, and she gave one to Adam. Then,
according to biblical myth, they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden.
This is the fall from grace—the separation from God after which a lot of
darkness and fear arose in the mind, reflected in the form of wars,
division in religions, and all kinds of insane pursuits. The exercise of
religions is largely an attempt to find a way to return to God’ s love
through ritual and tradition.
I would like to propose a different path than ritual and traditio n, a
different story about a God that didn’ t kick anyone out. We can call this
the metaphysical take on the traditional story: let Adam and Eve
represent you and I, and in this story, we never left God. And he never
abandoned us. Here, the “fall” is nothing more than a perceptual
distortion, a vast illusion in which the mind believed  that it pulled offsomething that in reality is impossible: separation from an all-knowing,
all-loving creator.
We have very powerful minds that are capable of imagining, or
“thinking up,” this whole univer se. In my revision of Genesis, there was
no apple. We simply asked a question: Could there be anything more
than Heaven or oneness, more than everything? This question was like a
little puff of madness since “more than everything,” more than perfect
love and harmony, is of course completely impossible. Imagine this idea,
this question, or this doubt thought as one of those little white dandelion
puffs blowing across the road. This powerful mind of ours allowed the
thought, this puff, to spread. It was of course a totally ludicrous idea, but
instead of laughing it away with our all-powerful, divine mind,  we took
it seriously. Taking this puff of an idea seriously made us forget the truth
that we have everything and are one with God. We closed ourselves off
and started dreaming we were a tiny part of an impossible world. Many
people ask me how this could happen if our mind is part of God’ s and if
we are divine. The truth is, it didn’t happen apart from our belief, and
there’ s a true knowing or aware ness of this once all our false beliefs are
questioned and released.
Into eternity, where all is one, there crept a tiny, mad idea, at
which the Son of God remem bered not to laugh. In his
forgetting did the thought become a serious idea, and
possible of both accomplishmen t and real effects. Together,
we can laugh them both away, and understand that time
cannot intrude upon eternity. It is a joke to think that time
can come to circumvent eternity, which means there is no
time.…
It is reasonable to ask how the mind could ever have
made the ego. In fact, it is the best question you could ask.
There is, however, no point in giving an answer in terms of
the past because  the past does not matter, and history would
not exist if the same errors were not being repeated in the
present.The Answer to a World of Duality
Many mystics call this the world of duality. This is what the story of
Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden builds for us. Adam and Eve
wanted to hide in the Garden,  so they covered themselves and their
“private parts” with fig leaves. They felt guilt and shame for what they
had done. By way of this analogy, at the moment of the fall or
separation, because the guilt feels so awful, the mind projects this guilt
out as the time-space cosmos, which then becomes like a giant fig leaf
under which the mind tries to hide from its creator. The mind wants to
hide what it believes are its private thoughts because it’s terrified of
God’ s love, so it makes a fake identity, the persona.
God is pure love and oneness. He has no awareness of separat ion;
thus, He cannot  come into duality. The world of duality is the illusory
hiding place for the sleeping mind that believes it has separated from
God. To this mind, the ego says: “Here is your new home now. Be
content with the body and the world as your new home. We will make up
everything that you seemed to have in oneness. W e will make a new kind
of love with bodies. We will make a new kind of freed om with
movement of bodies. We will make a new kind of happin ess with
pleasures of the senses to take the place of your Home in Heaven. And
God cannot come in and find you here, you will have privacy, and you
can do anything  that you want.” This is how the body became the central
focus for the ego.
The ego wants God to bless its new world and give reality to the
fantasy of time and space. There is an anger deep down in the mind
because God cannot do this. God cannot give reality to a projected
dream of form! God is divine love. God knows you only as divine love.
This love is abstract light, total joy, constant communication, and peace.
It is infinite and perfect. God would not be God if He granted the ego’s
wish to give this world reality. Therefore, all anger is a temper  tantrum
based on a desire for the temporary to be true and real. Ego tries to lure
you to think that you are free in a world of form, but it doesn’ t tell you
that it, the ego, is the ruler. It thinks that as long as you are busy planning
for the future, dreaming of a better form (or lamenting the past), you
won’ t think about God and the oneness that is your true identity. This isshowing you that the ego is a thought system in your mind that doesn’ t
lead you into a true experience of who you are. It only makes sure you
stay preoccupied in the world of form, in time and space.
So, once  the mind fell asleep and started to dream of separatio n, it
was like a nightmare at first since God and Heaven were completely
pushed out of awareness. It was a deep sleep of forgetfulness, and there
were suddenly two thought systems instead of one. One was the fear-
based thought system of the ego, the “puff,” and the other was the
thought system of God’ s lovin g answer, the Holy Spirit. The ego’s
thought system, based on the premise that an impossible separation
happened, says, “If you ever go back into your mind, and into that white
light, God will get you and destroy you!” This creates a perpetual
neurotic state that compels the mind to constantly seek for answers and
safety where they can’t be found: in the projected forms of this world.
But in the stillness, at the core of our being, the loving answer just keeps
reminding us, “You never left. You never could have separated. God is
not angry at you! Your Father loves you! Your Father will always love
you!”
We can’t solve our problems with the same level of thinking that
created them. We can’t find the solution at the level of the problem, at
the level of separation; the answer has to be a higher order thinking that
lifts us up and back into harmony. You cannot approach a solution with
the sleeping mind since this was the mind that believed in the problem in
the first place. You have to rise above the level of the problem, above
where the problem is perceived, to find the answer. You have a
perceptual problem, and as long as you try to make things bette r and fix
things at the level of the ego, you’re not going anywhere. You’re just
spinning your wheels like a hamster going round and round, and there’ s
no progr ess whatsoever. You are more like the scarecrow in The Wizard
of Oz, where all of your straw is scattered all over the road. But when
you let go of compartmentalizing, categorizing, labeling, and ordering
everything, you find yourself coming into peace. You find yourself
identifying with your true Self and not with a separate identity. The
peace that you find is a state of mind in which you perceive that
everything is perfect, it has always been perfect, and nothing has been
out of order. Your mind just needs some training to reach this awareness.Leaping into Spirit’s Perception
The fall from grace, the separation, which is an idea in the mind and not
a point on the timeline, didn’ t leave us forever lost and without an
answer. At the moment of that tiny mad idea—the separation—God gave
an immediate answer. Being all-knowing love, He answered this doubt
thought, this tiny mad idea, this “puff,” with the awareness that this
never happened, that it is impossible. We can call this answer the Holy
Spirit. The Holy Spirit can be referred to as the still, small voice within
the mind, or the intuition, that guides us. It’s like a presence that we can
sense whenever we get still enough to tune in and listen inwardly. We
need to know this and also become aware of how easily defenses like
judgment, worldly knowledge, denial, and repression are used to dilute
the terror and prevent us from experiencing God’ s answer.
We don’t go from analysis and judgment into perfection witho ut a
willingness to say, “Show me Holy Spirit; I need to be shown.” Even in
moments when


 Dimethyl Sulfoxide on Forelimb Regeneration of the Adult Newt.Gerald G. Slattery, Ph.D., College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery, Des
Moines, Iowa, and Anthony J. Schmidt, Ph.D., University of Illinois, Medical
Center, Chicago, Illinois.
In Vitro and In Vivo Effects of Dimethylsulfoxide on Streptomycin Sensitive and
Resistant Escherichia Coli.
 W.E. Feldman, J.D. Punch, and P.C. Holden,
Richmond, Virginia.
Tolerance of In Vitro Neuritic Development to DMSO.
 Fred Jerrold Roisen,
Ph.D., College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Rutgers Medical School,
Piscataway, New Jersey.
DMSO: A Tool in Sperm Motility Control Studies.
 Leonard Nelson, Ph.D.,
Medical College of Ohio, Toledo, Ohio.
Interferon Production in the White Mouse by Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO).
Michael Kunze, M.D., Institute of Hygiene, University of Vienna, Austria.
Effect of Dimethyl Sulfoxide and Hydrogen Peroxide on Tissue Gas Tensions.
Beart Myers, M.D., and William Donovan. Surgical Research Laboratory,
Veterans’ Administration Hospital, and Louisiana State University School of
Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Effect of DMSO on the Hypothalamic-Pituitary Adrenal Axis of the Rat.
 J.P.
Allen, M.D., Brooks Air Force Base, and C.F. Allen, Southwest Foundation for
Clinical Research, San Antonio, Texas.
Effects of DMSO and a Corticosteroid on Normal and Infected Anal Sacs of
Dogs.
 J.G. Kilian, Syntex Research, Palo Alto, California.
The Effect of Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) on Cholinergic Transmission in Aplysia
Ganglion Cells.
 Makoto Sato, M.D., Ph.D., and Masashi Sawada, Ph.D.,
Neuroscience Laboratory, Division of Neurosurgery, University of Oregon
Medical School, Portland, Oregon.
Protective Effect of Dimethyl Sulfoxide on Brain Cells Against Sonic Stress.
Ramon Lim and S. Mullan, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.DMSO in CNS Trauma.
 J.C. de la Torre, H.M. Kawanaga, C.M. Johnson, D.W.
Goode, K. Kajihara, and S. Mullan, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
Experimental Design of Clinical Trials Testing the Efficacy of 90% DMSO
Solution in Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System in the Dog.
 E.G. Averkin,
Syntex Research, Palo Alto, California, and T. O’Brian, D.V.M., Tauton,
Massachusetts.
Introduction Study for a New Topical Medication With DMSO in Dermatology.
Dr. Lazaro Schatman, Alvear and Israelita Hospitals and Railway Polyclinic
Services, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Experimental and Clinical Evaluation With Topical DMSO in Vascular Disorders
of the Extremities.
 A. Kappert, M.D., University of Bern, Switzerland.
DMSO Therapy in Chronic Skin Ulcers.
 Rene Miranda, M.D., University of
Chile.
DMSO Therapy as Toxicity Reducing Agent and Potentiator of
Cyclophosphamide in the Treatment of Different Types of Cancer.
 Jorge Cornejo,
M.D., Military Hospital, Santiago, Chile.
Clinical Experience With DMSO as a Solvent for Antiviral Agents.
 B.E. Juel-
Jensen, H.A., D.M., University of Oxford, England.
DMSO Therapy in Severe Mental Retardation in Mongoloid Children.
 M.
Aspillaga, M.D., M. Sanchez, M.D., G. Morizon, M.D., and Lucila Capdeville,
M.D., Santiago, Chile.
DMSO Therapy Applied to Non-Mongoloid Children Oligophrenia.
 Dra. Ana
Giller and Dra. Maria E.M. de Bernadou, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Oral DMSO in Mental Retardation: A Preliminary Controlled Study.
 J.M.
Gabourie, J.W. Becker, B.D. Bateman.
DMSO Therapy in Brochiolitis, Tinnitus, and Diminished Hearing.
 Aristides
Zuniga, M.D., Manuel Arriaran Children’s Hospital, Santiago, Chile.Evaluation of DMSO Therapy in Chronic Respiratory Insufficiency of Broncho-
Pulmonary Origin.
 Renato Eulufi, M.D., University of Chile.
DMSO in Retinal Disease.
 Robert V. Hill, M.D., University of Oregon Medical
School, Portland, Oregon.
DMSO Therapy in the Treatment of Secondary Sterility (Inflammatory Tubal
Obstruction).
 Hugo Venegas, M.D., Naval Hospital, Valparaiso, Chile.APPENDIX III
Directory of Physicians Worldwide Who Can Provide
Information on DMSO Treatment
The physicians recorded here who can provide information on DMSO treatment
follow the protocol of the American College of Advancement in Medicine. The
listing is based on the membership directory of the American College of
Advancement in Medicine (ACAM). Please be aware that the use of DMSO is not
approved or disapproved by ACAM. The listing of ACAM members is provided
here because these are open-minded, progressive, knowledgeable, skilled, and
trustworthy physicians who know more about the applications and effects of
DMSO than any other health professionals in the world. Oftentimes many of them
instill DMSO as part of their chelation therapy for patients.
A key giving information about each physician is provided before the list. For
an updated directory or the most current listing of ACAM doctors in a particular
geographic region, contact the American College of Advancement in Medicine,
23121 Verdugo Drive, Suite 204, Laguna Hills, California 92653; (714) 585-7666
within California or (800) 532-3688 outside California.
Members of the American College of Advancement in Medicine include
diplomates (indicated by
DIPL
), diplomate candidates (indicated by
D/C
), and
licensed physicians who may administer DMSO therapy (indicated by
P
).
A
diplomate
 of the American College of Advancement in Medicine is an
individual who:
1
.
Is a graduate of an approved school of medicine (D.O. or M.D., or foreign
equivalent);
2
.
Is currently licensed to practice in the state or territory where he/she conducts
practice;
3
.
Has been recommended (by letter) by two ACAM diplomates;
4
.
Has successfully completed the written examination of ACAM;
5
.
Shows evidence of being responsible for the administration of therapeutic
programs approved by ACAM;
6
.
Has satisfied the requirements for preceptor training as outlined in the
protocol of preceptorship;
7
.
Has successfully completed the oral examination of the American Board ofChelation Therapy (ABCT);
8
.
Submits ten acceptable questions and answers with references for use in
future written exams.
A
diplomate candidate
 of the American College of Advancement in Medicine
is an individual who:
1
.
Is a graduate of an approved school of medicine (D.O. or M.D., or foreign
equivalent);
2
.
Is currently licensed to practice in the state or territory where he/she conducts
practice;
3
.
Has been recommended (by letter) by two diplomates;
4
.
Has successfully completed the written examination of the American Board of
Chelation Therapy, and is in the process of completing the remaining
requirements for ABCT.
To get in touch with the American College of Advancement in Medicine,
contact one of the following:
ACAM HEADQUARTERS ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
Edward A. Shaw, Ph.D. Executive Director
Sally Bonebrake Administrative Services Coordinator
Grace Claus Membership Services Coordinator
Nancy Morgan Books and Literature Coordinator
HEADQUARTERS ADDRESS
American College of Advancement in Medicine Suite 204
23121 Verdugo Drive Laguna Hills, CA 92653
(714) 583-7666 (800) 532-3688
Please note that this directory of physicians who use alternative healing
methods may not be republished, reprinted, sold, or duplicated in whole or in part
in any form or by any means for any commercial purpose or for the compilation of
mailing lists without the prior written permission of this book’s author or the
American College of Advancement in Medicine.Key to Worldwide American College of Advancement
in Medicine Physician’s List
PROFESSIONAL LEVEL CODES
DIPL
Diplomate
D/C
Diplomate candidate
P
Licensed physician who follows the program now put forth by the
American College of Advancement in Medicine.
SPECIALTY CODES
A
Allergy
AC
Acupuncture
AN
Anesthesiology
AR
Arthritis
AU
Auriculotherapy
BA
Bariatrics
CD
Cardiovascular
CS
Chest Disease
CT
Chelation Therapy
DD
Degenerative Disease
DIA
Diabetes
EM
Environmental Medicine
END
Endocrinology
FP
Family Practice
GE
Gastroenterology
GER
Geriatrics
GP
General Practice
GYN
GynecologyHGL
Hypoglycemia
HO
Hyperbar


