 determine the condition of her ovaries and to
find out how far the cancer had spread or if they were able to stop it
from growing. T o their amazement, all of the cancer was gone. There
were no signs of cancer anywhere. this is a miracle. I am still in
shock. Is prayer powerful. What do you think. ”
You know what I think. Prayer is ener gy. Spiritual ener gy. With God, all
things ar e possible. Just what does that leave out. As much as possible, keep your faith a private matter between you and God. The inclination to broadcast your views and convert others to your way of
thinking invites the ego into an area where only spirit is successful. Themoment that you attempt to persuade others of the rightness of your way of
thinking, you stop the process of faith and manifestation. Why. Because
you are now in a position of needing to explain and defend yourself. Y ou
have a need to be right and make others wrong. Y ou lower your ener gy
vibration to the frequencies of conflict, anger, resentment, fear and the like,
all of which crop up when you invite ego into your faith. It is “the spirit that
gives life, the flesh counts for nothing. ” Stay in spirit and keep the flesh out
of it. By communing privately with God and sending love to those who have a
different point of view, you yourself are staying in faith. That ener gy alone
will keep you at peace, and simultaneously allow you to radiate that peace
outward as well. Keep your faith between you and God and you will do
more to remove doubt than is ever accomplished by ar guing and
proselytizing for converts to your way of being. Give God the cr edit. When people congratulate me about my books and
tapes and heap praise on me for my accomplishments I always give a polite
thank you, but in my heart, I know better. God writes all the books, creates
all the tapes, paints all the pictures, designs all the buildings, and builds all
the bridges. All things are done by this universal mind called here, God. I
am merely an instrument of this greater consciousness to which I am always
attached. When I let go of my vanity and mentally refuse to take the credit,
everything seems to flow. I tune into something that I cannot see or touch,
and my fingers move with pen in hand to create symbols on a pad of paper. On stage, my vocal chords move and words come out, but I know not where
they come from. I often say to my wife how time seems to have no meaning
at all when I am truly inspired (in-spirit) and writing or speaking. Hours fly
by as if there was no time. Everything simply flows and I know that I have
tapped into what were previously dormant forces. With God there is no
time. Just as the blood is circulated throughout my body by an invisible force that
keeps my heart beating and pumping, so too does that same invisible force
pump words through to my pen. I am in awe of it. I trust it. I know it will
never abandon me. I know I can never separate myself from it. I and it are
eternal, and my puny little ego takes no credit for any of myaccomplishments. It is faith that I bring to any doubt that my ego might
trigger, and when I do, time stands still and it is all perfect. Breathe in God. This may sound unusual in this context, but your breath is a
phenomenal tool for establishing faith in the face of doubt. When you
encounter doubt in your life become conscious of your breath. T ake a few
moments to inhale very deeply and hold onto that breath. Then notice as
you exhale and become aware of this awesome thing we call breathing. A
few moments of deep breath awareness returns me to my faith in the
invisible force that is always at work to keep life flowing. In and out, like a
heartbeat, like the waves of the ocean in front of my home, ceaselessly
moving in and out. Use the awareness of your breath as a connector to God,
particularly when you feel yourself disconnected by the illusion of a
problem you are experiencing in your mind. It is calming, soothing, and
nourishing to be aware of your breathing. It is a way I find useful to sow
faith in the presence of doubt or problems. Remind yourself that a placebo is a perfect example of faith at work. You
take a sugar pill believing that it contains the magical elixir to heal your
tumor, relieve your arthritis, lower your blood pressure, or stimulate you
sexually, and it is your faith, not the sugar pill that causes your body to
create the harmony you desire. This same kind of faith in God’ s ener gy can
and will bring peace and harmony to your life if you decide to make it your
inner conviction. William Blake once wrote this clever couplet, which summarizes this
chapter and this powerful request of Saint Francis to sow faith where there
is doubt: “If the sun and moon should ever doubt / they would immediately
go out. ”
The sun and moon, like each and everyone of God’ s creations, survive and
shine on faith, and faith alone, that we can never go out. OceanofPDF. com11
WHERE THERE IS DESP AIR,
HOPE
Compare the serene and simple splendor of a rose in bloom with the tensions and restlessness of
your life. The rose has a gift that you lack; It is perfectly content to be itself. It has not been
programmed from birth, as you have been, to be dissatisfied with itself, so it has not the slightest
urge to be anything other than it is. That is why it possesses the artless grace and absence of inner
conflict that among humans is only found in little children and mystics. —ANTHONY DEMELLO, THE WAY TO LOVE
What is hope but a feeling of optimism, a thought that says things will
improve, it won’ t always be bleak, there’ s a way to rise above the present
circumstances. Hope is an internal awareness that you do not have to suf fer
forever, and that somehow, somewhere there is a remedy for despair that
you will come upon if you can only maintain this expectancy in your heart. When we say this line in the Saint Francis’ s prayer we ask for the strength
to bring hope to all who are in despair as well as to ourselves. For it is in the
presence of a hopeful vision that despair and suf fering no longer hold our
attention. Despair is an attitude, experienced in the mind. It is a way of looking at a
life situation and feeling hopeless. There is no despair in the world. Y ou
cannot bring home a bucket full of despair, there are only people thinking
despairing thoughts. This is a crucial point to understand. There may bemany deplorable circumstances that exist in your life and in the lives of
others yet in and of themselves they are just plain circumstances, the facts
of a life. Despair itself is a mental process that sizes up and views a
situation as awful. When you just recognize  despair as being a mental
attitude you begin a process of bringing hope to the inner vision of despair
and dissolving it. It is impossible for hope and despair to exist simultaneously, one simply
cancels the other. Often it is despair that cancels out hope. In this line from
Saint Francis’ s prayer we ask for the strength to reverse this process and
cancel despair with a vision of hope. When you think about it, hope too is
nothing more than a thought or a vision. SHIFTING FROM PESSIMISM T O OPTIMISM
It is important here to remember that ener gy has a frequency. In the
frequency of despair the ener gy is low and you feel depressed or upset. “I’m
feeling down today,” describes the despair you feel when your ener gy is in
these low frequencies. As long as you remain in that lowered frequency you
will continue to attract more of that kind of ener gy. People who live in a
constant state of mental despair never allow themselves to speed up and
experience the faster higher frequencies which lead all the way to spiritual
energy. Instead they fuel their low and slow ener gy by processing almost
every event from a pessimistic viewpoint. As soon as you identify with
“Life is dif ficult,” that is precisely what your experience has to be. As
always, the central law of the universe prevails: “As you think, so shall you
be. ”
If you look back in chapter one, you will note that a basic ingredient of
spiritual ener gy is cheerfulness, a view of life in which one is hopeful and
optimistic. In this higher ener gy of optimism, you are likely to say, “I’m
really up today. ” Up and higher are synonymous. Consequently, the
presence of an up vibration nullifies the illusion of pessimism. Again that
familiar reminder, all that God created is good, and God created everything,
therefore despair or pessimism are creations of your mind due to your belief
that you are separate from God. In many ways our sorrow is a falling away
from God. Bring optimism to the place where pessimism resides bybringing the ener gy of God consciousness to the scene of the pessimism,
which of course is in our mental realm. The spiritual solution to any and all despair is one, to move your ener gy up
by making conscious contact with God and trusting in that contact


