,
when her marriage was falling apart and her husband was giving his attention to
someone else, Ruth’s programmed response was to get sick—this time in order to
regain the attention and affection of her husband. In the long run, of course, this kind
of behavioral pattern inevitably fails; Ruth’s husband eventually divorced her,
leaving her alone and sick.
For Lisa and Ruth, certain “rewards” for being sick superseded their desires to get
well or stay well. This way of life is not uncommon; people often have
psychological reasons to get sick or stay sick—usually not on a conscious level.
People often learn hopelessness instead of hopefulness.
If you are sick, be sure to ask yourself,
What is my reward for being sick? Am I
willing to give up my reward? Do I truly want to be well?
These questions can be
followed with affirmations or mantras, such as
I am well. I am getting better,
healthier and stronger every day.
Reprogramming your mind-set or approach is the
key, whether you are talking about the thoughts you think or the foods you eat.
Health is a choice, and the best chance to realize it comes from making your top
priority to get well and stay well.
The Placebo EffectOne of the most familiar descriptions of the power of the mind over the body’s
responses is the placebo effect. This concept is based on research by Henry K.
Beecher, published in a 1955 paper, “The Powerful Placebo,” which concluded that
roughly one-third of people who receive medical treatment will show improvement
simply because they believe the treatment will work, regardless of how
pharmacologically effective the treatment is. People’s thoughts affect their health—
not exactly a news flash, but a scientific fact nevertheless. When the research was
published, Beecher’s paper made a huge impact on the scientific community, and
since then, thousands of published studies on the same topic demonstrate clearly that
what you think affects how your body functions.
The term placebo refers to a substance, procedure or treatment that, when given to
a patient, produces a beneficial effect on the body that is not a direct result of the
placebo’s chemistry. Now, medical scientists use placebos to measure the
effectiveness of a certain treatment—often a medication— versus “no treatment” at
all. In a typical study, for instance, one group of patients is given a drug and another
group of patients, unknown to them, receive pills that contain essentially nothing—a
placebo.
This approach and the results based on this approach, however, are misguided
because the placebo—by virtue of positive thinking—does have effects. Doctors and
scientists portray their disrespect for the patient’s power by thinking of the placebo
as something to be “factored out of the equation,” as an unwanted, or at best,
uninteresting effect. More medical support for this power could go a long way
toward helping all become and stay well.
Scientific work with the placebo proves what we already know instinctively:
Beliefs, attitudes and patterns of behavior play a major role in health and disease.
Our state of mind is as much a part of our lifestyle as our diet, amount of sleep or
exercise. Let us harness the principles of the placebo effect and use that power. In a
sincere, direct and informed manner, we can use it more profoundly.
The Best Health Coverage
The support, encouragement and good bedside manner of a health practitioner (be
it a modern practitioner or an ancient witch doctor) can help a patient recover, even
if this “help” exists only through the “effect of the mind.”
Down through history, many or perhaps most of the successes of health-care
treatments have been and are due to behavioral and psychological factors. A 1993
study in
Cardiology
raised the possibility that a large share of the presumed benefits
of prescription drugs actually results from people believing they are being helped.
New York Times
columnist Margaret Talbot summed up this idea, noting that “the
truth is that the placebo effect is huge.” In studies of new drugs, she says, between35 and 75 percent of patients benefit from taking a dummy pill. This “placebo
effect,” she writes, “should probably be put to conscious use in clinical practice,
even if we do not entirely understand how it works.”
Talbot continues:
For centuries, Western medicine consisted of almost nothing but the placebo
effect. The patient who got better after a bleeding—or a dose of fox lung, wood
lice, tartar emetic or any of the other charming staples of the 19th-century
pharmacopoeia—got better either in spite of them or because of their symbolic
value. Such patients believed in the cure and in the authority of the bewigged
gentlemen administering it, and the belief gave them hope and the hope helped
make them well. There were exceptions—remedies, like quinine for malaria,
the vaccine for smallpox and morphine for pain relief, which actually worked.
But generally speaking, if all the drugs of the day “could be sunk to the bottom
of the sea,” as Oliver Wendell Holmes observed in 1860, “it would be all the
better for mankind—and all the worse for the fishes.”
We need to use the principles of the placebo effect deliberately— without trying
to deceive the patient—to benefit health and performance. Imagine the potential
gains if modern health care included an educational and “coaching” dimension as
part of a more comprehensive approach to healing. This rarely happens. Modern
health care focuses almost exclusively on diagnosing and treating the physical body,
usually with drugs or surgery, and typically fails to consider the behavioral,
emotional, perceptual, learning, cognitive and spiritual factors that may be playing a
significant role in becoming sick or well.
Believing that you “have” a disease and playing the role of a “sick person” is the
way to stay sick. By contrast, being healthy means believing that you are getting
well and staying well; it means “playing the role” of health.
Every thought has a
physical effect on your cells.
Negative thoughts, particularly about disease and
death, can literally kill you.
An Infection of Negative Thoughts
Although we used to think of mind and body as entirely separate, the last twenty-
five years of scientific research have taught us a great deal about the dimensions of
mind and body and how, together, they establish body-wide communication
networks. Our bodies create chemical messengers (neuropep-tides, neurotransmitters
and hormones) that allow the body to communicate with itself, to self-regulate, to
adapt. Through these chemical messengers the cells know when and what to do.
Cells throughout the body (not just in the brain) both create and are affected by these
chemical messengers. All cells are in constant contact with one another, whetherthey are brain cells, muscle cells, nerve cells or any other kind.
Every thought and emotion triggers the release of chemical messengers
throughout the body; in other words, there is no such thing as “just a thought.” Every
thought has a physical consequence, for better or worse. Feelings of anger, apathy,
gloom and resentment weaken the immune system and damage health. Positive
thoughts of love, compassion, joy, humor and the like support good physical health.
It takes some effort and discipline, especially on the bad days, to keep an open and
positive mindset, but the health benefits definitely make it worthwhile. The goal of
this chapter is to explain how psychology affects health at the cellular level and to
identify some of the most important psychological concepts, as well as some of the
most common (and self-destructive) mistakes. The goal is to help you improve your
psychological pathway—one of the major avenues between health and disease.
Minds Need Reprogramming
Our minds are rather like computers: Whether intended or unintended, they do
what they have been programmed to do. A big part of using the psychological
pathway to stay healthy is the ability to recognize your current programming and to
learn new programs—new thoughts, attitudes and behavior patterns.
As demonstrated by my clients Lisa and Ruth, some people find it hard to develop
the will to change old patterns. For these two women, habitual thinking and imagery
created their destiny. They were in reach of health, but let it go. Why? Not because
they lacked the necessary information, the problem most people face, but because
their strategies for achieving short-term security had been tried and proven, and
were too difficult to unlearn.
Negative health programming can come from a visit to the doctor. Even the sight
of a physician can cause blood pressure to rise; the effect is called “white-coat
hypertension.” The stress resulting from the diagnosis of a grave disease can do
serious damage, precisely like voodoo or a witch’s hex. A 1991 study in the
Medical
Journal of Australia
concluded that negative suggestions from physicians and
caregivers were significant negative factors in cancer recovery. Deepak Chopra,
M.D., made a similar observation in his book,
Creating Health:
“I have frequently
observed that a rapid progression of symptoms and then death from cancer occurred
after
the diagnosis of cancer was made. It is almost as if the patient was dying from
the diagnosis and not from the disease.”
Physicians must exercise great care not to create negative expectations. We need
support and reassurance from our physicians and caregivers. We need them to
believe in us and to help us through our processes of healing and recovery. Certainly,
we expect honesty from them, but we do not need discouraging remarks and
ominous statistics about


 before
the next lot.
While the level of dopamine in the brain of aging individuals and especially with Parkinson's disease declines to about half its normal
level, the coloured oxidation products of dopamine and of other neurotransmitters increasingly accumulate. In one study very high
amounts of such coloured deposits were found in a speciﬁc area of the brain after L-dopa treatment as compared to Parkinson
patients without L-dopa treatment.
In addition, other oxidised substances, especially lipids and proteins, accumulate in cells, including nerve cells. These accumulations
of oxidation products in the skin are known as 'age spots' or 'liver spots'. Such age pigments are composed of lipofuscin, ceroid and
amyloid and begin ﬁlling up the nerve cells until they are killed when residue levels reach up to 70%. Accumulations of age pigments
may be an important factor in the decline of the numbers of nerve cell in the brain of Parkinson patients. An additional factor is
suspected to be the autoxidation of dopamine, which also yields hydrog en peroxide and free radicals, which damage the dopamine
receptors. The accumulation of age pigments can be largely prevented and partially reversed by long-term supplementation with high
amounts of antioxidants; preferably combined with periodic cleansing diets.
Manganese is important for muscle and brain functions. A case has been reported of an elderly male with initial signs of lupus
erythematosus developing Parkinson's disease and some years later also signs of myasthenia gravis. With a therapy based on
manganese and vitamin E symptoms of all three diseases quickly disappeared. However, a prolonged overload of manganese
resulting in manganese poisoning has the opposite ef fect; it causes Parkinson-like symptoms.
Besides stimulation of dopamine production, vitamin B6 has a beneﬁcial effect on tremors. In one study all 60 patients with
Parkinson's disease had a signiﬁcant decrease and 12 a complete disappearance of tremors with 300 - 400 mg of vitamin B6. The
same applies to magnesium, which has been reported to relieve or stop severe trembling and twitching. In addition, magnesium
relieves muscle rigidity and cramps. Magnesium is the classical relaxation mineral. The sulphur amino acid taurine works together
with magnesium and seems to have a sedating ef fect on the overstimulated movement center in the brain that causes shaking.
Some other supplements with reported beneﬁts in Parkinson's disease are L-carnitine, octacosanol and evening primrose oil. L-
carnitine helps to increase energy production by channelling fatty acids into cells; it also improves memory and possibly other brain
functions. Octacosanol is a long-chain lipid concentrated from wheat-germ oil. It generally increases endurance and some Parkinson
patients responded with improvement in their daily living activities and mood. Evening primrose oil, on the other hand, may help to
reduce tremors. Involuntary movements may be reduced with antioxidants, lecithin and manganese.
Recently reported research suggest s that Parkinson patients release too much of the neurotransmitter nitric oxide. This is a small
molecule produced from the amino acid arginine and is vital in the regulation of blood ﬂow and blood pressure. This appears to be an
important ﬁnding, and efforts have started to develop a drug to correct this. However, the amino acid L-lysine is in an antagonistic
balance with L-arginine. Increased  lysine levels will generally reduce the amount of released nitric oxide. Therefore I would
experimentally use supplemental lysine, say about 1 g three times daily before meals. You may also try smaller and larger amounts. I
do not expect this to interfere with the simultaneous use of levodopa.
For patients on L-dopa the meal composition is important. With meals high in protein less l-dopa reaches the brain through the blood-
brain barrier and Parkinson-like symptoms may result. After a meal high in carbohydrates, on the other hand, more L-dopa reaches
the brain and dyskinesia (uncontrolled movements) may develop. Therefore, drug intake should be adjusted to the type of the meal.