 plus prideful
competition, cutting corners, taking advantage of others, etc. It is not
aware that people who are earnest, honest, integrous, and dedicated are
highly prized and adequately rewarded by society. These are rewards by
invitation and not just zealous acquisition. Excellence itself is self-
rewarding and brings gratification that is not dependent on externals.
The reward that is often overlooked is the increase in inner strength,
courage, and fortitude that results in greater inner security and self-
confidence.
Q: But in daily life, temptations abound. Are they not to be refused or
resisted?
A: Temptation, seduction, desirability, and allure are all projections having
to do with appearance and presumptions. These are associated with
programmed fantasies of gain. Satisfaction of projected values
constitutes the world of illusion. Happiness itself is directly correlated
with the overall level of consciousness rather than with any external
factors. External factors are vulnerable and have to be fearfully guarded;
in contrast, inner values are self-reinforcing and immune to turmoil or
circumstances. This is a common realization among survivors of major
catastrophes.
Q: Spiritual work sometimes appears to involve anticipation of loss.
A: Loss is a presumption based on the ego’s perceptions and projected
values. In general, the ego’s loss is illusory and instead constitutes a
gain to the Self. All ego positions represent vulnerability. Their
surrender results in greater inner security and pleasure in life.
Eventually, one analogously feels ‘bulletproof’ and independent of
external circumstances. Even the survival of the body itself eventually
becomes irrelevant for its transitoriness is accepted.
Q: But is not survival itself due to the ego’s motives and mechanisms?
A: That is also an illusion. Survival is a consequence of the Self, not the
self. It is only because of the Self that the ego is of service for a
prescribed period of earthly time. When the ego/mind is silenced, life
goes on autonomously, paradoxically even seeing effort as effortless.All comes about as a consequence of potentiality’s emerging as actuality
when conditions permit. Intention is such a condition. Eventually, even
intention subsides as the will is surrendered to God.
O c e a n o f P D F. c o mCHAPTER 14
Enlightenment: The Presence of Self
Introduction
Positionalities result in the problematic dualities of the ego experienced
as presumptions. These result in the ego’s projections, which it erroneously
believes to be reality. Collectively, they constitute the illusions of
Descartes’ res interna (cogitans), which means that they are the products of
emotions and mentations. The purpose of spiritual work is the elimination
of this primary barrier in order to discover res externa/extensa (essence) as
Reality revealed as Creation, that is, the world as it is (essence) and not as it
is perceived or appears to be. The transition from illusion (res cogitans) to
Reality requires not a change of content but of context and, therefore, of
paradigm. The Realization of Reality is the consequence of a shift to
identification with experiential context instead of content and is, therefore, a
major shift of paradigm.
The emergence of the Real is a spontaneous Effulgence that is
consequent to removing the limitations of perception and its barriers. The
transcendence of limitation is the result of intention and subordination of
the personal will, with its illusory gains and payoffs, to Divine Will.
While the state or condition of what has been called Enlightenment is
celebrated, its exact nature has only been alluded to by analogy, and it has
also tended to become ‘mythologized’. Thus, terms like ‘the Supreme’,‘the
Ultimate, or ‘the Absolute’ tend to attract glamorization and fantasy
elaborated by imagination. The state of Enlightenment is not a
superimposition nor does it depend on the addition of a quality. The subject
is the condition. Similarly, the condition or state is not a ‘claim’, as there is
no personal claimant. What is expressed verbally is simply a statement of
facts that report the condition, which is merely a confirmation of the Reality
of its Source once again. Thus, the condition is also not an achievement nor
does it imply accomplishment. Nothing is gained by glamorization of the
state, which is far beyond the possibility of exaggeration. Despite the
effulgent nature of the condition, description serves the purpose of
communication, which is essentially a revalidation of the Reality of
Divinity.Preceding Stages
The transition from the experiencer of the ego/self to the Presence of the
Self is very major. Because of its prior experience, the mind has the
expectation that such a state will really be an extension of itself or will be
some kind of ‘otherness’ and therefore new and unfamiliar. Neither
expectation is correct.
As the levels of consciousness are transcended, the quality of
experiencing changes in ways that have already been described
(Transcending the Levels of Consciousness). Both the world and the
subjective self become progressively more benign, compassionate, and
loving. In the high 500s, the flow of the kundalini energy has begun to
transform observation and subjective experiencing to levels of inner joy,
and the world appears ever more beautiful and incredible. The perfection of
all things shines forth. This leads not only to joy but also eventually to an
indescribable ecstasy that precludes worldly function. When even that
wondrous state is surrendered to God, it is replaced by an all-pervasive
stillness, silence, and peace that are even beyond ecstasy in its wonder.
Within the intrinsic beauty, the sacredness of all Creation emanates forth
from within as well as beyond form. The formless Essence of Divinity
radiates out via form itself. Progressively, the linear is replaced by a
nonlinear Oneness. The Allness of Divinity is strongly confirmed by the
immense power of Love as intrinsic to Creation and Divinity. The Presence
of Love is all pervasive and experienced as one’s intrinsic Self. It melts
linearity into Oneness, which is simultaneously exquisitely gentle and,
paradoxically, infinitely powerful.
As has already been described, if the devotee has been following the
pathway of negation, what may emerge next is the high illusion of the Void
as the Ultimate Reality. The pathway presents infinite Oneness and
nonlinear perfection and is all inclusive, infinite, and beyond time or
location. (This illusion occurs at calibration level 850, as mentioned
previously.) The Void is to be recognized and refused if it is devoid of Love.
From this point on, one proceeds not by negation but by affirmation, which
is reinforced by deep prayer and supplication to God for guidance. (Divine
Love is not to be confused with the emotionality/attachment of what is
ordinarily perceived as human love.)
As the qualities and context of each stage are surrendered to God, a
final confrontation arises that also has to be surrendered, and it ischallengingly confrontive. The devotee needs to be adequately prepared
because failure at what could be called the ‘final door’ may result in very
severe dejection that may last for more than just one lifetime. The serious
student needs to know well in advance, therefore, that at the very last
doorway, they will be confronted with their willingness to surrender life
itself, or at least to that which has been believed since the beginning of
evolution to be the very core of life itself. This final gateway is very rarely
passed, and one reason is the lack of preparation, lack of certainty, and a
final doubt of major magnitude. Therefore, for the deeply committed, very
serious student only, the following section is provided.
The Final Doorway
As this approaches, the entire context is pristine, pure, formless, and
nonlinear. There are no ‘others’ nor is there anywhere to turn. There are no
longer any personal qualities or positionalities, nor is thinkingness
available, as the mind is silent and nonconceptual. There are no images or
memories. Consciousness alone remains as awareness itself, with no object
or content of that consciousness awareness. It merely is of its own, with
neither subject nor object. It is awareness itself that is aware, and there is no
remaining ‘entity’ that is aware.
At this point, awareness is identified with the quality of life itself. That
is all that is left—just ‘life’. This sense of the pure core of life has lost its
prior qualifications, adjectives, verbs, or nouns. These have been
surrendered long before. All that is left is just the pure quality of life itself
as the core of existence. Then arises a progressive fear, which compounds
to almost terror, that this, too, must be surrendered at the doorway. Thus
arises the fear of absolute death or annihilation into nothingness and
nonexistence forever. At this point, it is obvious that what is to be
surrendered to God is the life of the self and its motive to continue to exist
as the experiencer and seeming source and substrate of life (the last
illusion). This is a very strong illusion and to face it takes courage, faith,
conviction, and the very depth of devotion: “To Thee, O Lord, do I
surrender life itself.”
Because the mind