:
Help for the Wee, Wee Hours
A MYSTERIOUS  biochemical substance that safely and naturally induces deep
sleep has been found in human urine. Dubbed "Factor S" by the scientists at
Harvard University and the University of Chicago, the substance has proved to be
especially effective as a promoter of healthy sleep...
Extensive trials of the biochemical are continuing but it is expected to  take some
years before a commercially produced version of Factor S will be available to the
public. Now this article would have us believe that we can't utilize the benefits of Factor S
until a commercially produced 'drug version' is made available to the public. But as
urine therapy research shows, we can use urine in its natural form and experience
its amazing benefits without waiting for a drug version or exposing ourselves to
drug side effects. 52And there are important reasons why we should use natural urine therapy rather
than urine extracts or synthetic drug forms. For instance, let's suppose that researchers do successfully produce a "Factor S"
drug and that you're suffering from sleeplessness. You go to your doctor and are
given the drug so you'll sleep better. But what you and the doctor don't know is
that your insomnia is caused by an undiagnosed food allergy which isn't cured by
taking the sleep drug. You take the drug for a few weeks, but now you're having
side  effects headaches,  dizziness  and  drowsiness  during  the  day. So  you  stop
taking the Factor S drug. But  as soon  as you  stop  taking the drug, your  sleeping  disorder comes back,
because the allergy that's causing the insomnia has never been identified or treated. If you had used natural urine therapy in this scenario, rather than the
Factor S drug, you could have been treating and healing your undiagnosed allergy
because your urine contained the exact antibody needed to overcome the food
allergy, and at the same time, you'd have solved your sleep disorder because the
allergy that caused it had been eliminated - all at no cost and without the danger of
side effects. When we one component of urine or of any natural medicinal substance, we miss
the often extraordinary  benefits of all the other  ingredients. Even some medical doctors themselves are now questioning the wisdom of using
just  one  extracted  ingredient  of  a  natural  substance  rather  than  the  natural
substance  itself   in  treating  disease. Dr.  Andrew  Weil,  M.D.,  is  a  nosed  and
certified  American  physician  with  a  strong  background  on  the  use  of  natural
medicinal plants in healing, who now utilizes natural plants in treating his own
patients. Dr. Weil has observed in his own research and practice that it is safer and often
more effective to use a natural plant treatment rather than a refined derivative of
the plant. He has observed, as have many other doctors, that isolated extracts are
generally more toxic than their natural sources and sometimes even fail to give the
same medical benefits as the natural sources they're derived from:
53"In their enthusiasm at isolating the active principles of drug plants,  researchers
made  a  serious  mistake. They  came  to  believe  that  all  of  a  plant's  desirable
properties could be accounted for by a single compound...The erroneous idea that
plants and isolated active principles are equivalent has become fixed dogma in
pharmacology and medicine... [but] purified drugs are not the same as the plants
they come from." — The Value of Using Whole Plants Health and Healing
Another good example of why whole urine is a more desirable medicine than urine
extracts  is  shown  by  research  discoveries  done  on  urea,  the  principal  solid
ingredient of urine. Researchers discovered almost one hundred years ago that concentrated urea itself
can destroy many different strains of disease bacteria and viruses but seemed less
effective on certain other bacterial strains, such as tuberculosis. But even though
urea is less effective in killing TB, in the 1950's, research proved that whole urine
has been shown to rapidly and in many cases, completely inhibit and destroy the
TB bacteria! One of the unfortunate things about this story is that the researcher who discovered
urine's anti-TB properties, rather than announcing that urine could essentially cure
TB,  instead  spent  years unsuccessfully  trying to identify  and  isolate  the urine
component that killed the TB bacteria so that a drug could be formulated from it. You might think that in this day of modem antibiotics, TB isn't a relevant issue, but
it is:
TUBERCULOSIS ON RISE IN U.S. The Associated Press
Friday, October 8, 1993
54WASHINGTON  –  New  cases  of  tuberculosis  are  increasing  at  an  alarming
rate...congressional analysts reported Thursday. "This is a chilling report; it is an indictment of our public-health system," said
Rep.  Ed  Towns,  D-N.Y.,  chairman  of  the  House  Governmental  Operations
subcommittee on human resources... The  congressional  report  said  efforts  to  combat  tuberculosis  is  complicated
because of the emergence of strains resistant to anti-TB drugs..."
A recent article in a doctor's publication also revealed that TB has  now increased
at an alarming rate among children, and is even causing fatalities, because the
disease  strikes  children  much  harder  than  adults. And  doctors  are  finding  it
extremely  difficult  to  deal  with  this  new  TB  epidemic  because  it's  easily
misdiagnosed and is now resistant to anti-TB drugs. — American Medical News
Feb. 14, 1994
Isolating separate elements from natural substances and refining or chemically
copying them as synthetic drug forms isn't the miracle technique that modern
medical  science  would  have  us  believe. Scientists  and  doctors  throughout  the
twentieth century taught consumers that purified and refined isolated extracts were
far more effective and just as safe as the natural substances they were derived
from, but time has proven them wrong. Not  only  are  hundreds  of  the  drugs we  routinely  use  everyday  unproven  and
potentially dangerous, but this continual drug-taking also interferes with our body's
ability to develop natural immunity to disease. As the artide on TB and others like it reveal, bacteria am successfully adapting to
our drugs, but obviously, our immune systems haven't developed immunity to the
bacteria, because we've relentlessly overridden our natural immune responses and
functions with chemical drugs. Now the drugs don't work – so where does that
leave us? It leaves us, by all accounts, in serious trouble. 55A recent report from the Centers For Disease Control (CDC) stated that in U.S.
hospitals,  a  major  disease-causing  bacterium  has  now  become  resistant  to
antibiotics normally used to treat infected patients:
In 1992, CDC reported that more than 2 million patients annually suffer from
infections; in 1992, 19,027 people died from infections contracted in the hospital,
and another 58,092 died from causes to which  such infections had contributed. — Associated Press
There is no doubt that  drugs and surgery do play a part in medicine, but these
therapies have their limitations, even in treating serious infectious diseases. Strong
synthetic drugs have no place in the everyday health armamentarium of consumers. The only real reason why we and our doctors now unthinkingly and routinely
overuse drugs and surgery is because they are so heavily promoted by the drug
industry which makes billions of dollars each year from these methods. But  you  don't  have  to  throw  away  your  hard-earned  money  on  unsafe,
inappropriate drugs and put your health at risk with chemical drugs or surgery in
order to get well. As many doctors themselves now believe, traditional natural medical methods like
urine therapy are completely valid should play a prominent part in our personal
health treatments and preventive health care. Does The Doctor Really Know Best? If  you  still  feel  apprehensive  about  trying  urine  therapy  because  your  doctor
doesn't recommend it, consider what conventional doctors really do know about
real healing - even when they use their own conventional medical techniques. In his book, What Your Doctor Didn't Learn in Medical School...and what you can
do about it!, Dr. Stuart M. Berger, M.D. tells about the fallacies and flaws in our
medical school regimens and teaching practices. Dr. Berger tells about his medical apprenticeship at Tufts Medical School, Harvard
School of Public Health and New York's prestigious University Hospital, where he
56and  his  classmates  had  access  to  the  most  sophisticated  space-age  medical
technologies available, including masterful surgical techniques that seem to defy
death. "We were learning immense amounts" says Dr. Berger, "but were we  learning
what we should? We were becoming doctors, to be sure, but were we becoming
better healers?" Later in his life, when Dr. Berger's mother was nearly killed by a mistaken cancer
diagnosis, he witnessed first-hand the often fatal breakdown of the medical system
under which he and all allopathic doctors  are trained. As Dr.


 only the pleasures from it. Once outside of the
situation, he began to see the costs that he had been paying—physically,
mentally, and emotionally. After losing the job, he was open to discovering
new abilities and new talents; in fact, he began a new, more promising
career. So, life events are opportunities to grow, expand, experience, and
develop. In some cases, it seems in retrospect that there was actually this
unconscious purpose behind the event, as though our unconscious knew that
something important had to be learned and, painful as it was, it was the only
way it could be brought into experience. This is part of the psychology of
the psychoanalyst Carl Jung, who concluded after a lifetime of study, that
there is an inborn drive in the unconscious toward wholeness,completeness, and realization of the Self, and that the unconscious will
devise the ways and means of bringing this about, even if they are traumatic
to the conscious mind. Jung also said that in the unconscious there was an aspect of ourselves
called the “shadow. ” The shadow is all the repressed thoughts, feelings and
concepts about ourselves that we do not want to face. One benefit of a crisis
is that it often brings us into familiarity with our shadow. It makes us more
human and more whole to realize what we share with all of humanity. All
the stuf f that we thought “they” were guilty of is equally in ourselves. Thus,
when it is brought up to conscious awareness, acknowledged, and
surrendered, it no longer unconsciously runs us. Once the shadow has been
acknowledged, it loses its power. All that is necessary is merely to
recognize that we have certain forbidden impulses, thoughts, and feelings. Now, they can be handled with a “So what. ”
Passing through a life crisis, then, makes us more human, more
compassionate, more accepting and understanding of ourselves and others. W e no longer have to indulge in making others wrong or making ourselves
wrong. Handling an emotional crisis leads to greater wisdom and results in
lifetime benefits. Fear of life is really the fear of emotions. It is not the facts
that we fear but our feelings about them. Once we have mastery over our
feelings, our fear of life diminishes. W e feel a greater self-confidence, and
we are willing to take greater chances because we now feel that we can
handle the emotional consequences, whatever they might be. Because fear
is the basis of all inhibitions, mastery over fear means the unblocking of
whole avenues of life experience that previously had been avoided. Thus, the man who successfully handles the crisis of losing a job will
never again experience that same fear. He will, therefore, be more creative
on the next job, willing to take the necessary risks to make it a success. He
begins to see how that haunting fear of job loss had severely limited his
performance in the past, made him fearful and cautious, and cost him his
self-esteem due to his kowtowing and compliance with his superiors. One benefit from a life crisis is greater self-awareness. The situation is
overwhelming, and we are forced to stop all of our diversionary games, take
a good look at our life situation, and re-evaluate our beliefs, goals, values,
and life direction. It is an opportunity to re-evaluate and let go of guilt. It is
also an opportunity for a total shift in attitude. Life crises, as we pass
through them, confront us with polar opposites. Shall we hate or for givethat person. Shall we learn from this experience and grow, or resent it and
become bitter. Do we choose to overlook the other person’ s shortcomings
and our own, or instead do we resent and mentally attack them. Shall we
withdraw from a similar situation in the future with greater fear, or shall we
transcend this crisis and master it once and for all. Do we choose hope or
discouragement. Can we use the experience as an opportunity to learn how
to share, or shall we withdraw into a shell of fear and bitterness. Every
emotional experience is an opportunity to go up or down. Which do we
choose. That is the confrontation. W e have the opportunity to choose whether we want to hang on or let
go of emotional upsets. W e can look at the cost of hanging on to them. Do
we want to pay the price. Are we willing to accept the feelings. W e can
look at the benefits of letting go of them. The choice we make will
determine our future. What kind of a future do we want. W ill we choose to
be healed, or will we become one of the walking wounded. In making this choice, it is well to look at the payof f we get from
hanging on to the residuals of a painful experience. What are the
satisfactions we are getting. How little are we willing to settle for. Anger. Hatred. Self-pity. Resentments. They all have their cheap little payof f, that
little inner satisfaction. Let’ s not pretend that it’ s not there. There is a weird,
quirky pleasure when we hang on to pain. It certainly satisfies our
unconscious need for the alleviation of guilt through punishment. W e get to
feel miserable and rotten. The question then arises, “But for how long. ”
T ake, for example, a man who had not spoken to his brother for twenty-
three years. Neither of them could remember what the incident was about; it
had been long for gotten. But they were in the habit of not speaking, and so
for twenty-three years they paid the price of missing each other ’ s company,
af fection, togetherness in family matters, and all the shared experiences and
love they could have had. When the man learned about the mechanism of
surrender, he began to let go of his feelings about his brother. Suddenly, he
broke out in tears of grief, realizing all that had been lost over the years. By
for giving his brother, he triggered a similar response in the brother, and the
two were reunited. Then, one of the brothers flashed back on the incident. It
had been an ar gument over a pair of tennis shoes. Over one pair of tennis
shoes they had paid a price extending over twenty-three years. Had the man
not learned the technique of letting go, he might well have gone to his gravewith the same resentment. So the question is, “How long do we want to go
on suf fering. When are we willing to give it up. When is enough enough. ”
The part of us that wants to cling to negative emotions is our smallness. It is the part of us that is mean, petty, selfish, competitive, cheap, conniving,
mistrusting, vindictive, judgmental, diminished, weak, guilty, ashamed, and
vain. It has little ener gy; it is depleting, demeaning, and leads to the
lowering of self-respect. It is the small part of us that accounts for our own
self-hatred, unending guilt, and seeking for punishment, sickness, and
disease. Is that the part with which we want to identify. Is that the part we
want to ener gize. Is that the way we want to see ourselves. Because if
that’ s the way we see ourselves, that’ s the way others will see us. The world can only see us as we see ourselves. Are we willing to pay
those consequences. If we see ourselves as cheap and petty, it’ s unlikely
that we’ll be at the top of the company list for a raise. The price of holding on to smallness can be demonstrated with muscle
testing. The procedure is fairly simple (Hawkins, [1995], 2012). Hold in
mind a mean, petty thought and have someone press down on your arm
while you resist; notice the ef fect. Now choose the exact opposite view. Picture yourself as being generous, for giving, loving, and experiencing your
inner greatness. Instantly, there will be an enormous increase in muscle
strength indicating a sur ge of positive bio-ener gy. Smallness brings
weakness, sickness, disease, and death. Do you really want that. Letting go
of negative feelings can be accompanied by another very healthy maneuver
which will greatly assist your inner transformation, and that is to stop
resisting the positive emotions. Enhancing Positive Emotions
The corollary to letting go of negative feelings is to stop resisting the
positive ones. Everything in the universe has its opposite; therefore, in the
mind, every negative feeling has its counterpart between smallness and
greatness, whether we are constantly aware of its existence at any given
moment or not. A good and very illuminating exercise is to sit down and look at the
feeling that is directly opposite the negative one that we are experiencing
and begin to let go resisting it. Let’ s say, for instance, that a friend’ s
birthday is coming up and we are feeling resentful and stingy; therefore, we
just can’ t seem to get out to shop for a present, and the day is getting closer. The exact opposite feelings are those of for giveness and generosity. W e just
start looking for the feeling of for giveness within ourselves and stop
resisting it. As we keep letting go of our resistance to being a for giving
person, it is often surprising that it will come up with a sur ge. W