The best way is to eat the main protein meal in the evening after the last daily dose of levodopa. Increased levels of ascorbic acid
and vitamin B6 increase dopamine levels in the brain.
CHEMICALS AND ENDOT OXINS
Evidence is now accumulating which supports the view that Parkinson's disease can originate from long-term subclinical damage to
the nervous system from environmental chemicals. Initial reports linked the development of some forms of Parkinson's disease
mainly to medical drugs and to industrial workers exposed to chemicals. This includes especially the exposure to industrial solvents.
More recent reports also show a link between the use of pesticides and herbicides on farms and this disease. Development of
symptoms due to low-level chronic exposure is gradual. For instance the symptoms of a farmer ascribed to chemical spraying
progressed over an eight-year period to bilateral Parkinsonism. Researchers have suggested that long-term exposure to sub-toxic
levels of chemicals is much more likely to lead to neurological disorders, such as Parkinsonism, than to physically based diseases.
A recent study found that mice developed symptoms of Parkinson's disease when injected with low levels of two common farm
chemicals, the herbicide paraquat and the fungicide maneb. Neither of these on their own caused any problems.10/30/24, 4:15 PM Health-Science-Spirit - Parkinson's Disease
https://health-science-spirit.com/Diseases/Parkinsons-Disease.html 2/9A study at Stanford University reported in May 2000 questioned 496 individuals during their diagnosis for Parkinson's disease about
pesticide exposure in the home. It was found that people who had been exposed to pesticides were twice as likely to develop
Parkinson's disease as people not exposed to pesticides.
Several studies also found that patients with Parkinson's disease have much lower levels of detoxifying enzymes than healthy
individuals, only about 30% of normal levels were present. This means that toxic chemicals in such individuals accumulate much
more than in those with normal liver functions. These chemicals are fat-soluble and, therefore, are stored in lipid structures such as
the brain.
A contributing factor greatly facilitating the passage of toxic chemicals into the brain is aluminium. The brain is normally protected
from undesirable chemicals in the bloodstream by a ﬁlter barrier. High aluminium levels have been shown to allow toxic chemicals to
cross this barrier, which would other wise be kept out. In addition, aluminium itself has neurotoxic properties. Aluminium inhibits the
synthesis of important brain chemicals and it has the potential to block nucleic acid metabolism within nerve cells and to interfere with
magnesium in the regulation of neurotransmitter receptors. The brain deterioration in Alzheimer's disease is strongly linked to
aluminium accumulations in brain cells.
The injection of aluminium salts into the ﬂuid surrounding the brain initiates degenerative brain changes, and aluminium levels in the
brain of cats similar to the levels in Alzheimer's disease causes learnin g difﬁculties for the cats. There is an unusually high rate of
motoneuron disease and Parkinson's disease in the indigenous population of Guam in the Western Paciﬁc. The soil and drinking
water in this area is unusually high in aluminium and low in magnesium and calcium.
Our main intake of aluminium come s from cooking utensils, antacids, some baking powders, municipal water supplies and aerosol
sprays. Encephalopathy has been clinically induced in dialysis patients through aluminium overload with mental deterioration and the
EEG suggesting movement disorders.
Further brain deterioration can be caused by accumulations of the heav y metals cadmium, lead and mercury. Of these, mercury is
generally the greatest brain hazard, coming mainly from amalgam tooth ﬁllings. Organic mercury compounds are strong nerve
poisons, which may kill nerve cells, cause tremors and reportedly also symptoms of multiple sclerosis. The problem is worse with two
or more different kinds of metal in the mouth which cause micro-currents that interfere with nerve functions, and also the presence of
different toxic metals in the brain greatly potentises their harmful effects. Finally, iron overload, especially in inorganic form, can
intensify Parkinson problems.
Hidden food allergies and chemical sensitivities contribute to most degenerative diseases. However, in Parkinson's disease the body
generally is insensitive and does not readily react even when speciﬁcally  testing for hidden allergies. Nevertheless, it has been shown
that the intestinal barrier becomes increasingly inefﬁcient with advancing age and degenerative diseases. This allows only partly
digested protein fragments or peptides to enter the bloodstream and reach the brain, causing chronic Inﬂammation and long-term
degeneration of brain cells.
Instead of reacting directly to allergy testing, food allergies and chemical sensitivities may be noticed as higher L-dopa requirements,
gradual worsening of symptoms or increase of dysfunctional periods. After many years on levodopa, I noticed one patient being
sensitive to the blue colouring of the standard Sinemet tablets with pronounced improvement when other tablets with a different
colour were used. I suspect that many patients of all kinds of diseases deteriorate because of the unbiological colours and
preservatives used in tablet making.
A study found that copper levels are signiﬁcantly higher in the cerebrosp inal ﬂuid of patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease than
in a control group. While the speciﬁc reason for the elevated copper levels are not known, these are generally high when there is a
chronic inﬂammation as caused by auto-immune and hidden allergy reactions. Furthermore, a copper enzyme is


  in an unar ouse d state.
(1) Lower  Abdominal  Breathing
    From yo ur practice  of the Microcosmic Orbit  you may now find
yourself breathi ng normally in the lo wer abdomen,  with little or  no
movement of  the chest  and shoulde rs. Lower abdo minal  breathi ng
is the  way we breath e when we are babies,  and the way we breat he
when we are asleep  or in deep  relaxation.  Man y of us  have  to relear n
how to breathe  into the lower abdomen  when awake and alert,
Lower abdominal breat hing causes  the diaphragm to  move lo wer
during  inhalatio n, thus  elongati ng the lungs  and providing  more lung
area to be filled  with air. Check  yourself at random during  the day
and discover  from  which area  you are breathi ng. You can practice
lower abdo minal  breathin g anytime. In additio n to increasing  lung
capacity  abdominal breathi ng will also  greatly  strengt hen the lower
abdom inal muscles, w hich will help  you to control  lower abdominal
energy. (Fig.  6-1)
(2) Diaphrag m
    Sit or  stand  in a comfortable  position.  Exhale,  flatten  your
abdomen, and  exhale  once  more, relaxing  the diaphragm do wn to
press  against  the organs,  especially  the adrenal  glands  (located
on top of  each  kidney ). Relaxing  the diaphr agm in the  exhale  position
requires  practice.  Your mind can  help  to guide  the diaphragm and
you can use  the Inner  Smile to sm ile to it.  The diaphra gm can
beco me stuck on  the rib cage  if is too tight,  and this will make it
difficult to mo ve it up  and down. You can assist  its m ovement b y
rubbing  along  the bottom of the  rib cage  until the  tightness  and pain
are gone.  This w ill enable  the diaphr agm to stretch  and you will find
your breath  beco ming  deeper:  making it easier  to practice  abdo minal
breathin g.
(3) Energy  Ball
Now inhale  without expandin g the abdomen.  You should  feel a
- 135  -Orgasmic Upward Draw
Inhal ing with  the d iaphr agm pressi ng
down,  the a bdomen expands.
Inhal ing with  the d iaphr agm
up, the abdomen moves in.
Spinal Cord
Cross-Sectio n of the Abdo men
Cross-S ection of the Ab domen
Fig. 6.1 Lower Abdominal  Breathing:  Breathe as  a round  shape,
          expanding  all sides a nd not the stomach only.
- 136  -Chapter  VI
pressure  on the lo wer abdomen  which serves  to pack  the orga ns
into a smaller place.  This w ill help  to concent rate the energy  in the
lower center  and pack  and condens e the energ y into an  energ y
ball, w hich we call a  “crystal” ball.  Exhale and relax. This condens ed
energy · will be of tremendous  use in later higher  practice  of the
Taoist sys tem as y ou form  the energ y body  and spiritual  body that
give birth  to the  soul and spirit.
B. Relati onship of the Palate to the  Organs
   The palate  and the tongue  are closel y related  to the  organs  and
glands.  Knowing how to activate  the palate,  the floor of the  Cranial
Pump, wi ll enabl e you to trigge r that pum p’s action,  thereby
assisting  the flow of Chi.
(1) Front Palate
   The front  part of the palate  near  the teeth  and the inside gum is
related  to, and  is the  reflex  point  of, the heart  and small intestine.
(2) Middle Palate
   The m iddle part  of the palate  before  the soft palate  is related  to,
and is the  reflex  point  of, the  liver  and gall bladde r:
(3) Back  Palate
    The soft  palate  located  toward the back  of the  mouth is related
to, and  is the  reflex  point  of, the kidney s and bladder.
(4) Front of The  Mouth
   The point  at the front  of the  mouth betw een the upper  and lower
teeth  is related  to, and  is the  reflex  point  of, the lungs  and large
intestine.
(5) Jaw  Line
   The j aw line betw een the lower teeth  and gum s is relate d to,
and is the  reflex  point  of, the  spleen,  stomach and  pancre as.
C. Activating the Pumps
   In these  exercises,  we com bine lower abdom inal breathi ng
together  with muscle po wer locks.
- 137  -Orgasmic Upward Draw
Close and pu ll the e yes in, then
look up toward  the crown.
Press the flat side of the
tongue ag ainst the palate..
Push the chi n
 backward.
Fig. 6.2 Activating  the Cranial Pump.
(1) Activation of the Cranial Pump ( Fig. 6-2)
   The mu scle po wer lock that  is responsible  for activating  the
Cranial  Pump is acco mplished  by squeezing  the mu scles of the
tongue  against  the palate  and teeth,  while simultaneously  squeezi ng
the muscle at the  back  and base  of the  skull,  thereby  activating  the
Cranial  Pump as w ell as all of the pumps in the  body.
(A) Teeth
  Clenching  the teeth  will help  to squeeze  the temporal  bones,
and when released  will activate  the Cranial  Pump. T he cranial  bone,
- 138  -Chapter VI
located  at the palate,  is called  the palatine  bone.  Clenching  the
teeth  will also stim ulate  the lungs  and large  intestine.
Front Pal ate: Reflex
point of the h eart and
small intestin e.
Middle Pal ate: Reflex
point of the liver  and
gall bladder.
Back Pa late: Reflex
point of the ki dney s
and bla dder
Front of the Mouth:Reflex
point of the lun gs and lar ge
intestin es
Fig. 6.3 Relationship  betwe en the Palat e and the Organs
(B) Tongue
   Press the flat  side of the  tongue  to the  middle of  the palatine
bone  and the tip of the  tongue  against  the lower front  com er made
by the gum  and teeth.  Pressing  the tongue  firmly to the palate,  the
floor of the  Cranial  Pum p, will help  activate  the Cranial  Pum p and
stimulate the palate,  the reflex  point  of the liver and  gall bladder. It
- 139  -Orgasmic Upward Draw
also stim ulates  the jaw line, the reflex  point  of the spleen,  stom ach
and pancreas,  and the tip of  the tongue.  (Fig.  6-3)
(C) Chin
  Activate the back  side  of the  Cranial  Pum p by pushing  the chin
backw ard (not up or  down). You will feel a  tightening  at the  back
and base  of the  skull,  or occipital  bone.  In the  beginnin g, you will
have  to squeez e the muscle at the back  of the skull  to activate  the
base  of the  Cranial  Pum p.
