 be mentioned in this work, except to say that they
are harmful and undoubtedly responsible for much mischief
in the civilized stomach; but in all reform work, we have
found it best to pursue lines of least opposition—to stay
within sight of those we are endeavoring to lead. We do not interdict soups because they are not good
food, but because they are swallowed without mastication. The objection to soup can be largely overcome by retaining it
in the mouth long enough for it to become thoroughly or
partially insalivated. This can be accomplished either by
sipping it very slowly, or mixing with it very dry, hard
foods—something that requires mastication. It is a very foolish custom to make soup in a pot or kettle,
when we remember that the only work that saliva and teeth
were created to perform was that of making soup. Every
particle of food taken into th e mouth should be made into
soup before it is swallowed. If this was done, indigestion, that
great American disease, would disappear from the catalogue
of human ills. We give here a few recipes for soups only because the
soup habit is so firmly fixed in the mind of the housewife and
the epicure that they can hard ly conceive of a decent dinner
without them. All soups may be warmed sufficiently to serve
hot without cooking. SWEET POTATO SOUP. Sweet Potato,       Milk,
Cream,               Butter. Grind a sweet potato on a vegetable mill, add just enough
milk to cover. Allow this to  stand seven or eight hours. Slightly heat (not enough to cook), stir in a small piece of
butter and enough milk and cream mixed to bring to the
consistency desired. Serve in hot plates. FRESH GREEN PEA SOUP. Green Peas,                      Onion or Celery,
Milk. Hull quantity desired. Grind very fine in vegetable mill,
grind with this just a trace of celery or onion for flavor, add
enough rich milk to bring to the consistency of soup and
warm to about 145° to 150° Fahrenheit. Salt to taste and
serve. VEGETABLE SOUP (NO. 1). 1 Tomato,  1 small Apple,
 1 Carrot,   1 oz. Nuts,
 1 Small Pepper,   ½  cup Wheat Flakes,
 1 Stalk Celery,  Milk. Put all through fine vegetable grinder, add sufficient milk
to make quantity desired, allow to stand an hour or two, heat,
stirring in ½  cup of thick cream, and serve. VEGETABLE SOUP (NO. 2). 1 White Turnip,   A little Cabbage,
 1 Carrot,   Few pieces Celery,
 1 very small Onion,   Salt,
Milk. Chop fine or grind all vege tables. Hardly cover with
warm water, and let stand thr ee or four hours until soft. Add
1½ pints of rich warm milk, thicken with a little flaked wheat,
add butter and serve. This will ser ve five or six people. To
this can be added stiffly beaten whites of two eggs just before
serving. It will be an improvement. PEA OR BEAN SOUP. There is a pea and bean flour in the market from which
soup is easily made by adding to it warm milk or cream. It
should be made and allowed to stand an hour or two before
serving. CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP. Oat Flakes,   Milk or Cream,
 Fresh Tomatoes,   Salt. Take one pound of oat flakes, cover well with warm milk
and let stand three or four hours, or until very soft. Then
mash through a coarse strainer, which will produce a very
thick cream, which forms the body of the soup. Add to this
sufficient milk or cream (cream preferred) to make quantity
desired, and the juice of half a dozen ripe tomatoes. Any
cream soup can be made in the same way, using different
articles. Much care should be exercised in adding the milk, so as
not to destroy the thick, creamy consistency of the soup. CREAM OF CEREAL SOUP. Take any uncooked flaked or mascerated cereal, soak
over night in just enough milk to cover. Add to this enough
milk or cream to bring to the consistency desired, to which
can be added as a flavoring any ground vegetable or fruit
juice. CREAM OF CELERY. Oat Flakes,   Cream,
 Celery,   Celery Salt,
Flaked Wheat. Make same as tomato, onl y add tender celery chopped
fine, instead of tomato, and a dash of celery salt. CREAM OF CORN. Green Corn,   Salt,
 Oat Flakes,   Cream. To be made the same as cream of tomato, only use green
corn in place of tomato. Cut tips of the grain with a sharp
knife, and scrape cob well with a dull one. Mix as above
recipe. Note:—To all soups can be added the stiffly beaten white
of eggs just before serving, which gives it a delicious creamy
taste. VEGETABLES. VEGETABLES  occupy a very important place In the
elementary food menu.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        The telephone and telegr aph were the outgrowth of man's protest against the courier system. The inventions of all
the marvelous machines to which we point as evidences and
marks of our great civilization, originated in the one thought,
the saving of human labor. But the stomach is a veritable
gehenna, and the appetite its grizzly gorgon that holds
millions of women in a worse bondage than the negro
suffered in the South before the war. EFFECTS OF COOKING FOOD. IN all nature there are two great forces working, as it were,
against each other; namely, construction and destruction. That
is to say, nature is, on the one hand, assembling together
certain elements and building them into forms we call life,
and on the other it is breaking down, changing and dissipating
these elements, which process we call death or destruction. In the process of construction, the vegetable or plant
takes up from the mineral kingdom inorganic matter, and
converts it into organic or living matter, such as is found in
fruits, nuts, cereals,—the natural foods of man. It is only
