photo or an object, the laser
can r e-create the entir e object or photo, as if by magic. Instead of a fragment, wholeness pops into view. In the
same way, even though you ar e preoccupied by the
fragments of everyday life—er rands, cooking, work, leisur e,
likes and dislik es, a hundr ed small choices between A and B
—your mind has actually pr ojected a hologram for you to
inhabit. Y ou live inside a wholeness. The holographic
impulse cannot be switched oﬀ or destr oyed. Even thoughyou may look ar ound and dislik e much of what you see in
your personal world, feeling trapped by other people and
diﬃcult situations, you r etain the power to cr eate a totally
new hologram. A new hologram implies a new self. Neither
can be achieved one piece at a time. It’s easier to cr eate
wholeness, in fact, than to change your r eality one fragment
at a time. To have holistic change, you must operate fr om the level
of holistic cr eation. Ther e’s a fascinating e xercise that gives
a hint at how this might work. Close your eyes and imagine
a vivid visual e xperience, such as a tr opical sunset or a high
alpine peak. The image itself can be anything, so long as
you can envision it with color and depth. Now imagine a
taste you love, such as rich chocolate or coﬀee. Go into that
sensation deeply until you actually taste it. Move on to a
sound you love, such as your favorite music, then a
delightful te xture, like velvet, and ﬁnally an into xicating
smell, such as a damask r ose or lily.


 t he fleeting nature of all
experiences and that the world cannot give you anyt hing of lasting value. You then
continue to meet people, to be involved in experien ces and activities, but without
the wants and fears of the egoic self. That is to s ay, you no longer demand that a
situation, person, place, or event should satisfy y ou or make you happy. Its passing
and imperfect nature is allowed to be. And the miracle is that when you are no longer plac ing an impossible demand on it,
every situation, person, place, or event becomes no t only satisfying but also more
harmonious, more peaceful. ***

When you completely accept this moment, when you no  longer argue with what is,
the compulsion to think lessens and is replaced by an alert stillness. You are fully
conscious, yet the mind is not labeling this moment  in any way. This state of inner
nonresistance opens you to the unconditioned consci ousness that is infinitely
greater than the human mind. This vast intelligence  can then express itself through
you and assist you, both from within and from witho ut. That is why, by letting go
of inner resistance, you often find circumstances c hange for the better. ***

Am I saying, “Enjoy this moment. Be happy?” No. Allow the “suchness” of this moment. That's enough. ***

Surrender is surrender to this moment, not to a sto ry through which you interpret
this moment and then try to resign yourself to it. For instance, you may have a disability and can't w alk anymore. The condition is as
it is. Perhaps your mind is now creating a story that says, “This is what my life has come
to. I have ended up in a wheelchair. Life has treat ed me harshly and unfairly. I don't
deserve this.”

Can you accept the isness of this moment and not co nfuse it with a story the mind
has created around it? ***

Surrender comes when you no longer ask, “Why is thi s happening to me?”

***
Even within the seemingly most unacceptable and pai nful situation is concealed a
deeper good, and within every disaster is contained  the seed of grace. Throughout history, there have been women and men w ho, in the face of great loss,
illness, imprisonment, or impending death, accepted  the seemingly unacceptable
and thus found “the peace that passeth all understa nding.”

Acceptance of the unacceptable is the greatest sour ce of grace in this world. ***

There are situations where all answers and explanat ions fail. Life does not make
sense anymore. Or someone in distress comes to you for help, and you don't know
what to do or say. When you fully accept that you don't know, you give  up struggling to find answers
with the limited thinking mind, and that is when a greater intelligence can operate
through you. And even thought can then benefit from  that, since the greater
intelligence can flow into it and inspire it. Sometimes surrender means giving up trying to under stand and becoming
comfortable with not knowing. ***

Do you know of someone whose main function in life seems to be to make
themselves and others miserable, to spread unhappin ess? Forgive them, for they too
are part of the awakening of humanity. The role the y play represents an
intensification of the nightmare of egoic conscious ness, the state of non-surrender. There is nothing personal in all this. It is not wh o they are. ***

Surrender, one could say, is the inner transition f rom resistance to acceptance, from
“no” to “yes.” When you surrender, your sense of se lf shifts from being identified
with a reaction or mental judgment to being the spa ce around the reaction or
judgment. It is a shift from identification with fo rm–the thought or the emotion–to
being and recognizing yourself as that which has no  form–spacious awareness. ***
Whatever you accept completely will take you to pea ce, including the acceptance
that you cannot accept, that you are in resistance. ***

Leave Life alone. Let it be. Chapter 7
Nature

We depend on nature not only for our physical survi val. We also need nature to
show us the way home, the way out of the prison of our own minds. We got lost in
doing, thinking, remembering, anticipating–lost in a maze of complexity and a
world of problems. We have forgotten what rocks, plants, and animals s till know. We have forgotten
how to be–to be still, to be ourselves, to be where  life is: Here and Now. ***

Whenever you bring your attention to anything natur al, anything that has come into
existence without human intervention, you step out of the prison of conceptualized
thinking and, to some extent, participate in the st ate of connectedness with Being in
which everything natural still exists. To bring your attention to a stone, a tree, or an a nimal does not mean to think about
it, but simply to perceive it, to hold it in your a wareness. Something of its essence then transmits itself to y ou. You can sense how still it is,
and in doing so the same stillness arises within yo u. You sense how deeply it rests
in Being–completely at one with what it is and wher e it is. In realizing this, you too
come to a place of rest deep within yourself. ***

When walking or resting in nature, honor that realm  by being there fully. Be still. Look. Listen. See how every animal and every plant is completely itself. Unlike humans, they have not split themselves in two. They  do not live through mental
images of themselves, so they do not need to be con cerned with trying to protect
and enhance those images. The deer is itself. The d affodil is itself. All things in nature are not only one with themselv es but also one with the totality. They haven't removed themselves from the fabric of the whole by claiming a
separate existence: “me” and the rest of the univer se. The contemplation of nature can free you of that “m e,” the great troublemaker. ***

Bring awareness to the many subtle sounds of nature –the rustling of leaves in the
wind, raindrops falling, the humming of an insect, the first birdsong at dawn. Give
yourself completely to the act of listening. Beyond  the sounds there is something
greater: a sacredness that cannot be understood thr ough thought. ***

You didn't create your body, nor are you able to co ntrol the body's functions. An
intelligence greater than the human mind is at work. It is the same intelligence that
sustains all of nature. You cannot get any closer t o that intelligence than by being
aware of your own inner energy field–by feeling the  aliveness, the animating
presence within the body. ***