 order
to slowly and carefully return to a normal and natu
ral eating pattern. You should take at least one week
to gradually and carefully readjust your eating hab
its. The best way to end a fast is to stop drinking
urine and water at the end of the afternoon. After
one hour, drink a glass of orange juice, lemon juice
with water, grape juice or apple juice. The next day,
drink another glass of fruit juice during lunch. From
this time on, start eating juicy fruits. The Application of Urine Therapy 47 The following day, eat vegetable broth, steamed
vegetables and rice. This is a good way to return to
your old pattern of eating, excluding the unhealthy
habits. 2a. Alternative Fast
Indication: When a total fast is not appropriate or
desirable. If fasting exclusively on water and urine is too great
of a strain, consume one light meal per day. This
fast proceeds according to the same basic rules as a
complete fast, except for a few differences:
1) Eat a light meal consisting of wholemeal bread,
brown rice with steamed vegetables, raw vegeta
bles or fruit preferably at the end of the afternoon. Chew the food well. 2) Refrain from eating or drinking (including urine
or water) one hour before and after the meal. This fast can be sustained for quite SOJile time. It
is therefore good during illnesses which greatly
weaken the body. 3. Enemas
Indication: Small enemas are useful in case of aller
gies and as a substitute for drinking. Big enemas
are recommended for cleansing the intestines, es
pecially when fasting. The simplest way to administer a small enema is
with a syringe containing some urine. You can use
fresh or old urine (see section 4.4 External Applica
tivns· regarding old urine). For big enemas the urine
can be mixed with warm water. The urine is kept
48 Going With the Flow in the intestinal canal as long as possible. There are
various ways to administer an enema, and both the
amount of liquid and the length of time in which
the liquid is kept in the intestines can vary. If you
do not know how to administer an enema, it is wise
to seek advice or to read up on this. A number of urine therapists emphasize the im
portance of enemas, especially with chronic ill
nesses. During a chronic.illness, the body often has
a high level of toxicity, which means that poison
ous substances can be found in the tissues. Admin
istering an enema is a good way to remove
poisonous substances from the body, and especially
from the intestines. Furthermore, a number of sub
stances found in urine are better absorbed by the
body in this way than by oral ingestion. Urine enemas: a good way to clean the bowels and to regen
erate its tissues. 4. Gargling
Indication: Throatache; toothache; parodontosis;
other ailments of tongue and mouth. Urine should be kept in the mouth for twenty to
thirty minutes or, when that seems too much, as
long as possicle. Gargling with urine is an effective
way to fight gum problems or other mouth and
tongue disorders. In addition, toothaches disappear
quickly and teeth stay healthy. It can help heal aphts
quite fast. After gargling, spit the urine out again. ;. Douching
Indication: Irritation or diseases of vagina and uterus. A solution of Golden Seal (Hydrastis Canadensis;
Canadian Anemone) and urine relieves and heals
many vaginal discomforts, and purifies as well. You
can also simply wash with fresh or old urine. Douch
ing is recommended for discharge, yeast infections,
herpes and tumours. 6. Eye and Eardrops
Indication: Irritation or diseases of the eyes or ears;
earaches. Painful, burning and tired eyes can be relieved by
applying a few drops of fresh or boiled urine to the
eyes. Eye cups with urine are also quite useful. It is
sometimes wise to dilute the urine used for eyedrops
with a bit of water. Eyedrops are very helpful in cases of conjunctivi
tis. Irritation due to the wearing of contact lenses can disappear or be relieved by this treatment. Regu
lar eye treatments with urine therapy may improve
eyesight. You can use four-day old urine for earaches or ear
infections, as old urine enhances the effect of this
method, but fresh urine will do as well. Put some
drops in the ears and close them with some cotton
wool dipped in oil. Ear drops with urine. The Application of Urine Therapy 49 7. Urine sniffing
Indication: Irritation or diseases of the nose, sinuses
and eyes. This method is called Neti within the yoga tradi
tion. Salt water or urine is sni.ffed in the nose from
a small bowl. Sniffing urine is the most effective
treatment for a stuffed nose, other sinus disorders
such as sinusitis, and problems with the uppermost
part of the respiratory canal. This method also af
fects the eyes positively. If pure urine is too strong,
dilute it with water. Eye bath with urine. 50 Going With the Flow Place fresh urine in a cup or dish, if necessary di
luted with lukewarm water. Place your nose in this1
liquid and slowly sniff as much as possible, one:
nostril at a time. Open your mouth immediately
and let the liquid drip out of your mouth. Repeat
this a number of times. Blow your nose in order to
remove the remaining liquid. You can also use a
special Neti-pot for this treatment. Initially, you may find this method to be unpleas
ant but you will become accustomed to it after a
number of times. If you apply this method regu
larly, the common cold will soon be a part of the past. Urine sniffing: an effective way to clean the sinuses. 8. Homoeopathic tincture
Indication: As a supportive measure; when drinking
is not possible or wanted; when healing on subtle
levels is required; especially useful when treating
allergies. A 1/1.000.000 solution of urine should be placed
under the tongue. Begin with two drops a day and
increase this amount to ten drops a day. It is quite
easy to prepare this tincture. a. Purchase a medicine dropper or pipette and six
small tubes (available at the chemist or pharmacy). b. Place eighteen drops of water in each tube and
place the tubes in a cup in order to avoid spilling. c. Collect the middle part of your urine and add
two drops of urine to the water in tube 1.
d. Shake the tube 25-50 times. Do this by hold
ing the tube in a closed fist, with your thumb over
the opening. Firmly strike your fist in the palm of
your other hand. Shaking the tube is very impor
tant. e. Place two drops of liquid from tube 1 in tube
2. Repeat the shaking. Rinse the pipette after each
use. Continue the diluting-shaking process until you
have reached tube six. f The solution in tube 6 represents a 6x or
1/1.000.000 dilution. This tincture can be applied as often as you wish. Depending on the symptom, the tincture can be
applied daily by placing a few drops on the tongue. I myself am not familiar with the practical applica
tion of this method. It is particularly useful if you
cannot bring yourself to drink urine or if it is not
wise to drink urine, e.g. if it contains too much pus. 9. Urine injections
Indication: As a supportive measure; when drinking
is not possible or wanted; especially useful wh.::::. treating allergies. In Germany, some doctors working with natural
medicine regularly use this method by injecting
urine into the muscles. This method has yielded
positive results, particularly in the treatment of
various allergies. I myself am not familiar with the
practical application of this method. If you wish to
inject urine, it is advisable to contact somebody who
has experience with this method. This method is described in more detail in the
books by Abele, Hasler and AHmann (see Biblio
graphy.) 4.4 External Applications
Urine used for external application works best if it
is a few days old and heated. Normally, the urine
should be at least four days old, but it can also be
kept for a longer period of time. Some people com
pare it to wine: the longer it ages, the better the
fermented final product. I always use urine which
is four to eight days old. It is best to keep urine in a dark brown glass bottle
which can be closed with a cork or some cotton wool,
or in a bottle or glass pot with the top or lid placed on
top of 1t (rather than screwed on). In this way the
bottle or pot is closed while allowing air in, which is
necessary for the fermentation process. The Application of Ur


