abd  yoga use s sound  and light to meditate, and  bhakti  yoga or
the “yog a of love and devotion” aims to concentrate practition ers’
focus on a particular devotional subject. V iewed as a method of attaining physiological and spiritual
mastery, medita tion is central to Hinduism. The seven  rishis  or
great sages were master meditators and today’ s  sadhus  or
wandering mys tics employ meditation, along with ascetic ism,
renunciation, ce libacy and yoga with the ultimate aim of attaining
enlightenment. However, one does not need to be a Hindu  topractice Hindu meditation. Man y Hindu meditative techniques  are
secular in nature — and everyone is welcome to try them. A popular choice for those serious to learn more about
Hinduism and meditation is a visit to an Indian ashram. Neither a
temple nor a mo nastery, an ashram is a more like a retreat. The idea
is to lead a simple life, develop a positive attitude and come away
with an underst anding of selfless service. A 15-day visit usu ally
includes a  sadhana  course where yoga (see pages 100–1 1 1),
meditation,  pranayama  (see page 1 14–1 17), relaxation and
concentration techniques are “taught” in peaceful, often rem ote
surrounds. Many people report that such a withdrawal from nor mal
everyday life is a rich and rewarding experience. Meditation has long been practiced both in a secular fashion and as a Buddhist or
Hindu practice. Here we see a detail of the hands and feet of the Buddha; 14th
century, Sukothai Period, housed in the Prasat Museum, Bangkok.An evening meditation session atop one of the roofs at Amanbagh. Using fire, it
comprises ritual and chanting, to give thanks for the day.Novice monks in “resting pose” during meditation. Meditation and Buddhism
Meditation is also central to Buddhism. Indeed, in around 500  BC,
the Indian prince Siddharta Gautama rejected the material world
and attained enlightenment through meditation beneath a  bodhi
tree. Th eravada Buddhism advo cates various meditative practi ces,
but the two best  known are Samadhi or “Concentrative Meditat ion”
and V ipassana or “Mindfulness  Meditation”. Both are considered
part of the eight fold path Buddhists must follow in order to ach ieve
Nirvana.At its most sim ple, concentrati ve meditation focuses attention
on t he breath, a n image or a sound (mantra) in order to still  the
mind and allow a greater awa reness and clarity to emer ge. By
focusing on the continuous rhythm of inhalation and exhalation, the
mind becomes absorbed in the rhythm, breathing becomes slower
and deep er, and  the practitioner becomes more tranquil and aw are. Mindfulness meditation, on the other hand, seeks to open up the
mind’ s awareness. The practitioner sits quietly, simply witnessing
whatever goes through the min d, thereby obtaining a more c alm,
clear and non-reactive state of mind. Again, b oth types of meditation are open to non-Buddhists. Of
particular note are the 10-day residential courses of fered by the
V ipassana Resea rch Institute and patronized by clients from all over
the world. Pioneered by S N Goenka, an Indian who learnt  the
technique in Burma, the course s are non-sectarian, as is Buddhism
itself. Entirely free and funded by donations from previous
attendees, they are silent meditative retreats aimed at enabling
people to “see things as they really are”.Many spas and retreats offer medita tion sessions these days. Here a client
focuses on the inner mind during a session at Prana Spa, Bali.Many hotels, resorts  and retreats offer meditation sessions in India. These may be
group or solitary one-to-one “lessons” and are usually given early in the morning
or at dusk. On  left, we see a client in a meditative pose in a pavilion at the
Ayurvedic retreat of Kalari Kovilakom; on  right, a bamboo grove at Ananda, in the
Himalayas, provides  seclusion for a pair of devotees. A statue of the  nandi  or bull,
the Lord Shiva’ s primary vehicle, forms a focus here. Meditation in Spas, Resorts and Retreats
Of course, other religions including Islam, Christianity, Jainism and
Sikkhism advocate the use of m editation in one form or anothe r as
well. However, visitors to India  are most likely to encounter Hindu
and Buddhist meditation methods in a destination spa or retreat.Increasingly, such establishments include yoga,  pranayama  and
meditation sessions to complement the other therapies on of fer. V isiting “masters” often run specialized courses, while residential
teachers are also on hand. As A yurvedic doctors have to study meditation as part of their
medical degree,  A yurvedic retreats routinely include medita tion
sessions in their treatment schedules. For example, at Kalari
Kovilakom guests are encourag ed to start the day with a walking
meditation known as  chandramanam : As the unique property is
criss-crossed wi th many secluded pathways, it is the perfect plac e to
practice this technique. W alking purposefully, being aware of body
and brea th, all the while chanting a mantra, prayer or  sankalpa
(af firmation), guests are encouraged to open up to infinite
possibilities. Sim ilarly, afternoo ns are spent in yoga  nidra  sessions
whereby a special meditative technique brings about d eep
relaxation. The ancient tradition of meditating in remote caves is illustrated by this Brahm in in
Ranigumpha cave in Orissa. The cave dates from the 2nd century  BC. Another property that of fers a unique meditation session is
Amanbagh in the Rajasthani countryside near Jaipur. Designed to
focus the mind through the con tinuous rhythm of  mantra  chanting
and of fering to f ire, the Amanbagh’ s fire meditation is both a tri buteto India n culture and a celebr ation of the unique locale of the
property. Fire is considered th e purest of the five element s in
Hinduism: it is u sed at auspicious occasions, such as weddings and
homecomings, and is associated with the solar plexus area. As the sun is setting behind the Aravali hills, a fire is lit beneath
a marigold bedecked meditation pavilion situated on the property’ s
roof. Fir st come s the  vedi  or th e decoration of the fire, then guests
are bles sed with  a  tika  dot on the forehead. An  aarti  of incense
begins the proceedings, then edible of ferings are given up to the
fire: rice, jaggery, sesame seeds and oatmeal. Once the preliminaries are over, a meditation guide starts what
is know n as the  gayatri  mantra. Compri sing 24 sounds that give
homage to the mother of the tripartite Hindu deity, the guide
encourages guests to chant only five:  om,  bhur,  bhu,  vah  and
swah. Hin du philosophy advocates th e use of sound, preferably in a
low voice and a rhythmic manner, to facilitate concentration. In
fact, many meditation techniques employ the repetitive chanting of
simple sounds to clear the m ind, open the heart and rem ove
extraneous thoughts from the brain — and Amanbagh’ s mind-
expanding ritual is no exception. In ad dition to th ese traditional techniques, there is a plethora of
what may be termed New Age meditation techniques. TM
(T ranscendental Meditation), Deeksha, Global Meditation thro ugh
sahaja  yoga, movement meditations such as 5 Rhythms, Active or
Dynamic meditation, T antric meditation and more... all are of fered
at a vari ety of venues in India. If you are serious about improving
your health and wellbeing through this ancient practice, the sky —
literally — is your limit in India.Statues of the Buddha in the ruins of Mrauk-U, Arakan, Myanmar. Fire is used extensively in Hindu worship. In early Hindu mythology, Agni, the
Hindu God of Fire is depicted as one of the most important of the Vedic gods. His
role in sacrifices and rituals was unparalleled: as fire consumes everything, he
was seen as a mediator between heaven and earth. Here a Jain priest cond ucts
an  agni puja  (fire prayer).chakra therapy
A figure in the lotus pose is illustrated with the seven  chakra  positions. Running
from the base of the spine to the top of the head, they are seen as the body’s
energy centers. The term  chakra, a Sanskrit word that literally means
“wheel of light”, refers to th e seven basic ener gy centers in
the body. In Indian philoso phy, the  chakras


