 began to suffer from headaches followed by vomiting. A CAT scan showed a brain
tumor, and the patient was taken to Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis, for brain surgery.
The surgeon removed what he could, but found that some of the tumor was too close to a major
blood vessel and could only be cauterized.
Subsequently N.K. had annual checkups. When she turned 13, an MRI (Magnetic Resonance
Imaging) showed a recurrence. The doctor said that at this early stage he could not operate, but
N.K.’s mother felt unable to just sit by and wait for her daughter’s brain tumor to grow. She found
out about the Gerson treatment and in 1990 the patient and her mother came to the Mexican
hospital. Due to the demanding routine of the Gerson Therapy with the need for hourly juices,
N.K. could not go to school, so her mother home schooled her. Also, doing her enemas, the patient
did a great deal of reading. First she read the classics, then she studied mathematics, and finally
Copyright © Charlotte Gerson, 2007.  All rights reserved.
This material may not be reproduced in any medium, print or electronic without prior written permission from the author.Page 203Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comphilosophy. By the time she took her SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test), she was not only free from
her tumor, but also scored extremely high on her test.
When her surgeon examined her new X-rays, he could not understand how it was possible for
N.K. to have no more malignancy, since he knew that he had left some tumor tissue in place at the
time of her operation. Her fine motor skills were also perfectly restored, so much so that she was
even able to play the violin.
Last report: N.K. continues fit and well; at 26 she is married and has a family. She graduated
from college “Magna cum Laude.”
Nicotine Addiction
A.C.  started to smoke cigarettes aged 17. She looked barely fifteen and hoped that smoking
would make her look more grown-up. At first she hated the smell and taste of cigarettes, but
quickly got hooked on them, and was still smoking 35 years later, when she went down with
malignant melanoma.
When she discovered the Gerson Therapy and decided to go to the Mexican Gerson Hospital,
her main worry was the need to manage without smoking once she got there. It had been made
clear to her that if she tried to smoke just one cigarette, she would be sent home at once. Having
tried, and failed, to stop smoking more times than she cared to remember, A.C. felt very anxious
indeed.
As soon as she arrived at the hospital, she found herself embroiled in the full intensive
program—one juice after another, enema training, meals, instructions, meeting other patients took
up every waking minute. What with all this activity, it took A.C. almost two whole days to realize
that she had neither smoked nor missed her lifetime habit. The real shock came a few hours later,
when in the garden of the hospital she met a visitor who was smoking. To her amazement A.C.
found the smoke highly offensive and quickly walked past the smoker. She suffered no serious
withdrawal symptoms, but it took several weeks for the extremely unpleasant accumulated
residue of her smoking years to evaporate through her skin and hair. She never looked back,
and—incidentally—also recovered from her melanoma.
Esophageal Cancer
It is important to remember that beside the most common malignancies, namely cancer of the
breast, prostate and colon, which respond so well to the Gerson Therapy, the same treatment is
just as effective in healing rare cancers. To illustrate this, we present the case history of K.G.
Born in 1953, this man was a taxidermist living in Arizona. He was health-conscious and
adopted a careful lifestyle: he didn’t smoke or use drugs and only occasionally drank a glass of
Copyright © Charlotte Gerson, 2007.  All rights reserved.
This material may not be reproduced in any medium, print or electronic without prior written permission from the author.Page 204Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comwine—but, as he himself put it, his diet consisted of “purely junk and convenience foods”! If he
ate a whole wheat bread sandwich, he felt he was on a “health kick,” and didn’t touch salads,
which he dismissed as rabbit food. His annual intake of fruit consisted of perhaps four apples
and two to four oranges. To make things worse, he didn’t realize the devastating effects of the
materials he used daily in his taxidermist business:: formaldehyde, lacquer thinner, fiberglass,
urethane foam, paints, and others.
Slowly over the years he became aware of some irritation in his throat. In due course
swallowing became difficult and his breathing was heavy. Aged 37, he consulted a doctor, and
the tests resulted in a diagnosis of esophageal cancer. K.G. was reluctant to consider the proposed
treatment, especially in view of the extremely low rate of recoveries, and searched for an
alternative, which turned out to be the Gerson Therapy. He embarked on it and now admits that it
had been a real struggle to overcome his aversion to the coffee enemas, but “… once I experienced
one, I could feel a difference, and realized their importance.”  The patient experienced very long
healing reactions, and was aware of the tumor “rotting in my throat with a terrible smell.” After
some two and a half months, K.G. reports, he felt the remaining tumor falling down his throat into
his stomach. This made him terribly sick for a few days, but finally he expelled all the toxins and
made a full recovery.
He resumed his professional work, but has become extremely careful in the handling of the
chemicals involved, and remains well some 15 years after his recovery.
A Whole Family Recovers: Breast and Prostate Cancer, and Pleurisy
This report illustrates the effectiveness of the Gerson treatment in healing the different
diseases suffered by the members of one family.
First we saw the mother, S.H., whose mammogram at the age of 53 showed some suspicious
details. The surgeon removed two lumps from her breast; they were found to be malignant. He
suggested that S.H. should have a mastectomy, possibly followed by radiation, but admitted that
the latter would leave her lungs permanently burned, and would also soften and damage her
bones. The patient opted for a radical mastectomy, but the day before the surgery she decided to
go to Mexico for the Gerson treatment. She started the therapy in February of 1995, had no other
treatment of any kind, recovered fully and remains well.
S.H.’s daughter T. had suffered from pleurisy since the age of three. Her condition worsened,
and by the age of 37, as the mother of two children, she was seriously ill—could hardly breathe
and was unable to sit, lie down or sleep, even in a hospital bed. At the time her mother, S.H., was
in the 14th month of her Gerson Therapy. She travelled from California to her daughter’s home in
Wyoming, with one suitcase full of organic fruit and vegetables, and another one containing her
clothes.
Copyright © Charlotte Gerson, 2007.  All rights reserved.
This material may not be reproduced in any medium, print or electronic without prior written permission from the author.Page 205Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comS.H. reports that already after her first glass of carrot juice her daughter T. started to feel
better. She kept improving rapidly and after three weeks was walking, sleeping and recovering,
until eventually she cleared the long-standing pleurisy completely for the first time in her life. She
is now fully well and training to become a massage therapist.
Some years after the recovery of mother and daughter, S.’s husband C. was found to have a
PSA (prostate specific antigen) of around 14 to 16; the normal level is 1 or below. In July of 2003
a biopsy proved that C. had prostate cancer. This was remarkable, since for years he had been
eating the same diet that had cured his wife, S. However, C. had heard a lot of commercial hype
about soy products and their high protein content, and, thinking he needed more protein, added a
number of soy products to his food intake. He also took a fairly large amount of “aminos,” which
are high in sodium as well as being derived from soy. When C. stopped the soy and the aminos
and went on the full Gerson Therapy, he, too, recovered, and has remained well and active for
over four years.
Ewing’s Sarcoma
In June of 1993, T.I., an eight-year-old boy, was brought to the Mexican Gerson hospital
from Hungary. In March of 1992 he had been diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, an endothelial
myeloma forming tumors on the long bones, for which medical texts give a very poor prognosis.
In Hungary he had been treated with chemotherapy, but the cancer had spread from his pelvis
into the soft tissues of his abdomen. He arrived at the hospital looking pale


unnecessary
and
harmful
substances
(medicines
and
dyes)
from
the
blood
to
the
urine.
However,
this
process
only
occurs
if
the
passages
to
the
blood
are
not
clogged
with
cholesterol
plugs
and
calcium
deposits.
O
s
m
o
t
i
c
k
é
k
o
n
c
e
n
t
r
o
v
á
n
í
m
o
č
i
-
takes
place
on
the
basis
of
a
special
mechanism,
where
there
is
a
concentration
of
salts
(sodium
and
chlorine
ions)
starting
from
the
outer
layers
of
the
kidney
inwards.
The
original
urine
thus
passes
through
the
layers
of
the
kidneys
with
an
increasing
concentration
of
table
salt
and
passes
water
to
these
layers
by
osmosis
(seepage).
At
the
same
time,
it
concentrates
and
decreases
in
volume.
Out
of
130
milliliters
of
initial
urine,
only
1
milliliter
of
final
urine
remains.From
all
this
it
is
clear
that
urine
is
formed
from
blood
plasma.
At
the
same
time,
the
kidneys
create
only
the
basic
part
of
urine.
In
fact,
only
certain
substances
enter
the
kidneys,
e.g.
renin,
which
regulates
blood
circulation
in
the
kidneys,
erythropoietin,
which
stimulates
blood
circulation
in
the
bone
marrow,
and
prostaglandins,
which
change
the
sensitivity
of
kidney
cells
to
the
action
of
certain
hormones.
However,
all
these
substances
are
here
in
minute
quantities.
Urine
therefore
contains
only
those
compounds
that
the
blood
brings
to
the
kidneys.
When
excreting
urine,
the
kidneys
only
change
the
content
of
elements
in
the
blood
plasma.
Below
is
a
table
of
the
components
of
blood
plasma
and
urine
in
percentages:
Blood
plasma
Urine
water
90
at
least
98
proteins
7.9
are
not
included
sugar
0.1
is
not
included
urea
0.03
0.8
-
3.5
only
0.9
0.8
-
1.8
From
the
above,
the
question
arises:
Can
urine
be
poisonous?
In
any
case!
Because
urine
originates
from
blood,
it
cannot
poison
its
own
organism.
If
it
were
really
poisonous,
then
it
would
poison
us
as
it
is
excreted
in
the
kidneys
and
collected
in
the
bladder.
However,
it
must
be
admitted
that
there
are
certain
states
of
the
body
when
many
harmful
substances
accumulate
in
the
urine,
which
can
have
adverse
effects
when
the
urine
is
re-introduced
into
the
body.
We
will
discuss
all
these
cases
in
the
next
parts
of
the
book
with
the
corresponding
warning
about
contraindications.
Many
adverse
reactions
that
occur
in
some
people
when
using
urine,
it
signals
not
poisoning,
but
a
cleansing,
healing
process
or
energy
crisis.
Urine
properties
Color
The
urine
of
a
healthy
person
has
various
shades
of
yellow,
from
straw
yellow
to
deep
reddish
yellow.
Most
often,
the
urine
is
amber
in
color.
The
color
of
urine
depends
on
the
various
pigments
contained
in
it.
The
more
there
are,
the
more
saturated
the
color.
Urine
of
a
deep
yellow
color
is
mostly
concentrated,
has
a
high
density
and
is
excreted
in
a
relatively
small
amount.
Light
straw-colored
urine,
on
the
other
hand,
has
a
low
density
and
is
excreted
in
large
quantities.
In
general,
the
more
fluids
we
supply
to
the
body,
the
lighter
the
urine,
the
less,
the
more
concentrated
and
darker
it
is.
The
color
of
urine
can
be
affected
by
various
pigments
that
pass
into
it.
E.g.
beetroot
turns
urine
red-purple.
However,
based
on
experience,
I
can
add
that
if
the
kidneys
and
liver
are
in
order,
then
even
after
consuming
1
dcl
of
beetroot
juice,
the
color
of
the
urine
will
not
change
in
any
way.
A
very
simple
indicator
the
state
of
your
vital
organs.
When
a
person
begins
to
practice
urine
therapy
regularly
(or
when
doing
the
cleansing
steps
I
describe
in
Doctor
Yourself),
their
urine
can
become
cloudy
as
salts
and
wastes
dissolve.
This
excretion
of
harmful
substances
from
the
body
must
be
seen
as
a
normal
and
useful
phenomenon.
In
some
diseases,
various
substances
can
pass
into
the
urine,
which
give
it
specific
shades.
The
fame
of
Dr.
Kamenické,
otherwise
known
as
a
midwife
from
Radnice
or
Tymákov,
whocould
reliably
recognize
any
ailment
by
urine
and
prescribed
ointments
or
herbs.
Mrs.
Kamenická,
who
is
98
years
old
today
and
is
still
healing,
had
a
unique
way
of
speaking
that
we,
the
boys
from
Tymákov,
admired
very
much.
My
father,
who
liked
a
good
bast
and
already
reached
120
kilos
at
a
young
age,
once
led
a
kind
of
blind
aunt
to
Mrs.
Kamenická
and,
just
to
keep
the
conversation
going,
asked
what
to
do
with
the
excess
weight.
The
healer
quickly
diagnosed
him
even
without
urine:
"You
mustn't
eat
so
much,
you
pig!"
If
ever
archaeologists
dig
around
our
village,
it
will
be
a
mystery
to
them
where
so
many
vials
of
urine
came
from.
In
the
20
years
of
Mrs.
Kamenická's
work
(she
received
up
to
120
patients
a
day),
all
the
streams
in
the
vicinity
have
been
driven
to
the
edge
by
them.
So
that,
in
addition
to
the
period
of
the
corrugated
pottery
of
the
ancient
Slavs,
which
was
found
not
far
from
Šťáhlav,
there
is
also
talk
of
the
bottle
period.
But
I
just
digressed
a
bit
from
a
serious
topic.
So
enough
jokes
and
back
to
urine
colors.
Colorless
urine
is
mostly
due
to
diabetes,
a
shrunken
kidney
and
many
other
diseases.
Milk
urine
usually
results
from
the
adm