 revitalization. As well as following kapha-pacifying lifestyle habits from chapter 1 (seethis page ), favor pungent, bitter, and astringent tastes and eat warm, light
foods that are relatively easy to digest. These habits help to balance mucus
production, regulate moisture levels, and open the channels of elimination
that are critical for purification. SUMMER: PITTA SEASON
The weather of summer, considered pitta season, is characterized by the hot,
light, and sharp qualities. To balance the excess qualities of pitta season,
focus on staying cool, mellowing intensity, deepening relaxation, and
grounding your ener gy. During the summer, your body naturally craves
light foods and small meals that are easy to digest because the digestive fire
—a strong source of internal heat—disperses in order to help keep you cool. As well as following pitta-pacifying lifestyle habits from chapter 1 (see
this page ), summer is a time to favor the sweet, bitter, and astringent tastes
and to relish cool and cooling foods. Most unrefined sweeteners except for
honey and molasses are cooling and can be enjoyed in moderation during
the summer months. FALL AND EARLY WINTER: VATA SEASON
Fall and early winter is a time of year where the environment gets cooler,
the wind picks up, and the leaves dry and fall from the trees. Vata season is
a time of transition. It harbors a certain emptiness that can leave you feeling
exposed and a little raw, but it is also filled with possibility—it’ s a time
when you, too, can strip down to a quiet essence of being  and savor the
simplicity. To pacify the vata qualities (cool, dry, light, and mobile) during this
season, you want to fill your life with warmth, oiliness, deep nourishment,
loving relationships, and a sense of stability, routine, and groundedness. Favor the sweet, sour, and salty tastes and eat mushy, warm, and oily foods. Because like increases like and opposites balance, if your constitution tends
to be more vata, it may be better to conceive during kapha season, and vice
versa. If you tend to be more pitta, it might be best not to conceive during
the hottest time of year. Considering postpartum is already a time to be
mindful of stabilizing vata; it may be a bit more challenging if you are
going through your postpartum window during the vata time of year. All of
that being said, these are ways to stay balanced and precautions to take no
matter what time of year it is. You can consult with an Ayurvedic
practitioner or an Ayurdoula to guide you in this process. YOUR MONTHLY RHYTHM
Monthly rhythm is another important element of Ayurveda’ s emphasis on
timing. Ayurveda encourages women to understand their particular
menstrual rhythm and to become aware of any imbalances, in order to come
back into a vital state of health before becoming pregnant. Women should
honor every phase of their monthly cycle, which is intimately tied to the
lunar cycle of approximately 29.5 days—coinciding with the average length
of the menstrual cycle for most ovulating women. According to Ayurveda,
the healthiest flow—one that is most in tune with the lunar phases—will
start on a new moon, with ovulation occurring around the time of the full
moon. When the moon is full, it is at its peak ener gy, pulling the egg from
its home in the ovary. You can treat many menstrual disorders using tips from chapter 1 and
keeping in mind the guideline “like increases like, opposites bring balance.”
Here are some general things to watch for:
Vata imbalances. Pain in the lower abdomen or back, stif fness,
anxiety, fear, nervousness, dark red blood, scanty blood
Pitta imbalances. Increase in body temperature, headache, acne,
nausea, diarrhea, swelling, anger, irritability, heavy flow, foul-smelling
bloodKapha imbalances. Water retention, yeast infections, bloating,
increased sleep time, depression, emotional eating, heavy and long
flow
Understanding your monthly rhythm also allows for tracking your cycle to
know the best time for conception. Three things are valuable to look for:
1. Check and track your basal body temperature each morning. Basal body temperature is your temperature at rest as soon as you
wake up in the morning. Right before ovulation, basal body
temperature usually drops, before rising slightly right after ovulation
occurs. By recording this temperature daily for several months you
will be able to predict your most fertile days. Usually a woman’ s
basal body temperature rises by only 0.4 to 0.8 degrees Fahrenheit,
so to detect this tiny change, you must use a basal body
thermometer, which is more sensitive and precise. Basal body temperature dif fers slightly from person to person. Anywhere from 96 to 98 degrees orally is average before ovulation. After ovulation most women have an oral temperature between 97
and 99 degrees. The rise in temperature can be a sudden jump or a
gradual climb over a few days. Record your temperature daily so that
you can determine a pattern over the months.After ovulation, your body temperature stays at the higher level
until your period starts. You are most fertile and most likely to get
pregnant two to three days before your temperature rises (ovulation),
and twelve to twenty-four hours after ovulation. A man’ s sperm can
live for up to five days in a woman’ s body. The sperm can fertilize an
egg at any point during that time. If you try to conceive two or three
days before ovulation there is a better chance of becoming pregnant. 2. Become aware of your vaginal discharge. The hormones that control your menstrual cycle also change the
type and amount of mucus you have before and during ovulation. Right after your period, there are usually a few “dry days,” when
there is no mucus present. As the egg starts to mature, mucus
increases in the vagina, appears at the vaginal opening, and is white
or off-white in color and cloudy, wet or shiny in consistency. The
greatest amount of mucus appears just before ovulation. Duringthese “wet days” vaginal mucus becomes clear in color and slippery
in consistency, like raw egg whites. It’ s generally tacky or can be
stretched apart between your fingers. This indicates that you are at
your most fertile window; it is the best time to conceive. About four days after the wet days begin, the mucus changes
again. There will be much less and it becomes cloudy, and then you
might have a few more dry days before your period returns. 3. Feel for the position and texture of your cervix. During ovulation your cervix rises to a position high in your vaginal
cavity and also becomes more soft, wet, and open. This is the best
time to try for conception. After ovulation, your cervix becomes lower
in the vagina and becomes more firm, dry, and closed. The majority
of women have not touched their cervix; hence, when they touch it,
they cannot make out how firm is “firm” and how soft is “soft.” The
best way to get familiar with your cervix texture and position is to
simply check it throughout your cycle to feel the dif ference. YOUR DAILY RHYTHM
The tradition of dinacharya, or adopting a daily routine, is one of the most
powerful Ayurvedic tools for improving overall health and well-being and
one of the most important practices to stabilize vata dosha. Nature moves in
cycles (day to night, winter to spring), and all the animals and plants follow
suit with their own daily and seasonal routines. As humans living in a fast-
paced world, we can easily grow out of touch with our natural, circadian
rhythms. Adopting an appropriate daily routine is one of the most grounding and
nourishing things you can do for yourself. The following are Ayurveda’ s
recommended daily practices for starting the morning:Wake up before the sun. The early part of the day, before the sun
rises, is governed by vata dosha. If you wake up during this time you
will feel lighter and more energized upon waking and throughout the
day. Meditate. Meditation is essential for creating space between your
mind (the voice in your head that is always saying something about
everything) and your Self (the one who is steadily witnessing,
beyond the mind and emotions). The more you can identify with your
true Self rather than your mind, the more steady, content, and happy
you will be in your life. Do an oil pull. Put 1 or 2 teaspoons of coconut oil or sesame oil into
your mouth and swish it around for ten or twenty minutes. Then spit
it out and rinse. Oil pulling promotes oral hygiene; strengthens teeth,
gums, and jaw; draws fat-soluble toxins out of the body; reduces
inflammation; boosts immunity; whitens teeth; and more! Scrape your tongue and brush your teeth. Gently scrape your
tongue with a tongue scraper or a spoon, from back to front eight to
fifteen times, removing the coating that has accumulated overnight. This stimulates the internal organs, helps digestion, improves taste,
and removes dead bacteria. Then brush


 beyond which
Page 9 of  72 digestion has no influence. The digestive apparatus is commonly spoken of as including the alimentary canal and those importa nt
glands that contribute secretions to the successive processes involved; but, as absorption and assimilation, on the  one hand, and
formation and withdrawal of waste products, on the other, are so nearly related to preliminary digestion, it is impossible to  form a
clear conception of disease of the digestive organs, for instance, without observing the state of other and contributory parts of the
body. While it makes for simplicity of description to exclude those organs not commonly grouped with the digestive apparatus,
this does not result in a correct understanding, and therefore, if an explanation is to be found, not on ly for a disturbed physiological
state, but also, in instances, for structural changes in the digestive organs, the field must be widened, and study be direct ed to the
nervous system, including its physical manifestations, to the fluids of the body, to the  rebuilding and breaking -down of tissue, and
to the eliminative functions as well. Unconsciously a great part of the importance of this general view is perhaps recognized  when
it is assumed that good digestion depends upon restful sleep, fresh air, sunligh t, physical exercise, and activity of the bowels,
kidneys, and skin. But, disregarding these essential matters, it is difficult to apprehend the nature of digestive disturbanc es, or to
prescribe for their relief. It may truly be said of an individual that,  in a sense, his digestive ailment arises in the brain, in the lungs,
in the heart, or in the kidneys, but the distinctions and differences stated must be clearly kept in mind lest the idea of th e unity of
disease and cure be clouded. It must be fully unde rstood that the study of disease of the stomach is not limited to that organ, that
the symptom expressed is merely that of disturbances that may be widely distributed throughout the body. Medicine has sought to
give disease names that are specifically clas sified, names based upon the locality of expression of the symptom; but this, it is seen,
is only a relatively justifiable conception. There are no symptoms referable solely to the kidneys, to the heart, to the bloo d; the man
is sick from a single cause; h is illness appears here or there, but his body is sick as a whole. It is surprising to discover that the disturbances of the functions of the human body should not long since have been traced to their
single source. Long ago should pain and other distres sing symptoms of illness have been recognized as benevolent warnings, sharp
reminders of a condition, not perhaps yet fully developed, but as warnings that in themselves should compel the repose that i s
necessary, and that should forbid admission into the body of substances that are injurious. The doctrine of unity in the cause and cure of disease as set forth in the text of this work has been carefully and earnestly
investigated by the author through a period of more than thirty years. Thousands of cases  have been treated upon this basis, and
each instance has but confirmed the conviction that the principle involved is absolutely sound. It has stood all tests. When death
during a fast has occurred, the autopsy invariably revealed organic deficiency, inher ent or acquired through years of continuous
functional abuse. But in all cases of disease purely functional in cause, proper application of the method led to complete re covery. So far as may be accomplished in a work of this size, the fast as a therapeut ic agency, with its effects both upon the body and
mind, is fully discussed. What is asked of the reader is that he lay aside prejudice and approach the subject without bias, k eeping
before the eyes of his mind the words of the apostle: --"Prove all things;  hold fast that which is good." CHAPTER III
STARVATION

