 Th is is more than a semantic twist. “I am” means that
you identify with existence, and because existence contains the
infinite potential of consciousness, so do you. The shift to  “I am”
involves every aspect of life, and this poses a potential problem. Which aspect should we confront first—the body, the mind, the
brain, psychology, relationships, beliefs, or habits a nd old
conditioning. It’s not clear that any of these should be given top
priority, or confronted at all. The direct path doesn’t ask us to think about our prob lems
intellectually o r to analyze the prospects for inner change. In fact,
the direct path bypasses all o rdinary ways of seeing and thinking
about ourselve s. These are w hat got us into trouble to begin with. Ordinary ways of seeing and t hinking are totally adapted to virtual
reality. A different way must be found. In m y e xperience, direct  is a tricky wor d. It implies s omething
that happens immediately, but going to college for four years is the
direct way to get a bachelor’s degree, and four years isn’t
immediate. Direct  a lso implies something easy, efficient, without
obstacles. This  applies, for example, when a package is delivered
directly  to your house. You don’t h ave to go to the trouble and
expense of driving to the ma nufacturer to get whatever is inside
the pac kage. B ut a Sherpa leading a trek to the top of Mt. Everestis exact ly the opposite—the path might be direct, but it is arduous
and full of obstacles. The origins of the direct path can be traced back to Vedic India
and ancient Greece, where the issue of waking up was fully
discussed. Many answers an d many ways to reach the goal were
devised. A detailed survey of  all these paths would lead to more
confusion than ever, becaus e disagreements among the  various
approaches abound. There ha ve been dreams of shortcuts, such as
accepting Christ as the Son of God, a single decision that redeems
all sins and opens the door to Heaven. That’s as direct as it gets. On the other hand, a lifetime can be spent by a Tibetan Buddhist
monk or a devout Hindu reno uncing the world for a forest  ashram
or a mountain  cave. This ch oice presents the prospect of a long,
difficult inward journey. In this book I’ve been de scribing the simplest and most
powerful (I believe) version of a shortcut, which is to exchange
illusion for reality. I define direct  a s easy, effici ent, and natural. There is no need for anythin g arduous and filled with obs tacles. I
insist on a path  that is painless, because I’ve seen too much of the
opposite. Some people spend years in frustration and
disappointment struggling to reach some spiritual goal that
remains just out of reach. What baffles people is that the whole
spiritual project gets tangled  up in misguided ideas and doomed
expectations. Let me list the pitfalls one is most likely to
encounter:
1. Mistaking the goal for some kind of self-improvement,
shedding your old imperfect self for a shiny new one. 2. Assuming that you already know what the goal is. 3. Hoping that higher consciousness will solve all your
problems. 4. Struggling and striving to get somewhere fast. 5. Following a cut-and-dried method, usually a method
backed by some famous spiritual authority. 6. Hoping to be looked upon with respect, reverence, or
devotion as a higher being. 7. Being tossed around by the ups and downs of
momentary successes and failures. I doubt that anyone who has honestly undertaken an inner
journey is immune to some  or all of these pitfalls. There is an
enormous gap between where you find yourself today (totally
dependent on the active mind ) and the reality you need to unveil. It’s not waking up that is painful but the pitfalls. They are created
by the ego-personality, which thinks, mistakenly, that it deserves
its share of the goodies that are about to fall from the sky. If you focus o n your experience here and now, the e go is
irrelevant, and many distractions can be avoided. Think about
parenting. Parents go through all kinds of troubles, worries,
everyday crises, and argumen ts with their children, but without a
doubt th ey know they love them. On the direct path you co nstantly
reinforce your purpose, which keeps the distractions at b ay. The
ancient Vedas declare that everyone is defined by their deepest
desires. Desire  leads to thou ghts, thoughts to words and actions,
actions to the fulfillment of desire. So in a very basic way, desire is
all you need. I f your deepest desire is to wake up, to esc ape the
illusion, to unveil reality, and  in the end to know who yo u really
are, the message gets through. Your deepest desire activates a level
of awareness that will get you to the goal. Strange as it sounds, the dir ect path is valid only if it lea ds to
the plac e wher e you already a re. Each of us is already a co nscious,
creative being We are already in the state of wholeness, despite
our allegiance to mental constructs that impose all kinds of
limitations on us. The only change that’s needed is a shift of
identity, and yet no change is  more earthshaking. Once you realize
that you are whole, the transformation from human to
metahuman has occurred. N a t u r e ’ s  H i d d e n  M e s s a g eWhat makes us whole alread y is that Nature is whole, and we
are par t of Nature. Such reasoning is totally sound, but it is hard
for man y people to accept. M odern physics holds that the universe
operates as a whole, each subatomic particle woven into the
cosmic fabric. But the method of science is to subdivide Nature
into smaller and smaller increments, and as the investigation
arrives at finer levels of exis tence, wholeness is lost from view. This is more than a technical glitch. A crucial question is at stake. Does the whole control the parts, or is it the reverse—there is no
whole e xcept f or an accumulation of parts. A new car is a whole
thing; we see it as one image and refer to it with one word. But just
as easily we ca n see a car the way a garage mechanic do es, as a
collection of parts: carburetor, driveshaft, transmission, and so on. With lit tle or no effort, your m ind can shift from one view point to
the other. The sam e hold s true for how you see yourself. In the mirror you
appear as a whole thing, a body; you refer to yourself by on e word,
your na me. Bu t if you sudde nly feel acute pain in the region of
your appendix,  you rush to the doctor—a kind of garage mechanic
for tissu es and organs—and you become a collection of parts. You
have the option to see yourself as whole or as a collection of parts. When we come right down t o it, what is wholeness, any way. It’s har d to imagine a more  baffling question. But without an
answer, living in wholeness is impossible. Fortunately, Nature
presents some inescapable clues, going back to the first
appearance of life on Earth. Life began 3. 8 billion years ago when
RNA appeared and had the a bility to divide and replicate itself; a
billion years later, cells with outer membranes appeared on the
scene; j ump ahead another billion years or more and sing le-celled
organisms evolved into multicelled organisms. The leap to multicelled organisms wasn’t due to physical
necessity—it was a creative breakthrough, and an astounding one. For almost three billion years, single-celled organisms were
thriving, muta ting into new species on an endless conveyor belt
(which is still running at mid-ocean, where millions, perhaps
billions, of undiscovered single-celled creatures ride on its
surface). Life forms restric ted to single cells, or even more
primitive bacte ria and viruses, vastly outnumber, by far more than100 to 1, mult icelled life forms. DNA had achieved the ability to
fend off  enviro nmental hazar ds and laughed at death. The  trillions
of amoebas, blue-green algae, and simple fungi populating the
Earth to day are  clones of one  ancestor—it died as a physical object
but is nearly immortal as a package of knowledge inside DNA. With su ch a successful enter prise showing no signs of wa ning,
there was no r eason to risk multicelled life, except for one: the
sheer exuberance of creativity. The basic challenge of creating
multicelled life  was how to reproduce a complex organism whose
moving parts aren’t the same. The task was like handing someone
the han dlebars of a racing bike and asking for the whole b ike to be
built from it, w ith the added c hallenge that no one had ever seen a
whole bike before. In


need	to	be	able	to	connect	with
what	you	are	eating	and	become	conscious	of	how	what	you	are	eating	makes
you	feel,	both	in	the	short-	and	long-term. A	good	place	to	start	is	by
connecting	visually	to	what	is	taking	place	when
you	eat,	beyond	what	you	can	see	with	your	eyes. In	other	words,	try	visualizing
what	you	know	is	taking	place	without	literally	seeing	it	and	connecting	that	to
the	experience	in	your	body,	which	you	cannot	help	but	feel. Try	this	now. Think	of	your	last	food	binge—maybe	on	a	“cheat”	day,	while	on	vacation,	or
when	out	with	your	friends. It	can	be	any	time	you	decided	to	just	let	loose	and
eat	that	pizza	or	ice	cream	or	french	fries	followed	by	a	cupcake	or	donut. Maybe	it	was	on	that	hungover	Sunday	when	you	dug	into	the	third	serving	of
macaroni	and	cheese	that	you	knew	you	really	shouldn’t	have	but	were	craving
so	badly	(and	you	felt	so	crappy	you	didn’t	put	up	much	of	a	defense). Imagine
how	the	particular	foods	you	indulged	in	tasted,	felt,	and	looked. Now	try	taking	the
visualization	internally,	imagining	what	is	going	on	in
your	stomach	after	you	binged. Picture	your	stomach	expanding	outward,
trying	to	contend	with	the	heavy	digestive	load	you	just	burdened	it	with. Imagine	a	churning	volcano. Now	create	the	image	of	congestive	toxicity	and
envision	it	building	up	on	the	insides	of	your	gut. Next,	visualize	inflammation	striking	your	cells,	causing	friction	and
disharmonious	aggravation. Think	about	diminished	circulation	throughout
your	body,	the	growth	of	the	toxins,	nutrients	passing	through	but	not	being
absorbed,	your	cells	suffering,	and	ultimately	your	skin	getting	duller	and
wrinkling	like	a	raisin. Sit	with	that	for	a	moment,	and	internalize	these	images
and	imagined
feeling	of	your	digestive	distress. Compare	these	feelings	to	the
physical	sensations	you’ve	felt	in	your	body	when	indulging	in	a	binge.The	purpose	of	this	exercise	is	not	to	make	you	feel	horrible	or	to	picture
disturbing	images	for	no	reason. It	is	to	help	foster	a	deeper	mindfulness	of	just
how	much	the	food	you	are	eating	impacts	your	body,	your	energy,	and	your
beauty. Now	visualize	eating	something	healthy. Imagine	eating	a	delicious	all-
vegetable	ginger-squash	soup,	for	example. The	food	feels	warming	as	it	goes	in,
and	it	feels	grounding	and	filling	in	your	stomach,	but	you	don’t	feel	overly
stuffed. Think	of	this	food	going	into	your	gut	and	various	nutrients	flowing
into	your	bloodstream	and	circulating	all	around	your	body	in	a	clear,	healthy
stream. Your	skin	is	radiant	and	glowing,	and	you	finish	eating	feeling	great. When	you	decide	what	to	eat,	it’s	inevitable	that	sometimes	you’ll	make	a
less-than-ideal	choice. This	is	perfectly	fine. You	are	not	meant	to	be	perfect. But	try	to	keep	this	imagery	stored	somewhere	in	your	mind	so	the	next	time
you	are	struggling	with	a	food	option	on	a	menu	or	on	the	brink	of	going	from
a	little	treat	to	a	full	binge,	you	can	pull	this	imagery	back	into	the	forefront	of
your	mind. Hopefully	this	consciousness-building	exercise	(which	can	be	done
in	as	little	as	a	few	seconds)	will	pull	you	back	to	this	side	of	whole,	beauty-
nourishing	foods	so	that	you	can	make	the	better	choice	more	often. Nourish	Yourself	As	No	One	Else	Can
Most	people	feel	healthier	and	more	connected	to	their	food	and	energy	when
they	cook	most	of	their	meals	themselves. It’s	also	great	from	a	beauty
perspective,	because	cooking	your	own	meals	puts	you	in	control	of	the	oils	and
other	ingredients	that	you	consume. You	can	be	sure	to	use	beauty-building
organic	produce	and	cook	with	coconut	oil,	non-irradiated	spices,	and	fresh
