 of your lover  and use them to surrender and release yourresistance and fear. Lovemaking  provides access to personal, collective, and
universal domai ns of awareness. Every loving couple is reenacting the
perennial myths of love; every loving couple is reenacting the  reunion of
souls. In  T raditional Chinese Medicine, lovemaking is an opportunity for
the p rimordial inward moving ( yin) and outward moving (yang) forces to
balance. In A yurveda and T antra, sexual union is the personalized
expression of the eternal dance between the impulses of pure potentiality
(Shiva) and creative expression (Shakti).
T rue intimacy is union between flesh and flesh, between heart and heart,
between soul and soul. Sexual ener gy is the creative ener gy of the universe.
Sexual ener gy is sacred ener gy. When we have restored the sexual
experience to the realm of the s acred, our world becomes divine, holy, and
healed.
Thr ough the vulnerability of sexual intimacy,
the boundaries between “I” and “thou” and
between body and soul become blurr ed.

Ojas—the Essence of Love
Y ou hav e been using the mantr a ojas in your daily ritual to pe rceive your
body as a field of ener gy, transformation, and intelligence. This subtle
substance is nourishing to your physical, emotional, and spiritu al bodies. It
provides the integrating essence that unifies all aspects of your being.
According to A yurveda, we are born with a small reserve of ojas that can
be augmented or depleted as a result of nourishing or toxic e xperiences.
Healthy food, loving emotions, nurturing sensory impressions, r ejuvenating
herbs, and creative use of sexu al ener gy all contribute to more abundant
ojas. Ojas reminds every cell in the body of its primary directiv e to support
the wholeness of the mind/body  network. It also strengthens y our naturalimmunity. When  ojas is deplete d you become susceptible to d egenerative
disorders includ ing cancer. Therefore, protecting and incre asing your
supply of ojas is key to reversing the aging process.
Ojas can  be depleted by excessive release of reproductive flui d. This is
important in men and forms the  basis of the idea that as you age, reducing
the frequency of ejaculation ca n improve your vitality. This su ggestion is
not base d upon morality; rather, it is an expression of the con servation of
ener gy. As a general principle, i f you are male, see if you can increase the
ratio of sexual experiences to ejaculation. If you are accustomed to
releasing sexual  tension every time you have sex, see if you c an go to an
every ot her time  pattern. Then try going to every third time. Although at
first you  may feel some sense of frustration, you will most lik ely quickly
begin to appreciate the enhanced ener gy and passion that you feel
throughout the day. If you are a woman, play with your partner to keep his
sexual ener gy aroused without immediately releasing it. When lovers
consciously direct their powerful sexual ener gy, they become more
attractive to each other. All aspects of lovemaking, in and outside of its
sexual expression, become more ecstatic.
Nutrition for Ojas
According to A yurveda there are special foods and herbs  that have
distinctive ojas-enhancing ef fects. Fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains,
nuts (particularly almonds), honey, and dairy derived from well-cared-for
cows are all enh ancing to ojas. Substances depleting ojas include alcohol,
tobacco, canned foods, highly processed foods, fried foods, and those
containing artificial sweeteners. Make your healthier choices without being
overly compulsive or rigid. Compulsivity and rigidity deplete ojas. Simply
be m ore conscious of your choices so that to the extent po ssible, you
increase the ojas in your life.
HERBS AND OJASThere are many classical rejuvenative herbs from healing systems around
the world that can be considered ojas-enhancing. Ginseng from the Chinese
and Korean systems is the most popular herb in the world and has been
classically used to augment sexual potency. Scientific studies have
suggested that ginseng can enhance sexual appetite and erectile function in
both animals and men. It can enhance your general sense of well-being and
vitality. Ginseng is available in many forms including capsules, teas, and
even chewing gum.
A yurveda has an entire branch o f medicine dedicated to maintaining and
regaining optimal reproductive tissue. Known as V ajikarana,  these herbs are
sometimes refer red to as aphrod isiacs. Although you most likely think of an
aphrodisiac as something that arouses sexual desires, according to
A yurveda, these aphrodisiac herbs also improve your reproductive essence.
In other words, t hey enhance ojas. The three most commonly recommended
ojas-enhancing substances in A yurveda are ashwagandha, shatavari, and
amalaki.
Ashwagandha (W ithania somnifera)
Sometimes know n as winter cherry, this potently fragrant herb has long
been kn own as the primary masculine rejuvenating substance. Its Sanskrit
name means “smelling like a stallion,” implying that it infuses the user with
the pow er of a horse. Although its long-standing reputation is as a sexual
potency herb, most research has  focused on its stress-reducing a nd immune-
enhancing properties. A recent experiment with animals found that
ashwagandha influences the pituitary chemicals that regulate sex hormones.
A yurveda recommends taking a  teaspoon of ashwagandha in warm milk
sweetened with  honey or brown sugar before bedtime. This is highly
encouraged on days when the man has ejaculated, with the intention of
helping to replenish lost ojas. It is equally valuable for women to enliven
their passion and sexual ardor. Ashwagandha is now readily available from
a number of herbal distributors in the W est.Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus)
This wild form of asparagus is considered to be the feminine e quivalent
of ashw agandha in that it supports the nurturing, receptive, creative
feminine ener gy that both men and women possess. Not known for
understatement, A yurveda gives this nourishing plant the Sanskrit name
shatavari, which can be translated as “capable of supporting one hundred
husbands.” It is a classical tonic with several indications includ ing relief of
premenstrual sy mptoms, enha ncement of milk flow in breastfeeding
mothers, and the smoothing of the transition through menopause. Scientific
studies on shatavari have been  limited to date, primarily look ing into its
traditional role in relieving stomach upset and improving lactation.
Considering its long-standing history of value in strengthening  a woman’ s
physiology, shatavari is worthy of further scientific exploration.
Although most commonly recommended for women, shatavari is also
considered a valuable tonic for men. Like ashwagandha, it is usually taken
in h ot milk sw eetened with honey or raw sugar. The com bination of
shatavari and ashwagandha (one  teaspoon of each) in a cup of hot milk with
a pinch of saf fron and a little honey or brown sugar makes a n excellent
tonic for both men and women and is a traditional ojas restorer.
Amalaki (Emblica officinalis)
The powerful little fruit is one  of nature’ s most abundant s ources of
antioxidants. Ounce per ounce, amalaki juice carries twenty times the
vitamin C content of orange juice. Amalaki is considered the most powerful
general A yurvedic tonic, benef icial for both men and women. It is most
readily available  in the W est in the form of an herbal jam that combines
amalaki with a number of other tonic herbs and spices.
The mythology around this ancient rejuvenating substance describes an
elderly sage, Chavan, who wa s asked by a king to marry h is daughter.
Chavan was concerned that he would not be able to satisfy the needs of his
young b ride, but in meditation cognized the herbal formula that wouldrestore his youthful vitality. This subsequently became know as
Chavanprash or the jam of Chavan.
Scientific resear ch on amalaki has shown it to have measurab le health-
enhancing properties, including the detoxification of c arcinogens,
protection of DNA, lowering of cholesterol levels and relief of heartburn.
Amalaki-based herbal jams are becoming increasingly available in the
W est. W e recommend a teaspoon or two each day as a natural, general ojas-
enhancing tonic. Sources of ashwagandha, shatavari, and amalaki jam are
listed in the appendix.
When we have r estor ed the sexual experience
to the r ealm of the sacr ed,
our world becomes divine, holy, and healed.

The Soul of Love
Love ser ves the soul. W e learn our life lessons and awaken our memory of
wholeness through love. Our soul is the weaving of our memories and
desires, provid