(D) Eyes
   The e yes contain  many muscles around  the orbital  bones  (the
cavities of  the skull containing  the eyes) which will also  help  to
increase  the pumping action.  Rolling and  pulling  up the  eyes and
squeezing  the muscles into the  orbital  bones  will also help  to activate
the Cranial  Pump. Look  up and slightly  pull the eyes up toward the
crow n at the  top of the  head.  You will feel a pressur e there.  This w ill
activate  the top of the  Cranial  Pum p.
   You are now  clenching  the teeth  and pressing  the tongu e to the
palate,  pushing  the chin to  the back,  looking  up with your eyes and
focusing  them  on the top, or crow n,


	with
people	and	situations	waiting	to	“get”	us-then	that	belief	will	be	our	reality.
Are	you	willing	to	let	go	of	ideas	and	beliefs	that	don’t	support	and	nurture
you?	Then	you	are	ready	to	continue	our	journey.
EXERCISE:
Release	Your	Addictions
This	is	where	the	changes	take	place-right	here	and	now	in	our	own
minds!	Take	some	deep	breaths,	close	your	eyes,	and	think	about	the
person,	place,
	or
thing	that	you	are	addicted	to.	Think	of	the	insanity
behind	the	addiction.	You	are	trying	to	fix	what	you	think	is	wrong
	inside
of
you	by	grabbing	onto	something	that	is
	outside
of	you.	The	point	of	power
is	in	the	present	moment,	and	you	can	begin	to	make	a	shift	today.
Once	again,	be	willing	to	release	the	need.	Say:
“I	am	willing	to	release	the	need	for	———————————	in	my
life.	I	release	it	now	and	trust	in	the	process	of	life	to	meet	my	needs.”
Say	it	every	morning	in	your	daily	meditation	and	prayers.	You	have
taken	another	step	to	freedom.EXERCISE:
Your	Secret	Addiction
List	10	secrets	that	you	have	never	shared	with	anyone	regarding	your
addiction.	If	you	are	an	overeater,	maybe	you	have	eaten	out	of	a	garbage
can.	If	you	are	an	alcoholic,	you	may	have	kept	alcohol	in	the	car	so	you
could	drink	while	driving.	If	you	are	a	compulsive	gambler,	perhaps	you	put
your	family	into	jeopardy
	in
order	to	borrow	money	to	continue	your
addiction.
How	do	you	feel	now?	Look	at	your	“worst”	secret.	Visualize	yourself	at
this	period	in	your	life	and
love
	that	person.	Tell	them	how	much	you	love
and	forgive.	Look	into	the	mirror	and	say:	“I	forgive	you	and	I	love	you
exactly	as	you	are.”	Breathe.
EXERCISE:
Ask	Your	Family
Let’s
	go
back	to	our	childhood	for	a	moment	and	ask	a	few	questions.
1.	My	mother	always	made	me...
2.	What	I	really	wanted	her	to	say	was...3.	What	my	mother	really	didn’t	know	was...
4.	My	father	told	me	I	shouldn’t...
5.	If	my	father	only	knew...
6.	I	wish	I	could	have	told	my	father...
7.	Mother,	I	forgive	you	for...8.	Father,	I	forgive	you	for...
9.	What	would	you	still	like	to	tell	your	parents	about	yourself?	What	is
the	unfinished	business	that	you	still	have?
Many	people	come	to	me	and	say	that	they	cannot	enjoy	today	because	of
something	that	happened	in	the	past.	Holding	on	to	the	past
ONLY	HURTS
US.
	We	are	refusing	to	live	in	the	moment.	The	past	is	over	and	cannot	be
changed.	This	is	the	only	moment	we	can	experience.
EXERCISE:
Releasing	the	Past
Let	us	now	clean	up	the	past
	in	our
minds.	Release	the	emotional
attachment	to	it.	Allow	the	memories	to	be	just	memories.
If	you	remember	what	you	wore	at	the	age	of	10,	there
	is
usually
	no
attachment.	It
	is
just	a	memory.
That	can
	be
the	same	for	all	of	the	past	events
	in
our	lives.
	As
we	let	go,
we	become	free	to	use	all	of	our	mental	power	to	enjoy	this	moment	and	to
create	a	bright	future.
We	don’t	have	to	keep	punishing	ourselves	for	the	past.
1.	List	all	of	the	things	you	are	willing	to	let	go	of.2.	How	willing	are	you	to	let	go?	Notice	your	reactions,	and	write	them
down.
3.	What	will	you	have	to	do	to	let	these	things	go?	How	willing	are	you	to
do	so?
EXERCISE:
Self-Approval
Since	self-hatred	plays	such	an	important	role	in	addictive	behavior,	we
will	now	do	one	of	my	favorite	and	often-used	exercises.	I	have	given	this
exercise	to	thousands	of	people,	and	the	results	are	phenomenal.
Every	time	that	you	think	about	your	addiction	for	the	next	month,	say
over	and	over	to	yourself,
	“I
APPROVE	OF	MYSELF,”
Do
this	three	or	four	hundred	times	a	day.	No,	it’s	not	too	many	times.
When	you	are	worrying,	you	will
	go
over	your	problem	at	least	that	many
times	in	a	day.	Let
	“I
approve	of	myself’	become	a	walking	mantra,
something	that	you	say	over	and	over	to	yourself,	almost	nonstop.
Saying	“I	approve	of	myself”	is	guaranteed	to	bring	up	everything	in	your
consciousness	that	is	in	opposition.	When	a	negative	thought	like,	“How	can
you	approve	of	yourself-you	spent	all	of	your	money”	or	“You	just	ate	twopieces	of	cake”	or	“You”ll	never	amount	to	anything,”	or	whatever	your
negative	babble	may	be,
this
	is	the	time	to	take	mental	control.	Give	it	no
importance.	Just	see	the	thought	for	what	it	is,	another	way	to	keep	you	stuck
in	the	past.	Gently	say	to	this	thought,	“Thank	you	for	sharing.	I	let	you	go,	I
approve	of	myself.”	These	thoughts	of	resistance	will	have	no	power	over	you
unless	you	choose	to	believe	them.
Refer	to	the	checklist	on	the	next	page,	taken	from	page	81.	Find	the
affirmation	corresponding	to	each	belief.	Make	these	affirmations	part	of	your
daily	schedule.	Say	them	at	work,	in	the	car,	or	while	brushing	your	teeth	in
the	morning.If	You	Believe:
Your	Affirmation	Is:
I	want	to	feel	better	now.
I	am	at	peace.
Smoking	cigarettes	reduces	my	stress.
I	release	my	stress	with	ease.
Having	a	lot	of	sex	helps	me	to
escape.
I	have	the	power,	strength,	and
knowledge	to	handle	everything	in	my
life.
I	can’t	stop	eating.
Love	surrounds	me	and	protects	me
and	nourishes	me.
Drinking	makes	me	popular.
I	radiate	acceptance	and	I	am	deeply
loved	by	others.
I	need	perfection.
I	allow	and	welcome	change.
I	gamble	too	much.
I	am	open	to	the	wisdom	within.
I	need	my	tranquilizers.
I	relax	into	the	flow	of	life	and	let	life
provide	all	that	I	need	easily	and
comfortably.
I	can’t	stop	buying	things.
I	am	willing	to	create	new	thoughts
about	myself	and	my	life.
I	can’t	get	away	from	abusive
relationships.
I	am	powerful	and	capable.
I	love	and	appreciate	all	of	myself
.
“I	give	myself	permission	to	change.”POWER	POINTS
1.	We	are	each	responsible	for	our	experiences.
2.	Every	thought	we	think	is	creating	our	future.
3.	Everyone	is	dealing	with	the	damaging	patterns	of
resentment,	criticism,	guilt,	and	self-hatred.
4.	These	are	only	thoughts	and	thoughts	can	be	changed.
5.	We	need	to	release	the	past	and	forgive	everyone,	including
ourselves.
6.	Self-approval	and	self-acceptance	in	the	“now”	are	the	keys
to


followed at least six good habits  could expect to live 7.2 years longer than a
woman who followed fewer than four; this increased to 7.8 years by age 55.
As impr essive as these figures are, they become much more so when we
look beyond survival to overall  health. A person in late middle age (55 to
64) who practiced all seven good habits was found to be as healthy as
young adults 25 to 34 years old who followed only one or two.
The trend held good for older age groups as well. If someone followed all
seven good habits, his health at age 75 was comparable to that of someone
in his thirties or forties who neglected good habits. What seems to pay off is
sheer regularity—the kind of diet or physical activity being followed was
not taken into consideration. (By comparison, similar population studies
from Southern California have shown that people over age 65 who take
large doses of vitamins and adhere to strict health-food diets did not gain
any significant advantage in life expectancy.)
The UCLA researchers furthe r noted that older subjects in general
followed a healthier lifestyle, implying that those who didn’ t had already
died at younger ages. This is consistent with the Surgeon General’ s estimate
that two-thirds of the illness suffered in old age is preventable. At the top of
the list for those  who died earlie st in the study were sedentary lifestyle and
smoking.
Overall, the study showed that as people with good habits moved through
life, they could expect to enjoy an advantage in health of thirty years over
those who had bad habits. Almost three decades after the UCLA study, no
one has challeng ed its major conclusion: A balanced lifestyle is one of the
most important steps toward retarding the aging process. What we want to
do now is to probe into the deeper mechanics of balance to see if this
beneficial effect can be improved. The human body thrives on orderliness,
but the ultimate  responsibility for creating order out of disorde r rests with
each cell. The secret of keeping  destruction at bay is revealed only at theinvisible level where intelligence is constantly preserving the balance of
life.
OceanofPDF.comTHE FLOW OF INTELLIGENCE:
Preserving the Balance of Life
By them selves, the body’ s molecules have no intelligence. There is nothing
“smarter” about oxygen or hydrogen just because it is being cycled through
a human cell. The same sugar molecules that sit inertly in a sugar cube are
found, with minor variations, inside DNA, but in us, sugar comes alive. The
basic fuel of the body is glucose, or blood sugar, which is the brain’ s only
food. Burning a sugar cube over a gas flame yields a flash of light and heat
and a greasy lump of carbon, but the same sugar burned in the brain
produces all the thoughts and emotions we have. The Sistine Chapel,
Paradise Lost,  and Beethoven’ s Ninth are all accomplishments of burning
sugar; so is this book and your ability to read it.
Beginning with DNA, RNA, and the enzymes they produce, our cells
teem with molecules that react with precise orderliness, but this fact is
misleading—the real decisions are made by the body’ s intelligence, which
is invisible. It acts as the choreographer who invents every step of the dance
but prefers not to appear center stage. Since all cells in the body are made
up of molecules that found their place because DNA directed them there, it
could be said that physiology is nothing but intelligence at work, and that
every process under way in every cell is essentially intelligenc e talking to
itself.