herbs. No	matter	what	you	choose,	you	always	know	the	source	of	your	food
when	you	cook	for	yourself. This	certainly	does	not	have	to	be	elaborate	or	take	up	copious	amounts	of
time. Home-cooked	meals	can	be	simple,	and	it’s	easy	to	rotate	certain	dishes
you	feel	comfortable	with	over	and	over	again,	mixing	and	matching	different
vegetables	and	ingredients. Eating	out	can	be	social,	celebratory,	and	a	lot	of
fun,	but	it	doesn’t	have	to	be	your	norm. Save	it	for	special	occasions,	or	at	least
try	to
shift	into	eating	out	less	and	having	more	meals	at	home,	and	you	will
feel	more	grounded	and	empowered	not	only	with	your	diet	but	perhaps	your
whole	life. Radical	Beauty	Healthy	Cooking
Time-SaversAt	this	point,	you	may	be	feeling	really	inspired	by	all	this	information	about
how	to	make	big	shifts	in	your	life. There	truly	is	so	much	you	can	do	to	eat
your	way	to	a	fuller	expression	of	your	natural	beauty. And	it’s	understandably
thrilling,	but	then	a	passing	dark	thought	may	cloud	your	excitement:	how	are
you	actually	going	to	have	time	to	eat	healthfully? You	might	feel	as	if	you
already	don’t	have	enough	time	to	jam	all	your	professional	and	personal	duties
into	your	schedule,	so	how	are	you	going	to	possibly	add	the	further	element	of
eating	for	Radical	Beauty	into	the	mix? Don’t	worry. You	will	not	have	to	spend	much	more	time	preparing	food	to
make	these	dietary	shifts,	but	you	will	have	to	be	a	little	bit	strategic	and	take
some	time	to	plan	ahead. Actually,	the	time	you	use	to	buy	or	make	things	in
bulk	and	prep	more	at	home	instead	of	always	running	out	to	restaurants	and
take-out	joints	may	actually	help	you	save	more	time	overall. This	is	especially
true	as	you	get	more	comfortable	with	simpler	staple	dishes	and	strategies. Here	are	some	great	time-saving	tricks	to	get	you	on	your	way	to	eating	for
Radical	Beauty. BAKE
ROOT	VEGETABLES
As	soon	as	you	get	home	from	work,	turn	on	the	oven	and	throw	some	whole
winter	squash	or	sweet	potatoes	on	a	pan. Yes,	that’s	right—whole! You	can	prick
some	slits	in	them	with	a	knife,	but	don’t	struggle	with	breaking	down	a	super-
tough	raw	squash;	it	simply	takes	too	much	energy. Throwing	these	rock-hard
root	veggies	into	the	oven	whole	is	going	to	save	you	a	lot	of	precious	time	that
you	would	otherwise	spend	trying	to	cut	them	up. Let	them	soften	up	while	you
change,	relax,	and	catch	up	with	your	spouse	and	your	kids,	or	simply	chill	out. After	45	minutes	or	so,	take	them	out	of	the	oven,	cube	or	slice	them,	and
either	sauté	them	with	a	little	coconut	oil	or	let	them


otivation	to	perform. The	real	eye-opener,	however,	is	to	take	the	same	look	around	the	family
setting. Instead	of	workplace,	substitute	the	home. In	place	of	workers,
substitute	children	or	spouse. You	may	be	shocked	at	how	viral	the	stress
around	you	actually	is. Society	sends	us	messages	about	rebellious	teenagers
who	won’t	do	what	they’re	told,	who	act	uncomfortable	around	adults,	slack	off
at	school,	and	exhibit	a	sullen,	resentful	attitude. These	behaviors	fit	a
stereotype,	but	that	doesn’t	make	them	normal. They	are	signs	of	stress. We
aren’t	saying	that	adolescence	doesn’t	have	its	special	challenges,	because	it
certainly	does. The	point	is	that	adding	to	those	challenges	with	stressful
pressures	at	home	is	just	as	damaging	as	if	the	pressure	was	applied	at	work. It	is	generally	futile	to	approach	someone	else	and	say,	“I’m	sorry,	but	your
behavior	is	stressing	me	out. ”	All	you’ll	get	is	a	defensive	response	that	pushes
you	away. The	focus	must	be	on	you	instead. By	reversing	your	own	stressful	behavior,	you	become	a	healer	of	stress,
breaking	the	circle	once	and	for	all. This	is	actually	a	powerful	approach	that
can	cause	other	people	who	have	caused	you	stress	to	change	before	your	eyes. We’ve	seen	it	work	with	all	kinds	of	difficult	people,	both	at	home	and	in	the
office. TWELVE	WAYS	YOU	CAN	HEAL	STRESS
Behaviors	that	reduce	pressure	on	yourself	and	others:
1. Back	away	from	being	demanding,	critical,	and	a	perfectionist. 2. Be	more	consistent	and	less	changeable	in	what	you	ask	of	others. 3. Never	show	disrespect	for	other	people. 4. Maintain	a	dignified	environment	(e. g.,	a	place	where	bad	language,
gossip,	and	sexual	remarks	are	not	condoned). 5. Give	other	people	their	own	space. 6. Deal	with	your	own	stress	instead	of	passing	it	down	the	line. 7. Don’t	create	pets	and	favorites	at	the	expense	of	someone	who	gets
excluded	or	demeaned. 8. Never	offer	criticism	in	public	or	at	the	dinner	table. 9. Take	a	personal	interest	in	others,	offering	appreciation	and	praise
generously. 10. Be	loyal;	show	that	you	can	be	trusted. 11. When	someone	else	is	talking,	pay	attention	and	then	follow	through	if
they	need	something. 12. Ask	for	more	input	from	others,	showing	that	you	value	their	experience
and	knowledge. Think	of	these	things	in	terms	of	letting	inner	beauty	go	viral. With	small
changes	of	behavior,	along	with	self-awareness,	you	will	be	surprised	to	find	that
you	are	becoming	a	beacon	of	light. This	is	testimony	to	your	new	reality:	you
have	truly	dedicated	yourself	to	the	path. The	gap	between	your	social	self	and
your	true	self	is	closing	more	and	more,	and	the	beauty	of	your	true	self	is
becoming	a	reality. S
TAGE	4:
RESTING	INTO	EXISTENCE
Every	woman	knows	the	feeling	of	not	being	enough. So	much	is	asked	of
today’s	woman—and	she	asks	even	more	of	herself—that	insecurity	is	just	the
beginning. There	is	a	constant	struggle	against	feeling	anxious	or	depressed. There	is	doubt	about	how	one	set	of	values—being	successful	and	highly
competent—can	really	be	compatible	with	another	set	of	values—being	loved,
cherished,	and	honored. The	nagging	question	“Can	I	have	it	all. ”	hangs	over
the	minds	of	millions	of	women	every	day. The	answer	to	“Can	I	have	it	all. ”	isn’t	easy	to	find	in	our	society,	but	we	feel
that	there	is	an	answer	that	gets	overlooked. You	can	have	it	all	when	you
realize	that
you	are	all. There’s	nothing	you	can	buy	in	any	store	that	will	fill	any
empty	feeling	of	lack. But	when	you	find	inner	fulfillment,	having	it	all	is
replaced	by	inner	contentment	with	yourself,	here	and	now,	lacking	nothing. Let’s	say	this	is	the	right	answer. How	do	you	arrive	at	this	state	of	total	inner
fulfillment. By	realizing	your	spiritual	beauty. And	how	do	you	do	that. By
following	the	most	powerful	instructions	on	the	spiritual	path:
Surrender
Let	go
Accept
Be
These	instructions	aren’t	easy	to	follow. We	all	feel	a	powerful	desire
to	do
something. We	hate	putting	up	with	the	bad	things	in	our	lives. Society	promotes
the	image	of	the	go-getting,	competitive	person	who	is	constantly	on	the	move. It’s	no	surprise,	then,	that	we’ve	lost	the	skill—and	the	wisdom—of	just	letting
go. We	equate	hanging	loose	with	doing	nothing. Yet	at	a	deeper	level,	each	of
those	words	implies	a	hidden	action	that	goes	on	beneath	the	surface:
Surrendering
	means	you	aren’t	struggling	anymore. Letting

go
	means	that	you	aren’t	so	attached	and	frustrated. Accepting
	means	that	you	can	appreciate	and	be	grateful	for	your
life. Being
	means	that	you	trust	a	power	beyond	your	own	ego	and
limited	understanding. When	you	grasp	what	the	words	mean	in	spiritual	terms,	it	dawns	on	you
that	a	much	better	life	can	be	yours	once	you	surrender,	let	go,	accept,	and
simply	be. We’ve	put	this	in	a	single	phrase:
Resting	into	existence. In	every
spiritual	tradition,	importance	is	placed	on	surrendering	to	God,	but	it’s	an
idea	that	doesn’t	seem	applicable	in	modern	times. In	the	past,	when	our
distant	ancestors	were	preoccupied	every	day	with	getting	enough	to	eat,	disaster
struck	if	crops	failed	or	game	was	scarce. Trusting	in	God	to	provide	was	the
only	way	anyone	had	of	connecting	with	nature’s	external	forces. But	today	the
vast	majority	of	work	is	done	in	offices	and	corporations;	these	are	settings
where	people	feel	they	have	much	more	control	over	what	happens. There	is
little	or	no	need	to	trust	in	a	higher	power	except	in	unforeseen	emergencies
and	crises. Even	then,	many	people	place	their	trust	only	on	human	agencies
like	law	enforcement. So	asking	you	to	place	your	trust	in	your	own	existence	is	asking	a	lot. As	a
strategy	for	living,	this	might	sound	quite	strange,	in	fact. But	consider	the
following	possibilities:
What	if	life	is	meant	to	flow,	bringing	fulfillment	as	a	natural
unfoldment. What	if	you	are	connected	to	a	deep	source	of	intelligence	that
knows	how	to	take	care	of	you	and	your	needs. What	if	there’s	a	higher	plan	that	is	guiding	your	life. None	of	these	ideas	is	completely	foreign. We’ve	all	been	exposed	to	sayings
like	“Everything	happens	for	a	reason”	and	“God	has	a	plan. ”	The	problem	is
that	the	divine	plan,	if	it	exists,	is	invisible	and	unpredictable. Not	to	mention
that	putting	the	argument	in	religious	terms	runs	against	the	grain	of	modern
life,	where	the	secular	world


 are all in
their proper places. Each snowflake that falls lands exactly where it is
supposed to. The temperature each day is just what it is supposed to be—in
fact, even the assignment of a number on a thermometer is a kind of
judgment about  it when you think about it. The storms, the floods, the
droughts, the position of the rivers and mountains, the orbit of the planets—
all of it just is. The universe with all of its perfection is presented to us. There is nothing to forgive, because there is nothing to judge and no one to
blame. When we know we create all that we need for our existence, then we are
in a position to know that we created all the hatred and anger we have
toward others. We even have created the others in our life for the purpose of
having someone to blame. Our need to forgive is a monumental misperception. The belief that
others should not have treated us the way that they did is, of course, the
ultimate absurdity. The univer se is always working just the way it is
supposed to, and so is everythin g in it, even the things that we have judged
to be wrong, improper, cruel, and painful for us and others. Our desire to
improve those things is also a part of the perfect universe. How can others
not have treated us the way they did? Instead of being angry at the way we
were treated, regardless of how horrible we have assessed it to be, we need
to learn to view that treatment from another perspective. They did what they
knew how to do, given the cond itions of their lives. The rest of the stuff that
we carry around with us is ours. We own it all. If it is hatred and judgment,
then that is what we have elected to carry around with us and that is what
we will have to give away to others. You have litera lly given control of your life to those whom you have
judged to have wronged you. Learning to forgive involves learning to
correct the misperceptions that you have created with your own thoughts.Once you have your thoughts clear, you will assume total responsibility for
yourself, includ ing how you are treated, and you will get yourself to the
point where forgiveness is no longer something that you must practice. You
will have corrected all of your misperceptions and eliminated the three
sources of your discontent which create the need to forgive in the first
place. Understanding these “thought distortions” will lead to practicing
forgiveness and ultimately to freedom from ever having to for give. RIDDING YOURSELF OF BLAME, REVENGE, JUDGMENT

I believe that my arriving at this place in my life has to do with having rid
myself for the most part of these three big destructive practices. As long as I
had a trace of them in my life, the forgiveness principle got entangled with
them, and I was unable to live naturally and unimpeded. Now that I live
without them, forgiveness simply never comes up for me, except as
something that I share with others who are suffering so much because of
their desire to hang on to those ways of thinking. As long as we continue to
think in these ways, we have to work at forgiveness. When we transcend