through this process that mineral elements can build or
become a part of animal life. One of the most potent and effective agencies known to
change and demolish materials is fire. When we apply it to
our food in the process of cooking, it results in such a change
as destroys the elementary plant form, and the mineral
elements return to their inorganic condition. It cannot be
otherwise, insomuch as it possess es absolutely no element of
construction. At about 145° F. certain properties in plant life are
destroyed. For instance, a leaf of cabbage, if emersed in water
that can easily be endured by the bare hand, will wilt,
showing that part of its cellular life is destroyed at that
temperature. The heat can be increased until all plant life is destroyed. This becomes important when we remember that animal life
is supported and entirely constructed from plant life. The
living plant possesses all the elements from which animal life
is made. Therefore, the question would naturally arise in the
mind of any thinking person, "Why destroy in part the plant
life before feeding it to the an imal. In what possible way can
the application of heat improve it. " Our education, our
science and learning, are of small value, if they do not teach
us how to build the highest form of animal life from the
material used. Many articles of our food are subjected to an intense dry
heat, ranging from 300° to 400° F., in the vain hope that in
some way they may be improved. Bread browned in an oven
is partly changed to ashes. It is half destroyed. Were it kept
there twice as long it would be wholly destroyed. Yet millions of people insist on eating those supercooked
foods. They insist on wheat being made into Zwieback, which
might be described as a bit of ashes held together by a little
gluten, without ever spending one moment in thinking of the
real difference in food value, between this stuff and the grain
in its original state. Of all the curious customs into which people have
evolved, cooking seems to be the strangest and to possess the
least excuse for existence. It has made of woman a slave. It
has made of the stomach a potpourri for everything living or
dead. It so changes the proper ties of foods that no chemist living can analyze them. It is the chief cause of mixing food
products, which is the principal cause of overeating, which, in
its turn, is the genesis of nearly all stomach and intestinal
disorders. It has changed man into an omnivorous, and in
some cases into a carnivorous animal. COOKING MILK. THE custom of cooking or sterilizing milk, due to ignorance,
is little less than criminal. Cooking milk is recommended by certain alleged dietetic
authorities on the ground that it kills bacteria. They probably
forget, maybe do not know, that all the five digestive fluids
are strongly germ


relevant	and
inconsequential,	with	much	wasted	energy. These	aspects	of	consciousness
are	experienced	as	though	by	separate	individuals,	but	the	innerexperiencer	is	basically	the	same	Self	in	everyone. The	body	is	like	a
companion,	a	friendly	pet	that	follows	one	around. It	seems	to	be	reliably
present. It	can	also	even	have	surgery	without	pain	or	anesthetics. One	can
continue	to	own	the	body	and	be	responsible	for	it	without	identifying	with
it	as	one’s	identity.CHAPTER	16
Karma,	Guru,	and	Sage
Q:	Would	you	explain	your	understanding	of	karma? A:	Every	thought	or	action	gives	off	a	vibration	or	a	track	that	is	a	high-
frequency	energy	pattern	associated	with	the	person’s	energy	body. This
interacts	with	the	sea	of	consciousness,	which	is	filled	with	an	infinite
number	of	such	energy	patterns	that	emanate	from	other	energy	bodies. Within	this	complex	sea	of	intricate	patterns,	selections	are	made	that
influence	the	decisions	and	directions	of	life. Persistent	patterns	become
reinforced	and	are	therefore	more	dominant. The	interactions	that	could
ensue	might	be	likened	to	the	structural	form	of	a	molecule	that	determines
with	which	other	molecules	it	is	capable	of	interacting. Thus,	it	may	be
compatible	with	some	molecular	forms	and	incompatible	with	others. Each	person’s	energy	body	carries	with	it	a	historical	track	of	patterns
that	persist	over	time	and	influence	decisions,	behavior,	and	the	feelings	of
attraction	or	repulsion. This	energy	body,	which	is	the	locus	of	the	sense	of
‘I’,	exists	independently	of	the	physical	body,	as	anyone	who	has	ever
gone	out	of	body	will	remember. This	‘karmic	body’	is	made	up	of	the
collected	tracks	of	positionalities. The	field	of	consciousness	is	an	infinite	sea	of	interacting	energy	fields
with	various	levels	that	can	be	calibrated. The	fate	of	an	energy	body	of	an
individual’s	soul	is	therefore	similar	to	a	floating	object	in	space	or	a	cork
in	the	sea	in	that	its	innate	buoyancy	determines	the	level	at	which	it	will
settle	and	float. The	nonmaterial	realms	of	existence	are	composed	of	energy	bodies	at
various	levels	in	the	frequencies	of	the	sea	of	consciousness	that	tend	to
settle	into	realms. Each	of	these	realms	congregates	about	an	attractor
field. When	the	energy	body	or	soul,	with	its	historical	collection	of
frequencies	and	patterns,	separates	from	the	physical	body,	it	then
gravitates	to	a	compatible	field	or	domain. These	constitute	the	post-
physical	life	potentialities	or	choices	between	the	various	levels,	such	as
hells,	purgatories,	limbos,	or	heavens. Obviously,	for	some	souls,	there	is
also	the	opportunity,	choice,	or	fate	of	choosing	another	physical	lifetime. If	we	ask	with	muscle	testing	whether	this	is	a	fairly	accurate	depiction	of
spiritual	reality,	we	get	the	answer	“yes.”