oddly enough the one overwhelming factor that affects everybody alive is not included in the list
of harmful influences, namely the huge dietary changes that have taken place in the developed
world over the past century or so. (see Chapters 3 and 4.)
This is amazing, if we consider that the quality of the food and drink we consume every day
of our lives is bound to have a powerful effect on our state of health; it becomes less surprising
if we remember that the science of nutrition is conspicuously absent from the training of doctors.
The resulting ignorance deprives them from a powerful yet gentle method of healing that is able
to turn officially incurable conditions into curable ones. One can only hope that some time in the
future that method will enter mainstream medicine.
Meanwhile, however, with its nutritional program the Gerson Therapy has been successfully
curing most “diseases of modern civilization” over several decades. In this chapter we list some
of them and explain how and why the irreducible basis of the therapy, namely the rebuilding of
the immune system and restoring all body defenses, is able to reverse and heal them.
Copyright © Charlotte Gerson, 2007.  All rights reserved.
This material may not be reproduced in any medium, print or electronic without prior written permission from the author.Page 4 7Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comPart I
Defeating the Killers
Cancer
Of all the diseases under review, this is undoubtedly the one that strikes the greatest fear into
most hearts and minds. Its incidence is rising, its effects are devastating, the same as the side
effects of the available orthodox treatments, and its mortality rate is high; above all, it remains
apparently incurable. Taking all this together, it is not hard to understand that most people’s
reaction to the very mention of cancer is one of dread.
So let us take a closer look at this scourge, which the medical dictionary describes as ‘an
uncontrolled growth of cells derived from normal tissues,’ 1 adding that the disease comprises
more than 200 different types. This raises some questions: why is the growth uncontrolled, what
are the normal controls, and why do they fail? Furthermore, why is cancer a killer? There can
be uncontrolled growth in so-called benign tumors, too. Those are non-invasive, i.e., they don’t
spread, can be removed fairly easily and generally do not recur. How do they turn into malignant
killers?
While benign tumors are not cancers, they are growths that do not belong in the body, and
represent an early breakdown of the body’s defenses. They do not necessarily recur, but tend to
turn malignant in time, as the body’s defenses continue to weaken. Tumors are called malignant
when they invade adjacent tissues and also release tumor cells into the blood stream. These cells
circulate and are able to set up new colonies, known as metastases, which grow into other tissues.
In due course they invade and destroy essential organs, leading to death.
The body has a system of defenses that maintain homeostasis, the state of dynamic equilibrium
of the internal environment. (see Chapter 4 ). It is the disturbance of this equilibrium that starts
the process of cell deterioration, and the disturbance itself can be caused by various chemicals,
specifically carcinogens, viruses, radiation, ultra-violet light and tobacco. Interestingly enough, it
can also be caused by cytotoxic chemicals used to treat cancer 2, and, of course, by a faulty diet.
Cancer cannot occur in a normally functioning body, because its defenses recognize and
destroy any malignant cell that may develop, or do not allow it to come into being at all. The
immune system plays the leading role in the group of defenses. It recognizes a malignant cell as a
foreign invader and attacks and destroys it, as it would any other intruding germ or virus. However,
the immune system, along with the other defenses, i.e., the enzyme and hormone systems, the
proper mineral balances, etc., consists of organs and glands that need proper nutrients, and can
function only if they are not blocked by toxins. When those conditions don’t apply, the defenses
are unable to fulfill their task, and there is nothing to stop the malignant cell from surviving and
Copyright © Charlotte Gerson, 2007.  All rights reserved.
This material may not be reproduced in any medium, print or electronic without prior written permission from the author.Page 4 8Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.commultiplying.
The reason cancer is credited with having more than 200 different types is that the cells of
each variety look different under the microscope, depending on the kind of tissue where they
originate. Still, in all cases cancer essentially represents the uncontrolled proliferation of cells.
This definition even includes leukemias and myelomas that do not belong to the group of solid
tumors, since they affect the bone marrow—where, however, their malignant cells proliferate
without control just the same.
Instead of causing solid tumors, some cancers break down the tissues they invade and cause
severe open lesions. Their margins usually consist of swellings filled with malignant tissue that
invades and breaks down any healthy tissue it touches. This type also proliferates.
Cancer is further broken down into two major and several minor categories, depending on
the tissue where they originate. Cancers derived from epithelial tissues, which line all organs and
blood vessels and the body’s mucous membranes, are called carcinomas. They represent the
largest number of malignancies. Those that originate in connective tissue, bones, blood vessels
and the lymphatic system, are called sarcomas.  Their treatment with the Gerson Therapy is
equally effective for both, and requires little adjustment.
The most aggressive cancers, e.g. melanomas, aggressive lymphomas, and small cell
lung cancers respond most rapidly to the Gerson treatment. It could be that they are the most
thoroughly altered from normal cells, and therefore the newly recovering immune system is able
to recognize them easily. Likewise, excellent results are obtained with ovarian cancers, even
after some treatments with chemotherapy. That does not imply that other malignancies do not
respond. However, as Dr. Gerson pointed out, some of the glandular cancers, including breast and
prostate cancers, are located within glands whose entrance and exit are plugged with tumor cells.
This can make it awkward for the newly oxygenated blood, enriched with enzymes and immune
substances, to reach the malignant cells and kill them. In time that problem gets resolved and
those tumors are destroyed, too. However, this may explain why breast and prostate tumors take
a little longer to reduce.
Patients must understand that even when their tumor is gone, they are not healed yet. Where
Dr. Gerson most clearly diverged from orthodox oncology was in his realization that in cancer
the tumor is NOT the disease, only the symptom of the underlying breakdown of the body’s
systems; that, in other words, cancer is not a thing, i.e., the tumor, but a process, involving the
entire organism.
Therefore, most importantly, the disappearance of the tumor only means that the responses
have been restored to the point of removing the threat to the patient’s life. But that does not equal
healing. True total healing can only occur when all the patient’s organs have been restored, literally
rebuilt, with the best organic foods and continued detoxification. Healing is only complete when
Copyright © Charlotte Gerson, 2007.  All rights reserved.
This material may not be reproduced in any medium, print or electronic without prior written permission from the author.Page 4 9Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comthe damaged toxic liver is cleansed and rebuilt to as near normal as possible. The difficulty is that
there exist no tests to show how well the liver is restored and functioning. The liver enzyme tests
are helpful but incomplete. A patient can have ‘normal’ test results, even if malignancies are still
present. The blood chemistry, blood count and the urinalysis only show that the basic organs are
again functioning, to the extent that the body has become able to heal.
The recovering patient may feel disturbed or disappointed when all this is explained to her
or him, yet the need to achieve complete  healing must override all other considerations. Without
fully understanding the reason for this, there is a risk that when all tests come back ‘normal,’ the
tumors are no longer evident, and the local doctor, unfamiliar with the Gerson principles tells
them that ‘to all practical purposes’ they are healed, they break off the therapy, relapse—and die.
Unfortunately this has happened more than once, wasting much effort, hope and precious lives
Case Histories : Because of the Gerson Therapy’s long, successful record of healing cancer,
enough case studies to fill this volume could be presented. Indeed, separate booklets recording the
healing of a wide variety of cancers are available ( www.thegersonway.com ) Here we only describe
two cases to illustrate how the body has to be damaged more and more before a malignancy can
appear. In both cases the patients were too young (aged 32 and 42) to suffer from an age-related
cancer.
D.L. had pneumonia at age 3. A year later her appendix was removed. During her teens she
suffered some minor problems, and in her early twenties developed a series of bladder infections,
which were treated with antibiotics. These over


, no change  in circumstance would  be perma -
nent. Rather, moving  out of one  state and into another  in your imagina -
tion automatically creates a  change  in your outer  world.
The Bible has personified  every type  of state  and calls these  states by
names known to us as Moses, Noah, Job, Peter, Andrew,  and Jesus.
Throughout our journey, we  enter  these  states and  experience all that
they offer. The  last state  we will enter  is the  state of Jesus Christ. In this
state,  we become  aware  that we  are God, the  Father, and  that we have a
symbolized  as David, who personifies the  sum total of all humanity. The
journey begins with Adam, who fell asleep  and dreamed  the dream of life,
and then entered  the myriad states to gain the  experiences necessary be -
fore awakening. When you  enter  the state of Jesus you  know  yourself to
be God, and  your journey into this world  of death is then  complete.
The Play
As Shakespeare  said, “All the  world’s a  stage and  all the  men and  women
merely players.  They have  their exits and  their entrances…and  each man
in his time  plays many parts.”  This world, which seems so real, is as much
a dream as the  dreams we  encounter  while asleep. Our  waking  dream
seems so real because  it has continuity while  our dreams at night appear
to be random sequences, taking  place in unfamiliar  surroundings and situ -
ations.
God is the  dreamer, dreaming  the play into existence, and  God plays all
the parts. Everyone  who appears in your world  is God  playing  that part for
you, the  author. “No man comes unto me,  save I call him.”  Each of us is
writing  his or her  own script. If you are  dissatisfied  with the  play, it is up
to you  to rewrite  the script to make it conform to your idea of what the
play should  be. You cannot demand  that the  actors in your play  change
the character  they are  portraying. All changes must take place  in the mind
of the  author.
If there  is someone  in your world  who is the  source of annoyance or irrita -
tion to you, that  person has no choice but to play the  part called  for in
your script. There  is nothing  you can do on the  outside  to bring  about
changes in another. You  can use  the art of revision to change  a line of dia -
logue,  to replace  a certain character  with another, and  to write  happy
More Free Books Law of Attraction Havenendings to the  subplots of the  play.
When you  begin to view this waking  dream objectively, you  will be  able to
verify that you  have been the  author of both the  pleasant and  unhappy
acts in your play. You  can radically  change  the play by using  your imagi -
nation creatively, by assuming  your wish fulfilled. You   can change the
script on a  daily basis by revising  the scene  that did  not please  you. The
character  who disturbed  you today will not do so tomorrow  if you write
the dialogue  you wish to hear and  alter that role  in your imagination.
When you  awaken to know  that you  are God, the  Father  and author of
this magnificent  play, you  will understand  that: “each man in his time
plays many parts.”
Your Real Purpose
God became  you so completely that he  forgot that he  was God. In becom -
ing man, God reached  the limit of contraction and  opacity. God  totally for -
gets that he  is God  in order  to  become  and animate  His creation, man.
God then goes through all of the  experiences of knowing  good and evil
and even death, in confidence, that man will eventually awake  from this
dream of life  to once again know  that he  is God. There  is only God  in the
universe, fragmenting  himself as humanity, and  God plays all the  parts in
this time space dream.
Your own wonderful human imagination is God  in action. I am is Christ in
you (your savior). And  Christ is the  Power  of God  and the Wisdom of God.
God speaks to us through desire,  urging  us to reach higher  and higher
levels of awareness. Exercising  his own wonderful human imagination to
achieve  these  desires, man is actually  experiencing  God in action.
Through faith in his imagination, man will eventually conclude  that Christ
(the Power and  Wisdom of God) is within him as his imagination. At the
end of this fabulous journey or dream of life,  man will awaken to remem -
ber that he  is God, the  Father, enhanced  by the  experiences he  put him -
self through; when he  forgot that he  was God. Man’s sole  purpose  is to
experience scripture  (all of the  states of consciousness personified  as men
in the  Bible).
Man’s goal is to reach the  state called  Jesus Christ. Then he  will know  that
he really is the  Father  (Jesus) and  that his son is Christ (all of humanity
fused  into one  being). Man may have  many goals in the  meantime  – to
accumulate  possessions, to become  powerful, to   become  famous, or to
express anything  that he  desires. Eventually the  hunger  to know God  will
come  upon him, and  he will then have  the experiences that are  necessary
to bring  to his remembrance that he  truly is God, the  Father.
Case Histories
More Free Books Law of Attraction HavenThis Story concerns a  woman (who will be  referred  to as Mrs. A.B). She
knew  that “imagination creates reality”  and had taught this principal to
her three children, ages 12, 10, and  6. She  had practiced  this principal for
years to obtain the  things she  desired.
Although her  husband  had also heard  this teaching, he  had not put it into
practice and   actually was quite  skeptical about results. One  Sunday after -
noon, this family went for a drive  and came  upon a  new tract of homes for
sale. As this was a  lovely rural area,  they stopped  to look  at the new
models. They all loved  the area, and the homes were  large and beautiful
with all sorts of modern amenities. On the  way home, they talked  about
how wonderful it would  be to own a  new home  in this tract. They already
owned  a home;   however, they had  borrowed  money on it and  had very
little equity that could  be derived  from its sale. The  husband  said that al -
though he  would  like to buy the  home, it was not possible  as they could
not raise  the money required  for the  down payment. Even if they  sold
their present home,  the real estate  agent’s commission would  equal the
little equity  they would  realize.
Mrs. A.B. told  her husband  that the  only way they could  obtain the  down
payment would  be to sell their home  on their own, thereby keeping the
commission for themselves. The   husband  was very pessimistic  about this
but told  his wife  to go ahead  and place an ad  in the  paper  although he
knew  “it wouldn’t do any good.”  He was sure  that there  was no  chance of
selling  the house  in this way. The  wife placed  a small ad  in the  newspaper
advertising  their house  for sale.
A few nights later  when the  husband  had gone to bed  early, she and her
children drove  to the  tract of new homes. She  felt that if she could walk
through the  new house  and capture the  feeling  of actually living  there,
she would  obtain her  “dream home.”  It was dark  when they got there, but
they found  one of the  houses unlocked. She  and the three children  walked
through the  house.  The children decided  on which bedroom each would
occupy if they actually lived  there. The  mother  instructed  the children to
actually sleep  in the  new house  in their imagination that night, and she
intended  to do the  same. For the  next few days, they imagined  living  in
their new  home  and taking  walks in the  woods that were adjacent to the
tract.
That same  week,  a man answered  the ad in the  paper. He  did not seem
very enthusiastic  about buying  the house  but returned  later that day with
his wife. He  told Mrs. A.B. that they had  decided  to buy the  house  for the
price she


