  mogra  in Hindi, is a key component of the
Madurai body polish. India’ s sweetest -scented flower, jasmine is frequently usedas an of fering, a hair ornament and in the production of garlands as well. Ila, a skincare company that specialises in 100 percent natural products, carries
an energi zing and detoxifying polish made from pure Himalayan salt crystals,
scented with geranium, rose and wild juniper berry oils. Argan oil is another
ingredient: it has a natural SPF  and antioxidant, anti-aging properties. Dawn sees morning bathing on the ghats of holy lakes, rivers and tanks all over
India. Traditionally, to cleanse in holy water is to wash away sin, greed, envy and
evil in order to emerge physically and metaphorically pure. Devotees subm erge
themselves in the water, give offerings of water to their ancestors and pay homage
to the new day. It’s a ritual followed by everybody — rich and poor. water therapies
Bathing traditi ons are widespread and deep-seated in Ind ian
culture. For Hindus, ritua l bathing is seen as a holy
purification rit e: Whether it is the washing of hands befo re ameal or a trip to a holy rive r, a dip in water is necessa rily
imbued with significance. Pilgrimages always involve
absolution by water in one w ay or another as well. Musli ms,
too, use water rituals for both healing and purification, and
are requested to perform ablutions before entering a
mosque. Situated on anorth-south axis, Mohenjo daro’ s Great Bath has two large staircases
leading down to the bath itself. In the ancient Indus River Valley civilization, it was
almost certainly used for rituals as well as cleansing. It is known that Indians prized both physical and mental cleanliness,
and were bathing regularly fa r before most people in W estern
countries took up the practice. O ne of the most intriguing struct ures
at the ruins of M ohenjodaro, on e of the lar gest metropolises of the
Indus V alley Civilization, is the 2-meter (6-foot) deep brick
structure called the Great Bath. W aterproofed with tightly packed
bricks and a lay er of bitumen, it was surrounded by cloister - like
rooms that are now believed to have served some religious purpose. Whether bathing  at Mohenjodaro was spiritual or physical or a
combination of both is not kno wn, but the elaborate water su pplysystem and drainage network indicate that the Great Bath was a
very important part of the city. This is backed up by reference to
bathing in ancient A yurvedic texts. These advocate that bathing be a
daily rit ual cond ucted to stimulate the body, remove fatigue, sw eat
and dirt and enhance  ojas  (subtle spiritual ener gy). The V edic texts
indicate that dif ferent  doshas  require dif ferent temperatures of
water. Elsewhere in India, there are numerous extant tracts on mental
and phy sical h ygiene. A 12th-century encyclopedic text f rom
Karnataka called  Manasollasa  gives d etails of scientific
approaches to bathing, whilst the 17th-century handbook wri tten
primarily for royalty  Sivatatvaratnakara  provides similar details
about bathing. The tongue-twisting  Kanthiravanarasarajavijaya
written by Govinda V aidya in 1648 gives a very picturesque
description of a bathing  ghat  (public bath on a river -bank) and
describes the importance of water supplies for bathing. This milk and neem  leaf bath is a purify ing experience: even though the scent isn’t
particularly beautiful (think more vegetal than floral), it is deeply cleansing. Many of India’ s luxury spas offer cleansing, soothing rituals that involve a deep
soak in a tub usual ly situated in a gorgeous spa suite. Clockwise from top left: A
rose petal  and milk bath immortalized by Rajput royalty offered at Udaivilas, a soft-
scented floral bath at Quan spa and a deeply cleansing, leafy-scented neem leaf
bath at Rajvilas. Soap was not traditionally used in Indian bathing. Paradoxically,
the c ombination of soap and wa ter — although cleansing — is  de-
moisturizing an d accelerates aging. Indians preferred to use
cleansing scrubs  made from grains of gram flour, wheat husk  or
oatmeal to exfoliate and followed this with applications of oil after
drying. Because  many baths were public or semi-public, it was (and
is) normal to keep the  sari  or  dhoti  on whilst bathing. In 21st-century India, a variety of therapeutic, beautifying and
cleansing baths are available at spas and clinics. Oil-infused or
flower -filled ba ths often form the fitting finale to a relaxing,
pampering sequence of treatm ents at a spa. They take their
historical cue from royal bathing practices, and leave you scented,
refreshed or invigorated depending on the bath’ s ingredients. Some
bathing options are very simple,  while others take longer to prepare:
it’ s i nteresting to see how, in on e way or another, they hearken back
to ancient purification rites. Floral Baths
Oberoi Spas by Banyan T ree of fer a number of specialty ba ths,
including their visually arresting marigold bath. In everyday life,
garlands of marigolds are often given to welcome visitors and the
blossoms are used to adorn a home altar or are placed on little leaf
boats with an o il lamp at eve ning  aartis  (prayer rituals). Even
though t hey do not have any religious significance as such, their
golden hues are extremely attra ctive, and when used in a bath the
blooms have astringent qualities. After half an hour ’ s relaxatio n in
this gold-and-vermilion dream water, the skin feels firm and fresh. Another floral bath with a dif ference is Quan Spa’ s
interpretation of the milk bath based on an ancient Indian recipe. Milk has naturally occurring alpha-hydroxy acids that hydrate,
exfoliate and improve skin ela sticity, while  ahswagandha  root,
also known as Indian ginseng, is used in a number of A yurv edic
remedies. It is o ne of the best herbs for the mind, clearing anx iety
and inducing clarity. Rose petals, of course, provide a wonderful
scent. H arnessing the power of water that flows around Ind ia’ s
busiest city, their rose, milk and  ashwagandha  bath can be had as
a s ingle or coup le’ s treatment or combined in a spa package ba sed
on the five elements of fire, water, air, earth and space. Medicinal BathsHydrotherapy, of course, immediately comes to mind when one
considers the bath in a spa s etting. One of the famous Indian
inventions is the hip bath: devised by naturopath Sri Laksh man
Sharma in order to concentrate w ater between the ribs and thigh s, it
helps stimulate circulation in that region, so it’ s good for the
urinary, digestive and excretory systems. The innovative arm and
foot bath is a most important application in the case of bronc hial
asthma, as the reflex areas on the palms and soles are related to  the
lungs. It is also helpful for migraine suf ferers. The rose petal and milk bath traces its roots to Rajput queens who would soak in
stepwells after treating their bodies to a body scrub of turmeric, sandalw ood,
green gram flour and yogurt. Exfoliated skin would then be better prepared to
absorb the moisturizing properties of the milk and the scent of royal roses. In A yurv eda, medicinal baths are not overly used, though steam
baths come under the category  of some preparatory oleation and
fomentation the rapies. Described as a sudation process, medic inal
steam is  used to induce sweating and improve peripheral circula tion
to r educe high blood pressur e and help in the absorption  of
medicinal partic les present in he rbal oils. The steam also augm ents
the elimination of impurities in the excretory system and through
other ou tlets such as sweat glan ds, kidneys and liver. Sometimes, a
steam will also be prescribed for skin or muscle ailments, pain and
swelling. At K alari Kovilakom, where A y urvedic texts are followed to the
book, st eam box es are part and  parcel of the initial stages of the
panchakarma  regime. But the Palace to A yurv eda is also home to
a pin t-sized rosewood bath that often comes into its own at the  end
of a clie nt’ s trea tment. “After the  panchakarma  treatment, patients
often break out in pimples as th eir toxins are released,” explains Dr
Jayan, “so this medicinal bath helps to


 improvement in overall  energy. The exercise  should  start  to take  effect  within three  days after
its co mmence ment. The ovaries  feel warm and may itch, or  feel
- 123  -Cultivating  Ovarian Power
somew hat tingly  an indication  that the  ovaries  are receiving  unusuall y
high amounts  of vital force. These signs  occur  only if the  exercise
is done  prope rly. A mo nth or two of exercise  will produc e substantial
increases  in strength  and well-being. 3. Sum mary of Ovarian  and Va ginal Compression
     a. Choose  your prefer red position. b.  Breathe  in very  slowly throu gh the nose,  concentrati ng on the
throat. Com press  the air in the  throat  until  you can inhale  no further:
     c. S wallow strongl y to the  solar  plexus  and hold  the air there  as
if it we re a ball. d.  Press the  ball of air  dow n to the  navel  region. e.  From the  navel  press  the ball of air  dow n to the  pelvic  region. f. Press  the ball strongl y and continuousl y into the ovaries  until
you can hold  your breat h no longer:  At the end  of your breath
capacity  swallow the saliva strongly
     g.  Rest b y taking  quick, shallo w breaths  throug h the nose. h.  Relax b y rotating  the waist several  times. i. Start with 5 rep etitions and  increase  slowly  to 36 at a sit ting. j. Keep th e ton gue up on th e palate. C. Venting  Exercises for High Blood Pressure
    After  practicing  Ovarian  Compression  for two to six we eks, som e
wome n with high  blood  pressure  notice  a large  flow of Chi  energy
to the  head. They feel tension  in the  head  because  the blood  has
follow ed the upw ard flow of the  vital po wer. This is not  unlike  a mild
symptom  of the “Kundalini  Syndrome,”  in which freed  energ y races
about  the body out of control. lf y ou suffer  from  high  blood  pressure  and have  not practiced
meditation  to open  the Microcosmic Om it, wh ich distribut es the
energy  evenly  througho ut the circuits  of the  body, you can meditate
on two points  to vent  excess  pressure. These are the Min g-Men,  or
Door  of Life,  on the spine  directly  opposite  the navel  (between lumbar
2 and  3), and the Yuang Chuan  (K-1 point),  the kidney  point,  on the
soles of  your feet. To locate  the Ming -Men, place  a string  around  the waist like a
belt. Make  it perfectly  horizont al and place  it across  the navel. The
Ming- Men lies w here the string  meets the spine. When you bend
over backw ard from the waist, the point  feels like a hole  in the
spine. (Fig. 5.30)
- 124  -Chapter  V
Ming-Men
Navel
  The Ming-Men is located o pposite the navel
between the sec ond and thir d lumbar vertebrae. Fig. 5.30  Ming- Men Point
   Excess energ y dow n to the  Ming -Men. This dra ws the Chi and
blood  there. The hand  can help  to induce  the Chi now. The right
hand,  like a pitcher  sends  out energ y; the left hand,  like a  catcher
receives  the energ y. In this  way the energy  can be  broug ht down
more easil y. - 125  -Cultivating  Ovarian Power
Yung-Chuan
Fig. 5.31  Yuang Chuan (K-1) Point
    The Y uang Chuan  Point: The Yuang Chuan  point  is the  Yin-
energy  entry  point. The Taoists regar d the soles  of the  feet as the
roots  of the  body, and the root  is important  as the  foundati on for the
work of the spirit bod y. Once y ou have  found  the points  on both
feet, tape  onto  them  spin y little balls  such  as prickl y chestnuts  or
plain  tree seed  pods. Place both soles on  the ground  and press
firmly on the  spin y ball w hile concentrati ng on the  kidne y-1 point
(also  know n as the  bubbling  spring”). You can help  guide  the ener gy
down to the  soles  by placing  your left palm on  the sacru m, and  the
right palm on  the top of  the head  guide  the energ y from  the crown
to the  Ming -Men, down to the sacru m, do wn to the backs  of the
knees,  and finall y to the  soles  through  the backs of  the legs. After  a short  time of practice  you will feel the  power flow to the
Ming- Men. Direct  it dow n through  the spine  and backs of the  legs
to the  Yuang Chuan. Press do wn on the balls of  the feet so that  you
feel the soles  very distinctly. In severe  cases  it may  take  a mo nth
or two to get  the power into the Ming -Men and bring  it down to the
Yuang Chuan. If blood  flows too strongly  to the head  during  or after  compression,
vent the po wer by practicing  the Ming- Men and Yuang Chuan
exercises  right  after  com pression. Imbalanced  force  will flow down
the body  through  these  two points. After practicing  the exercises,
many students  open  the Microcosmic Orbit  so that their energy
- 126  -Chapter  V
flows in a continuous  circuit,  and there  will be no need  to bring  the
energy  down throu gh the back  to the soles. Y ou can also bring  it
down the front of the  body throug h the heart  and navel,  dow n to the
perineum, and  down to the backs of  the knees  to the  soles. This
alone  has often  ended  high  blood  pressur e.
    Ma ny benefits  of Ovarian  Breathing  are magnified when
performed  in conjunction  with the Ovarian  Com pression  exercise. If the  ovaries  are too cold,  there  will be a reductio n in desire  for sex. Ovarian  Com pression,  by warming  the ovaries,  will warm your heart
as well. It helps  you calm  down when sexually  over- excited  by
teaching  you to consciously  direct  energ y into and out of the  pelvic
region. It builds  your sexual  pow er dynamicall y by using  the vital
Chi taken  from  the air and packing  its charg e into your Ching  Chi. Refer  to Chapter  6 for more safet y tips in performing  the
exercises  in this  chapter. Fig. 5.32 Healing  Love  Connection
- 127  -Orgasmic Upward Draw
Chapter 6
Orgasmic Upward  Draw
A. Sexual  Energy  and Women
In ancient  times the Taoists saw men and  women  as worthy
partners  and adversa ries. Their  sexual  union  reflected  the union  of
Yin and Yang on the cosm ic level. Their differen t appro aches  to life
and problem-solving  broug ht harmony  to the earth. Taoists regar d man as fire and woman  as w ater: Fire, when
started,  burns  very  fast and  does  not last long. As we mentioned
earlier  it takes  time for water to reach  its boiling  point,  just as it
takes  time to bring  a woman  to her boiling  point. Once  she reaches
that point,  she will maintain  it for  a long  time. Taoists have  describe d women  as sexuall y superior  to me n, yet
we see today  that many women  are sexuall y unhap py. Because
the response  times of me n and  women  are different,  the sexual
embrace  occurs,  many times, w ithout the full arous al of the w oman. The vaginal  spasm s which occur  at this  arousal  level are  mistaken
as the  total  orgasm. How ever since  the w oman  has reached  only
half of