					People	have	definite	opinions	about	such	matters,	and	the	question	ofreincarnation	is	a	favorite	area	for	argument. All	religions,	however,	agree
that	the	energy	body,	after	physical	death,	goes	on	to	a	fate	determined	by
one’s	actions	during	the	physical	lifetime. Therefore,	the	fate	is	determined
primarily	by	the	spiritual	decisions	and	actions	that	were	made,	with	great
importance	given	to	intention,	responsibility,	and	the	assent	of	the	Will. Spiritually	speaking,	whether	an	actual	physical	reincarnation	occurs	or
not	is	really	quite	academic. The	same	principles	and	fate	of	the	energy
body	remain	the	same	whether	it	would	resume	as	a	physical	existence	or
continue	on	an	energy	plane. One’s	fate,	obviously,	will	either	be	for	the
better	or	for	the	worse,	depending	on	the	choices	made	by	the	spiritual
will. It	would	seem	from	studies	of	the	spiritual	nature	of	consciousness
that	the	choice	to	resume	another	human	physical	life	would	be	an	option
that	is	determined	by	the	innate	patterns	of	a	specific	soul. Of	more
importance	is	the	interpretation	and	understanding	of	the	factors	that
determine	the	fate	of	the	soul/energy	body	and	its	destiny	after	physical
death. From	the	foregoing	analysis	and	spiritual	research,	it	appears	that	one’s
ultimate	fate	is	the	automatic	and	impersonal	consequence	of	the	energy
patterns	that	have	been	set	up	in	the	aura	of	the	spirit	body,	i.e.,	one’s	fate
after	physical	death	is	merely	the	inevitable	consequence	of	one’s	own
choice	and	not	a	reward	or	a	punishment	meted	out	arbitrarily	by	some
external	figure,	energy,	or	power. The	self	in	the	infinite	sea	of	the	Self
gravitates	to	its	fate	solely	by	virtue	of	its	own	essence. This	is	the
absolute	justice	of	Almighty	God	that	guarantees	absolute	fairness	and
impartiality. Judgment	is	therefore	merely	a	semantic	invention	(like
causality	or	heliotropism)	that	serves	as	a	plausible	‘explanation’	derived
from	the	anthropomorphic	presumptions	of	the	human	mind. Inasmuch	as	one’s	spiritual	destiny	is	sealed	and	determined	by	one’s
own	hand	and	its	actions,	each	person,	with	absolute	fairness,	determines
their	own	fate. Thus,	God’s	justice	is	indeed	perfectly	self-fulfilling. Mankind	then	needs	to	take	responsibility	for	its	own	fate	and	stop
blaming	God,	who	has	been	much	maligned. In	reality,	the	love	of	God,
like	the	sun,	shines	equally	on	all. With	understanding,	the	spiritual
domain	makes	sense,	and	there	is	no	need	for	superstitious,
anthropomorphic	inventions,	and	fantasies	to	explain	it. Most	of	what	has	been	said	thus	far	is	in	agreement	with	most	of
mankind’s	accumulated	spiritual	information	and	experience. If,
spiritually,	everything	happens	as	a	consequence	of	Free	Will,	and	there
are	no	‘forces’	to	‘cause’	anything	that	is	not	in	accordance,	then	the
question	of	physical	reincarnation	becomes	clarified. If	it	occurs,	it	wouldhave	to	be	by	choice	and	assent	of	the	spiritual	will,	and	it	would	then	be
determined	by	‘karmic’	propensities. The	stronger	one	identifies	with	the	physical	body	and	earthly	life,	the
stronger	will	be	the	pull	or	attraction	of	another	earthly	life. It	is	obvious
that	an	attraction	to	reincarnating	would	be	to	undo	or	propitiate	for	past
spiritual	mistakes. Many	souls	apparently	do	decide	that	the	only	just
propitiation	is	to	suffer	the	same	fate	they	have	meted	out	to	others. We
certainly	see	that	millions	of	souls	choose	lifetimes	with	disastrous
endings. Even	the	chosen	form	of	death	is	frequently	so	unique	and
specific	that	one	intuits	there	must	have	been	strong	karmic	determining
factors	involved	in	the	specificity	of	the	choice. Suicides	also	frequently
take	very	specifically	chosen	forms	and	styles,	with	very	specific
meanings. We	can	postulate	that	if	lifetimes	of	the	soul	can	be	lived	either	in	or
out	of	the	physical	domain	on	either	the	physical	or	energy	planes,	then	an
almost


 you’r e bad, but
wher e you’r e wounded. But no matter who or what caused
the wound, it’s yours now and you’r e responsible for it. The
only person who can bring it up and r elease it is you. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter wher e you got your character
defects anyway. They’r e yours now. You can’t live with a sign
around your neck saying, “It’s not my fault. My par ents wer e
diﬃcult.” Y our only way out of your conundrum is to tak e
total r esponsibility for those defects. Your character defects ar e the way you self -sabotage, the
way you hurt yourself and others. That’s why you have to
look at them. Until you tak e complete r esponsibility for your
own e xperience, you can’t change it. But once you’ve truly
looked at yourself, you can start healing. Y ou’ve opened
your eyes and now you see. “I see that I did that. I admit it. I
get it. I atone for my er ror. I am willing to mak e amends. I
am willing to mak e it right. And I pray to become a better
person now.”