	is	just	as
capable	of	correlating	events	across	time	and	space	as	the	Zero	Point	Field	is.
In	this	story	father	and	son	remained	joined	across	the	gap	between	birth
and	death.	They	unconsciously	recognized	each	other,	they	carried	out	a
common	purpose,	and	they	worked	out	karma	together—all	these	things
defied	death.	At	the	same	time	their	physical	bodies,	their	private	memories,
and	their	sense	of	identity	were	transient—these	didn’t	survive	death.	Nature
is	built	from	the	same	intricate	relationships.	The	oxygen	atoms	locked	in	a
water	molecule	or	in	your	brain	are	still	themselves,	but	they	have	learned	to
relate	in	a	totally	new	way,	making	it	seem	as	if	each	separate	atom	has
vanished—that	is	to	say,	died.	I	can’t	emphasize	enough	that	if	science	cannotexplain	the	emergence	of	wetness	from	dryness,	it	cannot	explain	the
emergence	of	consciousness	in	the	brain.	True	creative	leaps	are	always
inexplicable	and	therefore	miraculous.
The	Source	of	Everything
What	science	should	do	is	hold	the	miracle	under	a	microscope	to	get	closer
to	where	creation	occurs.	There	are	faint	physical	traces	to	be	followed	down
to	a	very	subtle	level.	It	has	long	been	known	that	the	brain,	and	the	body	as	a
whole,	is	surrounded	by	a	very	weak	electromagnetic	field.	With	the	proper
photographic	emulsion,	this	field	can	be	seen	to	glow;	the	minuscule	electric
charge	given	off	by
neurons
	as	they	fire	is	also	measurable.	If	being	conscious
creates	an	energy	field,	can	an	energy	field	display	consciousness?	You	would
think	that	since	the	brain	depends	on	electrical	signals,	it	would	be	affected	by
the	murky	soup	of	radio,	television,	microwave,	and	many	other
electromagnetic	emissions	that	surround	us.	Apparently	this	isn’t	true.
Parapsychology	researchers	have	gone	so	far	as	to	isolate	subjects	with
psychic	abilities	in	Faraday	cages	that	block	all	electromagnetic	energy
without	altering	their	abilities	to	see	at	a	distance	or	exhibit	other	psychic
phenomena.	The	case	of	“remote	viewing”	is	especially	intriguing	because	so
much	credible	work	has	been	done	in	this	field.
Many	experiments	have	been	conducted	in	remote	viewing,	commonly
called	clairvoyance,	but	one	of	the	most	notable	took	place	at	Stanford
University,	where	scientists	built	a	machine	called	a	SQUID,	or
superconducting	quantum	interference	device.	It’s	enough	for	us	to	know	that
this	device,	which	measures	the	activity	of	subatomic	particles,	specifically
quarks,	is	very	well	shielded	from	all	outside	magnetic	forces.	This	shielding
begins	with	layers	of	copper	and	aluminum,	but	to	fully	ensure	that	no	outside
force	can	affect	the	mechanism,	exotic	metals	wrap	the	inner	core.
In	1972	a	SQUID	was	installed	in	the	basement	of	a	laboratory	at
Stanford,	apparently	doing	nothing	except	tracing	out	the	same	hill-and-valley
S-curve	on	a	length	of	graph	paper.	This	curve	represented	the	constant
magnetic	field	of	the	Earth;	if	a	quark	passed	through	the	field	the	machine
would	register	it	with	changes	in	the	pattern	being	drawn.	A	young	laser
physicist	named	Hal	Puthoff	(later	to	become	a	noted	quantum	theorist)
decided	that	aside	from	its	main	use,	the	SQUID	would	make	a	perfect	test	of
psychic	powers.	Very	few	people,	including	the	scientists	at	Sanford,	knew
the	inner	workings	of	the	machine.
A	letter	Puthoff	wrote	in	search	of	a	psychic	who	would	take	up	the
challenge	drew	a	response	from	Ingo	Swann,	a	New	York	artist
with
	psychic
abilities.	Swann	was	flown	to	California	without	being	told	in	advance	about
either	the	test	or	the	SQUID.	When	he	first	saw	it,	he	seemed	a	bit	put	off.	Buthe	agreed	to	“look”	inside	the	machine,	and	as	he	did,	the	S-curve	on	the
graph	paper	changed	pattern—something	it	almost	never	did—only	to	go
back	to	its	normal	functioning	as	soon	as	Swann	stopped	paying	attention	to
it.
A	startled	Puthoff	asked	him	to	repeat	this,	so	for	forty-five	seconds
Swann	concentrated	upon	seeing	the	inside	of	the	machine,	and	for	exactly
that	interval	the	recording	device	drew	a	new	pattern,	a	long	plateau	on	the
paper	instead	of	hills	and	valleys.	Swann	then	drew	a	sketch	of	what	he	saw
as	the	inner	workings	of	the	SQUID,	and	when	these	were	checked	with	an
expert,	they	perfectly	matched	the	actual	construction.	Swann	was	vague
about	how	he	had	changed	the	magnetic	input	that	the	machine	was	built	to
measure.	It	turned	out	that	if	he	merely	thought	about	the	SQUID,	not	trying
to	change	it	at	all,	the	recording	device	showed	alterations	in	the	surrounding
magnetic	field.
P
EOPLE	WHO	ARE
	skeptical	of	psychic	abilities	ignore	countless	studies
demonstrating	that	ordinary	thought	can	actually	affect	the	world.	This	is
particularly	important	if	mind	is	a	field.
I	once	participated	in	a	controlled
experiment	in	which	a	subject	sitting	in	an	isolated	room	(the	sender)	would
intermittently	look	at	a	visual	image,	while	I	(the	receiver)	would	press	a
button	every	time	I	sensed	that	this	was	happening.	My	accuracy,	like	most
people’s,	was	far	above	average.	(The	British	biologist	Rupert	Sheldrake,	who
more	than	anyone	has	tried	to	explain	how	mind	extends	beyond	the	body,	has
done	similar	experiments.	He	has	tested,	for	example,	whether	we	can
actually	sense	when	someone	is	staring	at	us	behind	our	backs.	Those
experiments	have	shown	a	greater	than	random	outcome	as	well.)
In	a	long	series	of	experiments	in	the	Sixties,	an	FBI	expert	named	Cleve
Backster	hooked	plants	up	to	polygraphs,	knowing	that	lie	detectors	work	by
measuring	changes	of	moisture	on	the	skin	surface.	In	his	own	words,	here’s
what	happened	next.
Then	at	thirteen	minutes,	fifty-five	seconds	chart	time,	the
imagery	entered	my	mind	of	burning	the	leaf	I	was	testing.	I
didn’t	verbalize,	I	didn’t	touch	the	plant,	I	didn’t	touch	the
equipment.	The	only	new	thing	that	could	have	been	a	stimulus
for	the	plant	was	the	mental	image.	Yet	the	plant	went	wild.
The	pen	jumped	right	off	the	top	of	the	chart.
This	first	startling	observation	in	February	1966	led	to	a	host	of	follow-
ups	as	Backster	measured	responses	to	cigarette	smoke,	negative	thoughts,
and	strong	emotions;	it	turned	out	that	houseplants	register	how	people	feel
around	them.	The	most	remarkable	finding,	perhaps,	was	that	if	Backsterhooked	up	a	pair	of	plants	and	injured	one	plant	in	a	separate	room,	the	other
plant	registered	the	same	disturbance	in	electrical	activity	as	if	it	had	been
injured	itself.	The	polygraph	needle	jumped	even	though	the	two	plants	had
no