STARVING FROM OVERFEEDING: THERE IS NO HUNGER WHEN DISEASE IS MANIFEST

THE CHIEF purpose of food is that of supplying the tissue of the body with the elements necessary for its growth and
mainte nance. In the event that, through faulty digestion, through organic defect, or through deficiency in the functions of
absorption and assimilation, tissue waste is not replaced as broken down, starvation ensues. In any of the designated conditi ons,
the more  food supplied, the less resistance to disease succeeds since energy then must be directed to the elimination of food and
food products that cannot be utilized because of physical inability in the ultimate processes, and finally exhaustion and dea th
occur. Dr. E. H. Dewey said, "The body may be well fed but still be starving to death." This statement may be made more striking and
perhaps more lucid by saying that in reality it is the overfed body that is continuously in a starving condition, and this by  a process
that is much more distressing in effect than is that by which death is caused when food is indefinitely denied. And starving of this
sort, starving from overfeeding, is well nigh the universal manner in which the individual existence of man is ter minated, for every
symptom of disease, every disease epidemic, owes its development to food wrongly combined, and ingested always in excess, and
usually far in excess, of body requirement, with malnutrition as its consequence. Each cell that enters the s tructure of the human organism may be regarded as an entity, as an individual life center, with power to
select and to appropriate for its maintenance suitable constructive material from the blood current, and with power to elimin ate its
own waste. This be ing true, the life of the body as a whole is reflected in miniature in each of its cells, the infinitesimal particles
that go to form its structure. In health, when equilibrium is sustained between nutrition and elimination, every cell capably
performs its  function, receives its needful quota of pabulum, and discharges its waste. In disease the condition changes. Material
then absorbed is the product of ill -digested or non -digested food, elimination is also at fault, and the cell finds its source of
mainten ance, the blood stream, vitiated. For a time the small body is supported by its inherent vitality and by its stored food
reserve, but, if proper nourishment is denied, if the condition of toxemia persists, it atrophies and eventually dies. The de ath of
Page 10 of  72 cells sufficient in number to cause a vital organ to fail in function causes the death of the body. And thus, in a sense, it may  be said
that all animal dissolution, exclusive of that caused by accident, is brought about through starvation

The usual concept  of starvation is that the body perishes for some reason or other because it is not supplied with food for its
maintenance and growth. But elements and conditions other than those caused by deprivation of food enter into starving to dea th,
for the latter c annot occur in ordinary circumstances, as the text demonstrates, within a few days or weeks, or even months, when
the resources of the body have been in any degree conserved. In a scientifically conducted fast death from starvation cannot take place when  organic disease is absent. In every animate body a
reserve supply of nourishment is held in the interstices of tissue. Brain and nerves are at all times directly supported by t his stored
food, and, when wounds, sores, or fractures of bone call for repair,  a healthy surplus furnishes the demand. Not until this reserve is
exhausted or prevented from being appropriated by nerve structure can death intervene. When disease is manifest, there is no hunger --there cannot be, for the body then indicates through p hysical distress first, that it
desires functional rest, and next, that it is in process of relieving itself of the cause of its distress. And, until its pur poses are
accomplished, vitality is more weakly expressed, since the paths for the transfer of ener gy are largely obstructed. But the vehicle
of vitality, the organism itself, is conserved for a time by means of its sinking -fund of nourishment. If by continued feeding --and
any feeding in disease is pernicious --the avenues for the expression of life forc e are further obstructed, strength finally may be no
longer manifested, and death will occur. On the other hand, when nature is permitted full scope, the cause of disease is elim inated,
and true hunger appears. Then, with food supplied, rebuilding and grow th are resumed in a system purified and functionally equal
to its appointed tasks. The law of hunger, the primal rule of being in animal existence, is reserved for discussion later in the text. It is the safe guard of
bodily resource, and its claims may n ever be ignored. Disease may be induced through the action of mental states upon physical function, and in accidental conditions that compel
abstinence from food, such as shipwreck, mine disasters, and the like, digestive function is paralyzed by mental apprehension. If
death should occur in these circumstances, within a comparatively short time, it must be attributed, not to lack of nourishme nt, but
to the effect of fear, of general emotional exhaustion, upon physical forces. It is an error to associat e the terms, fasting and starvation. Fasting conduces to systemic purlfication; starvation is actual systemic
poisoning. One may and often does starve on three full daily meals. And it may be added that it requires great skill to fast an
individual properl y,


 up at the refrigerator instead of the water tap. This
 results in a
two-fold problem:
becoming overweight and being dehydrated – thus the
cycle continues
. Water is t
he Key
to
 Excellent HealthMost people do not drink
enough water to satisfy their body
’
s
needs. When their body is screaming
for water to aid in critical body functions, they mistake this craving for
hunger, even if they ate a couple of hours earlier. Consequently, most
Americans are dehydrated and when the body gets dehydrated it goes into
survival mode and start storing water. The problem with that is
, fat
 cells
are used to store the water. So instead of having enough water to
metabolize fat, the body stores the fat to store up the water for possibly
worse conditions to come. The body is not getting the proper amount of water it needs for all
the
organs to function properly; so the body takes the supply of water from
less important organs to allow enough water for the major ones such as
the heart, lungs and kidneys. To compound the problem, instead of drinking good, clean, healthy
distilled
water which the body craves, they drink Sport drinks, soft drinks,Starbucks, malts, shakes etc. Just as bad, if not worse, is tap water
which contains chlorine, hydrocarbons, fluorocarbons

and dozens of other
carcinogenic
chemicals and compounds – all at safe levels according to
the EPA. Yeah, right, I
’
m going to walk into a restaurant and ask for a glass
of water, and oh yeah, please add a slew of cancer-causing chemicals,
but go easy, I
’
m trying to quit. Not only does the body need to use vital energy to process these
tasty
alternative treats in order to end up with the water it needs, the water it
contains is not enough. Since it was not an adequate quantity to meet the
need of the body, dehydration follows, resulting in the body storing more
water in fat cells. Now the vicious cycle begins. The human body cannot
continue to be abused without serious consequences. The simplest way to lose weight is to drink a gallon of water per day,
sipping a little at a time. You won
’
t be as hungry and the body will
metabolize the fat that has been stored instead of storing more. This is
why some lose so many pounds the first week of a fast or crash diet. They are actually losing stored water. Our bowels need plenty of water to
function properly with moving waste through its 30 foot length.The
elimination of undigested food and other waste products is equally as
important as the proper digestion and assimilation of food. The very best diets can be no
better than the very worst if the sewage system of the colon is clogged
with a collection of waste and corruption. Of all the vital organs in the body, the one that
suffers the most abuse from
modern dietary habits is the large intestine, otherwise known as the colon. Our colons were intended by nature to function as smoothly flowing sewer
systems, in order to promptly flush digestive wastes from the body. Instead, they have become stagnant cesspools, the physiological
equivalent to a festering pile of uncollected garbage or a broken toilet that
continues to be used for defecation. The average
American and European colon today carries within it over 5
pounds of
putrid, half digested red meat plus another 5-10 pounds offoul toxic waste
impacted for years in the folds of the colon with mucus. While you are fasting your body will need more water than usual. Again,you may mistake its cry for more water as hunger, so be very
diligent in drinking water all day. Your body needs extra water to detoxify
and to keep waste moving through the colon, kidneys and bladder. It would
be easy to dehydrate if you don
’
t.

Our bodies are made up of over 60% water, and unless this water is
replenished daily, we will die in a few days. The human brain contains 90%
to 95% water, our blood over 80% and lungs 85% to 90%. Our body can
be severely affected by as little as a 2% decrease in bod
ily fluids, these
symptoms are the result:

1. Sleepy, tired, less active
2.

dry, sticky mouth
3.

acquired thirst
4.

decreased urination
5.

reduced tears when crying
6.

dry skin
7.

mild to severe headache
8.

constipation
9.

fuzziness, dizzy, light-headed
 Severe dehydration will include:



extremely dry skin, no elasticity


extreme thirst


no sweat


no urination or dark yellow urine


accelerated heartbeat


sunken eyes


accelerated breathing


no tears when crying


fever


possible delirium or even unconsciousness. One of the very first signs of dehydration is fatigue and lack of  energy…
80% of all Americans are dehydrated to some degree. Our body
’
s cry for
more water is usually mistaken for a hunger for  food; so we end up at the
refrigerator instead of the water tap. This results in a two-fold problem:
becoming overweight
and being
 dehydrated – thus the cycle continues. Most disease is a result of our organs being starved of
necessary water
,
so the body is in a constant battle to store up water in
fat cells
, with one
organ robbing water from another. Water is
critical for
 every bodily function
and for the life and health of every
single cell
, from our brain to our little toe. Glacier water is pure clean healthy distilled water
 Water:

1.

provides lubricants for our joints;
2.

provides digestive juices/saliva and stomach acid;
3.

controls body temperature through perspiration;
4.

is used to manufacture blood and lymph;
5.

delivers nutrients to the cells and carries away waste
6.

helps move material through the intestinal tract; and
7.