.  The  harmony  of
these  three  diverse  aspects  is  key  to  our  happiness.
The  doshas  are  like  three  streams  flowing  into  the  one
river  of  universal  intelligence.  That  river  is  ourself.
PROCESS  OF  MATERIALIZATION
VATA
Space  and  Air
Bodily  air
Spatial  cavities  of  the  body PITTA
Fire  and  Water
Digestive  acids  and  enzymes
and  fats
Protective  fluids KAPHA
Water  and  Earth
Body  mass,  structure,
and  fluids
The  three  doshas  are  formed  from  the  five  ele-
ments, which  are  the  basis  of  the  body  types.  Each
element  is  transmuted  into  the  body  with  its  corre- sponding functions,  thus  producing  the  original  six
tastes.  Further,  each  type  benefits  from  the  tastes  other
than  its  own.
THE  DOSHAS  AND  THEIR  NATURAL  TASTES
VATA
Bitter
Astringent
Pungent PITTA
Sour Salty
Pungent KAPHA
Sweet Salty
Sour
BENEFICIAL  TASTES  FOR  EACH  DOSHA
VATA Salty
Sour
Sweet PITTA
Bitter
Astringent
Sweet KAPHA
Pungent
Bitter
Astringent
58
«
THE    NATURE   AND   TASTES    OF    EACH    DOSHA
THE   SIX  TASTES
The  Sweet  Taste
The  sweet  taste  increases  bodily  tissues,  nourishes
and  comforts  the  body,  and  relieves  hunger.  This  taste
is  necessary  for  each  body  type,  but  the  Pitta  and  Vata
types  can  use  more  sweet  foods  than  the  Kapha  types.
Water  and  earth  produce  the  sweet  taste,  which  in-
cludes all  carbohydrates,  sugars,  fats,  and  amino  ac-
ids. Most  grains  and  fruits  are  sweet.  The  primary
element  of  life,  which  is  water,  is  sweet.  Milk  is  sweet.
Almost  all  foods  contain  some  degree  of  sweetness.
This  is  the  most  dominant  taste  of  all  our  forms  of
sustenance.
The  Sour  Taste
The  sour  taste  is  used  in  small  quantities  by  everyone,
but  it  is  most  beneficial  for  the  Vata  types.  Small
amounts  may  be  used  by  Kapha,  and  minute  amounts
by  Pitta.  It  aids  in  digestion  and  the  elimination  of
wastes  from  the  body.  Sour  is  formed  from  the  earth
and  fire  elements.  All  organic  acids  are  considered
sour.  Many  fruits — such  as  lemons,  limes,  grapefruit,
soursop,  and  strawberries — are  considered  sour  with
some  sweetness.  All  fermented  foods — such  as  miso,
soy  sauce,  yogurt,  and  pickles — are  sour  foods.
The  Pungent  Taste
The  pungent  taste  is  most  beneficial  for  the  Kapha
type.  It  is  to  be  used  in  small  amounts  for  Vata,  and
very  sparsely  by  Pitta.  The  pungent  taste  stimulates
appetite,  and  maintains  the  metabolism  and  balance
of  secretions  in  the  body.  This  taste  is  formed  from
the  elements  of  air  and  fire.  Spices,  such  as  garlic,
ginger,  asafoetida,  peppers,  and  all  volatile  oils  are
considered  pungent.
The  Salty  Taste
The  salty  taste  is  used  in  small  quantities  by  all  types,
but  it  is  mostly  beneficial  to  Vata.  This  taste  cleanses
bodily  tissues,  makes  the  system  limber,  and  activates
digestion.  The  salty  taste  is  formed  from  water  and fire,  and  exists  in  all  salts  and  seaweeds.  Most  watery
vegetables — such  as  zucchini,  cucumber,  and  toma-
toes— are  naturally  high  in  saline.
The  Bitter  Taste
The  bitter  taste  is  good  for  everyone  in  medicinal
quantities.  It  detoxifies  the  body,  tones  the  organs,
cleanses  the  liver,  and  controls  skin  ailments.  It  is  of
most  importance  to  Pitta,  moderate  importance  to
Kapha,  and  of  very  little  use  to  Vata.  This  taste  is
formed  from  air  and  space,  and  exists  in  all  bitter
foods — such  as  turmeric,  aloe  vera,  neem  leaves,  en-
dives, and  lettuce — and  in  alkaloids  and  glycosides.
The  Astringent  Taste
As  with  bitter,  the  astringent  taste  is  to  be  used  me-
dicinally. Very  small  quantities  can  be  used  by  each
type.  Pitta  and  Kapha  can  use  more  astringent  foods
than  Vata.  Astringency  heals  the  body  by  its  constric-
tive nature.  It  reduces  secretion  and  is  the  most  stark
of  the  six  tastes.  It  is  formed  from  the  elements  of  air
and  earth.  Examples  of  astringent  foods  are  those
high  in  tannin,  such  as  the  teas  made  from  the  barks
of  trees.  Most  legumes  contain  the  astringent  taste
along  with  the  sweet  taste.  Most  medicines  are  astrin-
gent in  nature.
RASA:  THE  TASTES
OF  NATURE
Rasa  has  many  meanings  in  Sanskrit.  In  the  hook  /  Het
for  Natural  Beauty,  I  have  defined  rasa  as  the  culmi
nation  of  maturity — the  beauty  which  is  earned.  It  is
the  achievement  of  a  calm  and  resolved  being.  In
Ayurveda,  rasa  is  the  vital  lymph  fluid  01  plasma  that
nurtures  the  cells  of  the  body.
The  term  rasa  in  Ayurveda  also  refers  to  the  com
[ilex  chain  ol   reactions  that  occur  from  the  initial
registration  ol  a  perception  by  a  sense  organ  to  the
stimulation  ol  the  brain  cells  that  excite  the  appetite.
Appetite  is  not  simply  the  initial  hlMlgei  fol  food — it
is  the  total  intelligence  ol  the  body  acting  in  harmony
5  9 >m
Till     PRINCIPLES    OF    AYURVEDA
with  the  external  environment.  The  correct  response
to  the  prompting  of  appetite  begins  with  making  in-
formed choices  from  an  array  of  healthy  foods.  Simi-
larly, rasa  is  not  merely  the  taste  of  foods.  Taste  is  a
tiny  aspect  of  the  prodigious  spectrum  within  which
rasa  operates.  Food  is  desired,  ingested,  digested,  and
its  waste  ejected.  Rasa  is  present  through  all  stages  of
this  vital  process.
The  most  important  aspect  of  rasa  is  discrimination.
Rasa  is  an  intelligence  to  be  learned,  not  the  irrespon-


  by  offensive
behavior,  but  in  distancing  ourselves  from  such  situa-
tions, it  is  easier  to  understand  that  the  real  victims  are
those  who  sustain  anger  and  bitterness.
It  is  essential  to  recognize  in  life  the  factors  that
nurture,  inform,  and  teach  us.  The  attitude  of  regard  is
perhaps  the  greatest  gift  one  can  bring  to  love.  Consid-
eration is  a  rare  and  valuable  asset  which  we  must  work
on  inviting  to  ourselves.  We  are  becoming  idle  and
neglectful,  taking  what  we  need  without  grace  or  con-
sideration. We  are  eager  to  prove  ourselves,  and  in  the
process  we  step  on  the  very  grounds  that  sustain  us.
When  we  take  from  a  parent  or  teacher,  we  must  be
very  aware  that  the  graces  we  receive  are  not  endless  but
must — if  they  are  to  continue — be  properly  acknowl-
edged. According  to  dharma,  the  avatars,  teachers,  and
rulers  must  never  be  approached  with  empty  hands.
This  form,  or  custom,  encourages  the  big  nature  of
goodwill.  Forms  are  very  important  to  maintain  for  the
benefit  of  our  own  growth  and  awareness.  Gifts  arc  a
necessary  acknowledgment  of  our  own  blessings.  Those
to  whom  we  turn  for  advice,  assistance,  and  education
must  be  rewarded  by  our  generosity.  Spiritual  leaders
are  not  supported  by  the  state;  they  are  supported  by
daksina,  the  donations  of  students  and  devotees.  Vedanta
exhorts  us  not  to  charge  a  tuition  for  its  teachings.  But
those  who  benefit  from  it  must  also  adhere  to  dharma,
by  making  it  possible  for  their  teachers  to  live  and  to
continue  sharing  the  knowledge  so  essential  to  out-
well-being.  When  the  services  performed  for  our  well
being  and  knowledge  are  offered  without  a  tee.  we
must  respond  in  a  conscious  mk\  giving  manner.  A
teacher,  by  definition,  is  anyone  from  whom  we  learn
something.  And  the  great  teachers  are  those  who  de
vote  their  lives  to  the  dissemination  ot  knowledge.
Dharmas  have  remained  unchanged  since  the  be
ginning  of  time.  Hie  proper  conduct  within  the  lela
tionship  ol  the  sexes  is  anothei  classic  example  ot  how
far  we  have  strayed  from  the  bask  chord  oi  human
dignity.  The  relationship  o\  man  and  woman  is  the
COSmiC  love  of  the  deities  Shiva  and  Shakti,  (he  s\  m
3  3  1
^
AFTERWORD
bolic  marriage  of  all  dualities.  It  is  the  primal  mating
for  the  continued  existence  of  karma,  the  vehicle  that
allows  us  to  live  out,  in  time,  our  eventual  discoveries
of  the  absolute  nature  of  self  and  God.  We  have  reduced
much  o(  this  to  the  feeble  antics  of  sensory  desires.
Women  have  forgotten  their  basic  nature  as  the  funda-
mental, nurturing,  maternal  force  amid  their  external
pursuit  of  competitive  power,  or  their  acceptance  of  a
victimized  existence.  A  woman's  innate  prowess  is  time-
less if  she  is  knowledgeable  of  her  own  fine  nature.  Men
need  to  redefine  their  roles  dramatically,  but  instead
they  are  reacting  to  women  by  altering  their  own  par-
ticipation in  the  significant  interplay  of  the  sexes.  The
sense  of  chivalry  has  been  dulled  to  near  extinction.
The  generosity  of  a  man's  marvel  at  woman's  magic  has
been  pared  down  to  a  few  gestures  of  accommodation.
The  dharmas  of  the  sexes  are  greatly  endangered,  un-
less both  men  and  women  begin  to  evaluate  the  cosmic
and  real  nature  of  love.  The  dating  and  mating  pro-
cesses are  valid  and  need  to  be  kindled  according  to
dharma.
SADHANA  OF  COMPASSION
The  Vedic  devatas  were  exemplars  signifying  the  vari-
ous traits  of  dharma.  Lord  Brahma  is  considered  the
embodiment  of  love,  purity,  compassion,  and  truth.
The  devatas  were  meditated  upon  in  order  to  invoke
the  dharmas  and  as  a  constant  reminder  of  our  duties.
If  love  is  the  mother-nectar  of  our  survival,  compassion
is  the  base  of  our  stability.  Compassion  is  the  long  slack
we  extend  to  others  in  order  to  keep  our  criticisms  and
vituperative  actions  in  check.  The  drivers  of  compas-
sion are  the  actions  of  tolerance,  maturity,  and  pa-
tience. The  vehicle  is  the  endless  circumstances  that  are
given  us  in  which  to  accommodate  our  fellow  humans,
in  order  that  we  may  foster  the  spirit  of  compassion.
Pity  and  sympathy  are  the  uninformed  step-sisters
of  compassion.  The  emotions  are  honorable,  but  the
states  themselves  are  helpless.  Compassion  interlaces
us  with  each  other.  In  order  to  bring  this  emotion  alive,
we  need  to  cognize  the  basic  values  of  the  living  love,
which  unites  experience  and  study  with  maturity.  Rasa
is  the  essence  of  such  maturity,  and  it  is  the  single  most important  qualification  for  culling  compassion.  In  the
present  age  of  Kali  Yuga — when  worlds  are  rife  with
conflict,  hearts  are  torn  asunder,  and  minds  are  bereft
of  peace — compassion  indeed  becomes  the  requisite word.
Love,  which  is  the  acceptance  of  all  things,  is  often
mistaken  for  compassion.  Compassion  contains  love
and  is  the  greatest  teacher  of  self- acceptance.  It  is  an
objective  emotion,  whereas  love  tends  to  be  subjective.
The  most  profound  help  the  young  may  receive  in  their
growing  years  is  the  love  of  their  parents  and  family.
The  most  profound  help  a  cancer  or  drug  victim  may
receive  is  that  of  a  supportive  aide  who  has  survived  a
similar  struggle.  The  first  example  is  one  of  love,  and
the  second  one  of  compassion.
I  discovered  the  nature  of  compassion  during  my
cancer  years.  My  first  instinct  was  to  distance  myself
from  everyone.  My  family  was  already  far  away,  and
this  made  the  distancing  of  myself  from  my  friends
much  easier.  I  knew


