cessive loss of gastric juices or other secretions containing chloride may cause
hypochloremic metabolic alkalosis or excessive chloride retention. Ingesting it may lead to
hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis.
Elevated serum chloride levels (hyperchloremia) can come on from severe dehydration,
complete renal shutdown, head injury (which produces neurogenic hyperventilation), and
primary aldosteroism. Manifestations consist of stupor, rapid and deep breathing, and weakness
that leads to coma.
A situation of low chloride levels in the blood (hypochloremia) is associated with reduced
blood sodium and potassium levels coming from prolonged vomiting, gastric suctioning,
intestinal fistula, chronic renal failure, or Addison’s disease. Congestive heart failure, or edema
resulting in excess extracellular fluid, can cause dilutional hypochloremia. The indications are
hypertonicity of muscles, tetany, and depressed respirations.
The Lactic Dehydrogenase (LDH) Laboratory Test
The laboratory test for lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) is a measurement of five specific
isoenzymes which catalyze the reversible conversion of pyruvic acid present in all muscles of the
body into lactic acid. Many common diseases—myocardial infarction (MI), pulmonary infarction,
anemias, liver disease, kidney disease, erythrocytic damage, and others—cause elevations in total
lactic dehydrogenase, and the LDH laboratory test is useful for dif ferentiating between them.
The five identified isoenzymes in lactic dehydrogenase are LDH1 and LDH2 appearing in the
heart, red blood cells, and kidneys; LDH3 in the lungs; and LDH4 and LDH5 in the liver and the
skeletal muscles. Testing for these enzymes is especially appropriate for the delayed measurement
of creatine phosphokinase (CPK) associated with MI and for monitoring patient response to some
forms of chemotherapy. Total LDH levels normally range from 48 to 115 U/L. Normal distribution
of the five isoenzymes is as follows:
Copyright © Charlotte Gerson, 2007.  All rights reserved.
This material may not be reproduced in any medium, print or electronic without prior written permission from the author.Page 182Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.com LDH1: 17.5% to 28.3% of total
 LDH2: 30.4% to 36.4% of total
 LDH3: 19.2% to 24.8% of total
 LDH4:   9.6% to 15.6% of total
 LDH5:   5.5% to 12.7% of total
Since a vast number of illnesses involve the enzymes of LDH, this laboratory test for lactic
dehydrogenase is broadly employed for establishing diagnoses.
The Aspartate Transaminase/Serum
GLUTAMIC -OXALOACETIC  TRANSAMINASE  (AST /SGOT) L ABORATORY  TEST
The laboratory blood examination for aspartate transaminase and serum glutamic-oxaloacetic
(AST/SGOT) is a measurement of specific amino acid residues left behind by nitrogenous portions
of the metabolized amino acids. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) is found in the cytoplasm
and mitochondria of many tissue cells, primarily in the liver, heart, skeletal muscles, kidneys,
pancreas, and red blood cells.
AST is released into blood serum in proportion to cellular damage, and its detection (together
with creatine phosphokinase and lactate dehydrogenase) indicates myocardial infarction. The test
also helps in the diagnosis of acute liver disease. It monitors patient progress in healing. AST
adult serum levels range from 8 to 20 OIL. Normal values for infants are four times higher.
Maximum elevations of AST are associated with viral hepatitis, severe skeletal muscle trauma,
extensive surgery, drug-induced liver injury, and passive liver congestion. Levels ranging from
10 to 20 times normal may indicate severe MI, severe infectious mononucleosis, and alcoholic
cirrhosis. Moderate-to-high levels ranging from 5 to 10 times normal indicate Duchenne muscular
dystrophy, dermatomyositis, and chronic hepatitis, along with prodromal and resolving stages of
diseases. Low-to-moderate levels of 2 to 5 times normal may show hemolytic anemia, metastatic
liver tumors, acute pancreatitis, pulmonary emboli, alcohol withdrawal syndrome, fatty liver, and
the first stages of biliary duct obstruction.
The Serum Bilirubin Laboratory Test
The laboratory test for serum bilirubin, the main product of hemoglobin catabolism, is a
measurement of bile pigment which indicates the state of health of the liver and gallbladder. After
being formed in the reticuloendothelial cells, bilirubin is bound to albumin and then transported
to the liver, where it’s conjugated with glucuronic acid to form bilirubin glucuronide and bilirubin
diglticuronide. These two compounds are then excreted in bile. Measurement of indirect or
prehepatic (unconjugated) bilirubin helps to evalute hepatobiliary and erythropoietic functions.
Copyright © Charlotte Gerson, 2007.  All rights reserved.
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www.thegersonway.comThe serum bilirubin laboratory test showing elevated levels often indicates liver damage in
which the parenchymal cells can no longer conjugate bilirubin with glucuronide. Then indirect
bilirubin reenters the bloodstream. Also, an elevated reading alerts the health professional to the
possibility of severe hemolytic anemia. This test aids in the differential diagnosis of jaundice,
biliary obstruction, and dangerous levels of unconjugated bilirubin.
Normally in an adult, indirect serum bilirubin measures 11 mg/dL or less; direct serum
bilirubin of less than 0.5 mg/dL). Neonates have total serum bilirubin ranging from 1 to 12
mg/dL; if elevated to 20 mg/dL (for them, it indicates neonatal hepatic immaturity or congenital
enzyme deficiencies. An exchange blood transfusion may then be required.
If readings of bilirubin are elevated for adults, the test advises about the possibility of
autoimmunity or transfusion reaction, hemolytic or pernicious anemia or hemorrhage, and
hepatocellular dysfunction perhaps from viral hepatitis. Needless to say, elevated levels of
direct conjugated bilirubin usually show biliary obstruction with overflows into the bloodstream.
Intrahepatic biliary obstruction may come from viral hepatitis, cirrhosis, or chlorpromazine
reaction. Extrahepatic obstruction may come from gallstones, gallbladder cancer, pancreatic
cancer, or bile duct disease.
The Serum Gamma-Glutamyl
Transpeptidase (GGT) Laboratory Test
The laboratory test for serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) is a measurement of
obstructive jaundice in neoplastic liver disease, and it’s also useful for the detection of excessive
alcohol consumption. The GGT enzyme is sensitive to drug use and detects alcohol ingestion;
therefore, it’s used to  determine compliance with alcoholism treatment. It also helps in the
diagnosis of obstructive jaundice and liver cancer.
The normal range for GGT varies with age in males but not in females. For men ages 18 to
50 it varies between 10 and 39 U/L. Older than that, males show a GGT  range from 10 to 48 U/
L. The normal range in women is 6 to 29 U/L. Elevation signals a cholestatic liver process.
Note: The immune-stimulating effect of the Gerson Therapy frequently causes a rise in GGT
blood levels.
The Acid Phosphatase Laboratory Test
The laboratory test for acid phosphatase is a measurement of the prostatic and erythrocytic
isoenzymes to detect cancer. Active at a pH of 5, the two phosphatase enzymes appear in the liver,
spleen, red blood cells, bone marrow, platelets, and prostate gland.
Successful treatment for prostate cancer decreases acid phosphatase levels. Its normal values
range from 0 to 1.1 Bodansky units/mL; 1 to 4 King Armstrong units/mL; 0.13 to 0.63 Bessey-
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This material may not be reproduced in any medium, print or electronic without prior written permission from the author.Page 184Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comLowery-Brock units/mL; and 0 to 6 U/L in SI units. Normal range of radioimmunoassay results
is 0 to 4.0 ng/mL.
An elevated prostatic acid phosphatase test indicates Paget’s disease, Gaucher


ide), as well as our exposure to other goitrogens (perchlorate, thiocyanate, etc.), our need for iodine has actually increased.
In Bob’s case, a higher iodine intake was able to help his body overcome the bromine toxicity that was present.
We (Drs. Abraham and Brownstein) have reported on the repair of an iodine transport defect with the use of vitamin C and
unrefined sea salt (Celtic Sea Salt
®
).
25
 This case study provides evidence that the damage to the iodine transport mechanism can
be repaired with a complete nutritional program.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Iodine, like any substance, can cause adverse effects (mentioned above). For individuals who are unusually sensitive to
supplements and medications, I would recommend starting with a low dose of iodine and titrating the dose upward. Close
monitoring of the symptoms can often guide the dosage.
It is vitally important that pregnant women and women of childbearing age ingest sufficient amounts of iodine before they
become pregnant. Compared to iodine deficiency, an adequate intake of iodine improves IQ and decreases neonatal mortality.To lessen side effects, iodine supplementation is more effective when it is given as part of a complete nutritional program. My
clinical experience has shown that balancing vitamins, minerals, and hormones along with iodine supplementation provides a better
result as compared to using iodine as a single agent.
The average iodine dosage that I have found to be the most effective ranges from 12-50mg/day. Those with disease of the
glands (e.g., breast or thyroid) may need more. To get the best results, it is best to work with an iodine-knowledgeable health
care provider.
1
 Nagataki, S. Thyroid function in chronic excess iodide ingestion: Comparison of thyroidal absolute iodine uptake and
degradation of thyroxine in euthyroid Japanese subjects. J. Clin. Endo. 27:638-647, 1967
2
 Trousseau, A. Lectures on clinical medicine. Vol. 1. Lecture XIX, Exophthalmic goiter of Graves’ disease, New Sydenham
Society, London. 1868
3
 Thompson, W. Prolonged treatment of exophthalmic goiter by iodine alone. Arch. Int. Med. 45:481-502, 1930
4
 Plummer, H. Results of administering iodine to patients having exophthalmic goiter. JAMA. 1923; 80: 1955
5
 Thompson, W. The range of effective iodine dosage in exophthalmic goiter. Arch. Int. Med. 1930; 45:261-281
6
 Hollowell, JE et al. Iodine nutrition in the United States. Trends and public health implications: Iodine excretion data from
National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys I and III (1971-74 and 1988-94). J Clin Endocrinol Metab 83:3401-3408.
1998.
7
 Wolf, Jan. Iodide goiter and the pharmacologic effects of excess iodide. American Journal of Med. Vol. 47. July, 1969
8
 Wolff, J. The temporary nature of the inhibitory action of excess iodide on organic iodine synthesis in the normal thyroid.
Endocrin. 45:504, 1949
9
 Personal communication with Dr. G. Abraham and Dr. J. Flechas
10
 Baltisberger, B. Decrease of incidence of toxic nodular goiter in a region of Switzerland after full correction of mild iodine
deficiency. Eur. J. Endocrin. 1995; 132:546
11
 Gurgi, G. Thyrotoxicosis incidence in Switzerland and benefit of improved iodine supply. Letter to the Editor. The Lancet.
Vol. 352. September 26, 1998
12
 NIH pub. No. 96-4104. Bethesda, MD, 2000
13
 Harach, G. Thyroid cancer and thyroiditis in goitrous region of Salta, Argentina, before and after iodine prophylaxis. Clin.
Endocrin. 1995; 43: 701
14
 Schneider, Arthur. Carcinoma of follicular epithelium. In Werner and Ingbar’s The Thyroid. Lippincott Wililams and
Wilkins. 2000
15
 IBID. Schneider.
16
 J. Clin. Endocr. and Metab. 83:3401-8. 1998
17
 Thyroid. Vol. 21 N. 4. 2011
18
 Env. Heatl. Persp. Vol. 116. N. 5. May 2008
19
 Brown-Grant, K. Extrathyroidal iodide concentrating mechanism. Physiol. Rev. 41:1961
20
 Spitzweg, C. Analysis of human sodium iodide symporter immunoreactivity in human exocrine glands. J. Clin. Endocrin.
And Metab. 84, 4178-4184 1999.
21
 Everett, L. Pendred syndrome is caused by a mutation in a putative sulphate transporter gene. Nat. Genet. 17:1997
22
 Abraham, G and Brownstein, D. Evidence that the administration of Vitamin C improves a defective cellular transport
mechanism for iodine: A case report. The Original Internist. Vol. 12, No. 3. Fall 2005. 125-130.
23
 Viljder, J. Hereditary metabolic disorders causing hypothyroidism. In Werner and Ingbar’s the Thyroid. Braverman, LE et
al. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 733-742, 2000.
24
 Abraham, G.E. The historical background of the iodine project. The Original Internist. 12(2):57-66 2005 57-66
25
 Abraham, G., Brownstein, D. Evidence that the administration of Vitamin C improves a defective cellular transport
mechanism for iodine: A Case Report. The Original Internist. 2005; 12(3):125-130Chapter 14
Case Histories
CHAPTER 14: CASE HISTORIES
This chapter will contain several case histories that will illustrate how iodine deficiency is recognized and treated. It will also
provide the practitioner with information on how to approach the patient with iodine deficiency.