this kind of thought, for giveness is no longer an issue. Blame. If we are unable to forgive those we perceive as having wronged us
at some time in the past, we need to look at the decision to blame them for
our unhappiness. Blame runs rampant in our culture, and very likely it runs
just as out of control in your life. The lawsuit explosion is testimony to the
unwillingness of most people to take responsibility for their own lives. Instead, they sue as many people as possible, disregarding personal
negligence, and ultimately making someone else pay for a misfortune. Advertisements offering legal assistance proclaim, “It’s not your fault,
regardless of the circumstances. You should think about suing for damages
now.” This mind-set of assign ing responsibility to others for our life
circumstances and misfortunes is the product of an attitude of blame. The
more you have exercised it in your life, the more likely you will find
forgiveness dif ficult to practice. You must be completely honest with yourself if you are ever to rid
yourself entirely  of blame. The way to begin is to take total responsibilityfor everything that you are in your life right now. That’ s right. Say to
yourself, “I am the sum total of my choices up until this moment.” Your
enculturation may make this a difficult precept for you to accept. You may
want to say, “I couldn’ t help it,” or “It was someone else’s fault,” or “I was
in the wrong place at the wron g time,” or “I was dealt a dirty deal,” or
“Family circumstances created my misery,” or whatever other excuse you
have developed to absolve yourself of responsibility. Discard all of that and look at your life from a different perspective. Everything that happened to you is a lesson you can be grateful for. Everyone who came into your life was a teacher, regardless of how much
you choose to hate and blame him or her. There truly are no accidents. This
universe is working perfectly, including all the subatomic particles that
make up you, and those you blame. It is all just as it is supposed to be. Nothing more, nothing less! All of those situations, including when you
were a small child, contain immensely valuable lessons for you to absorb
and benefit from, lessons which are blocked by feelings of hate and blame. Assess how much you resist this principle of taking total responsibility
for your life and believing that there truly are no accidents in this perfect
universe. Follow this logic. Someone has harmed you in some way in your
past. You feel hurt and angry, and that anger ultimately turns to hatred. This
is your hatred. You carry it around with you wherever you go. You own it. It
is you and you are it. The hatred is all thought, and is with you wherever
you go. You have given someone permission not only to hurt you once, but
to continue controlling your inner life. The hatred infects your life while the
other person is still on his or her path doing exactly what he or she knows
how to do, independent of your current miserable state. The absurdity of
blame is that it gives other people control over us at the mom ent of their
dastardly deed, and continues to give them control over how we interact
with others. We become prisone rs without hope of achieving a higher sense
of awakening and happiness for ourselves. This is how blame works in us, and why it is a futile and destructive
activity. As long as we blame others for the way we feel today, we will have
to wait for them to change before we can grow out of our current
immobilized state. Forgiveness is a tool to use to transcend the negative
effects of blame. Once we have forgiven another, we no longer need to
blame him. When we have forgiveness for all, there will be no one left toblame for anyth ing. Ironically, then we also will have no need to forgive
anymore, and that is the real lesson of this chapter. Forgiveness means changing your misperceptions. When we forgive
another for anything that he or she may have done to us, we are really
saying, “I no longer give you the power to control who I am, how I think,
and how I’ll behave in the future. I take responsibility for all of that now.”
Thus, we really have nothing to forgive, since we create our own reality by
how we choose to process the behavior of others. We processed it in a way
that hurt us when we chose blam e. We might have chosen not to have hatred
within ourselves and simply let it go. Once we change our perceptions of
life’s hurts and pains and see that we create all that we need for this dream,
including the scoundrels, we no longer need to blame anyone for anything. This is the most freeing stage to reach that you can imagine. Being totally free from blame and taking complete responsibility for life
requires a great deal of discipline. It is a discipline of self-love rather than
self-contempt. When we love ourselves, we refuse to allow others to
manage our emotions from afar. Forgiveness is our means to that end. When
we choose this option, it eventually becomes an automatic reaction toward
those who treat us contemptuou sly, and then, of course, forgiveness is no
longer required. Forgiveness is an act of self-love, rather than some
altruistic saintly behavior. It gives us control over our inner life and
thoughts. Knowing that nothing is random, and that all of life is purposeful,
even people who seem so destructively different from us, allows us to
accept those “accidents” and those “scoundrels” as events with some
meaning for us. I can assure you that once you no longer need the lessons in
your life that unpleasant events  offer you, you will no longer have these
events. If forgiveness is something you need to practice, you will continue
to attract opportunities to practic e it. If your reaction is anger and hated and
defiance, then “those kinds of people” and “weird unlucky breaks” will
continue to be in your life. I rarely run into these things in my life anymore


~man being, animals, birds and veg~tables ~re. epr~~\u<~1
any safety in this atomic age. It IS a pity that mf spite. :
'II d ·ng o atomiC war a reat danger, some people are stl reaml. g h -'ence that the seeds of destructiOn 1 It is due to t e same ~c I. •
1. r l'lfe People are becolmng ease-lovmg. t are sown 111 ou · · · 1
creates an atmospher e wherein virtues like tr~th, non-VIO en~e,
P.,t··lence tolerance, for bearance and simplicity a. re fast losmdg
,'· · ng more an I With the passage of time, humanity IS coml. va ue. d th ev. ll effects of the misuse of scientific discovenes. more un er e ·· ·
CHAPTER IV
THE TRADITIONS OF URINE THERAPY
EASTERN TRADITION
In the secon. ~ chapter, we came to the co_nclusio~ tha. t even
like God, every small of big portion· of HIS. creatl~n IS also
com Jlete in itself. He hds created every bemg Wit~ per~ect. r. d has provided it With means tO safeguard It agatnst organ1sm an · 1. t health This becomes qUtte c ear diseases and tO• preserve Is. h ~
when we observe domestic anima Is livmg under our. care. T e
anatomy of their body is such that is enables t~elrh tolnhgubes
· · Th th preserve the1r ea t Y to reach unnatlng orgnn. 'us ey
m. :sking use of tlwir own urine.,--·. AUTO-URINE THERAPY : 8
History of culture of ancient lndi I this subject. It has come t k a a so throws some light on
by the ancient people to o our nowledge that urine was used
by the improper diet, u~::~~:~~e~ei. r health: ~ny disease caused
irregular living excessive labo ll~ed,l addrctron to bad habits,
b'ur or I eness co ld b rrl
y the use of auto-urine. Onl half a u e re oved
home, old grandmothe s y century ago, almost in every
adult members of the ~o were ~~c~tomed to cure children and
mineral alkalies similarly use. wrt I t he dhelp of natural herbs and.,, unne a so a bee d. for curing of various h. n a omestrc remedy
Shivambu-Kalpa bel. ~steal f1~ents. In a Sanskrit text entitled
' grng to tne Puranic ag th ·
~f urine has been well described. Its. e, e Importance
literature. The theme has b d' style IS that of mythological een 1scussed in th f f d' between Lord Siva and Parvaf I be e arm o a lalogue from it · 1' quote low some useful extracts
I
"0 Parvati, now I tell you bo h. successful process. It is prescri~d u~ t e utensrls, suitable for its
both in thero d. y the learned peale, expert
gold 'I y an ~ractlce. The container should be made of
' Sl ver, copper Iron z' k I I shell or bone, leath~r or iea~:s' ~ ay, g. ~ss, bamboo, bel (bilva)
in any of the above ut 'I 0 practitioner should keep. urine
are the best for th' ensr s. Devi, earthen or the copper pot
1s purpose. "The practitioner should abstain f I eat sparingly should work 'th /0r:' sa ty and hot food, should
under contr~l, and should ~~ out a~gue, should keep his senses
and well-intentioned prac~i~~~e~n the gldround. That discrimin ate. d s ou get up early. th
mornrng an urinate facing th s. rn e as well as at the end should ~at\t orne p~rtlon rn the beginning
should be collected It is th be e ~ut whrle the middle portion
A snake contains p~ison i: thest:~;~n of the uri~e for dri~king. the same applies to urination. as w~ll a~ rn. the tall and
dispells disease and old A ShJV~mbu (unne. IS lrke nectar, it
after drinking it. " age. mystiC follows his mystic practices
After this way of tak". described. In its ~~gl ur~ne and th~ fruits thereof have been myt o ogrcal descnptions, there is much THE TRADITIONS mURINE THERI\P {-ESTERN TRADinON: ~
exaggeration. The benefits gained by its periodic use are a: follows:
"First of all clean your mouth and attend to nature's Lall and
then drink urine. By doing so for a month, not only are the diseases
destroyed but the body gets purified and cleansed internally. " After this, there is a description of results achieved by its constant
use for twelve months to twelve years. These details are not -
necessar~ for our purposE:. Our aim is confined to physical health
only. Elsewhere is has been mentioned in ShivambuKalpa:
"By taking urine through nose every mornir. g, all diseases in the
b. :. y ~. used by Vata, Pitta and Capha (Tridosha) are destroyed. Gi. Scstion is increased and body becomes strcn-5. "One who rubs urine all over the body, t'. 1ree times during the
day and three ~imes at night, lives long. All his body-joints are
strengthened and he becomes free fr(. ln,_:isease and remains
cheerful. "One who rubs the body with urine thrc ughout night three times
gets a beautiful bdy as lustrous as geld. "0 Parvati, one who drinks urine or. ~e a day and rubs it over
the body for three years, gets a body full cf strength anci lustre, gets
the knowledge of arts ancl sci~;·ce, atta:ns :;peech w:,ich forceful
execJtion, and lives as long as there are surs and moon in the sky. Even if one omits the exaggerations fr;,m the above extracts, one
can draw the following acceptable conciL sions from them :
(1) Urine Therapy is not a new discove;y. (2) It was prevalent ;n India hundreds o~ years ago. (3) 1t has a curative as well as a preve11i:ive v<. lue if used properiy,
e. g., it, en restore health lost th~ou~,h an{ disease and preserve
health of th€ body. This book also gives an account of. tarious concomitant recipes. ~) prescribed to be taken along :vith urine for curing :l;fferen~ •\lllr)-LIR INI. I ill. i. \1'\ io
types of diseases That ·. •. IS not pertinent here B t. tram the alxJve dccount that most of the d. ~ It can be denved
unne. Apdrt from this. t. If k. ISeases can be cured by
f. 'I. IS we nown that. lwlr bodies healthy and f. d. yogts used tt to make ree tram tsease b f d. of mine who has rxact· d f e ore me ttatton. A friend tse yoga or yea d in the South read the account of m rs. un er experience yogis
that be also used url·ne d. h' y expenences and wrote to me unng ts yogic · body become healthy b t th. practtces. Not only does the
controlled and purified Suu -e "_'tndd -~n_d the senses. ue also well. -ccess ts etmttely a ·h.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: What do holy men from every faith say about the intellect?,
A: They say that the intellect is meant to work in co-operation with Nature.