the digestive tract extracting energy from food, a vast amount of knowledge
is on display. No process is mechanical. The body’ s knowledge is alive,
flowing, and conscious.Royal Yoga aims to bring the body fully into the light. When you
mistreat your body—subjecting your body to stress, bad diet, and poor-
quality sleep—its consciousness is dulled. When you fail to tune into the
signals your body sends to you, you are denying that it is conscious. These
are vrittis  that block the light. Until they are overcome, you won’ t fully
experience freed om, joy, and bliss, because your body is the vehicle for all
higher experiences.
At its most basic, asana, the Sanskrit word for “seat,” teaches you to
settle comfortably into your body as the seat, or foundation, that determines
your place in the physical world. The body in motion is one thing, dynamic
and changeable. The seat is another thing, unchanging, stable, and
continuously present.
BRINGING THE LIGHT TO YOUR BODY
Realize that every cell is eavesdropping on your thoughts,
feelings, and sensations.
See your body as your willing ally.
Drop the habit of blaming or disparaging your body.
Don’t compare your body to an unreachable ideal.
Obey your body’s signals, particularly its need for sleep and
the regulation of stress.
Avoid prolonged sessions of sitting down—move and stretch
for a few minutes every hour.
Look upon your body as new every day.
Make lifelong wellness your goal.
Bringing light and lightness to your body comes naturally once you see
your body as being aware and knowing. The life that flows through every
cell is vibrant. Your role is to let your whole body express this vibrancy.
There are physical, mental, and psychological ways to accompl ish this, but
everything begins with acknowledging the conscious body as your default
attitude.Exercise
Sit quietly with your eyes closed and take a few deep breaths. When
you feel calm and centered, visualize an outline of your body. Keeping the
outline in mind, start filling it in with light. An easy way to do this is to see
light expanding from the center of the image, the heart, and radiating
outward as a soft white glow. Another aid is to feel yourself breathing the
light into the outline.
Continue for 5 to 10 minutes, then relax with your eyes closed. Move
easily back into your daily activity. Notice if you feel more light and
lightness physic ally, which is the goal of this exercise. Don’ t be concerned
if you don’t. Your awareness has lightened your body all the same, and if
you keep this practice up, the experience of lightness will appear and grow
stronger.
TUESDAY
Presence
Begin by silently repeating today’ s theme:
I join my body in the present moment.
I join my body in the present moment.
Do you think you are living in the present moment? The concept of the
“power of now” has been wide ly popularized, and so have practices for
living in the present. Yoga looks upon this issue differently. There is no
power in the present moment when you adopt the viewpoint of the timeless.
A moment is a mind-made construct. What matters is presenc e, which is
timeless. Presence comes from the light. Without attaching the word divine
to it, presence is felt as a combination of alertness and openness  that makes
the now feel perfect just by being here.
Without presenc e, the now is a blank. The pathos of the elder ly when
dementia strikes  is that they are present the way a chair or a rock is present,as a passive, inert body in which awareness barely flickers. The infinite
field of pure awareness is the source of presence; therefore, being fully
present is your natural state—babies are fully present, as you can see by the
look of wonder and curiosity in their eyes.
As it was designed, your body is an unfailing guide for living in the
present moment, because that’s where every cell lives—it never loses sight
of the now. Asan a points to the vidya, or “wisdom of the body,” as a given,
yet this wisdom gets distorted and contradicted by the activity of the mind.
The ef fect of this distortion is easy to see.
THE WISDOM OF THE BODY
Every cell in the body knows how to live in peace with every
other cell. It is the mind that has invented violence.
Cells exist to keep the whole body alive. The mind has
invented selﬁshness and separation.
Cells communicate freely. The mind keeps secrets.
Cells trust in a stream of food and oxygen that is constantly
renewed. The mind has invented mistrust.
Cells are born and die without fear. The mind dreads death.
The body maintains itself in perfect dynamic balance. The mind
is driven toward bursts of manic activity and paralyzed
depression.
The body heals itself automatically. The mind struggles to heal
itself.
Absent the vrittis, the body lives  fully in the here and now, aware of
everything it needs to know. Which of us can say the same thing? The
upshot is that the mind needs to be deposed as the be-all and end-all of
human awareness. For most people, no matter how much they blame or
criticize their bodies, it is the body that is ahead in their evolut ion, not the
mind.Exercise
Get in the habit of respecting your body’ s wisdom by listening to what
it is telling you. Take time to sit with your eyes closed and simply feel your
body. Let your attention go wherever it wants to. If you sense discomfort,
tightness, stiffness, stress, or painful sensations, let your awareness rest
there. Take deep  breaths, relax, and notice if the sensation begins to lessen.
Feeling the body is healing the body. We don’t realize this truth because we
are in the habit  of withdrawing our awareness from signals of physical
discomfort, stress, or pain.
One reason that the healing response works while we are aslee p is that
the body is allowed to bring full awareness to the process. Once we wake
up, we tend to diminish the healing response by forcing our awareness
elsewhere. In essence, we deny the healing response an open field in which
to work. Much of this oppositi on happens unconsciously, and feeling the
body is a gentle exercise for replacing your unconscious reaction with a
conscious response instead.
WEDNESDAY
Staying Grounded
Begin by silently repeating today’ s theme:
I rest comfortably in my body.
I rest comfortably in my body.
If animals could talk, we don’t know what they’d say, but we can be
certain about what they wouldn’ t say: “I hate my body.” Hating your body
is a uniquely human response and an unnatural one. Royal Y oga holds that a
healthy relations hip with your body begins by being comfortable with your
physicality. The modern term for this is being gr ounded. We say that a
person is ground ed if they are sensible, realistic, reliable, and not given toflights of fancy. Those are good traits, but asana is about being grounded in
yourself, which occurs only as your awareness deepens.
It is peculiar to stand back and discover just how much judgment has
been leveled against physicality  itself, which the body symbolizes. Long-
held religious beliefs denigrate the physical for pulling us down from the
heights of the spiritual. Physicality reminds us of our low, knuckle-dragging
primate forebears. T o be physical is to be brutish; to be spiritual is divine.
Yet as Yoga sees it, one flow of consciousness supports life in every
dimension. There is no reason to denigrate the physical once you realize
how much wisdom ( vidya ) is expressed in every cell, the wisdom of life as
a whole. Yoga takes us beyond the deceptive look of the body—solid,
material, fixed in time and space—to the reality. We aren’ t embodied in a
body; we are embodied in awareness.
What follows are the qualities that represent being fully grounded.
YOU ARE GROUNDED WHEN…
Being embodied brings you joy.
You understand the deep wisdom of your body.
You feel attuned to Nature.
You cherish the Earth for creating earthly existence.
You feel unembarrassed by basic bodily functions.
You appreciate other people’s earthiness.
You feel stable and steady during periods of change.
You experience equanimity in the face of aging and dying.
Your sensual and sexual life is gratifying, without prudery or
shame.
When you watch little children romping in the mud or running around
the hous e unenc umbered, how does your response reflect on you? What we
call the innocence of childhood exists, yes, but it is more appropriately
called being grounded. Children  feel no impulse, unless they are mistreated,to be disembodied. They have no need to renounce or escape their physical
nature.
This naturally grounded state changes as soon as the mind intervenes to
create certain attitudes that drive us to become disembodied—not like
ghosts but as creatures who judge against our physicality.
YOU BECOME DISEMBODIED WHEN…
You don’t feel comfortable inside your own skin.
Your body arouses in you distaste or disgust.
You remember physical experiences that led to humiliation,
guilt, or shame.
You live in your head.
You always choose indoor distractions over going out into
Nature.
You hold negative views of the human


 ourself,
“Why not? Why is this impossible?” Wait for a reply and let it
unfold, telling you all the reasons you can’t have or be w hat you
want.
Now ask yourself, “Who says I can’t?” There is no good answer
to this question. Things are i mpossible not because anybody says
so. The y are impossible because the whole setup of virtual reality
says so. All limitations are built into virtual reality. When anyone
says that something is impossible, she is only upholding virtual
reality. Who says you have  to follow suit? Nobody, in cluding
yourself. When this realization sinks in, you begin to glimpse how
free you really are.
YOUR EXPERIENCE:

 DAY 22

When infinite awareness is edited, form and phenomena
appear (i.e., things we can see, hear, touch, taste, smell,
and think about).
For the  purposes of everyday life, infinity needed to be edited.
Everyone agre es about that, but we forget that there was no
rulebook or set of guidelines for editing reality. The only rules are
self-imposed. Pure consciousness unfolded into the physical
universe, imposing time, space, matter, and energy upon its
creation. But pure consciousn ess didn’t believe it had to do things
this way. Billions of other u niverses with different setups have
been proposed by modern physics.
Knowing that rules are self-im posed was never in doubt a t the
level of  pure consciousness. We inherited this certainty. Art and
culture express  the certainty that the human mind can construct
any setu p while also accepting the setup of the physical universe.
This makes it seem that life has two compartments—the  mental,
which is unlimited, and the p hysical, which is limited. But that’s a
mistake. A house isn’t separ ate from the desire to build a house
and the  knowledge of how it is done. Mental and physical are
aspects of one thing: creative intelligence at play. When you wake
up, you  will see how creative intelligence works, and with
fascinated curiosity you will become a co-creator of reality.
For Today
To become aware of how creative intelligence unfolds, start
with a small object. Whether it is a nail, an earring, or the keys to
your car, these things are id eas that took physical shape. Now
consider some thing larger, like the Empire State Building or theGolden Gate Bridge. They too are ideas that took physical shape.
Does it matter that an earring is tiny and the Golden Gate Bridge
immense? No. Creative intel ligence isn’t large or small. Nor is it
hard or soft, here but not there, visible or invisible. The ability to
create is entirely self-contained, respecting no limitations of forms
and shapes. Creativity ne eds only itself. Without creative
intelligence, forms, shapes, and events couldn’t arise.
Now see yourself in the m irror and say to yourself, “I am
infinite creativity that has taken on a form.” Stop identifying with
the form and start identifying with the creativity. This is how you
wake up.
YOUR EXPERIENCE:

 DAY 23

Every form and phenomenon is actually one thing: the
modification of the formless, the infinite reduced to the
finite, pure awareness given a beginning, a middle, and
an end.
The world rewards big thinkers and gives them a place in
history. By comparison with an Albert Einstein or a Leonardo da
Vinci, everyone feels like a l ittle thinker. But a big thin ker isn’t
necessarily the biggest thinker. The biggest thinker sees that
reality is one thing, creation one process. That’s the whole picture
in one view, which becomes your reality when you wake up.
The whole picture becomes clear when the mind stops
constantly blurring your view with interfering thoughts,
sensations, images, and feelings. They represent the ba ck-and-
forth be tween you and the ou tside world. When you wake up, the
interference patterns fall aw ay. You accept as a natural fact that
infinite, formle ss pure consciousness is the source of al l things.
What makes this realization natural is that you see yourse lf as an
expression of one thing, not a jumble of mental and physical
activity.
For Today
If you see an object in the outside world, you view it from  the
outside. Wholeness—the one thing—has no outside. It also  has no
inside. Therefore, you can’t view it. Because you are  it, you can’t
even relate to wholeness in  various ways, like accepting it or
rejecting it, participating on e day and taking time out the next.
When y ou wake up, you know that you are the one thing. Yet even
now you can stop relating to it in false ways.Today, practice having no attitude toward your mind. Let
thoughts arise and fall, and when you are tempted to have an
attitude toward  what is going on, don’t. Don’t say that one thought
is good and a nother bad. Don’t assign labels like SMART, DUMB,
POSITIVE,  or NEGATIVE. T he mind is none of those things. It is the
flow of activity from the absolute. To label the mind is like saying
that wholeness  is bad, good, positive, negative, and so on.  Clearly,
wholeness is beyond all lab els. So is your awareness. By not
judging your thoughts, you begin to adopt the open,
nonjudgmental state of being awake.
YOUR EXPERIENCE:

 DAY 24

Only awareness is real. Even as it plays the role of
observer and observed, even as it creates worlds “out
there” and “in here,” its own nature is unchanging.
Awareness exists. Everything else is a passing experi ence.
These two sentences have be en said and resaid for centur ies. This
fact shows, at the very least, that human beings looked at reality
and found it mysterious. How did change emerge from
nonchange? How did One become Many? The mystery was
formulated in countless different ways. Asking “What came before
time began?,” as modern cos mology does, is merely a va riant on
the medieval question “What existed before God?”
The answer is contained in t he question. What came first has
been here forever. Change i s just a mask worn by nonchange.
Once hu man beings saw the mystery, we saw our own nature. We
are creator and created, One and Many, changing experience and
unchanging awareness. None of this has to be proved o r tested.
Whether you accept your true nature or not has no bearing on
your tru e natu re. It continues to be. On waking up, you see your
true nature clearly, and then a new life begins.
For Today
Taking a moment or two, l et your mind roam across some
things you can recall from your past—memories of early
childhood, your parents, birthdays, school, your first kiss, some
things t hat are  sad, and so on. It doesn’t matter what you choose
to see. Now ref lect on the one thing they all have in comm on. You
were there. You are the nonchange in the midst of change. Now
you know your true nature. Everything else is window dressing.YOUR EXPERIENCE:

 DAY 25

Human suffering is built into virtual reality. It doesn’t
exist in awareness itself.
When you suffer and feel unhappy, anxious, depressed, or
hopeless, your suffering feels totally real. You are experiencing
something that  is a given, feels like a given, rooted in phys ical pain
and mental anguish. But virtual reality, our collective
spell/dream/illusion, is a construct. Suffering is embedded in the
construct, which is why it fee ls inevitable. Beliefs about suffering,
whether they originate in the doctrine of sin or karma or modern
medical theories, reinforce virtual reality.
Waking up doesn’t guarante e that there will never again be
physical pain or sad days. Th e conditioned mind is stubborn, and
our body has been bombar ded constantly by signals from the
conditioned m ind. Shadows of conditioning continue  to fall
(always remembering that t he shadows can be light as well as
heavy). On waking up, yo u abandon your allegiance  to the
conditioned mind, and, from that moment, it begins to fade and
lose its grip. Y ou see that freedom from suffering is possible and
natural. Suffering doesn’t ex ist in awareness itself, which is your
true nature.
For Today
When people suffer—for example, when they feel depressed or
are diag nosed with a life-threatening illness—there’s a tem ptation
to b lame themselves. “Did I do this to myself?” is a questio n posed
out of guilt, and guilt is quick to blame. The best answe r is that
your suffering is part of virtual reality. You accepted virtual reality,
which makes your participation in pain and suffering inevitable.Not tha t you are doomed; some people escape serious s uffering.
But you r partic ipation is a se aled deal, no matter who yo u are or
what happens to you, unless you make a change.
To end suffering, break the deal. When you wake up, the w hole
contract is annulled. Today yo u can prepare the way by not buying
into pain and suffering as so mething fated and inevitable. Think
back


lectromagnetic
pollution	may	indeed	be	the	single	most	important	environmental	change	we
have	made.	Whenever	possible,	avoid	exposing	yourself	to	anything	unnatural
and	foreign	to	the	body,	including	all	types	of	man-made	electromagnetic
energy.
Any	electrical	device—a	hair	dryer,	TV	set,	electric	blanket	or	dishwasher—
produces	a	non-ionizing	electromagnetic	field	(EMF)	that	affects	the	way	our
cells	function.	Cell	membranes	(or	receptor	molecules	in	them)	act	as	amplifiers
for	sending	signals	into	cells.	EMFs	can	interrupt	and	change	these	signals,affecting	certain	cell	functions	and	cell-to-cell	communications.	For	example,
EMFs	can	alter	the	rate	at	which	cells	make	hormones,	enzymes	and	other
proteins.	EMFs	can	also	induce	changes	in	the	rate	at	which	genetic	material
(DNA)	is	made	and	in	the	rate	of	errors	when	RNA	is	copied	from	it.
Researchers	believe	that	daytime	exposure	to	EMFs	limits	the	release	of
melatonin,	a	cancer-protective	and	sleep-regulating	hormone.	By	limiting	release
of	melatonin,	EMFs	can	contribute	to	cancer.	One	prominent	cancer	theory	is
that	cancer	cell	growth	results	from	a	breakdown	in	cell-to-cell	communication,
which	is	precisely	what	happens	when	melatonin	production	is	limited.	In	fact,
any	process	that	reduces	the	average	level	of	melatonin	is	likely	to	promote
estrogen-dependent	cancers,	such	as	breast,	skin	and	prostate	cancers.	Consider
some	examples	of	ominous	EMF	research:	In	1998,	a	twenty-nine-member	panel
of	the	National	Institute	of	Environmental	Health	Sciences	concluded	that	there
is	a	“possibility	that	electromagnetic	fields	are	carcinogenic.”	The	committee
found	a	statistically	significant	correlation	between	EMF	exposure	and	leukemia
in	both	children	and	adults	whose	exposure	was	significantly	higher	than
average.	Likewise,	studies	in
Epidemiology
and	the
American	Journal	of
Epidemiology
have	found	statistically	significant	correlations	between	EMFs	and
breast	cancer,	brain	cancer	and	Alzheimer’s	disease.
All	of	these	health	repercussions	can	occur	simply	from	being	near	an	electric
appliance?	Consider	an	experiment	reported	in	scientist	John	Ott’s	1976	book
Health	and	Light:
Two	groups	of	mice	were	placed	the	same	distance	from	a
television	set;	one	group	was	separated	from	the	set	by	lead	shielding,	the	other
by	black	paper.	The	paper-shielded	group	became	hyperactive,	aggressive	and
wild,	while	the	lead-shielded	group	remained	normal.	Autopsies	of	the	paper-
shielded	group	showed	brain	abnormalities.	With	studies	like	these,	one	wonders
what	may	be	happening	to	people	who	spend	a	lot	of	time	in	front	of	TV	sets	and
computer	monitors,	particularly	children	whose	brains	are	still	developing	and
who	are	more	sensitive	to	such	damage.	Is	our	children’s	behavior	being	affected
not	only	by	the	messages	on	TV	but	also	by	radiation	damage	that	we	are	not	yet
measuring?	Less	than	a	century	ago,	we	did	not	sit	in	front	of	electronic	screens
at	all;	now	we	use	them	constantly,	both	at	work	and	play.
The	best	policy	for	people	concerned	about	health,	especially	cancer,	is	to
minimize	exposure	to	EMFs.	Remember,	EMFs	are	generated	around	electrical
appliances,	power	lines	and	transformers;	they	can	be	found	just	about
everywhere,	including	your	home,	office	or	school.	EMFs	become	less
dangerous	as	distance	from	the	source	increases,	so	choose	to	keep	a	safe
distance	between	your	body	and	electromagnetic	fields.How	much	exposure	is	too	much?	Scientists	measure	the	power	of	these	fields
in	miligauss	(mG);	experts	around	the	world	have	proposed	limiting	chronic
individual	exposures	to	a	level	of	2	mG,	with	occasional	peak	exposures	to	about
10	mG.	Unfortunately,	we	often	experience	much	higher	exposures.	A	hair
dryer,	which	develops	a	powerful	field	next	to	your	head,	can	dish	out	20,000
mG.	An	electric	razor	(not	a	battery-powered	razor)	can	generate	1,600	mG	and
is	mere	inches	away	from	your	pineal	gland,	which	produces	the	cancer-
protective	hormone	melatonin.	A	study	done	at	Battel	Memorial	Institute’s
research	center	in	Seattle	found	that	men	who	used	electric	razors	had	twice	the
odds	as	nonusers	of	developing	leukemia.	The	correlation	between	EMFs	and
cancer	is	positively	alarming;	we	need	to	be	careful!
A	running	dishwasher	or	clothes	washer	produces	30	to	50	mG	at	a	distance	of
one	foot,	so	be	sure	to	keep	a	couple	of	feet	away	while	it	is	running.	A
microwave	oven	can	measure	80	mG	at	a	distance	of	one	foot,	but	quickly	drops
off	to	between	3	and	8	mG	just	thirty-nine	inches	away.	A	fluorescent	lamp
develops	as	much	as	4,000	mG	an	inch	away,	but	measures	only	0.1	to	3	mG
when	thirty-nine	inches	away.	A	high	voltage	transmission	line	can	measure	up
to	300	mG	at	the	edge	of	the	right-of-way;	a	regular	distribution	line	can
measure	80	mG	right	under	the	line.	When	buying	a	home	or	choosing	an
apartment,	choose	one	that	is	not	immediately	adjacent	to	high-voltage
distribution	and	transmission	lines	or	transformers.
We	need	to	be	prudent	in	the	use	of	appliances.	When	possible,	use
rechargeable	battery-powered	appliances	rather	than	plug-in	models.	Do	not
stand	immediately	next	to	an	electrical	appliance	when	it	is	turned	on,	especially
for	an	extended	period	of	time.	Follow	these	other	recommendations	also:
•	Turn	on	the	dishwasher	when	finished	in	the	kitchen	and	you	are	ready	to
leave	the	room.
•	Avoid	electric	blankets,	or	use	them	only	to	warm	up	the	bed	before	you
get	in	it.
•	Keep	telephone	answering	machines	and	electric	clocks	away	from	your
head	while	you	are	sleeping.
•	Increase	distance	from	televisions	(at	least	six	feet	away),	computer
monitors	and	appliances,	especially	those	that	come	into	close	contact	with
your	body,	such	as	hair	dryers	and	electric	razors.
•	Avoid	using	a	cell	phone.	If	you	must	use	a	cell	phone,	limit	the	number
and	length	of	your	calls	as	much	as	possible.
•	Avoid	gazing	into	your	microwave	while	your	food	warms	up.	Even	better
is	to	avoid	the	use	of	microwaves—	for	safety	as	well	as	nutritional	andtoxicological	reasons—	but	at	least	stay	a	safe	distance	away	if	you	do	use
one.
•	Be	careful	of	battery-powered	wristwatches,	a	subtle	but	constant	EMF
exposure.
•	Replace	your	computer	monitor	and	television	with	flat	panel	display
units,	so	as	to	eliminate	the	electromagnetic	radiation	emitted	by	the
cathode	ray	tubes	in	regular	TVs	and	monitors.
Of	course,	some	people	are	more	susceptible	to	EMFs	than	o