I am a Physician’s Assistant in a primary care practice. I attended a conference in 2006 where Dr. Brownstein
lectured on iodine and thyroid disease. When I returned home, I placed my husband, myself, and my three children on
iodine. The results were nothing short of amazing, as we are all remarkably better. My oldest daughter, Randi,
experienced the most profound improvements. In her early teen years, she experienced depression, weight gain, and she
became bulimic. Randi seemed to get sick easily and had frequent sinus infections. When she
became 18 years old, she
received a nice scholarship to a wonderful university. She was often sick during her first semester. Randi went to see a
counselor after missing several classes and upon questioning her, the counselor thought she was suicidal. She was
admitted to a local hospital psychiatric ward and was placed on several medications. Randi’s psychiatrist had her on
seven different medications and she could not function normally. She also continued to be bulimic despite counseling. We
decided to take her off all of the medications. I sent her to a doctor who prescribed natural progesterone which helped.
When I returned from Dr. Brownstein’s conference and placed Randi on iodine (Iodoral
®
), we saw another
improvement. She immediately started thinking clearer and her energy level dramatically increased. Randi was able to
sleep better at night and her allergies improved. After witnessing the incredible positive improvement in her health from
supplementing with iodine, I now realized that my focus should be looking at optimizing Randi’s thyroid function. Many
of my family members, including myself, have a history of thyroid problems. I found Randi to have an elevated TSH level
(6.0mIU/L—normal levels 0.2-4.7mIU/L). She is now seeing a physician in Atlanta who has placed her on desiccated
thyroid.
The change in my daughter has been amazing. Her face has slimmed down, she is not chronically depressed, and her
hair
is not falling out. She says she can eat like a normal person and told me the other day that she is no longer bulimic.
Her acne has also resolved, as has the swelling in her ankles. She is not on any prescription medications except for
progesterone and thyroid and she takes her Iodoral
®

faithfully. I believe that the iodine therapy was the catalyst for
helping my daughter overcome her serious health issues.
Randi’s case is not unique. I have seen many psychiatric issues resolve when iodine deficiency is rectified. Perhaps
psychiatrists should investigate iodine levels before reflexively putting patients on mood-altering medications.
Betty is an 82-year-old female who has a twenty-five year history of thyroid nodules and intermittent hyperthyroid
symptoms. Betty was advised to receive radioactive iodine to treat her condition, but she refused. As explained in
Chapter 6
, radioactive iodine


	mere	attention	of	an
observer	altered	the	quantum	field	and	the	material	world	at	the	same	time.
The	crux	of	the	paradox	is	that	you	cannot	know	any	outcome	in	the	quantum
world	until	you	observe	it	(i.e.,	it	is	impossible	to	know	if	Schrödinger’s	cat	is
dead	or	alive	until	you	look,	and	the	looking
makes
	it	one	or	the	other).
Akasha	solves	this	problem	by	making	every	event	participatory	at	every
level.	All	observers	are	inside	the	Akashic	field,	and	whatever	they	do	causes
the	whole	field	to	respond.	Therefore,	we	are	not	falsifying	the	universe	to
describe	it	as	behaving	like	ourselves.	The	predictable	and	the	unpredictable
coexist.	A	cat	can	be	dead	and	alive	at	the	same	time	without	shaking	up	how
the	world	usually	works.	In	fact,	it	is	through	the	unpredictable	universe	that
we	know	ourselves	and	vice	versa.	The	Vedic	rishis	realized	that	time	and
eternity	have	to	be	related,	and	their	conclusion	was	that	time	is	an	illusionwhile	eternity	is	real.	This	turns	the	tables	on	the	five	senses,	which	must
operate	as	if	time	is	real,	since	every	event	we	participate	in	occurs	in
spacetime.	The	rishis	declare	that	dying	allows	us	to	see	eternal	reality	clearly
and	to	participate	in	it	more	fully.	In	Laszlo’s	formation,	the	Akashic	field
does	exactly	the	same	for	all	matter,	energy,	and	information.	Their
interactions	in	the	visible	universe	are	reflections	of	far	more	important
invisible	relationships	taking	place	offstage.
Here’s	an	analogy.	Imagine	that	you	are	a	scientist	who’s	been	assigned	to
measure	the	minuscule	explosions	of	light	that	take	place	in	a	field;	in	this
case,	it’s	the	screen	of	a	television	set.	These	explosions	take	place	on	the
atomic	level,	so	as	you	move	in	close	you	are	confronted	with	millions	of
photons	firing	in	random	patterns.	You	would	describe	the	TV	screen	as	a
field	undergoing	random	excitations,	exactly	as	physicists	describe	the
electromagnetic	field.	As	you	move	farther	out,	however,	the	patches	of	red,
green,	and	blue	begin	to	cluster;	they	start	to	appear	organized.	Moving	out
still	farther,
you
	begin	to	notice	vague	shapes.	You	feel	like	an	astronomer
using	a	radio	telescope	to	determine	if	the	background	noise	of	the	cosmos
might	contain	patterns.	Patterns	are	mathematical,	and	it	takes	intelligence	to
use	a	mathematical	code.
So	you	begin	to	come	up	with	a	mathematical	explanation	for	the	patterns
seen	on	the	TV	screen.	Moving	farther	and	farther	out,	you	eventually	see	that
these	patterns	are	actually	pictures	of	human	life,	and	that	the	random	firing
of	photons	had	a	purpose.	This	would	be	startling	enough	to	cause	you	to
revise	your	entire	theory;	you	would	have	to	suppose	that	randomness	was	an
illusion	covering	a	deeper	reality,	which	is	the	picture.	Only	consciousness
can	fully	explain	the	reason	why	the	bursts	of	red,	green,	and	blue	are	being
emitted.
We	find	ourselves	at	the	point	where	many	explanations	based	on
randomness	no	longer	satisfy,	and	a	shift	must	be	made	to	a	more	conscious
explanation.	Why	do	photons	fire	in	a	television?	Because	they	turn	into	a
picture.	Why	do	photons	fire	in	the	cosmos?	For	the	same	reason.	Preceding
quantum	physics	by	centuries,	the	Vedic	rishis	said	that	time	and	space	are
projections	on	the	blank	screen	of	consciousness,	the	screen	of	Akasha.
In	other	words,	when	you	got	up	this	morning,	drove	to	work,	and	spent
your	day	at	the	office,
nothing	really	happened
	as	you	experienced	it.	Time
didn’t	pass,	nor	did	you	move	through	space.	This	conclusion	confounds
common	sense	but	is	thoroughly	accepted	in	physics.	Let	me	explain.	If	you
dream	at	night	of	flying	to	Paris	and	walking	the	streets,	nothing	of	the	sort
actually	happened;	not	only	did	you	go	nowhere	physically,	your	brain	didn’t
even	make	pictures	that	correspond	to	Paris.	The	dream	resulted	from	brain
activity	that	can	be	broken	down	into	bits	of	information:	tiny	electrical
switches	were	either	on	or	off,	polarities	of	certain	molecules	were	eitherpositive	or	negative.	Your	whole	dream	and	everything	in	it	was	just	a	zero	or
one	game.
The	same	is	true	of	the	people	we	watch	on	television.	A	character	may
seem	to	live	in	a	house	and	mow	the	lawn.	But	the	house	is	actually	a	flat
image	on	the	screen,	and	the	movements	of	people	are	just	phosphors
switching	on	and	off.	Again,	a	zero	and	one	game.	Nothing	moves	on	a	TV
screen.	If	someone	appears	to	run	to	the	left,	it’s	only	a	pattern	of	signals	that
light	up	on	the	left	and	turn	off	on	the	right—the	same	as	provided	by
blinking	Christmas	tree	lights	that	seem	to	move	around	in	a	circle	when	in
fact	all	that	is	happening	is	that	the	string	of	lights	is	going	on	and	off	in	a
pattern	that	makes	it	seem	as	if	motion	is	occurring.
You	move	through	time	and	space	in	the	same	way,	as	does	the	Earth	in	its
orbit	and	the	stars	in	the	sky.	Quantum	impulses	switch	on	and	off,	and	a
change	of	position	occurs	because	energy	gets	excited	a	bit	to	the	left	or	right
from	the	last	excitation.	In	reality	not	a	single	quark	or	photon	changes
position	in	spacetime.	But	doesn’t	it	amount	to	the	same	thing?	If	an	object
appears	to	move,	why	not	say	it	moves?	In	fact,	we	can’t.	The	Earth	appears
to	move	around	the	sun,	yet	if	that	were	really	the	case,	it	would	eventually
spiral	into	the	sun	and	be	destroyed.	In	fact,	even	though	the	Earth	encounters
friction	in	its	orbit—in	the	form	of	interstellar	dust	and	the	solar	wind—our
planet	never	gets	any	closer	to	the	sun	or	slows	down.	This	is	because	every
atom	of	Earth	winks	out	of	sight	and	comes	back	with	the	same	energy	and
mass	that	it	has	always	had.	The	zero	point,	it	turns	out,	projects	the	Earth	as
surely	as	a	television	screen	projects	its	pictures.	(A	skeptic	would	ask	how
anything	changes	if	the	Zero	Point	Field	constantly	replenishes	the	visible
universe.	That	is	a	riddle,	but	its	answer	may	lie	in	two	factors:	the	slow
decay	of	protons,	which	takes	billions	of	years,	and	the	expanding	universe,
which	is	carrying	dispersion	of	energy,	or	entropy,	as	the	original	heat	of	the
Big	Bang	becomes	dissipated.	But	folding	these	two	factors	into	quantum
theory	is	far	from	being	achieved.)
How	does	all	this	relate	to	the	afterlife?	Ask	yourself	a	simple	question.
When	you’re	watching	TV,	which	is	more	real,	the	picture	you’re	seeing	or
the	station	that’s	sending	the	signal?	Of	course,	the	station	is	more	real,	the
picture	is	only	an	image.	Likewise,	Laszlo	says,	the