Q: What is the main point of urine therapy, according to the author?,
A: The author emphasizes the importance of using urine therapy in harmony with Nature, as it is a natural and harmless way to cure diseases.
Q: What is the significance of the Bible in the context of urine therapy?,
A: The author quotes a passage from the Bible to support the use of urine therapy, citing the importance of drinking one's own urine to maintain health.
Q: What is the author's opinion on the use of urine therapy?,
A: The author believes that urine is a valuable gift from God, and its benefits should not be overlooked. He emphasizes the importance of using it as a natural remedy, as it is a powerful and harmless substance.


emed	she	was	taking	a	long	time
to	speak. “But	then	something	happened?”	I	asked. “She	said	a	woman	wanted	to	talk	to	me,	and	that	she	was	getting	images:
two	children,	one	far	away	now,	a	cabin	in	the	mountains,	a	great	field	of
white	(snow? a	frozen	lake?). We	do	have	two	grown	children,	and	our
daughter	lives	in	England. And	Ruth	and	I	liked	to	ski,	sometimes	renting	acabin	near	the	slopes. All	at	once	I	was	paying	attention.”
“A	lot	of	people	like	to	ski,”	I	remarked. He	sighed. “I	know. That’s	how	it	went. The	psychic	kept	hitting	on	things
that	felt	real	to	me,	but	if	you	weren’t	there—”
“I	didn’t	have	to	be	there. You	definitely	thought	it	was	Ruth.”
“Right	then	I	did. Maybe	because	I	wanted	it	to	be	her	so	damn	much.”
He	went	on	to	say—as	thousands	of	people	do	in	such	situations—that	the
psychic	came	up	with	many	arresting	details. Whoever	is	contacting	the
psychic	draws	a	picture	through	convincing	small	touches,	such	as	pet	names
and	quirky	events	that	stick	in	the	mind. I	said,	“Ruth	told	you	she	was	in	a	good	place	and	not	to	worry. She	was
safe	and	kept	telling	you	she	loved	you. Right?”
“I	know	it	sounds	trite,”	the	man	said	hesitantly. “But	it	felt	genuine. I	was
very	emotional	the	whole	time,	close	to	tears. The	session	lasted	maybe	forty-
five	minutes. The	psychic	hugged	me. It	had	been	emotional	for	her,	too;	it
was	weird	to	think	we	had	been	total	strangers	an	hour	ago.”
“And	what	has	been	the	fallout?”	I	asked. He	shrugged. “I	immediately	felt	better. But	then	doubts	crept	in. Why
was	Ruth	talking	only	about	things	I	already	knew? Was	the
psychic
	just
reading	my	mind,	or	my	aura,	whatever	that	is? Was	she	tuning	in	to	some
desperate	wish	of	mine? Now	I’m	not	sure	how	much	good	it	really	did.”
What	this	man	didn’t	know	was	that	I	had	had	a	similar	experience
myself. Several	years	ago	I	was	asked	to	participate	in	a	university	study	to
explore	whether	communication	with	the	dead	is	real. I	sat	in	a	sealed-off
room	and	was	told	to	say	nothing—all	contact	with	the	psychic	would	occur
through	the	experiment	leader. In	fact	there	were	three	psychics	connected	to
us	by	telephone,	each	in	a	different	part	of	the	country,	and	they	were	unable
to	hear	or	talk	to	one	another. Two	of	the	three	psychics	said,	“Do	you	have	Deepak	Chopra	in	the
room?”	They	had	not	been	told	who	I	was,	or	even	that	I	was	a	man. They
didn’t	hear	my	voice. All	three	said	that	someone	departed	wanted	to	talk	to	me. Two
immediately	knew	it	was	my	father,	who	had	died	suddenly	two	years
previously. One	took	a	bit	more	time	circling	around	the	relationship	with	me,
then	hit	on	it	being	my	father. This	“father”	knew	my	childhood	nickname	in
Hindi. He	said	he	was	happy	and	not	to	worry. All	three	psychics	came	up
with	these	generalized,	positive	sentiments. The	whole	thing	lasted	two	hours. Like	the	man	who	contacted	his	dead	wife,	I	thought	this	was	a	genuine
experience. I	also	came	away	with	doubts. My	“father”	knew	things	I	knew,
but	nothing	more. The	experiment	had	strict	guidelines,	which	I	came	to
regret. I	couldn’t	blurt	out	questions	or	react	to	what	I	was	hearing. I
wondered	why	the	departed	don’t	say	more	about	what	dying	is	like. Thereare	also	questions	about	whether	“Ruth”	and	my	“father”	should	be
considered	ghosts,	departed	souls,	or	not	quite	either. To	the	Vedic	rishis	they
were	wisps	of	memory	in	the	Akasha,	information	floating	around	until	it
found	a	place	to	attach	itself. “Ruth”	and	my	“father”	were	as	real	as	anything
else	in	the	Akasha,	but	to	give	them	quasi-physical	status	remains	a
problem
. I	prefer	to	view	the	“father”	who	talked	to	me	as	aspects	of	his	consciousness
that	had	such	a	close	association	to	me	that	we	could	still	communicate. Skeptics	would	point	out	that	we	are	in	the	habit	of	seeing	and	hearing
other	people,	a	habit	we	are	loath	to	drop	even	after	death. Therefore	a	ghost
is	a	holdover	created	by	the	mind. Believers	would	contend	the	opposite,	that
ghosts	are	real	and	almost	physical,	the	embodiment	in	shadowy	form	of
people	who	cannot	find	a	way	to	leave	this	world. But	in	both	cases	habit	and
memory	are	at	work. Was	it	my	habit	or	my	father’s	that	brought	us	together? I	think	a	bit	of	both,	because	anyone	whom	you	relate	to	through	love	and
intimacy	shares	your	consciousness. We	are	inside	one	another,	as	shown	by
how	easily	I	can	call	up	my	father’s	voice,	face,	mannerisms,	speech	patterns,
and	ways	of	thinking. To	some	extent	I	have	adapted	some	of	these	as	my
own,	which	further	blurs	the	line	between	us. When	we	speak	to	the	dead	we	are	using	a	familiar	connection,	then,	and
it	can	be	strong	or	weak. When	it’s	weak,	we	see	and	hear	the	deceased	in	our
minds;	when	it	is	strong,	we	see	and	hear	them	more	vividly,	as	if	outside
ourselves. But	neither	I	nor	my	father	is	outside	the	field. That’s	the	point	the
rishis	emphasize	over	and	over,	and	my	experience	tells	me	it’s	true. The	Powers	You	Need
To	successfully	navigate	the	“other	side”	means	mastering	the	powers	that	are
needed	there. If	the	“other	side”	isn’t	merely	an	imitation	of	this	side,	those
powers	must	be	different	from	willpower,	physical	strength,	and	the	other
familiar	supports	of	life	in	the	material	world. Yet	our	subtle	powers,	being
part	of	ourselves,	can’t	be	totally	foreign,	either. For	most	of	us	our	primary
world	is	physical,	of	course,	but	we	are	using	subtle	powers	all	the	time,	and
these	may	support	us	in	the	afterlife. If	the	rishis	are	correct	in	saying	that
everyone
inhabits
	the	Akashic	field,	both	in	life	and	after	death,	then	subtle
powers	of	consciousness	unite	both. T
HE
	P
OWERS
	Y
OU
	N
EED
Self-awareness:
	The	power	to	know	yourself. This	power	keeps	you
centered. Willingness:
	The	power	to	open	your	mind. This	power	allows	reality	to	beseen	despite	old	conditioning	and	beliefs. Intention:
	The	power	to	manifest	desires. This	power	connects	you	with
your	purpose. Discrimination:
	The	power	to	make	fine	distinctions.