The playfulness and joy of a dog, its unconditional  love and readiness to celebrate
life at any moment often contrast sharply with the inner state of the dog's owner–
depressed, anxious, burdened by problems, lost in t hought, not present in the only
place and only time there is: Here and Now. One won ders: living with this person,
how does the dog manage to remain so sane, so joyou s? ***

When you perceive nature only through the mind, thr ough thinking, you cannot
sense its aliveness, its beingness. You see the for m only and are unaware of the life
within the form–the sacred mystery. Thought reduces  nature to a commodity to be
used in the pursuit of profit or knowledge or some other utilitarian purpose. The
ancient forest becomes timber, the bird a research project, the mountain something
to be mined or conquered. When you perceive nature, let there be spaces of no  thought, no mind. When you
approach nature in this way, it will respond to you  and participate in the evolution
of human and planetary consciousness. ***

Notice how present a flower is, how surrendered to life. ***

The plant that you have in your home–have you ever truly looked at it? Have you
allowed that familiar yet mysterious being we call plant to teach you its secrets? Have you noticed how deeply peaceful it is? How it is surrounded by a field of
stillness? The moment you become aware of a plant's  emanation of stillness and
peace, that plant becomes your teacher. ***

Watch an animal, a flower, a tree, and see how it r ests in Being. It is itself. It has
enormous dignity, innocence, and holiness. However,  for you to see that, you need
to go beyond the mental habit of naming and labelin g. The moment you look
beyond mental labels, you feel that ineffable dimen sion of nature that cannot be
understood by thought or perceived through the sens es. It is a harmony, a
sacredness that permeates not only the whole of nat ure but is also within you. ***

The air that you breathe is nature, as is the breat hing process itself. Bring your attention to your breathing and realize that you are not doing it. It is the
breath of nature. If you had to remember to breathe, you would soon die, and if you
tried to stop breathing, nature would prevail. You reconnect with nature in the most


, I knew it. I don’t want to
hurt anybody. I just wanted to feed people. I just wanted to talk
sensibly to these crazy people who have swords and they want to do
so much damage. I’m just a little boy saying … they wanted to kill me
and they just stopped and let me run away. They killed my father
instead. They took my mother someplace. God knows what happened
to her. Mira:  When you’re in the cave and you receive these truths, see
yourself being there, and see how you write them. See your hands and
what’ s in front of you. Wayne:  The truth of it is, I see them and want to record it. But I feel
like it’ s a waste of time to write it down. Mira:  Right. Because people won’ t believe you? Wayne:  Nobody does. They only know taking care of themselves. They only know themselves. There’s so little sharing. And so it’s …
my son has come there. I’m not gonna write this down. I don’t write it
down. I just tell him. Mira:  How did you find him? Wayne:  He’s 30 years old … more … 40 years old … 50 years old
… I’m very old. Mira:  So you tell him these truths? Wayne:  I tell him to remember these things. That these are great
truths. That when you share, you multiply. When you hoard, you lose. When you do less to other people, you get more. That being humble
and gentle, and soft, you get so much more. I’m telling you. You get
so close to God. That light is God coming through there. That light is
God. It is just so bright. I can see it. Here it comes again. It starts up here, and it goes like
this. You just swim in it. You just bathe in this light. It’s all so easy.Just tell them that this is easy. It’s not hard. It’s natural. It’s normal. It’s what you came from. It’s what you are. Find out what you are, and
be that. Don’ t find out what you aren’ t and try to be that. It’s just
another truth. One of those simple, simple truths. Be who you are
instead of who you’re not. And you can’t be anything other than what you are anyway. It is an
illusion. If you try to be something that you are not, you can’t be
anything you’re not. You’re not hate, you’re not killing. That’ s not
who you are. Be who you are. All of that other stuff is not who you
are … just be who you are. My son looks perplexed. He thinks I’m a crazy old man. I am a
crazy old man. Everyone around me … the only one who unde rstood
this was, oh my goodness, that beautiful woman. I only knew her for
such a short time. And then I left her. She knew this. She waited. She
didn’ t die of something in her chest. She was killed. My son just told me that. She was killed, too, while I was gone. Everything you love, you lose when you lose the love. Everything you
love you lose when you lose the love. So simple. She was murdered,
raped. My son wants to know how I feel about the rapist. “How do you feel, Dad, about the people who killed the woman  you
love?”
And the light is there. And you can go into it or you can go around
it. When you go into it, there’ s only love, and if I try to go around, it’s
dark. And it makes me want to kill those motherfuckers. When I go into the light, I love the rapists. When you lose the love,
that’s it. When you lose the love, you lose who you are because who
you are is love. And all the rest of the time you wander around in the
darkness just trying to avoid the light, which just calls you, pulls you
toward it. It wants to be in it so much. It’s too bright. It blind s you
with its brightness. You can really love the people who kill the woman you love. I guess
… I guess I can because that’s who I am. When you love, there’ s just
no room  for anything else. If you love, there’ s just no such thing as
nonlove. It’s all you have to give away. It’s when you leave the
spotlight, when you leave the light that’s coming into this cave … see
it come in like this, and then there’ s all these dark places around it.And you want me to go into the dark places. But I can’t. Becau se I
am the same as that light. That’ s who I am. And it saddens me, but it
seems to me that’ s what I’m here for. He tells me that she loved me so much. She waited and waited and
waited, and I let her down. Because I had to seek out my adventure. I
had to find the new places. And all the while I didn’ t leave to go
anywhere. He says he can’t do it. And I say to him, “You’re just not ready, but
it is who you are, too.”
And I got up, and walked into that light. I can see it now. And I left
him, too … bewildered. And I went into that light, and I let myself
float into it. I looked down at him, “My son, just move over a few
inches into the light. It’s just a few inches away. Just slide over, and
you’ll be in the light. Here is the light and you are here. Just move
over here. Y ou just have to move this far.”
You know what he said? “Fuck you. You crazy old man. I’m going
to get those guys.”
That’ s all. I’m sick. I feel like I’m going to throw up. Mira:  Just take a deep breath. Wayne:  I need water. Mira:  I’ll get you some. Wayne:  Oh my God. Oh my goodness. Mira:  Just lay down again. Very good. Just close your eyes. Let this
light now absor b all the emoti ons, all the energy, let it all resolve
within your body. Let it all turn into love. Let it all get healed. Very
good. Just be in that cave again  with that beautiful light abov e you. Just stay in the light. Let it wash  over you. Now tell me, after your son
leaves, what happens next? Wayne:  Well … I don’ t exist anymore, I’m just formless. Mira:  You can see everything … everything that happened. What
do you think is the purpose you had in the lifetime to learn and toshare? Wayne:  It wasn’ t about learning and sharing. It was about being. I
had to learn to be it instead of trying to become it. I had to learn to be
it. And it took me to the end of that life to get that. Because now I am
God, I’m with God. It all just seems so trivial. While I had almost no memory of precisely what I said during this
session, the visual images are still crystal clear. Was it a reflection of a past
life, a parallel life? I can only speculate on that, but I am intrigued by what I
said and what transpired while I was in that semihypnotic state with Mira. As Anita  Moorjani said to me in a recent letter, “When I am willing to step
into the realm of uncertainty and ambiguity, I open myself up to infinite
possibilities.” I leave you to ponder this mystery. Question #7: Am I Willing to Meditate to the I Am That I Am
Frequencies? James Twyman, the author of The Moses Code, asked sound-healing
expert Jonathan Goldman to research and create tuning forks that encode
the holy name of God—and then reproduce these frequencies in a
meditation program. The basis  of these recordings is tuning forks that
Jonathan designed. They correspond to the gematria of the holy name I am
that I am given to Moses at the burning bush, as detailed in the book of
Exodus in the Old T estament. At the end of The Moses Code, Jonathan explains how these frequencies
were created to match the ancient Kabbalah tradition, wherein specific
numbers are assigned to whole words and phrases. He concludes his
remarks on his research in creating these meditation frequencies  by writing:
“The I AM THAT I AM tuning forks and the associated field created by
them is a provocative and exciting sound experience, and the potential is
promising.”
Meditation is a vital practice to access conscious contact with your
highest self. I have meditated for many years and wrote a book  (Getting in
the Gap) on the many benefits of meditation. When I use the Moses Code
frequency medit ation, I feel a deep sense of peace that echoes the messages
I’ve written about in this book. I use the inner mantra I am, seeing myself asalready having arrived at what I’ve placed in my mind. Then I repeat
silently I am, the name of God given to