.
“We also cause each other to suffer,” says Louise. It’s true, isn’t it? When
people stop loving themselves, they stop loving others, too. That’s the way
it works. Hurt people hurt people,  as the old saying goes. When we forget
about what’s real—the unified whole, our basic truth, the benevo lent way of
things—we fall from grace and get lost in 10,000 useless dramas. We
project our pain, we blame each other, we defend and attack, and we try to
win every ar gument by force. “Only love ends all ar guments,” says Rumi.
There is another kind of suffering, too. It’s the suffering  we all
experience because of the impe rmanent nature of life. We mourn the death
of loved ones, we lament the end of a relationship, we grieve the loss of ajob, and we bear 10,000 other losses. We experience physical pain, illness,
old age, and the fear of our own death. The Buddha refer red to this
suffering as dukkha.  It comes from grasping at what we want, pushing away
what we don’t want, wishing everything, including ourselves,  would last
forever, and forgetting our true nature. This attachment is utterly human,
and it deserves our compassio n and our love. Love is the cessation of
suffering.
“There is another way to look at the friendly-universe theory,” Louise
says.
“What way is that?” I ask.
“Instead of asking yourself, How friendly is the universe?  you could ask
yourself, How friendly am I? ” she says with a smile.
“I like that,” I say as I let it sink in.
“We are not separate from the universe,” she says.
“The universe isn’ t out ther e,” I say, pointing to Louise’ s dinner table.
“The universe is us,” she says.
“And how we are being is how we experience the universe,” I add.
“The more we love ourselves, the more we can love each other,” says
Louise.
“This is how we know that life loves us,” I suggest.
“And how we know that the universe really is friendly,” Louise says.
Trusting in Love
On the day I started to write this book something extraordinary happened
that I can’t properly explain. It was such a surprise, and so delightful, that it
gave me all the faith I needed for the journey before me.
I had planned to start writing on January 21, but I actually started on
January 20, the day before I thought I was ready! I woke up that morning
thinking I was going to do some more preparation before the Big Day when
I was due to sit in front of a blank page. Page number one. The Alpha page.
The OMG page. The page you have to write before you can get to page
number two. During my morning meditation, however, I received an
internal memo that said, cryptically, “You were born ready. Begin today.”Over breakfast, I told Hollie and Bo and Christopher that I was going to
start writing Life Loves You that day. “I got a feeling that it would be good
to start before I was ready,” I told Hollie. Hollie smiled. Christopher
chewed on a pancake. Bo got up from the table and ran upstairs. Two
minutes later, she came back with a rose quartz crystal angel in her hands.
“Here you are, Daddy,” she said. “Put her on your desk and she will help
you write.” Christopher jumpe d out of his seat. He came back with his
favorite tractor. “Here, Daddy,” he said. “This tractor will be a big help.”
Later that morn ing, I sat at my desk looking at the blank page. Page
number one. The pink angel was standing next to the computer screen. The
tractor was downstairs. Christopher had changed his mind about that. “You
can have my tractor, Daddy, but only if I can keep it,” he told me. Now the
spirit of the tractor was with me, parked right next to the angel. Also on my
desk was a jasmine-scented candle, a cup of Kona coffee, and a card with
one of my favorite messages from A Course in Miracles :
It cannot be that it is hard to do
the task that Christ appointed you to do,
since it is He Who does it.
As I stared at the blank page, an image came to mind of a painting of
Jesus Christ standing at a door holding a lantern in his left hand. I’d seen
this painting before, but I wasn’ t sure where. This image of Christ was all I
could think about. I convinced myself that a mystical vision was a valid
reason to delay writing and do a search on Google. I typed “Paintings of
Jesus Christ,” clicked on the Images tab, and there, at the top of the page,
was the painting I was looking  for: The Light of the World, by William
Holman Hunt.
When I saw the painting, I reme mbered that I’d had a dream about it the
night before. I don’t remember many of my dreams, and I can’t tell you
much about this one. I simply remember that I dreamed about that painting.
Maybe that was why it appeared  on my blank page. Anyway, I took it as a
sign that “unseen hands,” as Joseph Campbell described, were helping me
on my way. I bookmarked some articles about the painting to read later. I
also downloaded an image of the painting to use on my computer as a
screen saver. At the moment, however, I needed to get back to the blank
page. Page number one.Meanwhile, Hollie was downstairs in the kitchen. Something was on her
mind, too. She was looking for a gift of some kind to help me with my
writing. The way Hollie describes it, her body marched her upstairs and into
her office. She scanned the room. Her eyes fell upon a picture that was
resting on a bookshelf. She hadn’ t noticed the picture before.  She didn’ t
know anything about it. She assumed it belonged to me. She put the picture
in a silver oval frame and then came upstairs to see me. “Close your eyes
and put out your hands,” Hollie said. “I have something for you.”
When I opened my eyes, I was looking at a framed picture of The Light
of the World,  by William Holman Hunt. How did this happen? I was
astonished. Hollie was “weirded out,” as she put it. Hollie often brings me
gifts when I write—smoothies, green juices, and home-baked muffins, but
not this. “Hi, honey, here’ s a religious icon” isn’t normal for us. Neither of
us had any prior knowledge of this painting. Now it’s the first thing I see
when I turn on my computer. And the framed picture sits next to the pink
angel and the spirit of the tractor.
When I told Louise this story, she smiled. It was one of her knowing
smiles. “I experienced so many little miracles and coincidences when I
wrote You Can Heal Your Life,” she told me. “I had the strongest feeling
that I shouldn’ t go to a mainst ream publisher, even though I’d had some
offers. I felt like I was the custodian of important information that mustn’ t
be edited or watered down. I had no idea how to self-publish, but I trusted
the process, and doors opened for me every step of the way.”
Shortly after speaking to Louise, I stumbled across this affirmation by
Florence Scovel  Shinn: All doors now open for happy surprises, and the
Divine Plan of my life is speeded up under grace.
The Light of the World by William Holman Hunt is inspired by two
verses in the Bible. At the foot of the painting is an inscr iption from
Revelation 3:20. It reads: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any
man hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with
him and he with me.” The title of the painting is from John 8:12, in which
Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never
walk in darknes s, but will have the light of life.” Both verses call upon the
ego to be open and receptive to holy guidance and a higher plan.
Hunt’ s painting is full of symbo lism and allegory. Christ represents our
Unconditioned Self. The door represents our ego mind. Christ’ s face is a
picture of infinite patience. Weeds grow at the foot of the door, which tellsus that the door has been shut for some time. Hunt described the
symbolism: “The closed door was the obstinately shut mind, the weeds the
cumber of daily neglect …” Most significant, the door has no handle, no
lock, and no bolt. It can be opened at any moment. It opens from the inside.
Our soul waits for us. Our ego must be willing to let the light in. Our ego
has to open the door.
“Once I took my first step on the spiritual path, I felt like I walked
through a door into a new world,” Louise tells me as we sit looking at
Hunt’ s painting. “Life took me by the hand and led me on my way


 T rue EFT T ools to Support Y our T apping
Chapter 5
Common Q & A about EFT and T apping Ideas
Part II: Common T apping T opics
Chapter 6
Self-Sabotage—Why W e Do It, How to Change That
Chapter 7
Tapping for Relief fr om Str ess and Being Overwhelmed
Chapter 8
Tapping on the Physical—Illness, Injury, Pain & Mor e
Chapter 9
Neutralizing Phobias
Chapter 10
Weight Release, Cravings, and Body ConfidenceChapter 1 1
Loss and Grief—Letting Go with EFT
Appendix A : Tapping Summary
Appendix B
Appendix C : EFT Resour ces
OceanofPDF.comExercises
Exercise: One-Point T apping: A Quick Glimpse
Exercise: Putting It All T ogether
Exercise: T apping on a Real T arget
Exercise: Creating Specific EFT Setup Statements
Exercise: Reacting Out of Proportion
Exercise: List Y our Negative Self-T alk and Situations in Which It Arises
Exercise: Use Y our Body as a T apping Resource
Exercise: List Problem Thoughts, Feelings, Sensations
Exercise: The Personal Peace Procedure
Exercise: Journal List Resistance to T apping
Exercise: Clear T apping Resistance
Exercise: Imagine Better
Exercise: Global Stress Release
Exercise: Box Up Y our Stress (or Upset) for Now
Exercise: Determining When Y ou Get Stressed Out
Exercise: Exploring Origins of Stress
Exercise: “I Have T oo Much to Do” Belief System
Exercise: The “Should” Belief System (BS) and Stress
Exercise: Intensity about My Body: Global T apping
Exercise: Practicing Chase the Pain
Exercise: Releasing T rauma from Sickness and Pain—EFT Journal
Exercise: T apping in Gratitude for Y our Body’ s Magnificence
Exercise: Overcoming Phobia: Get Curious, Ask Questions
Exercise: T aking the Edge Of f Just Thinking of the T arget
Exercise: Fill in the Blanks
Exercise: Getting Curious about CravingsExercise: Clearing Specific Food Cravings
Exercise: Experimenting with Self-T alk
Exercise: T o Take the Edge Of f, Start Slow
Exercise: Creating Y our Own W eight Release and Body-Confidence List
Exercise: Releasing Intensity Char ge Around the Loss
Exercise: Releasing Learned Helplessness and Burden
Exercise: Releasing Unresolved Early Feelings of Grief
Exercise: Grief List for EFT Journal—A Plan of Action
OceanofPDF.comAcknowledgments
Thanks, in no particular order, to the following: Rita Davern, for listening
all those  times with an open heart. Thank you for helping me empty the
bucket. Kevin Conley, Lady’ s Champion, game for most everything,
including the outrageous lengths I go to for a laugh, with you as prop.
Reneé Brown, for spiritual midwifery, working with me regularly on the
you know what, for introducing me to EFT, and for all the “Y ou Go Grrl’ s!”
Jondi Whitis, for your generosity and enthusiasm, editorial and tapping
work, perspective, and last-minute cutting. For my beloved Mama, Lois
Clare—they don’t make models  like you anymore!—and for your support,
love, encouragement, and belie f in your number four daughter and her
dreams. Matthew Wood, author, half-Jew, half-Indian, half-bear, whole
wizard spiritua l warrior, wholehearted herbalist extraord inaire—you
received a mumbo-jumbo text and opened your home for the writing space,
no questions asked. Clare’ s Well, you are deeply missed, Sisters, but live on
in my heart. Peggy Henrikson, for hanging in there, encouragement, upbeat
presence, and copy-editorial acumen, making the book look good. For the
three who came before me: Barb ara “Solomon Optical,” for your count-on-
ability, your sweet nature, generosity, know-how, grounding, and authority
—and for the glasses! Maggie, for answering my call to help without
question more than a few times, and for the amazing car, and love. Sandy,
for your deep presence and persistence, your beauty inside and out, and for
your art infused in all you do and who you are.
Weber, Hoyt, and Hansen families, sisters Barbara and Maggie, and John
Howard, you time and again opened your hearts and homes to Sol and me
when I needed to be away. My clients, you have taught me much, deeply
inspired me, and entrusted me with your tender hearts and stories. I am
honored to partner with you in this healing process. I am the lucky one who
gets to see you uncover and make manifest the glorious treasure of your
essence that is always there under the hurts.  To witness the transformation
that forgiveness and peace bring is to drink the draught from the eternalwell of love and life. Your successes believed me in my own abilities and
fed confidence. Those who reviewed chapters gave invaluable feedback:
Melody S., David B., Joyce G., Kari T., Barb, and many, many more.
To friends: Ruthi Backenroth, colleague and wise woman, master line
editrix and practitioner, and tapping buddy. Ruthi Sloven, adopted sista, it’s
rare to have so much red-white- and blue powerhouse of love, dance, song,
wisdom, spirit, and editorial acumen in one four-foot-something woman!
Tasha Tashee, wolf woman, for your care—you brought me back to center
—and to cheesecake—more than once. Mr. Purr, for your snuggles and for
modeling relaxa tion. Cougar, you rock! Shannon Pennefeather— thanks for
making this connection!
Thanks to the healers and teachers who spurred this work forward, named
and unnamed, including the late Suzanne Rivers, you were right about
movement for me, the late Gilbert Walking Bull, Laura Morning Star,
Rebecca Bradshaw, Tara Brach, Josh Korda, Piotr. To those who held the
space for me and my dreams when I forgot and fell into a hole. You reached
out your hands, opened your hearts, and slaked my spirit’ s thirst: Kathleen
Zucker -Ducker, Marda K, Jill Strunk, Bill Torvund, Katherine Krumweide
(to notre santé!), Kim Hart, curandisma and facilitator of the restoration of
the inner Goddess, Amy New Neighbor S., Cecilia Bartok S., Cecilia R.,
Patricia W., Robert S., Alan C., Ken B., Abby, Tiff and Jean, the Interplay
people and process, and more.  Gary Craig, for your care and time, for
answering the phone (!) and my questions, for discussing this project with
me, and encouraging me toward Gold Standard EFT. For Hebrew, glorious,
life-giving sacred language of creation, you inspired me throughin and
throughout. For the Llewellyn people: Cheryl, you waited and held the door
and copy machine open for me! Acquiring editor Angela Wix, your
gentleness, patience, structural clarity, availability, and encouragement are a
source of reassurance and support. You rode this through to completion and
believed in me. Production edito r Laura Graves, for making the moving and
sometimes messy parts work together, and for your patience with the
handwritten final changes. As well, to those not named, those who cannotbe named, those I inadvertently  forgot, those seen and unseen who helped
me own this project and bring this long-overdue baby to birth. I am grateful.
I am great-full! Thank you![contents]
OceanofPDF.comIntroduction
to Emotional Freedom Techniques
Do you have a problem you can’t solve? Are you caught in the grip of a bad
memory? Having trouble handling conflict without freaking out? Can’ t say
no? Do you go into fight-or -flight mode each time the boss emails, or have
a sex life that is absent without official leave, or food craving s that have
gone off the rails? Do you suffer from a serious illness or chronic pain, or
from a twenty-first-century lifestyle that fills you with stress and anxiety?
Emotional Freedom Technique (aka EFT, tapping, energy therapy, meridian
therapy) is a simple practice that can help you address your concerns and
offer relief.
What Is EFT and How Might It Help Y ou?
So what  exactly  is EFT? Is tapping talk therapy? No, though talk- ing is
involved. Is it acupuncture? No, though you do tap gently on acupressure
points. Does it look weird? Perhaps, but no more weird than a Zumba class
or acupuncture session to the uninitiated. Is it hard to learn? Absolutely not.
Children can easily learn and use it.
EFT is part of a fast-gr owing area of healing and self-improvement called
energy therapy developed by Gary Craig. It regularly gives people long-
lasting, permanent relief from bothersome emotional, physical, or
performance-related problems. Gold  Standard EFT helps clear at the roots
deep-seated issues that have caused trouble and upset for years. The process
involves you simply holding the thoughts, feelings, and body sensations
associated with a targeted proble m in mind while tapping on calming points