 just explained that, before I could deal
with her gallbladder, I had to deal with her depression and try to give her a
reason for living. I recently saw a patient with a brain tumor that had already progressed
to the point of causing seizures. She was trying to decide whether to have it
surgically removed or treat it only with a nutritional program. A friend had
asked her to talk to me, since her regular doctors were all angry at her for
shying away from aggressive treatment of this critical illness. I sat and
talked with her until we got to the root of the problem—the fact that she
was very depressed, with no great desire to go on living. Therefore, it was
easier for her just to change her diet a little. This would cause her no great
discomfort, and if she died it would be no great loss as far as she was
concerned. My ef fort, then, was to show her how to make her life
interesting enough to continue living. Then she would be in a position to
choose modern techniques for dealing with the emer gency, as well as to
change her outlook thoroughly for the future. I recommend that patients do not reject standard medical techniques, at
least as one option. Most people are simply not strong enough to “leave
their troubles to God,” that is, heal themselves through finding peace of
mind and developing a clear conscience. Drugs and sur gery buy time, and
may cure, while patients work to change their lives. Soon after we’d set up ECaP, I was interviewed by the Midnight Globe
tabloid. The resulting article was very fair and the quotations accurate, but I
was upset by the headline: “Sur geon Says Mind Can Cure Cancer.” I
thought it was simplistic and misleading. The more I worked with patients,
however, the more I came to see that the statement was correct. Now I
consider those omnipresent supermarket newspapers to be important
medical journals. (I say this tongue mostly in cheek.) The mind can cure
cancer, but that doesn’ t mean it’ s easy. The paradox is wonderfully expressed by an old Sufi story. A stranger
comes upon a man on his hands and knees under a street lamp in front of
his house. He’ s looking for his keys, and the stranger gets down on all fours
to help him. After a time, the stranger asks, “Where exactly did you drop
them?”
“In my house,” comes the reply. Exasperated, the stranger asks, “Then why are you looking out here?”“Because it’ s dark in the house.”
The light is better in our conscious minds, but we must look for healing
in the dark unconscious. The doctor works in the light. He is verbal and
logical. The patient’ s world may be dark, but there are sources of
illumination. Within each of us is a spark. Call it a divine spark if you will,
but it is there and can light the way to health. There are no incurable
diseases, only incurable people. OceanofPDF.com4
In the long run…no conscious will can ever r eplace the life instinct. —C ARL JUNG, Late Thoughts
OceanofPDF.comThe Will to Live
One of my patients, as soon as she was diagnosed as having cancer, went
home and donated all her clothes to Goodwill Industries. More clearly than
anything she ever said, this act showed her belief that the disease would
inevitably kill her, so she might as well give up without a fight. For many people, “Y ou have cancer” are the three most dreaded words
in our language. Those who hear them experience many emotions, which
often change as people accept the news and deal with it. Some of these
feelings may remain buried in the unconscious, and it’ s essential to bring
them into the patient’ s conscious awareness. Initially, the diagnosis is always handled with some degree of denial. This allows a person to accept it over a period of time. Sometimes patients
are more depressed six months later than when they first hear the bad news,
because it may take that long to truly hear what they have been told. Some
persons seem to disbelieve the diagnosis, going on with their lives as
though nothing is wrong. Usually they are simply denying their emotions:
internally they are coming apart, but they refuse to reveal their feelings,
perhaps because of early parental messages, such as “Don’ t tell the
neighbors your troubles.” That is a sure way to self-destruct. Performing for
the sake of others destroys you. A small number may act almost psychotic, really believing that nothing
has happened to them. If a person can maintain that kind of abnormal
denial, then cancer is not an emotional stress. But the majority cannot. Others seem to accept the truth, yet refuse to admit it on a deeper level. These are often the ones who submit to treatment but never commit
themselves wholeheartedly to trying to get well. One of my patients
declined to join ECaP  with the explanation “I haven’ t told my children I
have cancer, so how can I appear in a group? I might meet someone I
know.” To many people, it’ s less painful in the short run to keep up a false
front than to confront the terror of a life-threatening illness. Knowing the
truth yet refusing to admit it prevents an ef fective response. Sharing one’ s
fears and problems leads to relief and healing within the body. Knowing
what you are fighting and how to fight are the keys. Denial may be better
than stoicism or despair but it is not the best approach. I try to carefully
convert deniers into fighters.As we’ve seen in the previous chapter, those who develop cancer have
often felt a sense of despair about their lives for months or years. After the
diagnosis, they may feel this even more painfully, sometimes withdrawing
from all human contact. They may also see their impending death as a sort
of sacrifice or martyrdom. These are the ones who refuse to spend money
on treatment because they feel they must save it for other people’ s needs,
such as their children’ s college education. Some simply have never done
anything for themselves and don’ t “know how.” Others are trading their
illness for conditional love and may even, in a sense, die to gain love. Many cancer patients experience a flood of self-pity, an attitude of
“Why me?” This is usually linked to strong feelings of anger, only some of
which are conscious. The patient wonders why he, instead of someone else,
has been af flicted with a predisposition to cancer. Hence many people get
furious with God, as well as with the physician—the messenger who
brought the bad news. Oddly enough, only a few express rage against the
cigarette industry, the pesticide industry, the food-additive industry, the
nuclear -power industry, and other external sources of malignancy. In the
case of smoking, patients tend to realize that they took the risk themselves
because they were unhappy, and thus get angry with family members and
others who, they feel, made them unhappy. While the typical patient may
ask, “Why me, Lord?” the exceptional patient says, as one ECaP  member
did, “T ry me, Lord.”
I want to emphasize that all emotions are justified at this stage and must
be expressed. Much of the anger is well founded. Cancer ’s complex causes
aren’ t all in the mind. Genes and carcinogens are important factors, and it’ s
worthwhile to work toward genetic cures and environmental sanity. But
some whose parents had cancer or who have been heavily exposed to
carcinogens still don’ t come down with the disease. Cigarette smokers who
are emotionally well adjusted or who eat a healthy diet high in vitamin A
have less lung cancer than those who are depressed or eat poorly. To
balance our research into cancer ’s molecular seeds, we need to learn about
the state of mind and body that prevents the seeds from growing. Moreover, patients often concentrate on the obvious external tar gets
while more personal angers that are harder to acknowledge remain hidden
and increase their susceptibility to illness. For those who already have
cancer, the psychological aspects of the disease are the crucial ones. We
can’t change the past—our parents and our exposure to carcinogens—butwe can change ourselves and thus our future. As one of my patients said,
“Cancer isn’ t a sentence, it’ s just a word.”
When I began ECaP, I experienced tremendous amounts of this anger. The first group of patients had never had a chance to express it, and they all
came angry to the first meetings. Initially this made it hard for me to talk to
other doctors about my work. I heard so much anger at physicians that
when I left the meetings I was mad at doctors, too. For a while I told every
colleague I met, “Y ou’re a typical doctor.” They knew this was a derogatory
statement. Fortunately, my partners asked me what was happening, and I
realized I was taking home my patients’  anger, because I was the only one
there to absorb it. Now the more experienced ECaP  members also help the
newcomers work through their rage. I’m not saying that anger at the externals should be suppressed—just
the opposite. Patients must be encouraged to express all their angers,
resentments, hatreds, and fears. These emotions are signs that we care to the
ut


 (even the squash can also be used) is mixed
with 400 ml water. To this 15–20 grams of sugar is added and2. 3. 4. 5. 6.dissolved. is is taken as a soft drink in the morning and evening
time. Dose is 100–200 ml, twice or thrice a day. is recipe works well in the treatment of bilious headache
(headache associated with gastritis, weak digestion, bloating,
tastelessness, nausea, vomiting, acidic reux, morning sickness etc. Tender Leaf Bud Chutney for Anorexia
10–20 leaf buds are taken, mixed with 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds and a
cup of grated coconut powder. is is churned/pounded well. According to one’s liking salt and pepper are also added. is chutney
is very tasty and improves the capacity of digestion. Leaf Soup in Head Ache and Indigestion
8–10 mature leaves are taken and cooked well with a cup of water. Filtered. To the liquid, spices and a little salt are added and heated. On
proper cooking the leaves are thrown out. To this, 2 pinches of each of
pepper, ginger, cumin seed powders and salt are added and heated in
mild re for a couple of minutes. is soup is eﬀective in headache and
indigestion. Stem Bark Decoction to Wash Wounds
20 Grams of stem bark is added with 5 cups of water, boiled and
reduced to half a cup. Filtered. is Kashaya is added with 2 and the
decoction is prepared. is is used for washing wounds. is ensures
quick wound healing. Seed Oil/Butter Application in Burns and Scalds
e seed oil or Kokum butter is very eﬀective in cases like burns and
scalds. Regular application helps to remove the burn marks too. Kokum Fruit Skin Paste Over the Scalp for Headache and
Dizziness7. 8.e fresh fruit skin is made into ne paste. In case of dry fruit, skin is
peeled and soaked in water, then made into paste. is is applied to the
middle of the scalp. is helps to relieve burning of the scalp, vertigo,
headache and dizziness. Kokum Dry Fruit Soup in Indigestion, Hyper Acidity, Flatulence
and Tastelessness Conditions
Kokum dry fruit skin is soaked in water and kept overnight. It is
macerated well and soup is made. Or else soft drink is made by adding
sugar. is works well in cases like indigestion, hyperacidity, atulence,
tastelessness etc. Substitute for Tamarind
e Kokum fruits are used as good substitute for tamarind, especially
while cooking meat. Kokum is not mere a fruit but a health supplement in several ill-
health conditions. Its use in both external and internal purpose is
highly appreciable.1.117. 8 Methi (Fenugreek)
Remedies for Cholesterol,
Diabetes, Gastritis
By Dr. M.S. Krishnamurthy MD (Ayu), Ph.D.