 (e)  Now inhale,  hold,  and clench  the feet,  fists, teeth,  perine um,
and buttocks. Exhale  and relax. (f) Inhale  again,  hold,  and clench  the teeth,  fists, feet,  perine um,
and buttocks:  tilt the  sacrum back, slightl y arching  the back to  help
the energy  flow more easil y into the  spine. Exhale  and relax. (g)  This ti me, add  an upw ard movement of the  eyes: looking  up
will help  focus  the energ y toward the brain. Practice  again:  inhale,
hold,  clench  every thing, and look  up. Exhale  and relax. (h)  Now it is tim e to add the last item, which will force  the energ y
up into the  brain. Perfor m all the  clenching,  and then  a series  of
nine strong  contracti ons of the perineum. These  contractions  are
essential  to keep  the orgas m in the body  and propel  it up ward. - 143  -Orgasmic Upward Draw
2. Practice  in an Aroused St ate
A. Overview
    No w that you have  practiced  all the  clenching  exercises,  you
are ready  to try the Orgasmic Draw  in an  arouse d state. To reach
an aroused  state you will massage  the breasts,  and stim ulate  the
clitoris, in  whatever position  you are accusto med to. As y ou
approac h what you consider  to be a high  state  of arous al, provide
enough  time before  you know you will climax. Then clench
every thing, and while holding  your breath,  simultaneously  execute
nine hard  contractio ns. Later  when we fully describ e the Orgas mic
Upward Draw, we will go into detail  on how  to move the  sexual
energy  up. You will notice  that after  your first Orgasmic Draw  there  will be a
transfer  of arouse d energ y upward, first mo ving up the  spine  to the
top of the  head  and to the pineal  gland  (thro ugh the Governor
Channel),  then  dow n (throug h the Function al Channel ) as the ener gy
continues  in the  Microcosmic Orbit. When you feel the ener gy fill
the Orbit, you will start  to mo ve the orgasm s arouse d ener gy into
the ovaries,  then  into the left and  right  kidne ys, to the  liver spleen
and lungs,  and finall y up to  the left and  right  sides  of the brain,
completing  what we call the  “organs’  and glands’  orgasm.” Additional
stimulation  will again  raise the level  of sexual  arousal,  and you will
be able to practice  anoth er Orgas mic Dra w. If yo u wish, you can
then continue  to com plete  a set  of three  to six dra ws. Practice
three  to six repetitions  once  or twice a da y, and you will quickly
refine  your abilit y to do  the Orgas mic Dra w. Practice  until you can
fully control  the ma nner of transfer ring the orgas m upward, using
your mind to circulate  the orgas m throu gh the Micr ocosmic Orbit
to all of the  glands  and organs, thereb y increasing  the amount  of
energy  going  to the  brain. You will find that as  control  of the Orgas mic
Draw  gradu ally moves inside,  the process  will requir e less and
less ph ysical clenching. Ultimately, after  perha ps six m onths to a
year of practice,  the control  will be totally  internaliz ed. B. Importance  of Virtue Energy
   Raising  the organs’  and glands’  Chi to increas e the ovaries’
sexual  energy  is one  of the most important  ways to rejuvenate  the
organs  and glands  and start  the return  of youthful feelings. The
- 144  -Chapter  VI
most re juvenatin g energ y, virtue  energ y: is gener ated from the
organs:
   (1) Gentleness  from the  kidney s and bladde r:
   (2) Kindness  from  the liver  and gall bladder:
   (3) Honor  respect,  joy and happin ess from the heart  and small
       intestine:
   (4) Fairness  from the  spleen,  stomach and  pancre as:
   (5) Righteous ness  from the lungs and large  intestine. The sexual  organs  are linked  to all  of the  major organs  and
glands. With prop er stim ulation,  as the Taoists  classically  state,
the energy  of the glands  and organs  will contribute  to full sexually
aroused  energ y: and all the  good  virtue  ener gy emerging  from the m
will comb ine into the best  energy  we know ; the energ y of
compassion. If you can redirect  the energ y of compassion  back to
the organs,  you will charge  them to their  fullest  extent,  and negativ e
energy  will have  no room  to rem ain. If you have  too much negative
energy  in the  organs  and do not  try to remove it, w hen you begin  to
multiply your sexual  energy, the negativ e energ y will increase,  and
so will your negative  emotions. The Micr ocosmic Orbit  Medita tion, Inner  Smile, S ix Healing
Sounds,  and Healing  Love  practices  all help  to transform negative
emotional  energ y into good  virtue  energ y. A more extensive  practice
of transfo rming negative  energ y into good  virtue  and blending  all
virtues  with the energ y of com passion  will be explained  in a later
practice  of the Healing  Tao, called  Fusion  of the Five Elem ents. When fully  aroused  sexuall y the glands,  organs  and nervous  system
will be exercised  to their  fullest  extent  as well. C. Mass aging brea sts will  raise the Organs and Glands’ Chi. When you massage  the breasts  or the clitoris,  be aware of the
Chi energ y that is activated  as you stim ulate  the many nerves  they
contain. The nerves  are connecte d to all the  major organs  and
glands  of the bod y beginning  at the  top of the  crown with the pineal
gland. From this point  you will begin  to feel the  stim ulation  of all  the
glands  and organs  as the  sensation  descends  and flows throug hout
your body  Use y our mind to  guide  the glands’  and orga ns’ Chi to
flow to the breasts,  blending  their  energies  to prod uce the best
possible  glands’  and orga ns’ Chi. This special  blending  of orga ns’
and glands’  Chi can  have  a very  powerful creative  and healing  effect. - 145  -Orgasmic Upward Draw
Pineal Gland
   Pituitar y Gland
Activate  the en docrin e
glands by massaging
the ar ea one an d a
half inches ar ound the
nipples, using three
fingers.Thyroid Gland
Thymus  Gland
Adren al Gland
Pancre as Gland
Ovarian  Palace
Ovaries
Fig. 6.6 Activating  the Endocrine  Glands
- 146  -Chapter  VI
(1) Gland Chi Arous ai
   When certain  glands  are stimulated  to secrete  their hormones
(Fig. 6.6),  the organs  with which they are associate d become
activated,  and eventu ally ever y cell of  the body  is affected. Stimulation  of the breasts  especiall y affects  the pineal,  pituitar y
and thymus  glands. Fig. 6.7 Course of  the Kidney Meridian
- 147  -Orgasmic Upward Draw
(A) Pineal Gland Chi
    The kidne y meridian  passes  throu gh the breasts  (Fig. 6.7),  and
as you use your fingers  to gently  massage  the nipples,  their
stimulation  activates  the kidneys and bladder  as w ell, which, in
turn, help  to activate  the sexual glands. The clitoris,  having  a direct
relationship  to the pineal  gland  at the  hormonal  path way, respon ds
and brings  the sensation  to this  point. The pineal  gland  is the bod y’s
time clock


blockages to this flow. The higher states are totally natural, but you
shouldn’ t be seeking them. Don’t be blocked and then try to experience
what it’s like to not be blocked. Get unblocked and the deeper  meditations
will come completely naturally. You’ll be minding your own business
watching TV, and you’ll fall into states that you couldn’ t reach after hours of
meditation. You will become a being of shakti, and she will take you into
ecstasy over and over again. There is nothing  more beautiful than the shakti flow. She is so fulfilling
that you would never block her again. If something happens and you feel
you want to defend yourself, don’t touch it. First let go of the part of you
that wants to close down, then deal with the outside. Use everything to let
go of what stands between you and the God-realized state. Start with the low-hanging fruit throughout the day and then progress
to letting go of your past. That’s a perfect way to begin meaningful
transformation. Once you learn how to let go of self-generated disturbances,
inevitably something bigger will happen. Because of the work you have
done on yourself, it will be totally natural for you to let go during more
challenging times. Don’ t wait until a terrible bomb goes off in your life to
wonder what to do dif ferently. You need to do the work of releasing yourself
in your everyda y life. You will then be able to handle anything life brings
your way. Like most things in life, these deeper spiritual states take time. Just do
the inner work, and the energy will start flowing. Once the floodgates open
within you, you’ll have all the help you need for the ascent. You are not
walking this path alone—all who walked before you are liftin g you. Just
keep letting go. No matter what happens, keep letting go. These states are
not going to happen all at once and then stay there. You’ll get rushes fromtime to time because something  opens up. It’s okay if it closes back down;
don’t worry. You still have work to do. Be diligent, but give it time. Eventually, the upward flow will never leave you. You will become a
knower of your soul, a knower  of spirit. When you can relax and release
into the deeper states, you will finally awaken to full self-realization. That’ s
what true enlightenment is. Enlightenment is not a spiritual experience—it
is a permanent spiritual state. No matter how deep you have gone, please do not say you’re
enlightened. Let that word be reserved for the great masters. Just be content. Don’ t build a spiritual ego. Spirituality is not about hanging out a shingle
that says, “I’m a spiritual perso n. ” It is about letting go of that too. It is
about perpetually letting go of yourself completely. If you never stop doing
this, the energy will take over. Where you used to see your personal self
expressing, you will now see nothing but the flow of shakti. Surrender to the
flow. Give your life to it. Merge into it, and it will take you the rest of the
way. That is the final surrender. It has been such an honor to share these teachings with you. Please,
don’t let this be just another book you read and then go back to your normal
way of life. Do this work. This work is not about renunciation of life—it’ s
about truly experiencing life at the deepest level. If you let go of yourself on
a daily basis, under all circumstances, you will find what is greater than
yourself. That’ s just the way it works: Where you’re not, God is. Where
God is, you’re not. Now do you understand why Christ said the Kingdom is within you. It
is the very essence of your being. Your heights are incompreh ensible, and
you are perfectly capable of doing this work. Your inner states will just keep
getting higher and higher as you keep letting go. The fact that you are even
interested in these teachings means you’ve changed the world. You who do
the work of liberating yourself are to be deeply respected. With great love and respect,
Michael A. SingerAcknowledgments
Life is a great teacher. If you are open, every single situation has something
to teach you about yourself and the moment unfolding in front of you. I
begin by acknowledging how much this flow of life has taught me and has
led to the writing of Living Untether ed. I also acknowledge all those wise
beings who have walked this path before me and managed to guide me on
my exploration within. It is with deep humility and appreciation that I recognize the
tremendous work that my friend and product manager, Karen Entner, did on
this book. Her tireless and selfless service has instilled this work with a
sense of commitment and perfection rarely found in this world. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my publishers, New
Harbinger Publications and Soun ds True, for their heartfelt work in bringing
Living Untether ed to fruition. They worked together seamlessly to meld
their great talents into one unifie d force behind the development, marketing,
and distribution of this very special book. There were many early readers, all of whom deserve thanks. I would
like to single out James O’Dea, Bob Merrill, and Stephanie Davis, who
contributed detailed suggestions during the early writing of the book. Lastly, I would like to acknowledge you, the reader, for being
interested in deepening your relationship with yourself and the world around
you. Your willingness to take a second look at what is really going on,
outside and in, has the power to change the world. Section summary:

This passage discusses various aspects related to mental health, emotional regulation, mindfulness, intentional action towards oneself's improvement, acceptance, forgiveness, gratitude. For accurate summarizing purposes:
1. In Chapter [insert chapter number], Michael A. Singer emphasizes. (Insert relevant points)
2., etc.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: According to the author, what is the purpose of spiritual techniques?,
A: To learn to be present and work on oneself, not to achieve a specific state or experience.
Q: What is the author's advice for dealing with difficult situations, such as a child getting in trouble?,
A: Let go of your personal reaction and focus on the situation at hand, rather than getting caught up in your emotions.
Q: What is the author's view on the concept of "enlightenment"?,
A: Enlightenment is not a spiritual experience, but a permanent spiritual state that comes from letting go of blockages and embracing the higher states.
Q: What is the author's perspective on the role of the mind in meditation?,
A: The mind is the object of consciousness, and one must learn not to listen to it; instead, focus on something else, such as the breath, to gain control over one's attention.
Q: What is the author's message about the importance of inner work and self-reflection?,
A: It is essential to work on oneself and release blockages to experience true freedom and fulfillment, as this will allow one to live a life of service and love.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>I see in Gerson one of the most eminent geniuses in the
history of medicine. —Albert Schweitzer
For over thirty years I have recommended the Gerson Therapy to
persons fighting cancer, and have never once had cause to regret it.This new Gerson manual is the best ever written on the subject:
comprehensive, up to date, exhaustively referenced, and very read-
able. It explains the therapy as it instructs on exactly how to do ityourself. Most importantly, Healing the Gerson Way  is about heal-
ing chronic diseases other than cancer, including many that aresupposedly “hopeless.” Don't let anyone tell you otherwise: There ismuch more than hope for “terminal” patients: there is Gerson. Thisis a compendium of knowledge, based on decades of success, thatyou will want to share with everyone you know. —Andrew W. Saul, Assistant Editor,
Journal of Orthomolecular MedicineThe
Gerson
Therapy
Cookbook
Charlotte Gerson
Copyright © 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013 by Charlotte Gerson
1VCMJTIFECZ(FSTPO(PPE
B%BVQIJO1VCMJDBUJPOTDPNQBOZXXXHFSTPOHPPEDPN
$BMJGPSOJB
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher, except for brief quotes used in
reviews. ISBN-13: 978 JW5BCMFPG Contents
1SFQBSJOH'PPEBOE+VJDFT
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 uncoordinated behaviors. At 3 months old,
a baby cannot tell the difference between a staircase and a painting of a
staircase. His brain hasn’ t grasped what an optical illusion is. By 6 months,
his reality has changed; babies can recognize optical illusions by that age,
and using that knowledge, their bodies are better able to negotiate three-
dimensional space (mirrors don’t look like holes in the wall, real stairs are
to be climbed but not paintings of stairs, roundness is different from
flatness, etc.). Making this perceptual shift isn’t just mental; a whole new
way of using eyes and hand s has been achieved, and the physical
dimensions of various brain centers for shape recognition and motor
coordination are af fected. As long as new perceptions continue to enter your brain, your body can
respond in new ways. There is no secret of youth more power ful. As one
80-year -old patient of mine succinctly put it, “People don’t grow old. When
they stop growing, they become old.” New knowledge, new skills, new
ways of looking  at the world keep mind and body growing, and as long as
that happens, the natural tendency to be new at every second is expressed. In the quantum world, change is inevitable, aging isn’t. The
chronological age of our physical bodies is beside the point. The youngest-
looking 50-year -old has molecules that are the same age as those of the
oldest-looking 50-year -old. In both cases the chronological age of the bodycould be stated as 5 billion years (the age of the various atoms), or 1 year
(the time it takes for these atoms to replace themselves in our tissues), or 3
seconds (the time taken for a cell to turn over its enzymes for processing
food, air, and water). In truth,  you are only as old as the information that swirls through you,
and this is very fortunate. You can control the informational content of the
quantum field. Although there is a certain amount of fixed information in
the atoms of food, air, and water that make up each cell, the power to
transform that information is subject to free will. One thing you can own
free and clear in this world is your interpretation of it. There are remarkable
medical cases of young children, for example, who feel so unloved that they
stop growing. This syndrome, called psychosocial dwarfism, occurs among
severely abused children who convert their lack of love and affection into
depleted growth hormone, in defiance of the fact that growth hormone is
supposedly released on a preprogrammed schedule imprinted into every
child’ s DNA. In these cases the power of interpretation overrides the
genetic imprint, causing a change in the body’ s informational fields. Interpretations arise from a person’ s self-interaction. You experience this
as internal dialogue. Thoughts, judgments, and feelings are ceaselessly
swirling through  one’s mind: “I like this, I don’t like that, I’m afraid of A,
I’m not sure of B,” etc. Interna l dialogue is not random menta l noise; it is
generated from a deep level by your beliefs and assumptions. A core belief
is defined as something you assume is true about reality, and as long as you
hold on to it, your belief will hold your body’ s informational fields to
certain parameters—you will perceive something as likable or unlikable,
distressing or enjoyable, according to how it fits your expectations. When someone’ s interpretation changes, a change in his reality also takes
place. In the case of children suffering from psychosocial dwarfism, putting
them into a loving environment proves more effective than administering
growth hormone  (their belief in being unwanted and unworthy can be so
strong that their bodies will not grow even when hormones are injected into
them). However, if loving foster parents can transform the children’ s core
belief about being unlovable, they can respond with bursts of naturally
produced growt h hormone, which sometimes brings them back to normal
height, weight, and development. When they see themselves differently,their personal reality is altered at a physiological level. This is a powerful
metaphor for how our fear of aging and our deep belief that we are meant to
grow old may get transformed into aging itself, as a self-fulfillin g prophecy
generated by a withering self-image. To escape this prison, we need to overturn the beliefs supported by fear. In place of the belief that your body decays with time, nurture the belief that
your body is new at every moment. In place of the belief that your body is a
mindless machin e, nurture the belief that your body is infused with the deep
intelligence of life, whose sole purpose is to sustain you. These new beliefs
are not just nicer to live with; they are true—we experience the joy of life
through our bodies, so it is only natural to believe that our bodie s are not set
against us but want what we want. 7. Despite the appearance of being separate individuals, we
are all connected to patterns of intelligence governing the
cosmos. You and your environment are one. Looking at yourself, you perceive
that your body stops at a certain point; it is separated from the wall of your
room or a tree outdoors by empty space. In quantum terms, however, the
distinction between “solid” and “empty” is insignificant. Every cubic
centimeter of quantum space is filled with a nearly infinite amount of
energy, and the tiniest vibration  is part of vast fields of vibratio n spanning
whole galaxies. In a very real sense, your environment is your extended
body: With every breath, you inhale hundreds of millions of atoms of air
exhaled yesterday by someone in China. All the oxygen, water, and sunlight
around you are only faintly distinguishable from that which is inside you. If you choose, you can experience yourself in a state of unity with
everything you contact. In ordinary waking consciousness, you touch your
finger to a rose and feel it as solid, but in truth one bundle of energy and
information—your finger—is contacting another bundle of energy and
information—the rose. Your finger and the thing it touches are both just
minute outcroppings of the infinite field we call the universe. This truth
inspired the ancient sages of India to declare:As is the microcosm, so is the macrocosm. As is the atom, so is the universe. As is the human body, so is the cosmic body. As is the human mind, so is the cosmic mind. These are not just mystical teachings but actual experiences of those who
could dislodge their awareness from a state of separation and identify
instead with the unity of everyth ing. In unity consciousness, people, things,
and even ts “out there” all become part of your body; in fact, you are only a
mirror of relatio nships centered  on these influences. The famou s naturalist
John Muir decla red, “Wheneve r we try to pick out anything by itself, we
find it hitched to everything else in the universe.” This shouldn’ t be a rare
experience but the first building block of everything we know. The possibility of experiencing unity has tremendous implications for
aging, because when there is harmonious interaction between you and your
extended body, you feel joyful, healthy, and youthful. “Fear is born of
separation,” the ancient Indian sages maintained; in this statement they
probed deep into why we age. Seeing ourselves as separate, we create chaos
and disorder between ourselves  and things “out there.” We war with other
people and destroy the environ ment. Death, the final state of separation,
looms as a fearsome unknown; the very prospect of change, which is part of
life, creates untold dread because it connotes loss. Fear inevitably brings violence  in its wake. Being separate from other
people, things, and events, we want to force them to be what we want. In
harmony there is no violence. Instead of futilely trying to control the
uncontrollable, a person in unity learns acceptance, not because he has to
but because there actually is peace and orderliness in hims elf and his
extended body. The modern sage J. Krishnamurti lived into his nineties with
wonderful alertness, wisdom, and undiminished vitality. I remember seeing
him bound up the stairs to a lecture podium when he was 85, and I was very
moved when a woman who had known him for many years told me, “I have
learned one thing about him—he is completely without violence.”
The quantum worldview is not a spiritual one in its equations and
postulates, but Einstein and his colleagues were united by a mystical
reverence for their discoveries. Niels Bohr compared the wave aspect ofmatter to cosmic mind; Erwin Schrödinger ended his life believ ing that the
universe was itself a living mind (echoing Isaac Newton, who maintained
that gravity and all other force s were thoughts in the mind of God). The
truth is that probing our own spirit always brings humans to the border of
spirit in its larger sense. By putting this encounter into objective terms, the
new paradigm allows us actua lly to cross over the boundary that once
divided mind, body, and spirit. The transformation from separation to unity, from conflict to peace, is the
goal of all spiritual traditions. “Don’ t we live in the same objective world