 carrying forward of all of the inheritance factors in a high state of
perfection, surely human mothers-to-be deserve as much consideration. It is shown that it is not
adequate that sufficient vitamin A be present to give the appearance of good health. If highly
efficient reproduction is to be accomplished there must be a greater quantity than this. There is no
good reason why we, with our modern system of transportation, cannot provide an adequate
quantity of the special foods for preparing women for pregnancy quite as efficiently as the primitive
races who often had to go long distances without other transportation than human carriers.
    The primitive care of a newborn infant has been a matter of severe criticism by modernists
especially those who have gone among them to enlighten them in modern ways of child rearing. It
is common practice among many primitive tribes to wrap the newborn infant in an absorbent moss,
which is changed daily. A newborn infant, however, does not begin having regular all over baths
for a few weeks after birth. While this method is orthodox among the primitives it is greatly
deplored as a grossly cruel and ignoble treatment by most moderns. Dr. William Forest Patrick of
Portland, Oregon was deeply concerned over the regularly occurring rash that develops on
newborn infants shortly after they are first washed and groomed. He had a suspicion that Nature
had a way of taking care of this. In 1931 he left the original oily varnish on several babies for two
weeks without the ordinary washing and greasing. He found them completely free from the skin
irritation and infection which accompanies modern treatment. This method was adopted by the
Multanomah County Hospital of Oregon which now reports that in 1,916 cases of unwashed,
unanointed babies only two cases of pyodermia occurred. They record that each day the clothing
was changed and buttocks washed with warm water. Beyond this the infants were not handled.
Dr. Patrick states that within twelve hours after birth by Nature's method the infant's skin is clear,
and Nature's protective film has entirely disappeared. In my observations of the infant's care
among primitive races I have been continually impressed with the great infrequency with which we
ever hear a primitive child cry or express any discomfort from the treatment it receives. Of course,
when hungry they make their wants known. The primitive mother is usually very prompt, if
possible, to feed her child.
    Among the important applications that can be made of the wisdom of the primitive races is one
related to methods for the prevention of those physical defects which occur in the formative period
and which result in physical, mental and moral crippling. When I visited the native Fijian Museum
at Suva, I found the director well-informed with regard to the practices of the natives in the matter
of producing healthy normal children. He provided me with a shell of a species of spider crab
which the natives use for feeding the mothers so that the children will be physically excellent and7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 239/250bright mentally, clearly indicating that they were conscious that the mother's food influenced both
the physical and mental capacity of the child. The care with which expectant mothers were treated
was unique in many of the Pacific Islands. For example, in one group we were informed that the
mother told the chief immediately when she became pregnant. The chief called a feast in
celebration and in honor of the new member that would come to join their colony. At this feast the
members of the colony pledged themselves to adopt the child if its own parents should die. At this
feast the chief appointed one or two young men to be responsible for going to the sea from day to
day to secure the special sea foods that expectant mothers need to nourish the child. Recent
studies on the vitamin content of crabs have shown that they are among the richest sources
available. We have then for modern mothers the message from these primitives to use the sea
foods liberally, both during the preparatory period in anticipation of pregnancy and during that
entire period. In Fig. 129 will be seen a woman of one of the Fiji Islands who had gone several
miles to the sea to get this particular type of lobster-crab which she believed, and which her tribal
custom had demonstrated, was particularly efficient for producing a highly perfect infant.
FIG. 129. This Fiji woman has come a long distance to gather
special foods needed for the production of a healthy child.
These and many primitive people have understood the
necessity for special foods before marriage, during gestation,
during the nursing period and for rebuilding before the next
pregnancy.
    For the Indians of the far North this reinforcement was accomplished by supplying special
feedings of organs of animals. Among the Indians in the moose country near the Arctic circle a
larger percentage of the children were born in June than in any other month. This was
accomplished, I was told, by both parents eating liberally of the thyroid glands of the male moose
as they came down from the high mountain areas for the mating season, at which time the large
protuberances carrying the thyroids under the throat were greatly enlarged.
    Among the Eskimos I found fish eggs were eaten by the childbearing women, and the milt of the
male salmon by the fathers for the purpose of reinforcing reproductive efficiency.
    The coastal Indians in Peru ate the so-called angelote egg, an organ of the male fish of an
ovoviviparous species. These organs were used by the fathers-to-be and the fish eggs by the7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 240/250mothers-to-be.
    In Africa I found many tribes gathering certain plants from swamps and marshes and streams,
particularly the water hyacinth. These plants were dried and burned for their ashes which were put
into the foods of mothers and growing children. A species of water hyacinth is shown in Fig. 130.
The woman shown in Fig. 130, with an enormous goiter, had come down from a nine-thousand-
foot level in the mountains above Lake Edward. Here all the drinking water was snow water which
did not carry iodine. She had come down from the high area to the sixthousand-foot level to gather
the water hyacinth and other plants to obtain the ashes from these and other iodine carrying plants
to carry back to her children to prevent, as she explained, the formation of "big neck," such as she
had. The people living at the six-thousand-foot level also use the ashes of these plants.
FIG. 130. This African woman with goiter has come down
from the 9000 foot level in the mountains in Belgian Congo
near the source of the Nile to a 6000 foot level to gather
special plants for burning to carry the ashes up to her family
to prevent goiter in her children. Right, a Nile plant, a water
hyacinth burned for its ashes.
    Among many of the tribes in Africa there were not only special nutritional programs for the
women before pregnancy, but also during the gestation period, and again during the nursing period.
    As an illustration of the remarkable wisdom of these primitive tribes, I found them using for the
nursing period two cereals with unusual properties. One, was a red millet which was not only high
in carotin but had a calcium content of five to ten times that of most other cereals. They used also
for nursing mothers in several tribes in Africa, a cereal called by them linga-linga. This proved to be
the same cereal under the name of quinua that the Indians of Peru use liberally, particularly the
nursing mothers. The botanical name is quinoa. This cereal has the remarkable property of being
not only rich in minerals, but a powerful stimulant to the flow of milk. I have found no record of the
use of similar cereals among either the English or American peoples. In Chapter 14, I presented
data indicating that the Peruvians, who were descendants of the old Chimu culture on the coast of
Peru, used fish eggs liberally during the developmental period of girls in order that they might
perfect their physical preparation for the later responsibility of motherhood. These fish eggs were
an important part of the nutrition of the women during their reproductive period. They were
available both at the coast market of Peru and as dried fish eggs in the highland markets, whence
they were obtained by the women in the high Sierras to reinforce their fertility and efficiency for
childbearing. A chemical analysis of the dried fish eggs that I brought to my laboratory from Alaska
as well as of samples brought from other places has revealed them to be a very rich source of
body-building minerals and vitamins. Here again, I have found no record of their use in our modern
civilization for reinforcing physical development and maternal efficiency for reproduction. As I have
noted in Chapter 15 special nutrition was provided for the fathers by tribes in the Amazon jungle,
as well as by the coastal tribes.
    Professor Drummond, a British bio-chemist, in discussing the question of the modern decline in
fertility, before the Royal Society of Medicine (4) suggested that the decline in the birth rate in
European countries, during the last fifty years, was due, largely, to the change in national diets
which resulted from the removal of vitamins B and E from grains when the embryo or germ was
removed in the milling process. He called attention to the fact that the decline in the birth rate7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration


 from your head
or lift the body with your neck. Keep the spine long and breathe
normally. Allow your breath to be fluid and easy. Exhale and slowly
come down. Let the body relax completely.
Benefits : This pose stren gthens the back, stretches the abdominal musc les,
and is helpful with uterine and ovarian problems.
Figure 12. Cobra pose.
VII. LOCUST  POSE— Salabhasana (30 seconds to 1 minute)Continue to lie facedown and stretch the arms back by your sides,
either next to your hips or under the thighs. Face your palms to the
ceiling. Bring your feet together and feel the entire back lengthen. Rest
your chin gently on the floor.
On the inhalation, raise both legs, lengthening them out from your
hips. Keep lengthening the entire spine as the legs extend upward and
back. Stretch the thighs and keep both legs fully extended and straight.
Keep breathing easily, hold for a few breaths, then release the legs
down slowly.
Repeat the pose 1 to 3 times. Be careful not to hold the breath in this
pose. Use the inhalation to lift the legs. Keep lengthening the spine to
prevent straining or hyperextending the lower back.
Don’ t force your body to try to achieve a perfect pose. You may wish
to raise one leg at a time, lengthening each leg out from the hips, then
progressing to raise both legs at once.
Figure 13. Locust pose.
Benefits : This posture strengthens the lower back, aids in digestion, and
benefits the bladder, prostate, uterus, and ovaries.VIII. SEA TED TWISTING POSE— Marichyasana (About 1
minute)
Sit with the legs extended straight out in front of you. Keep the spine
lengthened, the head and neck free.
Bend your left knee and keep the sole of the foot on the ground. Bring
your heel toward the buttocks just above the inner part of the right
knee. The inner side of the your left foot should touch the inner side of
the outstretched right thigh. Actively extend your right leg straight out
in front of you, lengthening through the back of your leg and heel.
Bring your left hand on the floor behind you, and the right arm on the
outside of the left knee. If it is dif ficult to do this, just grasp the knee
with your hand. Inhale, lift the rib cage, lengthen your spine vertically
upward, and as you exhale, twist from the base of your spine to the
left.
Figure 14. Seated twisting pose.
As you twist, keep opening the chest to the left and let your head
follow the movement of your spine, following in the direction of the
twist. Continue to elongate your spine and open your chest as you
breathe. Try not to collapse the front of your body. If you can
comfortably keep the spine long in this posture, continue to bring theleft hand around the back onto the right thigh. Go only as far as you
can without strain.
Keep breathing normally and hold the pose for a few breaths. Release
slowly, then repeat on the other side. It is especially important to use
your breath in this pose and to allow the twist to come from the
exhalation. Always twist on a lengthened rather than a compressed
spine.
Benefits : This posture increases circulation to the abdominal organs,
relieves tightness in the shoulders and upper back, stretches the neck, and
stimulates the adrenal glands, liver, and kidneys.
IX. ST ANDING FOR WARD BEND— Uttanasana (UP to 1
minute)
Stand up and bring your feet together in a parallel position, about hip
distance apart. Stand evenly on both feet and lengthen the spine as you
lift and open your chest. Keep your head and neck long and free. Look
straight ahead and breathe normally.
Allow your arms to hang loosely at your sides and keep the shoulders
relaxed. Look straight ahead and breathe normally.Figure 15. Standing forward bend.
On the inhalation, slowly extend your arms over the head as you lift
and expand the chest. On the exhalation, bend the body forward and
down, lengthening the entire spine. The arms and head follow in the
same line with the spine. Let your knees soften or bend freely and
bring your hands to the floor. Keep your elbows and shoulders relaxed
and don’ t lock the knees.
Keep breathing easily. Hold the pose for a few breaths. On the
inhalation, lift your arms from the upper back as you open the chest
forward and up. Come all the way up to a vertical position, arms over
your head. Exhale and lower your arms down to the sides.
Benefits : This posture tones the liver, stomach, spleen, kidneys, and spine,
and soothes and cools the mind.Figure 16. Standing forward bend.
X. AWARENESS POSE—Chitasana (At least 1 minute)
Lie down on your back so that both sides of the spine rest evenly on
the floor.
Lengthen your legs away from the pelvis and let them fall open to the
sides. Release your head, neck, shoulders, and hips. Allow the arms to
rest loosely next to the body. Face your palms upward.
Now let your body be completely relaxed. Close your eyes and rest for
at least 1 minute. Allow the breath to be easy and free.
Benefits : This pose invigorates and refreshes both the body and the mind,
removes fatigue, and is soothing for the entire system.Figure 17. Awareness pose.
BALANCED BREA THING ( Pranayama )
Time: 5 minutes
Repetitions: 1 set in the morning and 1 set in the evening
Breathing exercises in Ayurveda are a gentle form of balancing the breath
—moving from one nostril to the other—a technique called Pranayama. Its
purpose is to make the respiratory rhythm more regular, which in turn has a
soothing effect on the entire nervous system (that is why we call this a
“neuro-respiratory ” exercise at our Center). A few minutes of balanced
breathing, sittin g quietly with eyes closed, is very relaxing; many people
feel a pleasant lightness in the head afterward and a warm glow inside.
Pranayama is the best prelude to meditation, since it effortlessly focuses
your attention inward and reduces the scattered thoughts and “noise” that
usually fill the mind.
Modern medicine has discovere d that brain function is divided between
the right and left cerebral hemi spheres, each of which contributes its own
emphasis. Right-brain activity is intuitive and feeling; left-brain activity is
rational and organized. Using the technique of Pranayama, Ayurveda has
found a way to “talk” to both hemispheres and bring them into balance.
When the breath becomes more balanced, several things happen: you switch
your breathing from the right to the left nostril at regular intervals, your
mind becomes more clear and alert, and one side of the body is not
noticeably weaker than the other.We recommend 5 minutes of Pranayama morning and evening every day
as part of the ideal Ayurvedic daily routine.
A few pointers before you start:
Any form of straining must be avoided—if you begin to feel dizzy or
start to pant, stop for a moment and sit quietly with your eyes closed
until you feel normal again. Do not snort in order to clear a clogged
nostril. It is not advised to use antihistamines to open your nose before
starting. If aller gies or a cold have blocked your sinuses, just skip
Pranayama until they clear up naturally.
It is normal for the mucous membranes to contract when you first learn
to do this exercise. Just let them relax. Within a few days, they will
adjust normally to the new routine.
Perform Pranayama in a quiet room without radio, music, or TV. Keep
your eyes closed. If you feel anxious at any time, stop the exercise for
a minute, but do not get up immediately. Sit quietly with your eyes
closed until you feel relaxed again. If the uncomfortable sensation
persists, lie down for a few minutes until it passes.
Never hold your breath or count how many seconds you inhale and
exhale. These instructions are sometimes seen in yoga books or are
given out by yoga teachers. All such practices run contrary to the
purpose of this exercise, which is to allow the body to balance the
breath itself. Your natural breathing rhythm is right for you.
HOW  TO PERFORM BALANCED BREA THING (Pranayama)
Find a comfortable chair that allows you to sit upright with your spine
straight and both feet on the floor—it is best not to lounge back ward while
doing Pranayama. Close your eyes, let your mind rest, and place your righthand in the illustrated position—your thumb goes beside your right nostril,
your two middle fingers beside your left nostril.
To perform the exercise, gently  close one nostril, then the other, as you
breathe normally. To keep your arm from getting tired, it helps to tuck your
right elbow in close to your ribs, but don’t prop it up on your chair or on a
table.
The basic rhythm of Pranayama is:
Gently close the right nostril with your thumb and slowly exhale
through your left nostril