regulates the body
’
s metabolism. Pure (distilled) water is nothing but H
2
O, so consequently it is
the most
effective water at meeting the required needs of the body
– especially
 with
cleaning toxins and waste materials from the
cells of
 the body. The Mayo
Clinic has discovered that plenty
of distilled
 water can decrease the risk of
colon cancer by at
least 45
%, bladder cancer by 50%, in addition to other
forms of cancer
, including
 breast cancer. Many medical experts agree that
most disease
 is a result of not drinking enough clean, healthy water
for the
body to function as it needs to, such as flushing the bladder of   toxins and
chemicals. When the body does not receive
enough water
, the result is
dis-ease. Then to complicate the
unhealthy condition
, doctors prescribe
drugs to deal with symptoms
which then
 can
result in
 additional health
problems. CHAPTER 3
Why Do I Need to
Drink Distilled Water? How the EPA Has Failed
T
he consequences of EPA
’
s failure to establish standards
for organic
chemical contaminants in drinking water are very serious. First, because
the establishment of standards is a
necessary prerequisite
 for monitoring
the quality of drinking water,
water suppliers
 are not presently required to
monitor the water they
sell for
 organic chemical contamination. The only
contaminants
they must
 look for are the relatively small number presently
included in
 the current regulations. Thus, unless chemical contamination of a supply is so gross as
to cause
taste, odor or public health problems, most water
utilities across
 the
country do not routinely monitor for
unregulated contaminants
 and,
accordingly, do not know the chemical
quality of
 the water they provide. Second, and equally important,
other regulatory
 programs designed to
prevent contamination
of ground
 water are keyed to the National Primary
Drinking
Water Regulations
.Under the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
leachate
from
hazardous waste landfills is only tested for the presence
of chemicals
included on the agency
’
s short list of primary
drinking water
. Toxic
chemicals at thousands of hazardous waste sites
across the
 country
continue to seep into the nation
’
s underground
, contaminating
 the land, and
poisoning the air. The U.S.
Accounting Office says
that the
 Superfund program will
be required
 to
clean up in excess
of 300,000
 sites, which appears to be, at the present
t
ime, an insurmount
able task. Over 6 billion tons
of solid and
 hazardous
waste are
generated in
 the United States
each year
. 400 million
 pounds of
toxins
are discharged
 each year into
our waterways
 by American
Industry
, according
 to recent data from
the EPA
. In 1997, Americans generated
340 million tons of municipal waste, which
aver


 elements physically and
psychically, the Small Intestine  protects the Spirit  by ltering out
negative input. Pathologies of the Heart  often manifest in
inammatory disorders of the Small Intestine. This occurs when
overactivity of the Heart  produces Heat that is transm itted to the
Small Intestine  and conducted downward and outward through the
Bladder  and Large Intestine. Urethritis, cystitis, ileitis, duodenal
ulcers, and enteritis can be precipitated by anxiety states associated
with agitation of the Spirit. DISTURBANCES OF THE  HEART
Shocking surprise, inordina te sorrow, or overwhelming joy can
obstruct the Heart ’s function and disrupt the perfusion of Blood  and
the continuity of consciousne ss. An individual whose Heart  has been
overwhelmed by emotional trauma may suer a “break with
reality,” a heart attack, or stroke. If the Blood  of the Heart  isinsucient, even without emotional trauma, the mind will have no
house in which to dwell, and the Spirit  will “wander and roam.” This
deciency  is experienced as forgetful ness, distraction, restlessness,
and disturbed sleep. The Heart  becomes overheated and overactive
when the Yin or Blood  becomes decient. This Heat manifests as
incessant talking, disturbing dreams, aberrations of behavior,
disjointed thinking, or blood in the urine, stool, or sputum. In order for the Heart Network  to function well, it must remain
peaceful and protected. When there is agitation and unrest, it is
dicult for the Heart  to respond appropriately to sensory input. This
makes the Heart  insecure and generates a feeling of anxiety. Under
stress, circulation is abnormal and thinking becomes disordered and
confused. When the Qi of the Heart  dissipa tes, a healthy pink complexion
can alternate between gray pallor and a scarlet veil. The person may
experience sudden exhaustion and feel either too hot or too cold. Enthusiasm for life can be overcome by periods of withdrawal and
melancholy. This person may have diculty nding words and
suer short-term memory loss, shortness of breath, and perspire
with slight exertion. When the Heart  cannot perform its job properly, arterial
circulation becomes impaired: blood pressure lowers, the limbs
become cool, the heart skips beats, and the person feels tired,
swollen, and breathless. These are the symptoms associated with
heart failure. As the Qi dissipates, the tendency is for the Blood  to
become sluggish and stagnant. The extremities may become numb,
and the lips, nose, and nger s take on a purplish hue. As a result of
this Blood  stasis obstructing the Heart, angina or chest pain may
occur. FULL-BODIED SPIRIT
The Heart  has the pure nature of Fire. It exudes warmth and light:
the warmth of good circulation and the light of consciousness. Under stress, the warmth can either dissipate or turn to ames and
the light may become cloud y. When the Heart Network  functionsproperly, a person has a tranquil mind, good memory, clear senses,
restful sleep, and a robust complexion. It is the nature of the Heart
to be accessible, responsive, and serene, like a monarch  who rules
not by force, but by spreading joy, maintaining peace, and
establishing communication. EARTH:  THE SPLEEN
As a minister of agriculture oversees the production and distribution
of farm resources, the Spleen  supplies the nourishment that sustains
the organism. The raw material of food and experience is ingested,
digested, and assimilated to fuel the life of the body and mind. This
fuel, called Nutritive Essence, is extracted and converted into an
abundance of Qi and Blood. Gathering and holding together is the
dominion of Earth. Like Mother Earth, the Spleen  is the constant
provider, the hearth around which the body gathers to renew itself.Spleen NetworkSpleen-Stomach
EXTRACT, CONVERT, SUPPLY, CONTAIN, LIFT
By providing nourishment, Qi, and Blood, the Spleen  holds the fabric
of the body together and upright, maintaining the integrity and
position of esh, blood vessels, and organs. The Spleen  “governs the
Blood “ by keeping it within the arteries and veins and “uplift s the
Qi,” counteracting gravity, by holding the viscera and muscles in
their proper place, preventing prolapse. METABOLIC  FUEL
The Spleen  regulates metabolism. It adjusts the quantity of the pure
uid Essence  that is rened from digestion and released intocirculation. As a hydroelectric dam assures a reliable power output
by controlling the amount of water owing through the turbines,
the Spleen  regulates how much Essence is transfo rmed into Qi and
Blood— that is, the quantity of fuel metabolized determines how
much energy is produced. MOISTURE AND  DENSITY
The distributi on of Moisture  is another function of the Spleen. Through the process of accumulating and releasing Moisture, the
Spleen  adjusts  the viscosity of blood and uids circulating through
the vascular and lymphatic systems, the density of the esh, and the
total mass of the body. The dissemination of Moisture  aects the
weight, shape, and tone of tissue and the lubrication of joints and
mucous membranes. ASSIMILATION
The Spleen  governs the physical extraction of nutrients from food
and the incorporation of ideas and information by the mind. The
faculties of concentration, ideation, recollection, and reection
emanate from the Spleen, which focuses the mind and bestows the
power of intention. Intention is a means of gathering the momentum
necessary to transform will, the impulse of the Kidney, into action,
the drive of the Liver. Maintaining the motivatio n necessary to
sustain eort over time arises from the Spleen. Regulating
metabolism, adjusting the distribution of Moisture, holding tissue
together, preserving the uprightness of muscles and viscera, and
facilitating higher mental processes constitute the means by which
the Spleen  maintains homeostasis and assures adaptation and
equilibrium. CONSTANCY
The Spleen  occupies the position of the fulcrum, the balance point
through which  transition occurs. By means of a fulcrum, a lever
transfers energ y and mass from one site to another. The Spleentransports Nutritive Essence— the basis of Qi and Blood— throughout
the organism, forming and re-forming self and tissue, imparting to
us a sense of substantiality and terrain. Just as a heavy keel assures
the stability of a sailboat, the Spleen  provides ballast. Body weight,
size, and shape remain virtually the same from day to day. To
accommodate uctuating conditions, the Spleen  shifts uid and mass
from place to place, retaining the body’s center of gravity. By
promoting continuity of mental orientation and psychological
perspective, the Spleen  preserves a sense of continuous identity in
relationship to place, people, and values. Such constancy supports
adaptability, the capacity to endure stress without harm. As a strategy for counterbalancing extreme deviation, the Spleen
alters its density to cope with stress. Shifting the mass of the body
facilitates ease of movement or reinforces remaining still and
unperturbed. When the Spleen  metabolically liberates energy and
uids from tissue, relieving pressure and enhancing circulation, the
esh becomes less dense and the body becomes lighter and more
mobile. When matter and uids accumulate, esh increas es and the
body becomes heavier and more stationary. The Spleen  attempts to
master disequilibrium by slowing down or speeding up the
conversion of nourishment to Blood  and Qi. When  the Spleen
thickens uids and tissue, it produces stagnation and adhesion,
retarding movement and weighing down the body. OVERWHELMED
When overburdened by excessive input, either food or information,
the Spleen  cannot transform or transport what it receives, and it
produces congestion instead of providing nourishment. This
congestion is experienced as distension, fullness, and lethargy
accompanied by ponderous, obsessive, and muddy thinking. Movement of mind and body is lugubrious and eortful. When the
Spleen  is exhausted, the mind becomes disoriented, easily distracted
by scattered, supercial, and elusive thoughts. The body feels
fatigue, a lack of energy and strength.The Spleen  “supervises” the Blood  by keeping it within the vessels. Normally through its function of digestion and assimilation, the
Spleen  supplie s the nourishment to maintain the tone and elasticity
of the blood vessel walls. If the Spleen  cannot  perform this role, the
blood vessel walls grow fragile and may even collapse—the basis of
bruising, varicosities, chronic bleeding, and hemorrhage. Since the Spleen  is