bodybutalsothemental
and/oremotional'bodies'.Thehomeopathlooks
beyondthe'presentingcomplaint',beyondthelabel
ofthedisease(forexample'tonsillitis'or'migraines'or'foodpoisoning')tothe'totalityofsymptoms'a
personexperiences. Ialwaysaskmyself,'Howisthispersondifferent
fromanotherwiththisparticularcomplaint? 'The
homeopathindividualises theprescriptiontofitthe
patient-ratherlikeatailoredsuit.Imaginethat
thewholepersonislikeajigsaw.Prescribingonone
symptomaloneislikeseeingonlyasmallpartofthe
jigsaw;itdoesnotgiveyouenoughinformationto
workoutwhatthewholepictureis. Asfarasfirst-aidprescribing isconcerned, itis
possibletoprescribeonasinglesymptom-like,for
example,chilblainsormouthulcers.Butitisalways
preferabletofindaremedythatmatchesthetotalityof
symptoms,takingintoaccountasmanypiecesofthe
jigsawaspossible.Ifyouareabletolocateatleastmost
ofthepiecesandfitthemtogether(see'TheSymptom
Picture'and'WorkingOuttheRemedy',pages20and
22),thenyouwillbeabletomakesenseofthewhole
pictureandmatchittoasingleremedy. Constitutionand
Susceptibility
Ioftenhearpeoplesayenviouslyaboutafriend,'He
smokeslikeachimney,drinkslikeafish,workslikea
maniacandhasneverhadaday'sillnessinhislife.It's
notfair.Istruggleconstantlytostayhealthyandneed
ninehours'sleepanight,otherwise Igetsick.Why?' Well,theanswerliesintheconstitution.Theperson
whoworksallhoursandsmokesanddrinksasifthere
werenotomorrowhasastrongconstitution-andmay
wellbewastinghis'inheritance',becausetherewill
comeatimewhenitwillrunout,whenevenhewillget
sick. GeorgeVithoulkas,inTheScienceofHomeopathy,
definestheconstitutionas'thegeneticinheritance
temperedormodifiedbyourenvironment', thatis,a
person'sfundamentalstructure-theirstateofhealth
andtheirtemperament. Basically,astrongconstitution
isonethatcanwithstandconsiderablepressurewith-
outfallingill.Aweakconstitution isonethathasan
increasedsusceptibility toillness. Susceptibility issimplythedegreetowhichaperson
isvulnerabletoanoutsideinfluence.Inanepidemic
noteveryonewillbeaffected(thegermtheoryof
diseasefailstotakethisintoaccount).Wecallthose
whoareaffected'susceptible'.Theirpredisposition is
duetoanunderlyingconstitutionalweaknessthatis
eitherinheritedorduetopastand/orcurrentstress
(mental,emotionalorphysical),andwhichmakesthe
personopentocertaindiseaseconditions. Ifyourgrandparents alldiedofoldageandyour
parentshavebeenbasicallyhealthyalltheirlives;if
14•VitalForce PRINCIPLESANDCONCEPTS
yourbirthwasplannedandyourmotherwashealthy
throughoutherpregnancy(didn'tsmoke,drink,etc. );
ifyourparents'marriageishappyandyourbirthwas
uneventful,thenyourconstitutionshouldbeofthe
strongestvariety. If,ontheotherhand,allyourgrandparentsdiedat
earlyagesofcancerorheartdiseaseandoneofyour
parentshadtuberculosisasachildandtheother
sufferedfromasthmaandeczema,thenyourchances
ofinheritingaweakconstitutionaregreater.Youcan
stillescapetheworstofapoorinheritance ifyour
parents'marriageisahappyoneandtheyhavetaken
goodcareoftheirownhealth. Itmayhelpyoutothinkofyourconstitutionasa
hugeenergybank.Atbirthsomepeoplehavevast
reserves,bothondepositandintheircurrentaccount. Othershaveonlyanominalamountinthecurrent
accountandneedtobepayingintothataccountcon-
stantlythroughouttheirlivesinorderto'stayinthe
black'-inordertostayhealthy. Andthatiswherealternativemedicinecomesin. Manypeoplecometoahomeopathfor'constitutional
treatment'-inotherwordstoimprovetheirgeneral
healthratherthanwaituntiltheyfallill.Thevalueof
constitutionaltreatment isthatitbooststheweak
constitutionanddecreasesitssusceptibility todisease. VitalForce
Homeopathsbelievethereisabalancingmechanism
thatkeepsusinhealth,providedthatthestresseson
ourconstitutionsareneithertooprolongednortoo
great.ThisbalancingmechanismHahnemanncalled
the'vitalforce'andhebelieved ittobethatenergetic
substance,independentofphysicalandchemical
forces,thatliterallygivesuslifeandisabsentatour
death. Thehumanorganism,indeedanylivingthing,hasa
uniquerelationshipwithitsenvironment. Biologists
callit'homeostasis',bywhichtheymeanthata
healthylivingbeingisself-regulating,withaninnate
(protective)tendencytomaintainequilibriumand
compensatefordisruptivechanges.Homeopathsbe-
lievethatthevitalforceproducessymptomstocoun-
teractthevariousstressesweexperience,andthatit
makesadjustmentsmomentbymomentthroughout
ourlivestokeepushealthyandbalanced.These
symptoms,then,aresimplythebody'swayoftelling
ushowitiscopingwithstress.Obviousexamplesare
shiveringwhencold,perspiringwhenoverheatedand
eatingordrinkingwhenhungryorthirsty.Allthese
reactionshelptoensuretheregulationofaconstant,
life-preservingenvironmentwithinthebody. Familiarexpressionssuchas'defencemechanism',
and'immunesystem'areanotherwayofreferringtothevitalforce.Homeopathsbelievethatdisease
'attacks'onlywhenthisvitalforceisweakened. Homeopathicmedicinesactasacatalyst,theenergy
oftheremedystimulatingthebody'sownvitalforce
(itsimmunesystemordefencemechanism)toheal
itself.Theydonotweakenthedefencemechanismby
suppressing itasdomanyorthodoxmedicines.The
correcthomeopathictreatmentnotonlyalleviatesthe
symptomsbutenablesthepatienttofeelthatlifeis
onceagainflowingharmoniously. Patientsoften
remarkthattheyhaven'tfeltsowellinalongtime. ACUTEANDCHRONICDISEASES
Acutediseaseisself-limiting; inotherwords,itisnot
deep-seatedand,giventime,willusuallyclearofits
ownaccord.Someacuteillnesses,suchaspneumonia,
meningitisornephritisforexample,areextremely
seriousandcan,rarely,befatal.Thesearenotwithin
thescopeofthehomeprescriberandalwaysneed
expertadvice. Anacutediseasehasthreedefinitestages:theincu-
bationperiod,whentheremaybenosymptomsof
disease:theacutephase,whentherecognisablesymp-
tomssurface;theconvalescentstage,whenaperson
usuallyimproves. Coughs,colds,flus,foodpoisoningandchildren's
illnessessuchaschickenpoxareallexamplesofacute
illnesses.Well-chosenhomeopathicremedieswill
speeduprecovery,alleviatepainandensurethat
therearenocomplications. Seepages203-26fortheacuteillnessesyoucan
andcannottreatusingthisbook. Chronicdiseaseismoredeep-seatedthanacute
disease.Itdevelopsslowly,continuesforalongtime
andisoftenaccompaniedbyageneraldeteriorationin
health.Thedevelopmentofthediseasedoesnottakea
predictablecourse;neitherisitpossibletosayforhow
longitwilllast. (Anacuteillnessthatisfollowedby
complicationscandevelopintoachronic,long-term
illness.) Arthritis,heartdisease,cancerandmentalillness
areallexamplesofchronicillness.Homeopathsbe-
lievethattheincreaseinincidenceoftheseconditions
wearenowseeingisinpartduetothechemical
stressestheindividualhastoputupwith,including
theover-useoforthodoxmedicinesandenvironmen-
talpollution. MIASMS
IntheearlyyearsofhispracticeHahnemannwas
puzzledtofindthatsomepatientsfailedtorespondto
PRINCIPLESANDCONCEPTS Health•15
theirconstitutionalremediesandsomepatientswho
didimproverelapsedafteronlyashorttime.He
collectedthese'difficult'casestogetherandaftermuch
painstakingstudyfoundacommon