In the moments when you acted out of your shadow, you
didn’t wak e up that mor ning and say, “I think I’ll be a jerk
today.” You didn’t go into a meeting and say, “I’m going to
say and do things that mak e people r eject me.” No, in those
moments, you didn’t r ealize you wer e doing it. Y ou wer e at
the eﬀect of the shadow. The shadow cast you into
darkness, and you wer e blinded to the light. And so you
suﬀer ed.The shadow leads us to do something stupid and then
punishes us savagely for having been so dumb. The shadow
has no mer cy, but God does. Hell is what the shadow
creates her e, and love is what delivers us fr om it. Atonement is an aspect of God’s love. As we atone, we ar e
freed fr om our dysfunctional patter ns and the trajectory of
events they pr oduced. This is the miracle of personal
transfor mation. Having deliver ed our wr ong-minded past
decisions to God, we can say, with a line fr om a prayer in A
Course in Miracles,  “I will not feel guilty, for the Holy Spirit
will undo all consequences of my wr ong decision if I will let
Him.” Once you atone with a sincer e and humble heart, you
are released fr om the k armic maelstr om of your shadow
drama. Once we have owned who we ar e in the shadow, we can
continue our jour ney back into the light. W e don’t heal by
pouring pink paint over our issues, pr etending they’r e not
there or blaming them all on other people. W e heal by
knowing that whatever shadows hide our light ar e
headquarter ed inside our own minds. It is our r esponsibility
to admit that they’r e ther e, open the door to God, and let
Him shine them away. He always has, and He always will. FORGIVE Y OURSELF, FORGIVE THEM
Someone might have hurt you ﬁf teen years ago, and you’r e
still not shutting up about what that person did to you. But if
you’r e honest with yourself, you might have hurt someone
else ﬁf teen years ago and you haven’t even look ed at it for
the last fourteen. W e’re very big on seeing what other
people did to us, but we’r e not so big on looking at what we
might have done to others. The shadow has no pr oblem focusing on the shadow—as
long as it’s the shadow in other people! “That person is
acting out of his shadow, and that person is acting out ofher shadow, and all those other people ar e acting out of
their shadow—but me? What shadow?” Mor e damage is
inﬂicted by people who think they have it all together than
by people who have been humbled by the r ealization that
they pr obably do not. P eople who have look ed deeply into
the shadow know that it’s not just a little thing or a trivial
mistak e—it’s a cosmic counterfor ce to the goodness of the
world, and it tak es any opportunity pr esented it to wr eak
havoc on the human heart. Nothing is a gr eater opportunity
for the shadow than our thinking that all our pr oblems lie in
other people. A projection of guilt onto others is endemic to the mortal
world. From the moment we’r e bor n, we’r e taught a belief
system that r einfor ces our sense of separateness: “I’m in
my body, and you’r e in yours. And God is outside us both.”
More fractur ed per ception emanates fr om our sense of
separation than fr om any other thing. First of all, if I’m separate fr om God, then I am separate
from my sour ce, and I feel traumatized the way a baby is
traumatized if ripped away fr om the mother. This trauma
induces fear, and I am then lik ely to be trigger ed by any
person or situation that seems to be taking fr om me what I
think I need—even if that’s not the case. My shadow would
likely manifest as paranoia or neediness. Second, if I’m separate fr om the r est of the world, then I
feel powerless, given that I am so small and the world is so
huge. This sense of separation leads me to believe that I am
weak, when in fact, as a child of the divine, I have inﬁnite
resour ces of str ength within. My shadow would then lik ely
manifest as my playing small and being too fearful to stand
in my own str ength. Third, if I’m separate fr om other people, then I am
separated fr om the e xperience of love and unity that is my
birthright as a human being. I cannot help but feel a deep
existential loneliness instead of the joy that I am meant to
feel in the company of other people. My shadow would lik elymanifest as either overattachment or under -attachment to
others, a superiority or an inferiority comple x, manipulative
behavior, defensiveness, or a domineering or contr olling
personality. Last, all of the above aspects of separation involve a
sense of separation fr om self, fr om which all other for ms of
shadow emer ge. If I am separate fr om myself, and my true
self is love, then I am separate fr om love. My shadow would
likely manifest as anything seemingly not-love towar d
myself or others, fr om substance abuse to violence. Since all shadow manifestations ar e rooted in thoughts of
separation, then healing the mistak en thought that we ar e
separate fr om the r est of life—fr om our Cr eator, fr om other
people, and fr om other cr eated things—is the ultimate
solution to the pr oblem of the shadow. This r econciliation of
mind and spirit, the soul’s r eturn to its divine knowing, is the
point of illumination that casts out all darkness. And what is the light we see, when our minds ar e
reconciled to truth? W e see not only that we ar e one with
others, but also that all of us car ry seeds of the divine. W e
were created by God, in the image of God, in the lik eness of
God. W e are perfect, as all His cr eations ar e. We deserve
from ourselves and fr om each other the same mer cy that
God shows to each of us. And when we r emember this—
when our minds ar e healed of the delusion that our shadows