 v e  a n d  s e v e n  y e a r s  o l d,  f r o m  a  c o u n t y  f o s t e r  c a r e
p r o g r a m.  B e c a u s e  t h e y  h a d  b e e n  h o r r i b l y  a b u s e d  b y  t h e i r
p a r e n t s,  C a r l  a n d  D y l a n  d i s p l a y e d  c o m m o n  s y m p t o m s  o f
s e v e r e l y  t r a u m a t i z e d  c h i l d r e n.  A s  a  c o n s e q u e n c e,  t h e y  w e r e
n o t  s u c c e s s f u l  a t  t r a n s i t i o n i n g  i n t o  f o s t e r  h o m e s,  m u c h  l e s s
a n  a d o p t i v e  o n e.  A t  o n e  p o i n t  t h e y  h a d  e v e n  b e e n  o n  a n
a d o p t i o n  t r a c k  w i t h  o n e  c o u p l e  a n d  u l t i m a t e l y  r e t u r n e d  t o
t h e  a g e n c y.  T h e y  p r o b a b l y  w e r e  o n  a  s l o w  t r a c k  t o  t h e  w o r s t
k i n d  o f  l i f e  b e f o r e  m y  f r i e n d  t o o k  t h e m  i n t o  h i s.
M a n y  o f  t h e  p e o p l e  a r o u n d  m y  f r i e n d,  i n c l u d i n g  m e,
w o r r i e d  t h a t  h e  h a d  t a k e n  o n  t o o  b i g  a  t a s k.  H o w  c o u l d  h e,
a s  a  s i n g l e  m a n,  c o p e  w i t h  t w o  t r a u m a t i z e d  y o u n g  b o y s  a n d
s u c c e s s f u l l y  p a r e n t  t h e m?  Y e t  a s  t h e  w e e k s  a n d  m o n t h s  a n d
y e a r s  w e n t  b y,  a l l  w h o  k n e w  t h e m  w i t n e s s e d  a  m i r a c l e :  l i t t l e
C a r l  a n d  D y l a n  b e c a m e  m o d e l  c h i l d r e n,  a n d  n o  o n e  w h o
n o w  m e e t s  t h e m  w o u l d  e v e r  g u e s s  t h a t  t h e y  c a m e  f r o m
t r o u b l e d  c i r c u m s t a n c e s.  M y  f r i e n d ’ s  l o v e  a n d  r a d i c a l  c a r e
c r e a t e d  t h e  s p a c e  f o r  t h e  b o y s  t o  c h a n g e.  T o  g r o w.  T ob e c o m e  t h e  c h i l d r e n  t h e y  w e r e  m e a n t  t o  b e  a n d  s t i l l  c o u l d
b e.  T h e i r  a d o p t i v e  f a t h e r ’ s  p a t i e n c e  a n d  l o v e  a c c o m p l i s h e d
a n  a s t o n i s h i n g  f e a t.
I  r e a d  i n  t h e  n e w s p a p e r  r e c e n t l y  a b o u t  a  g o v e r n m e n t
s t u d y  u n d e r t a k e n  t o  d e t e r m i n e  w h a t  m a k e s  c h i l d r e n  l e a r n.
W h a t  w a s  f o u n d — a f t e r  t w e n t y - f i v e  m i l l i o n  d o l l a r s  o f
r e s e a r c h — w a s  t h a t  t h e  s i n g l e  l a r g e s t  d e t e r m i n a n t  i n  m a k i n g
c h i l d r e n  l e a r n  i s  t h e  p r e s e n c e  o f  a t  l e a s t  o n e  a d u l t — a n d  t h i s
d o e s  n o t  h a v e  t o  b e  a  b i o l o g i c a l  r e l a t i v e — w h o  c a r e s
w h e t h e r  t h e y  d o.
M i r a c l e s  o f  p e r s o n a l  t r a n s f o r m a t i o n  d o  o c c u r,  a n d  t h e y
c a n  o c c u r  i n  e a c h  o f  u s.
W h e n e v e r  o u r  o u t e r  w o r l d  r e m a i n s  s t u c k,  i t  i s  i n c u m b e n t
u p o n  u s  t o  l o o k,  n o t  o u t w a r d,  b u t  i n w a r d.  I t  i s  a  c a l l  t o  f i n d
t h e  p l a c e s  i n  o u r s e l v e s  w h e r e  w e  a r e  h o l d i n g  o n  t o  o l d  w a y s
— w h e r e  w e  b l a m e  o t h e r s  r a t h e r  t h a n  t a k i n g  p e r s o n a l
r e s p o n s i b i l i t y  f o r  o u r  w o e s ;  w h e r e  w e  j u d g e  o t h e r s  i n s t e a d
o f  b l e s s i n g  t h e m ;  w h e r e  w e  a r e  h a r d  r a t h e r  t h a n  v u l n e r a b l e
a n d  o p e n  a n d  k i n d.  T h e s e  i s s u e s  h o l d  t h e  h i d d e n  k e y s  t o
u n l o c k i n g  o u r  u n s o l v e d  p e r s o n a l  m y s t e r i e s.  T o  a c h i e v e
b r e a k t h r o u g h s  i n  t h e  e x t e


 r c u l t u r e  o f  t h e  s i x t i e s,  b u t  b y  t h e  i n t e r n a l
a t t i t u d e s  o f  t h o s e  w h o  p e r c e i v e  i t.  T h e y  m a k e  s u g g e s t i o n s
a n d  c o m m e n t s  t h a t  a r e  j u s t  a  l i t t l e  b i t  w i s e r ;  t h e y  b r i n g  n e w
i n s i g h t s  i n t o  a r e a s  p r e v i o u s l y  l o c k e d  d o w n  b y  t h e  s t a t u s
q u o.  T h e y  s e e  s o m e  s t a r  i n  t h e  s k y  t h a t  n o t  e v e r y o n e  i s
s e e i n g.  A n d  i n  t h e i r  p r e s e n c e,  w e  s t a r t  t o  s e e  i t  t o o.

S i g n i n g  U p  f o r  D u t y

W e  s i g n  u p  f o r  d u t y,  f o r  p a r t i c i p a t i o n  i n  t h i s  r e v o l u t i o n,
t h r o u g h  a  s i n c e r e  d e s i r e  t o  b e  u s e d  b y  s o m e t h i n g  l a r g e r  t h a n
o u r s e l v e s,  f o r  t h e  p u r p o s e  o f  h e a l i n g  t h e  w o r l d.  I t  d o e s n ’ t
e v e n  m a t t e r  i f  w e  d o n ’ t  c a l l  t h a t  “ s o m e t h i n g  l a r g e r ”  b y  t h e
n a m e  o f  G o d.  F o r  s o m e  p e o p l e  c o n s p i r e  w i t h  G o d  w h o  d o
n o t  y e t  b e l i e v e  i n  H i m. *  I t  i s  u l t i m a t e l y  n o t  o u r  b e l i e f  b u t
o u r  e x p e r i e n c e  t h a t  m a t t e r s. *  G o d  h a s  n o  e g o  b y  w h i c h  t o
b e  i n s u l t e d  i f  w e  d o  n o t  g e t  H i s  n a m e  r i g h t.
B u t  w h a t e v e r  n a m e  w e  c a l l  H i m,  w e  c o m e  t o  r e a l i z e  t h a t
w e  a r e  t h e  a r m y,  b u t  H e  i s  i n  c h a r g e.  H e  c a n n o t  u s e  u s  t o
c h a n g e  t h e  w o r l d  d e e p l y  u n t i l  f i r s t  w e  h a v e  b e e n  c h a n g e d
b y  H i m.  T o  s u r r e n d e r  t h e  w o r l d  t o  H i m,  f i r s t  w e  m u s t
s u r r e n d e r  o u r s e l v e s.T h e  c h a n g e  b e g i n s  w i t h  a  s h i f t  i n  t h e  l e n s  t h r o u g h  w h i c h
w e  p e r c e i v e  t h e  w o r l d.  I t  g r o w s  w i t h i n  u s  t o  a f f e c t  n o t  o n l y
o u r  o w n  l i v e s,  b u t  a l s o  t h e  l i v e s  o f  t h o s e  a r o u n d  u s.  I t  l e a d s
u s  t o  c o n n e c t  w i t h  o t h e r s  w h o  a r e  s i m i l a r l y  u n d e r g o i n g  a
t r a n s f o r m a t i o n  o f  t h e i r  e g o  s t r u c t u r e s,  f r o m  a n  o l d
p e r s p e c t i v e  t o  s o m e t h i n g  n e w.  A n d  t h r o u g h  o u r  i n d i v i d u a l
a n d  c o l l e c t i v e  e f f o r t s,  d i v i n e l y  i n  s p i r e d,  w e  w i l l  t u r n  t h e
w o r l d  a r o u n d  i n  t i m e.  J u s t  w h e n  w e  t h o u g h t  a l l  h o p e  w a s
e n d e d,  h o p e  w i l l  r e a p p e a r.
F o r  t h o s e  o f  u s  w h o  a r e  c y n i c a l ;  f o r  t h o s e  o f  u s  w h o  a r e
t o o  t i r e d  n o w ;  f o r  t h o s e  o f  u s  w h o  a r e  w e a r y  o f  t h e  w a y
t h i n g s  a l w a y s  g o ;  f o r  t h o s e  o f  u s  w h o  u s e d  t o  c a r e  b u t  a r e
t o o  b u s y  n o w  j u s t  t r y i n g  t o  g e t  b y,  t h e r e  i s  a  c h a n g e  a f o o t.  I t
b e g i n s  i n  t h e  h e a r t.  A n d  a s  i t  r i s e s  t o  t h e  s u r f a c e,  i t  w i l l
c h a n g e  a l l  t h i n g s.