 Eyeinflammation
Eyeinfectionsinsmallbabiesneedprofessionalhelpif
theydon'tclearquickly(withinacoupleofdays)and
easily. DO
•bathetheeye(seepage33)andtakethe
appropriateinternalremedyifneeded. •washyourhandseverytimeyoutouchthe
infectedeyetopreventspreadingtheinfectionto
theothereyeortoanotherperson. DON'T
•rubinflamedeyesasthiscanmakethemworse. •everusecortisonedropsintheeyeunless
prescribedforaspecificcomplaint. SEEKHELPIF
•thesymptompersists,especiallyinanewborn
baby. DISEASESYOUCANTREATUSINGTHISBOOK Fever•215
•thereisseverepainintheeye,especially ifitis
causedbybrightlights. •thesightisaffectedinanyway. Eyeinjuries
DO
•bathetheeye(seepage33);flushoutimmediately
withlotsofwaterifchemicalsentertheeye. •taketheappropriateinternalremedyifneededand
applyalightbandageorscarftoaveryswollen(or
black)eyetorestitsothatitcanheal. •removeparticlesofdustfromthelidwithacotton
bud. DON'T
•leaveeyemake-uponatnightasitirritatestheeye. SEEKHELPIF
•thereisaforeignbodythatyoucannotremove. •theforeignbodywasmadeofiron-thoughthe
bodyitselfmaynolongerbeinyoureye,itmay
haveleftrustdeposits. •thesightisaffectedinanyway. •thereisbleedingoraclearfluiddischargefromthe
siteofthewoundintheeyeitself. •chemicalsgetintotheeye. Eyestrain
DO
•taketheappropriateinternalandexternal
remedies. •resttheeyesforaslongasisneeded. •haveyoureyestestedfairlyfrequently ifyousuffer
fromrecurringeyestrain. •usegoodlightforcloseorfinework,oreven
readinginbed. Faintness
DO
•eatifitisalongtimesinceyourlastmeal. •liedownwiththefeetraisedifexposedtostrong
sunshineorhot,stuffyconditions,andtakein
somefluids. DON'T
•subsistonsnacksifworkinghard. SEEKHELPIF
•youexperienceyourheartbeatingfasterorslower
thannormal,orifthefaintnessisaccompaniedby
chestpain,weaknessanywhere,blurredvision,
confusionordifficultyspeaking. •youfeelbreathless. •yourlegsareswollen.Fever
Seealsoearache,sorethroat,cough,etc.,ifthefever
accompaniesthese. Inmanyinfectionsfeversareanessentialpartof
thehealingprocessandareoftenunderestimated
partlybecausetheyevokefearthroughlackofunder-
standingoftheirpurpose.Afeverishelpfuland
necessary,whetherassociatedwithacoldoroneofthe
moreserious'childhoodillnesses'.Throughunder-
standingthatafeverisasymptomofdiseaseandnota
diseaseinitselfwecancometoseefeversasalliesand
notenemies. Somepeoplehavefeversthatrecur,after,say,
glandularfeverormalaria;thesearenottobeconfused
withthefeverswearediscussinghereandshould
alwaysbereferredtoaprofessionalhomeopath. Ahightemperaturegenerallyindicatesthatthe
body'sdefencemechanism isfightinganinfectionand
temperaturevariationsindicatehowitiscoping. Duringafeverthehealingreactionsofthebodyare
speededup:theheartbeatsfaster,carryingtheblood
morequicklytotheorgans;respiration isquicker,
increasingoxygenintake;andperspirationincreases,
helpingthebodytocooldownnaturally.Attemptsto
suppressorcontrolafeverartificiallywithparaceta-
mol,orevenwithhomeopathicremedies,arelikelyto
confusethebody'snaturaleffortstohealitself. Hippocratessaid,'GivemeafeverandIcancure
thechild. 'Aweakchildmaybeendlessly'sick',
neitherveryillnorverywell,butwithnosignificant
riseintemperature.Amorerobustchildwhose
temperaturesoarsmaylookandfeelveryill,therefore
givingmorecauseforconcernbutisillforashorter
timeandrecoversmorequickly. Eachpersonhastheirownpatternoffallingilland
willexperiencedifferentfeversymptoms;oneindi-
vidualmayfeelhotwithahighfeverwhileanother
mayfeelchillyandshiver.Thelattermaybeirritable
andintolerantofanydisturbanceandneedtobekept
warm.Anothermaybeachingandrestless,maymoan
andcomplain.Yetanothermaysweatprofusely,be
thirstyandslightlydelirious.Onepersonmaywant
company,someonetotalkto,andanotherwillwantto
bealone.Eachresponsewilldemanditsindividual,
butsimilar,remedy. Theaveragenormaltemperatureinahealthyhu-
manissaidtobe98.4°For37°C,butitcanvaryquite
markedly.Mostpeople,adultsandchildren,canruna
feverofupto104°F(40°C)forashortperiod-oreven
severaldays-withnodanger.Itisnormalforhealthy
infantsandchildrentothrowhighfevers(103°F/39.5°C
andover)withaninfection.Atemperatureof105°F
(40.5°C)iscauseforconcernbutitisonlywhenit
passesabove106°F(41°C)thatthereisarisktolife. Feversusuallypeaktowardsnight-timeanddrop
216•Flatulence DISEASESYOUCANTREATUSINGTHISBOOK
bythefollowingmorning,sothatatemperatureof
104CF/40°Cregisteredintheeveningmavrecuron
subsequentevenings.Adropintemperature inthe
morningdoesnotmeanthatthefeverispastitspeak. Itcanriseandfallseveraltimesoverseveraldays
beforefinallyreturningtonormal. Hallucinations.ndtantrumsinchildrensome-
timesaccompanyhighfevers.Thesearedistressing
butnotdangerous.Keepacloseeyeonyourchildand
seekprofessionalhelpifthesesymptomsdon'tclear
upquicklvwithself-prescribing. DO
•takethetemperaturewithathermometer foran
accuratereading.Afeverstrip(fortheforehead)is
aroughguideonlyandahandheldonthe
foreheadisnexttouseless.Atemperaturetakenby
tuckingthethermometer tightlyunderthearmpit
willreadafractionlowerthanthattakenunderthe
tongue.Thethermometershouldbeleftunderthe
armpitforatleastfiveminutesratherthanthree
minutesunderthetongue. •provideacalmenvironment foryourfeverish
patientandbeguidedbytheirneeds.Many
childrenwithahighfeverwillnotwishtoeat.This
isagoodsign:fastingencouragesthebodyfurther
toeliminatetoxicwastesandhelpsitfocuson
recovery.Encourageahungrypatienttotakelight
dishessuchasvegetablesoup,raworstewedfruit
withhoney.Water,lemonandhoneyordiluted
freshfruitjuices,warmedorcoldasdesired,are
besttodrink.Breastmilkisfineforanursingbaby
andisprobablyallthatwillbewanted. •avoidtea,coffee,chocolate,alcoholandsugaras
theystimulatethesystemwhenitneedstorest. •encourageafeverishpatienttodrink,atleastsips
ofwateratfrequentintervals.Childrenwhoare
reluctanttodrinkwilloftensuckonawetsponge
orflannel,especially ifthewateriswarm.Ortry
anicecubeorfrozenfruitjuice. •immerseafeverishbutnotdesperately illchildin
thebathfromtimetotimetobringdownthefever. Thirstlesschildrenwilloftendrinkthebathwater
asanaddedbonus! •spongedownifthefevergoesabove103°F/104°F
(40GC)andyourpatientfeelsuncomfortable (hot
andsweaty).Exposeandspongeonelimbatatime
untilitfeelscooltothetouch.Dryandreplaceit
underthecoversbeforegoingontothenextlimb. Thiswillhelpthetemperaturetodropbyoneor
twodegreesFahrenheitandcanberepeatedas
oftenasnecessary.Spongingthefaceandforehead
alonecanalsogiverelief. •prescribehomeopathicremedieswherethefeveris
oneofanumberofsymptoms, i.e.wherethe
patientisclearlysufferingfromsay,earacheora
sorethroatandafever.Ifthefirstsymptomtoariseisafeverthenwaitforothersymptomstosurface
beforeprescribing.Containthefever,againif
necessary,bys


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


 precedents. The herb arenaria rubra (Carophyllaceae)
Sandwort,
Sand Spurrey
Description  Herbaceous, low-growing, sticky,
and hairy annual. Has small thin leaves and pale pink flowers growing to
1⁄4 in (6 mm) across. US_158-179_Abies_balsa_Boswe_serratta.indd   170 26/02/16   12:47 pm171 other medicinal PlantsArmor AciA rustic A n A
Habitat & Cultivation  Found in the wild
throughout Europe, Asia, and Australia, sandwort
thrives in sandy and gravelly places, especially close
to the sea. Parts Used  Aerial parts. Medicinal Actions & Uses  Sandwort is a
diuretic herb that is thought to relax the muscle
walls of the urinary tubules and bladder. Sandwort
is most commonly taken in the form of an infusion
to treat kidney stones, acute and chronic cystitis,
and other conditions of the bladder. Related Species  Seabeach sandwort
(A. peploides ), a closely related northern plant,
is eaten by the Inuit of Alaska as a fresh, pickled,
or oil-preserved vegetable. In Iceland, this plant
is fermented and eaten in the same way as
sauerkraut. Rupturewort ( Herniaria glabra, p. 219),
which is a European plant, has medicinal properties
that are similar to those of sandwort. Argemone mexicana
(Papaveraceae)
Mexican Poppy,
Chicalote
Description  Prickly annual growing to 3 ft
(1 m). Has spiny white-veined leaves and large
yellow flowers with delicate petals. Habitat & Cultivation  Mexican poppy grows
in tropical regions from the southernmost U.S. to
South America. It favors dry soil and is often found
in tobacco fields. Parts Used  Aerial parts, latex, seeds. Constituents  Mexican poppy contains
isoquinoline alkaloids similar to those in the opium
poppy ( Papaver somniferum, p. 244). History & Folklore  Like most poppies, this
plant exudes a milky latex, which was traditionally
used in Ecuador to treat cataracts. Medicinal Actions & Uses Commonly used
through much of Latin America, the whole plant
acts as a mild painkiller and sedative, and is taken  to relieve muscle ache, toothache, and neuralgic
pain. The fresh latex contains protein-dissolving
properties and is traditionally applied to warts
and cold sores. The flowers and seeds are mildly
expectorant and can be used to treat irritable
coughs and asthma. Related Species  In Hawaii, the latex of A. glauca
is also used to treat warts. QCautions  Excessive use can cause glaucoma. Use only under professional supervision. Arisaema spp. (Araceae)
Tian Nan Xing
Description  Perennial herb growing to 3 ft
(1 m). Has star-shaped leaves and purple-white
or green pitcher-like bracts. Habitat & Cultivation  Tian nan xing  grows
wild in eastern Asia, especially in China, where it
is widely cultivated. The rhizome is unearthed in
autumn or winter. Part Used  Dried rhizome. Constituents  Tian nan xing  contains
triterpenoid saponins and benzoic acid. Medicinal Actions & Uses  In Chinese herbal
medicine, tian nan xing  is thought to encourage the
coughing up of phlegm. The dried rhizome is used
principally for chest problems. When prescribed
internally it is always combined with fresh ginger
root ( Zingiber officinale, p. 155). The fresh rhizome
is only ever used externally, for ulcers and other
skin conditions. Related Species  Jack-in-the-pulpit or Indian
turnip ( A. triphyllum ), a North American species,
is a treatment for chest conditions. RQ Cautions  T ake only under professional
supervision. The fresh rhizome is very toxic;
use only the dried rhizome internally.of the fresh juice to induce labor. Theophrastus
(c. 372–286 bce) records that the plant was used
to treat disorders of the uterus, reptile bites, and
sores on the head. Medicinal Actions & Uses  No longer in use
today and banned in Europe and North America,
birthwort was formerly used to treat wounds,
sores, and snake bite. It has been taken after
childbirth to prevent infection and is also a potent
menstruation-inducing herb and a (very dangerous)
abortifacient. A decoction was taken to encourage
healing of ulcers. Birthwort has also been used for
asthma and bronchitis. Research  Birthwort illustrates the fact that though
a plant is natural, this has no bearing on its safety. Aristolochic acid (present within birthwort) is a
kidney toxin that induces kidney failure and cancer
within the kidneys and urinary tract. However, the
slow rate of development of symptoms has meant
that in the past no connection was made between
these kidney symptoms and the herb. These toxic
effects apply to birthwort and all Aristolochia  species
that contain aristolochic acid. Kidney failure and
death from aristolochic acid is relatively rare in the
West but is “reaching potentially epidemic
proportions in the East,” according to research
published in T aiwan in 2013. Many species of
Aristolochia  continue to be used in Oriental herbal
medicine in countries such as China, Japan, and
T aiwan. All species of Aristolochia  are banned in
most Western countries. RCaution  Under no circumstance use
birthwort or any Aristolochia  species as medicines. Mexican poppy flowers have expectorant properties
and are useful for treating coughs.Aristolochia clematitis
(Aristolochiaceae)
Birthwort
Description  Unpleasant-smelling perennial with
heart-shaped leaves and tubular yellow flowers
with flattened lips. Habitat & Cultivation  Native to central
and southern Europe, birthwort is also found in
southwestern Asia. The root is unearthed in
spring or autumn. Parts Used  Root, aerial parts. Constituents  Birthwort contains aristolochic
acids, a volatile oil, and tannins. While stimulating
white blood cell activity, aristolochic acid is
carcinogenic and toxic to the kidneys ( see Research ). History & Folklore  Aristolochia  means
“excellent birth,” and refers to the traditional use Armoracia rusticana syn. colchlearia armoracia
(Brassicaceae)
Horseradish
Description  Perennial with a deep tap root,
leaves up to 20 in (50 cm) long, and clusters of
4-petaled white flowers. Habitat & Cultivation  Native to Europe and
western Asia, this herb is widely cultivated for its
root, unearthed in autumn. Parts Used Root, leaves. Constituents  Horseradish root contains
glucosilinates (mainly sinigrin), flavonoids,
asparagine, resin, and vitamin C. On being crushed,
sinigrin produces allyl isothiocyanate, an antibiotic
substance. The flavonoids have been shown to
be antioxidant. History & Folklore  Pliny (23–79 ce) probably
had horseradish in mind when describing a plant
that warded off scorpions, but for most of its long
history, horseradish has been used mainly as a
diuretic herb. It is a popular condiment, particularly
in Britain and central Europe. US_158-179_Abies_balsa_Boswe_serratta.indd   171 26/02/16   12:47 pm
172
other medicinal PlantsArnicA  mont A n A
Medicinal Actions & Uses  Now undervalued
as a medicinal herb, horseradish has many healing
properties. It strongly stimulates digestion, increasing gastric secretions and appetite. It is  a good diuretic and promotes perspiration,
making it useful in fevers, colds, and flu. It is also expectorant and mildly antibiotic, and can be of  use in both respiratory and urinary tract infections. A sandwich of freshly grated root is a home remedy for hay fever. Externally, a poultice of the root can soothe chilblains. Cautions  Over-consumption of horseradish
may irritate the gastrointestinal tract. The
plant should be avoided by those with low
thyroid function. A horseradish poultice may cause blistering.Artemisia abrotanum (Asteraceae)
Southernwood
Description  Strongly aromatic, shrubby
perennial, growing to 3 ft (1 m). Has woody stems, feathery silver-green leaves, and yellow flowers. Habitat & Cultivation  Native to southern
Europe, this herb is rare in the wild but is cultivated for the perfume industry and, to a lesser extent,  for herbal medicine. The aerial parts are harvested in late summer.Cautions  Do not take during pregnancy. Not suitable for children under 12 unless prescribed professionally. Artemisia capillaris (