Y
Fenugreek (Methi) seeds (Trigonella foenum-graecum) are used in many dishes. It is appreciated due to its important chemical constituents like vitamin C,
niacin, potassium, lysine and L-tryptophan, iron, copper, manganese,
magnesium, phosphorus etc. It is used for the treatment of arthritis, asthma, bronchitis, digestive
disturbances, male impotency, skin ailments, sore throat, acid reux, hormonal
disorders, type 2 diabetes etc. is is used as nutritive supplement especially in growing children and
during pregnancy as well as lactating period. Its powder, medicated milk, sweet
preparations etc are used for this purpose. Fenugreek Home Remedies
Fenugreek Remedy for Cholesterol
10 Grams ne powder of fenugreek is administered along with warm
water (or buttermilk), daily. 5 Grams 2 times a day can also be administered. is reduces cholesterol signicantly.2. 3. 4. 5. 6.20–30 days administration determines the benet. Fenugreek – Turmeric Remedy for Diabetes (Type 2 DM)
Equal quantity of fenugreek and turmeric are taken and ne powder is
made. is is administered in the dose of 5 grams daily along with
water, preferably in empty stomach. is is eﬀective in the treatment of
Type 2 Diabetes mellitus. Fenugreek Fine Paste in Hyperacidity, Gastritis
3–5 Grams of seeds are soaked in water overnight. Next day morning
this is macerated well and ne paste is made. As it contains mucilage, it helps in soothing the gastrointestinal
inammation by coating the lining of the stomach and intestine; after
maceration it is consumed as it is. Or, half a cup of water can be added
to it and can be consumed, 30 minutes before food. It relieves the reux esophagitis and gastritis. Herbal Tea of Fenugreek in Strengthening the Gut
Fenugreek seeds are fried a little and cooked well with milk (by adding
little sugar, if necessary). is is taken as a substitute to tea or coﬀee. is gives good strength to the intestines and improves the capacity
of the digestion. Medicated Milk of Fenugreek for Lactating Mothers
5–8 Grams of fenugreek seeds are soaked in water overnight. Next day
this is cooked well with 200 ml of milk. If one likes, jaggery can be
added. is helps to increase breast milk production and hence
recommended for lactating mothers. Fenugreek Decoction (Herbal Tea) with Ghee in Constipation and
Haemorrhoids7. 8.5–10 Grams seeds are taken and cooked well with a cup of water and
decoction is made. is is consumed while it is lukewarm along with
half spoon of ghee. is eases the bowel and hence relieves constipation
as well as hemorrhoids. Traditional Oil of Fenugreek for Hair Fall
30–40 Grams of fenugreek seeds are powdered well and taken in a
wide mouthed steel vessel. To this 150 ml coconut or sesame oil is
added and kept under sun for 6 days. en it is ltered and stored. Regular application of this oil (Adityapaka taila) acts as a good hair
tonic. Fenugreek Paste as Hair Conditioner
8–10 Grams of fenugreek seeds are taken and soaked in water and kept
overnight. is is made into ne paste and this is applied over scalp as
hair mask. is is retained for 30–45 m inutes and rinsed with water. is acts as a natural hair conditioner.1. 2. 3.118. 8 Traditional Home
Remedies Using Tamarind
Leaves, Fruit, Seeds
By Dr. M.S. Krishnamurthy MD (Ayu), Ph.D.
Y
Tamarind seeds, leaves, bark and owers are also useful in various forms as
home remedies in treating many diseases. In India a side dish, soup or curry
without tamarind is diﬃcult to imagine. Tamarind Fruit Paste in Maturation of the Abscess
1 part Tamarind fruit pulp (partially ripened, fully ripened or even the
old tamarind can also be used) and 1/4 part dehydrated calcium
(Choona in Hindi) are taken together and ne paste is made by mixing
them together. is is applied over the abscess. is helps in early
maturation of the abscess (suppuration and pus formation, after which
the abscess is incised to let out the pus). Leaf Paste in Joint Pain
1–2 stful of mature leaves are collected and ne paste is made. is is
applied over the joints and wrapped with a cloth. is is very eﬀective
against the arthritis and relieves joint swelling. Bark Ash in White Patches of the Skin
e tree bark is taken in iron pan and made into ash by burning in
open air. is is sieved well and ne ash obtained is collected and4. 5. 6. 7.stored. To this little sesame oil is mixed and applied over the white
patches due to fungal infection. 5–6 days application usually pacies
the complaint. It is useful in treating eczema as well. Seed Coat in Premature Ejaculation
Tamarind seeds are collected and fried a little in a pan. is helps to
take away seed coat. is seed coat is made into


Smoothies
Using vegetable smoothies at social gatherings is just plain
smart. You want a slightly sweet and pleasing drink to share
with friends, so these nonalcoholic and spiked cocktails are not
only delicious but good for you. Table 16-1 lists vegetables that
work well for party smoothies, tells you how much to use, and
outlines what they’ll do for your body.M i n t e d  C a r r o t  M o c k t a i l
Prep time: About 4 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
2 mangoes
2 slices pineapple, 1/2 inch thick
1 carrot, lightly steamed
3/4 cup fresh carrot juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 to 4 fresh mint leaves for garnish (optional)Dir ections
1 Peel the mangoes and remove the stones. Cut the mangoes and
pineapple slices into chunks. 2 Cut the carrot into chunks. 3 Combine the carrot juice, lemon juice, mangoes, pineapple,
carrot, and chopped mint in the blender container. 4 Secure the lid on the container. 5 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of vegetable in the mixture. 6 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, garnish with fresh mint leaves
(if using), and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 204 (From Fat 9); Fat 1g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 73mg;
Carbohydrate 52g (Dietary Fiber 6g); Protein 3g. S p i c y  T o m a t o  M o c k t a i l
Prep time: About 4 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1 apple
3/4 cup fresh carrot juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 tomatoes, quartered
2 stalks celery
2 slices pineapple, 1/2 inch thick
1/2 to 1 jalapeno pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro2 to 4 fresh cilantro leaves for garnish (optional)
Dir ections
1 Peel the apple (if not organic) and cut into quarters. Remove
the core and seeds. 2 Cut the celery stalks and pineapple slices into chunks. 3 Combine the carrot juice, lime juice, tomatoes, celery,
pineapple, apple, hot pepper, and cilantro. 4 Secure the lid on the container. 5 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of vegetable in the mixture. 6 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, garnish with fresh cilantro
leaves (if using), and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 161 (From Fat 14); Fat 2g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 124mg;
Carbohydrate 39g (Dietary Fiber 6g); Protein 4g. Tip: Rim the edges of the glasses with coarse salt. Combine 1/2 cup
coarse salt and 1 tablespoon fresh, chopped parsley, thyme, or
cilantro. Tip into a shallow dish or saucer. Run a wedge of lime or
lemon around the edges of the glasses. Turn glasses upside down
and set into the herbed salt. Twist to secure salt to the rim of the
glasses and remove. Turn the right side up and ﬁll with the
smoothie mixture. C a r r o t  M o c k  M i m o s a
Prep time: About 3 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
2 slices pineapple, 1/2 inch thick1/2 cup fresh carrot juice
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 carrots, lightly steamed
Ice
1/2 cup club soda
Dir ections
1 Cut the pineapple slices into chunks. 2 Combine the carrot juice, orange juice, pineapple, and carrots
in the blender container. 3 Secure the lid on the container. 4 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of vegetable in the mixture. 5 Fill 2 tall glasses with ice halfway. Pour the smoothie into the
glasses, about three-quarters full. Add club soda, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 103 (From Fat 4); Fat 0g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 72mg;
Carbohydrate 24g (Dietary Fiber 3g); Protein 2g. Tip: You can use raw carrots if you want, but cooked carrots make
a smoother drink. Tip: Garnish with orange slices if you wish. The ice may be
omitted if you want. N o - j i t o
Prep time: About 4 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients1 avocado
1 stalk celery
1 apple
2 cups fresh or 1 cup frozen spinach
3/4 cup fresh carrot juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 to 4 fresh mint leaves for garnish (optional)
Dir ections
1 Cut the avocado in half, remove the stone, and peel. Cut the
avocado and celery into chunks. 2 Peel the apple (if not organic) and cut into quarters. Remove
the core and seeds. 3 Chop the spinach if using frozen. 4 Combine the carrot juice, lime juice, spinach, celery, avocado,
apple, and chopped mint in the blender container. 5 Secure the lid on the container. 6 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of vegetable in the mixture. 7 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, garnish with fresh mint leaves
(if using), and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 215 (From Fat 117); Fat 13g (Saturated 3g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 97mg;
Carbohydrate 27g (Dietary Fiber 11g); Protein 5g. Vary It! This makes a thick smoothie. You can thin it by using 1
cup carrot juice or by using 1/2 avocado.R e d  V e l v e t
Prep time: About 4 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 4 servings
Ingr edients
1/2 avocado
1/2 red pepper
1 apple
2 small beets, lightly steamed
1 cup almond milk
2 ounces vodka, light rum, or gin
1/4 cup cashews or macadamia nuts
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 to 2 tablespoons honey (or to taste)
1 cup frozen strawberries
Dir ections
1 Cut the avocado and red pepper into chunks. 2 Peel the apple (if not organic) and cut into quarters. Remove
the core and seeds. 3 Peel the beets and cut into chunks. 4 Combine the almond milk, alcohol, avocado, pepper, apple,
beets, nuts, cocoa powder, and honey in the blender container. 5 Secure the lid on the container. 6 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of vegetable in the mixture.7 Add frozen strawberries and pulse for 30 seconds or until
blended into the mixture. 8 Pour the smoothie into 4 glasses, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 206 (From Fat 77); Fat 9g (Saturated 2g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 73mg;
Carbohydrate 25g (Dietary Fiber 6g); Protein 4g. Vary It! The avocado makes this a thick drink. You can omit it for
a thinner smoothie. G r a p e  C o c k t a i l
Prep time: About 4 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1/2 avocado
1 cup grape juice
1 cup blueberries
2 cups chopped red cabbage
1 cup frozen red grapes
2 ounces vodka, light rum, or gin
Dir ections
1 Peel and cut the ﬂesh of the avocado into chunks. Tightly wrap
and refrigerate the remaining half. 2 Combine the grape juice, avocado, blueberries, and cabbage in
the blender container. 3 Secure the lid on the container. 4 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of vegetable in the mixture.5 Add frozen grapes and pulse for 30 seconds or until blended
into the mixture. 6 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, add 1 ounce of alcohol to
each glass, stir, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 320 (From Fat 65); Fat 7g (Saturated 1g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 52mg;
Carbohydrate 99g (Dietary Fiber 16g); Protein 7g. Vary It! Ice thickens and chills smoothies. Add


on the left foot. selF-helP
Interlace your fingers  and roll a
golf ball over the pancreas  reflex
area several times a day. If the
surface of the golf ball is too hard
for your hands, use it only briefly.Musculoskeletal system
The muscles, bones, and joints that make up the musculoskeletal system
support the body and enable us to move. Movement occurs at joints, the point
where two bones meet, driven by the power of muscles. Signals from the brain
and nerves activate the muscles to contract, producing movement. 272 targeting health concernsDisorders of the musculoskeletal system can
result from heredity, injury, over-use, stress, and