 what happened? Why is it that we r eached a certain
age, look ed ar ound, and the enchantment was gone? Because we wer e taught to focus elsewher e. We wer e
taught to think unnaturally. We wer e taught a very bad
philosophy, a way of looking at the world that contradicts
who we ar e.
We wer e taught to think thoughts lik e competition,
struggle, sickness, ﬁnite r esour ces, limitation, guilt, bad,
death, scar city, and loss. W e began to think these things,
and so we began to know them. W e wer e taught that things
like grades, being good enough, money, and doing things
the right way, ar e mor e important than love. W e wer e
taught that we’r e separate fr om other people, that we have
to compete to get ahead, that we’r e not quite good enough
the way we ar e. We wer e taught to see the world the waythat others had come to see it. It’s as though, as soon as we
got her e, we wer e given a sleeping pill. The thinking of the
world, which is not based on love, began pounding in our
ears the moment we hit shor e.
Love is what we wer e bor n with. F ear is what we have
learned her e. The spiritual jour ney is the r elinquishment—or
unlear ning—of fear and the acceptance of love back into our
hearts. L ove is the essential e xistential fact. It is our
ultimate r eality and our purpose on earth. T o be consciously
awar e of it, to e xperience love in ourselves and others, is
the meaning of life. Meaning doesn’t lie in things. Meaning lies in us. When
we attach value to things that ar en’t love—the money, the
car, the house, the pr estige—we ar e loving things that can’t
love us back. W e are sear ching for meaning in the
meaningless. Money, of itself, means nothing. Material
things, of themselves, mean nothing. It’s not that they’r e
bad. It’s that they’r e nothing. We came her e to co -create with God by e xtending love. Life spent with any other purpose in mind is meaningless,
contrary to our natur e, and ultimately painful. It’s as though
we’ve been lost in a dark, parallel universe wher e things ar e
loved mor e than people. W e overvalue what we per ceive
with our physical senses, and undervalue what we know to
be true in our hearts. Love isn’t seen with the physical eyes or hear d with
physical ears. The physical senses can’t per ceive it; it’s
perceived thr ough another kind of vision. Metaphysicians
call it the Thir d Eye, esoteric Christians call it the vision of
the Holy Spirit, and others call it the Higher Self. Regardless
of what it’s called, love r equir es a diﬀer ent kind of “seeing”
than we’r e used to—a diﬀer ent kind of knowing or thinking.Love is the intuitive knowledge of our hearts. It’s a “ world
beyond” that we all secr etly long for. An ancient memory of
this love haunts all of us all the time, and beck ons us to
return. Love isn’t material. It’s ener gy. It’s the feeling in a r oom,
a situation, a person. Money can’t buy it. Se x doesn’t
guarantee it. It has nothing at all to do with the physical
world, but it can be e xpressed nonetheless. W e experience
it as kindness, giving, mer cy, compassion, peace, joy,
acceptance, non-judgment, joining, and intimacy. Fear is our shar ed lovelessness, our individual and
collective hells. It’s a world that seems to pr ess on us fr om
within and without, giving constant false testimony to the
meaninglessness of love. When fear is e xpressed, we
recognize it as anger, abuse, disease, pain, greed, addiction,
selﬁshness, obsession, cor ruption, violence, and war. Love is within us. It cannot be destr oyed, but can only be
hidden. The world we knew as childr en is still buried within
our minds. I once r ead a delightful book called The Mists of
Avalon. The mists of A valon ar e a mythical allusion to the
tales of King Arthur. Avalon is a magical island that is hidden
behind huge impenetrable mists. Unless the mists part,
there is no way to navigate your way to the island. But
unless you believe the island is ther e, the mists won’t part. Avalon symbolizes a world beyond the world we see with
our physical eyes. It r epresents a miraculous sense of
things, the enchanted r ealm that we knew as childr en. Our
childlik e self is the deepest level of our being. It is who we
really ar e and what is r eal doesn’t go away. The truth
doesn’t stop being the truth just because we’r e not looking
at it. L ove mer ely becomes clouded over, or sur rounded by
mental mists.Avalon is the world we knew when we wer e still
connected to our sof tness, our innocence, our spirit. It’s
actually the same world we see now, but infor med by love,
interpr eted gently, with hope and faith and a sense of
wonder. It’s easily r etrieved, because per ception is a choice. The mists part when we believe that A valon is behind them. And that’s what a miracle is: a parting of the mists, a
shift in per ception, a r eturn to love. OceanofPDF.comPART I
Principles
OceanofPDF.comCHAPTER 1
Hell
“Ther e is no place for hell in a world whose
loveliness can yet be so intense and so inclusive
it is but a step fr om ther e to Heaven.”