 to follow the path of least resistance, as
determined by the samskaras. When you allow this to happen, the
uncontrolled energy carves channels within you that will make it easier to
flow that way again. The energy flow becomes a habit. Not only is “losing
it” unhealthy because of what you may say or do outside, but you also
increased the probability of losing it in the same way again. This can cause
all kinds of trouble. Any time you’re not in charge in there, there’ s going to
be trouble. It’ s that simple. Understanding this process of blocking and then expressing energies
helps us have compassion for our own past behaviors, as well as for others. Compassion means you understand the root cause of people ’s behavior. People have trouble handling their blocked energies, and in most cases, they
have not been taught how to channel the energies to a higher level. There is
a higher level of our being, and those lower energies can be raised up. You
have access to a much higher way to deal with inner energies than to simply
step aside and let them express. That doesn’ t mean they should be
suppressed. Your choices are not limited to expression or suppression. As
we will discuss, there’ s a third choice, transmutation, and that’s where true
spirituality comes in. Chapter 36. Transmutation of the Energy
Suppression blocks inner energy; unchanneled expression wastes its power. The highest use of the energy is transmutation. Most people know nothing
about transmutin g the energy, yet it is the essence of spirituality. Currently,
your natural energy flow is blocked by the samskaras in your lower energy
centers. When the energy tries to release, you either push it back down or
allow it to blow  off some steam externally. This external release solves
nothing in the long run—the energy will just build back up behind your
blockages. The release is temporary because the cause of the blocked energy
has not been addressed. What if, when the energy tries to come up, you see it as an opportunity
to get rid of the blockage it’s hitting. The energy is going to attempt to
release the samskara by pushing it out of the way. The probl em is if the
blockage was stored with pain, it’s going to come back up with pain. Instead
of pushing it back down because you can’t handle the experience, or
releasing it outside as a way of relief, you can relax and release at such a
deep level that you allow the blockage to pass without resistance. That is
what transmutation of the energy means. It involves using the rising energy
as a positive force by allowing it to cleanse whatever was blocking it. This is the highe st way to work with your inner energy—use it to grow
spiritually. Use it to let go of the blockages that are keeping you trapped. It
is those blockag es that cause suffering. They only allow you to be okay if
things are a certain way. This creates discomfort, anxiety, and fear about
life. That discomfort drives people to seek all sorts of distractions, which
just creates more turmoil. We all know about this cycle of disturbance and
temporary relief. Now you know there is a much higher way to live. If you
are willing to release the blocka ges, over time the energy will find its way
up. It will push the samskaras out of the way, and the next thing you know,you won’t even be able to relate to how you used to be. This is especially
true about how you used to deal with some people around you. You’ll wish
you could go back and say, “I am so sorry. I was so lost. ” You will see how
relationships used to be about finding a way to be more comf ortable with
yourself. Once the blockages begin to clear, the energy will find its way into
your heart, and that will comfort and sustain you. Relationships will
naturally be about love and caring—all of them will be about serving others. They will no longer be about control or getting something you need. This is
what happens as the ener gy is free to rise within you. If you release the blockages, the energy will naturally rise higher. You
will not have to fight with it—the energy wants to come up. Always
remember, the energy wants to go up. You do not have to force it. It is best
for long-term spiritual growth if the energy is allowed to rise naturally. When you get blockages out of the way, you will feel a steady upward flow
of energy. Eventually, you will realize that the shakti wishes to express
something so beautiful, it will leave you breathless. You will begin to know
a peace that “passeth all understanding” (Phil. 4:7). You won’ t need
anything. Your natural state is so beautiful; you are whole and complete
within yourself. It simply depends on your willingness to work with the
energies. If you do, shakti will go higher and higher until eventually it
moves as fountains of joy flowi ng out the higher energy centers. As it does,
your entire relationship with this world will transform into something very
beautiful. What you were trying  to get from the outside will now naturally
be going  on inside. You will become filled with love and ecstasy. Again,
Christ described this as: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every
word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). You will have a
perpetual flow of ener gy feeding you from within. The transmutation of the inner energy flow is the answer to all the
world’ s woes. If people felt whole inside and were fed by the constant flow
of love and deep peace, they wouldn’ t be fighting with each other. Why
would you kill, rob, or harm someone if you were content within yourself. It is only because people are struggling inside that they are driven to
struggle outside. That’ s the only reason we need so many rules and laws. People left to their own create great trouble struggling with their inner
disturbances. There is something much higher within us, and it happens to
be our natural state. You’re a beautiful being; a truly awe-inspiring being. But you can’t reflect that beauty if you’re not okay. No matter how beautifulyou are, if you are trying not to drown, you’re not going to seem so
beautiful. To stop struggling once and for all, work on letting go of the
blockages. A spiritual being views life as follows: “I came down to the planet
Earth for a short time, and these are the experiences I got to have. They
were challenging, but I handled them and am better off because of them. ”
You don’t suppress your issues, and you don’t allow them to become the
foundation of your life. A past issue is just one of the many things that
happened to help you grow. You don’t need to know why it happened. You
don’t need to analyze its cause and effect, from a karmic point of view. All
sorts of things happen every day, and you don’t understand why they
happen. Yet you are comfortable handling them. You only insist on
understanding the events that you can’t comfortably handle. Understanding
becomes a crutch, a source of rationalization. If the mind can’t fit an event
into its conceptu al model, it insists on knowing why it happene d. Better to
accept reality first, then work with it in a constructive manner. You are the Self. You are the conscious witness of all that passes  before
you. You dwell deep inside, and nothing in there is more powerful than you. You have free will; use it to accept what has already happened rather than
letting past events mess up the rest of your life. Free yourself  from these
samskaras. Transmute your blocked energy flow into a powerful spiritual
force. Chapter 37. The Power of Intent
You are capable  of letting go at a very deep level if you really want to. It is
not a question of ability; it depends on intensity of intent. Inner work is
different from outer work. In the outside world, there are things you may not
be able to accom plish because of physical limitations. Try as you will, you
cannot pick up a mountain or run at the speed of light. You have physical
limitations. But inside you have no such limitations because there is no
physical aspect to Self. You are pure consciousness, and your will has
complete dominion over mind and emotions. As we have seen, most of your thoughts and emotions are created by
the blockages you have stored inside. These blockages are yours, and you
can let them go anytime you want. Once again, the problem is that since
they were stored with pain, they are going to release with pain. That is
where the depth of commitment comes in. Do you want to be free to live a
deep, beautiful life more than you want to avoid discomfort. Plenty of drug
addicts have gone through the pain of withdrawal to get their lives back. It
comes down to the old adage: where there’ s a will, there’ s a way. You can
let your blockag es go—if you really want to. What would you be willing to
go through for the most fulfilling love relationship, a constant state of well-
being, and the ability to feel the presence of God flowing throu