deﬁne us—then showing mer cy and for giveness comes
naturally. What is important is not the for m your shadow tak es. The
point is that your shadow developed for one r eason and one
reason only. In a moment, love lef t—or so you thought it did. It doesn’t matter if it lef t in the for m of a mother’s
abandonment or a father’s anger. What matters is that in
that traumatic, primal moment you lost conscious contact
with the e xperience of God’s love. And you went temporarily
insane. Now, every time that trauma is trigger ed, you go
insane again. The issue is not what caused the trauma. Itdoesn’t ultimately matter what mortal drama led up to it. What matters is that your spirit be r estor ed. What matters is
that you r econnect with love now, that your mind be healed
of its insanity now, that you for give yourself and others now. Forgiveness does not mean that you see the darkness, but
then give it amnesty. Rather, it means that you see the
darkness, but then choose to overlook it. And you overlook
it not because you ar e in denial, but because you


,
andyouareinterestedinpreventingproblemsbeforetheydevelop,
orifyouarecurrentlystrugglingtoregainyourhealth,paycarefulattentiontothefollowingelementsofhygiene. DentalHygieneandYourHealingSystem
Goodhealthdependsonproperdigestion. Digestionbeginsinyourmouthwiththechewingoffood,whichdependsonthehealthof
yourteeth. Forthisreason,regularlybrushingyourteethandobserv
inggooddentalhygieneisimportant. Whenyoubrushregularly,youpreventthepossibilityofplaquebuild-up,cavityformation,andgumdisease,allofwhichcanimpairdigestion,interferewithpropernutri
tion,andadverselyaffectyourhealingsystem. BathingandYourHealingSystemBathinghelpspreservethefunctionandintegrityofyourskin,whichisoneofyourbody’sprimarydefenseorgans. Regularbathingleavesyourskinfeelingfreshandclean,anditremovesbacteriaand
germsthatcanaccumulateonthesurfaceofyourskin. Bodiesthat
arenotwashedorbathedregularlyaremorepronetoskininfec
tions. Microorganisms,includingstaphandstrepbacteria,caninvadeyourbodyafterfirstappearingonyourskin. Regularbathing
canaidyourhealingsystembyeliminatingtheseinfectionsattheir
source. EliminationandYourHealingSystem:BowelandBladderHygieneBecauseofnormalinternalmetabolicprocesses,largeamountsof
toxicwastesareproducedandaccumulateinyourbodyduringeach
StrengtheningandFortifyingYourHealingSystem 81
day. Failuretoeliminatewasteproductsandtoxinspromptlyandefficientlycontributestothesteadybuild-upofthesematerials,whichcancauseyourhealingsystemtobogdownandbecomeseriouslyimpaired. Withoutregularelimination,youwillliterallydrown
orsuffocateinyourownwaste. Irregulareliminationcancontribute
totheonsetofanumberofserious,life-threateningdiseases. Solid,unwanted,toxic-wasteproductsareeliminatedthrough
thelargeintestinesinyourbowelmovements,whileliquidsareeliminatedprimarilythroughthekidneysandbladder,intheurine. Ensuringthehealthoftheseorgansisessentialforyourhealingsystemtooperatewithmaximumefficiency~
TipsforHealthyElimination
~Drinkplentyoffluids,includingwater. Yourbodyisapproximately70percentfluid,andthemorefluidsyoubringintoyourbody,themoreefficientlyyourhealingsystemcaneliminateand
removetoxinsfromit. Ifyourbowelsaresluggishandneedalittlecoaxinginthemorning,alargecupofhotwaterorawarmbeveragewillusuallybringfastresults. oIncreaseyourfiberintakethroughoutthedayandatnight. Adequatefiberintakeensuresmoreeffectiveeliminationofwasteproductsfromyourintestines,thusreducingtheriskofcolon
cancerandotherintestinaldiseases. Thebestsourcesoffiberincludewholegrains,seedsandnuts,andfruitsandvegetables. Increasephysicalactivity,whichimprovesbloodflowtotheintestines,whichhelpselimination. oAvoidlow-residuefoods,suchasprocessedstarches,cheeses,
andprepackagedmeatsandotherfoods,whichlackfiberand
cancauseconstipation. oAvoidexcessalcohol. Alcoholcandehydrateyourbody,andcan
causeconstipationalongwithbowelorbladderproblems. Alcoholisanintestinalandbladderirritant,andchronicusecancontributetoproblemswiththeseorgans. oLimitcoffee,tea,andcaffeinatedsodas,becausetheseusuallycontaintannicacids,whichcanserveasirritants. Caffeinestimulatestheparietalcellsinyourstomachtoproducehydrochloricacid,which,ifproducedinexcess,candamagetheliningofyour
82 YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
stomachandintestines,andpotentiallyleadtoanulcerorotherintestinalproblems. cJEliminatefoodsthatarehighlyprocessedorcontainartificialchemicaladditives. Thesefoodscanalsoirritateanddamagethedelicateliningofyoururinaryanddigestivesystems. HealingSystemRx#3:
EataWell-BalancedDietConsistingofNaturalFoods
Foodsuppliesthebasicbuildingblocksforthesustenanceofevery
cellandtissueinyourbody,providinglife-supportingenergyformetabolicactivities,mechanismsofdefense,andtheprocessesofrepairandrestorationgovernedbyyourhealingsystem. Justasanyotherhigh-powered,performance-orientedmachinerequiresthe
bestfuel,yourhealingsystemrequirespureandwholesomefoodto
ensureoptimumperformanceandfunctioning. Hereareafewbasic
butcriticalguidelines:
Eatawell-rounded,high-performancedietthatincludesade
quateamountsofprotein,carbohydrates,fatsandoils,essentialvitamins,minerals,andtraceelements. Additionally,makesure
youareconsumingadequateamountsoffluidsandfiber. DFavorfreshfruitsandvegetables,wholegrains,andlegumes,whichcontainanabundanceofallofyourbody’sbasicnutritionalrequirements,overfleshfoods. Althoughfleshfoodsareexcellentsourcesofprotein,youshouldminimizetheminyourdailydietbecauseoftheirtendencytowardahigherfatcontent,
lackoffiber,andpotentialforhigherconcentrationofheavymetalsandenvironmentaltoxins. ~Minimizeeatingpackagedorprocessedfoods,whichoftencon
tainpreservativesandadditivesthat,whiletheyincreaseshelf