 your true self. Royal Yoga teaches you to appreciate this
aspect, which unites body and mind in a mutual relationship, the bodymind.
Week 4: Vital Energy
(Stage of Transformation—Pranayama)
In the fourth week, you learn to connect your breath with every  state of
the body mind. Royal Yoga considers the breath to be the carrier of life
energy. This energy animates your cells and organs, and brings vitality to
your thoughts and moods. At a subtle level, breathing in and out is the
bridge between all of creation “out there” and every experience “in here.”
Week 5: Staying in the Light
(Stage of Transformation—Pratyahara)
In the fifth week, you learn to make the light your home base, no longer
moving in and out of the light but always staying with it. Royal Yoga
considers this the most significa nt transformation; it is like a second birth.
A new existence opens. Realizing that you belong in the light, you nowaccept without a doubt that being completely whole and healed is your
birthright.
Week 6: The Power of Attention
(Stages of Transformation—Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi)
In the sixth week, the final three limbs are combined because they serve
a single theme: the power of attention. Simply by paying attention to any
thought, impulse, desire, or goal, you cause it to be fulfilled. Royal Yoga
considers that knowledge is power, and the deeper your knowledge of
consciousness and how it operates, the more power you posse ss. But this
isn’t knowledge in the sense of information or education. It is inner
knowing that depends upon nothing but living in the light. The creative
power of consciousness is revealed.
If you want to, you can jump directly to Week 1 of the journey, whose
theme is Social Intelligence. But I’d like to expand a little more on why
Yoga is distinct as a unique method of self-transformation.
“CHANGE YOURSELF, CHANGE THE WORLD”
Royal Yoga works—this has been proven over the centuries—and the
reason it works is radical. In fact, the basic principle of the whole Yoga
system is so revolutionary, it seems highly improbable that anyone would
pursue it. The principle is simply this: The world we think we live in is
unreal. Like characters in a movie or a novel, we are living a fictional
existence. Being  unreal, this world we accept causes every kind of problem
and suf fering.
To return to your true self, you must understand how you got separated,
or lost, in the first place. Yoga places the blame on vrittis, a Sans krit word
that literally means “whirlpools, ” but that Yoga uses to describe every form
of ment al disturbance. The most revered text in Yoga is Patanjali’ s Yoga
Sutras, a text containi ng 195 aphorisms (sutras) outlining in authori tative
fashion the entire scope of Yoga in theory and practice. No teaching is moreimportant than the one concerni ng vrittis, which appears at the very outset
of the book.
Here are the three opening sutras.
1. Now begins an exposition of Yoga.
2. Yoga is the cessation, or settling down, of the modiﬁcations of the mind (vrittis).
3. Then the knower is established in his own fundamental nature.
That’ s our entire  journey in a nutshell. When the mind settles down into
a quiet state, free from every kind of mental activity (vritti ), the true self is
revealed. This is straightforward as a path to the ideal life. The radical part,
which is quite explosive, is packaged inside the word vritti, because,
according to Yoga, every middle stage between you and your source is just
a modification of the mind. The whole package of mind-made obstacles is
known as maya, which is generally translated as “illusion,” but includes
distractions, deceptions, and mistaken thoughts and beliefs, all of which
prevent us from experiencing the true self.
Is this a convinc ing way of looking at your life? It is undeniable that the
mind creates suffering. The list of human troubles—war, crime, fear,
depression, loneliness, suicide—is long and it belongs to no other living
creature. It’s the part about the world being unreal that stops everyone.
“Walk in front of a bus,” the skeptics scoff. “Then talk to me about how
unreal everything is.”
You might think there’ s no possible answer to that challenge.  In fact,
there is, and we’ll come to it. Yoga isn’t pointing to an illusi on that will
vanish in a puff of smoke. Buses, mountains, clouds, cities, and all other
physical objects have their place, no matter what your worldview is. The
unreality Yoga talks about runs deeper. It is a false foundation that
undermines anything you try to build on it, like building a skyscraper on
sand. No matter how beautiful, elaborate, and architecturally  perfect the
skyscraper is, resting it on a foundation of sand guarantees that it will
topple.
We need Yoga if we want to put a secure foundation under our lives,
because, if we don’t, eventually we will pay a price in pain and suffering. Ifyou want to base your life on reality instead of illusion, Yoga points to the
bedrock of existence: consciousness. We do not actually live in the physical
world, according to Yoga. We live in the world of experience, and every
experience takes place in consciousness. Nothing is more basic.
The “real” reality is consciou sness. That truth gives us a reliable
starting point for being transformed. Next, we need the motivat ion to make
us want to move  forward. This is supplied by another radical idea: Change
yourself, and you will change the world. You are the only agent of change
that really counts. How do you create any change? By becoming more
aware. The journey that takes us deeper into reality is worth taking, just
because the more aware you are, the more things you can chang e—not just
the world but your body, mind, emotions, beliefs, habits, indeed, anything
you can think of.
Yoga is so radical, it overturns everything you and I have accept ed since
we were  children. We’ve been chugging along year after year based on
completely hollow beliefs and assumptions. Some beliefs matter more than
others. These are known as “core beliefs,” and when your core beliefs are
wrong and misguided, trouble is always brewing—if not today, then in
some worrisome future. To bring them closer to home, I’ll list the core
beliefs we all take personally.
FALSE CORE BELIEFS
I don’t really matter. I am small, ordinary, and insigniﬁcant.
I deserve only so much love. At heart, I am probably unlovable.
Life hasn’t been fair to me. That’s because life is unfair.
If I don’t look out for number one, no one else will.
There is much to fear in this world. Self-protection is very
important.
If I show anyone that I am vulnerable, they will take advantage. I
need to seem strong and independent.
The forces of Nature are all-powerful. I will be fortunate if some
natural disaster doesn’t befall me.The universe is a vast, cold, empty void. The Earth and
everyone on it are less than a speck of dust, a product of
random events going back to the Big Bang.
These beliefs undermine everyone’ s life. They are ingrained in us early
on, and they have sunk so deep into our sense of self that they hardly
deserve a second glance.
If you accept the unreality that Yoga rejects, your core beliefs will seem
completely logic al. Look around you or listen to the twenty-fou r-hour news
cycle. Isn’t life unfair? Don’ t each of us deserve only a limited amount of
love? Isn’ t the Earth a speck of dust floating in a cold, empty void?
As you’ll see over the next thirty days, Royal Yoga holds out an ideal
life based on a new set of core beliefs. These are literally the opposite of the
false core beliefs we have all been mistakenly living by.
TRUE CORE BELIEFS
Your existence is based on an inﬁnite ﬁeld of consciousness. It
is your source.
Your true self has access to inﬁnite possibilities.
At your source, you are connected to inﬁnite love and bliss.
Your true self is immune to fear, depression, aging, and death.
You are always completely safe. There is nothing to worry
about.
You have no need to project an image of strength and
independence. You have no need to project any image at
all.
The Earth and everything on it have a unique place in the
tapestry of reality, woven by cosmic co nsciousness.
When people read these statements about an ideal life, they immediately
assume they are merely someone else’s beliefs, like the beliefs that underlie
organized religion. Many would  say that the entire issue of spirituality restsupon belief alone. It is impossib le to accept Christianity unless you affirm
the divinity of the resurrected Jesus, or so St. Paul declared in his letters to
the early churches. It is imposs ible to accept Buddhism unless you affirm
the Buddha’ s enlightenment and the existence of Nirvana. In the same way,
to accept Yoga, you must