 has infinite power. If we could stop being
distracted by the five senses and turn our attention inward, each of us would
find our true selves in the invisib le realm. There we would also discover the
power to create anything. An ageless body would not be impossible; it only
needs you to locate your timeless mind. I took my title from that promise,
and it still holds  good. Despite all the recent advances in science, we live in
a materialistic society where visible things are trusted and invisible things
regarded with skepticism. I had hoped that this book would be a beacon of
hope for anyone who has awoken from the trance of materialism. Today,
almost twenty years later, that’s still my intent, the only difference being
that hope today burns much brighter. Deepak Chopra
December 2009
OceanofPDF.comINTRODUCTION FROM THE 1998 EDITION
It is now over five years since the first edition of Ageless Body, Timeless
Mind  was published. More than two million people worldwide have read
the book, and I continue to receive thousands of letters every monthly from
people who say that the book has changed their perception as well as their
experience of aging. Ever since the book was originally publishe d, there has
been a dramatic change in the way people are going through the aging
process. From time to time in the history of our civilization, people have
made major contributions to society in the later decades of life. Picasso,
Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Leo Tolstoy, Geor ge Bernard Shaw,
Winston Church ill, and many other luminaries were vital, creative and
youthful in their so-called old age. As I write the introduction to this book,
John Glenn is planning to go into outer space at the age of seventy-seven,
and only a few weeks ago I saw a woman on television take a skydiving
lesson at the age of ninety. Today, the fastest growing segment of the
American popul ation is over the age of ninety, and soon it will be over the
age of 100. We do not need to be convinced that something dramatic is
happening in the biology of aging. Moreover, research continu es to show
that the biomark ers of aging, such as blood pressure, bone density, body
temperature regulation, muscle mass, strength of muscles, the ability to
utilize sugar, sex hormone levels, hearing, immune function and near-point
vision, can all be improved, even later in life. In other words, the major
biomarkers of aging are all reversible. This means aging is reversible. I’m convinced that if you do the exercises in this book, you will
dramatically slow down and even reverse the aging process. Over the years,
people have asked me to summarize the principles of this book. It is
important to recognize that aging is a complex process orche strated by a
number of factors. However, it is possible to summarize the basic principles
contained in the pages that follow.Aging is reversible. Biological age does not correspond to chronological
age. You can be chronologically twenty years old, but if you’re emotionally
and physically burnt out, your biology will be that of an old person. Or you
can be seventy years old and by physically, emotionally, and spiritually fit
and your biology reflects the stamina, the vitality, the creativity, the
alertness, and the dynamism of youth. Aging, or entropy, is accelerated by the accumulation of toxins in the
body. These toxins occur as a result of a toxic environment,  toxicity or
contamination in food or drink, toxic relationships, and toxic emotions. Eliminating these toxins will influence your biological clock in the
direction of youth. Physical exercis e, including weight training, has a direct effect on the
biomarkers of aging and will reverse the aging process. Proper nutrition and nutritional supplements, including antioxidants, are
a very useful adjunct in slowing down the aging process. Meditation lowers biological age. Love is the most powerful and potent medicine. It heals but it also
renews. People continue to ask me, especially those who have not read the book,
what is a timeless mind, and how does it influence the biolog ical clock? More and more,  I’ve become convinced that our experience of time directly
influences the activity of such a clock. If you’re “running out of time,” your
biological clock will speed up. If you “have all the time in the world,” your
biological clock will slow down. In moments of transcendence, when time
stands still, your biological clock will stop. The spirit is that domain of our
awareness wher e there’ s no time. Time is the continuity of memory, which
uses the ego as an internal reference point. When we go beyond our ego and
enter the realm of the spirit, we break the barrier of time. Ultimately, both
the quality and quantity of life depend on our sense of identity. If we have
meaning and purpose in our lives and our identity is not tied to “a skin-
encapsulated ego,” then both the quality and quantity of life will be
dramatically enhanced. More than any nutritional supplement or exercise,
the most import ant thing that you can do to change your life is to practice
the following principles:Have your attention on the timeless, the eternal, the infinite. Get your ego out of the way. Be natural; relinquish the need to hide constantly behind a social
mask. Surrender to the mystery of the universe. Have a sense of communion with Spirit of Divinity. Be defenseless, relinquishing the need to defend your point of view. I wish you good  luck with your journey of life. We’ve met brief ly on the
cosmic highway. We shall meet again. OceanofPDF.comPeople don’ t grow old. When they stop growing, they
become old. Anonymous
If you were to destroy in mankind the
belief in immortality, not only love
but every living force maintaining
the life of the world would at once
be dried up. Dostoyevsky
I move with the infinite in Nature’ s power
I hold the fire of the soul
I hold life and healing. Rig V eda
Look at these worlds spinning
out of nothingness
That is within your power. Rumi
OceanofPDF.comPART
ONE
The Land
Where No One
Is Old
OceanofPDF.comI WOULD LIKE YOU to join me on a journey of discovery. We will explore a
place where the rules of everyday existence do not apply. These rules
explicitly state that to grow old, become frail, and die is the ultim ate destiny
of all. And so it has been for century after century. However, I want you to
suspend your assumptions about what we call reality so that we can become
pioneers in a land where youthfu l vigor, renewal, creativity, joy, fulfillment,
and timelessness are the common experience of everyday life, where old
age, senility, infirmity, and death do not exist and are not even  entertained
as a possibility. If there is such a place, what is preventing us from going there? It is not
some dark continental landma ss or dangerous uncharted sea. It is our
conditioning, our current collective worldview that we were taught by our
parents, teachers, and society. This way of seeing things—the old paradigm
—has aptly been called “the hypnosis of social conditioning,” an induced
fiction in which we have collectively agreed to participate. Your body is aging beyond your control because it has been programmed
to live out the rules of that collective conditioning. If there is anything
natural and inevitable about the aging process, it cannot be known until the
chains of our old beliefs are broken. In order to create the experience of
ageless body and timeless mind, which is the promise of this book, you
must discard ten assumptions about who you are and what the true nature of
the mind and body is. These assumptions form the bedrock of our shared
worldview. They are:
  1. There is an objective world independent of the observer, and our
bodies are an aspect of this objective world. 2. The body is composed of clumps of matter separated from  one
another in time and space. 3. Mind and body are separate and independent from each other. 4. Materialism is primary, consciousness is secondary. In other
words, we are physical machines that have learned to think.  5. Human awareness can be completely explained as the product of
biochemistry. 6. As individuals, we are disconnected, self-contained entities. 7. Our perception of the world is automatic and gives us an accurate
picture of how things really are. 8. Time exists as an absolute, and we are captives of that absolute. No one escapes the ravages of time. 9. Our true nature is totally defined by the body, ego, and
personality. We are wisps of memories and desires enclosed in
packages of flesh and bones. 10. Suffering is necessary—it is part of reality. We are inevitable
victims of sickness, aging, and death. These assumptions reach far beyond aging to define a world of
separation, decay, and death. Time is seen as a prison that no one escapes;
our bodies are biochemical machines that, like all machines, must run
down. “At a certain age,” Lewis  Thomas once affirmed, “it is in our nature
to wear out, to come unhinged,  and to die, and that is that.” This position,
the hard line of


-
tionoftheremedyCamphorintheearlystagesand
Cuprummetallicum,Veratrumalbum,Bryoniaalbaand
Rhustoxicodendron inthelaterstages.Healsostressed
thatclothingandbeddingshouldbeheatedtodestroy
'allknowninfectiousmatters'andadvisedcleanliness,
ventilationanddisinfectionoftherooms,andquaran-
tine.Insuchrespectshisideaswerefaraheadofhis
time:theworkofPasteuronthegermtheoryof
diseaseandthatofListerondisinfectionwerestillto
come.InRaabinHungary,onlysixoutof154
homeopathically treatedpatientsdied,comparedwith
almost59percentofthosetreatedconventionally. ElsewherethroughoutEurope,cholerawasmoresuc-
cessfullytreatedwithhomeopathythanwithortho-
doxmedicine;mortalityratesvariedbetween2.4and
21.1percentcomparedwith50percentormorein
conventionaltreatment. In1833theLeipzigHomeopathicHospitalwas
opened,butin-fightingbetweenhomeopaths,the
autocraticcontrollinginfluenceofHahnemannandtheextremepolarisationthathomeopathycaused
withinthemedicalprofessioncreatedtensionsthat
finallyledtoitsdissolutionin1842. Hahnemann's finalyears
In1834acertainMademoiselleMarieMelanied'Her-
villytravelledfromParistoconsultHahnemann(now
agedseventy-nineandawidower)inKothen,where
hewasestablished.Shewasanattractive,intelligent
societyladyofaboutthirty,andaself-styledartistwho
hadcausedaminorscandalbydressingasaman. AfterreadingTheOrganonshecametostudywith
Hahnemann,claimingthatshehadavocationfor
medicine.WithinsixmonthsofherarrivalinKothen
theyweremarried,muchtothehorrorofHahne-
mann'sremainingfamily.TheymovedtoParisandset
uphouseinthefashionableruedeMilan,where
Hahnemannestablishedaprosperouspractice,con-
tinuingtoworklongdayswithhispatients,richand
pooralike,maintaininghis'nocure,nofee'system. Melaniehelpedherhusbandbytakingnotesand
begantotreatpatientsunderhissupervision. On2July1843,attheageofeighty-eight,Hahne-
manndiedinParisafterafewmonthsofbronchial
catarrh.Melanierefusedtoallowfriendsandfamilyto
visitthebody;therewerenoinvitationstothefuneral
andHahnemannwasburiedinapublicgraveinthe
cemeteryatMontmartre. Fifty-fiveyearslaterhisbody
wasexhumedandreburiedinthefamousPere
Lachaisecemeteryalongwithpoets,musiciansand
fieldmarshals. MelanieHahnemanncontinuedtopractiseafterhis
death;asshehadhadnoformalmedicaltraining,she
wasthefirstwomanlayhomeopath.Presumably
wealthyafterHahnemann's death,sherefusedto
helpherGermanrelations,andwithheldvariousof
herhusband'snotesandwritings,includingthe
sixtheditionofTheOrganon,againstrepeatedrequests
fromhomeopaths.Sheheldoutforenormoussums,
gainingareputationforbeingshrewdandcalcu-
lating.Unpopularandisolated,shediedattheageof
seventy-eight. SamuelHahnemannlivedbeforethegermtheoryof
diseasehadbeenproposed,beforethermometers, the
X-rayandantibioticsmademedicineappearin-
creasingly'scientific'.Yet,aswehaveseen,inhis
ideasandinhisapproach,hewascertainlyamanof
scienceandaninnovator.Hewasamanofsufficient
intellectandculturetocombinescienceandmeta-
physics.Consciouslyorunconsciously,hedrewon
thetraditionsofGermanfolk-medicine,alchemyand
magic,aswellasthedevelopments inchemistry,
pathology,pharmaceuticsandmedicinewhichinthe
lateeighteenthandearlynineteenthcenturieswere
THEHISTORYOFHOMEOPATHY Hahnemann'sFollowers •7
beginningtomakemedicaldiagnosisandtreatment
bothmoreaccurateandmorehumane.Although
broughtupinaProtestanthousehold,inlaterlifehe
becameareligiousfree-thinker,believingthatGod
permeatedeverylivingthing.Healsoseemstohave
believedthathewasdivinelychosenandguidedinhis
work.Hisdevelopmentofasafeandeffectivesystem
ofmedicinehasgiventheworldapricelessgift. HAHNEMANN'SFOLLOWERS
Hahnemannwasapparentlyanirritable(andirri-
tating)manwithapenchantforantagonismwhich
seemstohavelivedoninmanyofhisfollowers.They
weremostlydoctorswhobecame'converted'to
homeopathy.TwosuchconvertswereConstantine
HeringandJamesTylerKent.midwifery.Inall,3500homeopathsweretrainedby
thecollege. Heringcontinuedtoproveremediesthroughouthis
lifeandwroteextensively.Heisbestremembered
todayforhisLawsofCure(seepage15).Healsotook
Hahnemann'smiasmtheoriesastagefurther,de-
velopingtheideathatanydiseasecouldleavea'tainf
ormiasm.Hedevelopedpotentiseddiseaseproducts
withwhichheexperimentedbygivingthemtopeople
whohadneverbeenwellsincesufferingfromapar-
ticulardisease.Forexample,hepotentisedthespu-
tumofapersonsufferingfromtuberculosisandgaveit
topatientswhohadneverbeenreallywellsince
sufferingfromtuberculosisthemselves.Thismethod
oftreatmentclearedthemiasm,andenabledthein-
dicatedremediestowork.Thiswasnot'classical'
homeopathyasHahnemannhaddeveloped it,and
hassincebeencalled'isopathy'-thatis,treatingwith
thesamethingratherthanwithasimilarthing. ConstantineHering(1800-80)
HeringstudiedmedicineatLeipzigUniversity,
where,afterpublicationofTheOrganon,hisprofessor
askedhimtowriteapaperdisprovingHahnemann's
theories.FarfrombeingabletodiscreditHahnemann,
hefoundhimselfgreatlyinterestedandabandoned
thepaper.Hewasalsosuccessfullytreatedforan
inflammationofthehandthatthreatenedamputation
afterawoundbecameinfectedwhilehewasdissect-
ing,andthisconvincedhimfurther.Hebecamein-
volvedinthehomeopathicworldandjoinedthe
Provers'Union,whichmeanthehadtomoveto
anotheruniversityinordertocompletehismedical
trainingbecauseofthehostilityatLeipzigtowards
homeopathy. In1827HeringtravelledtoSouthAmericaona
voyageofbotanicalexploration(financedbytheKing
ofSaxony)andsentdetailsofhisresearchesbackto
Germany-includingtheprovingsofLachesisthebush-
mastersnake(seepage105),whichhepersonally
undertook,askinghiswifetorecordeverythingthat
hesaidanddidwhilehewasdeliriousfromthe
venom. OnhiswaybacktoEuropehestoppedoffinPhil-
adelphiaandwaspersuadedtostaytobecomeoneof
thefoundingfathersofhomeopathy intheUSA.He
setupthefirsttrainingacademy(whichcloseddown
afterthefundswereembezzledbyadishonestsec-
retary),thenopenedtheHahnemannMedicalCol-
lege,whichflourishedandgrewalmosttouniversity
status.Ithad70professorsandlecturers,and300
studentstrainingatanyonetime,treating50,000
patientsand6000out-patientcasesayearinageneral
hospitalwith200bedsaswellasaspecialwingforJamesTylerKent(1849-1916)
AfterqualifyingasaphysicianinhisnativeAmerica,
Kentpractisedorthodoxmedicineuntilhisfirstwife
became illanddemandedhomeopathictreatment. ThesuccessofthistreatmentconvertedKentandhe
devotedhisremarkableenergytohomeopathy.A
manwithahighmoralsenseandanequallystrong
beliefinhisownlightnessandauthority,Kent'swrit-
ingsaredogmatic,muchlikeHahnemann's later
works. Headvocatedtheuseofveryhighpotencies-upto
CMandMM(seepage13)andmainlyprescribed
abovethe30thpotency(Machineryhadbythen
beeninventedtosuccusstheremediesandfacilitate
themakingofhigherdilutions. )Thepracticeofhigh-
potencyprescribingledtoasplitamongAmerican
home