ritation of the mucous membranes of the stomach, which
excites a false appetite and causes overeating—the origin of a
great many stomach ills. Second, they deprive the taste-buds of their rights, thus
lessening the desire for perfect mastication. One of the first steps in adopting a reform or hygienic
dietary is to eliminate from the bill of fare all condiments, hot
sauces, and such stuff. Remember  their origin was not very
respectable. They seem to have  been created for the purpose
of covering up something which we instinctively regard as
unclean. HOW TO EAT. TO the average individual who eats everything in sight, who
accepts as correct anything that is jumbled together and
dished up by cunning Chinamen, greasy Africans and
uneducated foreigners, knowing as little of the chemistry of
foods and their nutritive value as they do about the
inhabitants of Sirius, this  title will be amusing. They will no doubt regard it as presuming upon their
intelligence. They will expect to see on the next page
instructions as to how to draw th eir breath, though the fact is
that but few people know how to do either. The majority use
about one-third of their lung capacity and eat with less
intelligence than a cornfield goose. There are several thousand taste-buds called "papillae"
on the top and root of the tongue. There are six groups of
salivary glands that work in harmony and in pairs. The two
largest groups are called the parotid glands. They are located
in front of the ears on each side of the mouth. When the mouth receives food that is approved by the
taste-buds each motion of the jaw in mastication pumps out
of these glands small particles of saliva which pour it into the
mouth. The most delicious thing to the taste, therefore, is that
thing which will exercise—put into operation or call into
activity the greatest number of these tasters. Therefore, the
combining or mixing of foods in the mouth becomes not only
of paramount importance, but the principal factor in
digestion, and in the enjoyment of what we eat. One article of food may call into use but one set of
tasters, while two or three articles whose properties
chemically agree, may put into use the entire six groups. Hence the logical place to mix and make combinations of
food is in the mouth. It is the crucible in which everything
that goes into the stomach should be tested and prepared, for
the obvious reason that the taste-buds occupy the very
important position of being the police of the stomach. If they
have not been perverted, and abused, they will stand ever on
guard to see that nothing goes into that strange factory
without protest except that which will make good blood,
muscle, bone and brain. They will perform this service for us perfectly if we train
and treat them decently; but if we abuse and pervert these
delicate organs by heaping upon them and forcing them to
accept stimulating, irritating and unnatural things, they cease
to perform their functions, and sullenly accept almost
anything we choose to load upon them. Luigi Cornaro was a Venetian nobleman and
philosopher. He became a physical wreck at 40. He ceased
philosophizing about ethics and such things and decided to
ascertain why. He very soon solved the problem. It was overeating. He
began by restricting himself to 12 ounces of solid food per day. As he advanced in age he still further reduced his daily
ration, until he partook of only one egg a day, in addition to a
very little wine and water. After adhering to this custom for many years and
enjoying perfect health, he one  day partook of two ounces of
solid food, an experiment which nearly cost him his life. Some of his best works were written between the ages of 86
and 95. He lived to be 103 years old, while the best medicine
men of his day told him at 40 that he could never reach the
age of 50. In subsisting wholly upon uncooked food, the natural
tendency is for all the organs that are employed in converting
food into energy to become normal, and make no demands
except those required by nature. They require more
mastication, which is natu re's greatest guard against
overeating; but until the system adjusts itself to the new
regime, it is best to partake of only about half the quantity
one would eat were the foods cooked, but masticate them
twice or three times as long. If people would masticate their food until it ceased to
taste, removing from the mouth the residue, if any, and
involuntarily swallowing the liquid (soup) therefrom, it
would quadruple the pleasure of eating and eliminate forever
from the catalogue of human ills indigestion, constipation and
overeating. In commencing the use of uncooked foods, one must not
fail to remember that the taste and appetite so long fed on
fired and devitalized foods must be reckoned with. If they
accept the new diet, all is well; but should they rebel, give
them some of the old charcoal and ashes now and then. But
give them plenty of live, vita l foods again, and they will soon
accept them. Then will one begin to live in a new world. Until taste and hunger are sufficiently well trained to
demand such food as the system needs, it is well to employ
our learning to aid them. We should avoid the continuous use
of such things as contain similar nutritive elements, that is to
say, we should not eat too much of any one thing. We should
acquaint ourselves with the composition of the leading
articles of diet, which will enable us to select intelligently our
daily menu until abnormal appetite  is changed to natural
hunger. No greater question can possibly command the thoughts
of people than the study of nature's infallible laws of feeding. When the proper energy and vita lity are given to the body by
correct food a certain amount of motion becomes imperative. We would not need to take lessons in physical culture. We
would be forced to obey the demands of the body, thus
sending to the lungs an extra amount of blood, which would
cause deep breathing, or extra oxidation of waste matter. Therefore, if the great natural law of feeding was obeyed,
we would instinctively carry out the laws of motion and
breathing, which would give us not only perpetual insurance
against disease, but emblazon the way to perfect health. MASTICATION. THE stomach has no teeth. Teeth were the product of
necessity. They were placed in the mouth by nature for the
specific purpose of emulsifying food, so that it could be
absorbed by the body. This process we call digestion. Food that is not thoroughly pulverized by mastication
must be reduced to solution by the stomach and the other
digestive organs. If it be such material as the gastric juice will
not dissolve, then it must be disposed of by disintegration,
which starts with fermentation. This is the genesis of nearly
all indigestion and intestinal disorders. Fermentation changes food from a life- giving to a life-
destroying substance. It generates a poisonous gas which is
absorbed by the system and which preys upon the red
corpuscles of the blood, lowering the vitality of every organ
of the body. This is only one of the many evils that result from
imperfect mastication. A whole book could be written and the
subject not exhausted—in fact, a very admirable work has
been written by Mr. Horace Fletcher called "The A B Z of
Our Own Nutrition," devoted almost entirely to the subject of
mastication. Under the heading of "Some Pertinent
Questions" he suggests that the reader interrogate himself as
follows: "Were I an iron and steel automobile instead of a
flesh and blood automobile, which I really am, could I get a
license for myself as a chauffeur to run myself with safety,
based upon my knowledge of my own mechanism and the
theory and development of my powers?" Nature refuses to create and keep healthful any part of
the anatomy or member of the body which is not used. Allow
the arm to rest in a sling for a few months, and nature will
cease to feed it, and it will become feeble, emaciated and
almost useless. Nature is a perfect economist. If the teeth are not used,
she will refuse to keep them in repair; she will allow them to
decay. She presumes that you do not need them because you
have refused to put them to that use for which they were
created. So long as people subsist upon soft, cooked, mushy
foods, they cannot expect to have good teeth. This is one of
the greatest arguments against the baneful habit of cooking
and in favor of elementary foods. Nature produces no food that should be swallowed
without mastication, when eaten in its elementary state. She
produces no soup trees, gravy vines, mush plants or cook
stoves. Elementary food must be masticated. Thorough
mastication will develop numerous  flavors in foods that are a
revelation in enjoyment to those who live upon them. The majority of people cheat and dull the keenest sense
of taste and defeat the primary purposes of nature by doing as
others do, viz.


	are. The	qualities	of	gratitude,
thankfulness,	gentleness,	and	appreciation	are	themselves	powerfully
transforming. Our	experience	of	the	world	and	life	is	totally	the	result	of
inner	beliefs	and	positionalities. Out	of	love	and	respect	for	God	arises	the
willingness	to	surrender	all	these	prejudgments,	and	the	humility	that
ensues	opens	the	doors	to	the	splendor	of	reality,	which	is	the	revelation	of
the	Self. Love	is	the	magic	catalyst	that	brings	about	the	awareness. In	the
end,	faith	is	replaced	by	certainty,	and,	therefore,	it	is	said	that	God	is
found	by	those	who	seek	Him. Q:	You	seldom	mention	the	physical	body. What	is	its	importance	in
spiritual	work? A:	The	body	is	a	product	of	nature	and	part	of	the	animal	world. One	might
say	it	is	owned	by	nature	but	rented	to	us	provisionally. It	has	only	a
temporary	existence	and	thus	does	not	justify	undue	attention	or
importance. Its	value	is	its	capacity	for	communication,	a	means	of
conveying	information	and	sharing	awareness. If	adequately	tended,	it	is
hopefully	a	source	of	pleasure	and	a	means	of	accomplishing	work	and
expressing	affection. Essentially,	it	is	a	temporality,	an	experience	of
perception	or	position	in	space	and	time. Perception	claims	it	as	‘me’,	or	at
least	as	‘mine’. This	is	a	major	restriction	and	limitation	of	identification
of	the	self	with	physicality	and	form. Like	any	other	living	thing	in	nature,
the	body	responds	to	kindness,	respect,	and	consideration. It	can	be	cared
for	and	loved	like	a	cherished	pet	without	necessarily	identifying	with	it	or
becoming	unduly	attached	to	it. One	of	the	most	difficult	areas	for	clarification	of	the	differentiationbetween	self	and	body	is	the	functioning	of	the	senses. These	are
experienced	and	believed	to	be	functions	of	the	physical	body	itself. As
strange	as	it	may	seem,	the	actual	locus	of	sensory	experience	is	within	the
invisible	domain	of	the	inner	energy	body	that	activates	the	physical	body. The	physical	body,	in	and	of	itself,	has	no	capacity	to	experience	anything
at	all! The	experiencing	of	the	senses	(as	well	as	of	everything	else)	is	a
quality	of	consciousness	associated	with	one’s	presence	as	an	energy	body
within	the	physical	body	image. Anyone	who	has	ever	had	an	out-of-body
experience	remembers	that	all	modalities	of	sense	were	the	function	of	the
etheric	body	that	was	associated	with	their	consciousness	and	sense	of	self. Sight	and	hearing	continue	even	if	the	physical	body	is	in	a	dormant	or
unconscious	state. The	‘self’	experience	migrates	out	of	the	body	along
with	the	sense	of	positionality	or	movement. In	that	state,	the	‘I’	sense	is
located	within	the	energy	body,	and	the	physical	body	becomes	an	‘it’. It	is
seen	as	‘a	body’,	not	‘my	body’. High	numbers	of	people	report	identical	experiences,	so	there	is
common	agreement	as	to	the	nature	of	the	phenomenon. Likewise,	near-
death	experiences	often	involve	the	‘self	’	traveling	down	tunnels	of	light,
meeting	people,	and	encountering	various	colors,	and	then	having	a
reluctant	return	to	re-inhabit	the	physical	body. Thus,	we	can	say	that	we
inhabit	a	physical	body,	but	we	are	not	a	physical	body. It	is	clear	that	the
spirit,	soul,	or	energy	self	is	a	resident	of	the	body	and	tends	to	blend	in
and	diffuse	with	it,	and	so	loses	its	unique	identity. Some	people	are	prone
to	leaving	their	body	accidentally	or	at	will;	astral	projection	as	a
technique	can	in	fact	be	taught	as	a	skill	so	that	one	can	leave	one’s	body
at	will	and	even	choose	locations	to	visit	(e.g.,	at	the	Monroe	Institute). Distant	viewing	and	clairvoyance	are	the	partial	projections	of	the
sensory	faculty	of	the	energy	body. The	‘experiencer’	is	the	inner	presence
within	what	has	been	variously	called	the	astral,	etheric,	soul,	or	spirit
body. The	spirit	body	is	not	controlled	by	the	usual	forces	called	physical
but	instead	exists	on	another	dimension	or	plane. Mind	also	travels	with	the	spirit	body	and	realizes	that	it	is	separate
from	the	brain. Consciousness	does	not	depend	on	physicality	but	exists
independently	of	it. When	localized,	however,	it	tends	to	identify	itself
with	form	and	location. Q:	What	about	purification	and	mortification	of	the	body? A:	There	is	nothing	to	purify	except	illusion. Desires	are	for	specific
experiences	and	sensations	that	can	be	sought	through	the	body,	but	theproblem	is	not	that	of	the	body	but	of	the	mind. It	is	the	mind	that	is	trying
to	anticipate	and	control	experience. Q:	Does	the	experience	of	the	body	change	with	advanced	spiritual
awareness? A:	There	are	changes	that	occur	in	the	nature	of	the	bodily	experience. The
sense	of	location	is	more	general	and	less	specific. There	are	periods
during	spiritual	work	when	the	body	seems	to	almost	disappear	as	though
forgotten. There	are	also	times	when	very	intense	energies	seemingly	flow
through	the	nervous	system,	and	various	burning	sensations	are
experienced	as	though	the	nervous	system	were	on	fire. There	was	also	a
period	when	the	kundalini	energy	flowed	with	intense	pleasure	up	the	back
and	spine	into	the	head	and	brain,	and	then	down	and	out	to	the	heart. There	can	be	a	loss	of	bodily	desires	and	withdrawal	of	interest	in	the
body	so	that	physical	survival	may	at	times	depend	on	input	from	people
in	one’s	surroundings. There	can	be	a	marked	loss	of	appetite	and	interest
in	bodily	sensations. Vision	changes	in	that	everything	seems	to	be	in	slow
motion. There	is	reliance	primarily	on	peripheral	vision	rather	than	central
vision. Time	stops,	which	seems	to	be	related	to	the	loss	of	specific
connection	in	space. There	is	also	an	unsteadiness	of	bodily	movement. When	realization	of	the	Self	occurs,	there	is	difficulty	with	pronouns
and	what	to	call	what	the	world	considers	to	be	‘I’	in	terms	that	are
understandable. It	seems	strange	at	first	to	watch	people	speaking	to	the
physical	body	as	though	it	were	one’s	identity. There	is	a	loss	of	the	fear	and	startle	reflexes. It	is	more	difficult	to
process	linear	thought	and	decipher	ordinary	human	speech. This	results	in
a	delay	in	responding	to	verbal	communication. This	delay	has	to	do	with
a	process	occurring	in	consciousness	that	translates	linear	processing	of
language	into	meaning	in	terms	of	essence. This	delay	does	not	occur	with
understanding	animals	or	human	body	language. It	seems	to	happen
because	consciousness	focuses	on	essence	and	meaning	rather	than	on	the
detail	of	form. It	also	has	to	shift	from	its	natural	attunement	with	silence
to	proximal	detailed	sound. There	is	no	separation	between	what	appears	to	occur	and	the	Self. ‘Causes’	are	not	sought	externally,	and	so-called	‘events’	occur	as	a	result
of	what	is	held	in	mind. There	are	no	causes	attributed	to	the	world	itself
but	only	to	consciousness. People	around	one	seem	to	be	run	by	the	ir