life,mayhaveharmfulsideeffects. Packagedandprocessedfoodsgenerallylackthevitality,fiber,andnutrientqualitythat
freshandwholefoodscontain. ~Donotbefanaticalinfollowingarestrictivediet. Someflexibil
ityandleniencyisnecessarytoavoidbecomingstressedwhen
yourfoodchoicesarelimitedorunavailable. Thestressofbeing
StrengtheningandFortifyingYourHealingSystem 83
toorigidinyourdietdetractsfromwhateverbenefitsyourdietmightbeproviding. oMakesureyoursurroundingsarepleasantandenjoyablewhen
youeat. Yourhealingsystem’sabilitytoremainstrongandactive
isinfluencednotonlybythechemicalconstituentsofthefoods
youeat,butbyyourmealpatternsandthetimingofyourmeals,
inadditiontomanyotherfactorssurroundingfood. Forexample,properlychewingfoodandthecircumstancesunderwhichfood
iseatenalsoplayaroleinthedigestionandabsorptionofnutri
ents. Whenyoutakeyourmealsinapeacefulatmosphere,digestionandassimilationareenhanced. (Inthenextchapter,I’lloffer
morespecificinformationonnutritionforyourhealingsystem. ) HealingSystemR. x#4:
GetAdequateExerciseandPhysicalActivityMovementisafundamentalprincipleofallmatterintheuniverse,
and,alongwithexercise,itisanimportantkeytoastrongandhealthyhealingsystem. Movementandexerciseareessentialforthemaintenanceofhealthyjointsandmuscles,andtheyarevitalfor
yourcirculationandthehealthofyourcardiovascularsystem. Your
dailyactivitylevelisanintegralpartofyourbody’sabilitytostayhealthy,resistillness,andmaintainanactiveandvibranthealingsystem. TheBenefitsofExerciseforYourHealingSystem
Thebenefitsofexerciseforyourhealingsystemarenumerous. Becauseyourhealingsystemisconnectedtoalloftheotherorgansystemsinyourbody,anyexerciseyoudoregularlywillsignificantlybenefityourhealingsystem. Amongitsmanybenefits,exercise
oEnergizesandactivatesyourhealingsystem
oClearsdepression
oImprovescirculationtoyourbrain,whichimprovesclarityofthinking
oImprovesoverallmusclestrengthinyourbody
oImprovescardiachealth
84 YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
~Improvesbloodflowtostomachandintestines,whichimprovesdigestionandelimination,andreducesconstipation
oImprovesimmunefunction
oImprovesboneandjointhealth
DImprovesthehealingtimeoffracturesandjointinjuriesImprovescomplexionandskinhealthbyincreasingbloodflow
toskin
oImprovesbloodflowtogenitals,whichimprovessexualfunction
Just30minutesofexerciseeachdaywillbringyouallofthesebenefits,andmore. Afewofthemorecommontypesofexercisearelistedinthefollowingsections. Chooseoneormore,andfollowtheguidelineslistedtostrengthenandfortifyyourhealingsystem. WalkingWalkingisoneofthesimplestandmostnaturalwaystoexercise. Intraditionalcultures,beforetheadventoftheautomobileandmotor
izedtransportation,peopleusedtheirowntwolegsastheirprimary
meansoftransport,inadditiontotheir


 surrender does not mean to passively put up with whatever
situation you find yourself in, and to do nothing about it. It doesn’t mean
to stop making plans or initiating positive action. Surrender is about
yielding to, rather than opposing, the flow of life. The only place in which you can experience the flow of life is in the now. So, to surrender means to accept the present moment, unconditionally,
and without reservation. It’s relinquishing any resistance to what is. 14. Thinking that you are the physical form that you’re occupying, with its
psychological make-up, and the stories that it tells itself about who it is
and what has happened to it during its lifetime, is an illusion. 15. Know yourself as something that is beyond form. To lose yourself in
some form is suffering.16. Every time that you react to a form that arises in the stillness or the
spaciousness that exists around everything that there is, you identify
more and more with the world of form. 17. An exercise that Eckhart Tolle recommends in order to become more
aware of the present moment is to stop a few times throughout the day
and look around the room you’re in as if you had just been born into that
room, even if it’s just for a few seconds. Simply allow your entire self to
be present and alert in the room, and enter the moment more fully. Don’t
think about what you’re looking at; just look at it. 18. Most of your suffering is self-created. Almost all suffering arises out
of your interpretation of something that is; that is, it comes from your
thoughts about the situation, not from the situation itself. 19. There comes a point in which a person says, “I’ve suffered enough”,
and at that point they’re ready to listen to the message that there’s
another way to live. There’s another way to live that does not create
further suffering. This way of living is when you stop mentally arguing
with what is, and when you stop identifying with the world of form and
with the mind-created self. 20. When you stop inflicting suffering on yourself, you’ll stop inflicting
suffering on others. 21. You’ll never be able to arrange the world of form exactly as you wantit, and you’ll never be able to accumulate all of the forms that you think
that you need in order to be yourself, if you identify your sense of self with
the world of form. It’s in the nature of the world of form that nothing
stays fixed for very long. 22. The world of form will never make you feel complete and happy. Stop
demanding that people, places, and situations make you happy and fulfill
you. You need to go deeper, instead of staying at the surface. 23. When you see the inability of the world to make you happy, and when
you notice the short-lived nature of whatever forms you encounter, you’ll
begin to step out a state of unconsciousness and start to become more
enlightened. 24. Accept what is. If someone cuts you off in traffic, it’s like a sudden