Akasha	is	the	home	of	the	soul	and	therefore	cannot	be	limited	in	any	way.
The	mystery,	strangely	enough,	is	how	we	manage	to	restrict	the	unbounded
potential	of	our	own	minds.	But	we	do.	The	choices	we	make	build	invisible
barriers	that	only	we	can	take	down.	There	are	constant	forks	in	the	road	that
shape	the	invisible	structure	of	the	mind	depending	on	the	road	we	choose.
The	key	words	for	such	choices	are
EXPANSION
CONTRACTION
Expression
Repression
Self-knowledge
Denial
Comfortable	with	uncertainty
Crave	security
Personal	insight
Received	opinion
Spiritually	oriented
Materialistic
Self-accepting
Guilty,	self-denying
Individualism
Conformity
Altruistic,	selfless
Ego-driven
These	qualities	don’t	describe	types	of	people	but	qualities	of	your	own
mind,	which	expands	and	contracts	depending	on	many	factors.	The	mind
isn’t	a	single	thing	moving	in	one	direction.	We	may	share	a	tendency	to	be
more	expressive	when	young,	more	repressed	in	old	age,	but	we	may	also
have	gained	personal	insight	to	replace	the	received	opinions	that	give	young
people	a	sense	of	belonging.	From	day	to	day	the	mind	fluctuates,	even	when
we	feel
we
	are	committed	to	a	single	path.	It’s	natural	for	life	to	be	open-
ended,	and	so	it	will	continue	in	the	afterlife.	In	the	Akashic	field	we	will
meet	both	sides	of	ourselves,	the	individual	who	wants	to	be	free	and	the
conformist	who	wants	to	be	secure.	The	Akashic	field	is	nothing	more	than
our	own	potential.	Will	this	idea	take	root?
For	centuries	Eastern	beliefs	have	had	little	effect	on	the	West,	despite
some	evidence	that	the	Old	Testament,	for	example,	considered	reincarnation
possible.	The	Gnostics,	a	sect	of	early	Christianity,	espoused	reincarnation
before	they	were	wiped	out	as	heretics.	Jesus	seems	to	refer	to	it	once.	The
followers	of	John	the	Baptist	believed	that	he	was	either	the	Messiah	or	the
return	of	the	prophet	Elijah,	called	Elias	in	the	New	Testament.	This	wasimportant	because	of	the	belief	that	Elias	would	“first	come”	before	the
Messiah.	When	Christ’s	disciples	questioned	him	about	this,	he	replied,
“‘Elias	must	truly	first	come	and	restore	all	things.	But	I	say	unto	you,	That
Elias	has	come	already,	but	they	knew	him	not,	but	have	done	unto	him
whatsoever	they	liked’	…	then	the	disciples	understood	that	He	spake	unto
them	of	John	the	Baptist”	(Matthew	17:9–13).	However,	in	Catholic	theology
reincarnation	was	condemned	as	a	heresy	by	A.D.	553.	This	disparity	with
Jesus’	comment	has	given	rise	to	dark	muttering	that	all	references	to
reincarnation	have	been	systematically	removed	from	the	Bible.	True	or	not,
the	East	was	resisted.
Once	the	Vedic	scriptures	began	to	be	translated	at	the	turn	of	the
nineteenth	century,	their	ideas	began	to	crop	up	in	strange	places.	The	Atman,
for	example,	became	the	immensely	popular	Oversoul	that	Ralph	Waldo
Emerson	spread	throughout	New	England	before	the	Civil	War.	Drawing	from
Indian	ideas,	Emerson’s	circle	began	to	redefine	inherited	Puritan	beliefs,
discarding	sin,	damnation,	and	the	absolute	boundary	between	life	and	death
that	can	only	be	crossed	through	faith	in	Christ.	This	launched	the
Transcendental	movement.
Now	we	face	a	polyglot	blend	of	East-West	beliefs.	The	New	Age
movement	is	an	outgrowth	of	many	traditions,	but	the	main	one	is
Theosophy
,
a	spiritualist	movement	that	began	with	séances	in	Victorian	parlors	but	was
deeply	transformed	by	Hinduism.	(Mahatma	Gandhi,	in	fact,	first	became
acquainted	with	the	Vedic	scriptures	through	English	translations	produced	by
the	Theosophical	Society	in	India.)	It	was	primarily	through	the	spiritualism
of	the	late	nineteenth	century	that	reincarnation	began	to	be	embraced	by
popular	culture.
By	contrast,	some	versions	of	the	afterlife	have	no	wish	to	overlap	with
any	other.	When	Mel	Gibson	was	being	interviewed	about	his	controversial
movie,
The	Passion	of	the	Christ
,	with	its	emphasis	on	ultra-violence	and	its
almost	total	neglect	of	Christian	love,	he	freely	admitted	his	belief	in	an
exclusive	heaven.	Gibson	was	being	interviewed	by	the
Herald	Sun
newspaper	in	Australia	when	he	was	asked	if	Protestants	are	denied	eternal
salvation.
“There	is	no	salvation	for	those	outside	the	Church,”	Gibson
replied,	referring	to	the	Catholic	Church.	“Put	it	this	way.	My	wife	is	a	saint.
She’s	a	much	better	person	than	I	am.	Honestly.	She’s,	like,	Episcopalian,
Church	of	England.	She	prays,	she	believes	in	God,	she	knows	Jesus,	she
believes	in	that	stuff.	And	it’s	just	not	fair	if	she	doesn’t	make	it,	she’s	better
than	I	am.	But	that	is	a	pronouncement	from	the	chair.	I	go	with	it.”
Fundamentalism	is	often	criticized	for	its	inflexible	and	literalist
interpretations	of	Scripture.	The	great	advantage	of	believing	in	this	kind	of
exclusivity,	as	millions	of	devout	Christians,	Muslims,	and	Jews	do,	is	its
unalloyed	simplicity.	Dying	is	as	cut-and-dried	as	winning	a	football	game—or	losing	it,	in	the	case	of	hell—and	just	as	irrevocable.	Good	and	bad	deeds
are	added	up	with	a	specific	weight	assigned	to	each	one.	A	petty	theft	or
adultery	can	be	offset	by	penance	of	equal	value,	while	some	sins,	such	as
murder,	cancel	all	good	deeds	and	buy	a	ticket	directly	to	eternal	damnation.
In	traditional	Hinduism,	however,	the	arithmetic	of	good	and	bad	deeds	is
infinitely	flexible.	For	every	act	that	earns	bad	karma,	sending	the	soul
downward	in	its	next	rebirth,	there	is	a	chance	to
balance
	the	scale	through
good	karma.	Reincarnation	also	allows	a	soul	to	experience	one	heaven	or
hell	after	another	without	limit	until
Moksha
,	or	liberation,	is	achieved.
Moksha	ends	the	entire	cycle	of	heaven	and	hell	forever,	at	which	time	the
soul	returns	to	its	original	state	as	pure	consciousness,	a	drop	of	bliss	in	the
ocean	of	bliss.	Here,	the	quarrels	of	religion	end.	Like	all	earthly	attachments,
they	fall	away.
According	to	Vedanta,	eternity	isn’t	a	smorgasbord.	If	“God	is	one”	as	so
many	faiths	declare,	there	must	be	a	deeper	layer	to	the	Akashic	field	where
disagreements	and	multiple	choices	end.	Consciousness	is	consciousness	no
matter	who	is	interpreting	it.	Akasha	exists	beyond	choice,	beyond	mind.	This
state	of	unity	attracts	the	dying	person	toward


  noting that before humans showed up, life on Earth for the other
species stayed pretty much the same. Food, shelter, and surviv al were the
name of the game. Things haven’ t really changed that much for them. The
monkeys lived in trees for tens of millions of years, just as they do now. The
fish swam in the waters for hundreds of millions of years, just as they do
now. Everything  on Earth stayed pretty much the same until you humans
showed up with your human mind. You discovered electricity and made the
nighttime bright. You built giant skyscrapers and machinery that never
existed before. You even dug into the earth, extracted minerals, and
developed advanced materials like silicon chips. Then you built a rocket
ship, got in, and flew to the moon.
Compare that to what any other animals have done. They are living
exactly the same as they did a thousand years ago, a hundred thousand years
ago, a million years ago. You’re  not. You used to live in caves;  now you’re
planning to live on Mars. What  did that? Did God hide a rocket ship, and
you found it somewhere? No, your mind did that. Your mind figured out
everything was made of atoms, then you figured out how split the atom. The
human mind actually figured out how the universe was made, all the way
down to the quantum level. Your mind put up the Hubble Space Telescope
that can see back to the beginning of creation. The Hubble can pick up light
that has been traveling through space for more than thirteen billion years.
This allows us to see what was happening thirteen billion years ago. Canyou even think about that? The fact is you can because you have a human
mind.
The human mind is an amazing thing. That is some serious stuff we’ve
figured out. You’re back in there, deep inside, and you have the use of a
brilliant mind. That said, what is the average human doing with their mind?
Einstein used his mind to ponder “thought experiments” about the behavior
of light, gravity, and the physics  of outer space (even though no human had
ever been there!). Meanwhile, you keep your mind busy with relationships,
what people think of you, and how to get what you want and avoid what you
don’t want. You may not have Einstein’ s mind, but compared to any other
living thing on Earth, your mind is brilliant. The question is not whether
your mind is brilliant; the question is what are you doing with that
brilliance?
What we see so far is that the mind by itself, without you interfe ring, is
doing what it’s supposed to be doing. It’s giving you the gift of rendering
the outside world for you to experience. But you had some troub le accepting
that gift. You started resisting when it felt a little too uncomfortable and
clinging when it felt a little too good. This caused the buildup of mental
patterns inside of you. Now, processing current external experiences
becomes distorted by the reactions of past samskaras.
You can think of this as layers of the mind. The first layer is where the
rendering of the present external experience is taking place. We can call that
the here-and-now layer. The next layer is the stored patterns from the past
that you did not release when the external experience was over. We can call
that the samskara layer. But there is yet another layer. This layer is what you
are doing with your brilliant mind to try to solve the discomforts created by
the samskaras. This is the personal-thoughts layer, and it is the one you
identify with the most—you think this is who you are. The combination of
these three layers is what we call the personal mind.  Yours is completely
unique to you and you alone.
We create the personal-thoughts layer when we use the tremendous
intellectual power of our mind to conceptualize an outside world that will
not bother us and will, in fact, make us feel good. It seems perfectly logical.
The problem is, what we think will make us feel good or bad is simply the
result of blocked mental patterns from the past. If we use our mind’ s
brilliance to develop thought patterns based on how everyone and
everything needs to be for us to feel okay, we have limited our life toserving our samskaras. And our personal thoughts don’t stop here. What
good is it to analyze how you need things to be if you’re not also going to
think about how to get them that way? First we figure out the strategy of
how to be okay, then we figure out the tactics of how to make it happen.
Strategy and tactics—that’ s military training. In essence, we are at war with
the world.
The personal mind has taken on the task of how to get the world
unfolding in front of you to be the way you want. That should set off alarm
bells because we’ve already discussed in great detail where the world in
front of you comes from, and it has nothing to do with what’ s going on
inside your head. The moment in front of you is the result of all the natural
forces that caused it to be as it is. The preference system in your mind is the
result of the past experiences that you couldn’ t handle. These are two totally
different sets of forces that have  nothing to do with each other. For example,
there are current impersonal forces that are causing it to rain. There are past
personal forces causing you to not like the rain. You have just pitted
yourself against  the universe, and you are going to lose. Nevertheless, the
personal mind thinks it’s right. You actually think that the universe should
be the way you want it to be.PART IV:
Thoughts and DreamsChapter 16.
The Abstract Mind
Fortunately, your mind has a layer b eyond the layers  of the personal mind. It
has been  called the impersonal mind, the abstract mind, or even the purely
intellectual mind. This layer of mind is not distracted by the inner
commotion caused by your samskaras. It is free to soar unhindered into the
pure brilliance and creativity of a higher expression of mind.
This higher layer of your mind, which we will call the abstract layer, is
what allows you to build rocket ships, develop air-conditioning, and
discover the existence of atoms. The abstract mind is what truly makes
humans great. You are not limite d to experiencing only through your senses;
you are free to explore in the realm of pure intellectual mind. Your mind can
take you pretty much anywhere. Do you want to build rovers that can go to
Mars so you can explore the planet on the internet? Wonderful, you can do
that because your mind is capable of expanding beyond the limit of your
senses and the limit of your personal thoughts. Mind can operate at many
levels—the question is, what are you doing with it?
Intellectually, you have the ability to take images from outside and do
creative things with them. You are free to use your mind’ s power to be
artistically abstr act and intellectually logical. A perfect example  of the latter
would be Einstein’ s thought experiments. Einstein came up with many of
his greatest theories sitting in his armchair and reasoning out very abstract
concepts. This is a great tribute to the power of our minds. It is a far cry
from getting lost in your personal thoughts and making these thoughts about
yourself the total meaning of your life. Once you create thoughts about what
you want and don’t want, and how to force the world to be that way, you
will never be okay inside. You will lose much of the great power of abstract
thought because you cannot abstract from yourself. Life will become a
battle between reality and your mental preferences. This use of mind iscalled the perso nal mind because its thoughts are all about you and your
concepts, views, and preferences.
The teachings of mindfulness, which center awareness on the current
moment, encou rage you to focus on something other than the personal
mind. Focusing on the moment is one way to get your consciousness off its
incessant addict ion to the personal. Another way to transcend the personal
mind is by using  your intellectual mind to create and do things that are not
personal in nature. This inclu des being an engineer who reasons out
problems or a medical researcher who studies diseases and how to cure
them. Artistry, computer science, mathematics—all of these are examples of
beautiful uses of the imperson al mind. The mind is great; it’s just not
supposed to be used for storing all your personal preferenc es and then
thinking the whole world is supposed to match what you stored.
The outside world is simply not going to magically match what  you’ve
stored in your mind. In fact, it is not very intelligent to expect it to. Is it
really intelligent to devote your life to fighting with life so it aligns with
your past good and bad experiences? How can you enjoy life if you are
always worrying and struggling  to get it your way? That’ s what all of our
societies are doing, and that’s what almost every human being has done.
People just haven’t evolved enough to learn not to do that. Rich people,
poor people, sick people, healthy people, married people, single people—
they all are bound in the same way. If they get what they want, they are
relatively okay.