A polyg raph expert named Cleve Backster has performed hundreds of
astonishing experiments that verify this theory. The basis of the polygraph,
or lie detector, is that it measures small changes in the skin’ s galvanic
response—its ability to condu ct electricity—which provides an indirect
measure of whether a person’ s body is tense (associated with lying) or
relaxed (associated with telling the truth).However, the same differences in electrical charge occur when threat or
arousal is present. The polygraph will jump if a person looks at an erotic
picture or relives a past trauma. Amazingly, Backster found that even cells
removed from the body and placed in another room react to these stimuli
when the person does. If a few cells scraped from the inside of someone’ s
mouth are connected to a polyg raph in one room while he sits in another,
their electrical dischar ge will remain even and flat while he is sitting still
and spike wildly when he looks  at erotic pictures; at the moment when he
stops looking, his polygraph calms down again and so does the polygraph
of his cells in the other room.
This uncanny result does not appear to be affected by distanc e. In one
experiment, Backster asked a World War II Navy veteran to watch films of
the battles in the Pacific. As soon as the man saw footage of a fighter going
down in flames,  his polygraph displayed heightened galvanic response. At
the same moment, viewed through simultaneous video pickup, there was
sudden activity on a polygraph  connected to his mouth cells seven miles
away. Significantly, this man had been in battle himself and had witnessed
planes being downed by enemy-aircraft gunnery. His memory of threat was
triggered, and every cell of his body knew it.
Being abstract and invisible, intelligence has to react before it can make
itself known. Your brain makes its intelligence known by producing words
and concepts; your body makes its intelligence known by producing
molecules that can carry messages. It is fascinating to observe  how these
two types of intelligence meld into each other. The whole operation takes
place at the quantum level, where the line between the abstract and the
concrete blurs. At the source of intelligence there is very little difference
between thoughts and molecules, as a simple example will demonstrate.
The Body as Information
If you bite into a lemon, the juice instantly makes your mouth water as
salivary glands under your tongue start secreting two digestive enzymes
called salivary amylase and maltase. These enzymes begin digesting thefruit sugar found in the lemon juice before passing it along to the more
complex gastric  juices in the stomach. There is little mystery involved; the
presence of food in our mouths automatically triggers digestion.
But what happe ns if you mere ly visualize a lemon or think the word
lemon  three times to yourself? Agai n your mouth waters and the same
salivary enzymes are produced, even though there is nothing to digest. The
message sent from the brain is more important than the presence of actual
food. Words and images function just as well as “real” molecules to trigger
the ongoing process of life.
We can diagram the process as a circle that constantly renews itself:
A message is not a thing, yet your body turns it into a thing. This is how
nature operates behind the illusi on of physical reality. Our mate rialistic bias
forces us to keep looking at molecules as the source of life (disre garding the
obvious fact that a newly deceased body contains precisely the same
molecules as it did before it died, including a full complement of DNA). W e
assume that lemon juice is the real thing, while the word lemon  is a fake.
Saliva does not digest words,  after all. But we in fact are digesting
messages all the time. The molecules of lemon juice trigger salivation by
fitting into receptors on the taste buds, which send a message to the brain,
activating return messages to the salivary glands.
Nothing in nature is more miraculous than this transformation. Turning
lead into gold is trivial by comparison, for lead and gold are just minor
reshuf flings of a few protons, neutrons, and electrons. If you hear the words
I love you and your heart starts to pound, a much more astonishing
metamorphosis has taken place. An emotion in another person’ s mind hasbeen transformed into molecules of adrenaline rushing through your
bloodstream. These, in turn, activate receptors situate d on the outside of
your heart cells, which in turn tell each cell that the appropriate  response to
love is to twitch faster than normal. More important, the body feels
transformed—knowing that you are loved, you feel a sense of lightness and
joy, the world appears more vivid, and everyday problems seem to vanish.
Why are these appropriate responses? How did the body ever learn that
the word love,  and not glove  or above,  is the trigger for bounding joy in the
heart? This mystery defies the most complex knowledge of biology,
medicine, psychology, chemistry, and physics, yet it is vitally  important.
The heart is kept physically intact by a stream of messages from the genes,
and these in turn are formed from subatomic messages, weavin g in and out
of the quantum dance.
By implication, the language  we use to refer to ourselves is of
tremendous importance. Child psychologists have found that young
children are much more deeply influenced by ascriptive statements from
their parents (e.g., “You’re a bad boy”; “You’re a liar”; “You’re not as smart
as your sister”) than by prescriptive statements (e.g., “Always wash your
hands before eating”; “Don’ t put your toys in your mouth”; “Be on time for
school”).


symptoms.
Theyarenotactivelyhungrypeopleandtheirappe-
titeforeatingwillcomeinbursts;theyalsoexperience
asenseoffullnessaftereatingvervlittle.Thedigestive
disordersaremarkedandpeculiar.Peopleneeding
Ferrumhaveanintoleranceofeggs.Thevsufferfrom
diarrhoeawhileeating(thediarrhoeaactuallycomes
onwhentheybegintoeat).Thissymptomispeculiar
toFerrum.Theyalsoexperienceperiodicvomiting
aroundmidnight.
EMOTIONAL/MENTAL SYMPTOMS
Depressed.Irritable.Moody.Restlessinbed.
Theseareanaemic,nervous,irritableand•worn-out
patientswhoaremoodyandphysicallyrestless,and
whotossandturninbed.Iftheyarestuckinbed
feelingilltheywillbeforevergettingoutofbedto
wanderaroundforawhile.
PHYSICALCOMPLAINTS
Anaemia
SymptomsLipspale.Withexhaustion(seebelow).
Causeslossofblood(heavymenstrualperiods,
pregnancy,bleeding).
PeoplewithanaemiawhoneedFerrumwillhavethe
characteristicpalefacethatflusheseasily.
Backache
SymptomsInlowerback.
Betterforwalkingslowly.
Worseonbeginningtomove.
Cough
SymptomsCouchinfits.
Betterforwalkingslowly.
Worseaftergettingup;formovement.Diarrhoea
SymptomsInteethingchildren.Painless.Stools:
containingundigestedfood;passedwithwind.With
belching;flatulence.
Worseafterdrinkingwater;formovement;atnight;
whileeating.
Causesteething.
Thepersonburpsaftereatingandittastesoffood
recentlyeaten.Hewillpasswindwiththediarrhoea-
thatis,atthesametime.
Exhaustion
SymptomsWithdesiretoliedown.
Betterforwalkingslowlyinthefreshair.
Worseforexercise.
Causesanaemia;sweating.
Thisisagreattirednessthatisactuallybetterfora
gentlestroll.Theexhaustion ismentalaswellas
physical,andthepersondoesn'twanttowork.
Fever
Betterforbeinguncovered.
Thepatientwillhavethetypicalpalefacewhich
flusheseasily.
Headache
SymptomsPains:inforehead;hammering;throb-
bing.Withthirstlessness.
Betterforfirmpressure;forlyingdown.
Worseformovinghead.
Theseheadacheslastfortwotothreedaysatatime
andarevervdraining.Thepatientfeelsshemustlie
down,andrefusesdrinks;herfaceisalternatelyhot
andflushedorpaleanddrained.
Jointpain
SymptomsPains:inshoulder;inupperarm;stitching;
tearing.
Betterforgentlemovement.
Worseonbeginningtomove;forliftingarmup;for
bendingarmbackwards.
Nosebleeds
SymptomsInchildren.
Sciatica
Betterforgentlemovement;forwalking.
Varicoseveins
SymptomsVaricoseveins:painful;swollen.
WorseDuringpregnancy.
Theseareoftenaccompaniedbyanaemiaandtired-
INTERNALMATERIAMEDICA Gelsemiumsempervirens(Gels.)•91
Vomiting
SymptomsVomitingsudden,offood
Worseaftereatingeggs;aftermidnight;atnight.
Foodeithercomesupsuddenlywhilsteatingoritlies
inthestomachalldayandthencomesuparound
midnight.Gelsemium,wascuredofthebiliousfeverfromwhich
hehadbeensuffering.Thisaccidentalpoisoningand
cureledtoGelsemiumbeingmarketedasacurefor
feversandfinallytoitshomeopathicprovings.
Forthehomeopathicpreparationthefreshrootis
choppedandmixedwithalcoholandlefttostandfor
eightdaysbeforebeingsuccussed.
Gelsemiumsempervirens (Gels.)
Familyname;Loganiaceae
Othernames:yellowjasmine;falsejasmine;wild
woodbine;Carolinajasmine
Gelsemium isabeautifulclimbingplantfoundinmoist
woodlandsandalongseacoastsinthesouthernStates
oftheUSA.ItbelongstothesamefamilyasNuxvomica
andIgnatiaandshouldnotbeconfusedwiththetrue
jasminewhichbelongstoadifferentbotanicalfamily.
Itcangrowtoagreatheightandbearsfragrantyellow
flowersintheearlyspring.Allattemptstogrowitin
thiscountryhavefailed.
Gelsemiumispoisonousinlargedoses,causingpar-
alysisofthemotornerves-itspoisonouseffects
includementalandphysicalsluggishness,double
vision,lackofbalance,droopingoftheeyelids,con-
vulsionsand,ultimately,death.Themedicalhistorv
ofthisplantisquitemodernandbeganwhenitwas
usedinerrorforanotherrootbyaMississippifarmer
who,afterrecoveringfromthepoisonouseffectsofGENERALSYMPTOMS
ExhaustionparalyticEyelidsheavy.Feelingof
heavinessOnsetofcomplaintslowSweatabsent
duringfever.Thirstless.Trembling.
Betterforsweating;forurinating.
Worseforphysicalexertion.
Theseareintenselywearvindividualswhosebodies
feelheavy(theirarmsandlegsfeelasiftheyart-
weighteddownwithlead);theybecometremblywith
exhaustionandconsequentlyworseforanyadditional
physicalexertion.Thisheavinessandtremblingand
exhaustion isusuallypresentintheanxietyorfearthat
precedesanexamorapublictalk.TheacuteGelsemium
complaints(forexampleflu)comeongradually,tak-
ingdaystodevelop(unlikeAconite/Belladonna). Itisa
remedythatismoreoftenneededwhentheweather
changestowarmafterthecoldofwinter,andfor
peoplewhospendtheirlivesinoverheatedhouses.
Bryoniaissimilar,butpeopleneeding itkeepstill
becauseoftheterriblepainofmoving,whereas
Gelsemiumpeoplecannotmoveforheavinessand
weariness.Gelsemium isthirstlesswhereasBryoniais
thirsty(atinfrequentintervals).Theyhaveanunusual
symptominthattheyactuallyfeelbrighterafter
urinating.
EMOTIONAL/MENTAL SYMPTOMS
Complaintsfrom:receivingbadnews;excitement.
Depressedbutcannotcry.Desirestobealone.
DislikescompanyExamnerves.Fearful:ofpublic
speaking;inacrowd;ofdeath.Sluggish.
Thesearedull,sluggish,depressedpatientswhojust
wanttobeleftalone,whowanttobequiet,andwho
donotwantcompany.Thisisacommonfluremedy
andthissluggishness afamiliarpicture.Gelsemium is
alsooneofthefavouriteremediesforpeoplewho
becomeparalysedwithfearpriortogivingatalkor
beforeanexam.ThisisnottheactivefearofArgentum
nitricumorLycopodium; itisanacuteanxietywhich
causesapersontoseizeupbothmentallyandphysi-
cally.Thesearepeoplewhomayactuallyforgettheir
lines(whereasLycopodiumsdoverywellontheextra
adrenalin).Peoplepreparingfordrivingtestsoften
needthisremedy!Thevtrembleandstutterand
92•Glonoine(Glon.) INTERNALMATERIAMEDICA
cannotcollecttheirthoughts.Theymayevenlook,as
wellasfeel,stupid.LikeNatrummuriaticumandIgnatia
theyfinditdifficulttocryifdepressed.Thedepression
typicallycomesonafterreceivingapieceofbadnews.