tokeeptheurethrafreeof
bacteria. DON'T
•usebubblebathsoroilsofanysort. •washthegenitalswithsoap;justspongedown
wellwithwater. •wearnylontightsortighttrousersingeneral. DISEASESYOUCANTREATUSINGTHISBOOK Earache •213
•usevaginaldeodorantsorbiologicalwashing
powdersonunderwear. •getchilled. SEEKHELPIF
•therearesharppainsintheareaofthekidneys(in
thebackabovethewaist,oneithersideofthe
spine). •thereisbloodintheurine(itlookspink,redor
brown-rememberthatifyoueatalargequantity
ofbeetrootyoururinewillbered). •thecystitisisaccompaniedbyheadache,vomiting,
feverandchills. Deafness
Deafnessthatoccursafteracoldorearinfectionisa
resultofcatarrhintheEustachiantubes,andthiscan
betreated. DON'T
•usecottonbudsorotherimplementstoremove
waxfromtheearasthiscanpushitfurtherinand
makeitmoredifficulttoremove/washout. SEEKHELPIF
•thehearinghasn'treturnedmorethantwoweeks
aftertheoriginalinfection. •thereisasuddenlossofhearing,withorwithout
pain. Diarrhoea
TheDosandDon'tslistedbelowarewrittenwith
childreninmind.Ingeneral,adultswithacutedi-
arrhoeacancutoutfoodfor24hoursandtakethe
indicatedhomeopathicremedytospeedtheirhealing. DO
•limittheintakeoffoodanddrink. •introducewater,freshlysqueezedfruitjuices,
vegetablebroths(simmeraselectionofchopped
vegetablesinwaterfor15-20minutesandstrain),
orricewater(ricecookedindoubletheamountof
waterforslightlylongerthanusualandstrained). Thesecanbesippedinitiallyandgradually
increasedasthesymptomspass. •introducesolidfoodcarefully:startwithwhiterice,
toast,bananasorlow-fatyogurt. •continuetobreastfeedanursingbaby. •watchforsignsofdehydrationinchildrenwho
refusetodrink,especiallythoseundersixmonths
old:
mouthandeyesaredry(nosaliva/tears);
skintoneispoor;iftheskinispresseditdoesnot
springback;
theeyeslooksunken;
thefontanelle(softspotonababy'shead)is
sunken;
scanty,strong-smelling urine(fewerwet
nappiesinbabies).DON'T
•giverichfoodsthataredifficulttodigest. •encourageeatingifthereisnoappetite-afew
dayswithoutfoodwilldonoharm.Seealso
remediesforthetreatmentoftirednessandlossof
appetiteafterdiarrhoea. SEEKHELPIF
•thediarrhoeapersistsandfluidsarenotbeing
tolerated,andifthereisexhaustionandlossof
skintone. •thereisacutepainintheabdomenthatdoesn't
respondtofirst-aidprescribingwithintwoto
twelvehours(dependingontheseverity)orthat
isgettingsteadilyworse. Dizziness
Thoughpersistentdizzinessshouldalwaysbein-
vestigatedbyaprofessional,youcantreatminor,
occasionalvertigooccurringafteraheadinjury,from
overwork,travelsicknessorahangover. DO
•restuntilthedizzinesshaspassed. •cupyourhandsoveryournoseandmouthfora
fewminutesasyoubreatheslowlyandsteadily. Vertigocanbearesultofoverbreathing inwhich
caseyouneedtoincreaseyourlevelsofcarbon
dioxide. DON'T
•drive
SEEKHELPIF
•thereisseverevomitingalongsidethedizziness. •deafnessornoisesintheeardevelopwiththe
dizzinessafteranearinfection. Earache
Earacheoftenoccursduringacoldandisaresultofa
build-upofcatarrhintheEustachiantubes.The
catarrhgathersinthemiddleearandpressesagainst
theeardrumitself,causinggreatpain.Thisisnot
necessarilyacauseforconcern,andtheindicated
homeopathicremedywillusuallygivespeedyrelief
fromthepain.Theeardrummayperforate,whichwill
alsogiveinstantrelieffrompain,and,providedthe
patientisinacleanenvironment,thedrumwill
healwellinacoupleofweekswithnotroublesome
consequences. DO
•suspectearacheandapossibleinfectioninbabies
withafeverwhocryandrubtheirheads. •drinkplentyoffluids. •useahotwaterbottle(oranicepack)torelievethe
pain. •usetheappropriateinternalandexternal
homeopathicremedies. 214•Emotional/mental problems DISEASESYOUCANTREATUSINGTHISBOOK
•protectaperforatedeardrumfromwaterby
plugging itwithcottonwoolduringbathingand
hairwashing,anddon'tletthechildgoswimming. DON'T
•betemptedtocleantheears-thepainisneverthe
resultofwax. •blowthenosehard. SEEKHELPIF
•ababyhasadepressedorbulgingfontanelle. •thereisswelling,redness,tendernessorpain
behindtheear. •theearachedoesn'trespondtofirst-aidprescribing
withintwenty-fourhours. •ifpainissevere. SeealsoFever(pages215-16)andCauseforConcern
(page203). Emotional/mentalproblems
Thementalandemotionalhealthofapersonhasa
hugeeffectonthephysicalbody,andkeepingyourself
healthyemotionallywillgreatlystrengthenyourim-
munesystem.Homeopathy ishighlyeffectiveathelp-
ingwithemotionalstress;however, itisgenerally
unwisetotreatyourselfifyouaresufferingfrom
emotionalproblems,mainlybecauseitisdifficulttobe
objectiveabouthowyouarebehaving-youmayfeel
depressedbutareactuallybeingirritable,forexample. Atrainedhomeopathwillbeabletodifferentiateand
giveyouaremedythatfitsyourwholepicture,often
takingtheemotionalcauseintoaccount. Ifyouareprescribingonsomeoneelseandarevery
clearaboutwhatishappeningemotionallyyoucan
prescribewithconfidence. Ifthesymptomsaremainly
emotionalandgeneral,andiftheypresentavery
strongpicture,evenifthephysicalsymptomsarenot
present,thentheremedyrequiredwillbe'consti-
tutional',andwillhelptoalleviatewhatphysical
symptomsthereareaswellasimprovethemoods.Itis
essentialthatyoukeepdetailednotesonwhichrem-
edyyouprescribed,whyyougaveitandtheeffectit
had.Ifitwasveryeffectivethenitmaybethefirst
remedyyouthinkofthenexttimethatparticular
personisill. Ihaveincludedallsortsofemotionalproblems
suchasanxiety,depression,examnerves,irritability
fromlossofsleep,andsoon. DO
•seeksomesortofcounsellinghelp. •seekalternativemedicalhelpinalleviatingyour
symptoms. •talkaboutyourfeelingstoanyonewhowilllisten. •writeaboutwhatyouaregoingthrough. •trytounderstandwhatishappeningratherthan
fightit.DON'T
•cutyourselfofffromfriendsandfamily.Youneed
themnowmorethanever,eventhoughyour
behaviourmaybepushingthemaway.Tellthem
whatyouaregoingthroughandaskfortheirhelp. •takeanti-depressants, sleepingpillsorother
orthodoxmedicationasthesewillsuppressyour
feelingsandmakeitmoredifficultforyoutodeal
withthematalaterdate. Exhaustion
Ihaveincludedmanyremediesfortirednessinthis
book,forexamplefortirednessfollowingaperiodof
hardwork,afteranacuteillnessorafterdiarrhoea. Usecommonsensemeasurestolookafteryourselfand
taketheappropriatehomeopathicremedytohasten
yourrecovery. DO
•rest,andsleep-asmuchasyoufeelyouneed. •eatespeciallywellanddrinkplentyoffluids. •delegateworkloadsforarealisticperiodoftime
whileyourecharge. •takegentleexercise-thiswillhelptocreate
energy. •readmindlessbooksandmagazines,thefunnier
thebetter. •haveamassage/facial/sauna, etc. •arrangetospendtimewithfriendsdoingfun
thingsunassociatedwithwork. DON'T
•takeremediesandcarryonregardless. •drinkextrateaandcoffeeandcarryon,asthese
willdepleteyourenergyaftertheinitiallift. SEEKHELPIF
•theexhaustionpersistsinspiteoffollowingthe
aboveguidelines.