	legs—when	you	want	to	give	your	skin	a
revitalization	and	glow	boost.
¼	cup	mashed	ripe	banana
1	tablespoon	organic	chickpea	flour
2	teaspoons	sesame	oil	(or	a	little	more	or	less,
depending	on	the	size	of	the	banana)
Stir	the	banana	into	the	chickpea	flour	and	mix	in	the	sesame	oil.	Apply	an	even	layer	to	your	face
and	neck,	leaving	it	on	for	15	to	20	minutes	while	you	relax,	before	rinsing	off.SHIFT	9:
Nourish	Strong,	Healthy
Hair	and
Nails
All	of	the	changes	you’ve	made	so	far	to	your	diet	and	self-care	routine	will
result	in	stronger,	more	naturally	beautiful	hair	and	nails.	Like	your	skin,	the
strength	and	vitality	of	your	hair	and	nails	is	a	reflection	of	all	that	is
happening	inside	your	body,	and	there	are	many	ways	to	nourish	them	both
internally	and	externally.
How	to	Grow	Healthy	Hair	from	the	Outside	In
If	you	want	strong,	healthy	hair,	it’s	essential	to	nourish	the	hair	follicles	that
grow	your	actual	hair	strands.	Go	ahead	right	now	and	touch	your	scalp	with
your	fingers.	Give	yourself	a	little	head	massage.	It	feels	good,	right?	Your	scalp
is	rich	in	nerves	and	blood	vessels.	Get	familiar	with	touching	your	scalp	more
than	just	when	you	are	shampooing.	It	likes	it	and	will	respond!	Every	part	of
your	body	needs	love	and	attention	to	flourish,	and	that	includes	your	scalp.	If
you	want	lovely	hair,	you	have	to	give	some	love	to	your	hair.	This	includes
attention	from	your	hands,	not	just	from	products	you	buy.	In	all	areas	of	life,
love	can’t	just	be	bought.
Fluctuations	in	hormones	and	nutrition,	as	well	as	your	good	old	genes,	can
influence	the	quality	and	thickness	of	your	hair.	The	dietary	advice	in
Pillar	1
,
Internal	Nourishment,	will	help	you	grow	more	beautiful	hair	over	time.
However,	there	are	also	manual,	external	methods	that	you	can	combine	with
your	dietary	shifts	to	help	create	beautifully	healthy,	shiny	hair.	Incorporating
these	methods	from	the	outside	and	the	inside	will	help	you	grow	the	beautiful
hair	that	is	your	birthright.
Here	are	some	of	the	most	effective	ways	to	externally	nourish	your	hair.
WASH	LESS	OFTENUnless	your	hair	is	incredibly	oily,	it	doesn’t	need	to	be	washed	every	day.
Washing	a	few	times	a	week	will	keep	your	hair	clean	but	prevent	overdrying,
allowing	more	time	for	the	natural	oils	in	your	hair	to	moisturize	down	to	the
tips	of	your	strands.
SCALP	MASSAGE
This	is	a	fantastic	and	highly	effective	way	to	stimulate	your	hair	follicles	and
foster	healthy	new	growth.	This	can	be	incorporated	easily	into	your	daily
routine	as	part	of	your
abhyanga
	practice	(see
this	page
).	When	you	are	doing
your	daily	oil	massage,	be	sure	to	take	a	few	minutes	to	massage	the	coconut	oil,
sesame	oil,	or	specialized	herbal	formula	oil	into	all	areas	of	your	scalp	to	help
stimulate	circulation	to	your	hair	follicles.	If	you	want	to	add	a	few	drops	of
essential	oil	specifically	for	the	scalp-massage	part	of	your	treatment,	a	few	that
are	extra	stimulating	to	your	hair	follicles	include	lemon,	peppermint,	lavender,
basil,	and	rosemary	pure	essential	oils.	Just	adding	a	few	drops	into	the	oil	will
suffice.	(If	you	are	new	to	these	oils,	and	especially	if	you	have	sensitive	skin,	be
sure	to	check	with	your	dermatologist	or	test	a	tiny	area	to	see	if	they	irritate
your	skin.)
SOFTENING	HAIR	SCALP	TREATMENT
This	is	a	great	treatment	to	do	once	a	week	to	help	heal	and	nourish	your	hair.	It’s	easy	to	make	and
use	as	part	of	your	hair-care	routine.	Lavender	is	healing	and	nourishing	and	has	been	known	to
relieve	tension	and	headaches	when	massaged	directly	into	your	scalp.	Olive	oil	makes	your	hair
incredibly	soft	and	will	improve	the	elasticity	of	your	hair	shaft	and	protect	against	breakage.
⅓	cup	cold-pressed	olive	oil
10	to	12	drops	lavender	essential	oil
Warm	the	olive	oil	in	a	pan	over	the	lowest	setting	possible.	Turn	off	and	remove	from	heat	and	then
add	the	lavender	oil.	Combine	well	and	massage	the	warm	mixture	into	your	scalp.	Twist	your	hair
into	a	bun,	cover	with	a	shower	cap,	and	relax	for	20	to	30	minutes	before	shampooing.
Use	Natural	Bristles
Brushing	your	hair	with	a	natural	bristle	brush	can	help	stimulate	your	hair
follicles	and	produce	more	natural	oils	that	lubricate	your	entire	head	and	all
your	beautiful	hair	strands.	Start	from	the	top	of	your	head	and	work
systematically	down	the	length	of	your	hair.	Gently	work	out	tangles	rather
than	being	aggressive;	you’re	not	plowing	through	an	overgrown	hiking	trail.
Avoid	breakage	by	being	patient	and	using	even	strokes.Deep	Clean
It’s	important	to	occasionally	deep	clean	your	scalp	from	any	dirt	and	oils	that
can	build	up	and	block	your	hair	follicles.	Try	periodically	using	a	cleansing
shampoo	made	from	natural	ingredients	or	applying	an	apple	cider	vinegar
rinse.	Apple	cider	vinegar	is	an	excellent	rinse	to	use	occasionally	to	remove
impurities	from	hard	water,	accumulated	sebum,	and	waxy	buildup	from
products.	Pour	the	apple	cider	vinegar	over	your	moistened	scalp	in	the	shower,
massage	it	in	for	a	couple	of	minutes,	and	rinse	very	well.	Then	proceed	to
shampooing	and	conditioning.	You
are
	rinsing	it	out	fairly	quickly,	but	as	your
scalp	can	absorb	so	much,	it’s	a	great	idea	to	try	to	source	organic	vinegar.
Vinegar	can	also	help	balance	the	pH	of	your	hair,	which	affects	the
appearance	and	overall	health	of	your	hair.	The	strands	of	your	hair	are	made
up	of	keratin	protein.	When	the	pH	of	your	hair	is	properly	balanced,	your	hair
will	be	a	sealed,	flat	cuticle	layer	on	the	outside	of	the	strand,	which	makes	your
hair	more	shiny	and	bouncy.	If	your	hair’s	pH	is	imbalanced	from	lots	of	heat
or	chemical	treatments,	your	hair	will	look	dull	and	frizzy	and	become	brittle
and	susceptible	to	more	breakage.	Try	the	following
pH-Balancing	Hair	Rinse
once	every	six	to	eight	weeks	or	so	(depending	on	your	hair	type),	or	whenever
you	feel	excessive	buildup	in	your	hair.	Don’t	do	it	too	often,	however,	or	it
will	dry	out	your	hair.
PH-BALANCING	HAIR	RINSE
Apple	cider	vinegar	is	fantastic


 in disease, but in this case and in the one that follows, this organic chang e was
present in forms that could scarcely have been more perfect examples of their kind. Continuing the post mo rtem findings, below
the dilated section of the small intestines the remainder of the tract including the entire colon was apparently normal in si ze and in
functional ability. The gall bladder was small, while the kidneys, the pancreas, and the spleen all exhibited signs of tissue
hardening.