 bliss in the first
place, or if a tragedy or natural disaster has struck. It is worse than
useless if, like Freud, you fin d yourself the target of unstoppable,
malignant persecution.The direct path doesn’t rely o n any formulations or fixed ideas
about how to l ive. Confronte d by the mystery of being human, it
says, “Let the mystery solve  itself. You are here to watch this
happen. In that role, you are the living expression of the mystery.”
This is the closest anyone has  ever come to living the one thing the
way a cell lives one thing, which is itself. When distilled to its
essence, the direct path asks you and me to dedicate our lives to
the kno wledge that we, in ou rselves, are the mystery of life as it
unfolds.
Beautiful word s, but what d o we do when we get out o f bed
tomorrow morning? The actions and thoughts that occupy our
days ar en’t at issue. Tomorrow morning you will get out of bed
and do what y ou want to do or have to do. Following you around
with a video camera might  detect nothing special about your
everyday existence; it could seem like a typical existence followed
by someone who has never heard of the direct path.
Yet on the inside the thing yo u have dedicated your life t o will
be v ery different. In every c ulture where people have seriously
investigated o ne thing (a philosophy technically known as
“monism”), the  same dedication was present. Whether it arose in
ancient India, Persia, Greece,  or China, monism directed the mind
away from the countless det ails of life toward one thing. That’s
what th is chapter is about. Despite the allure of diversity, the
infinite variety  of things held out by the physical unive rse, the
mystery offers no solution there.
When you reduce life to wha t is truly essential, diversity d rops
away and unity increases. Your consciousness starts to reshape
itself ar ound one thing. Waking up is one thing; enlightenment is
one thin g; allowing the mystery of existence to unfold through you
is on e thing. These descriptions are limited, however. What we’re
really after is the experience of one thing. Once this is attained,
everything else follows, not just the end of suffering, but access to
the infinite potential that wants to express itself through us.
This is the state I’ll call “choiceless awareness.” It is the very
opposite of struggle. Instead of always doing, you practice  the art
of n ot-doing. Instead of trying  to decide if X will make you  happier
than Y, you let  the choice happen on its own. When we hear about
the advantage of letting go, living in the now, and allowing life toflow, th ese possibilities become real in the state of ch oiceless
awareness.
Choiceless awa reness is the final stage of waking up. It brings
you to a place where the next thing you want to do is the be st thing
for y ou. In suc h a state, pain  and suffering end because th ey bear
no relat ionship to the life you  are consciously living. The mystical
Indian poet Kabir saw the situation clearly:
I asked my heart,
Where are you bound?
There’s no traveler ahead of you
Or even a road.
How can you get there,
And where will you stay?
The roa d, in Kabir’s imagery, is about the stages of lea ving,
going along, and arriving, which is how we all live. We start an
action, either a small one l ike getting orange juice out of the
fridge, or a lar ge one like ge tting married or finding a job. The
action begins, goes along, and  ends. Kabir sees that the heart—his
word for the soul—cannot find fulfillment this way. He sees
another way instead:
Be strong, O my heart,
Put your fancy away,
And stand where you are
In yourself.
Let’s see if we can manage to do just that.
T h e  A r t  o f  N o t - D o i n gChoiceless awareness sounds alien in the modern world, where
life is viewed a s nothing but choices, and happiness is thought to
be r eached by making good ones instead of bad ones. It’s hard to
realize that the best choices make themselves. The rationale
behind not-doing is simple: one thing has nothing to do but be
itself. Therefore, we have nothing to do but be ourselves. This is
the essence of not-doing.
It’s not a new i dea. In the Tao ist teaching of ancient China not-
doing is Wu wei. The concept arose as far back as five to seven
centuries BCE. In Buddhism the teaching is found in a sutra like
the following: “Happiness can be accessed directly in meditation
by abstaining from conscious mental activity.” In Christianity, the
leap of faith th at originated with the Danish philosophe r Søren
Kierkegaard was his attempt to carry out the central concept in the
Sermon on the Mount, that all things can be left to Provid ence. In
a leap of faith, a believer lets God take over, the ultimate
experiment in trust.
The absence of struggle is common to all teachings of not-
doing, b ut the passage of cen turies hasn’t made it less mysterious.
Not-doing mak es no sense to  the logical mind. Of course we have
lots of stuff to do—we barely find enough hours in the day to
accomplish the m. But what did you do today to produce new red
blood corpuscl es, the lining of your stomach, and the out er layer
of your skin? These are parts of your anatomy that m ust be
constantly replenished because blood, stomach, and skin cells
have a life span of only a few weeks or months.
For tha t matter, what will you do today to exchange oxygen for
carbon dioxide in your lungs, without which life is extinguished in
a matte r of minutes? Already the vast proportion of your physical
life takes care of itself. Existe nce is divided between things we do
and thi ngs that take care of themselves. Therefore, some  part of
you is already living without  making choices. To begin to  see the
value of choiceless awareness, stop assigning so much importance
to your  everyday choices, which are mostly governed by habit. In
the long run, h abits keep you from finding renewal. Even worse,
while entangle d in virtual rea lity, you may fall prey to the feeling
that life is incredibly unfair. You can be smart, gifted in all kinds ofways, ambitious, and celebrated for your achievements, yet there’s
no guarantee that you won’t suffer the fate of Mozart.
In the late sum mer of 1791 Mozart went to Prague, where one
of his operas was the centerpiece of festivities for the A ustrian
emperor. He began to feel ill but returned to Vienna and te nded to
the prem iere o f The Magic Flute, o ne of his gre atest masterpi eces,
on September 30.
By t hen his hea lth had taken an alarming turn—he experie nced
swelling, vomi ting, and severe pain. His wife and doctor d id their
best to nurse him back to health as Mozart’s mind tu rned to
writing a new commission for a requiem, which he never finished.
Occupying him self with his musical genius was in vain, and an
hour after midnight on December 5, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
the most precious of musical minds, died of still-unknown causes
at the age of t hirty-five. There were heartrending scenes toward
the end of his life of him sitting up in bed to sing ditties from The
Magic Flute  with friends. Few who love classical music consider
Mozart’s death anything but a great loss.
I don’t  bring up this sad story, which reached m any
nondevotees of classical music through the 1984 movie Amadeus,
to mou rn a death or to speculate about what modern medicine
could h ave done to save Mo zart’s life. (Nearly twenty causes of
death have been conjectured, including rheumatic fever, kidney
failure, and blood poisoning. Most of them are infections curable
today with antibiotics.) I merely want to point out that the greatest
among us is still controlled by unseen causes. The drama we cling
to sim ply does what it does, on its own terms. The
spell/dream/illusion mysteriously generates unpredictable events
that cannot be fathomed.
How do  we get beyond the sense that we are helpless b efore
random chance or invisible Fate? Without a doubt there are
moments when hidden links are revealed. The notion of
synchronicity h as become popular for describing a special kind of
coincidence. You think of a person’s name, and a few minutes later
that person calls. You want to read a certain book, and, without
being told, a friend brings you the book. Synchronicity  is defined
as a meaningful coincidence, setting it apart from randomcoincidences that have no meaning, like seeing the same make of
car as yours show up beside you at a stoplight.
Metareality ha s a way of sending us messages now and


	identify	some	of	the	most	important	psychological	concepts,	as	well
as	some	of	the	most	common	(and	self-destructive)	mistakes.	The	goal	is	to	help
you	improve	your	psychological	pathway—one	of	the	major	avenues	betweenhealth	and	disease.
Minds	Need	Reprogramming
Our	minds	are	rather	like	computers:	Whether	intended	or	unintended,	they	do
what	they	have	been	programmed	to	do.	A	big	part	of	using	the	psychological
pathway	to	stay	healthy	is	the	ability	to	recognize	your	current	programming	and
to	learn	new	programs—new	thoughts,	attitudes	and	behavior	patterns.
As	demonstrated	by	my	clients	Lisa	and	Ruth,	some	people	find	it	hard	to
develop	the	will	to	change	old	patterns.	For	these	two	women,	habitual	thinking
and	imagery	created	their	destiny.	They	were	in	reach	of	health,	but	let	it	go.
Why?	Not	because	they	lacked	the	necessary	information,	the	problem	most
people	face,	but	because	their	strategies	for	achieving	short-term	security	had
been	tried	and	proven,	and	were	too	difficult	to	unlearn.
Negative	health	programming	can	come	from	a	visit	to	the	doctor.	Even	the
sight	of	a	physician	can	cause	blood	pressure	to	rise;	the	effect	is	called	“white-
coat	hypertension.”	The	stress	resulting	from	the	diagnosis	of	a	grave	disease
can	do	serious	damage,	precisely	like	voodoo	or	a	witch’s	hex.	A	1991	study	in
the
Medical	Journal	of	Australia
concluded	that	negative	suggestions	from
physicians	and	caregivers	were	significant	negative	factors	in	cancer	recovery.
Deepak	Chopra,	M.D.,	made	a	similar	observation	in	his	book,
Creating	Health:
“I	have	frequently	observed	that	a	rapid	progression	of	symptoms	and	then	death
from	cancer	occurred
after
the	diagnosis	of	cancer	was	made.	It	is	almost	as	if
the	patient	was	dying	from	the	diagnosis	and	not	from	the	disease.”
Physicians	must	exercise	great	care	not	to	create	negative	expectations.	We
need	support	and	reassurance	from	our	physicians	and	caregivers.	We	need	them
to	believe	in	us	and	to	help	us	through	our	processes	of	healing	and	recovery.
Certainly,	we	expect	honesty	from	them,	but	we	do	not	need	discouraging
remarks	and	ominous	statistics	about	our	slim	chances	for	survival	(as	I	was	told
that	nothing	more	could	be	done	for	me,	before	I	saved	my	own	life).
Regardless	of	what	your	health	practitioner	says	or	does,	getting	well	and
staying	well	is	your	responsibility.	Taking	that	responsibility	actually	helps
make	you	healthier.	Unfortunately,	most	patients	relinquish	this	responsibility	to
their	doctor.	They	play	a	passive	role	of	bystander	or	victim;	they	think	of	the
health-care	provider	as	their	problem	solver.
Patients’	positive	attitudes	toward	their	health	or	disease	help	to	make	them
not	only	informed	but	also	empowered.	Approaching	health	care	with	the	belief
that	you,	as	the	patient,	are	in	charge	can	vitalize	your	efforts.	You	ask	morequestions.	You	feel	more	control	over	the	outcome.	As	Bernie	Siegel,	M.D.,
reminds	us	in
Love,	Medicine	&	Miracles,
the	patient	must	be	the	primary	source
of	healing.	“Exceptional	patients,”	he	wrote,	“refuse	to	be	victims.	They	educate
themselves	and	become	specialists	in	their	own	care.	They	question	the	doctor
because	they	want	to	understand	their	treatment	and	participate	in	it.	They
demand	dignity,	personhood,	and	control,	no	matter	what	the	course	of	disease.”
There	is	nothing	wrong	with	going	to	the	doctor—so	long	as	you	realize	that
your	health	is	your	responsibility,	not	your	doctor’s	or	anyone	else’s.	Because
belief	in	your	own	health	makes	a	critical	difference,	you	need	to	work	with
professionals	who	acknowledge	how	essential	this	outlook	is.	You	need
caregivers	to	support	you	in	your	efforts	to	participate,	and	who	can	assist	you	in
educating	yourself	productively,	rather	than	hinder	you,	which	is	often	the	case.
Often,	psychological	healing	is	thought	to	be	unimportant	to	treatment	in
modern	health	care,	but	the	miracle	is	precisely	the	opposite.	Unfortunately,
modern	medicine	overlooks	the	whole	person.	“Fixing”	only	the	physical	body,
as	if	it	were	a	separate	entity,	is	to	overlook	the	complex	weave	of	physiological,
psychological	and	spiritual	dimensions	that	define	human	beings—including
you,	your	tissues	and	all	of	your	cells.	The	standard	approach	is	not	good
enough.
Healthy	Mind,	Healthy	Immune	System
Negative	behaviors,	thoughts,	emotions	and	stress	can	adversely	affect	the
functioning	of	your	immune	system;	they	can	lower	your	resistance	to	infections
and	make	you	more	susceptible	to	bacteria,	fungi,	viruses	and	other
microorganisms.	Yet,	you	can	exercise	control.	You	can	begin	immediately,
actively	and	consciously	to	improve	your	ability	to	fight	disease	and	maintain
optimal	health.
Speaking	about	the	psychological	dimension	of	the	immune	system,	David
Felton,	M.D.,	professor	of	neurobiology	and	anatomy	at	the	University	School	of
Rochester,	said,	“Now	there’s	overwhelming	evidence	that	hormones	and
neurotransmitters	can	influence	the	activities	of	the	immune	system	and	that
products	of	the	immune	system	influence	the	brain.”
In	order	to	protect	you	from	infections,	your	brain	and	your	immune	system
must	be	in	constant	dialogue.	The	brain	sends	information	to	the	immune	system
by	producing	certain	types	of	chemical	messengers	(neuropeptides).	That
information	is	delivered	to	immune	cells	through	receptor	sites	on	cell
membranes.	Rather	like	plugging	an	electrical	appliance	into	a	wall	outlet,chemical	messengers	from	your	brain	“plug	in”	to	the	receptor	sites	on	the
immune	cells.	This	messaging	process	happens	on	a	very	large	scale,	allowing
the	brain	to	deliver	information	to	immune	cells	throughout	the	body.	Likewise,
the	body’s	immune	cells	respond	by	creating	new	chemical	messengers,	sending
information	back	to	the	brain.	This	process	creates	a	constant	link	or	feedback
loop	between	the	brain	and	the	immune	system.
The	role	of	the	psychological	pathway	in	immune	system	function	is
illustrated	by	a	study	of	twenty-six	bereaved	spouses.	The	study	demonstrated
that	the	pain	and	stress	of	bereavement	significantly	depressed	the	effectiveness
of	the	immune	system.	In	other	studies,	depressed	immunity	in	students,
determined	by	the	number	and	activity	of	T-cells,	has	been	shown	to	result	from
the	psychological	stress	of	taking	exams.	Psychologically	depressed	immunity
can	even	lead	to	cancer.	As	far	back	as	the	second-century	A.D.,	the	physician
and	philosopher	Galen	observed	that	melancholy	dispositions	disposed	women
toward	developing	breast	cancer.	A	1998	study	in	the
Journal	of	the	National
Cancer	Institute
came	to	the	same	conclusion.	In	that	study,	women	who
experienced	long-term	depression	were	almost	90	percent	more	likely	to	develop
cancer	than	their	upbeat	counterparts.
The	Jekyll	and	Hyde	of	St