Those passages with double quotation marks ar e
quoted dir ectly fr om A Course in Miracles. Those
passages with single quotation marks ar e
paraphrased interpr etations of that book. A
complete listing of citations to A Course in
Miracles appears beginning on p. 301. M.W. 1. THE DARKNES S
“The jour ney into darkness has been long and
cruel, and you have gone deep into it.”
What happened to my generation is that we never gr ew up. The pr oblem isn’t that we’r e lost or apathetic, nar cissistic ormaterialistic. The pr oblem is we’r e terriﬁed. A lot of us know we have what it tak es—the looks, the
education, the talent, the cr edentials. But in certain ar eas,
we’re paralyzed. W e’re not being stopped by something on
the outside, but by something on the inside. Our oppr ession
is inter nal. The gover nment isn’t holding us back, or hunger
or poverty. We’re not afraid we’ll get sent to Siberia. W e’re
just afraid, period. Our fear is fr ee-ﬂoating. W e’re afraid this
isn’t the right r elationship or we’r e afraid it is. W e’re afraid
they won’t lik e us or we’r e afraid they will. W e’re afraid of
failur e or we’r e afraid of success. W e’re afraid of dying
young or we’r e afraid of gr owing old. W e’re mor e afraid of
life than we ar e of death. You’d think we’d have some compassion for ourselves,
bound up in emotional chains the way we ar e, but we don’t. We’re just disgusted with ourselves, because we think we
should be better by now. Sometimes we mak e the mistak e
of thinking other people don’t have as much fear as we do,
which only mak es us mor e afraid. Maybe they know
something we don’t know. Maybe we’r e missing a
chromosome. It’s become popular these days to blame practically
everything on our par ents. W e ﬁgur e it’s because of them
that our self -esteem is so low. If only they’d been diﬀer ent,
we’d be brimming with self -love. But if you tak e a close look
at how our par ents tr eated us, whatever abuse they gave us
was of ten mild compar ed to the way we abuse ourselves
today. It’s true that your mother might have said r epeatedly,
“You’ll never be able to do that, dear.” But now you say to
yourself, “Y ou’re a jerk. Y ou never do it right. Y ou blew it. I
hate you.” They might have been mean, but we’r e vicious.Our generation has slipped into a bar ely camouﬂaged
vorte x of self -loathing. And we’r e always, even desperately,
seeking a way out


 no matter how beautiful or
profound. Wha t is needed and what we are concerned w ith is a
permanent shift in consciousness. So break  the old pattern of present-moment denial and present -moment
resistance. Make it your practice to withdraw attention from past and
future whenever they are not needed. Step out of the time dimension as
much as possible in everyday l ife. If you find it hard to enter the Now
directly, start by observing the habitual tendency of your mind to want to
escape from the Now. Y ou will observe that the future is  usually
imagined as either better or worse than the present. If the imagined
future is better, it gives you h ope or pleasurable anticipation. If it is
worse, it creates anxiety. Both are illusory. Through self-observation,
more pr esence  comes into your life automatically. The moment you
realize y ou are not present, you ar e  p resent. Whene ver you are abl e to
observe your mind, you are no longer trapped in it. Another f actor has
come in, something that is not of the mind: the witnessing presence. Be present as the watcher of your mind — of your thou ghts and
emotions as well as your reactions in various situations. Be at least as
interested in your reactions as in the situation or person that ca uses youto react. Notice also how often  your attention is in the past o r future. Don’ t ju dge or analyze what you observe. W atch the thought,  feel the
emotion, observ e the reaction. Don’ t make a personal problem out of
them. Y ou will then feel some thing more powerful than any of those
things th at you observe: the sti ll, observing presence itself behind the
content of your mind, the silent watcher. Intense p resence is needed when certain situations trigger a reaction with
a strong  emotion al char ge, such as when your self-image is threatened, a
challenge comes into your life that triggers fear, things “go wrong,” or an
emotional complex from the past is brought up. In those instances, the
tendency is for you to become “unconscious.” The reaction or emotion
takes yo u over — you “becom e” it. Y ou act it out. Y ou justify, make
wrong, a ttack, d efend...except that it isn’ t you, it’ s the reactive  pattern,
the mind in its habitual survival mode. Identification with the mind gives it more ener gy; observation of the
mind w ithdraws ener gy from it. Identification with the mind creates
more tim e; observation of the mind opens up the dimension of the
timeless. The ener gy that is withdrawn from the mind turns into
presence. Once you can feel what it means to be present, it becomes
much easier to simply choose to step out of the time dimension whenever
time is not needed for practical purposes and move more deeply into the
Now. This does not impair your  ability to use time — past or future —
when yo u need to refer to it for p ractical matters. Nor does it im pair your
ability to use your mind. In fact, it enhances it. When you do use your
mind, it will be sharper, more focused. LETTING GO OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TIME
Learn to use tim e in the practical aspects of your life — we may call this