    Case 11, an unmarried woman of thirty -three, had never passed a year during infancy and girlhood free from acute illness, and
had been a sufferer through all of her later life from nervous exhaustion that at frequ ent intervals was accompanied with morbid
craving for food, a desire which was satisfied without reason whenever it occurred. About five years before death the medical
adviser of the patient ordered that she take some sustenance every two hours during her waking moments, with a full meal just
before retiring. In addition to her other suffering, for many years at the menstrual period, the young woman was compelled to  lose
four or five days from her duties. She had sought the world over for relief, and about two years before consultation had turned to
natural agencies for health restoration undergoing then a fast of ten days. At the time the case was presented for examinatio n there
could be no doubt but that some aggravated form of organic disease existed, and  no encouragement was offered in prognosis, but it
was agreed that the treatment given should be aimed at the relief that a light diet, coupled with the essential eliminative
Page 67 of  72 accessories, would be certain to afford. This course was pursued for a period of eighty days, when death occurred. The case when
first seen showed a cyanosed condition of the skin; the cheeks were blue and veined, as was the nose, and the entire surface of the
body exhibited deplorable deficiency in venous circulation. This state impro ved to some extent after entering upon the dietary
regimen.

    Examination of the body after death revealed a liver and stomach cirrhosed, the stomach walls showing no evidence of recent
function, being approximately three -quarters of an inch in thickne ss. The small intestines, infantile in size, were of the consistency
of cartilage in sections, and adhesions were present at various points. The colon was no larger than an adult thumb throughou t its
length, and it also exhibited adhesions. The only organs  of the body that were in anything like a condition of functional capability
were the lungs and the heart. The kidneys, the spleen, and the pancreas, as in the previous case, were incipiently hardened.

    In several of the cases quoted it has been menti oned that the patient after the beginning of a fast, experienced a renewal of
vitality for which no solid physiological foundation existed. Nature, struggling to restore organic function, invariably make s the
effort commensurate with the gravity of the exi stent defect. By the removal of the labor of digestion at least one -half of the total
organic work of the body is lifted, and relief that simulates recuperation is manifested despite structural deficiency in the  machine.
In the presence of serious organic disease this seemingly favorable symptom is of short duration, and, as it passes, very evident
decline begins and progresses until nerve centers and brain no longer receive adequate support and the body dies. In Cases 3 and 4
the relief experienced after t he first fast was sufficient in each case, with organs still partially able to function, to enable the system
to maintain itself until accumulation again became too great to permit of continuance. Defects in organism, too serious to ha ve
been corrected in the earlier treatment or in the interim, now reached the stage either of degeneration or of atrophy, until finally
liberation of the life principle became no longer possible.

    When a case is first presented for examination the presence of serious orga nic defect cannot always be determined, but no doubt
is permitted shortly after entrance into a fast, for within a week or ten days symptoms are displayed that fix conditions. Th e third
week positively decides the outcome. In the two cases last described s igns of organic disease were such as not to be mistaken from
the very first. Soon or late the result in these and like instances must be death, and all that can be done towards possible recovery
must in the circumstances prove of no avail. Because of the h opeless outlook the cases described were placed upon restricted diet;
a diet that put no undue strain upon failing function, but that, nevertheless, did not ameliorate the distress of disease as would an
absolute fast. Family anxiety and outside criticism prevented the employment of the latter agency. In the circumstances life was
prolonged for several weeks, but it is virtually certain that, if food had been entirely excluded, relief would have been gre ater and
days would have been added to existence.

    Disease that is functional in character is self -limited. The amount of poison manufactured within the body is determined by the
intake of food or of drugs, and eradication of disease is fixed in limit of time by the ability of vital organs to resist and  east out
toxic products. The possibility always exists that these organs may prove unequal to their work, and this possibility becomes  a
certainty, with death as the outcome, in two situations --one, when the organs themselves are structurally defective, an d the other,
when, though fully capable of normal function, their powers are stimulated by food or by drugs, or by both, to the point of
exhaustion. But one of these conditions, that of irreparable organic defect, presents itself when disease is treated by  means of the
fast. Both are encountered in the therapeutics of medicine.

    In the majority of instances in medically treated cases the passing of life occurs under the influence of opiates that deaden  pain
and paralyze consciousness. Virtually from th e beginning of a fast pain ceases, consciousness is usually maintained with
exceptional mental clarity, and death, if it occurs, is like falling into gentle sleep.

    The results displayed in the post mortem findings cited, and the comparisons made in t he statement that follows, are tangible
assets in the claim that, in the absence of defects in the organs of the body, abstinence from food, together with the needfu l health -
giving and health preserving accompaniments elsewhere described in the text, is th e unfailing remedy for the correction of
functional ills. Both physician and patient from the outset of treatment possess the assurance of recovery; and confidenee th at rests
on infallible natural law is in itself of the greatest assistance in accomplishin g results.

    Comparative statement of post mortem findings is death by starvation (medical), and post mortem findings in death during the
fast as noted in the text.

EMACIATION
Death by starvation:
Marked.
Death by fasting:

    In cases where cirrhosed state of liver or stomach existed, emaciation was similar to that in chronic ailments, but in the ot her
instances it was not at all marked.
Page 68 of  72 SKIN
Death by starvation:
    Shrivelled and wrinkled; emits a fetid odor; sometimes  dark brown, varnishy coating; tightly adherent to parts beneath; rough,
scurvy surface.

Death by fasting:
    Smooth and pliable in all cases; free from odor; no coating; not adherent. Except in eases of cirrhosis of liver or stomach,
perfectly white. In the latter cyanosed condition as noted

SUB -CUTANEOUS FAT
Death by starvation:
    Absent.

Death by fasting:
    In all eases sub -cutaneous fat was present. This was especially so where disintegration of the liver is noted.

POST MORTEM RIGIDITY
Death by starvation:
    Pronounced.

Death by fasting:
    Very slight.

PUTREFACTION
Death by starvation:
    Sets in at once and progresses very rapidly.

Death by fasting:
    Very slow in progress. No preservatives were used on any body before holding the autopsy. In one instance post mortem was
held one month after death, and putrefaction was hardly noticeable. Slowness of decay is attributable to the constant employm ent
of both external and internal baths during treatment. Fasting is a process of elimination in immediate result, and the product s that
tend to swift decomposition are removed from the body as rapidly as formed.

HEART
Death by starvation:
    Usually contr acted, containing only a small amount of blood. Sometimes distinct atrophy.

Death by fasting:
    Normal in all cases.

LUNGS
Death by starvation:
    Normal but smaller.

Death by fasting:
    Normal except as noted.

BLOOD
Death by starvat ion:
    Lessened in amount, but thin and fluid from anemia.

Death by fasting:
    Abundance of blood. No apparent anemia.

BLADDER
Death by starvation:
    Invariably empty. Sometimes much atrophied.

Death by fasting:
    In all cases contained some water. Pus as noted. No atrophy except in Case 7.

Page 69 of  72 STOMACH
Death by starvation:
    Small, contracted;


 field of energy
surrounding my body was slowly drawn back into my
heart. I avoided touching anyone because I noticed that
contact seeme d to ground t he energy. Eventually, the
outer fi eld sub sided, but not the inner flow. A channel
had been opened in my heart, and a warm flow of energy
kept passing through it. Just as the powerful meditation
in th e fo rest ha d left a flow of energy always rising to the
point between my eyebrows, so the touch of Amrit’s hand
left a beautiful flow of energy  always passing through my
heart. It has b een more than thirty-five years now and
neither of these energy flows has ever subsided, not even
for a moment. Sometimes they are stronger than other
times, but they are always t here. The simple touch of
Amrit’s hand had permanently opened my heart chakra.
As the universe would have it, Amrit’s visit had
another lasting  influence on o ur lives. Just as Mataji had
brought up the topic of a t emple on my property, soAmrit encouraged people to come out to the Temple
regularly for daily meditations. He never discussed this
with me  beforehand, and I ju st about died when he kept
pushing people to do their d aily practices at my place.
This experiment in surrender was stealing my life. My
morning and evening m editation periods were
sacrosanct to me. I had no interest in sharing those
periods with others. Amrit not only invited  others out, he
specifically tol d me that I should support them in their
daily practices by meeting with them each morning and
evening. Once again, life was not asking me—it was
telling me.
I reminded myself that I had tried as hard as I could to
break free of myself for yea rs. I had resolved to find
another way that did not hav e my mind as my spiritual
adviser. Sharing my meditation time with others was just
the next step i n the unfolding dance with life. By now I
was seeing a pattern. I was continuously being pushed
headfirst into a life that centered on serving other
people’s spiritual growth instead of my own. I never
consciously would have decid ed to do this. I was not wise
enough or selfless enough t o make such a decision. It
was simply the fact that I had resolved to surrender to
life, and this is where life was taking me.
When I was building the Tem ple, my mind kept telling
me that it was a stupid thing to do. Coming out to my
place on Sundays was just a  fad that would fade away.
Soon I would end up with an empty building on my
property. I ignored all that ne gative chatter and just kept
building. I reflected back on those thoughts once the
Temple was being used every day, morning and evening.
Now, I reflect back on them  even more with the gift of
hindsight. Eve ry single Sunday for over thirty-five years,
seventy to eighty people have  found their way out to this
temple in the m iddle of the w oods. We never advertised
and don’t even have signs tha t show the way. Still people
come, every week. Likewise, people have always shownup f or my Mon day and Thursday night talks, as well as
for the rest of  our morning and evening programs. It
seems as though life knew ex actly what it was doing, and
as usual, my mind knew nothing.2 6.
G e t  T h e e  t o  a n  A s h r a m
M arch of 1976 marked the official formation of Temple
of the Universe as a federally recognized nonprofit
organization. To this organization, I signed over the
ownership of my ten acres along with the Temple
building, Donn a’s cabin, and my house. I was back to
owning nothin g but my van, and that was exactly the way
I wanted it. I was almost thirty years old, and my
financial life was very simpl e. I was earning less than
$5,000 a year, I had no ass ets or debt, and there was
nothing I longed for that mo ney could buy. I liked being
free fro m having to deal with  finances. I wanted to quiet
my min d, and keeping life simple was certainly a help.
Amrit’s group had offered the Temple 15 percent of the
retreat profits, but I refused. We had not made anything
from the other retreats, and there was something very
beautiful about keeping it that way.
Amrit’s visit was by no means the end of the retreats or
of visiting teachers. Our address and phone number were
now everywhere in the New Age community, and
whoever was touring Florida  tended to drop by for at
least an evening lecture.1 We ran annual retreats for
Mataji and Amrit for many years and ran two very large
retreats for Ram Dass, an immensely popular American
spiritual teacher.
By now, Donna had become an integral part of my life.
There w as way too much work for one person to do, and
she perfectly filled in the gaps. Aside from preparin g for
Sunday services, she handled all the kitchen
responsibilities for the retreats and even allowed me tomove m y phon e up to her house so that she could handle
the Tem ple calls. Donna and I ended up spending more
and more time together, and a tremendous love flowed
between us. The events of the preceding few years had
not just been happening to me; they had just as much
happened to her. That created a powerful bond between
us, and  in the summer of 1976 we decided to make it
official and get married.
The thought of getting married again was not
completely comfortable to me. I was still holding on to
the concept that all this exte rnal activity in my life was
temporary. I would soon be a llowed to return to my days
spent in meditation and yo ga. This relationship with
Donna was forcing me to surrender my concepts of what
I t houg ht should be going on. I had not been looking for
love or marria ge, but the po werful flow of life managed
to bless  me with both. Fortunately for me, Donna was
very spiritually oriented in her own right. We each
enjoyed our quiet time, and we had no intention of giving
up our separate houses once we were married.
As if things were not changing fast enough, returning
home from our July wedding trip to Amrit’s revealed that
another phase of our lives had already begun. It seems
that once we had started holding evening and early
morning servi ces in the Tem ple, periodically someone
would s pend the night in the Temple’s guest room. When
we r eturned, we found that n ot only had someone stayed
there the whole time we were gone, but a very sincere
seeker n amed Radha Kautz had stayed in my house. As
in the case of  Sandy a few years earlier, no one had
actually asked to move in; they just ended up living here.
Donna and I h ad just returned from visiting a spiritual
community—now it appeared we were supposed to live
in one.
The fact is, I never even dreamed of starting a spiritual
center. It all just happened by  surrendering to the flow of
life. Though there was at least some internal resistanceeach step of th e way, I just kept letting go. Sharing my
place of solitude certainly wasn’t what I thought I
wanted, but that’s because I didn’t understand that
serving others is much higher than serving yourself.
Nowadays, alm ost forty years later, people sometimes
ask me how the  Temple community got started. What am
I to tell them? I know perfectly well that I didn’t do it.
The best I can say is that I let go of myself and allowed
what was meant to be—to be.
1  An example of such a visit was when a Zen teacher was passing
through in the 1980s and asked to stop by for dinner. When I arrived, I
was stunned to find Philip Kapleau, the author of Three Pillars of Zen,
sitting at the table. The flow of life had magically given me the opportunity
to thank him for the great help he had provided on my spiritual journey.S e c t i o n  I V
The Business of Surrender2 7.
A  C o m p a n y  I s  B o r n
I n D ecember of 1976, the next event took place that
epitomized the  essence of my surrender experiment. Just
as th e direction of my life had  changed by my reluctantly
surrendering t o tutoring Alan Robertson, teaching at
Santa Fe, and i nviting Baba to Gainesville, so I was about
to again  be asked to do something that seemed askew
from m y chosen path but ended up perfectly aligned with
my life’s destiny.
I had just come home from teaching at Santa Fe and
was taking a q uiet walk in th e woods. I turned down the
narrow path that led in front of the Temple, and what I
saw made me s top in my tracks. A sheriff’s patrol car was
parked right in front of the T emple building. It was quite
intimidating