Likewiseover-excitement canmakethemill-either
emotionallyorphysically.
PHYSICALCOMPLAINTS
Diarrhoea
Causesanticipatoryanxiety;bad/excitingnews;fright/
shock.
Fever
SymptomsHeat:burning.Withshivering.Without
sweating.
Betterforsweating;forurinating.
Worseduringtheafternoon.
Wavesofheatalternatewithchillsrunningupand
downtheback,andalthoughtheteethmaychatterthe
patientdoesn'tfeelcold.Thechillsbegininhandsand
feetandmoveupthebody.Thepatientmaybe
breathingfasterthannormal.
Flu
SymptomsEyeballsaching.Pains:inmuscles.With
exhaustion(seeGeneralSymptoms);heaviness;
numbness;shivering/chills inback.
Betterforsweating;forurinating.
Worseforexertion;forwalking.
Thisisafluthatcancomeoninmild,dampweatheror
fromgettingchilledeventhoughthepersonfelthotat
thetime.Thetonguefeelsthickandheavyandthe


remained open for a long time. It would become infected and ulti-
mately would kill the entire organism. The closing up of a wound and
allowing it to heal can work the same way in your inner world of
thoughts.
So, don’t lead with your injuries. Deal with them and ask family
and friends to be compassionate while you are grieving or recuperat-
ing. Then, ask them to kindly remind you when it has taken on the
form of a predictable response. Perhaps four or five times your
friends and loved ones will say, “You did suffer a tragic experience
and I can truly empathize with you and your need to discuss it. I
care, and I'll listen and offer help if that is what you want.” Then,
after several such interchanges, ask your friends to gently remind you
to not repeat the story for the purpose of gaining power through pity.
When you go backward and continuously relive your pain, includ-
ing describing it in most introductions and labeling yourself (incest
survivor, alcoholic, orphan, abandoned), you do not do so for
strength. You do it because of your inner experience of bitterness.
This bitterness shows itself in hatred and anger as you discuss these
events, and you are literally feeding the cell tissue of your life from
this harvest of past events.
This continues to infect the body and prevent healing. And so it is
with the spirit. This harvest of bitterness keeps you from feeling
worthy. You begin to cultivate an image of being dirty, unlucky,
unworthy and maligned, and this is what you send out into the uni-
verse, which will inhibit any sense of attracting love and bliss into
your life.
The way out of bonding to your wounds is through forgiveness.
Forgiveness is the most powerful thing that you can do for your phys-
iology and your spirituality, and it remains one of the least attractive
things to us, largely because our egos rule so unequivocally. To forgive
85
WAYNE W. DYER
is somehow associated with saying that it is all right, that we accept
the evil deed. But this is not forgiveness.
Forgiveness means that you fill yourself with love and you radiate
that love outward and refuse to hang onto the venom or hatred that
was engendered by the behaviors that caused the wounds.
Forgiveness is a spiritual act of love for yourself and it sends a mes-
sage to everyone, including yourself, that you are an object of love
and that that is what you are going to impart.
This is the process of unbonding from those wounds and no |
longer hanging onto them as prized possessions. It means letting go
of the language of blame and self-pity and no longer leading with
one’s wounds and injuries from the past. It means privately forgiving
and not asking anyone else to understand. It means leaving behind
the eye-for-an-eye attitude that only makes for more pain and the
need for more revenge, and replacing it with an attitude of love and
forgiveness. The spiritual literature available to us from all religious
persuasions honors this way.
Feeling worthy is essential to being able to attract to yourself what
you desire. It is simply a matter of common sense. If you don’t feel
that you deserve something, why would the divine energy that is in all
things send it your way? Thus, you must shift to knowing that you
and the divine energy are one and the same, and that it is your ego
that is conniving to keep you from knowing the power of this in your
_ own life.
Listed below are some of the major attitudes and behaviors that
you can incorporate into your consciousness to facilitate the growth
of your feelings of worthiness.
A PLAN FOR ADOPTING AND HONORING YOUR WORTHINESS
TO RECEIVE AND ATTRACT FROM THE DIVINE SOURCE
The following suggestions represent a step-by-step plan to assist
your receptivity to the power of manifesting in your life. If put into
86
Manifest Your Destiny
practice, there will be no doubt of your feeling worthy of the benefi-
cence of the divine, all-embracing spirit.
The word “inspiration” literally means “to be infused with spirit.”
In spirit, if you will.
Practice doing what you love and loving what you do each day. If
you are going to do something, then give yourself the benefit of not
complaining about it and, instead, loving the activity. Your theme
here is “I love what I do and I do what I love.” This puts you “in
spirit” and literally provides you with the enthusiasm for being a
worthy recipient of God’s grace. The word enthusiasm comes from
the Greek root entheos, literally, “to be filled with God.”
Make every effort to remove internal habits of pessimism, negativ-
ity, judgment, complaints, gossip, cynicism, resentment and fault-
finding from your vocabulary and your inner dialogue. Replace
these with optimism, love, acceptance, kindness and peace as your
way of processing your world and the people in it.
Regardless of how much you may be tempted to go back to the cyn-
ical habits, remind yourself that this is the energy that you are
putting out into the world, and it sends a message of blockage to the
energy that would return what you desire to you. If you are filled
with negativity, you are out of balance and your resentments indi-
cate that you do not feel worthy or ready to accept the loving energy
that you desire.
Give yourself quiet time each day to erase feelings of unworthiness.
This time of prayer or meditation or just experiencing silence will
nourish your soul and will eventually remove any doubts about you
not deserving to be the beneficiary of the universe’s abundance.
87
WAYNE W. DYER
Read spiritual literature and poetry, and listen to soothing classical
music whenever possible. I have found that simply reading the
poetry of Walt Whitman, or Rabindranath Tagore, or Rumi puts
everything into a more sacred perspective for me.
It is like doing one’s spiritual homework to read the great teach-
ings of the masters, including the New Testament, A Course in
Miracles, the Torah, the Koran, the Bhagavad Gita. These great
works are a way to become in spirit (inspired) and to dissolve
doubts about your deserving to materialize in your life what you
desire.
This beautiful poem from Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet is an exam-
ple of such literature. I include it here for you to study. Pay partic-
ular attention to the words “Your hearts know in silence the
secrets of the days and nights” and “For the soul walks upon all
paths.” These are the thoughts I have been emphasizing through-
out this book in encouraging you to know your own divine wor-
thiness.
On Self-Knowledge
FROM The Prophet BY KAHLIL GIBRAN (1923)
And a man said, Speak to us on self-knowledge.
And he answered, saying:
Your hearts know in silence the secrets of
the days and nights.
But your ears thirst for the sound
of your hearts’ knowledge.
You would know in words that which
you would have always known
in thought.
You would touch with your fingers
the naked body of your dreams.
88
Manifest Your Destiny
And it is well you should.
The hidden well-spring of your soul must
needs rise and run
murmuring to the sea;
And the treasure of your infinite depths
would be revealed to your eyes.
But let there be no scales to weigh your
unknown treasure;
And seek not the depths of your knowledge with staff or
sounding line.
For self is a sea boundless and measureless.
Say not, “I have found the truth,” but rather,
“T have found a truth.”
Say not, “I have found the path of the soul.”
Say rather, “I have met the soul walking
upon my path.”
For the soul walks upon all paths.
The soul walks not upon a line, neither does
it grow like a reed.
The soul unfolds itself, like a lotus of
countless petals.
Allow yourself to be surrounded by things of beauty as much as pos-
sible.
I am writing these words on Marco Island in southwest Florida.
Each evening I leave my typewriter and go out to the beach and
experience the magnificence of the sun setting over the Gulf of
Mexico. Each time I participate in this daily ritual I am filled with
awe at the enormous energy that is involved in moving the earth
once more in its orbital relationship to the sun. I breathe in this
energy and feel thankful for being a part of all this beauty.
To be a part of this sunset each evening fills me with a sense of a
home beyond this planet and opens me up to the deeper nature
within myself. I could never feel unworthy of the grace and munifi-
89
WAYNE W. DYER
cence of the universe when J am immersed in such beauty. It is the
same with virtually any experience of beauty—it has a tendency to
remove the doubt about your own divinity and connection to the
ultimate truth that is in everything and everyone.
Practice kindness toward yourself and others as frequently as pos-
sible.
Give up your need to be right and win in favor of being kind and
you


 Annual herb growing to 3 ft (90
cm). Has long spiny leaves with 6 oblong-oval
leaflets, and groups of yellow flowers arising from the leaf axils.
Habitat & Cultivation  Thought to be native
to Iran and northwestern India, this herb is also
found in North America and the Far East. It grows in open areas and is gathered in summer.
Parts Used  Flowers, seeds, seed oil.
Constituents  Safflower contains lignans,
polysaccharides and a volatile oil. The seeds
contain a fixed oil, up to 80% linoleic acid.
History & Folklore  In 19th century North
American herbal medicine, safflower was used
to induce sweating, to promote the onset of a menstrual period and as a treatment for measles. Safflower flowers are falsely sold as saffron
(Crocus sativus, p. 89).
Medicinal Actions & Uses  In Chinese
herbal medicine, the flowers are given to stimulate menstruation and to relieve abdominal pain. The flowers are also used to cleanse and heal wounds and sores and to treat measles. In the Anglo-American herbal tradition, the flowers are given  as a treatment for fever and skin rashes. The unpurified seed oil is purgative.
Research  Chinese research indicates that
safflower flowers can reduce coronary artery disease, and lower cholesterol levels. Safflower contains a polysaccharide that has been shown to stimulate immune function in mice. Safflower oil also lowers cholesterol levels.
Caution  Do not take the flowers or seeds during
pregnancy (seed oil is safe).
Carum carvi (Apiaceae)
Caraway
Description  Aromatic annual growing to 2 ft
(60 cm). Has ridged stem, feathery leaves, and umbels of white flowers in midsummer. Exploding capsules each contain 2 small narrow seeds.
Habitat & Cultivation  Caraway grows wild
in Europe, North Africa, and Asia. It prefers sunny sites up to 6,600 ft (2,000 m) above sea level. It  is cultivated in Europe, Russia, North Africa, and the US, and the seeds are harvested ripe in
late summer.
Parts Used  Seeds, essential oil.
Constituents  Caraway contains a volatile oil
high in carvone (about 50%) and limonene. It also contains a fixed oil, flavonoids, polysaccharides, proteins, and furanocoumarins.History & Folklore  Caraway seed is
“conducive to all the cold griefs of the head and stomach… and has a moderate quality whereby
it breaketh wind, and provoketh urine” (Nicholas Culpeper, The English Physitian, 1652). The seeds
are commonly used in cooking.