“clock time” — but immediately return to present-moment awarenesswhen th ose prac tical matters have been dealt with. In this way, t here will
be no buildup o f “psychologica l time,” which is identification with the
past and continuous compulsive projection into the future. Clock time is not just making an appointment or planning a trip. It
includes learning  from the past so that we don’ t repeat the same mistakes
over and  over. Setting goals and working toward t hem. P redicting the
future by  means of patterns and laws, physical, mathematical a nd so on,
learned from the past and taking appropriate action on the basis of our
predictions. But even  here, within the sphere of practical living, where we c annot do
without reference to past and f uture, the present moment remains the
essential factor: Any lesson from the past becomes relevant and is
applied now. Any planning as well as working toward achieving a
particular goal is done now. The enli ghtened person’ s main focus of attention is always the Now, but
they are still peripherally aware of time. In other words, they continue to
use clock time but are free of psychological time. Be alert  as you practice this so  that you do not unwittingly transform
clock time into psychological ti me. For example, if you made a mistake
in the past and learn from it now, you are using clock time. On the other
hand, if you dw ell on it mentally, and self-criticism, remorse, or guilt
come up, then you are making the mistake into “me” and “mi ne”: Y ou
make it part of your sense of sel f, and it has become psychological time,
which is always linked to a f alse sense of identity. Nonfor giveness
necessarily implies a heavy burden of psychological time. If yo u set yourself a goal and w ork toward it, you are using clock time. Y ou are aware of where you want to go, but you honor and give your
fullest a ttention to the step tha t you are taking at this moment. If you
then bec ome excessively focuse d on the goal, perhaps because you are
seeking happine ss, fulfillment, or a more complete sense of self in it, the
Now is no longer honored. It be comes reduced to a mere stepp ing stone
to the future, with no intrinsic value. Clock time then turns into
psychological time. Y our life’ s journey is no longer an adventur e, just an
obsessive need to arrive, to att ain, to “make it.” Y ou no longer see or
smell th e flowers by the waysid e either, nor are you aware of th e beautyand the miracle of life that unfo lds all around you when you are present
in the Now. I can  see  the supr eme importanc e of the Now, but I cannot quite go along
with you when you say that time is a complete illusion. When I say “time is an illusion,” my intention is not to make a
philosophical st atement. I am ju st reminding you of a simple fact — a
fact so obvious that you may fi nd it hard to grasp and may ev en find it
meaningless — but once fully re alized, it can cut like a sword th rough all
the min d-created layers of complexity and “problems.” Let me say it
again: th e prese nt moment is all you ever have. There is never a time
when your life is not “this moment.” Is this not a fact? THE INSANITY OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TIME
Y ou will not have any doubt that psychological time is a mental disease
if yo u look at its collective manifestations. They occur, for exa mple, in
the form  of ideologies such as  communism, national socialism or any
nationalism, or rigid religious belief systems, which operate under the
implicit assump tion that the highest good lies in the future and that
therefore the end justifies the means. The end is an idea, a point in the
mind-projected future, when salvation in whatever form — happiness,
fulfillment, equality, liberation, and so on — will be attai ned. Not
infrequently, the means of getting there are the enslavement, torture, and
murder of people in the present. For example, it is estimated that as many as fifty million people were
murdered to further the cause o f communism, to bring about a “better
world” in Russia, China, and other countries.2 Thi s is a chilling exampleof h ow belief in a future heaven creates a present hell. Can the re be any
doubt that psychological time is a serious and dangerous mental illness? How does this m ind pattern operate in your  l ife? Are you always trying
to ge t so mewhere other than where you are? Is most of your doing  just a
means to  an end? Is fulfillment a lways just around the corner or  confined
to sh ort-lived pleasures, such a s sex, food, drink, drugs, or thrills and
excitement? Are you always focused on becoming, achieving, and
attaining, or alternatively chasin g some new thrill or pleasure? Do you
believe that if y ou acquire more things you will become more fulfilled,
good enough, or psychologically complete? Are you waiting for a man or
woman to give meaning to your life? In the normal, mind-identified or unenlightened state of consciousness,
the power and infinite creative potential that lie concealed in the Now are
completely obscured by psych ological time. Y our life then loses its
vibrancy, its freshness, its sense  of wonder. The old patterns of thought,
emotion, behavi or, reaction, and desire are acted out in endle ss repeat
performances, a script in your mind that gives you an identity of sorts but
distorts or covers up the reality of the Now. The mind then creates an
obsession with the future as an escape from