connection with the development of the Mongolian group. Bleyer (9)  has reported a study of 2,822
cases. He reports that of the total births in the United States in 1934, of 1,095,939, there were
1,822 reported as Mongoloids. The average age of the mothers of these individuals was forty-one
years. He reports data indicating that in the age group of mothers forty to forty-four the chances of
the development of a Mongoloid would be seventy-five times as high as normal expectancy, and in
the age forty-five to forty-nine the chances are 125 times normal expectancy. In a group of 1,942
Mongoloids, 1,100 or 57 per cent were last children. These data are in keeping with those of
several other investigators, and emphasize the problem of depleted reproductive capacity.
    The interesting problems involved in the birth of identical twins throw light on the origin of both
physical and mental characters. It is a matter of great significance in connection with these studies
that anomalies which we can associate with parental deficient nutrition are reproduced in both
twins. Important additional light has been thrown on this phase by a family of six pairs of fraternal
twins born to the same parents. These are reported by Dr. William W. Greulich, of New Haven.
(10) It is significant that nine of these individuals (one of the oldest pair is deceased, and the
youngest twins are yet babes in arms) show marked narrowing of the nostrils and lack of
development of the middle third of the face, narrowing of the face and tendency to be mouth
breathers. Further, the severity of this condition appears to be progressively more severe in the
younger pairs of twins, sufficiently grown to show facial development. There is accordingly,
evidence here of progressive lowering of reproductive efficiency, and the fact that both individuals
are involved similarly has great significance, since they are fraternal twins arising from a single
ovum. This seems clearly to relate this disturbance with a deficient germ plasm. Factors that are
reproduced in identical twins would include both hereditary characters and those that are
produced by a disturbance in environment resulting in an interference with normal hereditary
processes. In a case of twins that are not identical, there is significance in the development of
similar deformities which are likely to be of acquired origin rather than of hereditary origin. In Fig.
127 is seen a pair of twins. Note that they have similar disturbance in the development of the
dental arches with the upper laterals depressed and the cuspids crowded outward in the arch.
FIG. 127. These boys are twins, not identical. Note, however,
both have same type of deformity of the dental arch,
7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 224/250apparently due to the same cause.
    A very important source of information which deals with the relation of disturbances of the
physical development of the head and mentality is provided by a study of the members of the teen-
age group who are classed as mentally backward. In an examination of a Cleveland school in a
colored district that has been set aside largely for boys and girls who are distinctly deficient in their
ability to learn, it was disclosed that a very large percentage suffered from gross facial deformities
when judged by these standards. Typical individuals in this group are shown in Fig. 128, one is
white, lower left. It is clear that these boys were all physically injured in the formative period. Their
clinical history indicates that the brain was involved in this disturbed development.
FIG. 128. These four boys are typical of a group of several
hundred in a special school for backward children. Practically
all showed some evidence of incomplete facial and dental
arch development. The range of defects is wide. Blacks are
similarly injured as whites. This is inhibited heredity.
    One of the problems involved in the development of the group of disturbances having physical
and mental expressions, is associated with the sensitiveness of the body during the period of
adolescence. Many students of degenerative problems have emphasized various phases of this
large problem. Burt" commented: "It is almost as though crime were some contagious disease, to
which the constitutionally susceptible were suddenly exposed at puberty, or to which puberty left
them peculiarly prone." The age of adolescence is also the period of greatest susceptibility to
dental caries. Data derived from chemical studies of the blood and saliva show that in this period
of susceptibility to dental caries the supplies of minerals and vitamins are inadequate to meet
Nature's demands, and the system borrows minerals from the skeleton to maintain vital processes.
Lichtenstein and Brown (12) report data which reveal that educational quotients, like intelligence
quotients, fall with increase in age during the years of developing puberty. They show that the
educational quotient at nine years of age for the group studied was 100; at eleven years of age, 89;
at twelve years, 83; and at thirteen years, 74. The changes in facial and dental arch form, which I
have described at length in this volume, develop in this age period also, not as a result of faulty
nutrition of the individual but as the result of distortions in the architectural design in the very early
part of the formative period. Apparently, they are directly related to qualities in the germ plasm of
one or both parents, which result from nutritional defects in the parent before the conception took
place, or deficient nutrition of the mother in the early part of the formative period. Case records
show that the first signs of delinquency generally make their appearance during these years. The
age reported most frequently was that of thirteen.7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 225/250    One expression of the rate of the progressive degeneration that is taking place in the United
States is the increase in delinquency and crime in young people between twelve and twenty years
of age, as well as in crime in general. Edgar Hoover, Director of the Bureau of Investigation, has
recently published data showing comparative figures for 1936 and 1937, during which time crimes
in the United States increased from 1,333,526 to 1,415,816, an increase of six per cent. This
increase is occurring in spite of the rapid development of social organizations for improving the
environment.
    Preventive measures among the unsocial group, who pass through the stages of predelinquency
and crime, have been almost entirely confined to improvement in the social surroundings of the
growing youth. While, no doubt, individuals with a low factor of safety are less likely to develop
serious criminal tendencies under favorable environments, such factors as constitute a first-
conditioning force, i.e., injury of the germ plasm, and deficient nutrition in the developmental period
are not corrected by these efforts. These new data relating to the nature of the underlying causes
strongly emphasize the need for beginning much earlier. Indeed, the preparation for the next
generation should begin early in the life of the preceding generation.
    Many investigators have emphasized the sensitiveness of the nervous system to disturbances in
the formative period. Considerable data have been presented indicating that the tissues of the
nervous system are the most easily affected of all the structures of the body. The extent of the
injuries to the nervous system vary through a wide range.
    Harris in his chapter on "Congenital Abnormalities of the Skeleton" in Blacker's (13)  "Chances of
Morbid Inheritance" has presented data indicating the sensitive period at which the ovum is most
likely to be injured:
    Few normal human embryos have been subjected to careful study. The vast majority of
human embryos examined have been abnormal, and it is their abnormality which has led to their
abortion between the sixth and thirteenth weeks of embryonic life, a critical period associated
with the development of the placenta, during which the death rate is probably in the
neighborhood of at least 15 per cent.
In tracing the development of the human embryo, he tells why the growth process is very different
from that of the development of embryos of lower forms. He states regarding deformed ova: "Ova
that survive the eighth week tend to live on to term, and are born as monsters." I have referred
previously to a personal communication from Professor Shute, of the University of Western
Ontario, which states that he had been impressed with the high percentage of deformities in
aborted fetuses. This seems to be Nature's method of eliminating defective individuals. Harris says
further:
    It is sometimes suggested that threatened abortions in early pregnancy should not be treated
by rest and quiet, as it is quite possible that the uterus is attempting to rid itself of a
pathological ovum which might become a monster in the future.
    The available data emphasize strongly that a very small percentage of the total gross deformities
ever develop to menace society. Harris quotes Mall: (14)
   He estimated from the records of 100,000 pregnancies that there were 80,572 normal births,
11,765 abortions of normal embryos and early monsters, and 615 monsters born at term. Thus at
term 1 child in 132 is born with some anatomical defect. For each such case appearing at term, 12
others died and were aborted during pregnancy.
    These data deal with gross defects involving physical deficiencies in the infant and indicate that
the defects that are produced in the formative period