shows up is something that you must not try to control. During the time I have taught this meditation I have often been
asked questions like this one: “If I do this meditation as you suggest,
can I really win the lottery. ” My response to this question is, “How
would you feel if you won the lottery. ” The answers are something
130
Manifest Your Destiny
similar to “I would feel blessed, secure, ecstatic, content. ” It is this
feeling picture that is crucial for one to have in order to activate the
eighth principle. It is an illusion that you must have some thing like a
winning lottery ticket in order to feel blessed, secure, ecstatic or
content. Manifesting is not about making demands of God and the uni-
verse. Manifesting is a cooperative venture in which your intention is
aligned with divine intelligence. That intelligence is in all things and
in you simultaneously. You are not separate from that which you
would like to manifest. It is you, you are it. There is only one power
in the universe, and you are connected to that power. Demanding
that God send your desire according to your timetable and design
reinforces the incorrect idea of God as a separate energy. Imagining an intelligence in the universe that is devoid of individ-
ual personality is a way of beginning to understand this eighth princi-
ple. This unusual and perhaps difficult concept will help to make the
eighth principle more manageable. INTELLIGENCE APART FROM INDIVIDUALITY
Most of us believe that the recognition of any other individual
affirms a point at which our own individuality ceases and the other’s
begins. This belief is part of our conditioning, and it imposes a great
deal of limitation on us. Early on we learned that “I am not that
other because I am myself. ”
If this pattern were ascribed to the universal mind it would
describe a God that at some point ceased and something else began. The description of universal would not apply because the God energy
would not include all things. To be universal and to recognize any-
thing as being outside itself would be to deny its very being. So, the
nature of universal intelligence is an absence of individual personality. The all-pervading spirit is an impersonal life force that gives rise
131
WAYNE W. DYER
to all that is manifested. The universal spirit permeates all space and
all that is manifested and we all are a part of that. You are in an
impersonal and intensely intelligent ocean of life that is all around,
under and in everything, including you. Though you have been con-
ditioned to believe that you are individual, you are actually a part of
the grand universal nature that is infinite in its possibilities. This undifferentiated intelligence responds to you when you rec-
ognize it. If you believe that the world runs by chance, or by your
personal demands, then universal mind will present you with a
hodgepodge of reactions without any recognizable order. However,
when you cease believing that you are a separate personality with
individual intelligence, you begin to have a new clarity. From the perspective of an intelligence that is universal and undif-
ferentiated, ask yourself what the relationship of this universal mind
is to you. It cannot have “favorites” if it is the root and support for
everything and everyone. Lacking individuality, it cannot be in con-
flict with your desires. Being universal, it cannot be simply shut off
from you. ;
All these statements characterize this all-producing mind as
responsive to you when you understand your relationship to it. This
universal, all-pervading principle has nature in common with you. When you solve this riddle of the ego, you have a new wisdom
regarding your ability to apply this eighth principle of manifestation. You cannot exhaust the infinite, so your possession of it means
that you have the ability to differentiate it as you desire. Your task is
to bring the universal within your grasp by raising yourself to the level
of that which is universal rather than bringing the universal down to a
level of misperceived individuality that is separate from the universal. You need only to recognize it to attract it to yourself rather than ask-
ing it to recognize you and bring you to it. Having learned a different
set of principles, all of this may sound a bit confusing. Yet it is cru-
132
Manifest Your Destiny
cially important for you to know this before moving along on the
path of manifesting. Recognize the universal as a part of all that you’ are, and that all
that you are is undifferentiated from all that is. Keep repeating this
new awareness. Then know that if you fail to recognize the universal
as undifferentiated, it will present itself to you in exactly that fashion,
as a mishmash of energy that you cannot grasp, as chaos rather than a
cosmos, and as a system in which you are separated from all that you
desire. So, remove any and all demands from your desires, and shift to
the inner, knowing that you are bringing the universal intelligence
into your life, and that you will leave the how and when up to that
intelligence, without judging, demanding or insisting upon your own
personality’s prerequisites. Your knowing is enough. Then, cultivate
the power of patient detachment from the outcome. THE POWER OF INFINITE PATIENCE
This provocative line is from A Course in Miracles: “Those who are
certain of the outcome can afford to wait, and without anxiety. ” This
is the mainstay of infinite patience. The notion of certainty and
patience go together. When you trust and know that you are con-
nected to that universal, all-providing intelligence, then you simply
allow yourself the virtue of patience. You place no time constraints
on your manifestation and you go about the affairs of your life with
an inner awareness that says, “I’ve got all the time that I need, and I
am certain of the outcome, so I will allow it to show up as it will, in
due time. ”
The secret to being patient is in the certainty of the outcome. When that certainty is manifested in you in the form of trust and a
knowing, you can then turn your thoughts away from the desired
outcome. Without anger or anxiety, you are able to turn your atten-
133
WAYNE W. DYER
tion to whatever it is that occupies your daily life schedule. Your knowing and your infinite patience put you at ease. You have
practiced all of the principles of spiritual manifestation, and then you
have allowed the universe to handle the details. Your inner sense is
that what you want to manifest is already here, and your inner atten-
tion is on the feeling of well-being that you are already blessed with
what it is you seek. Consequently, there is no pressure for you to
make it show up immediately. This inner bliss is a function of the power of your infinite patience. Later on in A Course in Miracles we are reminded that “Patience is nat-
ural to the teacher of God. All he sees is certain outcome, at a time
perhaps unknown to him as yet, but not in doubt. ” I love this idea of
having a certainty about the outcome and being unconcerned about
the details. When we become impatient, we literally devalue ourselves and
our connection to the divine Holy Spirit. Impatience is a failure to
trust in the universal intelligence, and it implies that we are separate
from the all-providing spirit. Impatience implies that our ego is the
boss of desire. This form of self-importance needs to be addressed. When you are certain about the outcome, and unconcerned with
the how and when, you have cultivated the power of infinite
patience, and simultaneously you have detached yourself from the
outcome. When this detachment takes place, you are able to go
about your daily business of raising your children, doing your work
or training, meditating and communing with God and just patiently
observing. Patience is natural when you trust in the oneness of the
universal intelligence. One of the ways to develop patience is to contemplate how patient
God has been with you. When you were in times of denial, or self-
abuse, or self-absorption, or hatred, God was infinitely patient. God
does not scold or punish you when you are off the sacred path, nor
134
Manifest Your Destiny
does God desert you. This is the same kind of patience that you want
to develop. Infinite patience is a sign of trust, and it calls upon infinite love to
produce results in your life. When you let go of impatience, you are
aligned with the God force, and all of the anxiety that tells you what
is lacking and missing in your life is gone. Anxiety produces fear and
self-pity and attaches you to time. When fear-based impatience takes
over, you lose your infinite self and become once again subject to the
ego, which has no patience with anything about infinitude. The ego wants what it wants, and it wants it now. If it is not satis-
fied, it will convince you of what a rotten place this is and how you
cannot trust anything but your differentiated self, even though that
self has produced the feelings of lack all along. If you do satisfy the
ego, a new list of demands will appear the next day. The anxiety level
will increase as you complete these new demands. This continues as
long as the