 nodes needed to be examined
and proposed to remove her right breast altogether (mastectomy). A close friend of Mrs. Lennox was able to secure an appointme nt for her
with the chief of the oncology department at Stanford Universit y School of
Medicine. After his examination, the oncologist stated in an unemotional
and factual manner, “Undoubted ly this condition of yours is a typical two-
to ten-y ear illness. But I don’t think that you’ll be alive in two years
because the disease is so extens ive. Get your affairs in order and have the
best time you can. And don’t worry; we have powerful medications for you
when your pain begins.”
The doctor’s devastating stateme nt about the potential end of her life was
not easy to take, for Mrs. Lennox had been facing numerous complications
simply living each day. Prior to her diagnosis, for instance, she had been
suffering from severe depression, chronic low blood sugar (hypoglycemia),
severe constant headaches, black floaters in her eyes that disrupted vision,
innumerable allergies, candidiasis (numerous symptoms related to the yeast
syndrome), kidney stones, and a great deal of emotional upset—mainly
anger after her divorce from an alcoholic husband following seventeen
years of marriage. And she worried about her three teenage children who
were using alcohol and drugs— seemingly learned by association with herex-husband. Unquestionably, there was tremendous mental and emotional
stress for this unfortunate woman. After the breast reexamination and confirmed cancer diagnosis she made
an appointment with another specialist, a radiation oncologist. While sitting
in his office, she was repelled by being in the company of so many weak,
bandaged, severely sick patien ts who had been pushed along and were
waiting in wheelchairs. The woman couldn’ t abide the idea of existing in
the same state of ill health, and she walked out of the doctor’s office
without actually seeing him. As she drove home filled with terror, the distraught woman began to
notice that some  of the lawns of her neighborhood were of a lively green
color, while others looked brown and sick. It struck her that if the right lawn
food could impr ove the growth of grass, why should the human body not
also respond in the same way? Mrs. Lennox figured that with excellent
nutrition, she could at least keep going for, perhaps, another five years or
until a cure for cancer might be found. Then, inside her head, she heard a
clear voice that said: “You can feed and nourish your mind and body and
become well again!”
At that point, she sped right past her house to a health food store for the
purpose of becoming educated  about nutrition and cancer by the store
proprietor or in any other way available. Noting on the shop’ s shelves that
there were lots of books on dieting for weight loss, the patient asked
specifically about cancer treatment information.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        Dr. Gerson placed much value on the work of German lipid researcher
Johanna Budwig, Ph. D. (still living in her early nineties), who recommends
flax oil for enemas in colon cancer and bowel obstruction. Research in
North America has finally discovered the value of flax oil’s LNA in treating
smaller tumors, metastases, inflammatory conditions, high triglycerides,cardiovascular conditions, diabetes, weight loss, and other degenerative
illnesses. 20
The Gerson Therapy requires a participant to use organic, cold-pressed
flax oil, such as that manufactured by Omega, Arrowhead Mills, Barleans,
or other  branded  names produced by the Organo process. But users should
never heat the oil as in putting it on a steaming hot potato or other vegetable
or cooki ng with it; heating alters the fatty acid chains in its chemical bonds
and actually renders the flax oil harmful to the body. Also, don’t consume
whole flaxseeds because of other components in them that interf ere with the
healing process. Flaxseed oil assists the body to utilize vitamin A. During the first month
of following the Gerson Therap y, take 2 tablespoonfuls of flax oil per day. After the first month and during  the balance of treatment, limit  your use of
flax oil to 1 tablespoonful daily. Flax oil is best taken at lunch or dinner as
part of the salad dressing or on potatoes and vegetables. BEE POLLEN  AND ROYAL JELL Y
There are two types of flower  pollen: an exceedingly light kind sent
haphazardly on the winds and another heavier form delivered mechanically
by bees and other insects. Bee pollen,  therefore, is the heavier, non-airborne
substance derived from the male seed of flowers known as entomophile
pollens,  which hitch a ride on hone ybees who forage among flower
blossoms. Entomophile pollens depend solely on insect transport for
spreading flowers’ fertilization. Because they are not airborne, the
entomophile pollens in bee pollen do not produce the widely disseminated
pollen-induced aller gies. Bee pollen contains massive amounts of nutritional ingredients, including
ten amino acids, ten minerals, fifteen vitamins, ten nutraceuticals,
antibiotics potent against E. coli and proteus microbes, and human-growth-
stimulating substances. All over our planet, scientists and medical
researchers praise the nutritive properties of bee pollen. 21
The Gerson Therapy incorporates bee pollen into its program, especially
for those patients coping with cancer. Then, 2 to 4 teaspoonfuls per day of
bee pollen are used at the point of treatment progress when proteins are
reintroduced into the patient’ s diet, starting from approximately the tenth ortwelfth week. Noncancer patien ts can begin taking bee pollen earlier, about
the sixth week. Despite bee pollen’s being a nonaller genic substance, some
patients may exhibit allergies to it, so the initial dosage should probably be
as little as ½ teaspoonful per day. Royal jelly  is the rich subst ance fed to the queen bee for the whole of her
life and plays an essential role in the making of a queen. It is exceptionally
rich in hormone s, twenty amino acids, sugars, acetylcholine, DNA, RNA,
fatty acids, gelatin, collagen, gamma globulin, antibiotics, and B vitamins,
plus vitamins A, C, and E. 22
As an optional nutritional supp lement that may be added to the Gerson
Therapy if desired, the recomm ended dosage of royal jelly is 100 mg in
capsules taken one hour before breakfast. Do not take royal jelly with hot
food. VITAMIN  B12 INJECTIONS  AND CRUDE  LIVER EXTRACT
Required for proper digestion, absorption of foods, the synthesis of
protein, and the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats, vitamin B12 certainly
is an appropriate nutritional supplement for inclusion in the Gerson
Therapy. It is particularly effective for the treatment of anemia. Also, it aids
in normal cell formation and cellular longevity, prevents nerve damage,
maintains fertility, and promotes normal growth and development by
maintaining the fatty sheaths that cover and protect nerve endings. 23
Vitamin B12 is administered by intramuscular injection into the gluteus
medius muscle, 0. 1 cc (100 mcg) once daily for four to six months or more. It is accompanied simultaneously (in the same injection syringe ) by 3 cc of
crude liver extract. Dr. Gerson found that such liver therapy brings about
the restoration of new red blood corpuscles (reticulocytes) and helps the
body make the correct use of amino acids. He found crude liver extract was
indicated in intoxication during pregnancy; tuberculosis of the lungs and
other organs; arthritis deforman s in more advanced stages; mental diseases
and bodily asthenias; spastic conditions, especially angina pectoris; and
malignancies.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: Who is Dr. Gerson mentioned as recommending flax oil for enemas in colon cancer and bowel obstruction?,
A: Johanna Budwig, Ph.D.
Q: What is the recommended daily dose of flax oil in the Gerson Therapy?,
A: 2 tablespoonfuls for the first month, and 1 tablespoonful after the first month.
Q: What is the recommended dosage of royal jelly in the Gerson Therapy?,
A: 100 mg in capsules, taken one hour before breakfast.
Q: What is the purpose of the coffee enema in the Gerson Therapy?,
A: To stimulate the liver to detoxify the blood, dilate the bile ducts, and improve the body's ability to utilize vitamin A.
Q: What is the recommended procedure for taking a coffee enema?,
A: Lie on the right side, hold the enema for 12-15 minutes, and then release it.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>In considering Mrs.
Lennox’ s situation, the store owner directed her to Dr. Gerso n’s book A
Cancer Therapy: Results of Fifty Cases. “The Gerson cancer protocol is the hardest therapy to follow  but the
best,” this natur al food store proprietor said. Consequently, this desperate
victim of cancer purchased the book. The dietary program in Dr. Gerson