 guesswork isn’t needed when it
comes t o know ing that a plac enta was the key. Once it appeared, a
unique feature never seen before, a door was opened. What rushed
through it wasn’t Juramaia, which eventually became extinct, but
self-creation. An unstoppable habit took a leap forward. From
then on, true mammals could be small, big, or mammoth. They
could s wim, walk, crawl, burrow, or fly. Nothing was fixed or
permanent—except a placenta. Nature took a creative leap without
precedent, wit h barely a hin t in all past life forms that t his new
kind of birth was possible.
This brings up a second mi sconception, that evolution is all
about p rogress. Creativity doesn’t need to progress; it is already
complete. Ever y life form is a complete creative act. In the case of
Juramaia, a tiny shrew-like creature wasn’t better than what came
before. Marsupials could have ruled the Earth—they became the
only indigeno us mammals in Australia. Much earlie r, eggs
evolved, and they kept on h atching, just as they did during the
reign of the dinosaurs. Live birth wasn’t better—today some
sharks lay eggs while others give birth to live young. There is no
straight-line progression from early life forms to us. Billion-year-
old microbes, one-celled animals, and blue-green algae continue
to e xist because their adaptation to the Earth was perfe ct in its
own wa y. Without the unstoppable urge to create, there was no
reason for primitive life to leave its very secure comfort zone.
Self-creation is a strong clue that consciousness needs nothing
outside itself to keep expanding endlessly. In time, Homo sapiens
rushed through another door, the one that opened to self-
awareness. We can do anything with our potential that we want to,
but no matter how civilizat ion changes, it is impossible to be
human withou t being aware. The only question is the d egree of
awareness we choose to emb race. Metahuman is closer than we
imagine, being just a higher degree of awareness.
Awareness and existence ar e uncreated. That’s the simplest
formulation of  the truth. Bein g uncreated means they simply are.
Without having to give a reason, needing no creation story, the
primal setup for being human is that we are here. We exist
because consci ousness exists.  Of all the secrets of metareality, this
one tak es the longest to sink in. At first glance, existence i s a non-issue. Nobody in a college de bating society like the Oxford Union
will arg ue the case for nonex istence. There would be no debating
societies if we didn’t exist—the point seems silly, even childish.
But if being he re is enough to bring about everything in creation
through a conscious process, that  is big news.
Existence and consciousness  cannot be separated. They don’t
just belong together, like hea t and fire or water and wetness. They
are the same th ing. Descartes  famously declared Cogito ergo sum,
“I think, there fore I am.” It’s  more accurate to say the reverse: I
am, therefore I think.
Either way, however, seeking a cause-and-effect relations hip is
chop lo gic. To exist and to th ink are the same thing. One  doesn’t
cause the other. Failing t o see this fact has led to many
misconceptions. For example, if you insist that the mind needs a
cause, y ou are stuck giving it a creation story. If you are a modern
secular person, you are soon trapped in the mistake of believing
that the brain created the mind. To a developmental psychologist,
there i s no doubt that t he brain creates the mind, and
neuroscience c oncurs. As creation stories go, this one is bolstered
by phy siology, but childhood development also offers enough
evidence to blow the story apart.
T h e  E x p a n d i n g  B r a i n
If we look at th e last stages of the fetus’s life in the womb, the
brain is  the main focus of development, the last organ to acquire
its final configuration—but th at won’t happen yet. At the moment
of birth, the infant brain is exploding with untapped growth
potential. The biggest part of the human brain is the cerebrum,
responsible for thinking and other higher functions, and evolution
has given babies a huge cerebrum to begin with, one reason that a
newborn’s hea d is so large, at the limits of what can pass  though
the birth canal. In a normal fetus carried to term, the last
trimester sees the brain roughly tripling in weight, from 3.5
ounces at the end of the second trimester to 10.6 ounces at birth.In a  sense, all babies are born prematurely, entering a “fo urth
trimester” the day they are born, because the brain keep s up its
accelerated gro wth outside the womb. In the first three m onths of
life, a newborn’s brain grow s by as much as 1 percent a day,
expanding by 64 percent in the first ninety days, after which the
growth rate shrinks to an average of 0.4 percent a day. Du ring the
rapid-growth p hase, 60 percent of the energy consumed by a baby
is used by the brain. The lar ge-scale or macro view shows that a
newborn already has all the brain cells needed for a lifetime—in
fact, too many. A newborn’s b rain cells number around twice what
an a dult has, even though the  newborn brain weighs half a s much.
As it grows to full size, which takes three years, the baby brain
thins ou t its weaker connect ions (a process technically known as
“synaptic prun ing”). It’s like sorting through an attic filled to the
rafters with things you need and junk you can do without.
Here w e begin to see the mystery of uniqueness, be cause
synaptic pruni ng is different for each baby. The brain somehow
disposes of what will not be needed for that one individual. A
musical prodigy who needs phenomenal motor skills to play the
piano at a vir tuoso level may not need advanced math ematical
ability or articulate language skills. A sculptor with a  highly
developed ability to envision  objects in three-dimension al space
may wi nd up without the relationship skills to find the right
spouse. The combinations are endless, and, to match th em, the
brain’s quadri llion synaptic  connections are just enough. Yet
clearly a brain cell has no for eknowledge that it will be ne eded or
not nee ded, according to events far in the future. Synaptic pruning
isn’t ran dom. It only makes sense that a higher perspectiv e that is
beyond time must be managing the process.
For example, a study by researchers at the University of
Washington found that speci fic areas of the brain that control the
physical aspec ts of speech (Broca’s area and the cerebellum) are
activated in seven-month-olds in advance of learning to speak.
This is evidenc e of looking a head to the future and throwing the
necessary brain switches in advance. A seven-month-old baby
doesn’t know that she will on e day speak, but Homo sapiens  does,
because we are a species of consciousness. Our speciescommunicates through the spoken word, and just about every
baby has inherited that ability.
This is different from inheriting the physical need to exchange
baby tee th for adult teeth, wh ich is linked to the growth of the jaw,
or th e n eed to go through puberty, which makes it possible to pass
on our genes through sexua l reproduction. Speech is a mental
acquisition, a prime tool for knowing what someone else is
thinking.
If unde rstanding the brain would allow us to understand the
mind, w e’d be  far ahead of the game. Yet the notion that “brain
creates mind” has always been a fallacy. For a cell to know
anything, it cannot get that knowledge from atoms and mo lecules.
Atoms and molecules don’t know that speech will be necessary.
Only consciousness affords a valid explanation, because
consciousness is the knowing element in every cell, every life form,
and every person.
Because we live in the golden age of neuroscience, you would
think th at som eday there would be a user’s manual for the mind.
But tha t day will never come. Our view is blocked by the mistake
of eq uating mind and brain. Even the fact that the brain co ntains a
quadrillion con nections is meaningless in terms of mind, just as
measuring every frequency of visible light would be meaningless
to explain how Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa. Life
would be meaningless if the  brain were in charge, beca use the
brain itself is meaningless. The mystique that surrounds it,
ascribing thoughts, feelings, and sensations to clumps of neurons,
has no  basis. If a neuroscientist went around saying, “That
quarterback is  out of his brain” or “I’d like to buy a house, but I
just can’t