Medicinal Actions & Uses  Caraway is similar
in action to anise (Pimpinella anisum, p. 248)
and fennel (Foeniculum vulgare, p. 212). Being antispasmodic, the seeds soothe the digestive tract, acting directly on the intestinal muscles to relieve colic and cramps as well as bloating and flatulence. They sweeten the breath, improve appetite, counter heart irregularity caused by excess digestive gas, and ease cramping period pain. In addition, the seeds are expectorant and tonic and are frequently used in bronchitis and cough remedies, especially those for children. Caraway has a reputation for increasing breast-milk production. The diluted essential oil is useful for scabies.
Research  In a German clinical trial (1999),
patients with dyspepsia were given a combination of peppermint and caraway essential oils. Overall, patients experienced a significant reduction
in symptoms.
Caution  Do not use the essential oil internally
except under professional supervision.Castanea sativa (Fagaceae)
Sweet Chestnut
Description  Deciduous tree growing to a height
of 100 ft (30 m). Has smooth silver-grey bark, lance-shaped dark green leaves, male and female catkins, and spiny yellow-green seed cases containing 2–3 glossy brown nuts.
Caraway is
antispasmodic,
diuretic, and
expectorant. It is
a mild remedy,
suitable for children.Sweet chestnut nuts are a nutritious food and the leaves are
useful for treating coughs.
Habitat & Cultivation  Native to the
Mediterranean, Asia Minor, and the Caucasus,
sweet chestnut grows freely across Europe, including Britain. It is cultivated for its timber and for its nuts, which are collected in the autumn.
Parts Used  Leaves, bark.
Constituents  Sweet chestnut contains tannins,
plastoquinones, and mucilage.
History & Folklore  Tradition has it that the
sweet chestnut tree was carried from Turkey to Sardinia and from there it subsequently spread through Europe, arriving in Britain with the Romans. The nuts are a nutritious foodstuff that can be roasted, candied, or made into a flour.
The flowers are sometimes added to blends of aromatic tobaccos.
Medicinal Actions & Uses  An infusion of
sweet chestnut leaves is taken to treat whooping cough, bronchitis and bronchial congestion. The preparation tightens the mucous membranes and inhibits racking coughs. A decoction of leaves or bark is also valuable as a gargle for sore throats, and may be taken for diarrhea. The leaves are used in the treatment of rheumatic conditions, to ease lower back pain and also to relieve stiff joints or muscles.
Related Species  The Mohicans in North
America used an infusion obtained from American chestnut leaves (C. dentata) to treat whooping cough. In his Natural History of North Carolina (1737), John Brickell reports that the “leaves or bark of the tree boiled in wine are good against the bloody flux [excessive bleeding].”
US_180-201_Brassica_dictamnus.indd   184 26/02/16   12:47 pm185Centaurea Cyanusother medicinal plantsCatha edulis  (Celastraceae)
Khat,
Catha
Description  Tree growing to 49 ft (15 m). Has
reddish twigs, oval leathery leaves, and small yellow
or white flowers.
Habitat & Cultivation  Native to the Middle
East and the Horn of Africa, khat prefers grassland
and arid conditions. It is cultivated in Ethiopia,
Somalia, East Africa, and the Arabian peninsula.
Parts Used  Leaves, twigs.
Constituents  Khat contains alkaloids similar to
those in Ephedra  species—norpseudoephedrine
(up to 1%) and ephedrine, tannins, and a volatile
oil. Ephedrine-type alkaloids strongly stimulate
the central nervous system, are antiallergenic,
and suppress the appetite.
History & Folklore  Khat is taken in some
African and Middle Eastern countries as a stimulant,
tonic, and appetite suppressant. Infused, smoked,
or chewed, khat produces an effect somewhat
similar to that of coca leaves ( Erythroxylum coca,
p. 206). Whether khat is addictive is unclear, but
withdrawal can produce lethargy.
Medicinal Actions & Uses  Mainly used as a
social drug, khat is also chewed fresh or taken in an
infusion to treat ailments such as malaria. In Africa, it
is taken in old age, stimulating and improving mental
function. Khat is used in Germany to counter obesity.
 QCautions  Khat may cause headaches, raised
blood pressure, and general overstimulation if used
more than a few weeks at a time. Do not take
during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
Caulophyllum thalictroides
(Berberidaceae)
Blue Cohosh
Description  Upright perennial growing to 3 ft
(1 m) with large, 3-lobed leaves, yellow to purple
flowers, and striking blue berries.
Habitat & Cultivation Blue Cohosh grows
wild in much of eastern North America from
Manitoba to Alabama, preferring woodland valleys
and damp, north-facing slopes. It is mainly wild-
harvested but is also cultivated commercially.
Parts Used  The root and rhizome are harvested
in the autumn.
Constituents  Blue cohosh contains alkaloids,
steroidal saponins, and resin.
History & Folklore  “Cohosh” is an Algonquin
name, and blue cohosh was a popular herb with
many Native American tribes. Though it was taken
by both sexes to treat genitourinary problems, it
was primarily considered a women’s herb.into the skin, it treats congestion, chest infections,
and cystitis. It is used to treat skin wounds and ulcers.
Caution  Do not take essential oil of cedar
internally except under professional supervision.
Celtis australis  (Ulmaceae)
European Nettle Tree
Description  Dome-shaped deciduous tree
growing to 80 ft (25 m). Has lance-shaped leaves,
green flowers, and small round purple-black fruits.
Habitat & Cultivation  Native to the
Mediterranean region and southwestern Asia,
European nettle tree is also planted as a border
tree in Italy and France.
Parts Used  Leaves, fruit.
Constituents  European nettle


pot infusion 291
pot marigold 73
potato 23, 52, 271, 298
Potentilla, P. anserina  255–56
P. erecta  syn. P. tormentilla  256
Poterium officinalis see Sanguisorba officinalsi
poultices 52, 145, 295
powders 292
prana  24
premenstrual syndrome  315
pregnancy  299, 317
prickly ash 48, 153
prickly pear 47, 242
primula 256
Primula veris  15, 35, 256
printing, invention of 24, 33–34
proanthocyanins 15
progesterone levels  316
prontoalivio 228
Prosopis juliflora  48
Prunella vulgaris  256
Prunus, P. armeniaca  15, 257
P. avium  257
P. cerasus  257
P. mume  257
P. serotina 15, 257–58
Psoralea corylifolia  258
psyllium 13, 123
Pterocarpus marsupium  46, 180, 258
Ptychopetalum olacoides  syn. P. uncinatum  258
pu gong ying 141
pu huang 279
Pueraria, P. lobata  syn. P. thunbergiana 258–59
P. mirifica 259
P. tuberosa  259
Pulicaria dysenterica  107
Pulmonaria officinalis  18, 259
pulsatilla 35, 168
Pulsatilla, P. chinensis  259
P. vulgaris see Anemone pulsatilla
pumpkin 197
Punica granatum  39, 259–60
purging 24, 109
purging flax 109
purple coneflower 92
purple foxglove 15, 26, 35, 194, 202
purple loosestrife 231
purslane 255
pygeum 45, 260
Pygeum, P. africanum  45, 260
P. gardneri  260
Q
qi (primal energy) 24, 43
qiang huo  240
qin jiao  99
qing hao  67
qu mai  201
quaking aspen 255
quality control 17
quassia 248
quebracho 175
queen of the meadow 98
queen’s delight  273
Quercus robur  14, 260
Quillaja saponaria  53, 260
quince 198
quinine 11, 52, 80, 165
quinoa 165
US_323-331_Index_General.indd   329 26/02/16   4:43 pm
330
general indexR
radish 16, 261
ragwort 19, 298ramsoms 59, 164Ranunculus, R. delphinifolius 261
R. ficaria 260–61
Raphanus sativus 16, 261raspberry 264Rauvolfia, R. serpentina 261
R. vomitoria 261
red beet 178red bush 174red clover 14, 277red poppy 244red river gum 47rehmannia 42, 95, 117, 125Rehmannia, R. glutinosa 42, 95, 117,
125
R. lutea 125
“rejuvenator” tonics 76, 124relaxant herbs, action of 13ren shen (ginseng) 118reproductive and menstrual problems
315–16
respiration/respiratory system, effect of
herbs 12, 13
respiratory tract problems 310–12Rhamnus, R. carthaticus 262
R. frangula syn. Frangula alnus 261–62R. purshiana 262
rhatany 225Rheum, R. officinale 126
R. palmatum 11, 15, 42, 126, 177,
264
R. rhaponticum 126R. tanguticum 126
rheumatism 319rhodiola 127Rhodiola, R. crenulata 127
R. quadrifida 127R. rosea 127
Rhus, R. aromatica 262
R. glabra 262R. toxicodendron 262
Ribes nirgum 262ribwort plantain 251Ricinus communis 19, 36, 262–63Rig Veda (Ayurvedic text) 36Roman chamomile 77, 187Roman nettle 146rooibos 174roots, rhizomes, tubers, & bulbs,
harvesting & processing 289
Rosa, R. canina 16, 263
R. gallica 263
rose 263rosebay willowherb 187rosemary 13, 33, 128, 286Rosmarinus officinalis 13, 33, 128, 286rou dou kou (nutmeg & mace) 115rou gui (cinnamon) 81rowan 271–72Rubia tinctorum 263Rubus, R. fruticosus 15, 34, 264
R. idaeus 264
rue 179, 222, 265Rumex, R. acetosa 264
R. acetosella 264R. crispus 65, 264–65
rupturewort 171, 219Ruscus aculeatus 265Rush, Dr. Benjamin 24Ruta, R. chalepensis 265
R. graveolens 179, 222, 265S
Sabal serrulata see Serenoa repenssafflower 184saffron 89, 184sage 22, 23, 34, 130, 131, 286, 287saikosides 72St. John’s wort 30, 31, 32, 51, 79, 106,
286, 298
Salicornia europeae 196salicylic acid 14, 26, 129Salix, S. acmophylla 129
S. alba 13, 14, 26, 129, 140S. fragilis 129S. nigra 129
sallaki 179Salvia, S. divinorum 130
S. lavandulifolia 131S. miltiorrhiza 13, 42, 130, 131S. officinalis 22, 23, 34, 130, 131,
286, 287
S. sclarea 131, 265
Sambucus nigra 15, 18, 34, 51, 132samphire 196san qi 118, 243sand spurrey 170–71sandalwood 266sandwort 170–71sang yebl (white mulberry) 40, 237–38sangre de drago 196Sanguinaria canadensis 266Sanguisorba officinalis syn. Poterium
officinalis 266
sanicle 266Sanicula europaea 266Santalum album 266sap & gel, harvesting & processing 289Saponaria officinalis 267saponins 15Sargassum, S. fusiforme 267
S. pallidum 267
sarpagandha (Indian snakeroot) 261sarsaparilla 21, 270Satureja, S. hortensis 267
S. montana 267
Saussurea, S. amara 268
S. lappa syn. S. costus 267–68
savin 225saw palmetto 48, 51, 136, 197scallion 164scarlet pimpernel 166–67scented Solomon’s seal 253schisandra 40, 133Schisandra, S. chinensis 40, 133
S. sphenanthera 133
Schizonepeta tenuifolia 40, 268Sclerotium cocos see Poria cocosScolopendrium vulgare 268Scots pine 14, 249Scrophularia, S. aquatica 268
S. marylandica 268S. ningopoensis 268S. nodosa 268
scurvy 25scurvy grass 191–92Scutellaria, S. baicalensis syn. S. macrantha
40, 42, 134, 135, 175
S. galericulata 135S. lateriflora 49, 134, 135S.


either a pitta or a kapha imbalance.