gust of wind. You don’t personalize a gust of wind, so don’t personalize
the fact that another car just cut in front of you. It’s simply what is. 25. The ego is habitual and compulsive thought processes that go through
your mind continuously. It’s about being trapped in thought and in
mental noise. 26. Even your mental chatter is surrounded by stillness; simply tell
yourself, “I’m full of mental noise, and that’s OK.” This will allow you to
move beyond it. 27. The pain-gap is the gap that exists between your rigid expectations ofhow things should be, and the way things are. Acceptance of what is
releases you from the discomfort of the pain-gap. 28. Whatever you think that the world is withholding from you, you are
withholding from the world. Give to the world, and to others, whatever
you think is being withheld from you. This applies to all of the following:
Love;
Recognition;
Assistance;
Appreciation, and so on. If you don’t think that you can give it because you don’t have it, just
pretend. Soon after you start giving, you will start receiving. 29. If you don’t have a good relationship with the now, then you can’t
have a good relationship with life, because life takes place in the now. 30. Worry is repetitive, negative thought patterns. There are three
methods you can use in order to step out of the stream of negative
thinking:
First, move into the present moment by taking a few deep breaths. Second, you can step out of the stream of negative thinking by placing
your attention on the feeling of aliveness in your body: in your hands,
your arms, your legs, and so on. A third method you can use is to place all of your attention on anobject in your environment. Source: “30 Pearls of Wisdom from Eckhart Tolle,”
from daringtolivefully.com<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        30 Pearls of Wisdom from
Eckhart Tolle
Eckhart Tolle is a world-renown spiritual teacher and the author of the
books “The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment” and “A
New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose”, both of which have sold
in the millions. His work, which has been influenced by a wide range of spiritual
teachings, is centered on the recognition that the now is all that there is. Here are 30 pearls of wisdom from Eckhart Tolle:
1. Instead of reacting to the content that arises in your life—thoughts,
external events, other people, the scenery, and so on—, allow the content
to be. That is, instead of identifying with what arises in the now, become
aware of the now itself, beyond the phenomena that arise in it. To become
aware of the now itself means that you become aware of the stillness that
underlies everything. 2. Becoming aware of the now also means realizing that you are the now,
or noticing the “observer” that witnesses life’s events with detachment,
and without being possessed by them. 3. The underlying stillness is underneath and between all of your
thoughts. In fact, it surrounds all of the content in your life. 4. Meditating in the morning will help you to begin the day in the
undercurrent of stillness. 5. Most people are not aware of the field; they’re only aware of what
happens in the field. In fact, it’s not just that they’re only aware of what
happens in the field, but they identify with what happens in the field in
their search for self. 6. Fear of loss is when you identify with part of the content—withsomething in the external world–, and you think that if you lose it, you’ll
lose part of who you are. For example, when you tell yourself that without
this or that, “I’m no one”. 7. You’ll live in a state of continuous joy, no matter what arises, when you
realize that what arises isn’t that important. What arises is just
consciousness playing with form. 8. Become a participant in the play of form by creating without self-
seeking; when you create without self-seeking, you’ll create beautifully. However, when you create and there’s self-seeking in it—when you tell
yourself “I need”, “I want”, or “I must have”–, then you infuse the
creative energy that is flowing through you with negativity. 9. The power of consciousness flows through you, and it loves to create;
simply let it flow. 10. Think of the last time you were in a traffic jam; you felt stressed
because you needed to be at “X” place, but you weren’t moving. However,
the same spaciousness that is easy to become aware of when you’re
contemplating nature, for example, surrounds even this event which we
call a “traffic jam”. Shift your awareness from “traffic jam” to
spaciousness. 11. You find the spaciousness surrounding any event simply by allowing
that moment to be. Say “yes” to anything that happens, instead offighting or resisting what is. What’s the point of saying “no”, if it is. Simply tell yourself, “It is what it is”. When you do this you become aware
of a dimension that is deeper than the event that’s taking place. 12. If you get angry about something that’s happening around you, do the
same thing; simply say, “Here’s the energy of anger; it is what it is”. Of
course, it’s much easier to notice the stillness that surrounds something
such as a flower, than it is to notice the stillness that surrounds anger. However, the stillness surrounds everything, even strong emotions such
as anger. 13. True surrender does not mean to passively put up with whatever
situation you find yourself in, and to do nothing about it. It doesn’t mean
to stop making plans or initiating positive action. Surrender is about
yielding to, rather than opposing, the flow of life. The only place in which you can experience the flow of life is in the now. So, to surrender means to accept the present moment, unconditionally,