 light activi ty. A short
walk in the morning and in the afternoon is a good idea. Do not travel any
distance or undertake heavy physical tasks. If you run or exercise heavily,
skip it for a day and relax.
If you feel faint with hunger, take one tables poon of honey with a glass of
warm water and lie down for five minutes.
It is normal to feel lightness in your limbs, but if you start to tremble or
feel dizzy, lie down and rest. If the feeling persists, eat a small meal. You
may be unsettled from unusually high stress that has thrown you of f balance.
SUNDA Y ROUTINE
Now you want to restart your agni and let it adjust itself to its normal
cycle. To do this, eat a light breakfast of hot cereal (oatmeal, cream of rice,
or cream  of wheat) with a little butter, milk, and sugar. Herb tea is also good
in the morning to soothe the stomach—licorice root for Vatas, peppermint
for Pittas and Kaphas. If you followed the program correctly on Saturday,
this will be all the breakfast you’ll want. If you still feel very hungry, have
more cereal or a glass of juice. Coffee, tea, and cigarettes will throw off your
agni rhythm and defeat your purpose. (Kapha types, who are slow starters in
the morning, can drink gotu kola tea as a stimulant—this herb is sold in
health-food stores.)
Do not eat again until noon.At exactly noon, have a good lunch, one that satisfies you without being
heavy or immoderate. It is best not to excite your digestion with salty or
spicy food or alcohol, but do not have just a salad and water, either. Ginger
tea is a good idea. If you are Vata and have no appetite, drink it before the
meal; otherwise, during or after the meal is fine. If you do not have ginger
tea, sip a glass of warm water with your meal.
Do not eat again until dinner.
Have an early dinner (at least three hours before you go to bed), eating a
nourishing meal that suits your body type. Make this meal smaller than
lunch. Rice, lentils, and steamed vegetables are good. Even a repeat of
breakfast would  be good for most Kaphas and Pittas, or for anyone who
tends to overeat.
Now that your agni is reset, your hunger cycle will naturally tend to make
you want
a light breakfast
a substantial lunch, eaten at the same time every day
a light supper, eaten early and at the same time every day
The following things will throw your agni off again and should be
avoided.
Eating between meals. The rule here is not to stimulate your appetite if
you are not going to eat. Agni likes to finish what it starts; therefore, it
is thrown of f by empty stimulation from chewing gum, hard candy, or
breath mints taken throughout the day. However, having tea and
cookies in the afternoon is a good idea for Vata types or for anyone who
gets fatigued at the end of the workday.
Strong stimulants. Caf feine, salt, and alcohol are strong stimulants and
should be taken moderately. The indigestion most people feel at a
cocktail party comes from the mixing of salty food, alcohol, and noise.If you like to drink cof fee, always have it with food, not alone. The
same applies to salt and alcohol. Being addicted to any of these
stimulants makes it impossible to balance the digestion.
Skipping meals. Agni wants something to do three times a day and
resents it if you do not eat. Kapha types can skip meals because their
agni moves slowly and burns low, but it is still a good rule to eat three
times a day.
AGNI AND AMA
The Ayurvedic ideal is that agni be kept operating efficiently under all
conditions; it must not be so cold that food is not complete ly digested.
Partially digeste d food turns into ama, a cold, foul-smelling residue whose
“stickiness” prevents the doshas from circulating freely as they should.
There is also the opposite dange r that agni will burn too high, in which case
the nutrients in food will not be extracted but burned away. Then digestion
becomes feverish, leading to weakness instead of strength.
Agni and ama form the most important pair of opposites in the body,
making the difference between a state of dynamic health and a state of slow
deterioration. The most obviou s difference between the two is that agni
makes you feel well, while ama makes you feel sick. There are some specific
signs as well. Agni gives one:
Glowing complexion and bright eyes
Strong digestion without constipation or diarrhea
Ability to eat all foods
Clear, straw-colored urine
Normal feces without strong smellIf there is ama in the body, it can vary from a minor to a major serious
condition. Among the earlier signs are:
Dull skin and eyes
Unpleasant taste in the mouth, with coated tongue in the morning
Strong bad breath
Urine that is cloudy, dark, or discolored
Weak digestion, chronic constipation and/or diarrhea
Loss of appetite (food tastes bad)
Aching joints
Once the digestive fire has returned to normal and the collected ama from
the past is flush ed out, agni by itself will continue to purify the body. Your
digestion is self-correcting, because nature has set things up so that agni
burns ama. This is another example of how you can trust your body to know
what to do.
IMPROVING YOUR AGNI
Certain foods, spices, and herbs  are effective in improving the quality of
agni in everyone, according to Ayurveda. They are used to stimulate appetite,
increase the power of digestion, and remove ama.
GINGER
Dried into a powder or used fresh, ginger is praised as the best spice for
helping the agni of all body types. Powdered ginger, sold in grocery-store
spice racks, is stronger, more drying, and more pungent than fresh
gingerroot, which is sold in the fresh produce department (or in health-foodstores if your supermarket does not carry it). Fresh ginger is considered the
better digestive aid.
Ginger can be used in various ways:
As a tea. Boil a large pinch of dry ginger in a cup of water over a low
flame until a quarter of the water boils away, then strain. This tea is drunk
before meals to whet the appetite. A small glass of it can be sipped during or
after meals to aid digestion.
Fresh ginger tea is made by first boiling your water and then, with the heat
off, dropping in a few thin slices of unpeeled gingerroot (about one
tablespoon per cup of water). Allow to steep for five minutes, then strain.
You can make a much stronger  tea by boiling the slices of gingerroot with
the water, but this would be considered a medicinal tea, not to be drunk
every day.
As a spice. Ayurveda recommends a variety of ways to use ginger in
cooking. Either the powder or the root can be added to recipes for steamed
vegetables, curri es, gingerbread, cakes, and cookies. You can lightly sprinkle
ginger on your food at the table or chew on a sliver of fresh ginger during
the meal. Although it may be too strong for everyone, scatter ing chopped
gingerroot over your food as a garnish (like parsley) is also considered
worthwhile. Try one approach at a time, however; it does not take much
ginger to kindle agni.Fresh ginger  tea aids digestion.
Different body types are advised to take ginger in slightly different ways:
Vata types can mix the choppe d fresh root with salt. Pitta types need less
pungency, so weak ginger tea is enough for them, sweetened with sugar to
make the ginger less spicy. Kapha types (and anyone who is overweight)
want it for eliminating excess Kapha from the system, so they can take a
good deal of ginger tea sweetened with honey.
If your appetite and/or digestion  become poor as the result of nervousness,
stress, or illness, an excellent way to restore it is with the following ginger
routine.
Ginger Routine
In a small glass, metal, or ceramic bowl, mash four tablesp oons each
powdered ginger, brown sugar, and ghee (melted, clarified butter, see page
304). Mix to a uniform consistency, cover, and store in a cool place.Take a little bit of this ginger mixture every day before breakfast, making
sure that you follow it with a good breakfast (hot cereal, grape juice,
muffins, and herb tea with cinnamon in it is a good menu). Consume the
ginger mixture according to the following schedule.
After finishing the ginger routin e, your digestion should be norm alized. If
you still experience digestive difficulty, see a doctor; at the first sign of
digestive cramps and pain, do not attempt this routine—consult a physician
instead.
Ginger Follow-up
If you are trying to cure a long-standing Vata imbalance or want to keep
your digestion at its peak, takin g a little fresh ginger every day is a good
idea. It is also considered the best preventive against build ing up ama
through improper digestion.
Cut a thin, nicke l


Beauty?
Sodium,	found	in	salt,	is	an	element	our	bodies	need	to	function	properly.	It
helps	to	control	our	blood	pressure	and	blood	volume,	as	well	as	ensuring
proper	muscle	and	nerve	function.	The	best	beauty	forms	of	salt	to	use	are
small	amounts	of	high-quality	sea	salt,	such	as	Celtic	or	Himalayan	sea	salt.
These	sea	salts	also	have	trace	minerals	and	elements.	Sea	salts	are	obtained
from	the	evaporation	of	saltwater	bodies,	rather	than	the	heavy	processing	that
produces	table	salt;	this	includes	bleaching	and	diluting	the	salt	after	harvesting
with	anticaking	agents	and	other	chemicals.	For	these	reasons,	stick	to	sea	salt
in	your	cooking.
But	too	much	salt	is	definitely	a	beauty	and	health	no-no.	Excessive	salt
intake	can	increase	the	risk	for
heart	disease,	hypertension,	high	blood	pressure,
and	kidney	disease.	It	can	also	make	your	skin	look	dehydrated.
Excessive	sodium	can	also	create	“false	fat,”	making	you	look	bloated	and
pounds	heavier	than	you	truly	weigh.
An	average	daily	guideline	is	1,000	to	1,500	milligrams	(mg)	of	sodium	per
day	or	less.	If	you	are	at	risk	for	a	medical	condition,	such	as	those	listed	above,
you	can	certainly	omit	salt	from	your	cooking	altogether.	Most	of	us,
accustomed	to	so	many	processed	and	restaurant
foods	that	contain	loads	of
sodium,	are	used	to	a	very	salty	flavor.	Shifting	into	eating	more	natural	foods
and	preparing	simpler	food	will	help	you	become	more	sensitive	to	the	taste	of
salt.	It’s	also	a	good	idea	to	add	sea	salt	to	your	food	right	before	you	eat	it,	so	it
tastes	more	salty	without	using	more	actual	salt!PILLAR	2:
External	Nourishment
Now	that	you	know	how	to	lay	the	foundation	for	your	beauty	with	your	diet,
we	are	going	to	talk	about	the	best	forms	for	the	outer	care	of	your	skin.	This
includes	the	safest	and	most	effective	skin-care	products	and	ingredients	as	well
as	self-care	practices	that	will	help	you	grow	strong	nails;	healthy,	shiny	hair;
and	clear,	glowing	skin.	Incorporating	superior	inner	and	outer	care	will
nourish	your	whole	body	from	the	outside	in	and	let	your	natural	beauty	shine
through	to	the	highest	degree	possible.	In	this	pillar	we’ll	cover	the	best—as	well
as	the	worst—ingredients	and	practices	so	you	can	allow	your	most	beautiful	self
to	be	authentically	reflected.SHIFT	6:
Incorporate
Natural	Skin-Care
Ingredients
Your	Amazing	Skin
Our	largest	organ,	the	skin,	is	a	fascinating	one.	It	is	an	elimination	organ,
meaning	it	helps	dispel	wastes	from	your	body	through	sweat.	Your	skin
receives	roughly	a	third	of	all	the	blood	that	is	circulated	throughout	the	body.
It	makes	sense	that	if	the	blood	is	congested,	this	is	reflected	in	your	skin.	Your
skin	is	the	last	organ	to	receive	nutrition	in	the	body,	yet	is	among	the	first
organs	to	show	signs	of	an	imbalance	or	deficiency.
But	skin	does	also	work	in	the	opposite	way,	absorbing	what	is	applied	to	it
on	the	outside.	It	is	therefore	critical	to	be	strategic	about	putting	the	best
ingredients	on	the	surface	of	your	skin	to	help	repair	and	support	its	health
from	the	outside	in.	This	seems	obvious,	but	there	is	a	great	deal	of	marketing
hype	to	weed	through	to	determine	what	works	and	what	is	merely	an	empty
claim.	It’s	also	critical	to	avoid	the	numerous	toxic	ingredients	that	can	be
absorbed	and	not	only	tax	your	skin	but	also	enter	your	bloodstream	and
burden	your
liver.
Your	skin	is	also	influenced	by	your	emotions	and	mental	state.	Research
shows	that	stress	can	cause	visible	aging	at	the	cellular	level,	including	a	study
published	in	the
Proceedings	of	the	National	Academy	of	Sciences
.
1

Elissa	Epel,	one
of	the	researchers	for	this	study,	states,	“This	is	the	first	time	that	psychological
stress	has	been	linked	to	a	cellular	indicator	of	aging	in	healthy	people.”
2
Luckily,	many	of	the	techniques	in	this	pillar	will	help	relax	your	mind	and
body	while	nurturing	your	skin	from	the	outside	in.
Healthy,	smooth,	and	radiant	skin	is	considered	the	holy	grail	of	beauty.	If
you	survey	any	woman	(and	most	men,	even	though	they	might	not	discuss	it	as
openly!),	you	will	find	that	beautiful	skin	is	at	the	very	top	of	her	beauty	wish
list.	Well,	the	time	has	come	for	you	to	get	your	wish.	By	working	with	yourskin	and	incorporating	ingredients	into	your	routine	that	will	help	nourish
your	skin,	you’ll	create	an	optimal	environment	for	your	skin	to	grow,	repair,
and	heal	itself.	The	result	will	be	skin	that	glows,	reflecting	your	highest	beauty.
Natural	vs.	Chemical	Ingredients
Some	may	think	that	the	expensive,	scientifically	created,	cutting-edge	products
on	the	market	are	automatically	the	most	effective	choices	out	there,	but	this	is
not	necessarily	the	case.	The	antioxidants	found	in	natural	plant	ingredients	are
still	widely	considered	to	be	among	the	most	powerful	skin-care	ingredients,
and	this	is	consistently	proven	in	research.
As
Richard	Baxter,	MD,	of	the	University	of	Washington
School	of
Medicine,	states,	“There	is	enough	published	work	to	convince	me	that	the
antioxidant	botanicals	will	be	the	next	big	thing	in	skin	care.”
3
	They	may	be	the
“next	big	thing,”	but	they	have	also	been	around	for	thousands	of	years—much
like	ancient	practices	like	yoga	and	meditation	are	tagged	as	“new	age.”	(Ironic
and	illogical,	right?)	Synthetic	ingredients	may	have	properties	to	help	boost
your	skin,	but	some	may	tax	your	skin	and	even	be	toxic.
4
	That	toxicity	can	be
absorbed	right	from	your	skin	into	your	system.
5
As	with	your	diet,	the	best	approach	to	skin	care	is	to	understand	the	power
of	nature.	Nature’s	beauty	is	unparalleled,	and	if	you	live	closer	to	nature	in	all
aspects	of	your	lifestyle,	your	natural	beauty	will	increase.	Choose	nontoxic
products	that	contain	natural,	plant-based	ingredients.	As	long	as	they	aren’t
toxic,	scientifically	created	ingredients,	like	concentrated,	isolated	peptides,	that
are	aimed	at	a	specific	purpose	such	as	minimizing	the	appearance	of	fine	lines
and	wrinkles	can	work	together	with	natural	ingredients	to	create	powerful
combinations.	Nature	and	science	can	most	certainly	work	together	in	a
balanced	way.
Organic	ingredients	are,	by	definition,	pesticide-	and	GMO-free.	But	keep	in
mind	that	products	may	contain	some	organic	ingredients	but	may	not	be
100
percent
	organic	if	other	ingredients	are	processed	in	some	way	to	make	them
usable	or	if	they	are	actually	lab	created.	Natural	min


 not wear. It is only conscious work that requires for recuperation and muscle rebuilding non -use or physical rest.
This is permitted in that loss of consciousness regularly recurrent in animal life, whic h is called sleep.