 digestion. If your friend finds her new-look yellow veggies and curries appetizing,
gradually introd uce her to other stars in the Indian spice box: cumin,
coriander, cardamom, and more. A Gift of Ser eni-tea. Ayurvedic practice includes avoiding such caffeinated drinks as coffee
and tea. They are thought to overstimulate the mind and, taken in excess,
disturb the balan ce of the doshas. Herbal teas, on the other hand, pack both
flavor and healing qualities. The sweetness of licorice calms vata and pitta. Teas containing rose petals cool the pitta dosha, and those with cloves perk
up a lethargic kapha. In general, Ayurvedic herbal teas zap fatigue, relax the
mind, and calm the senses. Tea flavors like mint, lemon balm, and jasm ine
are so delectable that your friends can also try using them to flavor sauces
and fruit-based desserts. You should be able to find some good herbal tea
brands in natural food stores. Maharishi Ayurveda also makes some
gourmet mind-body beverages for balancing each dosha type. (See
resources for buying information. )For the Thought Gourmet
To me, one of the most precious gifts is the gift of beautiful words: a
collection of love poems, recipes, or short stories; a book of quotations; a
life-changing novel; an inspirin g book on natural healing. Choose from
among some truly sensitive works that you have read and loved, books
written with a sincerity that awakens the body’ s natural intelligence,
stimulates the mind, and soothe s the spirit. Giving away good health need
not cost you a fortune. You could create a handmade booklet that is filled
with health tips, recipe ideas, and beautiful pictures cut from old magazines. I wish you a fulfilling lifetime of living and giving the priceles s gift of
Ayurveda. OceanofPDF. comBCHAPTER 14
surfing the ayurvedic ocean
Each today, well-lived, makes yester day a happy dr eam and tomorr ow a
vision of hope. Look, ther efore, to this one day, for it and it alone is life. — Sanskrit poem
efore typing the first word of this book, I wanted to know what a reader
would want from  it. So I asked some friends to list their expec tations. This was a diverse group of people; some had never heard of Ayurveda,
others knew the definition but not much more, and still others  had dipped
their toes into the Ayurvedic waters but had hastily withdrawn  them when
they encountered the Sanskrit terminology. Here’ s a sampling of what they
said:
•   “I’d like to see a book that doesn’ t use any of those confusing
terms. ”
•   “I want to know whether Ayurveda can help me live a health ier life
— and if yes, how. In plain English, please. ”•   “I cannot tell Ayurveda from chelation therapy, acupressure, and
yoga. Please enlighten. ”
And so on. I hope I have been able to write this book to the satisfaction of most of
my friends. For those, however, who still feel that Ayurvedic terminology
gets in the way of making it easily approachable, I have this to say: I
understand your wariness completely. For me, the journey toward Ayurveda posed fewer obstacles, for I had
some basic advantages. Ayurveda and I were born in the same country. Hindi, a language derived from Sanskrit, is my mother tongue. My parents
— and, more than them, my grandparents — understood Ayurveda by
instinct. Hence, I grew up hearing the proverbial wisdom of the Indian village. Some of those proverbs were gems in rhyme — so succinct and so wise that
they’re written in my mind with indelible ink. For example, my grandfather
used to say, “A person who has a bowel movement once a day is a yogi
[ascetic]. One who has it twice a day is a bhogi  [taker of life’s pleasures]. And one who has it thrice a day is a rogi [sick person]. ”
My grandmothe r would not let us eat cucumber salad in the evening,
reciting this haiku-like poem:
Kheera
Subah ko heera
Din mein kheera
Raat mein peera. It means, “A cucumber eaten in the morning has the goodness of a
diamond, in the afternoon it has the benefits of cucumber, and in the
evening, it is a source of pain. ”
Lunch was always given the highest priority. Come noon, my mother
would want us to abandon anything we were doing — be it a math problem
or a game — saying, Pehle pet pooja, phir kaam dooja (“first worship your
stomach, then attend to other things”). I don’t know how long ago these sayings were actually coined, or
whether they came from Ayurvedic tradition at all. Whatever their origin,
they later helped me understand Ayurveda and its aphorisms without feeling
too surprised or skeptical. “Rise  early. ” “Scrape your tongue. ” “Don’ t read
while eating. ” These admonitio ns had always been part of my life; they
were locked in my DNA, so to speak. Even so, when I studied Ayurveda more formally it was somewhat of a
daunting prospe ct. There were things that intimidated me about this system
of healing:
•   Its age. Ayurveda is, at the very least, more than 5,000 years old
(some say it is a 10,000-year -old tradition, others say there’ s no way
of knowing how old it really is). But even 5,000 years is a
significant perio d of time, considering that we can barely visualize
life as it must have been as recently as one hundred years ago. •   Its scale. Ayurvedic knowle dge comes to us from comprehensive
texts called samhitas  and nighantus. Each one is an ocean in itself,
and ancient Ayurvedic sages were prolific writers. Sage Atreya
alone wrote 46,500 verses, all in Sanskrit — a language so scholarly
that it is hard even for an Indian to learn. •   Its terminology. Doshas, dhatus, gunas — would I be able to wade
through the vocabulary. •   Its complexity. Ayurvedic healers seemed to have had dozens of
guidelines on every little thing. Drinking water, for instance: don’t
drink ice-cold water; don’t drink  warm water, either, if you’re a pitta
type; spice your water with cumin if you’re a kapha type, and fennel
if you’re a vata; and so on. But I am happy to say that my doubts and fears dissolved stead ily. The
more I studied Ayurveda, the more it resonated with my childhood years. Soon, I came to a delightful conclusion: Ayurvedic wisdom, in its purest
essence, was a distilled version of my grandparents’ admonitions. From that epiphanic moment on, I was able to see Ayurveda as the
majority of Indian people see it. In India, most people don’t study
Ayurveda. They live it in simple ways. When a child has a cold, her mother
will steep some holy basil leaves in boiled water and have the child sip it atregular intervals. A sore throat is soothed with crushed black pepper stirred
into honey. Food  is cooked fresh, lavished with spices and herbs, then eaten
hot. Because a daily bath is cleansing and healthy, many people accord it
the status of a religious ritual — they will say their prayers and eat their
first morsel of the day only after a bath. In these small ways, they live
Ayurveda. Even massage is an integral part of life in India; barbers-cum-masseurs
are a common sight. Identifiable by the tool kit they carry, these
barber/masseurs can be hailed on the streets. All they have to do is find a
shady tree in the vicinity, and lo. A folding chair is pulled out, the kit is
opened, and, a neat shave later, a relaxing head massage calle d champi  is
under way. At the other end of the spectrum are expensive herbal massage
parlors, whose popularity is rising by the minute. I hope that this book has helped you recognize that you can live
Ayurveda, too. In my own life, Ayurveda is a major influence; but I admit that my
routine is often less than exemplary. There are times when I misuse my
body — by going to bed late, watching TV too long, or slum ping in my
chair. When I’m rushed, I grab a muffin instead of stewed fruit. And I’m
not abov e temper tantrums and arguments. But then, I don’t allow these
slipups to make  me feel unduly  guilty, because I know that Ayurveda does
not mean constantly judging or berating oneself. On the plus side, studying Ayurveda has made me give up carbonated
sodas, canned beans, and bleached flour. I haven’ t tasted leftov er food