the natural process of aging. Reﬂexology work
targets the reﬂex area corresponding to the
affected part of the musculoskeletal system and/
or the solar plexus area for relief of tension. As
you work with such reflex areas, sculpt your
technique application accordingly, walking with
the thumb around the joint or bone of the foot. Hand orientation Foot orientation BodY orientationFor concerns that have an impact on the whole
body, such as arthritis, apply reflexology
technique to reflex areas throughout the whole
foot. To target a particular part of the spine,
focus your reflexology work on the reflex area
corresponding to the specific vertebrae. To
further target a musculoskeletal concern, also
consider referral areas and zones (see pp22-5)
as well as pain. 2
areaS WorKed
1 spine
2 shoulder
3 knee
4 leg
5 hip1
6 elbow
7 arm
8 lower  back
9 neckleFt Foot
1 spine
2 shoulder
3 hip
4 elbow5 arm
6 neckleFt Hand
1 spine
2 shoulder
3 knee
4 leg
5 hip6 elbow
7 arm
8 lower  back
9 neck3459
67
812
3456
9
1
8543672musculoskeletal system 2731 Steady the foot with your left hand and use the
right thumb to walk through the tailbone
reflex area. Make a succession of passes.Foot techniques
Thumb-walking technique conforms to the foot’s shape,
thus most conveniently and effectively working reflex
areas corresponding to the musculoskeletal system. 2 Hold the toes back with your right hand, and
thumb-walk with your left hand up through the
shoulder  reflex area beneath the little toe. 3 Start by holding the foot
upright with your left
hand. Use the index finger of
the right hand to walk around
the ankle bone and through
the hip and sciatic nerve
reflex areas. 4 Next, thumb-walk through
the knee  and leg reflex
areas, making a series of passes.274 health concerns1To work the spine, hold the hand upright with
your left hand. Start with the tailbone  reflex
area and use your right thumb to walk up along the
bony edge of the hand, through the lower back,
upper back, and neck  areas. Make several passes.Hand techniques
Work the reflex areas of both hands for a
general musculoskeletal concern. If a specific
concern affects one side, work the hand on
that side. Desserts help ease aches and pains. 2Change hands so that the right hand holds the
fingers back and the left hand applies the
thumb-walking technique. Walk across the shoulder
reflex area at the base of the little finger, making
several passes and contouring around the bone. 3Hold the fingers back with the left hand and
position the right thumb and index finger to
press on the fleshy outer part of the hand, the arm
reflex area. Reposition and press again.4Next, use all four fingers of the right hand to
apply the multiple finger-walking technique
across the lower back  reflex area. Make a
succession of finger-walking passes. musculoskeletal system 275Musculoskele tal
health concern s
Aside from targeting reflex areas that mirror
skeletal structures, also apply technique to
those that correspond to muscles, tendons
and ligaments. Muscles under tension
contribute to joint pain and backaches. In
addition, injury to muscles, tendons, or
ligaments can have an impact on the joints. 2Place your right thumb on the stem of the big
toe and walk across the neck  reflex area using
the thumb-walking technique. Make at least two
passes, one high and one low. Repeat several times.1Steady the foot with your left hand. Position your working thumb at the
lower back  reflex areas, and thumb-
walk through the area several times. 3Work the upper back  reflex area. Use your
right index finger to walk down the troughs
between the long bones of the foot, spreading the
toes as you work your way from the big to little toe. Use your left index finger to work your way back.The nervous system
The most complex system  in the body, the nervous system regulates
hundreds of activities simultaneously. It is the source of our consciousness and
intelligence, and enables us to communicate and feel emotions. The system also
monitors and controls almost all of our bodily processes. 276 health concernsReflex areas corresponding to the nervous
system are specific to a localized region of the
big toe or thumb. The toes and fingers also
reflect a portion of these reflex areas. The sensory motor cortex detects and directs
conscious movement. The pituitary is the master
endocrine gland, directing all activities. The
hypothalamus directs activities of the pituitary
as well as many other body functions. The
1 sensory  motor  cortex
2 pituitar y/hypothalamus
3 cerebellum
4 brain stem
5 sipinal  cordleft and right feet
1 sensory  motor  cortex
2 pituitar y/hypothalamus
3 brain stem
4 cerebellumhand orientation
left hand
1 brain
2 spinal  cord
3 brain stemfoot orientation BodY orientation
areaS WorKedcerebellum is responsible for the coordination
of movement and balance. The brain stem is the
common pathway and it coordinates the flow of
information to and from the brain. The health of the nervous system is impacted
by accident, injury, and stress. Lack of
stimulation affects the nervous system as well. Reflexology provides stimulation to the nervous
system and thus helps its optimal functioning. 1
2
3
4
312
3
4
5
21the nervous system 2771To work the brain  reflex
areas, thumb-walk down the
toe. Make several passes. Then
thumb-walk down the big toe and
the smaller toes. Change hands.Foot techniques
The thumb-walking technique best allows the thumb to
contour the foot. Use little steps to work these relatively
small areas in the toes effectively and be alert to sensitive
areas, which will require additional work. Hand techniques
Reflex areas of the brain
are reflected in the thumb. Careful thumb-walking in
small steps is needed. The
hand is easily accessible and
therefore highly convenient
for more frequent
applications. To more
thoroughly work the brain
reflex area (not shown),
work through the reflex
areas reflected in the fingers.2To work the spine and
spinal cord area, thumb-
walk up the hand’s edge. Make
several passes. Use the finger-pull
dessert to help relax the spine. 2Next, thumb-walk up the
side of the big toe, the brain
reflex area. Make multiple passes. Change hands to work the brain
stem reflex area. 3Steady the foot and use the
right thumb to walk through
the spine  and spinal cord
reflex area. Reposition your
working hand as needed. 1Thumb-walk through the
brain stem  reflex area. Make multiple passes. Use the
finger side-to-side dessert on the
thumb to help relax the area. 278 health concernsStroke, epilepsy &
cerebral palsy
With cerebral palsy and epilepsy patients,
technique is applied to the toes of both feet. For stroke patients, technique application is
focused on the foot opposite the paralysis.Bell’s palsy
Bell’s palsy is paralysis of
one side of the face due to
impingement on the facial
nerve. It is particularly
devastating because of its
visibility. Frequent technique
application is the key to
results. Focus on the areas
shown and apply technique
until you see results.2 To work the brain stem
reflex areas, walk up the side
of the big toe with your thumb. Make several passes.Alzheimer’s
& dem entia
Frequency counts when
working with Alzheimer’s
and dementia patients. If
possible, apply techniques
three times a day. Respect
the individual’s sensitivities,
winning cooperation by
starting gradually and then
building up to longer, more
frequent sessions. 1 To work the brain  area,
walk with your thumb down
the center and the side of each toe. Make multiple passes. 2 Work the neck  reflex area,
concentrating on the joint by
thumb-walking down the big toe. 1 Finger-walk through the
reflex area of the facial nerve
below the nail of the big toe. Thumb-walk down  the centers and sides of


 and
volunteering. W ow. It was exh austing just writing all of that. Y et many
women are doing all this. In the not-too-distant past, women didn’ t even
handle t he traditional household roles alone. They had support networks. Extended family members shared tasks, and the burden was spread across
many instead of piled up on one. W omen today feel ashamed that  they can’ t do it all, but they were never
meant to. They shouldn’ t consid er it a weakness to need help o r to want to
embrace their femininity. W omen should be proud of their ability to create,
to acknowledge their emotions, to be nurturing and sensitive. These are all
great qu alities. W omen shouldn ’ t be afraid to ask for help or  admit that
they’re not Hercules. (Y ou shou ldn’ t be able to carry six grocery bags in
one haul. ) I discov ered my swelling yang ener gy when I was learning to dance
salsa. I had recently come out o f a harsh breakup, and I made the decision
to learn how to salsa dance. Partner dancing is very much a sec ond chakra
activity. It’ s flowing, dynamic, and sensual and has a sense o f give-and-
take. While I fully embrace my feminine side,  I am a high-powered woman. I am a single mom. I run my own business, my household, and my life. I’m
used to being in control. But whoa, did I learn the hard way that that doesn’ t
work on  the dance floor. I took on dance lessons like I take on l ife. I said to
myself, I’m goin g to work har d and learn this right. I’m going to be a g r eat
dancer, learn the steps, and perfect this. I was so goal oriented and yang in
my thinking, you’d think I was a CEO launching a startup. Salsa da ncing is  dif ficult to lear n, but it’ s not a left-brained activity. It’ s
an a rt. I t’ s move ment and creativity. Supportive — and, I might add, very
patient —  dance partners taught me how to embrace my second chakra
ener gy. They did this by gently reminding me, “Relax. Let me lead. ” The
first one  hundre d or so times I danced salsa, I heard that phrase again and
again. The funny thing is, I thought I was  letting them lead. I learned how
to be a woman once again on the dance floor. If I hadn’ t let my dance
partners lead, the dynamics of duality and polarity could have never taken
place. Y ou can’ t have two leade rs or two followers on the dance floor — itsimply doesn’ t work. The beauty is in yin and yang meshing together
perfectly to create the work of art you see in dance competitions. W omen need to decide what ener gy they truly want to embrace in their
relationships. So metimes I see w omen who really want to be feminine and
act through yin ener gy, but they don’ t let themselves, out of fear of being
weak. In reality, though, weakness lies only in not knowing who you are or
in sending out conflicting messages to the world that don’ t reflect what you
feel inside. I see  this especi ally in dating. Because they’re overidentified with yang
ener gy, many women have bec ome more assertive in dating and in some
cases downright aggressive. T raditionally, thanks to his competitive yang
nature, a man would want to pursue the wo man, woo her, and win her heart. But toda y, when  women take o n the yang role, the ener getic transfer can
take aw ay the man’ s drive to go out there and work hard to get what he
wants. As a  woman, figuring out how to balance your second chakra involves
knowing how you would like to embrace your feminine ener gy so you can
keep it open and flowing at all t imes. Figure out who you are and how you
want this ener gy to manifest, and stick with it. For example, if you’ve
always w anted t o be a stay-at-ho me mom, but family pressures have caused
you to remain in a full-time job, you can work toward the role you want to
embrace. Y ou could, for exam ple, explore the options of a home-based
business working only part-time. I have a friend who ran a home daycare as
soon as her first  child was born. It allowed her to have income while being
able to stay at home with her children. For your own health, try not to let
society’ s expectations get in the way of knowing what’ s right for you. When
you meditate, focus on your sec ond chakra and especially your female sex
or gans, and ask yourself if you’re fully embracing who you are. If you’re
not, wha t’ s holding you back. Stay true to yourself, and you’ll f ind you can
more easily become your own best friend. Living Life in the Svadhisthana Chakra
A person living in the second chakra is like a child exploring the world for
the first  time without restraint. Imagine the person is a butterfly flitting
from flower to flower, tastin g, experiencing, and then flying of f toexperience some more. The words that describe this person are imagination,