E L E M E N T S  I N  T H E  S E A S O N S
The seasons are a result of changes in Nature that in turn create changes in
our body  and its needs. This m eans we need to change what we eat in the
changing season s. Please note th at the seasons listed below are for people in
Northern Hemis phere. Y ou may need to adjust if you live in ot her parts of
the world.V A T A  S E A S O N
V ata sea son is late fall and early winter. The weather turns cold, the wind
blows, and the earth become s dry, hard, cold and rough. W ith the
unpredictable and irregular nature of V ata season, it is best to minimize V ata
foods such as cold and raw foods as that would create more of the V ata
imbalance. In order  to bring balance, we intr oduce foods of the opposite
qualities.  T o stay  balanc ed in the V ata season, it is best to favor war m,
cooked a nd oily foods such as st ews, soups, cooked root vegetables, and hot
beverages, and eat suf ficient q uantities of them. The colder w eather can
sometimes make people want to stay inside and be more sedentary than in
other seasons. It is important that we don’ t become too sedentary, and we
must maintain our regular exerc ise routines. Since V ata tends to be erratic
and irregular, it is important to maintain a regular schedule  of eating,
sleeping and exercising in order to balance V ata.
When we over -indulge during the winter months on sweets  or holiday
treats, we can create a Kapha imbalance, i.e. gain weight. It is very common
during t his time  for people to gain weight. It’ s okay to gain a little weight
gain if you have a small build, but too much can be problematic. So, eat
enough to maintain your balance but don’ t go overboard. One way to make
sure of that is to undertake regular rigorous exercise at least three or four
times a week. Exercise is impo rtant all the time, but more so in the V ata
season due to our tendency to go “dormant” and eat more.
K A P H A  S E A S O N
Kapha season is from late winter to early spring. The snow melts (if there is
snow where you live), sap rises, the ground becomes muddy and the trees
blossom. Kapha season is characterized by heavy, dense, wet, gooey, stable,
and cool qualities. Much like Nature, this is the time when our body will try
to get rid of accumulated Kapha over the winter months in or der to reach
balance. W e might experience this as colds, sinus discomfort or aller gies,
and we might fe el lethar gic and heavy. In order to help our body get rid of
this excess Kapha, we need to switch up our diet. Eating foods that are
lighter, drier and pungent (as discussed more in the tastes section of this
chapter) will allow us to move all that winter -derived Kapha  out of ourbody. A s soon as they are available, eat the first bounty of the season:
sprouts, berries, dandelions and other spring greens, which naturally
support this time of cleansing. A voiding processed food, sugars and caf feine
is a great way to help our body naturally detoxify. Eating less fat and animal
products, heavy and sweet foods is also recommended.
P I T T A  S E A S O N
Pitta season is f rom mid-June to mid-September—the summer months. W e
need to stay cool during these months. Summer ’ s bounty of fers plenty of
ways to keep c ool: cucumbers, mint, summer squash, zucchi ni, melons,
sweet, juicy fruits, berries, coconut water and mangoes. Our digestion slows
down in the su mmer to compensate for the external heat. T o keep our
digestion strong, it is best not to overindulge in ice cold bevera ges and ice-
cream, as they reduce the ef ficiency of our digestive system (more about
that in our chapter on digestion). While a little of these foods can help us
stay coo l, too much can dampe n our digestive power, making the system
work ha rder and, in turn, create more heat. Staying cool and ligh t is the way
to maintain balance in this season.
E L E M E N T S  I N  T H E  T I M E S  O F  D A Y  A N D
N I G H T
Just as dif ferent elements predominate in dif ferent seasons, dif ferent
elements are predominant at dif ferent times of the day and night.
V A T A  T I M E
Air and Ether are predominant in the environment during V ata T ime and it
occurs from 2:00-6:00 a.m. and 2:00-6:00 p.m. The morning hours
represent an auspicious time to meditate and pray and to connect with our
spirit or  our guides. The V ata e ner gy is creative ener gy, making the mid-
afternoon hours a perfect time for creative work such as writing and other
projects.
K A P H A  T I M EThe elements W ater and Earth are predominant during Kapha time and it
occurs between 6:00-10:00 a.m. and 6:00-10:00 p.m. Kapha ener gy is heavy
and stable, so e xercising during the morning Kapha time is  a valuable
antidote for the heaviness of that time of day. But going with the flow of
this ener gy in the evening hours of Kapha time helps us slow down,
unwind, and relax our nervous system so we can get ready for sleep. Eating
a lighter meal in the evening is recommended, as that’ s when our digestion
and metabolism  are slower. Heavy meals consumed in the eve ning Kapha
time can create more toxicity in the body.
P I T T A  T I M E
Fire and W ater are predominant in the environment during Pitta T ime,
between 10:00 p.m.-2:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Pitta ener gy is
sharp, intense and hot. It’ s best t o eat our lar gest meal during the day at this
time, be cause o ur digestive power is intense and at its peak. During the
overnight Pitta hours, our digestive Fire turns inward “cleaning” the GI
track, and allowing us to sleep deeply so we may wake up refreshed and
rechar ged. It is r ecommended that we retire for bed before 10:00  p.m. so we
don’ t risk the re turn of our hung er and the midnight snack attack that might
result. Falling asleep before Pit ta time allows our digestion to turn inward
and do all the p rocessing it needs to do to help us awaken refreshed and
renewed the next day.
Understanding the cycles of day and night can help us create a simple daily
routine which is very balancing for V ata. The routine can incorporate
waking up just a little before 6:00 a.m. and being in bed just a little before
10:00 p.m. Exercising in the morning and slowing down in the evening
allows us to har ness the Kapha ener gy appropriately and ef ficiently. Eating
a light, warm, cooked breakfast, with a big meal during the mid-day Pitta
time, an d a lighter meal in the evening, will help us harmonize  with these
elements in the environment and create balance for ourselves.
E L E M E N T S  I N  T H E  C Y C L E S  O F  O U R  L I F E
From bi rth to puberty, we are in Kapha time (the spring of our lives) of our
lives. Fr om pub erty to 60 is Pitta time (the summer of our lives) and after60 is V ata time (the winter of our lives). When we are young, we need lots
of food and protein to build our body. In the middle of our lives, we need to
eat to sustain our ener gy and vitality. And, in our older years, we can do
with lig hter foods, generally speaking. There are always exceptions and
other factors that determine how  we eat, such as our ability to  digest, our
body weight, our constitution, and our imbalances.
E L E M E N T S  I N  T H E  T A S T E S
Our food choices are greatly influenced by the tastes we like. Although this
is a  good indi cator of which tastes to include in our di et, without
understanding th e ef fects of those tastes on our body, we can overdo it on
some ta stes, and  not have enou gh of others. This creates an imbalance in
our physiology and results in cra vings which can help us tune into the tastes
that


 from the head-spinning department, and
metareality can feel bewildering. Metareality is the storage place
for ever ything that has ever been thought and ever will be thought.
Because infini ty is boundless, metareality also contain s every
possible  thought. Only recently have scholars of ancient Greece
been ab le to decode the scrap s of manuscripts that contain written
music, and, with painstaking effort and guesswork, enabled the
music to actually be played on reed pipes and drums exactly as
Socrates might have heard street musicians as he wandered
around Athens in the fourth century BCE.
To b ring back ancient music is an act of re-creation. The mind
is tr ying to rem ember what it never forgot, which sounds strange.
That’s not the same as retr ieving information. To grasp what’s
really at stake, an image from everyday life might help: the cloud.
Anyone who accesses the int ernet has probably heard, if only
vaguely, of the cloud, a place in cyberspace where the world’s sum
of in formation  is held. The cloud has a capacity multip le times
larger than the world’s larges t libraries. Every email is save d there,
every online photo, every tr ansaction at Amazon or search on
Google. As universal as the c loud has become, few realize that it
has a physical location.
Huge data centers have been erected to store all the
information that was once stored on home and business
computers. W hen you snap a photo of anything—a sunset, the
Grand Canyon, a newborn baby—then crop it, improve the color,
and send it to someone’s smartphone, the image doesn’t actually
go from you to  the other pers on without passing first through the
cloud. Massive data centers in Loudon County, Virginia, each
millions of square feet in size, house the actual cloud.
Accessing the cloud is instantaneous in cyberspace, but getting
into on e of these data cente rs is an arduous process. The core
where thousands of powerful computers are located is protected
by layer s of security. A worker must pass through a retinal scanner
that ide ntifies the person (it even can tell that the person is alive,
not someone contriving to use someone else’s eyeball), thenthrough a “mantrap,” a room where the entry door must lock
before the exit door will open, then through a squad o f armed
guards, and all along the wa y nine different passwords must be
presented.
The fact that cyberspace is  an actual place stands in stark
contrast to consciousness. You don’t go to a destinati on “out
there” to remember the tune to Frank Sinatra’s “Strangers in the
Night,” which comes complete with the sound of his voice  and an
image o f his face. Metareality stores the whole experience, and we
re-create it whenever we want to. Neuroscience says that we
retrieve it from the brain, but the phenomenon of sudden genius
casts shadows on that explanation, since people can retrieve
knowledge they never had in the first place.
To go a step further, being human is creative, so we  use
consciousness to invent and discover new things. This isn’t the
same as re-creating ancient Greek music. But figuring out why
some people are creative proves very difficult. Like the cloud,
metareality ha s security measures in place. For a Leonardo da
Vinci o r a Ludwig van Beet hoven, the riches of creation open
easily and copiously. These artists are consumed by the creative
act. At the oth er extreme, some people are completely shut off
from artistic creativity. Creative geniuses, it seems, are hacking
into me tareality. They relate to its infinite potential far beyond
what we allow ourselves to do normally.
Efforts have been made to ma ke creativity a skill, which so unds
promising at first. It motivat es a far-seeing company like Google
or Apple to identify and harness the most creative minds. Let’s go
back to the book Stealing Fire  me ntioned above. In it Steven
Kotler and Jamie Wheal go inside the making of “talent traps”
across Silicon Valley. These enterprises, along with the revolution
in s ocial media via Facebook  and Twitter, got their start through
innovation, an d it’s only natural that, with billions of d ollars at
their di sposal, Silicon Valley wants to spur ever more creative
ideas—in a high-tech environment, survival depends on it.
These c orporations would lov e to monetize the zone, but “aha”
moments are just that, temporary flashes of insight. Sustaining
insight and making innova tion a way of life comprise the
challenge. Stealing Fire  des cribes how Google has cr eated a workenvironment w here one important element of creativity— flow—is
engineered in ingenious ways.