 Herbal medicine can be very helpful
for headaches, although choosing the right herbs
can be difficult. The following remedies contain
relaxing herbs that alleviate headaches triggered
by stress as well as other more specific factors. Lavender is soothing, while vervain is a tonic
and relaxing herb for nervous exhaustion. Peppermint is effective for headaches that are
linked to indigestion. Migraine  is a more specific problem. The
remedies aim both to prevent the onset of a
migraine as well as treat the symptoms. Hangovers  are not a nerve problem in a direct
sense, but they should be treated in the same
way as any other type of mild poisoning that
requires detoxification and headache relief. Make sure you also drink plenty of water. QGeneral caution For migraine or recurrent
headaches, consult a professional practitioner to
diagnose and treat the underlying cause. Difficulty in sleeping affects everyone at one time
or another. Herbs can provide a safe and gentle
solution to this problem. Sedative herbs  such as German chamomile,
linden, lavender, hops, and passionflower are
relaxing and, unlike some herbs, are most likely
to be effective against insomnia when taken at
night. Hops are excellent when the mind refuses
to “switch off.”
Stimulant herbs  are effective when the
body suffers from nervous exhaustion and
feels, paradoxically, too tired for sleep. Oats
and ginseng encourage a good night’s sleep,
especially for people suffering from nervous
tension and fatigue. Herbal sleeping pills,  containing
combinations of valerian, hops, passionflower,
and similar herbs, are often helpful in
overcoming mild sleep problems and in
reducing feelings of anxiety and stress.General Remedy
Herb Lavender ( Lavandula officinalis, p. 108)
Remedy Rub a few drops of neat essential oil on
the temples. Tension & Sinus Headaches
Herb Linden ( Tilia spp., p. 277)
Remedy Make an infusion using 1 heaping tsp of
linden to 3/4 cup (150 ml) of water, or use teabags. Drink up to 3 cups (750 ml) a day. Nervous Exhaustion & Overactivity
Herbs Vervain ( Verbena officinalis, p. 149), valerian
(Valeriana officinalis, p. 148)
Remedy Make an infusion of vervain and drink up
to 21/4 cups a day. Alternatively, mix 1⁄2 tsp of each
tincture and take with water up to 3 times a day. Caution Do not take vervain during pregnancy. Digestive Headaches & Biliousness
Herbs Peppermint ( Mentha  x piperita, p. 114),
pennyroyal ( Mentha pulegium, p. 235)
Remedy Make an infusion of either herb in a
covered container, using a teabag, a small handful
of fresh leaves, or 1 level tsp of dried herb per
3/4 cup (150 ml)  of water. Drink up to 3 cups
(750 ml) a day for up to 1 week, or up to 21/3
cups (600 ml) a day if taking for 2  –3 weeks. Cautions Do not give to children under 5. Do not take
pennyroyal during pregnancy. General Remedies
Herbs German chamomile ( Chamomilla recutita,
p. 77), linden ( Tilia spp., p. 277), lavender
(Lavandula officinalis, p. 108), passionflower
(Passiflora incarnata, p. 119)
Remedy The above herbs are listed in
ascending order of strength. Start with the
weakest, German chamomile, and if it does not
help, try the next strongest. Make an infusion in
a covered container using 1–2 heaping tsp per 3/4
cup (150 ml)  of water. T ake prior to sleeping. Alternatively, take 1 tsp of tincture with water
up to 3 times a night. Herbs Valerian ( Valeriana officinalis, p. 148), hops
(Humulus lupulus, p. 104), passionflower ( Passiflora
incarnata, p. 119)
Remedy 1  T ake tablets containing one or more
of the herbs. Remedy 2  Make a sachet with dried hops
(see p. 104) and place inside your pillow. Caution  Do not take hops internally if feeling low
or depressed.Overactive Mind
Herb Hops ( Humulus lupulus, p. 104)
Remedy T ake the tincture with water at night. Start with 10 drops up to a maximum of 40
drops each night. Caution  Do not take hops internally if feeling low
or depressed. Poor sleep & nervous exhaustion
Herb Oats ( Avena sativa, p. 175)
Remedy Eat oats daily, for example as a hot
cereal, and take 1 tsp of oat straw tincture with
water 3 times a day. Herbs Ashwagandha ( Withania somnifera,
p. 152), Siberian ginseng ( Eleutherococcus
senticosus, p. 94)
Remedy T ake 1–2 g of ashwagandha or
Siberian ginseng up to 3 times a day. Either
chew the root, or cook it in a soup. Alternatively,
take tablets. Cautions  Avoid taking caffeine while taking
ashwagandha and Siberian ginseng. Do not take
Siberian ginseng for more than 6 weeks at a time. Do not take during pregnancy. Do not give to children
under 12.Migraine Prevention
Herb Feverfew ( Tanacetum parthenium,
p. 140)
Remedy At the first sign of an impending
attack, take tablets or 10 drops of tincture with
water. Alternatively, place a fresh leaf between
slices of bread and eat as a sandwich. Cautions Do not give to children under 12. Do not
take in pregnancy. Migraine
Herb Skullcap ( Scutellaria lateriflora, p. 135)
Remedy Make an infusion using 1 heaping tsp
of herb to 3/4 cup (150 ml) of water. Drink up to
3 cups (750 ml) a day. Herb Rosemary ( Rosmarinus officinalis, p. 128)
Remedy Make an infusion using 1 level tsp of
herb per 3/4 cup (150 ml) of water and take up
to 21/3 cups (600 ml) each day. Detoxification for Hangover
Herb Dandelion ( Taraxacum officinale, p. 141)
Remedy Make a decoction using 15 g of
root to 3 cups (750 ml) of water. T ake the
decoction in small quantities at frequent
intervals throughout the day. Before taking any herbal remedies, see pages 290 & 298–299
US_308-309_Nerve_and_Stress_Related_Problems.indd   309 26/02/16   4:43 pm
310
Herbal remedies for H ome useRespiratory Tract Problems
The respiratory system stretches from the lining of the eyes
and sinuses to the base of the lungs, and is constantly exposed to dust, dirt, and organisms in the air. It is no surprise that in our ever more polluted world we often face problems such as sinus congestion and asthma. Herbal remedies aim to protect the linings of the eyes, ears, sinuses, nose, and throat, as well as the respiratory “tree” of the lungs by countering infection,
clearing congestion, soothing the mucous membranes, and relieving inflammation or allergy. Coughs & Bronchitis
Nosebleeds
Eye ProblemsThyme
(Thymus vulgaris)
The act of coughing is usually a reaction to irritant
particles in the bronchial tubes. It is worthwhile to consider the type of cough you have and where it is centered. Herbal remedies can then
be chosen to work effectively to clear or ease the cough. Productive, chest coughs may produce white, yellow, or green phlegm. Unproductive coughs are dry and irritant
and often take a long time to clear.Bronchitis occurs when the lining of the lungs’ airways becomes inflamed, resulting in a chest cough, possible breathlessness, and a raised temperature. Use both an external and an internal remedy.Herbs Thyme is an effective antiseptic for
the whole system. Licorice acts as a soothing expectorant for persistent coughs and makes any remedy more palatable. T ake plenty of garlic to fight bronchitis. QGeneral caution Seek professional advice if a cough
lasts for more than 1 week without a cold or infection. Many herbs are reputed to stop nosebleeds,
and most are effective. Using an herb as snuff is a traditional way of staunching a nosebleed. QCaution If the nosebleed continues for some hours
or is very heavy, seek immediate professional advice. Rather than treating the eyes themselves, these
remedies benefit