ynaceae)
Quebracho
Description Tree growing to 100 ft (30 m). Has thick corky bark, leathery leaves, and tubular
white flowers. Habitat & Cultivation  Quebracho is found
in the southern half of South America. The bark
and timber are used commercially. Part Used  Bark. Constituents  Quebracho contains indole
alkaloids (including yohimbine) and tannins. History & Folklore  The name quebracho
comes from the Spanish quebrar  (to break) and
hacha  (axe), an allusion to the hardness of this
tree’s wood. Medicinal Actions & Uses  With its
antispasmodic effect on the bronchial tubes,
quebracho is used therapeutically to treat asthma
and emphysema. It is also a tonic and reduces
fever. This herb is astringent and has been used
externally on wounds and burns. Related Species  Many other species of
Aspidosperma  are grown for tanning and timber in
South America. Some are also considered fever
remedies. One, A. excelsum, is used to relieve gas,
stomach problems, and indigestion. QCautions  T ake only under professional
supervision. Quebracho is toxic in excessive doses. It is subject to legal restrictions in some countries.mixture prescribed by Wang Ji (1463–1539)
as a treatment for syphilis. Medicinal Actions & Uses  Bai zhu  has
traditionally been used as a tonic, building qi
(see p. 40) and strengthening the spleen. The
rhizome has a sweet, pungent taste, and is used
to relieve fluid retention, excessive sweating, and
digestive problems such as diarrhea and vomiting. Combined with Baical skullcap ( Scutellaria baicalensis,
p. 134), it is employed to prevent miscarriage. avena sativa (Poaceae)
Oats
Description  Annual grass growing to 3 ft (1 m). Has straight hollow stems, blade-like leaves, and
small spikes holding seeds (grain). Habitat & Cultivation  Native to northern
Europe, oats are now grown in temperate regions
worldwide as a cereal crop. They are harvested in
late summer. Parts Used  Seeds, straw (dried stems). Constituents  Oats contain saponins, alkaloids,
sterols, flavonoids, silicic acid, starch, proteins
(including gluten), vitamins (especially B vitamins),
and minerals (especially calcium). History & Folklore  Formerly, oat straw was
used to fill mattresses, proving beneficial to those
suffering from rheumatism. In The English Physitian
(1652) Nicholas Culpeper states that “a poultice
made of meal of oats and some oil of bay helpeth
the itch and the leprosy.” Earlier, in 1597, John
Gerard was less enthusiastic: “Oatmeal is good to
make a fair and well-coloured maid to look like a
cake of tallow.”
Medicinal Actions & Uses  Oats are best
known as a nutritious cereal, but they benefit health
in many other ways. Oat bran lowers cholesterol,
and an oat-based diet may improve stamina ( see
Research ). Oats, and oat straw in particular, are tonic
when taken medicinally. Oat straw is prescribed by
medical herbalists to treat general debility and a
wide variety of nervous conditions. The grains and
straw are mildly antidepressant, gently raising energy
levels and supporting an overstressed nervous
system. Oats are used to treat depression
and nervous debility, and insomnia in those
suffering from nervous exhaustion. Oats
are one of the principal herbal aids to
convalescence after a long illness. Externally,
the grain is emollient and cleansing, and a
decoction strained into a bath can help soothe
itchiness and eczema. Research  In research undertaken in
Australia, athletes who were placed on an oat-
based diet for 3 weeks showed a 4% increase
in stamina. Oats are thought to help maintain
muscle function during training and exercise.Self-help Uses Depression & decreased
vitality, p. 316; Eczema, p. 300; Nervous
exhaustion & stress, p. 319; Poor sleep & nervous
exhaustion, p. 309. Bacopa monnieri
(Scrophulariaceae)
Water Hyssop,
Brahmi (Hindi)
Description  Creeping succulent perennial
growing to 20 in (50 cm). Has spatula-shaped
fleshy leaves and pale blue or white flowers on
long, slender stalks. Habitat & Cultivation  Water hyssop grows
in warmer temperate and tropical climates,
especially in southern Asia. It thrives in marshland,
developing into dense mats on mudflats and at the
edges of mangrove swamps. Parts Used  Aerial parts. Constituents  Water hyssop contains
triterpenoid saponins, including bacosides. Medicinal Actions & Uses  In India, water
hyssop is used principally for disorders of the
nervous system, such as neuralgia, epilepsy, and
mental illness, but it is also employed for a wide
range of other disorders, including indigestion,
ulcers, gas and constipation, asthma and bronchitis,
and infertility. In China, it is taken as a yang tonic for
impotence, premature ejaculation, infertility,
and rheumatic conditions. In Indonesia,
the plant is a remedy for filariasis
(a tropical disease caused by
worms). In Cuba, water hyssop
is used as a purgative,
and a decoction of the
whole plant is taken as
a diuretic and laxative. The expressed juice is
mixed with oil and
applied as a rub for
arthritic pain. Research
Indian research
suggests that water
hyssop improves mental
function, memory, and
concentration, as well as
reduces learning time. Water hyssop,  a swamp
plant, may have a tonic
effect on the brain.atractylodes macrocephala
(Asteraceae)
Bai Zhu
Description  Erect perennial herb growing to
2 ft (60 cm). Has alternate oval- to lance-shaped
leaves and purple flowers. Habitat & Cultivation  Bai zhu  is rare in the
wild. It is cultivated in China, Japan, and Korea. The
rhizome is unearthed in late autumn or winter. Part Used  Rhizome. Constituents  Bai zhu  contains a volatile oil
(0.35–1.35%), which includes atractylol, and the
lactones atractylenolide II and III. Atractylol has
a liver-protective activity. History & Folklore  The first record of the
use of bai zhu  is in the Tang Materia Medica, written
in China in 659 ce. Later, it was one of the 4 herbs
that made up the “decoction of the 4 rulers,” a
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176
other medicinal PlantsBallota nigra
as Ménière’s disease) as opposed to those of the
digestive system. Black horehound is thought to be mildly sedative and antispasmodic, and is occasionally taken for arthritis and gout. Bambusa arundiaceae
(Poaceae)
Spiny Bamboo
Description  Perennial tree, up to 100 ft (30 m),
with multiple stems from its base. Has narrow
pointed leaves and long loose clusters of yellow  to yellowish-green flowers. Habitat & Cultivation  Found throughout
tropical Asia, especially in India and China, spiny bamboo thrives up to 6,900 ft (2,100 m) above  sea level. Parts Used  Root, leaves, sprouts. Constituents  Spiny bamboo juice contains
high levels of silica. History & Folklore  Spiny bamboo is arguably
the most useful plant on earth, being used to make scaffolding, rafts, furniture, paper, and dozens of other items. It also has an important role to play  in herbal medicine. Medicinal Actions & Uses  Various parts of
spiny bamboo are used in Indian and  Ayurvedic medicine. The root is considered astringent and cooling, and is used to treat joint pain and general debility. The leaves are used to stimulate menstruation, and, being antispasmodic, to help relieve period pain. They are also taken to tone and strengthen stomach function and to expel worms. They are reputed to be aphrodisiac. The young sprouts are eaten to relieve nausea, indigestion, and gas, and a poultice of the sprouts is applied to help drain wounds that have become infected. The juice is rich in silica, and aids in the strengthening of cartilage in conditions such as osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. Related Species  In Chinese herbal medicine,
the juice and shavings of the black bamboo  (B. breviflora) are prescribed to counter “excess heat,” coughs, and a congested chest.


. 150)
Remedy (Internal) T ake 1 tsp of tincture with water up to 3 times a day.Remedy (External) Rub neat tincture firmly into the affected area.Musculoskeletal Problems
Whether caused by accident, sports injury, or simple wear
and tear, musculoskeletal problems can lead to a significant
deterioration in quality of life. Manipulation is often the primary treatment, but herbal remedies can reduce pain and inflammation, relax muscles, detoxify the body, and speed up the rate of healing. External treatments soothe back muscles and joints, and sprained
or sore limbs. Persevering with the simple home treatments given below can bring about a marked improvement of many problems. Cramp bark
(Viburnum opulus) QSeek immediate professional
advice for:
■ Severe pain
■ Significant or sudden joint swelling
■ Broken or suspected broken bones
■ Any injury that may need an X-ray
 QCaution Only give external remedies to
children. Seek professional advice before giving
internal remedies to them. US_310-313_Respiratory_Tract_Problems.indd   312 26/02/16   4:43 pm313 Herbal remedies for Home useJoint Pain & Stiffness, Including Arthritis & Gout
Back PainThe most common ailment characterized by joint
pain and stiffness is arthritis, which is caused by
inflammation of the joints. Aging or wear and
tear may be the cause, but some arthritic
conditions, and other joint problems such as
gout, are due to the buildup of waste products
in the joints. Devil’s claw  is anti-inflammatory, relieving
swollen and inflamed joints. Lemon  juice reduces acidity in the body. White
willow relieves inflammation and pain and, when
combined with other herbs, can lead to significant
improvement in mild to moderate arthritis. Meadowsweet and celery  combine well to
reduce acidity. All the herbal remedies here can
be safely taken for 1–2 months. Self-help
Improving posture, managing anxiety, and using
herbal remedies to help the body eliminate toxins
can all help control these conditions. Avoid acid-
forming foods such as red meat, spinach, tomatoes,
and oranges. Regular (but not excessive) exercise
is beneficial, as is a relaxed, positive attitude. QGeneral cautions For severe arthritis, consult a
professional practitioner. Do not take devil’s claw, black
cohosh, or celery seed during pregnancy. Above all, back problems require specialist
attention and plenty of rest. Herbal remedies
contribute to overall improvement by alleviating
pain and muscle tension, and helping to make life
more comfortable. Cramp bark and prickly ash  are warming,
relaxing herbs, which, when rubbed into the
affected area, help to “unknot” taut muscles. Lavender and St. John’s wort  are useful
herbs when nervous tension is contributing
to the problem. Devil’s claw and cramp bark  have effective
anti-inflammatory properties and help reduce
swollen joints. Passionflower encourages sleep, particularly
when back pain is accompanied by nervous
tension. Sciatica  (a painful condition caused by a
trapped spinal nerve) and neuralgia can both
be relieved by using an external rub containing
St. John’s wort infused oil. QGeneral cautions  Back problems need specialist
care. For chronic or severe back pain, seek the advice
of a professional practitioner to gain the most benefit
from herbal medicine.Arthritis & Inflamed Joints
Herb Devil’s claw ( Harpagophytum procumbens,
p. 103)
Remedy T ake tablets (see General cautions ). Herb Lemon ( Citrus limon, p. 82)
Remedy Squeeze the juice from a lemon and
drink neat or diluted in water each morning. Herb White willow ( Salix alba, p. 129)
Remedy T ake tablets, or make a decoction using
10 g of root to 3 cups (750 ml) water. T ake in
3 doses over 1–2 days as required. Herbs Devil’s claw ( Harpagophytum procumbens,
p. 103), celery ( Apium graveolens, p. 64), white
willow ( Salix alba, p. 129)
Remedy Make a decoction with 8 g of each
herb to 3 cups (750 ml) of water, divide into
4 doses, and take 2–3 doses a day; or mix equal
parts of the tinctures and take 1 tsp with water
3 times a day (see General  cautions ). Option If arthritis develops during menopause,
replace devil’s claw with 8 g of black cohosh
(Cimicifuga racemosa, p. 79)
Herb Deadly nightshade ( Atropa belladonna, p. 69)
Remedy Apply belladonna bandages in addition
to one of the above remedies. General Remedies
Herbs Cramp bark ( Viburnum opulus, p. 150),
prickly ash ( Zanthoxylum americanum, p. 153)
Remedy Make a decoction using 15 g of cramp bark
and 5 g of prickly ash bark to 3 cups (750 ml) of water. Strain and rub into the affected area, or use 1 tbsp of
tincture and apply in the same way. Note  Use especially for tense neck and
lumbar regions. Herb Thyme ( Thymus vulgaris, p. 143)
Remedy Make an infusion using 25 g of herb to 3
cups (750 ml) of water and strain into a bath. Soak
for 20 minutes. Herbs St. John’s wort ( Hypericum perforatum,
p. 106), lavender ( Lavandula officinalis, p. 108),
pepper ( Piper nigrum, p. 250), crampbark
(Viburnum opulus, p. 150)
Remedy T ake 2 tbsp of sunflower oil or St. John’s
wort infused oil, add 20 drops of lavender
essential oil, 10 drops each of rosemary and
pepper essential oil, and 1 tsp of cramp bark
tincture. Shake and rub into tense areas, either
after a bath or having first warmed the area with
a hot towel.Arthritis Associated with Acid
Indigestion or Peptic Ulcer
Herbs Meadowsweet ( Filipendula ulmaria,
p. 98), celery ( Apium graveolens, p. 64)
Remedy Make an infusion with meadowsweet
and drink up to 3 cups (750 ml) a day, or mix
2 parts meadowsweet tincture with 1 part
celery tincture and take 1⁄2 tsp with water
2–3 times a day (refer to General cautions ). Stiff & Aching Joints
Herbs St. John’s wort ( Hypericum perforatum,
p. 106), comfrey ( Symphytum officinale, p. 138),
lavender ( Lavandula officinalis, p. 108)
Remedy Mix 21⁄2 tbsp of St. John’s wort or
comfrey infused oil with 20–40 drops of
lavender essential oil and gently massage into
the affected area. Option Try the rub containing St. John’s wort
infused oil under General Remedies for Back
Pain below. Gout
Herb Celery ( Apium graveolens, p. 64)
Remedy T ake tablets, or make a decoction
with the seeds. Divide into 3 doses and drink
during the day or add 25 g of seeds to food per
day (see General cautions ). Other uses  Use for sciatica and other back problems
that cause neuralgia, as well as for stiff joints and
chronic muscle ache. Back Pain due to Joint Inflammation
Herbs White willow ( Salix alba, p. 129),
cramp bark ( Viburnum opulus, p. 150), devil’s claw
(Harpagophytum procumbens, p. 103)
Remedy Mix equal parts of each root and
make a decoction. Divide into 6 doses and take
over 2 days. If there is no improvement after
7 days, divide the decoction into 3 doses and
take daily for up to a week. Caution  Do not take devil’s claw during pregnancy. Sleeplessness due to Backache
Herbs Passionflower ( Passiflora incarnata,
p. 119), valerian ( Valeriana officinalis, p. 148),
cramp bark ( Viburnum opulus, p. 150)
Remedy Make a decoction using 8 g each of
passionflower, valerian, and cramp bark to 3
cups (750 ml) of water and drink 3/4–11/4 cup
(150–300 ml) at night (the decoction is sufficient
for 2 days). Before taking any herbal remedies, see pages 290 & 298–299
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314
herbal remedies for home useUrinary & Fungal Infections
Infections signal that the body