The underlying notion is simple: if you want the mind to flow,
make t he workplace flow. Google takes this idea seriously and
constantly twea ks its workplace so that it feels continuous with life
outside work. There are bicycles for getting from one part of the
campus to another, Wi-Fi on company buses, high-quality organic
food, an d a loose structure that allows ideas to move freely, rather
than the traditional rigid hierarchy that seals management off
from workers.
But the se amenities have had limited success, because flow by
itself do esn’t define creativity. Kotler and Wheal focus on “altered
states,” as they term them, in  which normal habits of mind drop
away en tirely. Whether induc ed by LSD or a total immersion tank,
by meditation or sacred rituals, one can experience ecstasis, a
word derived from Latin roots that mean “outside” and “to stand.”
An ecst atic state puts the pe rson outside and beyond the mind’s
normal sense of self. In ecsta sy we feel free, unbounded, blissful—
and creative. Stealing Fire  is essentially about how Silicon Valley
seeks to monetize ecstasy.
Google encourages meditation for all its workers, for example,
which gives access to a quiete r, more expansive state of aw areness.
But despite knowing about the zone, flow, ecstasy, meditation, and
witnessing awareness, it turns out that creativity is elusive. In
2013, searchin g for the me ans to solve “wicked” problems, a
diverse group of bright minds met for the Hacking Creativity
project, “the largest meta-an alysis of creativity ever conducted.”
The guiding idea was that if creativity could be und erstood,
anything would be possible.
To this  end more than thirty thousand research papers on
creativity were analyzed and hundreds of expert s were
interviewed, “from break dancers and circus performers to poets
and rock stars.” By 2016, two conclusions were reached.
First, cr eativity is essential for solving complex problems —the
kinds w e often face in a fast-paced world. Second, we have very
little su ccess in  training people to be more creative. And there’s apretty simple explanation for this failure: we’re trying to train a
skill, but what we should be training is a state of mind.
Metareality, it turns out, is i mpossible to hack. Hacking is an
intrusion, the cyber equivalent of breaking and entering. Creative
people don’t break and enter. What they do is much c loser to
evolution; something new is coming to light and taking physical
form as  a painting or a piece  of music. To evolve is creative—the
giraffe’s long neck, the chameleon’s ability to change color, and
our own prize possession physically, the opposable thumb and
forefinger, are the result of N ature’s creativity. Working from the
field of infinite possibilities, evolution proceeds one step at a time
to create a whole creature, the same way you and I re-create the
whole experience of hearing Sinatra sing “Strangers in the Night.”
Every life form relates to metareality through evolution,
tapping into its creative pote ntial in an orderly, progressive way.
The oddest creatures, as they  look to us, aren’t an assemblage of
spare parts haphazardly cobbled together. They are expressions of
a de licate adaptation that find s a perfect niche for itself apart from
thousands of other life forms living in the same environment.
Every morning when it wakes up, the giant anteater
( Myrmecophaga tridactyla ) of  Central a nd South America is
hungry for ants. It is superb ly adapted by physical evolution to
seek out its insect prey buried deep underground. The giant
anteater’s front paws are equipped with four-inch-long, ta lon-like
claws fo r rippi ng into an ant  or termite colony. It has a tw o-foot-
long, sticky tongue that it uses to slither around and ensnare the
ants, which are then slurped back into its mouth.
One ma rvels at how specific these adaptations are. Even the
giant an teater’s jaws have been reduced to miniature size, since
anything larger would be useless for burrowing into the narrow
passages of anthills and termite colonies. But, at the same time, no
human being would ever choose to be trapped at such an
evolutionary dead end. To survive, the giant anteater must


	It	smells	delicate	and
delicious	and	nothing	like	the	synthetic	and	sickeningly	strong	fragrances	that	are
used	in	toxic	sprays	and	car	air	fresheners.
Rose	water	is	said	to	have	some	antibacterial	and	antiseptic	properties	and	is
believed	to	help	restore	the	skin’s	pH	levels	and	tighten	pores.	It’s	also	considered
to	be	anti-inflammatory	and	to	help	regenerate	skin	tissue.	The	sugars	and	natural
oils	found	in	rose	petals	trap	moisture	in	your	skin,	making	your	skin	look	smoother
and	softer—just	like	the	beautiful	rose	petals	themselves.	Plus	rose	water’s	natural
fragrance	can	help	soothe	your	nervous	system.	This	will	help	destress	you,
another	key	factor	in	keeping	your	skin	youthful	and	healthy.
Try	to	find	some	pure	rose	water	at	a	health	store	and	add	a	few	drops	to	your
cleanser	or	moisturizer.	You	can	also	try	using	it	as	a	toner,	either	pure	or	mixed
with	a	bit	of	witch	hazel,	gently	brushing	it	over	your	skin	with	a	cotton	pad	after
cleansing.
Bentonite	clay	is	derived	from	deposits	of	weathered	volcanic	ash.	It	absorbs
toxins	such	as	heavy	metals	and	other	pollutants	from	the	surface	of	your	skin
like	a	kitchen	sponge.	There	is	also	an	electrical	aspect	to	bentonite	clay’s	abilityto	bind	and	absorb	toxins.	Bentonite	clay	has	a	negative	electrical	charge,
attracting	positively	charged	molecules.	As	most	toxins	are	positively	charged,
clay	naturally	rids	the	body	of	toxins	as	it	pulls	and	holds	the	toxins	in	its
core.
11
Cosmetics	Safety:	Critical	for	Your	Overall	Beauty
Just	because	a	cosmetic	is	sitting	innocuously	on	the	shelf	at	your	local
pharmacy,	there’s	no	guarantee	that	it	is	safe	and	will	not	have	toxic
ramifications	on	your	body.	The	US
Food	and	Drug	Administration	(FDA)	has
no	authority	to	require	companies	to	test	cosmetic	products	for	safety,	and
most	products	and	ingredients	are	not	approved	or	reviewed	before	they	are
placed	on	shelves.	The	FDA	conducts	premarket	reviews	only	of	certain
cosmetics’	color	additives	and	active	ingredients	that	are	classified	as	over-the-
counter	drugs.
12
,
13
	It	also	has	no	authority	to	require	recalls	of	harmful
cosmetics,	and	manufacturers	are	not	required	to	report	cosmetics-related
injuries	to	the	agency.	The	FDA	relies	on	companies	to	report	injuries
voluntarily
14
	(yes,	you	read	that	right—
voluntarily
!).
Cosmetics	in	the
European	Union	are	far	more	strictly	regulated.	There,	over
1,000	ingredients	have	been	banned	from	use.	In	contrast,	the	FDA	has	only
prohibited	a	fraction	of	those	ingredients,	including	some	color	additives	and
other	prohibited	substances.
15
	Another	scary	fact	is	that	federal	law	allows
companies	to	leave	some	chemical	ingredients	off	their	product	labels,
including	those	considered	to	be	trade	secrets	and	some	components	of
fragrance	and	nanomaterials.
16
Since	the	FDA	does	not	play	a	big	role	in	regulating	the	safety	of	ingredients,
it	has	authorized	the	cosmetics	industry	to	police	itself	with	the	Cosmetic
Ingredient	Review	panel.	To	date,	in	its	thirty-plus-year	history,	the	industry
panel	has	declared	only	eleven	ingredients	or	chemical	groups	to	be	unsafe,
17
and	its	recommendations	on	restricting	ingredients	are	not	binding	on
companies.
18
	So	it	doesn’t	sound	like	much	real	“policing”	is	going	on.	Where
does	that	leave	us,	as	consumers?
Ingredients	from	cosmetics	not	only	are	absorbed	through	the	skin	but	are
also	often	swallowed	and	inhaled	from	sprays	and	powders.	Many	of	them	are
hormone	disruptors	that	can	create	developmental	and	reproductive	damage
and	allergic	reactions,	act	as	carcinogens,	and	create	other	kinds	of	damage	in
the	body.
19
,
20
	It’s	ultra-important	to	understand	labels	and	ingredients,	as	the
FDA	says	that	descriptions	such	as	“hypoallergenic”	or	“natural”	can	“meananything	or	nothing	at	all.”
21
	Don’t	assume	that	companies	or	any	prevailing
organizations—governmental	or	otherwise—are	necessarily	looking	out	for	your
best	interests.	It’s	important	to	scan	labels	and	look	into	the	ethos	of	brands
that	you	choose	to	use	in	and	on	your	body.	Ultimately,	we	have	to	look	out	for
our	families	and	ourselves	and	not	leave	our	safety	in	the	hands	of	anyone	else.
Toxic
Skin-Care	Ingredients	to	Avoid
There	are	countless	toxins	and	additives	in	commercial	skin-care,	makeup,
body-care,	and	other	personal-care	products.	It	would	fill	this	entire	book	(and
more)	to	list	and	describe	them	all.	But	there	are	some	common	offenders	that
are	worse	than	others.	For	more	information,	the
Campaign	for	Safe	Cosmetics
(
safecosmetics.
org/
)	and	the	Environmental	Working	Group	Skin	Deep
Cosmetics	Database	(
ewg.
org/
skindeep/
)	are	two	great	resources	to	consult
about	the	toxicity	of	specific	products	and	ingredients.	These	organizations,	as
well	as	certain	reports,	believe	that	toxic	ingredients	can	create	DNA	damage;
act	as	carcinogens;	create	brain,	liver,	kidney,	and	other	organ	abnormalities;
produce	allergic	or	other	reactions;	and	cause	eye	damage,	nervous	system
damage,	reproductive	damage,	and	birth	defects.
22
	The	list	of	these	possible
dangers	continues	to	grow	as	more	chemicals	are	introduced	and	studied.
Here	are	some	of	the	most	glaringly
toxic	ingredients	to	avoid.	Again,	this	is
like	a	drop	in	the	ocean,
not
	an	exhaustive	list:
•
Benzoyl	peroxide
•
Synthetic	(or	artificial)	FD&C	colors	and	dyes
•
Propylene	glycol	(PG)	and	butylene	glycol
•
Diethanolamine	(DEA),
monoethanolamine	(MEA),	and
triethanolamine
(TEA)
•
Methyl-,	butyl-,	ethyl-,	and	propylparabens
•
Sodium	lauryl	sulfate	(SLS)	and	sodium	laureth	sulfate	(SLES)
•
Dioxin
•
Polyethylene	glycol	(PEG)
•
Avobenzone
•
Phthalates
•
Triclosan•
DMDM	hydantoin	and
imidazolidinyl	urea
RADICALLY	TIMELESS	BEAUTY	MASK
This	nourishing	mask	will	leave	your	skin	feeling	moisturized,	smooth,	and	radiant.	Used	regularly,	it
can	help	ward	off	wrinkles	and	puffiness.	These	ingredients	are	rich	in	nourishing	enzymes,	vitamin
E,	and	beauty	fats	and	oils.
1	tablespoon	raw,	organic	honey
1	teaspoon	almond	oil
1	teaspoon	rose	water
Combine	the	ingredients	in	a	small	bowl.	Apply	to	your	face	and	neck	for	about	15	to	20	minutes.
Rinse	well.
Sunscreen	Ingredients:	Wading	Through	the
Toxic	and	the	Safe
It’s	well	established	that	sunscreen	can	help	protect	against	skin
cancers	and	sun
damage.	The	risk	isn’t	entirely	related	to	how	much	sun	hits	y