—opened the bag. She was shock ed to ﬁnd sheer
lingerie, condoms, and an assortment of other se xual
parapher nalia stuﬀed in this small bag. W anting to
understand the e xtent of her husband’s inﬁdelity, she beganlooking thr ough the cr edit-car d bills, the Inter net history on
their computers, and his cell-phone bills. A fter studying his
behavior for a number of weeks, she discover ed just how big
a secr et life Matthew had been leading, which r evolved
around strip clubs, escorts, and countless one-night stands. After several weeks of silent suﬀering, Maria decided to
confr ont Matthew with all the evidence she had uncover ed. With nothing to say and his hidden behaviors now out in the
open, Matthew was faced with the task of unveiling the
unfulﬁlled ur ges that had led him to cr eate such a gap
between his public persona and his private life. As the shock
of the consequences of his secr et life came into clear view,
he was disgusted that his shadow had lur ed him into
behaviors he never dr eamed he would have been capable
of. Like most se x addicts, Matthew needed help and soon
discover ed that it wasn’t just se x he was seeking, but
attention, admiration, and e xcitement. If he had been able
to see and acknowledge these secr et desir es, he could have
sought the support he needed befor e his behavior escalated
out of contr ol. Instead, his shadow caused him to lose his
marriage and his dignity. I have hear d countless people in my seminars over the
years shar e similar stories. W ithout thinking, they became
somebody they never wanted to be. The bottom line is if we
don’t deal with our shadow aspects, our impulses and our
repressed feelings, they will deal with us. As my friend Dr. Charles Richar ds tells us in The Shadow Eﬀect  movie,
“Ignoring our r epressed shadow is lik e locking somebody in
the basement until they have to do something dramatic to
get our attention. ” If we r efuse to uncover them willingly,
we put ourselves at risk of being in the line of ﬁr e of what I
call the Shadow Eﬀect. W ith no r elief in sight for these
repressed parts of ourselves, they tak e on a life of their
own. By r eleasing the guilt and shame we car ry when a part
of our life is housed in the dark, we can instead open thecellar doors and e xchange our secr et life for an authentic
life. When we deny ourselves a safe outlet to e xpress our dark
side—or r efuse to even acknowledge its e xistence—it builds
up and becomes a powerful for ce capable of destr oying our
life as well as the lives of those ar ound us. The mor e we try
to suppr ess the aspects of our personality that we deem
unacceptable, the mor e they ﬁnd mischievous ways of
expressing themselves. The Shadow Eﬀect occurs when our
own r epressed darkness mak es its pr esence known by
driving us to act out in unconscious and une xpected ways. It
occurs when something in the outer world for ces our inner
darkness out of hiding, and we suddenly come face-to -face
with the character traits, behaviors, and feelings that we’ve
kept hidden in our secr et life. The Shadow Eﬀect is not
something we plan. In fact, it’s something that most of us
have invested a lot of time and ener gy in trying to avoid. But when we understand this phenomenon, we can unravel
the mystery of our own self -sabotage. THE SHADOW EFFECT
Imagine that every quality, every emotion, every dark
thought that you try to ignor e, hide, or disown is lik e a
beach ball you ar e holding underwater. You tak e your selﬁsh
self, you tak e your angry self, your too -good self, your not-
good-enough self, your foolish self, your conceited self, all
the selves. And suddenly you’r e overwhelmed with all these
beach balls you’r e trying to manage. When you’r e young,
you have lots of ener gy, so you can manage a lot of beach
balls—you can suppr ess a lot of your unwanted qualities. But then when you’r e tired, heartbr oken, or sick; when you
no longer believe in the possibility of an e xciting futur e;when your defenses ar e down; when your attention is on
your family or some big pr omotion you’r e going to win;
when you’ve had one too many drinks—all of a sudden,
boom. Y ou or someone ar ound you does something without
thinking and one or mor e of your submer ged beach balls
pops up and hits you in the face. This is the Shadow Eﬀect. What is r oad rage. Is it anything mor e than a beach ball of
suppr essed anger for cing its way to the surface. W e see it
in the media all the time. A ﬁlmmak er making deep
Christian ﬁlms all of a sudden gets drunk and shouts anti-
Semitic comments in a drunk en rage. A radio star who
makes his living being a gr eat communicator in one second
makes a racial slur that destr oys his car eer and r eputation. An ambitious young teacher thr ows away her futur e by
having se x with a fourteen- year-old student. A movie star,
with the means to aﬀor d almost anything, gets caught
shoplif ting. All of the suppr essed impulses and hidden ur ges
we have tried to manage ar e like ticking time bombs waiting
to go oﬀ. And what we can e xpect is that the Shadow Eﬀect will
arise at the least opportune time—when we’r e on the ver ge
of ﬁnancial success or in the midst of r omancing a desirable
new partner; when we’r e days away fr om retirement or
about to close a deal that could change our life for ever. These ar e the times when we consciously or unconsciously
sabotage our own success; when one choice, made in the
haze of unconsciousness, under mines the pr ogress we’ve
work ed years to mak e. All self -sabotage is an e xternalization
of the inter nal shame hidden in the dark r ecesses of our
unconscious minds. Because we have not had the wisdom,
courage, or wher ewithal to mak e peace with what we have
suppr essed out of guilt, fear, or shame, it gets for ced out
into the open so that we can r eclaim and embrace our lost
self and r eturn to the transpar ent state of our whole self. It’s not until our self -destructive behaviors ar e no longer a
secret and we see thr ough objective eyes the damage we’r edoing to ourselves and those ar ound us that we ﬁnd the
motivation to change. It’s not until our childr en come home
from school to ﬁnd the electricity cut oﬀ that we’r e willing to
face our gambling addiction. It tak es a DUI ar rest to wak e us
up to the fact that our drinking has spiraled out of contr ol. When we’r e out to dinner with friends and the waiter
announces that our cr edit car d has been declined, we might
ﬁnally have to face the fact that our spending is out of
contr ol. When we get caught dipping into the company
expense account, we ﬁnally r ealize that we must deal with
our entitlement issues. W e can fool ourselves that we ar e
doing all right at work or on our diet—until we get our yearly
review or step on the scale. The Shadow Eﬀect arises as a
potent outer r eﬂection that our inner world is danger ously
out of balance. But as painful as these moments of truth can
be, they can serve to begin a pr ocess of involuntary
evolution. When we ar e confr onted with our shadow and it is
seen by those whose opinions matter to us, we snap out of
denial and hopefully r ecognize that we must do something
about it. If we wer e able to see ourselves accurately, it would be an
easier task. But we can’t, and because of this, it is so easy
to fall into the trance of denial, otherwise known as “ Don’t
Even Notice I Am Lying. ” The lie begins with ourselves. If
we wer e intimate with our dark er impulses—if we knew that
selﬁshness, hatr ed, gr eed, and intolerance have an
important message to deliver—we would heed their
presence in our life, lik e a trusted friend knocking at the
door. But when we alienate our shadow, when out of fear we
refuse to acknowledge or r eceive the messages it is trying
to send, we can be certain that we will do something or
bec