	a
steak	dinner,	or	orange	juice	with	eggs	in	the	morning).	In	combination,	they
react	and	form	damaging	compounds	called	AGEs	(advanced	glycation	end
products).	AGEs	may	even	form	within	your	foods	before	you	eat	them,	if	sugar
and	protein	are	cooked	together	(such	as	baked	goods	containing	eggs	and	sugar,
or	a	ham	baked	with	brown	sugar	on	top).	These	AGEs	are	known	to	promote
heart	disease,	high	blood	pressure,	cataracts	and	arthritis.
Eating	refined	sugar	is	destructive	to	human	health	because	it	causes	vitamins,
minerals	and	hormones	to	become	imbalanced,	which	throws	the	body	into
biochemical	chaos	for	several	hours.	The	body,	desperately	scrambling	to	right
itself,	depletes	itself	of	vital	nutrients.	The	most	important	and	universal	dietary
recommendation	I	can	make	to	everyone	is	to	cut	as	much	sugar	(and	foods
made	with	sugar)	from	their	diet	as	possible.	Those	children	who	are	consuming
up	to	half	their	calories	as	sugar	become	sitting	ducks	for	infections	and	future
problems	such	as	diabetes,	osteoporosis,	cancer,	arthritis	and	heart	disease.
Eating	sugar	is	death	by	installment.
White	Flour:	Quick,	Inexpensive	and	Destructive
Almost	all	bread,	pasta	and	baked	goods	are	made	of	white	flour—an	easy-to-
use,	easy-to-store,	highly	processed	derivative	of	what	was	once	a	wheat	grain.
Wheat	is	a	good	and	nutritious	food,	but	by	the	time	wheat	gets	ground	up	and
processed	into	white	flour,	it	bears	little	resemblance	(physically	or	nutritionally)
to	wheat.	White	flour	contains	little	nutrition,	is	toxic	and	is	an	antinutrient	(likesugar).	Yet	the	average	American	consumes	more	than	two	hundred	pounds	of
white	flour	every	year.
Almost	all	of	the	nutrients	once	contained	in	wheat	are	lost	in	the	process	of
creating	white	flour	(including	60	percent	of	the	calcium,	77	percent	of	the
magnesium,	78	percent	of	the	zinc,	89	percent	of	the	cobalt,	98	percent	of	the
vitamin	E,	80	percent	of	vitamins	B
1
and	B
3
,	and	75	percent	of	the	folic	acid).
Also	lost	are	the	essential	fatty	acids	and	fiber.	Worse	still,	many	nutrients	are
needed	in	order	for	your	body	to	metabolize	the	flour	for	energy.	Because	the
flour	does	not	contain	those	nutrients,	your	body	is	robbed	of	the	nutrients,
similar	to	what	happens	when	you	eat	sugar.
In	1941,	severe	nutritional	problems	prompted	our	government	to	pass
legislation	requiring	that	certain	nutrients	be	added	back	to	the	flour.	“Enriched
flour”	was	born.	White	flour	has	lost	more	than	twenty-five	known	nutrients,	a
handful	are	added	back,	yet	we	still	call	flour	“enriched”	(instead	of,	perhaps,
“impoverished”).
We	did	not	have	nutritional	deficiency	in	mind	when	we	started	making	white
flour.	We	made	it	because	it	does	not	spoil;	it	keeps	practically	forever,	which
makes	white	flour	an	ideal	food	to	feed	people	in	big	cities.	However,	the
malnutrition	problem	with	flour	is	serious—our	bellies	are	filled	in	the	form	of
“hearty”	pastas	and	breads,	but	all	those	empty	calories	do	not	even	come	close
to	fulfilling	our	needs	for	nutrients,	thus	contributing	to	deficiency.
Worse,	flour	also	contributes	to	the	other	cause	of	disease,	toxicity.	White
flour	contains	almost	no	fiber,	which	is	essential	for	proper	bowel	movements
and	toxin	removal.	Eating	too	much	flour	(and	not	enough	fiber)	is	associated
with	constipation,	hemorrhoids,	colitis	and	rectal	cancer.
Avoiding	white	flour	is	not	easy	because	it	is	in	virtually	all	breads,	pastas,
cakes,	cookies,	crackers,	breakfast	cereals,	pizzas	and	pastries.	But	when	you
realize	that	flour	causes	disease,	cutting	down	on	the	refined	flour	products	you
consume	is	worth	the	effort.	A	plate	of	pasta	with	vegetables	can	no	longer	be
considered	a	good	meal.	The	vegetables	are	good,	but	the	pasta	is	not;	choose
whole	grains	or	beans	instead.
The	real	health	threat	from	white	flour	comes	not	from	any	single	meal,	but
because	we	eat	so	much	of	it—one	or	more	meals	a	day,	every	day.	We	also
need	to	keep	in	mind	that	many	other	grains	frequently	are	refined	(such	as	those
in	“multi-grain”	breads	and	cereals)	and	are	reduced	to	little	more	than	empty
calories.	Any	grain	that	is	finely	ground	and	“stripped”	of	fiber	and	other
nutrients	is	a	poor	nutritional	choice	because	essential	nutrients	have	been	lost,
which	most	people	do	not	realize.	I	cannot	tell	you	how	many	times	I	havetalked	to	people	who	proudly	describe	their	“healthy,	whole-grain	diets”—diets
made	of	whole-wheat	bread,	rolled	oats,	granola,	multigrain	cereals.	All	of	these
are	processed,	make-believe	foods.
Eating	processed	foods	of	any	kind	is
fundamentally	different	from	and	nutritionally	inferior	to	eating	whole,
unprocessed	foods.
On	the	subject	of	food	processing,	one	type	of	grain	processing	is	of	special
concern:	puffed	grains.	The	high	heat	and	pressure	used	in	the	puffing	process
alters	the	molecular	structure	of	proteins	in	the	grains,	making	them	toxic
enough	to	kill	laboratory	animals.	Absolutely	avoid	puffed	wheat,	puffed	millet
and	puffed	rice	(including	rice	cakes),	and	any	other	puffed	grains.	This	warning
does	not	include	popcorn,	which	is	not	subjected	to	such	high	temperatures	and
pressures.	In	his	book,
Fighting	the	Food	Giants,
Paul	Stitt	reported	an
experiment	in	which	rats	were	fed	either	whole	wheat	or	puffed	wheat.	The	rats
eating	the	whole	wheat	lived	over	a	year	while	the	rats	eating	puffed	wheat	died
within	two	weeks.
To	avoid	health	problems	created	by	processed	grains,	choose	whole	grains
such	as	millet,	oats,	quinoa,	spelt,	barley,	amaranth,	teff,	kamut	and	brown	rice.
Many	people	do	not	realize	that	white	rice	is	also	a	processed	grain	and,
therefore,	a	poor	food	choice.	Buckwheat,	not	strictly	a	grain,	can	be	cooked	like
whole	grains.	Organic	whole	grains	are	readily	available	at	health	food	stores.
Cook	grains	in	a	pot	of	water	as	you	would	cook	rice.	A	rice-cooker	will	also
work.	In	the	real	world,	often	we	are	forced	to	make	less	than	ideal	choices.	At
the	very	least,	choose	minimally	processed	whole	grains	(such	as	whole-wheat
flour	or	oatmeal)	instead	of	highly	refined	and	stripped	grains,	such	as	white


 fat content and still be low in essential fat-soluble vitamins. This constitutes an
exceedingly important phase of our modern problem. Butter ships best when hard and this quality
can be largely controlled by the fodder given to the cattle and hence becomes an important factor
in the wholesale butter industry. Since 1927, I have been analyzing samples of dairy products,
chiefly butter, from several parts of the world for their vitamin content. These samples are received
every two to four weeks from the same places, usually for several years. They all show a seasonal
rise and fall in vitamin content. The high level is always associated with the use of rapidly growing
young plant food. This tide in plant life, fluctuating with the seasons, controlled the migration of the
buffalo southward in the autumn and winter and northward in the spring. They moved at the rate of
about twelve miles per day, travelling with the sun in order to provide the highest-vitamin milk for
the young calves born in the south. No doubt these tides in nutrition control also the migration of7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 171/250birds. By far the most efficient plant food that I have found for producing the high-vitamin content
in milk is rapidly growing young wheat and rye grass. Oat and barley grass are also excellent. In
my clinical work small additions of this high-vitamin butter to otherwise satisfactory diets regularly
checks tooth decay when active and at the same time improves vitality and general health.
   Similarly the value of eggs for providing fat-soluble vitamins depends directly upon the food
eaten by the fowl. The fertility of the eggs also is a direct measure of the vitamin content, including
vitamin E.
   Since the sea foods are, as a group, so valuable a source of the fatsoluble activators, they have
been found to be efficient throughout the world not only for controlling tooth decay, but for
producing a human stock of high vitality. Unfortunately the cost of transportation in the fresh state
often constitutes a factor limiting distribution. Many of the primitive races preserved the food value,
including vitamins, very efficiently by drying the fish. While our modern system of canning prevents
decomposition, it does not efficiently preserve some of the fatsoluble activators, particularly vitamin
A.
   Since the organs, particularly the livers of animals, are storage depots of the vitamins an
important source of some of the fat-soluble activators can be provided by extracting the fat of the
livers and shipping it as liver oils. Modern methods of processing have greatly improved the quality
of these oils. There are some factors, however, which can be provided to great advantage for
humans from dairy products of high efficiency.
   I have shown in the preceding chapter the quantities of several of the minerals that are essential in
suitable chemical form to maintain an adult in good health and make possible tissue repair. The
dietaries of the various primitive groups have all been shown to have a mineral content several
times higher than that which obtains in the inadequate food eaten by modernized primitives and the
people of our modernized cultures.
   Modern commerce has deliberately robbed some of nature's foods of much of their body-
building material while retaining the hunger satisfying energy factors. For example, in the production
of refined white flour approximately eighty per cent or four-fifths of the phosphorus and calcium
content are usually removed, together with the vitamins and minerals provided in the embryo or
germ. The evidence indicates that a very important factor in the lowering of reproductive efficiency
of womanhood is directly related to the removal of vitamin E in the processing of wheat. The germ
of wheat is our most readily available source of that vitamin. Its role as a nutritive factor for the
pituitary gland in the base of the brain, which largely controls growth and organ function,
apparently is important in determining the production of mental types. Similarly the removal of
vitamin B with the embryo of the wheat, together with its oxidation after processing, results in
depletion of body-building activators.
   Refined white sugar carries only negligible traces of body-building and repairing material. It
satisfies hunger by providing heat and energy besides having a pleasant flavor. The heat and energy
producing factors in our food that are not burned up are usually stored as fat. In the preceding
chapter we have seen that approximately half of the foods provided in our modern dietaries furnish
little or no body-building or repairing material and supply no vitamins. Approximately 25 per cent
of the heat and energy of the American people is supplied by sugar alone which goes far in
thwarting Nature's orderly processes of life. This per capita use is unfortunately on the increase.
Therefore we must begin by radically reducing the foods that are so deceptive, and often injurious
in overloading the system. Even this much change in our modern nutrition will raise the factor of
safety sufficiently to check tooth decay in a large percentage of people. It will not, however, be
adequate for most children in whom the additional demands of rapid growth must be satisfied. I
have found the highest incidence of tooth decay in the high school and boarding school girls, and
the next in the boarding school boys. These groups suffer even more than the childbearing mothers.
   In discussing the technical aspects later I shall consider the defensive factors in the saliva as
controlled by the nutrition through the blood stream, and also the role of oral prophylaxis.7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 172/250   It is appropriate at this point to note some characteristics of a decaying tooth. The process of
tooth decay never starts from within but always from without and is most likely to start at the
contact points between the teeth or in the pits and grooves, especially when these are incompletely
formed. Teeth never have caries while they are covered with flesh but decay most easily soon after
eruption, when conditions are unfavorable. If the saliva is normal the surfaces of the teeth
progressively harden during the first year after eruption. While there are many theories regarding
the relative importance of different factors in the process of decay practically all provide for a local
solution of the tooth substance by acids produced by bacteria. The essential difference in the
various theories of tooth decay is the difference in theories relative to the control of these
decalcifying organisms, and relative to their quantity and activity. The dental profession has been
waiting for decades for this question to be solved before taking active steps to prevent the whole
process. The primitive approach has been to provide a program that will keep the teeth well, that
is, prevention of dental caries by adequate food combinations. I have just stated that teeth harden
after eruption if the saliva is normal. This occurs by a process of mineralization much like the
process by which petrified wood is produced.
   The tooth is made up of four structures. The first is the pulp within, which carries blood vessels
and nerves. This structure is surrounded in both the root and crown by the dentine or tooth bone
which is nourished from within. The dentine of the root is covered by cementum which receives
nourishment from the membrane which attaches the root to the jaw bone. The dentine of the crown
or exposed part of the tooth is covered with enamel. Tooth decay proceeds slowly through the
enamel and often rapidly in the dentine, always following the minute channels toward the pulp,
which may become infected before the decay actually reaches the pulp to expose it; nearly always
the decay infects the pulp when it destroys the dentine covering it. When a tooth has a deep cavity
of decay, the decalcified dentine has about the density of rotten wood. With an adequate
improvement in nutrition, tooth decay will generally be checked provided two conditions are
present: in the first place, there must be enough improvement in the quality of the saliva; and in the
second, the saliva must have free access to the cavity. Of course, if the decay is removed and a
filling placed in the cavity, the bacteria will be mechanically shut out. One of the most severe tests
of a nutritional program, accordingly, is the test of its power to check tooth decay completely,
even without fillings. There are, however, two further tests of the sufficiency of improvement of the
chemical content of the saliva. If it has been sufficiently improved, bacterial growth will not only be
inhibited, but the leathery decayed dentine will become mineralized from the saliva by a process
similar to petrification. Note that this mineralized dentine is not vital, nor does it increase in volume
and fill the cavity. When scraped with a steel instrument it frequently takes on a density like very
hard wood and occasionally takes even a glassy surface. When such a tooth is placed in silver
nitrate, the chemical does not penetrate this demineralized dentine, though it does rapidly penetrate
the decayed dentine of a tooth extracted when decay is active. This process is illustrated in Fig. 96
which shows two deciduous teeth extracted from the same child, one before, and the other a few
months after improving the nutrition. These deciduous molars were replaced by the bicuspids of
the second dentition. The tooth at the left had deep caries and was removed before the treatment
was begun. Note that the silver nitrate has blackened the tissue to the depth of the decay. The
tooth at the right was removed about three months after the nutrition was changed. Note that the
decayed dentine is so dense that the silver nitrate has not penetrated