?”
People continue to believe that a pill is the only answer to their health
issues and, as a result, they perpetualize their illnesses through their eating
habits. I t’ s bad enough that we don’ t link illness to our food in take; what’ s
worse is  that we believe that o nly a pill can bring the cure. H ow did this
come to be? The stro ng mark eting of drugs convinces many of us that no matter what
we’re su f fering from—whether it’ s heartburn, chronic pain, or the common
cold—there is a pill for it. Reg ardless of all the side ef fects that the law
forces drug companies to disclose in their marketing, what sta nds out for
consumers is the powerful conn ection between an illness and the drug that
promises to make it go away. W e don’ t really hear  th e side ef fect s when they’re named in a TV ad
because the drug companies d on’ t want us to hear them. Notice how
quickly the side ef fects are read out to a vulnerable audience desperately
seeking relief from their symptoms? Coincidentally, on your next visit to
the doctor ’ s of fice, he/she just h appens to have that very same pill, a sample
at that, and free to you. As you w ill read several times throughout the book,
our subconscious beliefs are subtle, yet powerful, and by repeatedly
watching these ads, we are allowing drug companies to change our
subconscious beliefs. R E V E R S I N G  Y O U R  R E S U L T SWhat al so stands out for me is that pharmaceutical ads start o ut with the
illness already in place and accepted as a fact of life, as if we were just born
with it. There is no talk of how  the illness came to be, and therefore nothing
about what you, the viewer can do to reverse the conditions that led to it. Y ou are deemed powerless as “they” are the only ones with a solution to
your problem; hence the blind  faith in the pill remains, even when the
results are not achieved. The advertisers throw out another hook and a
psychological carrot is dangled before you, perhaps someone  is dancing
happily, or there is a fun scene with friends, a grandchild is sw ung up onto
grandpa’ s shoul ders. Even when no one gets that carrot from the pill, the
desire for it is lit. Modern medicine and pills are the answers to acute illnesses, where the
question is about life and death. Modern medicine saves lives e very single
day. The question is, do we want to be living at the edge of life and death? Is that what we w ant to deal wit h in our life? I think not! W e want to thrive,
be totally alive and do what we came here to do. In orde r to have energy, vita lity and health, we can’t outsour ce our
health to someone else. Go to the doctor when you need help in managing your disea se. But our
goals ar e much higher. When we don’ t have disease, there is nothing to
manage. When we don’ t have disease, what we do have is ener gy and time
to live our best a nd most desired life. And those goals are not lo fty, they are
within your reach. The question is, are you ready for that? This disconnect between what  we eat and the illnesses we develop is
alarming and highly concerning. Not only will this keep us sick, but it will
keep the next generation sick as well, as our children absorb the information
about diet and h ealth that we pa ss on to them. As if that were not enough,
our blind faith in modern medic ine leaves us vulnerable: in inv iting others
to take char ge of our health, we rob ourselves of our power to protect it. It is
my sincere hope that we will all wake up and think for oursel ves when it
comes to our he alth. W ith that i dea in mind, we owe it to ourselves to ask
this one question: “How did I get here?”T H E  A N S W E R S  A R E  I N  Y O U R  K I T C H E N
The answers to chronic illness lie in your kitchen and your lifestyle, and
they are  therefore in your hands and within your reach. Food ha s been used
from the beginning of time to heal, to prevent disease and to create a vibrant
life. This isn’ t a “New Age” p henomenon: food is our oldest and most
ef fective medicine and it has stood the test of time. It will serve you to pay
attention to that and turn the ads of f! Luckily our body is for giving, to an extent. As soon as we begin to feed it
well, it respond s. Food works w hether you believe it or not. Eat junk and
create illness; eat real food and create health! It’ s just that simple! Start now! Inflammation is  at the root of most, if not all, illnesses of the body and
mind. A ll processed food causes inflammation, with sugar being the biggest
culprit. What is the one food that you can eliminate? Eliminate it for a few
days and  notice  any dif ference in your pain level, ener gy level, mood and
ability to relax. W ith each processed food product, you elimina te, you can
add a healthy yummy food to y our repertoire. Y ou can continue this until
you entirely clean your diet. Even if you get rid of only one item  per month,
you can  get rid of 12 disease-c ausing items from your food in  a year and
within a  year, you can potentially regain your health. Now you can form
experiential-based beliefs about food and your health. As an aside for those who don ’ t believe that food can heal you, please
consider this: when you take a pill, it goes through the esophagu s and down
to th e stomach to the small and then the lar ge intestine. Alo ng the way,
many m echanical and chemical processes have to take place in order for
this pill’ s journey to deliver th e essential chemicals to the ta r geted area. W ell, food follows the same pathway and the natural vitamins and minerals
and medicinal properties of the food get transferred to your body via the
same mechanism. So, you believe in a pill but not in food? Why is that? Is there a special mysterious pa th that the pill follows that we don’ t know
about? All drugs and pills are created for one of two reasons:1. T o d uplicate the natural functions of the body that are no longer
working and/or
2. T o negate our body’ s natural responses to our lifestyle. W ithout adjusting our lifestyle  and eating to restore our body’ s natural
intelligence, we must depend on  the pill forever and suf fer the side ef fects,
not t o mention the fact that we miss out on a huge opportunity to learn and
take cha r ge of our own health. The fact is that the innate intellig ence of our
body remains. W e can access it. It is like the sun that is always there, even
on cloud y days. And we can tap  into that natural intelligence. It  is far easier
and natural to do  that than to “chemicalize” our body and suf fer  in the long
run. Our healing isn’ t separate from our eating and living; when we change
how we  eat and how we live, we are creating an inner env ironment of
healing. S M O O T H I E S
It seems  that if we are not totall y disconnected from food, we a re obsessed
with it and I need to say a few words about smoothies, our modern-day food
invention. W e find all the power foods, combine them together and literally
dump th em into our bodies via  our morning smoothie. When we bypass
many o f the important functions, such as chewing, that t urn on our
digestion, we undermine our body’ s intelligence and we don’ t achieve the
results th at we may have anticip ated. As much as we may want to, we can’ t
outsmart Nature. Stacie came to me suffering fr om bloating that lasted thr oughout the day but
was esp ecially bad after br eakfast. I discover ed that she was making
smoothies out of what she believ ed to be all good stuff, and she was making
enough to last for thr ee or four days as a way to save time. Right off the bat,
I kne w t hat this was causing her bloating: too many ingr edients wer e being
mixed together at once, and the  food wasn’ t fr esh after the first serving. It
was fermenting, making it unsuitable for consumption. Although Stacie was
trying to  eat healthily and save t ime, her effort did not work. As soon as she
stopped the smoothies and r eplaced them with a warm, cooked br eakfast,
the bloating went away.W e a re s wimming in informatio n about what we should be eating every day
to re main healthy, and there is a  lot of good food available to us. Getting