emotion, and indulgence. When it comes to dealing with emotional second chakra people, you’d
better watch out. While first chakra people tend to get angry and violent
when they’re upset, second ch akra people throw temper tantrums to get
what they want. They sulk, cry, and use emotional blackmail to get their
way. Y ou may feel you’re on an emotional roller coaster in their presence. Balanced second  chakra people are carefree and imaginative. They like
to play out the dramatic role of heroine or dream of being fam ous actors. They may not have the wherewithal to buckle down and set goals to achieve
their dreams, but they talk a g ood game on how they will be rich and
famous. They love art, poetry, and romance. Like kids in a candy shop, second chakra people tend to over indulge. They overeat, usually eating to o many sweets, and indulge in alcohol or
drugs. The overindulgence may very well come in other forms such as
shopping, gamb ling, or hoarding. Addictions are typically a problem for
people living completely in second chakra ener gy. Recognizing Second Chakra Imbalances
When yo ur seco nd chakra is out of balance, it can cause you to be reactive,
to g et bogged d own in deep, dark emotions, and to for get your higher
purpose. Y ou can get caught up in emotional battles with yourself or others,
which keeps you operating from a low level. Y ou lim it yourself and your Sv adhisthana power when you engage in
negative self-ta lk because your emotions tell you, for example, “Y ou
screwed up again. Y ou just gaine d ten pounds”; or when you down an entire
bottle of  wine because you feel your husband will never understand you; or
when you get back at a lover by having sex with someone else. Also, ha ving shameful feelings about your own sexuality will create
blockages and hinder your creativity. Blocking the flow of ener gy c an be as
harmful as overindulging in the ener gy without boundaries. Accepting Second Chakra GiftsThe gifts you re ceive from your sacral chakra are perhaps some of the most
powerful and transformative gifts of all. Sex T ransmutation
According to Napoleon Hill, au thor of the world-famous book Think and
Gr ow Rich, sexual ener gy is the most potent ener gy we possess as humans. He explains that it’ s the most powerful, motivating, and moving ener gy if
we transmute it wisely — in other words, channel it into other creative
pursuits and bring new ideas in to being to make the world a better place. And, he continues, if we combine sexual ener gy with the ener gy of love
(fourth c hakra), we can attain anything we put our minds to. He calls this
power sex transmutation. Y ou can channel your sexual ener gy into any creative activity, whether
it’ s baki ng a delicious dessert, m aking a costume, choreographing a dance,
or in venting a n ew electronic device. Entrepreneurs, writers, and scientists
are e xamples of those who know how to successfully use sexual ener gy by
converting it into creative power. Sexual Intimacy
Using se xual ener gy for sexual intimacy and pleasure is discu ssed in the
Y oga Sutras of Patanjali. The first yoga sutra presents the yamas, moral
precepts for those who wish to live a yogic and disciplined lifestyle. The
fourth yama is bramacharya. Br amacharya can be interpre ted as sexual
restraint. The original concept was to refrain from sexual activity to
preserve the sexual fluids, known as shukra  in Sanskrit, to gain greater
illumination. In a way, it m irrors the philosophical thought of sex
transmutation. Bramacharya was


strengths as a compensation for your weaknesses. We will now examine
how this dynamic can change. PART TWO
Satisfying inner  need has to go deeper than what society or your ego tells
you will suf fice. T o be in separation is by definition to be insecure. Inner need must be faced befor e you can feel secur e. To be aware of inner need is healthy, to deny inner need is unhealthy. Everyone brings needs to a relationship, and admitting this makes it more
honest. Nevertheless, inner need can become so great that it distorts your
view of yourself. A person dominated by neediness will tend to have
recurring thoughts like these:
I’m not smart enough. I’m not beautiful enough. I’m not desirable enough. I’m not lovable enough. I never do the right thing. Something’ s wrong with me. I’m not as good as X. Whatever is happening to trigger these beliefs, and no matter how
convinced you are by them, they are totally false. In the light of spirit you
are wholeness and therefore lack for nothing. You are love and therefore
must be lovable and desirable. You are unique and therefore cannot be
compared with anyone else. In the eyes of spirit you ar e always enough. A relationship should constantl y reinforce the belief that both partners
are enough, that fulfillment lies within by its very nature. “I am” is the
primal feeling of existence, and within “I am” there is total peace and
security. More often than not, however, relationships are unbalanced. One
partner feels much more insecur ity, much more inner need. This imbalance
is tested in the following questionnaire:
Answering as honestly as you can, which of the following statements
apply to you. In my marriage, I’m the one who
1. Feels more unhappy if left alone at night.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: According to the text, what is the primary source of love?,
A: The beloved, as a safe zone, is the primary source of love.
Q: What is the key to letting go of control in a relationship?,
A: Allowing, which includes acceptance, tolerance, and non-resistance.
Q: What is the most loving thing you can do for your beloved if they are struggling with control issues?,
A: Encourage their shifts and the healing of their inner needs.
Q: What is the purpose of Shakti, according to the text?,
A: Shakti is the divine spark, the flow of God's love, and is the source of creative potential.
Q: What is the primary motivation for attachment, according to the text?,
A: Separation from God, spirit, and Self, which is the underlying anxiety that created the need in the first place.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>The aggressiveness of a warrior doesn’ t
correspond to Shiva, who has no need to intrude, conquer, overcome,
acquire, or compete. Although he is called “destroyer of worlds” in the
Bhagavad-Gita, what is meant is that Shiva absorbs the universe back into
himself at the end of creation. This isn’t a violent act, any more than it is
violent for your brain to reabsorb the neurochemicals that form ed your last
thought; in both cases the found ation for a new creation, a new thought, has
been laid. Shiva is at least a familiar name in the West, known to be one of the three
primal gods of India, along with Brahma and Vishnu. Each was conceived
as a particular form of the divine: Brahma is the creator of the universe,
Vishnu the maintainer, and Shiva the destroyer. It would be a mistake,
though, as I just explained, to think of Shiva as some kind of apocalyptic
avenger, or even as a being outside ourselves. God is within, and the three-part division of the divine is only an image
or metaphor for something that cannot be divided. By analogy consider how
an image, such as the face of someone you love, arises in your mind. Theimage is created, maintains itself for an instant, then disappears. We could
therefore divide  the mind into creator, maintainer, and destroyer, but the
actual experience of thinking is continuous and unbroken. So it is with spirit, which is always experienced as wholeness, but unlike
the mind, spirit cannot be assigned a place the way we conveniently assign
mind to the brain. God is neithe r here nor there, inside nor outside. Shiva is
best understood as omnipresence, a silent awareness that permeates
everything. Of the threefold gods only Shiva is equated with God because
God is all-pervading. In the setup of things Shiva was given Shakti to carry out the process of
physical creation. This is strikingly evocative of the way the code of life is
packaged in each cell of your body. It exists as DNA, which is silent,
inactive, and out of sight, but also as its biochemical twin, RNA, which
emer ged out of DNA to carry out all the cellular processes that actually
build the body at the basic level  of enzymes and proteins. Brain  physiology
is also both silen t and active—billions of memories lie stored in the cortex,
emer ging one at a time as expressed memory. If you expand this to a cosmic
scale, you have Shiva, whose creative potential remains infinitely greater
than any of its expressions, even when those expressions take the form of
galaxies and whole universes. Shiva brings pur e consciousness to a sacr ed marriage. It invisibly makes every action an action of
God. What would an action of God be exactly? A miraculous intervention, a
voice from the mountaintop? Millions of people have waited for such signs
and received none. Despite my attempts to bring Shiva out of the realm of
abstraction, it would be easy to see him as a ghost, a spirit ual concept
without flesh and bones. Flesh and bones are demanded by the five senses. When you pay attention to things “out there,” you judge their reality by
sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. Yet in spiritual practice there is
something called  second attention, which attunes you to things your senses
cannot grasp. Second attention  makes you aware of spirit. It works through intuition,
and it is sometimes called the sight or the gift, although these imply a
supernatural faculty. In reality spirit is constantly sending signals to all ofus, but because our second attention was never developed, we don’t take
them in. Intuition is as real as any other faculty, once you have developed it. What kinds of signals is second attention looking for? Spirit is universal
and constant, like gravity, but has no physical constraints. Shiva reserves
for himself complete freedom to be what, when, where, and how he wishes. Second attention  can detect all five actions that, according to the classic
Shiva texts, are characteristic of God when He communicates with the
world:
God creates. God destroys. God protects and maintains what has been created. God covers or conceals His own nature. God reveals or uncovers His own nature. The Indian mind is not linear, and it finds no contradiction in making
Shiva the destroyer in one of his forms and the omnipresent creator -
maintainer in another. Shiva’ s five actions are the framework for any
spiritual experie nce you can have; they give it meaning and form. Since
meaning is completely personal, no two people have to agree on which
action has been manifested at any given moment—this is a private
communication between self and Self. My own convictions in this area go back almost thirty years. When I
entered medical  school I saw plenty of cadavers but rarely saw anyone die,
and I looked ahead to that experience with trepidation. One of my initiations into death occurred on the public wards of an
antiquated New Delhi hospita l. I was on rounds, doing the physical
workups assigned to second-year med students. It was very late at night,
and I had to wake my charge from a sound sleep—there was no other
choice, since the workup had to be done before surgery, which was
scheduled for 4:00 A.M. My patient was a bewildered villager from the
Punjab who endured my poking and prodding with unconcealed anxiety. “Almost finishe d,” I assured him. I stood up, taking the cold stethoscope
from his chest. Instead of pullin g his gown back down, the man stared over
my shoulder, openmouthed. I whipped around and saw a woman, her face
white as chalk, swaying in the doorway. I’m sure the Punjabi villager
thought she was a ghoul. The woman tried to speak, but no words emer ged,only a sound somewhere betwee n a croak and a gurgle. I barely ran over in
time to catch her as she collapsed. In moments like this a doctor ’s immediate reaction is to suspect a heart
attack. “Crash cart!” I yelled to the night nurse, who had appeared on the
scene. She ran back to the phone and called the intensive cardiac unit. In the
two minutes it took them to arrive, I held the woman, whose  eyes were
closed. Then her breathing stopped. In half a minute I began emer gency
resuscitation with my hands, but that gave me enough time to clearly see
she was dying. Despite my