I M A G I N E  T H A T  G O D  H A S  A S K E D  Y O U  i f  H e  c o u l d  u s e  y o u r  h a n d s  a n d  f e e t,  t o
g o  w h e r e  H e  w o u l d  h a v e  y o u  g o  a n d  d o  w h a t  H e  w o u l d
h a v e  y o u  d o.
I m a g i n e  t h a t  G o d  h a s  a s k e d  y o u  i f  H e  c o u l d  u s e  y o u r
m o u t


 locus of the perception
of one absolute truth; all the rest are semi-population is little more than
five points
continuous, or there could be no creation
a hologram that already stands complete;
facts spawned from the artifacts of
during a lifetime. Apparently, from
at all. T o look for the "beginning" of
it is a subjective sensory ef fect of a
limited perception and positionality. "T o
untold millions of individual experiences
creation is to proceed from an artificial
progressively moving point of view.
be or not to be" is not a choice; one may
in one's life, usually only a few lessons
notion of time. The "start" of something
There is no beginning or end to a
decide to be this or that, but to be is,
are ever learned. The attainment of
that is outside of time cannot be located
hologram. It is already everywhere
simply, the only fact there is.
wisdom is slow and painful, and few arein time. The big bang can only occur in
complete; in fact, the appearance of
All the foregoing has been expressed at
willing to relinquish familiar, even if
the mind of an observer.
being "unfinished" is part of its
various times in man's intellectual history
inaccurate, views; resistance to change or
The universe is very cooperative. completeness. Even the phenomenon
of by sages who have moved beyond duality
growth is considerable. It would seem
Inasmuch as the universe is not dif ferent
"unfoldment" itself reflects a limited
in their awareness. But even then, to
that most people are willing to die rather
from consciousness itself, it is happy to
point of view. There is no enfolded and
claim that the comprehension of the non-
than alter those belief systems which
create whatever we wish to find "out
unfolded universe; there is only a
duality of existence is superior to itsconfine them to lower levels of
there." The problem is with the concept
becoming awareness. Our perception of
realization as dual is again to fall into an
consciousness.
of cause itself, which begs the question
events happening in time is analogous to
illusion. There is, ultimately, neither
If this is true, then what is the prognosis
by presuming a time warp, a sequence, a
a traveler watching the landscape unfold
duality nor non-duality; there is only
for the human condition? Is a five-point
string of events that will make sense. If
before him. But to say that the landscape
awareness. Only awareness itself can
advance per generation all that can be
we step outside of time there are no
unfolds before the traveler is merely a
state that it is beyond all concepts such as
expected? This troubling question
causes at all. W e could say that thefigure of speech: nothing is actually
"is" or "is not." This must be so, because
deserves our attention.
manifest world originates out of the
unfolding; nothing is actually becoming
"is" can be conceived only by In the first place, as we can observe from
unmanifest, but that again would be
manifest. There is only the progression of
consciousness itself.
the distribution of levels of
inferring a sequential causal series in
awareness.
A wareness itself is beyond even consciousness throughout the world
time, i.e., unmanifest > manifest. Once
These paradoxes dissolve in the greater
consciousness. Therefore, it may be said
population, (196) great masses of our
beyond the warp of time, with its implicit
paradigm which includes both opposites,
that the Absolute is unknowable exactly
species are at the low end of the
restriction of comprehension. to terms ofwherein oppositions as such are only loci
because it is beyond knowing, i.e.,
evolutionary scale, still relying on force
93
94
to compensate for their actual why? This is a crucial subject regarding
willingness, which opens up the mind
defined by the viewer's unique level of
powerlessness. More advanced individual
which few principles have been defined.
through new means of appraisal to the
consciousness. If you are on this side of
cultures exhibit more variation. The
Growth and development are irregular
possible validity of new hypotheses.
the hologram your perception will hardly
Japanese capitalized on the lessons of
and nonlinear. Practically nothing is
Though motives for change are as
agree with that of the observer on the
W orld W ar II and collectively made a
known about the essential nature ofmultitudinous as the innumerable facets
other side. "He must be crazy!" is a
major jump in their evolution. On the
growth, or any "process" in nature for
of the human condition, they are most
common reaction to such wide
other hand, America's level of that matter. No one has (197) ever studied
often found to arise spontaneously when
discrepancy. And the world is a set of
consciousness sank as a result of the
the nature of life itself, only its images
the mind is challenged in the face of a
holograms in limitless dimensions, not,
V ietnam W ar; what was actually learned
and consequences. There simply has not
puzzle or a paradox. Deliberately as is often said, of mirrors-which fixed
in as yet remains to be seen.
been an adequate mathematics to
creating such an impasse is a customary
time and place and of fer only a single
Unfortunately our entertainment in comprehend it; linear dif ferential
device in certain disciplines, such as Zen,
reflection are fixed Auditory experience,general trades on emotional equations brought us to approximations
to finesse a leap of awareness.
also, is part of a holographic series of
sensationalism, and so gravitates toward
but not to essence. A simple sprouting
(198) On our scale of consciousness there
attractor fields of all the sounds that ever
violence. Murder is nightly family fare
seed performs incredible wonders
are two critical fulcrums that allow for
were. The physical world is tactile, too. It
on television; our children grow up on a
through an intrinsic wizardry of which
major advancement. The first is at 200,
has texture, color, dimension and spatial
steady mental diet of it. Americans have
we have no understanding whatever.
the initial level of empowerment. Here
relationships such as position and shape.
learned to enjoy the gruesome-the more
Each of these is again part of an
As is commonly observed, growth, botharises the willingness to stop blaming
bizarre, the better. Cruelty and havoc are
underlying sequence which, with all
individual and collective, can take place
and accept responsibility for one's own
becoming status quo. In the city of
other qualities, goes back in "end of
either slowly or suddenly. It is not
actions, feelings and beliefs. So long as
Phoenix, where an initiative requiring
time" to the original source of its
limited by restraints, but by tendencies.
cause and responsibility are projected
children to have parental permission to
existence, which is now.
Innumerable options are open to
outside oneself, one must remain in the
carry guns recently failed, ABC News on
(199)
everyone all the time but are relatively
powerless mode of victim-hood. The
January 1, 1993, reported the handguninfrequently chosen, because they want
second is the 500 level, reached by
A hologram, we might say, is in and of
killing of a two-and-one-half-year -old by
the context that would make them
accepting love and non-judgmental itself a process. There is nothing
fixed in a three-year -old. It seems that society
attractive. One's range of choice is
for giveness as a lifestyle, exercising
a three-dimensional hologram. And what
institutionalizes certain self propagating
ordinarily limited by one's vision.
unconditional kindness to all persons,
then of a four -dimensional hologram? It
levels of consciousness which become an
things and events without exception. (In
Context, value and meaning are merely
would include all possible instances of
ingrained characteristic of various social
twelve-step recovery groups it is said that
dif ferent terms for a subtle web of ener gy
itself simultaneously. T o change seems tostrata.
there are no justified resentments. Even if
patterns within an overall or ganizing
be to move through time, but if time
Nonetheless, there remains free choice
somebody "did you wrong," you are still
attractor ener gy field-which is itself only
itself is transcended, then there is no such
and thus a considerable potential for
free to choose your response and let
part of a still lar ger one, and so on, in an
thing as sequence. If all is now, there is
individual mobility and variety of
resentment go.) Once one makes this
infinite continuum throughout the
nothing to follow from here to there.
experience, making available alternate
commitment he begins to experience a
universe, eventually including the total
Each hologram is in itself an
options. From our study of advanced
dif ferent, more benign world as hisfield of consciousness itself. While the
evolutionary projection from an endless
theoretical physics, nonlinear dynamics
perceptions evolve.
she


 seduce one another into
the proper n1ood. This leads to a grand and delicious result: the
energizing of the man and the satisfaction of the woman, or joy
ous and healthy sexual union.
The classics prescribe the essentials of love-play and explain
how to judge whether a partner has been "harmonized" for the
final consun1mation. They conc entrate mainly on male action and
female response, probably because characteristically blundering
male partners arc in greater need of such advice. The Taoists con
sidered the woman not only the repository of life, but also the
fountainhead of sexual wisdom.
Thus the Elemental Maid teaches the Yellow Emperor about
foreplay: "At the time of sexual union, let the tnan first ask the
won1an to lie down flat on her back and bend her legs. The man
then gets between her spread thighs. He holds her lips in his tnouth
and sucks on her tongue. Holding his jade stalk, he strikes the cast
and west sides of her gate for about a n1eal's time." In ancient China,
it should be pointed out, there was no such thing as fast food.
THE AR T OF THE THRE E PEAKS
Esse ntials of the jade Chamber features a dialogue between Peng
Tsu and the Iridescent Maid, one of the three fcntale tutors to the Yellow Emperor. Sent by the emperor to learn some of the exper
tise of the ancient 1naster, she hears Pcng's instructions to the male
partner: "Play with her cinnabar field. Seck what is in her mouth.
Press her body deeply and palpate it gently to bring about heres
sences. When the woman responds to the man's Yang she exhibits
these symptoms: Her cars are hot, as if she has drunk rich wine.
Her breasts protrude firmly and fill his hands. Her neck moves
about; her legs shake agitatedly. She tries to restrain her lascivious
1notions, but suddenly she clasps his body." Peng Tsu's counsel
here is especially intriguing. His words "press her body deeply
and palpate it gently" accurate ly describe a basic technique in an
cient Chinese massage ain1ing at acupoints. The erotic variety of
this acupressur e can be a most effective aphrodisiac.
The ven erabl e master goes on to extol the benefit of exchang
ing saliva during foreplay and coitus. The juices from the "five
viscera," he explains, flow out under the tongue as saliva, which
was considered an elixir by Taoists. Saliva was not the only such
tonic. Ko Hung (281-341), a Taoist philosop her, alchemist, and
sexologist who contributed n1uch to the development of ancient
Chin ese scientific thought, n1entioned in his book The Master
Who Embraces Simplicity (Pao Pu Tzu) that the Han dynasty minis
ter Chang Tsang lived 1 8o years as a result of his ingesting breast
secretions of women.
Peng Tsu's idea of sipping saliva at love-play and Ko Hung's tale
of sipping breast secretions to abet longevity n1ust have touched
off a real fad among sex cultists in later centuries. "Alchen1ists of
sex" proposed the drawing of three fluids frotn the fen1ale body as
elixirs for n1en: saliva fron1 the Red Lotus Peak, n1ilk fron1 the
Twin Lotus Peaks, and vaginal secretions frotn the Purple Agaric
Peak. The word "peak" seen1s inappropriate at least for two of the
three bodily locations, and the pluck-and-nur ture nunuals of the
sexual alche1nists do not bother to explain this choice of tenn. It
n1akes sense, however, if we consider a wonu n's tongue as the
Red Lotus Peak, and her clitoris as the Purple Agaric Peak. Purple
agaric (the color refers to its stalk) is the n1ost valued of the tive
varieties of lillg-dtilz, or "divine n1ushroo1ns"; the Chinese tn.·a
sure it, believing it pron1otes health and longevity.
Male aticionados of this Art of the Three Peaks were advised
to choose won1cn who had not yet borne a child, so the inclu
sion of 1nilk is puzzling. In i:Kt, son1e Chinese concoctions have been known to p roduce tnilk in virgins. As t()r nutritious vahll' in
the three elixirs. only breast tnilk is known to have any. (Shou ld a
sexology laboratory seck expe rinll'ntal proof of this ancil·nt nu
trition theory. ho\Vl'Vl'r, it probably would he swan1pcd by volun
teers. of both sexes. intcrestl'd in the ways of scienc e.) What is
itnportant here is thl'l'rotic efficacy of thl' Art of till· Three Peaks.
The sex alchen1ists' handbooks spl 'Ci fy quitl'cka rly that during
foreplay and coitus, nll'll should drink thl · three dixir s directly
fron1 their sources.
Saliva. or.. \Vater frotn the heavenly pool;' was sipped by both
the tnan and the won1an while kissing. In drinking the essence
fron1 the Twin Lotus Peaks, also called ''coral juice," whether the
n1an actually gets any fluid is not as in1portant as what he docs to
the nipples and areolas in the process. And as to the absorption of
secretions fron1 the Purple Agaric Peak, the handbooks describe
the n1ethod rather cryptically: The man inserts his jade stalk as a
sort of drinking straw, then "crouches down in the manner of
a tortoise," using the techniques of chi-kung (a Taoist meditative
art) to suck or.. pluck" the secretions, and finally stores this es
sence in his cinnabar field.
This description may sound metaphysical, but at least one an
cient sex alchemist allegedly demonstrated the technique to an
emperor and his ladies in his inner palace. He put his jade stalk in a
teacup filled with water, sucked up the water, then expelled it.
This probably is a lost art in China. Yogis in India are capable of
accomplishing much the same feat through the rectum, and sim
ilar but lesser prowess may be observed at Parisian sex shows,
where female performers pick up coins or puff on cigarettes with
their genitals. Whether ancient or conten1porary, whether for
health or for entertainment, these feats point to one thing: The
sn1ooth muscles of the genitourinary region, controlled by the
autonotnic nervous system and nonnally involuntary, can func
tion at will-with enough practice. For centuries Taoists have
explored various functions of the autonomic nervous system to
enhance health and sexuality. Some of their techniques are de
tailed in later chapters.
Drinking with the mouth fron1 the Purple Agaric Peak is of
ten described lyrically in bedchamber literature as ''drinking at
the jade fountain." The sixth-century poet Hsu Ling, in a letter to
a friend who had retired and was living in the n1ountains with a
CJ7 THE AR T OF THE BEDCHA MH ER
Flr4te-playin,(!, and
dri11 ki11g at tlzcjadef ormt aitl female companion, congratulated his friend on having ample time
available to "practice the art of the Elemental Maid." He added
enviously: "Why bother with the elixir of immortality when you
can drink at the jade fountain!"
Quenching one's thirst at the jade fountain is mentioned less
frequently in the literature of later centuries. A few decades ago,
however, some linguistic evidence was found. In northern China,
a man whose livelihood was pleasing women, the equivalent of
a gigolo or a male mistress, was scornfully called a "dish Iicker."
In eastern China, a man adept at pleasing women orally was of
ten teasingly called a "champion melon-seed cracker." The Chi
nese love to eat roasted waterme lon seeds, and some are experts
at tossing a seed into their mouth, cracking it with their teeth,
separating the broken shell from the kernel with their tongue,
swallowing the kernel, and spitting out the neatly broken shell,
all within a few seconds-and doing this repeatedly, and in rapid
succession. A virtuoso in oral-genital kissing thus was likened to
a n1an who could eat melon seeds with such skill and gusto.
The female activity corresponding to drinking at the jade foun
tain is "playing the flute." Because of the ancient Chinese taboo
against squandering male semen, flute-playing was generally lim
ited to dry runs.
FouR ATTAINME NTs, NINE Ess ENCES