conceivable naturally diﬀer. In the spiritual alchemy even the pursuit of longevity
had its origins in the idea that the longer the physical life,
the longer the time for attaining spiritual transformation
into the True Man and becoming one with the Tao; to this
end the alchemist had to transmute the base metal of the
physical desires into the pure gold of the spiritual. From
the Shen Hsien Chuan  comes the instruction: ‘If you are
bent on attaining immortality, begin by getting rid of the
body-spirits. As soon as they are gone you will gain ﬁxity
of will-power and freedom from passion and desire. ’
Waley, in his ‘Notes on Chinese Alchemy’ dismisses the
theory that alchemy was a pre-chemistry and pithily
expresses it as: ‘Alchemy, on the rare occasions when it
has been made the subject of reasonable enquiry, has
usually been  studied as part of what one may call the pre-
history of science. But if, to use a favourite phrase, we are
to see in alchemy merely  “the cradle of chemistry,” are we
not likely, whatever its initial charm, to lose patience with
an infancy protracted through some ﬁfteen centur ies. ’ The
true alchemy was, in fact, an applied science  or art
(spoken of as either by its adherents) in the control of the
elements aﬀecting life and Nature and humanity in a
spiritual development; it was called, as Taylor puts it, ‘a
chemistry of the spirit. ’ ‘Let alchemy be called a
“chemistry of the spirit” and it will be possible to
understand its many aspects and the conﬂicting views ofthose who have not grasped its essential featur es. ’ If it
were only gold-or-pill making and early science, it is
remarkable that as Professor Sivin points out, ‘there were
many treatises which give no directions for making
anything,’ and if it were merely the search for gold, why
the universal reference to ‘our gold’ as being something
distinct from the common gold. The search for gold was the search for wisdom, for the
knowledge of the necessary transformat ion of
unregenerate humanity into the Sage or integrate d being,
expressed as ‘the opaque becomes luminous. ’ Roger Bacon
said that ‘Nature has always had for an end and tries
incessantly to reach perfection, that is gold. ’ In Vedic
tradition ‘gold is immortality;’ that is, the incorruptible
spirit, the illuminated being. The colouring, or tincture,
represents the colouring  of the unregenerate or base
nature with the divine. In Europe Fludd said: ‘Be ye
transmuted from mortal to living philosophers' stones. Indeed, every pious and righteous man is a spiritual
alchemist. who. understands not only how to
distinguish but with the ﬁre of the divine Spirit to separate
the false from the true. for only this way is unclean lead
turned to gold. ’ The medieval ‘Rosarium’ says: ‘Our gold is
not the common gold’ and ‘the philosopher is not the
master of the stone but rather its minister. ’ Then yet
again, ‘Our gold is not in any way the gold of the
multitude, but is the living gold. it is wisdom. ’
The real alchemy was the search for wisdom; its work
was esoteric and on the individual, not in the laboratory, or
rather the body is the laboratory in which the knowledge
of the Self is gained. That the quest was spiritual, not
material, is attested by alchemy's religious aﬀiliations, to
Taoism, in particular, in the East; there are also constant
references to it in Hinduism and Buddhism and strong
associations in the Babylonian and Chaldean civilizations,the Egyptian-Greek hermeticism and, later, in Christianity
and Islam. Alchemy is also essentially mystical since its
aim is union, the end of duality and absorption in the
Absolute. Alchemical terms are used throughout for
spiritual processes; the conjunctio  is the same as the
mystic's union with the One, the loss of individual identity
with the limitations of the ego dissolved in the perfect
whole, and again the base metal, transmuted by
puriﬁcation and reﬁning, becomes the gold of perfection,
of wisdom. The alchemist Ali-pili wrote:
The highest wisdom consists in this, for man to know
himself. therefore let the high enquirers and
searchers into the deep mysteries of nature ﬁrst
learn to know  what they have in themselves, and by
the divine power within them let them ﬁrst heal
themselves and transmute their souls. if that
which thou seekest thou ﬁndest not within thee thou
will never ﬁnd it without thee. He who desires the
primacy among students of nature will nowhere ﬁnd
a greater or better ﬁeld of study than himself. Therefore will I from  certain true experie nce
proclaim: ‘Oh man, know thyself, in thee is hid the
treasure of treasures. ’
The study of man and Nature cannot be separated. As
the alchemis t worked on Nature so he could not avoid
working on himself. As Hopkins says: ‘To Aristotle organic
nature was like man. But to the alchemist all nature was
like man; the spiritual overshadowing the material, and
reproduction, the greatest of all mysteries, was possible
only when the body of the metal was endowed with excess
of the spiritual. ’ Sendivogius uses the symbolism of the
mirror: ‘The Sage sees Heaven reﬂected in Nature as in a
mirror; and he pursues this Art not for the sake of gold or
silver, but for the love of knowledge which it reveals. ’ Themicrocosm and macrocosm reﬂect each other but are one,
there is no diﬀerence between humanity and the cosmos. ‘The natural world is only an image and material copy of a
heavenly and spiritual pattern; that is, the very existence
of this world is based upon the reality of its celestial
archetype. ’ Again, this is the hermetic ‘As above, so below,’
or, ‘In truth, certainly and without doubt, whatever is
below is like that which is above, and whatever is above is
like that which is below. ’ This enunciates the law of
correspondences: that all creation is, in fact, a reﬂection;
the phenomenal reﬂects the spiritual. The hermetic
tradition also says that ‘The work. is to be found within
you and is enduring: you will always have it present,
wherever you are, on land or on sea. ’
Meditation was an important factor in Chinese alchemy
in developing the ‘inner elixir,’ and the sealed vase was the
isolated mountain retreat, hermitage, or meditatio n room,
where knowledge of the inner self was attained, where
transformation took place and from which the new man
was born; hence the constant reference to the foetus or
the seed as also symbolically the birth of this new being. There is pre-natal growt h in the seclusion of the closed
room or retreat, the womb, before the new being emerges
from darkness to light, from dependence to indepe ndence,
into the life of the spirit. A modern Taoist Master called
this foetus ‘an incorporeal manifestation of the union of
spirit with vitality,’ and a Japanese professor, visiting the
Taoist White Cloud monastery in the 1940s, found the
ancient values still alive:
Little signiﬁcance was attached to the artiﬁcial, so-
called cultur al, activities. Taking pride in gathering
scraps of knowledge, conducting surveys, doing
research—those may be eﬀorts to ﬁnd some
satisfaction or self-understanding in the society of
men, but they end, as does life, like the ﬂaring out ofa candle. It is better to be embraced in the vastness
of Nature, to melt into it. Then there is no wasted
resistance to life, no useless conﬂagration. When
one's breath ing is in harmony with nature, one
becomes identical with its very life-ﬂow. Alchemists of both East and West state categorically that
Nature is their guide and exemplar, that they are working
with her and following her laws. In alchemy they may be
hastening some of her processes, but never working
against her. As a science alchemy aimed at the
understanding of the properties and formations of mineral
substances; as a spiritual art or philosophy it was
concerned with the mysteries of life and the cosmos. It had
a cosm ological relationship with every aspect  of life,
human, anim al, plant and mineral. One could not go wrong
in following Nature. As the Golden Tract says: ‘Nature
seeks and demands the gradual attainment of perfection,
and a general approximation to the highest standard of
purity and excellence. ’
The cult of longevity was not considered to be going
against living  in accord with Nature since she had long-
lived creatur es