chia seeds
Nut butters including tahini
Nutritional yeast, spirulina powder
Our culture of extremes and indulgences makes us perfect tar gets for
manipulation, make-believe, and marketing, and if we want a balanced and
complete view of what our nutritional needs truly are, we need to lean
heavily on our c ommon sense, wisdom and intelligence. W e need to replace
our old nutritional paradigm w ith one that is holistically devoted to our
health. Paying attention to the  changing seasons, your body’ s changing
needs, and the wisdom of Nature will promote long-term health and vitality. The changing seasons provide n atural dietary guidance, if we ar e willing to
pay attention. The wisdom and truth of Mother Nature points us to a high-
protein, high-fat  diet in winter, a very low-fat diet in the spr ing, a high-
carbohydrate die t in summer tha t is heavy on veggies, fruits and grains, and
back to a little heavier diet as fall begins. Spring is the log ical time to
restrict calories as it forces the body to reset its ability to use fat as a
primary source of fuel. In essen ce, a low-fat diet in spring forces our body
to burn its own fat, which is the goal of a ketogenic diet, our latest diet fad. Any diet can b e a medicinal d iet in the short term, however when the
desired results are achieved, we must get of f that diet. W H A T  A B O U T  D A I R Y? The treatment of animals isn’ t a ny better when it comes to milk and dairy
production. T reated like milk-producing machines, cows are pl ugged in to
milking machines, they are force-fed and they are heavily drugged with
chemicals. The “motherly” qual ities that milk was revered for are no longer
available in the way milk is produced today. In In dia, cows a r e sacr ed and o ften a common household animal; they ar e
part of the fam ily. As a r esult,  milk is r ever ed and it’ s synonymous with
mother, nurturance and love. W e always had a cow while we wer e gr owingup. O ur cow wa s loved and car ed for. She had a big r oom in a  barn set in
the shad e and a nice br eeze blew  thr ough to keep her comfortable. She had
a big open space for walking in  the evenings and she had warm blankets at
night. She was b athed, fed and milked, and she was taken car e of well. In
r eturn, her milk nurtur ed the whole family and we enjoyed fr esh butter
every morning. Whenever our cow hear d my da d come home, she would not settle until he
came to see her. He would pet her and chat with her. She was a happy cow,
and she would stand quietly and peacefully while being milked. I gr ew up
drinking hot, boiled milk at b ed time. Milk was rar ely consumed cold,
unless it  was a r eally hot day. Then we would put water into the raw milk
and add ice and sugar to make a cooling drink. I still enjoy the nutritive
qualities of milk I pur chase fr om a local dairy farm. W e d o what we can. There is no judgement on whether you eat meat or not,
drink m ilk or not. If you wish to consume milk, you may want  to follow a
few gui delines below to make it digestible. Most aller gies to  milk stem
from its wrongful consumption. Buy only or ganic or raw milk if possible. Get it from a reputable
source that you know cares for their cows with kindness. Never d rink mil k cold but rather dilute it with water (50/50), add a few
slices of  fresh ginger root, and bring it all to a boil first. Once you can
tolerate it, then you may not have to dilute it so much. Don’ t drink milk with salty food as it will curdle, and upse t your
stomach. Don’ t combine milk with yogurt, meat, cheese or eggs. Don’ t dr ink milk  at mealtime. It is a great bedtime treat, as it is natural
sleep aid and a laxative. How we  live and how we eat is not separate from how we heal. I encourage
all of my clients to keep an open mind and see if you can connect a little
more with the foods you consume to determine how they af fect your health
and well-being. All you need to do is pay attention, it does not require more
time. Attention takes as much time as inattention and it may give you a
sense of deeper connection and a sense of responsibility for yo ur part in it.W e mak e the world what it is! Each one of us matters. A void the all-or -
nothing approach as it tends to be temporary. Gain a deeper un derstanding
instead. Do what you can today  and this can change the direction of your
health. Think about a health issue that you may be having and see  if it has a
connection to what you ar e e ating by eliminating or r educing “that”
food.C H A P T E R  4O v e r c o n s u m p t i o n  a n d  A d d i c t i o n
W e are a cultur e of overconsumption. If a little is good, more must be
better. Big boys, big meals, fr ee refills, extra-lar ge fries, all-we-can-eat
buf fets, Costco and all-inclusive vacations are all part of our lifestyle. W e
are getting sicker as a nation in more ways than one. Do we have too much? Having too much can af fect us in one of two ways. It can create an
abundance mindset which m eans we feel secure and grateful with
everything we have and happily share it with others. This keeps the flow
going, m aking u s all feel abundant. Or it can make us feel insecure and
fearful of losing it. W e begin to hoard like pigs in mud, as if we have never
seen an item before and, who knows, we may never get it again! This
creates a “hungry ghost” as, reg ardless of how much we have, we feel we
don’ t have enough, and we there fore continue to overconsume. It’ s for each
one of us to figure out our own mindset and move in the directio n of feeling
abundant and secure. It ta kes more tha n skill to navig ate the culture of overconsumption and stay
true to our own goals and aspira tions. What’ s needed is a comp lete internal
rewiring, and a deep mindfulness. I have had my  own challenges with over consumption. Coo king small
portions was a big challenge for me as I had always seen food in lar ge
quantities due to the lar ge family into which I was born. Even in college
days, in spite of both lack of time and funds, when I did cook I would
pr epar e lar ge portions, much m or e than I needed, and I would shar e the
excess with my landlady. She wo uld enjoy what I had cooked and would say
that if I ate this way all the time, I would be very healthy! She h ad seen me
eating on-the-ru n or for getting to eat altogether, at which point she would
bring a cheese and tomato sandwich up to my r oom. I didn’ t know this was a pr oblem until I was a mom.I continued to cook lar ge portions but then I would get str essed about
having to finish what I had cooked. My sister suggested I fr eeze the
leftovers, which I did, only to r e alize that some dishes ar e just not meant to
be fr ozen. I o ver cooked because I simply b ought too much, which led to the str ess of
managing, cooking and eating the food. And the r eason I bought too much
is be cause I shopped at a very lar ge pr oduce market that not only had a
lar ge selection of pr oduce but a lar ge quantity of everything. Being a
vegetarian and a food lover, this widened my eyes way bigger than my
stomach and I would excitedly  and happily buy everything. Although I
mostly b ought v egetables and fruits, I ended up eating mor e than I needed
simply because I had bought mor e. Eventually I got a handle on over -
buying. I stopped going to the BIG stor e and learned to buy fr esh food every
few days instead of stockpiling it as if it wer e going out of style. Now, I often
simply r efrain fr om going to the gr ocery stor e until I finish wha t I have on
hand, which for ces me to become cr eative in my kitchen. Over -consuming food, material things, entertainment or any thing else,
points to two important issues. First, it means we are making up for an inner
lack of somethin g. Our subconscious plays a powerful role in compensating
for this lack, and  doesn’ t judge how we are doing that. But as we discussed
in Chapter


Clinic with his two brothers, specializing in tuberculosis (TB). He hypothesized that tuberculosis was caused by
deficiencies in the adrenal gland and, to test the hypothesis, he experimented with cats. Pottenger fed cats both
cooked and r aw meat. To his astonishment, he observed very different health outcomes. Out of curiosity,
Pottenger began a ten -year study focused on variations in the diets of cats. The variables in his experiments
included either raw milk versus cooked or raw meat ver sus cooked. Throughout the entire study and four
generations of cats, Pottenger diligently recorded his observations of the health, weight, calcium and phosphorus
levels, skeletal structures, and dispositions of the cats. The differences were quite strikin g. (Pottenger)

In short, the cats subsisting on the raw products (in the first experiment raw meat and in the second experiment
raw milk), maintained excellent health. Mother cats carried their babies to full -term, birthed approximately five
kittens to a litter, and experienced no difficulty in nursing. The kittens had consistent skeletal structure and no
dental issues or infections. Conversely, the health of cats fed cooked meat and cooked milk quickly declined. Even within three months of a transition fr om a raw to cooked diet, dental infections often arose. Mother cats had
difficulty carrying offspring full -term, and suffered from increased miscarriages and raised infant mortality rates. Mother cats were often too weak to nurse, and some died in labor. K ittens were born with varying skeletal
structures and weaker bones, and were prone to infections, allergies, and respiratory illnesses. The degenerative health of the cats on cooked meat/cooked milk diets continued and appeared to be passed from
generatio n to generation. After several generations of degeneration, Pottenger attempted to test the potential
“regeneration” of health by means of replacing a cooked diet with a raw one. He found that this was indeed
possible, though minor health problems did pers ist even into the third generation. (Pottenger)

What is Epigenetics? The implications of these observations are vast. The experiment showed that distinct changes occur when food is
cooked that affect its nutritional quality for the cat. It proved that th e physical degeneration associated with a
mother’s poor (cooked) diet could be inherited by offspring and was, in a way, remembered by the genes through
multiple generations. The opposite was also found to be true in that the influence of a nutritious (raw ) diet is
passed on through generations. POTTENGER OBSERVED THAT DEGENERATION OF HEALTH OCCURRED RATHER SWIFTLY AND THAT
REGENERATION, WHILE POSSIBLE, TOOK TIME. Most important, perhaps, was that Pottenger’s experiments revealed the power that environmen tal factors,
including diet, have on our health and the health of future generations. This leads to an idea of even greater
significance —that by controlling our environment, we control our health. Biologically, this occurs in the body
through the interacti on of our epigenome with the environment. (Graham, Kesten, and Scherwitz)

Today epigenetics is more concisely defined as temporary changes in how ge nes are expressed or turned on or
off due to our interactions with the environment, and how those changes affect our health and the health of future
generations. These interactions and changes occur without any permanent changes to the DNA sequence. The
book, The Language of Genetics: An Introduction, offers a particularly useful metaphor to support our
understanding of this definition. It states that “if the DNA sequence is the musical score on the page, then
epigenetics is all those Italian words (fortiss imo and the like) that give instructions on how the notes should be
played.” (Alexander)

For those unfamiliar with musical concepts, another book, Pottenger’s Prophecy, provides this metaphor for
epigenetics that also incorporates the terminology commonly  used in genetics research: “If you were building a
house, the architect would provide the blueprint (the genotype); and the builder would work with building materials
from the environment (the epigenetic mechanism) to create the house. In turn, the finish ed house would be the
phenotype, the end result.” (p. 24) While Pottenger did not necessarily realize the significance of the conclusions
of his research at the time, Pottenger and his cats paved the way for modern epigenetics. https://price -pottenger.org/healthy -living -tips/epigenetics/pottengers -cats-early -epigenetics -and-implications -your-
health<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        Pottenger’s Cats – A Study in Nutrition