 will start to display more negative ones. Vikruti makes you
more sensitive to stresses of all kinds. It tarnishes the finer emotions. How
many of us still feel the innocent capacity to love and trust that a baby is
born with? We crowd our cells with all the experiences of rejection,
disappointment, and doubt that litter everyone’ s past. You may now think of
yourself as a born worrier or a lifelong insomniac, pessimist, or a grouch,
forgetting that it took years to become that way.
In Norman’ s vikruti, Vata dosha is the one that is most severely
aggravated. This is not surprisin g, since Vata is the easiest dosha to perturb.
Vata dislikes such things as loud noise, crowds, and physical discomfort, so
when you get on a packed commuter train, your body will register the
experience as stress. The more you ride, the more Vata will be aggravated.
In time, the very idea of commuting to work arouses unpleasan t reactions:
you will adapt to them, but you will never thrive. In this way, the doshas
guide us toward right habits and away from wrong ones.
“Right” simply means close to nature. It is right to give Vata a period of
absolute peace and quiet every day; this allows it to find its balance point. It
is wrong to abuse Vata with loud noise and overcrowding, because that
throws it further out of balance. “Everyone has to earn a living,” you may
think, getting on the same comm uter train tomorrow and again the day after.
Nothing will make Vata enjoy the experience, though. This is one of the
most fortunate things in the world, for your only hope of returning toperfect balance is the instinct every dosha has to resist wrong treatment and
return to home base.
Norman found it very easy to recognize his situation in all of this.
“Turning into an unnatural Vata-Pitta is very common in our society,” he
was informed, “given how much aggravation surrounds us in the
environment.”
“But vikruti is a mask, an illusion built out of stress. Underneath is that
original ideal setting, the unique  combination of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha that
is the real you. If it can be recovered, your Vata symptoms will disappear.
The beauty of Ayurveda is that it makes people healthy by returning them to
their best selves.”
The next step was to give Norman a new routine to follow, one that
would soothe his disturbed doshas. We gave him a list of thing s that bring
aggravated Vata back into balance— the process called “pacifying a dosha.”
(At the end of this chapter you will find general recommendations for
pacifying the three doshas; details will be elaborated as we go deeper into
the practice of Ayurveda.) First on the list was faithful regularity to the
same daily habits. In Norman’ s case, he quickly formulated a nighttime
ritual.
“An hour before bedtime I take a warm bath—a little cooler in the
summer. Then I lightly massage my forehead, temples, and feet with sesame
oil for five minutes and drink a glass of warm milk with a rasayana mixed
in.” (Rasayanas are herbal compounds, of which Ayurveda has hundreds;
Norman finds that the most general rasayana, Biochavan, is very effective,
but there are specific Ayurvedic herbs that can also be substituted.)
“Next I sit quietly and read for twenty minutes. For me, the most relaxing
reading is poetry or inspirationa l literature. Finally, I turn off the light and
listen to soothing music until I feel drowsy, and then I immediately get into
bed.
“I have followed this routine faithfully for four months, and without fail I
fall asleep witho ut difficulty and sleep at least six hours straight, which isenough for me to feel refreshed the next day.”
All in all, a very happy outcome for a problem that millions of people
suffer from without relief, despite the fact that an estimated one out of five
Americans takes sleeping pills on a regular basis. This is not just an
insomnia cure, either, since Norman enjoys the other benefits of getting into
balance. He no longer complains of frequent colds or minor aches and
pains. He has lost the worry and dissatisfaction that had become part of his
makeup. He looks fresher overall, and life looks fresher through his eyes.
SIX ST AGES OF  DISEASE
Putting patients back in touch with their own nature has been the aim of
medicine for thousands of years —it is not unique to Ayurveda. In the West,
however, we have been spellbound by scientific medicine, with its strictly
physical explanation for disease. Now Western medicine is conceding that
illness can originate in either the body or the mind. With the advent of mind
body medicine, it is no longer clear that these two can even be separated. A
sudden mental shock, such as the death of a spouse, can create havoc in the
body, crippling the immune system and opening the way for illness, which
helps account for a much higher death rate among recent widows than
among the general population. It suggests a rationale for why lonely women
who lack the opportunity to give emotional support to others tend to have
higher rates of breast cancer.
This shift towar d mind body explanations has had both its good  and bad
sides. For example, we used to say that pneumonia begins when
pneumococcus bacteria invade the lungs and start to multiply there
uncontrollably. In mind body medicine, any explanation has its roots in an
earlier stage, in the moment when the immune system was weakened by a
negative mental  influence. This is a broader explanation than the purely
physical one, but, unfortunately, it is also quite vague. The intera ction of the
mind and the immune system is so fluid that doctors cannot actually
pinpoint the critical moment when negative thoughts compromise the
body’ s white cells.In Ayurveda, we are able to be much more precise. Accordi ng to the
ancient texts, the disease proces s has six distinct phases or steps. The first
three are invisible and can be tied in to either the body or the mind; the last
three carry overt symptoms that can be detected by both the patient and his
doctor. Each stage represents a loss of balance, but its appearance changes
as the process continues:
Accumulation—the process begins with the buildup of one or more
doshas.
Aggravation—the excess dosha accumulates to the point that it starts
to spread outside its normal boundaries.
Dissemination—the dosha moves throughout the body.
Localization—the wandering dosha settles somewhere it does not
belong.
Manifestation—physical symptoms arise at the point where the dosha
has localized.
Disruption—a full-blown disease erupts.
To illustrate these steps, let’s say that excess Pitta has accumulated,
perhaps because  you are a Pitta type who finds himself under heavy stress
or just suffering  through the discomfort of a very hot summer. Once there is
enough excess Pitta accumulated, it starts to move around the body, leaving
the places where it is supposed to remain. In short order it finds a place
where ama (toxic residue) is present; it now gets “stuck” to the ama.
This event conc ludes the first three stages of disease. At this point, a
Western doctor would not yet have a diagnosis, because no textbook
disorder is present, but it is certain from the Ayurvedic standpoint that the
body is no longer perfectly healthy. If you are very aware of your body, you
can sense the initial onset of a dosha imbalance. Everyone recognizes the
subtle changes that indicate a cold or flu is on the way. For many other
diseases, feeling  “out of sorts” registers as a vague discomfort that cannotbe local ized or identified. It usually baffles the doctor, who tries to find
overt symptoms  but runs up against a fuzzy constellation of aches, pains,
muscle weakness, low-grade fever, or simply lingering fatigue. This sort of
vague premonition in the body holds true even for a sudden heart attack or
stroke, which is rarely sudden at all. The victim is usually given warnings in
advance by his doshas but doesn’ t heed them.
Once a dosha gets stuck some where, it generally ushers in the fourth
stage, when the first distinct symptoms of sickness begin to appear. If the
Pitta has lodged in the skin, you may feel a little itching or inflammation. If
it is in the stomach, you may feel heartburn or upset stomach. (We are not
blaming just Pitta for disease symptoms. Any dosha can lodge anywhere. If
excess Vata has lodged in a joint, one of the most likely places for it since
joints readily pick up ama, you might feel a twinge of arthritis.) Except for
such vague signs, there is still no indication that a serious disease might be
in the of fing.
Because Ayurve da works at such a subtle level of our bodies, symptoms
can be relieved that are often quite mysterious by Western standards,
including unexplainable pain, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and so on.
Western medicin e tends to say that these are psychosomatic problems, that
is, that they originate in the patient’ s head. In truth, they originate at the
early stages of dosha imbalance. It is easy