ated.Expressionsleepy.Indifferentduringa
fever.Lively.Senses:dull;acute.Sensitivetonoise.
Stupor.
Inanacuteillnesslikeafever,Opiumpatientsaredull
andapathetic,dullerthananyotherremedy-tothe
pointofstupor.Theydon'tcomplainorevenaskfor
anythingandmaybeoverwhelmingly sleepy.Before
reachingthisstateofstupor,however,theymaybe-
comeexhilaratedanddeliriousandimaginetheysee
things,especiallyonclosingtheireyes.
Peoplewhohavebecomestuckintoastateoffear
afterabadfrightorshockmaybenefitfromOpium.
TheylooksimilartoAconite(thatis,enormously
shocked)buttheyarealsoinadream-likestatethat
theycannotsnapoutof.Thisiscommonafteran
operationandOpiumwillhelppeopleafterageneral
anaestheticwheretheyfeel'spacedout'anddrowsyto
128•Petroleum(Petr.) INTERNALMATERIAMEDICA
getbacktotheirnormalstates.TheOpiumpersonwill
recreatetheimageorsituationthatcausedtheshock,
butduringwakinghours;hewillnothavebad
dreams.Arnicatypes,ontheotherhand,willbefine
duringthedaybutwillhavebaddreamsrelatingtothe
fright.
Childrenwhohavebeenseverelytoldoffsome-
timesdevelopanOpium'acute'.
PHYSICALCOMPLAINTS
Constipation
SymptomsDesiretopassstoolabsent.Stools:
black;hard;smallballs;likesheep'sdung/droppings;
'shy'(recede).Withunfinishedfeeling.
Thestoolwilllieinthebowelandthepersonhasno
desiretopassit.Noristhereanypainthatwould
normallybeassociatedwithsuchconstipation.The
constipationmaybeacuteafteranoperation. Itmay
alternatewithdiarrhoea,whichmaycomeonafter
suddenjoyorafterfright.
Cough
SymptomsBreathingdifficult;slow;snoring.
Worseduringsleep;onfallingasleep;onwaking.
Thebreathingslowsdownduringsleepandwhenthe
feverisstrong;itbecomesirregularandlaboured,like
awakingsnoring.Thisaspectisverymarkedinthis
remedypictureandneedstobepresentforittowork
successfully.
Fever
SymptomsHeat:burning;intense.Withdeepsleep;
sweating(seeGeneralSymptoms).
Betterforuncovering.
Worseduringsleep;forsweating.
Apersonwiththisfeverwillexperienceoverpowering
sleepinessandyawning,willfallasleepandthen
breatheslowlyandloudlyasifsnoring.Heatcomeson
duringsleep,andsweatingwhichdoesnotrelievethe
symptoms. Ifwoken,thepersonwillbedazedand
confused,willwanttouncover,andiseitherdelirious
andexcitableorstupefiedandsemi-consciousduring
thefever.
Insomnia
SymptomsWithsleepiness.
Sleepslightlyandrestlesslyandhearseverysound.Is
sleepybutcannotfallasleep,andthebedmayfeelhot.
Retentionofurine
Causesshock.
Afterashockorfrightthepersonisunabletopass
urine.Petroleum (Petr.)
Othernames:petra-rock;oleumoil;coaloil;rockoil
Theword'petroleum'originatesfromtheLatinfor
'rock'(Petra)and'oil'(Oleum).Thetermcommonly
referstotheliquidcrudeoilwhichcomesfrombe-
neaththeearth'ssurface,althoughpetroleumalso
occursintheearthingaseousorsolidforms,andafew
petroleumlakesortarpitsareknownthroughoutthe
world.Itisformedovermillionsofyearsfromthe
remainsofmarineplantandanimallifedeposited
underthesea,wheretheydecomposewithout
oxygen;heat,pressureandtimeconvertthisinto
petroleum.
Petroleumwasknowntomanyancientpeoples,
whoreferredtoitas'burningwater'anduseditinthe
formofbitumentocaulkshipsandbuildroadsaswell
astogivelight.Morerecently, ithasprovideduswith
heatingandafuelforthiscentury'smachinery. Itis
refinedandprocessedintonumerousproducts,such
assolvents,paints,asphalt,plastics,cleansingagents,
waxesandjellies,medicines,explosivesandferti-
lisers.Thecrudeoilhasbeenusedforthetreatmentof
wounds.
Thehomeopathicpreparation ismadefrompurified
oilorfromcrudeoilfromwhichatinctureisprepared
andthendilutedandsuccussedinthenormalway.
GENERALSYMPTOMS
Dislikes:meat;fatty,richfood.Sweat:one-sided;
smelly.
Worseforfreshair;duringthemorning;travelling
(boat,car,train,bus,etc.)
ThisisasmallremedythatIhaveincludedbecause
ofitsusesintravelsicknessandnauseaduringpreg-
nancy.Thereisageneraldislikeoffreshairwhichalso
aggravatesthenausea.
EMOTIONAL/MENTALSYMPTOMS
Confusedinfreshair.Forgetful.Irritable.
Quarrelsome.
PeopleneedingPetroleumwillbegenerallyworsefor
andalsomentallyconfusedoutinthefreshair.They
maynotrecognisewell-knownstreetsandmaymake
mistakesinfindingtheirway.
PHYSICALCOMPLAINTS
Chilblains
SymptomsChilblains:onfeet,hands,toes;in-
flamed.
INTERNALMATERIAMEDICA Phosphoricacid(Pho-ac.) •129
Feetbecomecoldand'fallasleep'easily,andthe
handsbecomecoldandchapped.Thechilblainsare
painfulanditching,andoccurinthewinterduring
coldweather.
Diarrhoea
SymptomsDiarrhoeaduringthedayonly.Pains
pressing.Withravenousappetite.
Thisisaveryspecificdiarrhoeathatoccursonlydur-
ingthedayandisnotaccompaniedbyalossof
appetite.
Headache
SymptomsPains:inbackofhead;pressing.With
heaviness;nausea(seebelow).
Theheadacheusuallycomesonwhentravellingand
accompaniesthenausea.
Nausea
SymptomsWithdizziness.
Worseforfreshair.
Thisnauseaisusuallyaccompaniedbydizzinessand/
orheadache.
Travelsickness
SymptomsWithheadache(seeabove);nausea(see
above);vomiting.
Worseforfreshair.
Causestravelling.
Petroleumisoneofthemaintravelsicknessremedies
andisindicatedwherefreshairactuallyaggravates.
(ItistheoppositeofTabacum,whichhasnauseabut
isbetterforfreshair.)Thissymptomshouldhelp
todifferentiatebetweenthevarioustravelsickness
remedies.
PHOSPHORICACID(Pho-ac.)
Othername:glacialphosphoricacid
Phosphoricacidoccurseitherasaclear,colourless,
sparklingliquidorasatransparentcrystallinesolid-
dependingonitstemperature. Itisusedinthemanu-
factureoffertilisers,softdrinks(givingthemafruity,
acidicflavour),pharmaceuticals, gelatin,animal
feeds,waxes,polishes,dentalcementsanddeter-
gents.Itisalsousedintheprocessesofsugarrefining
andrustproofingmetals,andinotherindustrialuses.
Medicinally itisoccasionallytakenasatonicto
stimulatethesecretionofgastricjuices,incombi-
nationwithquinineandstrychnine(thatis,withour
friendsNuxvomicaandChinal).Thehomeopathicremedyismadefrompulverised
phosphaterockwhichisdissolvedinsulphuricacid
andthendilutedbysuccussion.
GENERALSYMPTOMS
Complaintsfrom:lossofbodyfluids.Eyesglassy.
Facepale.Likes:fruit;refreshingthings.Painsin
bones.Sweat:clammy;profuse.Symptoms
one-sided.Thirstless.
Befferaftersleep.
Worseforcold;forsweating;duringtheevening;
duringthemorning;ononesideofbody.
Phosphoricacidbenefitsthosewhohavebecomeweak
andtiredfromstudyingtoomuchorfromlosingalot
ofbodyfluids,forexampleafterdiarrhoea,aheavy
period,bleedingorvomiting.Thispictureoccursin
youngpeoplewithbonepainswhohavegrowntoo
fast,inpeoplewhoareacutelydepressedorthosewho
areconvalescingfromanillnesswheretheyhavelosta
lotofthei