	relax,	relax.How	to	determine	if	you	are	breathing	correctly	during	physical	exercise

Measure	your	CP	before	exercise;

Perform	physical	exercise;

Measure	your	CP	15–30	minutes	after	you	have	completed	your	exercise.

Your	CP	measurement	15	minutes	after	exercise	should	be	greater	than	your
CP	measurement	before	exercise.

Bear	in	mind	two	points:
1
.
If	your	CP	is	measured	immediately	after	exercise,	it	will	probably	be
lower	than	you’re	starting	CP	because	of	the	existing	air	shortage.
2
.
If	30	minutes	after	exercise	your	CP	is	still	lower	than	your	starting	CP,
you	were	breathing	excessively	during	exercise.People	who	exercise	are	more	relaxed
S
tress	reflects	changes	in	our	body	primarily	to	help	us.	When	we	are
stressed,	the	fight	or	flight	response	has	been	activated	and	our	body	is
programmed	for	physical	activity.	To	release	this	activation,	go	out	for	a	walk
or	a	jog	or	whatever	exercise	you	enjoy.	If	you	are	unable	to	remove	yourself
from	your	environment,	control	your	breathing	and,	later	that	day,	ensure	to
get	physical	activity.

Those	who	exercise	regularly	are	calmer	and	more	productive	than	their
colleagues.	Exercise	enables	quicker	recovery	after	activation	of	the	fight	or
flight	response.	Chemicals	that	are	released	are	removed	quicker	and	your
body’s	systems	can	return	to	their	normal	operating	rates.	Exercise	also
releases	pent-up	negative	energy,	enhances	self-esteem	and	is	a	useful	tool	to
use	to	escape	from	work	and	other	commitments.

The	following	is	a	summary	of	the	key	points	regarding	physical	exercise
.
1
.
It	is	absolutely	essential	to	do	physical	exercise.
2
.
Exercise	within	your	capabilities.
3
.
Never	breathe	through	your	mouth	during	exercise	if	your	CP	is	less	than
20	seconds.
4
.
The	lower	you’re	CP,	the	more	careful	you	should	be	while	performing
physical	exercise.
5
.
Feel	the	need	for	air	during	physical	exercise.
6
.
Perform	thirty	minutes	to	one	hour	of	physical	exercise	per	day.
7
.
Make	sure	to	go	gently	with	your	mouth	closed	for	the	first	10	minutes.
8
.
Make	sure	to	calm	your	breathing	immediately	following	exercise.
9
.
Walk,	don’t	talk.Breath	hold	during	exercise
T
his	exercise	involves	holding	your	breath	on	the	out-breath	while	engaging
in	any	physical	activity.	You	can	do	this	while	walking,	skipping,	using	a
trampoline,	cycling,	etc.

This	is	a	very	effective	exercise	for	ensuring	that	your	breathing	is	reduced,
calm	and	gentle	during	the	day.	The	length	of	time	of	your	breath	hold
depends	on	the	state	of	your	health	and	you’re	CP.
While	walking	breathe	in,	breathe	out	and	hold	your	breath
Walk	5	to	20	paces	with	your	breath	held
Resume	breathing	and	continue	to	walk
After	30	seconds	to	1	minute	of	walking	with	normal	breathing,	repeat
breath	hold	as	above
Repeat	small	breath	hold	every	half	minute	to	one	minute
Ensure	that	your	inner	body	is	relaxed	throughout
If	there	is	tension	in	your	tummy	or	chest,	encourage	this	area	to	relaxMaintain	control	of	your	breathing	throughout

There	is	no	hard	and	fast	rule	as	to	how	many	times	you	do	this.	The	more
often	you	perform	breath	holds	throughout	the	day,	the	better.	The	objective
with	any	exercise	is	to	produce	a	sweat	and	feel	warmer.	This	exercise	is	far
better	than	walking	alone,	as	it	creates	a	slightly	higher	air	shortage.

If	you	do	experience	a	slight	headache	while	walking	with	breath	holds,
don’t	be	concerned.	This	is	a	good	sign	and	indicates	increased	CO
2
levels.	Your	headache	will	soon	dissipate	and	you	will	feel	better.
Chapter	5

Further	stilling	the	mind

Meditation	is	the	simply	stilling
and	relaxing	the	mind

Focusing	on	the	breath,	feeling
the	inner	body	and	occupying
the	sense	is	meditation.Connect	with	the	inner	body
P
lacing	attention	on	the	inner	body	is	a	truly	wonderful	thing	to	do.	Western
man	rarely	places	attention	on	the	inner	body	unless	he	is	in	pain.	Seldom
does	he	have	his	attention	on	the	body	when	it	is	free	from	pain.	Seldom	does
he	experience	the	vibration	of	energy	that	resonates	there.	The	body	is	your
connection	with	life	itself.	Your	body	is	life.

If	you	have	never	placed	attention	on	your	body	before,	start	off	slowly.	If
you	have	already	been	following	and	reducing	your	breath,	you	will	find	this
relatively	easy	to	do.

Close	your	eyes	and	bring	attention	to	one	of	your	hands.	Feel	your	hand	from
within.	Stay	with	the	energy	field	of	your	hand	for	a	little	while.	When	you
have	a	good	feeling	of	the	inner	energy	field	of	your	hand,	move	your
attention	to	include	your	arm.	Now	feel	the	energy	field	of	your	hand	and	arm
together.	Don’t	analyze	or	think	about	it,	just	feel	it.

Next,	bring	attention	to	your	chest	and	feel	it	from	within	for	a	couple	of
minutes.	Then	bring	attention	to	your	stomach.	Feel	whether	there	is	any
tension	here.	If	your	stomach	is	tense,	imagine	it	gradually	relaxing.	Feel	the
area	around	your	tummy	relaxing	by	itself.	Feel	the	tension	dissolving.	The
more	active	your	mind,	the	greater	the	tendency	for	your	stomach	to	be	in	a
knot.	Relax	this	area	using	your	imagination.

Now	feel	the	energy	field	of	both	hands,	both	arms,	your	chest	and	your
tummy	at	the	same	time.	Keep	your	attention	there.	Your	body	will	rejoice	in
the	attention	that	you	are	giving	it.	As	long	as	your	attention	is	on	your	body,
it	is	not	on	your	mind.	The	incessant	thought	activity	of	your	mind	has
stopped.When	you	are	focusing	on	reducing
your	breathing,	you	are	out	of	your
mind.	You	are	giving	your	chatter
a	rest.	Wonderful!

When	you	have	attention	on	your	inner
body,	you	are	out	of	your	mind.
You	are	taking	back	ownership
of	your	mind.

When	your	complete	attention	is	on
your	senses,	you	are	out	of	your	mind.
You	did	this	naturally	as	a	child.You	cannot	have	complete	attention	on	your	inner	body	and	at	the	same	time
have	mental	noise.	With	a	little	practise,	you	will	be	able	to	feel	your	entire
body	from	head	to	toe.

During	the	day	as	you	do	go	about	your	daily	affairs,	bring	attention	to	your
breathing	and	your	inner	body.	As	you	drive	your	car,	have	70%	of	your
attention	on	driving	and	30%	in	your	inner	body.	As	you	walk,	feel	your	body
relax	throughout.