	correct	energy	and	beauty	issues	that	have	plagued	you	for
years.	This	shift	in	your	overall	way	of	eating	can	provide	these	benefits:
•
Circulate	more	healing	oxygen	in	your	body
•
Increase	nutrient	absorption
•
Shift	from	sallow	to	radiant	skin
•
Transition	from	limp	to	thick	hair
•
Create	boundless	energy
Some	foods,	such	as	quinoa	and	almonds,	are	slightly	alkalizing	or	acid
forming	(depending	on	various	factors	such	as	whether	or	not	they’ve	been
soaked),	but	they	are	not	highly	acid	forming	like	other	foods,	so	even	in	their
most	acidic	form	it’s	okay	to	include	them	in	the	80	percent.	It’s	important	that
the	bulk	of	your	diet	be	made	of	the	most	alkalizing	foods,	namely	fruits	and
veggies.	The	other	20	percent	of	your	diet	can	be	made	up	of	acid-forming
foods.	Unfortunately,	the	typical	Western	diet	is	largely
acidogenic
,	meaning	it
has	an	overall	acidifying	effect	on	the	body	that	promotes	chronic	acidosis	and
results	in	the	loss	of	minerals	in	the	body,	which	are	used	to	buffer	against
metabolic	acids.Remember	that	your	body	has	complex	mechanisms	for	maintaining	the
correct	acid/alkaline	balance.	We	are	talking	about	potential	imbalances	that
diet	may	be	able	to	correct—you	alone	are	the	judge	of	the	benefits	you	see	when
moving	toward	a	more	alkaline	diet.	If	you	stick	to	about	20	percent	(or	less)
acid-forming	foods,	the	acids	will	be	balanced	by	the	alkaline	foods	in	your	diet.
So	the	great	news	is	that	you	don’t	have	to	feel	pressured	to	eat	“perfectly”;	you
can	still	allow	for	some	of	these	foods	in	your	diet.	The	problems	occur	when
the	ratio	creeps	out	of	balance,	and	more	than	20	percent	of	your	food	is	highly
acid	forming.	This	is	unfortunately	the	case	for	most	Westerners	or	anyone
consuming	a	modern	Western	diet.	Just	look	around.	Chronic	fatigue,	a	“tired”
face,	poor	skin	quality,	and	cloudy	eyes	all	indicate	that	a	person’s	body	is
overly	acidic.
Once	you	know	which	foods	are	alkaline	and	which	are	acidic,	it’s	easier	than
you	may	think	to	implement	this	ratio	(see	some	sample	meal	plans	in
Pillar	5
).
Remember,	this	doesn’t	mean	that	you	can	never	eat	any	acidic	foods	again	or
that	you	have	to	become	a	vegan	if	you	don’t	want	to	at	this	time.	However,
animal	protein	is	by	nature	highly	acidic,	so	if	and	when	you	choose	to	eat
it,
make	sure	it’s	a	smaller	portion	size	compared	with	the	alkaline	fruits	and
veggies	on	your	plate.
Strive	to	apply	this	important	Radical	Beauty	ratio	in	a	broad	sense	to	each
plate	of	food	you	eat,	and	to	your	overall	daily	and	weekly	food	consumption.
Also	try	to	avoid	eating	any	meals	or	snacks	that	are	composed	of	100	percent
acid-forming	foods;	seek	balance	every	time	you	eat.	It’s	not	quite	as	effective
for	balancing	your	pH	if	some	of	your	meals	are	very	alkaline	and	others	are
completely	acidic.	For	instance,	a	few	eggs	on	their	own	are	a	very	acid-forming
meal	that	has	a	very	different	impact	on	your	entire	system	than	one	egg	on	top
of	a	big	green	salad.	If	there	are	at	least	some	alkaline-forming	foods	present
each	time	you	eat,	your	body	will	be	able	to	more	efficiently	buffer	the	acids
that	are	produced	as	your	meals	are	digested	and	metabolized.	This	can	prevent
further	acidity	and	help	your	body	expel	any	acidic	toxins	that	have	already
accumulated.
Eighty	percent	of	the	foods	you	consume	should	be	of	varying	levels	of
alkalinity,	emphasizing	foods	from	this	list:
•
Green	vegetables
•
Root	vegetables	(winter	squash,	yams,	turnips,	sweet	potatoes,	etc.)
•
All	other	veggies
•
Fruit•
Gluten-free	grains	(quinoa,	brown	rice,	and	steel-cut	oats	from	a	gluten-free
facility	are	great	options),	soaked	overnight	(These	options	are	slightly	more
acidic	than	others	on	this	list,	but	compared	with	the	very	acidic	foods	listed
below,	they	are	great	grounding,	filling	options.)
•
Herbs	(parsley,	cilantro,	basil,	etc.)
•
Sprouts
•
Raw	apple-cider	vinegar
•
Seeds	(especially	chia)
•
Nuts,	especially	almonds	and	walnuts	(ideally	soaked	overnight)
•
Ginger,	turmeric,	and	other	roots	that	can	act	as	spices	in	food
•
Legumes,	such	as	lentils	(in	moderation	and	ideally	soaked	overnight)
•
Spices	(paprika,	cumin,	etc.)
Twenty	percent	(or	less)	of	the
foods	you	consume	should	come	from	these
highly	acid-forming	sources:
•
Red	meat
•
Poultry
•
Fish
•
Dairy	(in	all	forms,	including	yogurt)
•
Eggs
•
Coffee
•
Alcohol	(minimize	as	much	as	possible)
•
Processed	foods	(minimize	as	much	as	possible);	this	includes	anything
packaged,	from	protein	bars	to	chips.	You	can	occasionally	enjoy	such	foods,
but	remember	that	they	do	fall	in	the	20	percent	group.	Of	course,
junk
foods	like	candy	bars	and	Twinkies	should	be	avoided	altogether	(see	our	no
-
no	list	below).
An	easy	way	to	work	toward	this	balance	is	to	ensure	that	most	of	your	grocery
cart	is	filled	with	whole	foods,	mostly	from	the	outer	edges	of	the	grocery	store,
or	the	bulk	bins,	or	whole	plant	foods	from	the	farmer’s	market.	Whole	foods
are	largely	more	alkaline	by	definition	than	ones	that	have	been	processed	and
made	into	commercialized	products.Radical	Beauty	No-Nos
The	following	items	are	too	acid	forming	and	damaging	to	your	beauty	to	ever
consume.	If	you	currently	eat	any	of	these	items,	try	to	wean	yourself	off	them,
go	cold	turkey,	or	do	whatever	you	have	to	do	to	get	these	items	completely	out
of	your	diet	for	the	sake	of	your	beauty	and	health!
ARTIFICIAL	SWEETENERS
Man-made,	synthetic,	toxic,	and	acid	forming,	these	can	lead	to	neurotoxic
effects	in	your	brain	and	cause	headaches,	dizziness,	and	more	problems.	The
term
excitotoxicity
	means	that	such	products	have	the	ability	to	literally	excite
cells	to	death
16
	and	even	encourage	the	production	of	free	radicals	that	create
tissue	and	organ	damage—including	skin	that	ages	faster.
All	artificial
sweeteners	should	be	avoided,	as	well	as	any	products	that
contain	them.	This	includes	aspartame	(found	in
NutraSweet	and
Equal),
sucralose	(found	in
Splenda),	and	saccharin


 while permitting elimination naturally to dominate. Here also was demonstrated the import ance of
enemata and cleansing baths for the purpose of facilitating the disposal of the harmful products of catabolism.

During a fast, as elimination of body waste progresses, the observer is permitted, to a degree approaching accuracy, to deter mine
the condition of function of each vital organ, and, if structural defect is present, it is certain to be detected. For cessation of food
intake inhibits organic labor with the exception of that compelled by systemic utilization of the reserve contained in tiss ue. At this
time organs, the functioning ability of which is equal to normal demand, completely relax with no symptoms of distress and wi th
no signs of defect in structure; while organs diseased, either functionally or structurally, maintain a state of con gestion combined
with distress or pain, the latter due to inflammatory conditions or to lesions already formed. In addition, the internal chem istry of
the organism is more or less fully and accurately revealed, since discharges from the body are most easil y analyzed, unmixed as
they are with the products of recently ingested food.

In the event that grave organic defect exists in a patient, signs more or less determinant are displayed both during the time  of
preparation and in the early stages of a fast. S erious symptoms do not as a rule transpire until about the second or third week of
abstinence, and then these demonstrations may assume any of the forms of debility. In the experience of the writer are severa l
cases in whom at this period violent delirium occurred, as well as others who suffered from milder mental derangement. But in all
of these instances, even in those in which death succeeded, there was rapid emergence from the mental cloud, and consciousnes s
continued unimpaired either to dissolution or  to recovery.

In the cases mentioned as having developed extreme mental disturbance some structural deformation of the colon was noted. Thi s
defect, despite the employment of high enemata, acted as an obstacle to the movement of bowel contents through th e organ, and
the refuse, liquid in form, purely waste and poisonous in the extreme, was thus permitted to be absorbed in quantity, giving rise to
a degree of toxemia that induced the delirium. No surprise is evinced at intoxication resulting from the consu mption of alcohol;
none should be shown at the drunkenness produced by poisons that are self -generated.

There are other instances in whom organic development of the small intestines has been arrested in early life through disease  or
through drugs, or in whom other forms of deformation of this portion of the alimentary tract exist. During a fast these subjects may
exhibit distressing symptoms that continue for some days. They seldom, however, experience mental crises, but they do require
exceeding care in direction, both while fasting and in the after -period of rebuilding. But always each case develops its own
manifestations, and it does not necessarily follow that severe forms of mental aberration invariably proceed from intestinal organic
defect.

When f unctional disease alone is the difficulty to be overcome, the case in treatment is simplicity itself. Patients of this class
ordinarily are able to care for themselves throughout a fast of the duration necessary. But, whenever organic disease exists,
wheth er in the form presented in Class 2, or in that in Class 3 of previous mention (Chapter VIII), unpleasant and possibly severe
symptoms are inevitable. In these circumstances all of the courage and the wisdom evolved through long experience in handling
disease as nature dictates are needed to meet the conditions. Knowledge of the direct causation of the delirium, of the stupor, o f
any and all of the symptoms of toxic poisoning, none of which are ever wholly absent in extreme organic disability, then give s
confidence to the directing mind. It knows that, because of abstinence from food, because of the purifying processes in progress,
because of reduced organic effort, the life of the patient will be considerably prolonged. It also knows that, if death occur, it is the
result of lesions in the organ or organs involved, progressed to a degree that even the minimized labor demanded is beyond
performance.