    Physical growth and muscular development in man are never completely rounded out, and this may be attributed to a double
cause. Theoretically, every muscle of the body should be exercised impartially and should be nourished with th e exact amount of
cell pabulum that is needful for the replacement of its broken -down substance. These conditions are virtually never fulfilled. That
Page 55 of  72 they may be is a possibility to be contemplated with surety, since they are logical conclusions based on n atural law. To bring them
to consummation, reciprocal active relation must exist between intake and outgo, rebuilding and waste, labor and rest,
consciousness and sleep.

    The processes of nutrition are involuntary in character so long as material suit able for their accomplishment is furnished for
their use, but they may be directed in part by the individual to the extent of the preparation and of the selection in kind a nd quantity
of food required. When the function of digestion becomes impaired, disea se results. And functional disease is analogous to
muscular fatigue; hence, since nature includes in her law of recuperation both systemic purification and organic rest, it is
reasonable to assume what the text promulgates: organic rest through abeyance of  the processes of digestion and assimilation, with
consequent systemic cleansing and renewal of normal functional activity.

    The manner in which the digestive organs and those allied to them may be given needed rest is to the mass mind perhaps not at
once apparent. The mere thought of abstention from food carries with it repudiation of the long -taught doctrine that frequent
feeding both in health and in illness is needful for the maintenance of vitality and strength. Yet just this omission of food  is meant
when rest for overworked organs is suggested. The phenomena of fasting for the cure of disease include facts that prove that the
human body does not depend for strength or for vitality solely upon food ingested; the latter is in the main utilized for the repair of
the fabric of the body; by means of food the material framework is kept in condition to permit of the liberation of energy in  its
variety of manifestation. The body, then, is but a vehicle for the expression of the life principle. But the lif e principle itself is an
entity, operating through its vehicle only so long as its lines of transmission are unobstructed by the causes of disease.

    Diminution in weight, often excessive, always occurs in illness, even though food is ingested. (Except ions with obese or
dropsical symptoms noted.) In itself this shows that nature is proceeding with her process of purification, despite the obsta cles in
her path, and that she is protecting the body by inhibiting the function of assimilation. This she will continue to do until the
avenues for the passage of vital force are partially or wholly cleared, or until organic defect beyond repair is uncovered. I n the
former event, health will eventually be restored; in the latter, the death of the body is presaged.

    Also, when disease is present, under the more prevalent methods, feeding is continuous in accordance with the doctrine that
nourishment is at all times necessary to "keep up strength." If the stomach rebel, other organs are assailed with the idea of
conveying through them the nutriment considered necessary, and this in spite of very evident protests on the part of bodily
function. The question naturally suggests itself: why, if food is constantly supplied, does the body lose in weight! This que ry was
covered in a previous chapter, but its answer is found in the fact that in disease intake of food is not properly digested, is
consequently incapable of complete and healthful assimilation, and, far from acting as constructive material for tissue
regeneratio n, proves an added systemic burden and a source of toxication. Another cause of loss of weight, slighter in degree, is
discovered in that brain and nerve tissue, as instruments for the expression of thought, motion, and sensation, are protected  from
deteri oration in substance by that provision of nature which permits them to utilize nourishment stored in the interstices of tissu e.
This they consume in illness and in health, and, when in disease normal balance is disturbed, when body tissue is not rebuilt  as is
the case in health, nerve substance is still supported from the same source of supply.

    With slight differences the physiology of digestion in all mammals is markedly similar. In disease the lower mammalia abstain
from food until hunger returns, w hen health is rapidly recovered. To this they are impelled by instinct, by animal sagacity, a
faculty implanted by nature in the whole of animate creation. The fasts which animals instinctively undergo in disease are
phenomena which cannot help but be cons tantly observed, but which are not in general intelligently perceived. A common
expression in reference to illness in the horse embodies the phrase, "off his feed," and this negation on the part of the ani mal
confirms the existence an instinctive sense tha t impels it to fast when its physical well -being is overturned. And this natural
spontaneous impulse is not confined to mammals, for birds, reptiles, in fact the whole animal kingdom, abstain from food when
ailing. A python in captivity has been known to f ast for thirteen months, with great loss in weight, it is true, but with eventual
recuperation and recovery. And cats and canines often prolong abstention to skeleton condition, after which strength and vita lity
progressively increase until normal is again  attained. Instances such as these may be multiplied indefinitely.

    While not occasioned by the invasion of disease, it is interesting to note in this connection that condition of lethargy unde rgone
by certain animals during the winter months, known a s hibernation, a condition in which the functions of the body are in great
measure suspended. How a warm -blooded animal used to the most stirring activities during eight or nine months of the year can
retire to a den, and from an ordinary sleep, which it i s at first, pass into a condition of torpor in which all the organs that have to do
with digestion, assimilation, and waste, excepting the lungs, suspend their functions and remain quiescent for a period of se veral
months, is more or less a sealed book to science.

    In man and the non -hibernating animals the action of the body functions are continuous awake or asleep, but in the bear, the
marmot, the prairie dog, during the hibernating period, the functions of digestion, assimilation, and elimination ar e suspended until
the animal awakens in the spring.

Page 56 of  72     A bear, if sufficiently fat, begins to fast some weeks before he retires to winter quarters; but, if there has been lack of f ood, or, if
the animal is old, with poor teeth, it will eat to the very d ay of entering its den, and this last meal will be found in the stomach
when the revival from winter sleep takes place.

    The average bear at the beginning of hibernation is covered with a layer of fat that varies from two to six inches in thickne ss,
and, if the animal is killed at this time and the fat removed from the carcass, the latter is found plump and full -fleshed. But, killed
after some months in the den, a heavier layer of fat is discovered, with a diminution in lean flesh, which by this time h as become
lax and flabby in texture. The carcass, then stripped of its fat, will be noticeably smaller than that of a bear of similar s ize killed in
the fall or in the early winter.

    There is then evidently a continual process of change from nitrogeno us to carbonaceous tissue proceeding while the winter sleep
of the hibernating animal endures; and, in this transmutation of muscle into fat, lies perhaps the secret of the torpor in wh ich the
bear is wrapped. For, when a bear first goes into his den, his sleep is natural, and he is easily aroused. But, left undisturbed, sleep
develops into stupor; respiration and circulation are the only evidences of life, and they are both retarded in action. Carbo n
resulting from the change of protein into fat within the  system, is retained in the blood, because all of the organs of elimination,
excepting the lungs, are without function; and respiration is so slow that there is continuously an excess of carbonic acid g as in the
blood stream, and a consequent condition of toxication, of torpor.

    At times during hibernation the female bear will bring her young into the world, and then milk is elaborated in amount suffic ient
to maintain the cubs. The birth of young and the physiological chemistry of continued milk produc tion in the fasting, torpor -ridden
bear have particular interest here, analogous as these phenomena are to the related cases in the text of pregnant women proce eding
to confinement, but fasting for weeks the while.

    A hibernating bear never soils his den with urine or ordure, for no waste is formed, consequently none is voided. But, after the
period of winter


? Following that deeper guidance will take
your life in a very different direction from where your
preferences would have led you. That is the clearest I can
explain my surrender experiment, and it became the
foundation of both my spiritual and worldly life.1 7.
M y  F i r s t  J o b  I n t e r v i e w
I  had  be en in school most of my life, and except for my
stint as a sports car mechanic after classes in high school,
I had only worked summer jobs. I had never been on a
real job  interv iew before. Alan arranged for me to meet
with a program director to discuss my position at the
college.
On the day of  the interview, I arrived in my normal
attire: jeans, a denim shirt, and sandals. The downtown
campus of Santa Fe had been pretty liberal, but I had no
idea how things were at the  new campus with Alan as
president. The program director began by asking me
what I would like to teach. I  figured I was supposed to
give an honest answer. I tol d her I would like to teach
what I had been learning about that voice inside your
head. I wanted students to understand that they don’t
have to listen to that incess ant chatter; they have the
freedom to come from a much deeper place inside
themselves. I also told her that I would like to teach
students that they are sitting on a tiny planet spinning
through space, and they should be enjoying the journey.
To my amazem ent, her response was to say that the only
course available that could allow such a curriculum was
an entry-level  social science class. The course was
required for all freshmen, and a teacher was still needed
for one-third of the classes. She explained that teaching
those classes would amount to a half-time position at the
college. I accepted the positio n, and she scheduled me to
teach my first class in Septem ber when the new campus
officially opened.What a  flow of events! First life tells me to go to
California for the summer; n ow she’s telling me what to
do w hen I com e back. It was all unfoldi ng by itself. I was
just along for the ride. I really had no idea what I was
going to teach in that class co me September. I had never
taught what I’d been learning to anyone, let alone a
whole class. My personal self began feeling insecure
about the whole thing. To stra ighten him out, I laid down
the gro und rules: there would not be a single thought
about the classes or what would be taught in them until it
was time to enter the classroom. I intended to walk into
the first class w ith a completely empty mind. I wanted it
to b e like the  time I wrote that paper completely by
inspiration. We’ll just go into the class and see what
comes out.
With th ese int rusions from the outside world starting
to st eal small c hunks of my time, I all the more cherished
being alone on my land. Nev ertheless, people had a way
of findi ng me, despite my best efforts to protect my
solitude. So it was with Sand y Boone, a woman who was
into Buddhist meditation and  spending time outdoors. I
don’t recall where she cam e from, but one day she
showed up and started taking  walks on my property. She
was car eful to respect my pri vacy; she just wanted to be
in nature and m editate outdoors. That was okay until she
asked i f she could pitch her tent at the far end of the
property to do some meditation. I didn’t want to allow
that, but who was I to stop someone from meditating?
Eventually she got bold enough to ask if she could join
me for meditation on Sunday mornings, just for an hour.
I clearl y remem ber granting her request solely because
the voice in my head was so resistant to it.
In time, Sandy began to brin g a few friends with her
for the Sunday morning meditations. At first it was three,
then six, then ten. I didn’t like that at all, but I had no
right to stop it. I often just stayed in meditation upstairs
while my guests met downstairs. Thus the notion ofSunday morni ng services at Mickey’s started in the
spring of 1972—a tradition that has continued every
Sunday for over forty years.
Meanwhile, su mmer was approaching, and it was time
to begin  preparing for my tr ip to California. I figured I
would camp in my van at the spiritual community for
three or  four weeks and then come back home in time for
classes. The drive out there  took me about ten days
because I continued all my meditation sessions along the
way. W hen I arrived at the community, I found a very
rural setting with a large expanse of land and many
small, rustic cabins. The peop le seemed like back-to-the-
earth-type folk s, and I fit right in. During registration, I
noticed special name tags for guests who wanted to
practice silence. I had no interest in meeting people or
making new friends—that would just be a distraction to
my inner work. So I decided t o use the trip to step up my
practices to an even stricter le vel: I would remain in total
silence during my visit.
There were no available c ampgrounds near their
temple area, so I simply par ked my van in the nearest
dirt parking lot. That is wh ere I would live for a few
weeks. After getting situated, I began doing my afternoon
yoga and meditation session in their temple. Though I
was accustomed to being alone, I immediately realized
that I would be fine here for a while. These people
understood what I was into and would leave me to my
practices. I continued fasting three times a week, and
when I ate my salad, I always  sat alone. I was not exactly
the soci al type, but I did attend evening meditation and
chanting progr ams in the tem ple. In fact, that was where
I w as first expo sed to Eastern chanting. Because I was in
silence I didn’t chant, but I c ould feel the upliftment of
the energy in the room.
I wo uld have g one on like that during my entire stay—
if it were not f or a dream I had. I hardly ever dreamed,
and wh en I did, the dreams d idn’t seem to have any deepsignificance. One night I had a phenomenal, lucid dream
that had a pro found effect on me. I dreamed that I was
doing intense ly focused Zen walking. I was very
consciously placing one foot  in front of the other as I
slowly h eaded toward the mouth of a cave. I entered the
cave without incident and proceeded into the darkness
that stretched before me. When it became very dark, I
picked up a wooden torch m ounted on the side of the
cave. I lit it and continued as before. I noticed that the air
was get ting thinner and thinner the deeper I went into
the cave. There was an almost frighteningly strong sense
of purp ose: I was going to explore deep into this
unknown cave  until I found what I was looking for.
Nothing was going to stop me.
I be gan to see a faint light far  off in the distance. Not a
single thought passed through my mind, yet I intuitively
knew that was where I was  going. As I approached, I
could see that the light was coming from above and
shining down into the cave. The closer I got to the source
of the light, th e thinner the air became. I could hardly
breathe. But I kept on going. The experience was similar
to what had been happening in my practices. In my
meditations, the deeper I went, the more my breath
would slow down—until, eventually, it would naturally
stop flo wing. I  don’t know ho w long I would stay in that
breathless state, but I would come back and gasp for air.
At som e point, my walk thro ugh this cave felt just like
that stage of my meditations.
I w as almost t here. I could s ee the streaming rays of
light pouring onto the cave floor just in front of me. I felt
as though I wo uld collapse from the lack of oxygen, but I
found t he will to take that fin al step into the light. In an
instant, I was completely bathed in a flood of blinding
light. I turned  upward to cl imb into the light, but my
hands h it a metal grate on the  roof of the cave. There was
no way out from here.Not a thought entered my m ind. Not a sigh left my
lips. Wi th the same steely se nse of purpose that had led
me into  this cave, I turned and began to walk back out.
There was simply the knowing—I would have to find
another way.1 8.
L e t t i n g  G o  o f  t h e  R o p e
I  aw oke from t hat dream a changed person. My way of
thinking had been transformed at a very profound level.
For the  first