By: Martha C. Lindsay, DVM, MS,  CVH, CNE & R. David Lindsay, DVM, CVA
      Alternative Veterinary Services, LLC

Between the years of 1932 and 1942, Dr. Francis M. Pottenger, Jr. conducted a feeding experiment to
determine the effects of heat -processed food on cats. His ten -year cat study was prompted by the high
rate of mortality he as experiencing among his laboratory cats undergoing adrenalectomies for the use
in standardizing the hormone content of the adrenal extract he was making. Because there was no
existent chemical procedure for standardizing biological extrac ts, manufacturers of such extracts
necessarily had to use animals to determine their potency. As cats die without their adrenal glands, the
dose of extract required to support their lives calibrated the level of the extract’s potency. In his effort to max imize the preoperative health of his laboratory animals, Pottenger fed them a diet of
market grade raw milk, cod liver oil, and cooked meat scraps. These scraps included the liver, tripe,
entrails, brains, heart and muscles. This diet was considered to be rich in all the important nutritive
substances by the experts of the day, and the surgical technique used for the adrenalectomies was the
most exacting known. Therefore, Pottenger was perplexed as to why his cats were poor operative risks. In seeking an ex planation, he began noticing that the cats showed signs of deficiency. All showed a
decrease in their reproductive capacity and many of the kittens born in the laboratory had skeletal
deformities and organ malfunctions. As his neighbors kept donating an i ncreasing number of cats to his laboratory, the demand for cooked
meat scraps exceeded supply and he placed an order at the local meat packing plant for raw meat
scraps, again including the viscera, muscle and bone. These raw meat scraps were fed to a segr egated
group of cats each day and within a few months this group appeared in better health than the animals
being fed cooked meat scraps. Their kittens appeared more vigorous, and most interestingly, their
operative mortality decreased markedly. The contra st in the apparent health of the cats fed raw meat
and those fed cooked meat was so startling, it prompted Francis to undertake a controlled experiment. What he had observed by chance, he wanted to repeat by design. He wanted to find answers to such
questi ons as: Why did the cats eating raw meat survive their operations more readily than those eating
cooked meat. Why did the kittens of the raw meat fed cats appear more vigorous. Why did a diet
based on cooked meat scraps apparently fail to provide the neces sary nutritional elements for good
health. He felt the findings of a controlled feeding experiment might illuminate new facts about optimal
human nutrition. The Cat Study of Francis M.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: Who conducted the 10-year cat study on the effects of heat-processed food?,
A: Dr. Francis M. Pottenger, Jr.
Q: What was the initial goal of Dr. Pottenger's research, and what was his concern?,
A: The initial goal was to standardize the hormone content of adrenal extract, and he was concerned about the high mortality rate among his laboratory cats undergoing adrenalectomies.
Q: What were the health differences observed between the cats fed raw and cooked meat/milk, and their offspring?,
A: The cats fed raw products maintained excellent health, while those fed cooked products experienced rapid decline in health, including dental infections, infertility, and increased infant mortality rates. The negative effects were passed on to the offspring, and it took time for regeneration to occur.
Q: What was the outcome when Dr. Pottenger attempted to reverse the negative effects of a cooked diet by switching to a raw diet?,
A: Minor health problems persisted even into the third generation, but the health of the cats did regenerate to some extent.
Q: What is epigenetics, according to the passage, and how does it relate to the Pottenger study?,
A: Epigenetics refers to temporary changes in gene expression due to environmental factors, such as diet, and its impact on health and future generations. The Pottenger study demonstrated the power of environmental factors, including diet, to affect health and the health of future generations, which is a fundamental concept in epigenetics.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>O c e a n o f P D F. c o m“Louisetrulywasarevolutio
Sheleftuswithsomanyworld-
teachingsonself-love,loving
andacceptance.Whataninc
contributionshe’smadetomy
thelivesofcountlessothe
KrisCarr, New York Timesbest-sellin
andwellness advocateO c e a n o f P D F


 formle ss pure consciousness is the source of al l things. What makes this realization natural is that you see yourse lf as an
expression of one thing, not a jumble of mental and physical
activity. For Today
If you see an object in the outside world, you view it from  the
outside. Wholeness—the one thing—has no outside. It also  has no
inside. Therefore, you can’t view it. Because you are  it, you can’t
even relate to wholeness in  various ways, like accepting it or
rejecting it, participating on e day and taking time out the next. When y ou wake up, you know that you are the one thing. Yet even
now you can stop relating to it in false ways.Today, practice having no attitude toward your mind. Let
thoughts arise and fall, and when you are tempted to have an
attitude toward  what is going on, don’t. Don’t say that one thought
is good and a nother bad. Don’t assign labels like SMART, DUMB,
POSITIVE,  or NEGATIVE. T he mind is none of those things. It is the
flow of activity from the absolute. To label the mind is like saying
that wholeness  is bad, good, positive, negative, and so on. Clearly,
wholeness is beyond all lab els. So is your awareness. By not
judging your thoughts, you begin to adopt the open,
nonjudgmental state of being awake. YOUR EXPERIENCE:

 DAY 24

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

 DAY 25

Human suffering is built into virtual reality. It doesn’t
exist in awareness itself. When you suffer and feel unhappy, anxious, depressed, or
hopeless, your suffering feels totally real. You are experiencing
something that  is a given, feels like a given, rooted in phys ical pain
and mental anguish. But virtual reality, our collective
spell/dream/illusion, is a construct. Suffering is embedded in the
construct, which is why it fee ls inevitable. Beliefs about suffering,
whether they originate in the doctrine of sin or karma or modern
medical theories, reinforce virtual reality. Waking up doesn’t guarante e that there will never again be
physical pain or sad days. Th e conditioned mind is stubborn, and
our body has been bombar ded constantly by signals from the
conditioned m ind. Shadows of conditioning continue  to fall
(always remembering that t he shadows can be light as well as
heavy). On waking up, yo u abandon your allegiance  to the
conditioned mind, and, from that moment, it begins to fade and
lose its grip. Y ou see that freedom from suffering is possible and
natural. Suffering doesn’t ex ist in awareness itself, which is your
true nature. For Today
When people suffer—for example, when they feel depressed or
are diag nosed with a life-threatening illness—there’s a tem ptation
to b lame themselves. “Did I do this to myself?” is a questio n posed
out of guilt, and guilt is quick to blame. The best answe r is that
your suffering is part of virtual reality. You accepted virtual reality,
which makes your participation in pain and suffering inevitable.Not tha t you are doomed; some people escape serious s uffering. But you r partic ipation is a se aled deal, no matter who yo u are or
what happens to you, unless you make a change. To end suffering, break the deal. When you wake up, the w hole
contract is annulled. Today yo u can prepare the way by not buying
into pain and suffering as so mething fated and inevitable. Think
back on some experiences you consider as suffering—they’d
include instances of grief, loss, sickness, betrayal, failure,
humiliation, and so on. Now sit quietly, go inward, and be with
yourself this minute. You are the same awareness that went
through suffering but also not suffering, that experienced pain but
also pleasure, that lost but also gained. For every opposite, you
have experienced both poles. Therefore, you are not either one. You are the unchanging awareness that witnesses change, the
screen upon which every experience plays without being an
experience. This insight holds the entire secret of bringing
suffering to an end. YOUR EXPERIENCE:

 DAY 26

Suffering continues because we cling to memory and
grasp at experience. It is an illusion to believe that the
now can be grasped or that reality can be clung to. Truth feels cold when there’s nothing you can do about it. People feel the truth that l ife brings suffering, and they hate
feeling helples s in the face of this truth. The result is gre at inner
conflict. On the one hand, w e pretend to accept that lif e brings
suffering. On the other hand, we struggle to escape the feeling of
helplessness. Modern medicine ends part of the confusion and
struggle. As diseases are conquered, human beings feel more
powerful and suffering is pushed aside—for the moment. Suffering in the form of ment al anguish has not been allevi ated,
nor has the fe ar of disease and aging, or the dread o f death. Upgrading virtual reality is the story of modern technological
civilization. (Just as the discovery of new means of mechanized
death is  a downgrade of virt ual reality.) Suffering retains its grip
because we want to cling to g ood experiences and the memory of
better days. As long as youth, health, and happiness are rooted in
time, with good times being preferable to bad times, the re is no
escape from suffering. Clinging to virtual reality means that
suffering is part of the construct. When y ou wak e up, you don ’t try to cling or grasp. You don’t
store up good memories and push down bad ones. There  is only
being here now. In the now there is nothing to hold and grasp,
nothing to cling to. By no lo nger clinging, you have cut off your
connection to virtual reality. Then suffering no longer clings to
you.For Today
When s omebody tells you to let go and stop holding on, does
that advice really help? The most stubborn resentments, affronts,
hurts, and anger are holding on to you, not the other way around. No one wakes up after a bitter divorce, losing a job, or being
betrayed by a friend, thinking, “Now I’ve got something I really
want to  hold on to.” Instead, the anger and resentment come back
of th eir own accord, and they  last as long as they decide to last, not
as long you want them to last. What y ou are actually clingin g to isn’t bad memories, neg ative
emotions, old grudges, and hurt feelings. You are holding on to
virtual reality. By waking up, you let go of your allegiance to it, and
then the bad stuff stops clinging to you. Think about something
that ma kes you really angry or resentful. When you have it in
mind, let go. You won’t be able to, not when it is still clinging to
you. In reality,  you are where you are. This place is filled with bad
things that once happened, hurts and resentments that are in
various stages: clinging tight ly, starting to let go, or almost faded
to noth ing. Virtual reality is set up so that, wherever you are,
experience clings like barnac les to a ship’s hull. Seeing this gives
you a sense of detachment, which is a sign that you are waking up. YOUR EXPERIENCE:

 DAY 27

Suffering comes