Let it be repeated that in the fast there can be no danger of death by starvation. The safeguard of all life is hunger --true hunger, not
appetite. And, when the process of systemic purification is successfully completed --and this is always possible unless conditions
just noted are existent --hunger must return and food must be supplied.

Skill in the treatment of  disease by the use of the fast and its natural accessories cannot be acquired from books, for as yet there are
none that cover any except basic truths, and these with but meager detail. The subject is vast, and it is the more interestin g in that it
contro verts age -long belief in the efficacy of drugs and the efficiency of the medicine men, the opposition of whom to the spread
of its teaching is still most effective. Hence only long practice of the method with resulting experience can give the knowle dge
essential in surmounting the difficulties that may and do arise.

In concluding this chapter it is again affirmed that the fast in itself is but a means to an end' a process that permits of o rganic rest,
physiological purification, and bodily recuperation. C ure--recovery --cannot be achieved until the subject agrees then and thereafter
to cooperate with nature thus permitting her to carry what has been successfully begun to successful conclusion.

Page 36 of  72 CHAPTER X
THE DURATION OF THE FAST

DISTINCTION BETWEEN APP ETITE AND HUNGER:
THE LAW OF HUNGER DETERMINES THE LENGTH OF A FAST

THE DURATION of a fast to complete purification is a matter that can never be predicated in any individual case, for the
beginning of the period of abstinence from food is coincidental with illness, and the end is reached, in the absence of organic
deficiency, when hunger marks the return of digestive power. Until true hunger becomes apparent, and it cannot be mistaken, a  fast
which has for its purpose full systemic cleansing should cont inue. Not until hunger indicates the need for food is the organism in
condition to receive and transform it into tissue structure.

The sensation of hunger is a safeguard established by nature to insure bodily maintenance. It is the first faculty that the  infant
exercises after birth, and its office in all life is that of a watchful caretaker entrusted with interests beyond the ordinar y in import.
Natural consciousness of hunger has largely been usurped by appetite, by artificial craving produced by the cu ltivation of the sense
of taste and by regularity in the habits of feeding. Hunger is an involuntary sensation --as involuntary as is the beating of the heart.
It is not created by the individual, nor does it make its appearance at stated hours or by exerc ise of the will. Hunger, the law that
governs the conservation of all physical life, is constructive; but appetite, its counterfeit, easily called into being, and just as easily
caused to appear at fixed times, is destructive in effect.

In disease hunger  is absent; and during fasting appetite, too, ordinarily vanishes after a few days. When, in the fast, toxic
elimination is complete, hunger, not appetite, returns. Hunger is normal; appetite is abnormal. And this distinction, conside red in
connection with  the breaking of a fast, is most important. The question of resumption of feeding does not lie for answer in the
judgment of either physician or patient. It rests with the law of hunger alone. During a fast that is to be prolonged until h unger
returns, foo d of any kind is an intruder, for the energy of the body is being directed through the organs of elimination towards
cleansing the system of self -manufactured poison. The coated tongue, the foul breath, all of the more or less unpleasant symptoms
heretofor e described, are but signs of the presence in decomposing condition of food and tissue waste. And, being of
decomposition, they are also signs of the death of life -giving substances and of portions of the organism itself, the products of
which are most har mful unless promptly removed from the body. When toxic elimination has reached the vanishing point, the
juncture at which rebuilding of cell structure is demanded lest the body die, hunger will definitively appear. Hunger is the abiding
law of animal exist ence; it is the signal of instinct by which the living organism perceives that food is needed for repair and
growth. And, in a fast, with it, the clean tongue, the sweet breath, the signs of normal life, are coincident.

In functional disease a fast may b e carried to its logical end without anxiety, for resident in the body there exists at all times a
supply of tissue pabulum for use in repair and growth, whether the latter be ordinary or extraordinary. This reserve is const antly
called upon in health or i n illness, while feeding or fasting, for the nourishment and upbuilding of nerve and brain substances, and
the latter never suffer deterioration in quality nor in structure unless in themselves they are specifically diseased. Even i n instances
of death fro m starvation, nerve tissue and that of the brain show no loss. They make use of the food reserve held in the interstices
of tissue, and they draw upon this accumulation for support. The nervous system regains its energy, when depleted, through re st
alone, but it


 I moved into my
new house. Now that I had moved into the house and
started my intense meditative lifestyle, it was time to
read this mysterious book.
Chapter after chapter transported me into a world that
should have been very foreign to me. But because of the
transformative events that had been happening to me, I
could at least relate to the Indian saint’s life story. It
became very clear to me—I h ad merely stuck my toe into
the ocea n Yoga nanda was swimming in. He was a master
of t he entire f ield of knowledge and experience I wasseeking. I could feel it to  the core of my being.
Yogananda had gone far beyond my beyond and had
never fully come back. He h ad learned to exist in that
state, yet still b e present interacting with the world. I had
found my teacher.
Even though I felt an immed iate sense of relief that I
was no longer alone on my inner journey, some areas of
tension had to be worked ou t. To begin with, the word
God  was not part of my everyday vocabulary. Yogananda
not only  used the word as fre ely as his breath flowed, but
he used  it with a sense of intense devotion that took your
breath away. Yogananda’s passion showed most in the
songs that he wrote:
My hea rt’s afla me and my soul’s afire—Just for
You, You, You, Just You.
Interestingly, I could relate to that. Since I had
touched that beauteous place deep inside of me, my
heart w as aflame too. In f act, I had lost interest in
everything else. I only wanted to meditate my way back
beyond myself. I could relate to God as associated with
that place hidden deep inside of me. My study of Zen
taught me that Buddha passe d through absolute stillness
and peace on his way into nirvana.  I had heard that
Christ said that the Kingdom is within you,  a nd I was
aware that the Bible talked about a p eace beyond all
understanding.  I knew  about such a place i nside of me
where the peace was so de ep that it had completely
transformed my entire life.
Another word that I couldn’t relate to at first was
Spirit.  I thought this was a Christian word, yet
Yogananda use d it all the time. He spoke of invoking the
Spirit and feeling it pulsate through him. He related
times w hen he  held up his hands and felt the Spirit move
into and out of them. Cou ld he be referring to that
powerful flow of energy I had been experiencing since
my very deep m editation? I often felt that field of energyflow from the point between my eyebrows, down my
arms, and out the center of my palms. Could Spirit be
another word for this inner energy flow, and could that
focal po int between my eyebrows be the location of what
Yogananda kept calling the Third Eye  or Spiritual Eye?
More and more I began to re alize that I could personally
relate to Yogananda’s teachings.
Autobiography of a Yogi  changed my view about
everything that had been happening to me. Once I
finished reading that book, God was no longer just a
word to me. It  represented where I wanted to go. I had
begun t his journey by wanting to know who I was who
was wa tching the mental voice. I now realized that the
great saints and masters of all the religious traditions
had gone beyond their person al self to find their spiritual
self. Yogananda called it self-realization.  Wh at a  perfec t
term for all I was about at that point of my life. I wanted
to realize the nature of the one who watches—my true,
innermost self.
Bob Merrill had told me that  he received lessons from
Self-Realization Fellowship,  t he  org anization Yogananda
had fou nded in America. Yogananda had left the body in
1952, but he had been kind enough to leave his teachings
behind in the form of weekly lessons. I had heard of a
mail-order bride but never a mail-order guru. I signed up
for the lessons immediately and integrated them into my
regular practices. I remember that around that time I
decided to read the Bible. I had never read the New
Testament before. I found it very inspiring, and so much
of th e teachings were completely aligned with what I had
been experienc ing in meditation. For example, there was
the notion that you have to die to be reborn. That is
exactly what I had been tryin g to do, die of the personal
to be reborn in  the spiritual. I put pictures of Christ and
Yogananda on the altar where I meditated. Some very
great beings had walked this path before me. I wanted tolearn from them. I was just starting to realize that I
couldn’t walk the path alone—I needed some help.S e c t i o n  I I
The Great Experiment
Begins1 3.
T h e  E x p e r i m e n t  o f  a  L i f e t i m e
T hus far my entire path to inner freedom was focused
around my meditations. That was where I went to
become filled with a deep se nse of peace and serenity.
And it was working, to a degr ee. I could sit for hours with
a b eautiful flow of energy lifting me upward, but I
couldn’t break through to where I longed to go.
Furthermore, the personal mind always returned once I
got up and bec ame active. I n eeded help, and it came one
day in a flash  of realization. It dawned on me that
perhaps I’d been going about this in the wrong way.
Instead of trying to free myself by constantly quieting the
mind, p erhaps I should be asking why the mind is so
active. What is the motivation behind all the mental
chatter? If that motivation were to be removed, the
struggle would be over.
This realization opened the door for an entirely new
and exciting dimension to m y practices. As I explored it
inwardly, the first thing I no ticed was that most of the
mental activity revolved around my likes and dislikes. If
my mind had a preference toward or against something,
it actively talked about it. I could see that it was these
mental prefer ences that were creating much of the
ongoing dialogue about how to control everything in my
life. In a bold  attempt to free myself from all that, I
decided to just stop listening to all the chatter about my
personal preferences, and instead, start the willful
practice of accepting what th e flow of life was presenting
me. Perhaps this change in focus would quiet things
down inside.I started this new practice with something very simple,
the wea ther. C ould it really b e so hard to just let it rain
when it rains and be sunn y when it’s sunny without
complaining about it? Apparently the mind can’t do it:
Why did it have to rain today? It always rains
when I don’t want it to. It ha d all week to rain;
it’s just not fair.
I simply replaced all that meaningless noise with:
Look how beautiful; it’s raining.
I found these practices of acceptance very powerful,
and the y definitely served to q uiet the mind. So I decided
to push  the envelope and bro aden the range of events I
would learn to accept. I clearly remember deciding that
from no w on if life was unfolding in a certain way, and
the only reason I was resisting it was because of a
personal preference, I would let go of my preference and
let life be in charge.
Clearly, these were uncharted waters for me. Where
would I end up? If my preferences were not leading me,
what would happen to me? Th ese questions did not scare
me; the y fascinated me. I didn’t want to be in charge of
my life; I wanted to be free to soar far beyond myself. I
began to see this as a grea t experiment. What would
happen to me if I just inwardly surrendered my
resistance and let the flow of life be in charge? The rules
of the experiment were very simple: If life brought events
in front  of me, I would treat t hem as if they came to take
me beyond myself. If my personal self complained, I
would use each opportunity  to simply let him go and
surrender to what life was presenting me. This was the
birth of what I  came to call “the surrender experiment,”
and I was totally prepared to see where it would take me.
You may think that only a ma dman would make such a
decision. But, in truth, I had already experienced someamazing things that the flow of life had done. I had
witnessed firsthand what happened when I let go and
followed the subtle events that led me to the hills of
Mexico and then to those wonderful experiences with the
Mexican villagers. When I got back to the States, I had
been le d to my beautiful new property, and look what
happened with  the house. I just wanted to build a simple
hut, and that