As	you	watch	TV,	don’t	surrender	all	of	y


ow-carbohydrate	diets	are	associated	with	the	onset	of	non-
insulin-dependent	[Type	2]	diabetes	mellitus	in	humans.”
11
In	the	past	twenty-five	years,	the	rate	at	which	children	in	Japan	contract
Type	2	diabetes	has	more	than	tripled.	Researchers	note	that
consumption	of	animal	protein	and	animal	fat	has	drastically	increased	in
the	past	fifty	years.	Researchers	say	that	this	dietary
shift,	along	with	low
exercise	levels,	might	be	to	blame	for	this	explosion	of	diabetes.
12
In	England	and	Wales	the	rate	of	diabetes	markedly	dropped	from	1940
to	1950,	largely	during	World	War	II	when	food	consumption	patterns
changed	markedly.	During	the	war	and	its	aftermath,	fiber	and	grain
intake	went	up	and	fat	intake	went	down.	People	ate	“lower”	on	the	food
chain	because	of	national	necessity.	Around	1950,	though,	people	gave
up	the	grain-based	diets	and	returned	to	eating	more	fat,	more	sugar	and
less	fiber.	Sure	enough,	diabetes	rates	started	going	up.
13
Researchers	studied	36,000	women	in	Iowa	for	six	years.	All	were	free
of	diabetes	at	the	start	of	the	study,	but	more	than	1,100	cases	of	diabetes
developed	after	six	years.	The	women	who	were	least	likely	to	get
diabetes	were	those	that	ate	the	most	whole	grains	and	fiber
14
—those
whose	diets	contained	the	most	carbohydrates	(the	complex	kind	found
in	whole	foods).
All	of	these	findings	support	the	idea	that	both	across	and	within
populations,	high-fiber,	whole,	plant-based	foods	protect	against	diabetes,	and
high-fat,	high-protein,	animal-based	foods	promote	diabetes.CURING	THE	INCURABLE
All	of	the	research	cited	above	was
observational
	and	an	observed
association,	even	if	frequently	seen,	may	only	be	an	incidental	association	that
masks	the	real	cause-effect	relationship	of	environment	(including	diet)	and
disease.	There	is,	however,	also	research	of	the	“controlled”	or	intervention
variety.	This	involves	changing	the	diets	of	people	who	already	have	either
full-blown	Type	1	or	Type	2	diabetes	or	mild	diabetic	symptoms	(impaired
glucose	tolerance).
James	Anderson,	M.D.,	is	one	of	the	most	prominent	scientists	studying
diet	and	diabetes	today,	garnering	dramatic	results	using	dietary	means	alone.
One	of	his	studies	examined	the	effects	of	a	high-fiber,	high-carbohydrate,
low-fat	diet	on	twenty-five	Type	1	diabetics	and	twenty-five	Type	2	diabetics
in	a	hospital	setting.
15
	None	of	his	fifty	patients	were	overweight	and	all	of
them	were	taking	insulin	shots	to	control	their	blood	sugar	levels.
His	experimental	diet	consisted	mostly	of	whole	plant	foods	and	the
equivalent	of	only	a	cold	cut	or	two	of	meat	a	day.	He	put	his	patients	on	the
conservative,	American-style	diet	recommended	by	the	American
Diabetes
Association	for	one	week	and	then	switched	them	over	to	the	experimental
“veggie”	diet	for	three	weeks.	He	measured	their	blood	sugar	levels,
cholesterol	levels,	weight	and	medication	requirements.	The	results	were
impressive.
Type	1	diabetics	cannot	produce	insulin.	It	is	difficult	to	imagine	any
dietary	change	that	might	aid	their	predicament.
But	after	just	three	weeks,	the
Type	1	diabetic	patients	were	able	to	lower	their	insulin	medication	by	an
average	of	40%!
	Their	blood	sugar	profiles	improved	dramatically.
Just	as
importantly,	their	cholesterol	levels	dropped	by	30%!
15
	Remember,	one	of	the
dangers	of	being	diabetic	is	the	secondary	outcomes,	heart	disease	and	stroke.
Lowering	risk	factors	for	those	secondary	outcomes	by	improving	the
cholesterol	profile	is	almost	as	important	as	treating	high	blood	sugar.
Type	2	diabetics,	unlike	Type	1,	are	more	“treatable”	because	they	haven’t
incurred	such	extensive	damage	to	their	pancreas.	So	when	Anderson’s	Type
2	patients	ate	the	high-fiber,	low-fat	diet,	the	results	were	even	more
impressive.	Of	the	twenty-five	Type	2	patients,	twenty-four	were	able	to
discontinue	their	insulin	medication!	Let	me	say	that	again.
All	but	one	person
were	able	to	discontinue	their	insulin	medication	in	a	matter	of	weeks!
15
One	man	had	a	twenty-one-year	history	of	diabetes	and	was	taking	thirty-
five	units	of	insulin	a	day.	After	three	weeks	of	intensive	dietary	treatment,
his	insulin	dosage	dropped	to	eight	units	a	day.	After	eight	weeks	at	home,	hisneed	for	insulin	shots	vanished.
13

Chart	7.2
	shows	a	sample	of	patients	and
how	eating	a	plant-based	diet	lowered	their	insulin	medications.	This	is	a
huge	effect.
In	another	study	of	fourteen	lean	diabetic	patients,	Anderson	found	that
diet	alone	could	lower	total	cholesterol	levels	by	32%
in	just	over	two
weeks
.
16
	Some	of	the	results	are	shown	in
Chart	7.3
.
These	benefits,	representing	a	decrease	in	blood	cholesterol	from	206
mg/dL	to	141	mg/dL,	are	astounding—especially	considering	the	speed	with
which	they	appear.	Dr.	Anderson	also	found	no	evidence	that	this	cholesterol
decrease	was	temporary	as	long	as	people	continued	on	the	diet;	it	remained
low	for	four	years.
17
Another	group	of	scientists	at	the	Pritikin	Center	achieved	equally
spectacular	results	by	prescribing	a	low-fat,	plant-based	diet	and	exercise	to	a
group	of	diabetic	patients.
Of	forty	patients	on	medication	at	the	start	of	the
program,	thirty-four	were	able	to	discontinue	all	medication	after	only
twenty-six	days.
18
	This	research	group	also	demonstrated	that
the	benefits	of	a
plant-based	diet	will	last	for	years	if	the	same	diet	is	continued.
19
CHART	7.2:	INSULIN	DOSAGE	RESPONSE	TO	DIET
These	are	examples	of	some	very	dramatic	research,	but	they	only	scratch
the	surface	of	all	the	supporting	research	that	has	been	done.	One	scientific
paper	reviewed	nine	publications	citing	the	use	of	high-carbohydrate,	high-
fiber	diets	and	two	more	standard-carbohydrate,	high-fiber	diets	to	treat
diabetic	patients.
20
	All	eleven	studies	resulted	in	improved	blood	sugar	and
cholesterol	levels.	(Dietary	fiber	supplements,	by	the	way,	althoughbeneficial,	did	not	have	same	consistent	effects	as	a	change	to	a	plant-based,
whole	foods	diet.)
21THE	PERSISTENCE	OF	HABIT
As	you	can	see	by	these	findings,	we	can	beat	diabetes.	Two	recent	studies
considered	a	combination	of	diet	and	exercise	effects	on	this	disease.
22,	23
	One
study	placed	3,234	non-diabetic	people	at	risk	for	d


les in this
incar nation. They have chosen these r oles only because of
their particular k arma. Is that wor d clear?... yes. I think it is.

Question : A question about this: not only do you very
rarely use the wor d "love" in your teaching, but you don't
use the wor d "soul" very of ten either. I hear you talk a lot
about how our conceptualized thinking separates us fr om
the ﬁeld of unity and being, but the idea of an individualized
soul...? I'm curious if you can say anything about that, how
it ﬁts for you in that conte xt.

- ECKHAR T TOLLE: I never decided not to use the wor d
"soul"; it just didn't appear; I never decided not to use the
word "soul"; it just didn't appear; lik ewise, I don't use "God"
much...soul... means to me, as R am Dass just said, that you
walk into a stor e or wher ever, you see all kinds of people,
diﬀer ent for ms, and it's wonderful to see the diversity of life
forms ar ound you without having to believe that the
fundamental r eality of each person you see or come incontact with is in their for m or in the r ole they play; they'r e
only temporary; but you can still enjoy the diversity of life
forms and even enjoy the r oles that people play. You can
only r eally enjoy it if you r ecognize the other at a deeper
level and if that r ecognition tak es place - and it can only
succeed if you r ecognize who you ar e beyond your own r ole
and for m - and that is consciousness, the light of
consciousness, the for mless.

Consciousness has tak en a temporary for m and so the
universe generates billions, trillions, an inﬁnite number of
life for ms, even on this one planet, even in the one human
form. Every human being is diﬀer ent in some way, it's
amazing! But if you only see the diﬀer ences, you ar e
trapped at that level. One must be able to feel one's own
fundamental r eality as consciousness to be able to
appreciate the play of for ms. Because otherwise, not only
the play of for ms attracts us, but we ar e looking for
something in those for ms, the fulﬁllment, thr ough other
forms, other people; the ego again, which would lik e other
people to bring us fulﬁllment. Along with this device, ther e
is also the r ole... So if we ar e sitting; these ar e only
temporary for ms, this for m will soon go away, and sooner or
later all these for ms her e will have dissolved. Lik e soap
bubbles. And all that's lef t is the One that has e xpressed
itself in the many. And when one r ecognizes oneself as the
One, -and this happens when the ﬂow of thoughts stops-,
there is only an attentive pr esence, a vast, conscious,
formless pr esence. That is what one is - beyond for m - and
from ther e one can enjoy the play of for ms.

If we ar e not ther e, the play of for ms is thr eatening. Or one
constantly tries to complete oneself by trying to r each
certain for ms. The play of for ms is never satisf ying until one
has touched the r oot of all satisfaction, that is, being itself,consciousness itself. The Buddha has alr eady taught us that
the unsatisfactory natur e of "things", -he said: wher ever one
ﬁnds oneself, one ﬁnds "duca"-suﬀering- no matter what
situation one is in, ther e is always a "crack" in everything.
And of course, these wor ds of L eonar d Cohen: "Ther e is a
crack in everything, and that's how the light gets in". This
means that everything that goes "wr ong" her e in our
encounter is in fact beautiful, not being able to speak is for
example a possibility to be silent. It is to welcome what may
arise, while being in contact with what is unchanging, the
consciousness itself, to feel it, to feel it, in this moment, the
silent and attentive pr esence within. And is it an individual
presence or is it an impersonal pr esence? I don't think you
can r eally separate them; the sense of "I", which is the
formless consciousness, is at the same time the basis of
one's sense of identity, which is however confused with the
stories of the mind. But if we r eally dive deep: wher e does
this feeling of "I" come fr om? Not the "I" = my story or the "I
want" and the "I need" and the "I must have" etc. but the
deeper sense of being "I", the "I am"; "I am the way" said
Jesus and I think they lef t out one wor d: I am IS the way. And
the distinction between personal and impersonal no longer
really appears, because the essence of each individual's
identity beyond the for ms is consciousness itself and it is
the impersonal soul that e xpresses itself as an individual
person...so......that was the answer...?  I never wonder if I
will survive as that personal "self", no; I don't have the
sense of personhood because. The essence of who I am is
timeless, I know that. I don't need to know the details; what
will the essence of who I am, the timeless, do in the futur e?
 To me, it seems that you associate the individual soul and
the collective unity; you don't ﬁnd it important to mak e a
distinction between the two.

No, because many of these things ar e just wor ds; Buddhism,
Hinduism; in Hinduism we have the atman; the inner God is
called atman; Buddhists say : no, ther e is no atman; ther e is
only emptiness! And they ar e both talking about the same
thing, because the atman is for mless. Emptiness" cansometimes be mor e useful, because one cannot believe in
it. The moment you say, "Ther e is an atman!" you begin to
believe in something; you have another spiritual concept.
And the buddah made it very diﬃcult for people to believe
in what he was imparting; very diﬃcult, because they could
not say, "W e believe in emptiness!" Maybe they do in
Buddhist monasteries, but actually it shouldn't be e xpressed
that way, it should be r ecognized, and the moment it is
recognized, it is clear : atman and emptiness ar e the same
thing. L'... soul... The individual soul... W e agr ee that we see
the atman in our interlocutor. So it's not r eally a thought;
the soul is consciousness and as my guru was saying that
you have to love everybody, I said that the soul is the loving
consciousness....and... when he said to me, "L ove
everybody", I ﬁrst thought of the politicians; should I love
them? So some of them I could stand, but I said,
"Maharadshi, I can't do that! I can't do that, I can't love
everybody. And that was my ego. Because the ego judges,
judges, judges. The soul does not judge. I live in the soul
now... and I can love the walls and the ceiling and all of you
here and me and the wheelchair and Eckhart and
everybody.
At ﬁrst I thought I was psychotic because if I loved the wall,
it would get closer to me. And the love becomes......it
merges me with the wall....and the tr ee is an ocean... And I
think we ar e one, but we will only feel if we love
everything.......by loving everything....and...when I was in
my ego, I judged everything including myself. But in the
soul, we ar e like the ocean of love, we swim in the ocean of
love. And it pushes you to love everything, including the
wall. I had a funny e xperience: I told an audience that I
loved everything. and I said: "I love this carpet". It was in a
restaurant. and the carpet was full of stains...and...I could
love it and a friend of mine, Mick ey Lammley, came up to
me he was sitting in the audience; and he said, "So I lik etrees, or paintings, but I still can't lik e this carpet!" And I
said, "Judge, judge, judge...". He then sent me for my 80th
birthday a piece of carpet with a stain in the middle and
said, "Maybe you'd lik