People who have read this material as an unpublished manuscript and others who have
participated in workshops and spiritual renewal retreats where I have presented it
verbally, have made a number of comments and  asked several questions that have
motivated me to clarify a few points in the “model” I am presenting here. I hope these
Addendum Considerations will help “close the gap” for you, too, if you are querying these
same things. One question I have been asked is, “In the Line of Causality, what is the difference
between ‘belief’ and ‘truth’?” That is a very good question. My answer is that there is no
difference in structure, only in source. Both one’s “belief” and one’s “truth” are concepts. Yet
in the model I  have been given to share, “belief” is understood to be a concept arising out of
one’s perception, while “truth” is understood to be a concept arising out of one’s data. Data is information pulled only from a person’s past. It is information held in the mi nd. Perception is information pulled from a person’s total view of life, which, in turn, arises out
of that’s person’s perspective. If the person takes the soul’s perspective —which includes
information about the past, present, and future —rather than the mi nd’s perspective, then
Perception will always offer a broader view than simple Past Data. I have also been asked how it can be said that “behavior” leads to “events” in every case
in the life of people, as shown on my Line of Causality. “What about an elde rly couple that I
know,” one lady challenged me at a workshop in Denver, “who was robbed at gunpoint in
their own home and beaten badly by the men who broke in. How did this couple’s behavior
produce that event in their life?”
This has led me to further ex plore the Line of Causality and then explain it in deeper
terms. As I have come to understand it, the Line of Causality has two wild cards in it. These are
Behavior and Event. I call these wild cards because their content can be placed in the Line
of Causa lity in the singular sense (that is, by one person) or in the plural sense  (that is, by
the collective known as humanity). Everything having to do with Perspective, Perception, and Belief is stuff that we,
ourselves, as individuals, adopt for reasons singu lar to us. Then come Behavior and Event,
which flow to each of us from our own  Perspective, Perception, and Belief, as well as those
of others. Here in the Line of Causality there is a “seep through” or a “bleed through” from the life
encounter of everyone  in our environment. This bleed through plays a collective effect on
the Behaviors and Events that we each individually encounter in life. This does not mean,
however, that we do not control or create our experience and our reality. We still most
certainly  do, for after an Event occurs, the mechanism of the mind becomes a singularly
influenced device once again, reverting to an individual’s own Data, Truth, Thought,
Emotion, and Experience, so to produce an individual’s own Reality. Thus it could be said th at nothing in the Behavior of, say, Ronald Cotton (mentioned
earlier in this book as the man mistakenly identified as a rapist) produced the Event of his
having been incarcerated for eleven years. It was something in the collective Behavior of
others that produced this Event. Yet after the Event occurred, he returned to his own very
singular Line of Causality to produce his own Reality, in which he forgave his accuser and
became friends with her, writing a book together about their experience. I venture to say
that his Reality was influenced heavily by the perspective that begins his Line of Causality,
and which produces his own perception or view of the world. Having said that, I acknowledge that the model here is a work in progress. It is ever
changing —which, of course, is not only incredibly appropriate for this book, but the very
point of it. And it is not only the people in my Changing Everything workshops who offer me
new insights and take me to new areas of inquiry. You, too, can do this —and I hope tha t
you will. Online at www.ChangingChange.net, you can call up this book paragraph by paragraph,
line by line, click on any word or phrase, and post a question or an observation about it. Others who have selected the same portion of the text may have already posted there, or
may do so in the future, making for a lively online discussion. The idea is for this book to be living literature, not some stuck -in-concrete thesis that is
presented and then goes unquestioned and unchallenged. I am excited about the
Interactive Book concept, and hope that you are, too. Now, I have been asked by many people, “How can I make the changes you have been
suggesting here?” They want to know, “Where do I start?” They earnestly ask, “What should
I be doing right now?” They hear the message, they see the destination to w hich it seeks to
take them, but they don’t know how to “get there from here.”
To help you get going and keep moving on all this, we have developed the Changing
Change Program. This is an extraordinary resource that will walk you through, step by step,
the transformation of your own life. The very first section of this program —Getting Started —is powerful enough to make
real change visible in your life very quickly. The program includes Here Is What You Can Do Now section; life -prodding questions;
practical s uggestions; mental, spiritual, and emotional tools; sure -footed guidance; and
even personal coaching  if you wish. PLUS... a way for you to turn what you’ve learned into
learning for others. That is, a way for you to pass it on. Now let me be clear about  something. You do not need the Changing Change Program in
order to implement the insights found in this text. This book gives you all the information
you require to get started, explaining the Mechanics of the Mind and the System of the Soul
and offering you an opportunity to experiment with them to see if they make sense and
work for you. The Changing Change Program is a supplemental resource for those who
really want to delve deeply into the kind of life this book describes, who really see all this —
as my  wife Em said at the outset —as a practice. With or without the Changing Change Program, there are five things that I believe a
person must do to successfully and powerfully implement the Nine Changes That Can
Change Everything:  1. Desire Absolutely
2. Unde rstand Thoroughly
3. Embrace Completely
4. Enact Consistently
5. Share Widely
1. You have to desire to change your life, and the way you experience  your life, more than
anything else in the world. Every creation of God begins with desire. The more powerful
the desire, the more likely the outcome. Desire is an emotion —and emotion is the creative
force of the universe. That it why it is so sad that so many people think that emotions are
things over which they have no control. Deeply desire. That is the first step. 2. What is given to you here is a complete technology for altering your reality and
changing the way you experience change —which means, of course, changing your life,
because life is change and change is life. Study this book thoroughly. If there is any part of it
you do not understand, go to www.ChangingChange.net  and use the resources that have
been placed there to help  you understand it. The Changing Change Process discussed in this
book is not the o nly way to dramatically and wonderfully change your life, but it is a way. Don’t throw this way away. 3. This is not about partial involvement here. I am reminded of the story of the chicken
and the pig. They were walking down the road one day and they cam e upon a billboard that
read: Ham and Eggs —America’s Favorite Breakfast! The chicken turned to the pig and
exclaimed, “Look at that! Doesn’t that make you proud?” To which the pig replied, “Well,
that’s easy for you to say. For you it’s partial involvement. For me, it’s total commitment.”
This is about total commitment. This is not about embracing a few of these concepts; this
is about embracing all of it. The thing is, there is a linkage here. One thing leads to another
and depends on it for the whole to m ake sense. You can’t cafeteria -line your own
transformation, taking a concept here and grabbing an idea there. This is the real meal deal. 4. Changing your life means changing your life; it does not mean deciding to change your
life; it does not mean talki ng about changing your life or reading about changing your life. The Changing Change Process requires not only total embracing of the concepts here, but
consistent and continual application of them, day in and day out, moment to moment. Now
this could soun d like an arduous undertaking, but it need not be. It can be (and, indeed,
always winds up being) a pure joy. Yet you must know what it involves. One day


 ves with a thousand things a  day,
seeing the world as one th ing comes naturally. To a devout
believer, the one thing is Go d’s creation. To most scientists, the
one thing is the physical u niverse. But these are conditioned
responses. Believers cannot consult God to confirm their belief,
and scientists cannot confirm where time, space, matter, and
energy come from. What if you look at the world directly, without
a co nditioned response? Yo u would see that the one thing is
awareness constantly modifying itself. Body, mind, and world are
experiences in consciousness. This alone can be verified. Experience is the touchstone of reality. When you wake up, it
becomes the only touchston e you need. You join the play of
consciousness and revel in it. For Today
The play of consciousness embraces all of creation. Today you
can join the game as an enjoyable experience. Take a moment to
do s omething that makes yo u happy—it could be lunch with a
friend, appreci ating the trees and sky, watching children on the
playground. If  your enjoyment comes from eating ice c ream at
midnight, that ’s perfectly fine. Whatever you are doing, re lax into
your en joyment and notice it. Enjoyment is the easiest w ay to be
here no w. Just by noticing yo ur enjoyment, you have put yourself
into the eternal play of consciousness.YOUR EXPERIENCE:

 DAY 15

Upon close examination, no external world or physical
body can be found independent of our perceptions. We are so used  to living with  a divided self that it is a big step
to see beyond it. The divide d self tells you that you live in two
worlds, one “in here” and on e “out there.” But if reality is a single
thing, t his view is mistaken. Consciousness is the one thing. It
unfolds as one reality. Know ing this, you have firm gr ound to
stand o n—your own awareness. The conditioned mind corrupts
and dis torts awareness. It colors your perceptions, forcin g you to
accept t he division between the inner and outer worlds. Waking
up c larifies the truth. All wor lds are experienced in consciousness. There is no need to prove the existence of the physical world or
not to prove it. You are here now, and that is enough. For Today
It’s not difficult to merge the  inner and outer worlds into one. Find a photo of yourself; it can be your driver’s license or a
snapshot. Holding the photo  in your hand, look at yourself in the
mirror. Then look at yourself in the photo, and finally, see yourself
in y our mind’s eye. As you m oved from seeing your physical body
reflected in a m irror, capture d on film, and inside your mind, each
was an experience in conscio usness. On that basis, there w ere not
three different experiences. There was one experienc e being
modified in three ways. Everything in life stands on the same
ground, as experiences that are modified consciousness. YOUR EXPERIENCE:

 DAY 16

Since there is no independent physical world, everyday
reality is a lucid dream taking place in the vivid now. Dreams aren’t  all cut from the same cloth. Some dream s are
vague, b arely more vivid than having a fleeting memory when you
are awake. At the opposite extreme are so-called lucid dreams. When you’re having a lucid dream, you have no clue tha t it is a
dream. You are fully immers ed in it and, when you wake up, it’s
hard to acknowledge that the dream wasn’t real. Likewise, virtual
reality is a fu ll-immersion experience. There are few clues to
suggest that you are not fully awake. For that reason, glimpses of  clarity, moments of joy, creative
insights, and the experience of meditation are precious. They
suggest that you are immersed in a vivid, lucid dream. Waking up
will come as a  surprise—for many people, it’s a shock to  realize
that they’ve been asleep all th eir lives. Every passing moment was
like experiencing the vivid now. Once awake, however, now
becomes a window into pure consciousness. It doesn’t matter what
fills the now. What matters is that you are fully awake to it. For Today
Moments when  you see through the spell/dream/illusion often
happen sponta neously—they come upon you by surprise. There’s
no set way to bring about such glimpses; the closest you can come
is throu gh meditation. Still, you can prepare the ground today for
the seed of metareality experience. At any time, take a look
around, smile to yourself, and say, “Imagine, this is all a dream,
and I am th e dreamer.” The smile is important. It’s likeanticipating Christmas as a child. You know something good is
coming and, by reminding yourself, you open the way. YOUR EXPERIENCE:

 DAY 17

Now isn’t a moment in time that can be grasped and held. Now is the rise and fall of awareness. If you want to  know who enforces the rules of virtual re ality,
the cloc k is a good place to st art. The tick-tock of clock tim e slices
life into segments of secon ds, minutes, and hours. Once you
identify with clock time, your life passes in seconds, minutes, and
hours. Such an existence is m echanical and routine. Breaking out
of virtual reality, now has to become a state of awareness, not a
slice of bread. When you wake up, now is a presence; it is the
unbroken experience of being here. Experiencing this presence, you witness how the stream of
consciousness delivers a se quence of fleeting sensations and
perceptions. Dividing this stream of activity into seconds, minutes,
and hou rs is a mental construct only. When you are awake, you
pay more attention to the presence of awareness than  to the
fleeting events taking place in the mind. For Today
Mental activity is very clingy. You have a stake in the thou ghts,
sensations, images, and feelings that pass through your mind. But
you do n’t have to have a stake in those thoughts, sensations,
images, and feelings. Imagin e that you are sitting on a co mmuter
train looking out the window. As the scenery rushes by, you don’t
see it by picking out each building, tree, car, or person. It’ s all just
the passing scenery. If you ha ppen to notice something that stands
out, it passes just as quickly as the things you don’t noti ce. Now
instead of windows, substitute your eyes. You are sitting behind
them watching the passing scenery. When you adopt this position,which i s known as “witnessing,” you approximate for a moment
what the permanent state of being awake is like. YOUR EXPERIENCE:

 DAY 18

Clock time slices up the timeless, giving it beginnings and
endings. As a result, there is birth, aging, and death. All of virtual reality, from the atom to the human body to the
universe, is a timeless process frozen in time. If you say, “I was
born in 1961” or “The meeting starts promptly at three” or “The
big bang occurred 13.8 billion years ago,” you are doing the same
thing—freezing a constant fluid process into a beginning, which
automatically b rings a middle and an end. Beginning, mid dle, and
end are  menta l constructs. What is the middle of blue? What was
the last  thing that happened before time began? When you wake
up, being here is continuous—actually, it has always been
continuous, until beginning, middle, and end were invented. It
will com e as a great relief to  ditch those concepts. Not o nly will
you find  that you are living in the now, but birth, aging, and death
will become irrelevant. For Today
To step out of clock time into the timeless, take a moment and
look at a color,  say the blue of the sky. Try to see beyond t he blue. Really try. You will notice th at it is futile to try to think your way
there. M ental activity is irrelevant. Nor does it matter if you
actually see beyond the blue. By stopping your mind from
interfering, you escaped clock time, so the only place you can be is
timeless. Similarly, try to imagine a time when you didn’t exist. This will also stop the think ing mind from interfering. You will
experience no time when you didn’t exist. Is there a better
definition of eternity?YOUR EXPERIENCE:

 DAY 19

Reality is the endless activity of awareness modifying
itself. If someone walked up to you  and said, “I want to be here  now. Where’s it happening?” you’d  be puzzled. “Now” isn’t a place on
the map. Brain connection s can be mapped in their precise
locations, but there is no top, bottom, back, or front to aw areness. The now is con tinuous because awareness is continuous. Only in
virtual reality are limitations  like beginnings and endings or birth
and death imposed.