passingwind.
Worseaftereating;beforeandafterpassingastool.
Thebelly(belowthenavel)isbloatedanduncomfort-
able;andthepersonhastoloosenclothingaroundthe
waist.Headache
SymptomsPains:inforehead;intemples;pressing;
throbbing.
Betterforfreshair.
Worseforcoughing;duringmenstrualperiod;for
overheating; forwarmthofbed;forwrappingup
head.
Causeseyestrain;mentalstrain.
Indigestion •
SymptomsBelches:acrid;empty;sour.Belly/
stomach:feelsempty;feelsfullveryquickly.Pains:in
stomach;pressing;cramping.Withheartburn.
Betterforbelching.
Worseaftereating;foronions;forwearingtight
clothing.
Jointpain
SymptomsPains:tearing.
Betterformovement;forwalking;forwarmthofbed.
Worseonbeginningtomove;duringafever;for
sitting.
Therheumaticpainsmayoccurinanyofthejointsof
thebody,butthekneeandfingerjointsareespecially
soreandstiff.Thepainswilloftenhavestartedonthe
rightsideofthebodyandmovedovertotheleft.
Mouthulcers
SymptomsUlcersunderthetongue.
Mumps
SymptomsGlandsswollen/painful.Withfever(see
above);sorethroat(seebelow);typicalLycopodium
generalandemotional/mental symptoms.
Thepainsmovefromtherightsidetotheleftside.
Sorethroat
SymptomsThroat:dry;withlumpsensation.Pains:
raw;sore.Tonsilsswollen.
Betterforwarmdrinks.
Worseatnight;onrightside.
Thethroatissoreandinflamed,andfeelsfullofdust.
Thepatientmaychokewhiledrinkingeventhough
warmdrinksactuallysoothethepains.
Foodpoisoning
Causesshellfish(especiallyoysters).
Hairloss
SymptomsHairfallsout.
Causeschildbirth.Magnesiacarbonica(Mag-c.)
Othernames:lightcarbonateofmagnesia;magnesite
Magnesiacarbonicaisawhite,grey,brownoryel-
lowmaterialthatoccursasacrystalinsedimentary
INTERNALMATERIAMEDICA Magnesiummuriaticum(Mag-m.) •111
bedsorasveinsinotherrocks,mainlyinsouthern
California,MexicoandVenezuela. Itisalsomade
commercially. Itsnamecomesfrom'Magnesia',the
nameofthecityinThessalynearwhichthedepositsof
nativemagnesiumcarbonateoccur.
Itisusedintheproductionofrefractorybricks,in
themanufactureofchemicals,cement,fertilisersand
artificialstoneflooring,rubberpigments,inks,glass,
pharmaceuticals, toothpastes,cosmetics,mineral
waters,free-runningtablesalts,andinothermag-
nesiumsalts.
Itwasknownmedicinallyfromtheeighteenthcen-
turyonwardsanditbecamerenownedasthe'terrorof
thenursery7asitwasusedextensivelyasalaxative.It
hasbeenwidelyusedasanantacidandananticithii
(amedicinetoaidthedissolvingofkidneystones).
Thehomeopathicremedyispreparedbymixinga
solutionofepsomsaltswithsodiumcarbonate;thisis
thensuccussed.
GENERALSYMPTOMS
Insomniaafter3-a,m.;sleepunrefreshing.Sweat:
oily;sour.Taste:mouthtastessour.
Betterforfreshair.
Worseduringtheevening;atnight.
Theseareoftenpuny,sicklychildren,orworn-out
individualsofanyagewhoaredebilitatedfromtoo
manycaresandnotenoughgoodfood.Theysnackfor
comfortonjunkfoodandsocompoundthissituation.
Theyhavean'unloved'lookaboutthem.Theyare
generallyworseatnight,whentheycannotsleep;they
wakemoretiredinthemorningthanwhentheywent
tosleep.Awalkinthefreshairhelpsalittle.Children
whoneedthisremedymayhaveanaversiontoveg-
etablesandacravingformeat;theystaythin,have
delicatedigestivesystems,andwillhavesourper-
spiration.Nursingchildrenmayrefusethebreast.
Milkpassesthroughundigested.
EMOTIONAL/MENTALSYMPTOMS
Anxiousinbed.Irritablechildren.
Magnesiacarbonicachildrenareirritable,andare
anxiousinbed,particularlyduringafever.Theysleep
restlesslyandhavedisturbeddreams(aboutfiresand
deadpeople).
PHYSICALCOMPLAINTS
Diarrhoea
SymptomsPains:colicky;cramping.Stools:frothy;
green;slimy;soursmelling.
Worseinthemorning;beforepassingastool.Milkispoorlytolerated,andpassesthroughthebody
undigested;nursingbabiesmayevenrefusethe
breast.Stoolsarelikethescumofafrogpond.
Flatulence
SymptomsBelly/stomach bloated.Withrumbling
beforepassingastool.
Headache
SymptomsPains:recurringatregularintervals;spas-
modic;shooting;tearing.
Betterforpressure;forwalking.
Worseforlyingdown.
Thepainsofthisheadachearebetterforwalking;and
thepersonmaybeobligedtowalkaboutallnight
becausethepainsreturninforceassoonashestopsto
rest.
Indigestion
SymptomsBelching:greasy;sour.Belly:bloated;
rumbling.Withheartburn;nausea.
Worseaftereatingcabbage;afterdrinkingmilk.
Toothache
Worseforcold;atnightinbed.
Causesoccurswhilsttravelling;duringpregnancy.
Thetoothachecomesonwhilsttravellingandforces
thepersontogetupandwalkabout,asrestingaggra-
vatesthepains.
MAGNESIAMURIATICUM(Mag-m.)
Commonname:chlorideofmagnesium
Magnesiamuriaticumoccursnaturallyinseawater
andincamallite,acombinationofpotassiumchloride
andmagnesiumchloride.
Itisaby-productofthepotashindustryandits
industrialusesaremany-fromitsuseasacatalystin
organicchemistry,formakingothermagnesiumcom-
pounds;inthemeltingandweldingoffluxes;asacell
foodinmetalproductionandasadentalcement.
Thehomeopathicremedyismadefromhydro-
chloricacidwhichisneutralisedwithmagnesia,mixed
withammoniumcarbonateandthenheated.
GENERALSYMPTOMS
Discharges:sour;ofstools;ofsweat.
Betterforfreshair;forpressure.
Worseafterdrinkingmilk;atnight;forswimmingin
thesea.
112*Magnesiaphosphorica(Mag-p.) INTERNALMATERIAMEDICA
Thisisasmallremedythatisusefulforbabies'colicor
digestiveupsetsthatareworseformilkorcausedby
drinkingmilk.Thesepeoplearegenerallybetterfor
somefreshair,andthepainsarebetterforpressure.
Thesweatandstoolssmellsour.
EMOTIONAL/MENTALSYMPTOMS
Anxious.Restlessinbed.
Peoplefeelrushedandhurried:theyfeeltheymustbe
doingsomethingallthetime.Thoughpresentduring
theday,theanxietyisalwaysworseinbedatnight,
causinginsomnia.
PHYSICALCOMPLAINTS
Colic
SymptomsPains:cramping;sore,bruised.With
constipation (seebelow);diarrhoea(seebelow);
INDIGESTION.
Worseafterdrinkingmilk.
Causesdrinkingmilk;teething.
Commoncold
Causesswimminginthesea.
Constipation
SymptomsStools:passedwithdifficulty;crumbling;
smallballs;likesheep'sdung/droppings;knotty.
Strainingineffectual.
Causesdrinkingmilk.
Diarrhoea
SymptomsInchildren.Stoolsgreen.
Causesdrinkingmilk.
Headache
SymptomsPains:intemples;spreadingtoeyes.With
belching;thirst.
Worseforpressure;forwrappinguphead.
Insomnia
SymptomsSleepunrefreshing.
Thepersonfeelsrestlessandanxiousinbed,es-
peciallyonclosinghiseyes,andhemaybeover-
sensitivetonoisethen,andunabletogettosleep.
Teething
SymptomsPainfulinchildren.Withcolic;green
stools.MAGNESIAPHOSPHORICA (Mag-p.)
Othername:magnesiumphosphate
Magnesiumphosphate isformedinhexagonalcrystals
whicharesweettothetasteandaresolubleinwater.
Thiss