and without


	I
have	found	these	indications	to	be	highly	accurate. In	case	you	are	not	sure	whether	you
have	stones,	it	may	be	useful	to	cleanse	the	liver	anyway;	it	can	improve	your	health
significantly,	regardless. There	is	an	old	saying:	“The	proof	of	the	pudding	is	in	the
eating.”	The	only	way	to	discover	for	yourself	whether	you	have	gallstones	is	to	do	the
liver	cleanse. You	will	find	that	when	you	remove	all	the	stones	that	may	be	present,	the
symptoms	of	disease	will	gradually	disappear,	and	health	will	return	to	normal. Signs	and	Marks
	Skin

The	major	function	of	the	skin	is	to	continuously	adjust	our	internal	body	to	the	ever-
changing	external	environment,	which	includes	temperature,	humidity,	dryness,	and	light. In	addition,	skin	covers	the	body	to	protect	us	against	injury,	microbes,	and	other	harmful
agents. Apart	from	having	to	deal	with	these
external
	influences,	the	skin	also	monitors
and	adapts	according	to
internal
	changes	taking	place	within	the	body. Accordingly,	the
skin	reflects	the	condition	of	the	organs	and	body	fluids,	including	the	blood	and	lymph. Any	long-term	abnormal	functioning	of	the	body	will	inevitably	show	up	in	the	skin	as
skin	blemishes,	discoloration,	or	changed	condition,	such	as	dryness,	oiliness,	wrinkles,
lines,	and	so	forth. Almost	all	skin	disorders	have	their	root	in	an	imbalanced	liver
condition. Gallstones	lead	to	circulatory	disorders,	which	reduce	the	nutrient	supply	to,
and	waste	removal	from,	the	skin	and	prevent	healthy	development	and	normal	turnover
cycles	of	skin	cells. The	following	marks	are	particularly	indicative	of	gallstones	in	the
liver	and	gallbladder:

Black	spots	and	small	or	large	brown	patches
	that	are	the	color	of	freckles	or	moles. They	usually	appear	on	the	right	or	left	side	of	the	forehead,	between	the	eyebrows	or
under	the	eyes. They	may	also	show	up	just	above	the	right	shoulder	or	between	the
shoulder	blades. Most	prominent	are	the	so-called
liver	spots
	on	the	back	of	the	hands	and
forearms,	often	seen	among	middle-aged	and	elderly	people. If	gallstones,	which	are
spontaneously	excreted	by	the	gallbladder,	get	caught	in	the	colon,	such	spots	may	also
appear	in	the	area	where	the	thumb	and	index	finger	meet. These	liver	spots	usually	start
fading	after	the	majority	of	stones	are	removed	from	the	liver	and	gallbladder. Most
people	assume	that	the	liver	spots	are	due	to	sun	damage	and	“normal”	aging. This	is	a
myth. Liver	spots,	as	the	name	suggests,	come	from	the	liver. Sun	exposure	merely	brings
to	the	surface	of	the	skin	any	existing	acidic	waste	deposits. Vertical	wrinkles	between	the	eyebrows. There	may	be	one	deep	line	or	two,
sometimes	three,	lines	in	this	region. These	lines	or	wrinkles,	which	are
not
	a	part	of
natural	aging,	indicate	an	accumulation	of	many	gallstones	in	the	liver. They	show	that	the
liver	is	enlarged	and	has	hardened. The	deeper	and	longer	the	wrinkles	are,	the	more	the
deterioration	of	liver	function	has	progressed. A	line	near	the	right	eyebrow	also	indicates
congestion	in	the	spleen. Furthermore,	the	vertical	lines	represent	a	great	deal	of	repressed
frustration	and	anger. Anger	arises	when	gallstones	prevent	proper	bile	flow. A	bilious
nature	is	one	that	keeps	toxins	trapped—toxins	that	the	liver	tries	to	eliminate	via	bile. Vice	versa,	anger	can	trigger	gallstone	formation. If	white	or	yellow	patches	accompany
the	wrinkles,	a	cyst	or	tumor	may	be	developing	in	the	liver. Pimples	or	growth	of	hair
between	eyebrows
,	with	or	without	wrinkles,	indicate	that	the	liver,	gallbladder,	and
spleen	are	affected. Horizontal	wrinkles	across	the	bridge	of	the	nose. These	are	a	sign	of	pancreatic
disorders	due	to	gallstones	in	the	liver. If	a	line	is	deep	and	pronounced,	there	may	be
pancreatitis	or	diabetes. Green	or	dark	color	of	the	temple	area	at	the	sides	of	the	head. This	shows	that	the
liver,	gallbladder,	pancreas,	and	spleen	are	underactive	because	of	deposits	of	gallstones	in
both	the	liver	and	gallbladder. This	may	be	accompanied	by	a
green	or	blue	color
	on
either	side	of	the	bridge	of	the	nose,	which	indicates	impaired	spleen	functions. A
horizontal	line
	across	the	bridge	of	the	nose	implies	weakness	of	the	pancreas. Oily	skin	in	the	area	of	the	forehead. This	reflects	poor	liver	performance	due	to
gallstones. The	same	applies	to
excessive	perspiration
	in	this	part	of	the	head. A
yellow
color	of	the	facial	skin
	indicates	disorders	of	the	bile	functions	of	the	liver	and
gallbladder,	and	a	weakness	of	the	pancreas,	kidneys,	and	excretory	organs. Hair	loss	in	the	central	region	of	the	head. This	mark	indicates	that	the	liver,	heart,
small	intestines,	pancreas,	and	reproductive	organs	are	becoming	increasingly	congested
and	aggravated. There	is	a	tendency	to	develop	cardiovascular	disease,	chronic	digestive
problems,	and	the	formation	of	cysts	and	tumors. Early	graying	of	hair	shows	that	liver
and	gallbladder	functions	are	underactive. Nose

Hardening	and	thickening	at	the	tip	of	the	nose. This	indicates	chronic	liver	weakness,
resulting	in	hardening	of	the	arteries	and	the	accumulation	of	fat	around	the	heart,	liver,
spleen,	kidneys,	and	prostate	glands. If	the	enlargement	is	excessive	and	blood	vessels	are
visible,	a	heart	attack	or	stroke	may	be	imminent. The	nose	is	constantly	red. This	condition	shows	an	abnormal	condition	of	the	heart,
with	a	tendency	toward	high	blood	pressure	(hypertension). A	purple	nose	indicates	low
blood	pressure. Both	conditions	are	due	to	imbalanced	liver,	digestive,	and	kidney
functions. Cleft	nose	or	indentation	of	the	tip	of	the	nose. This	mark	indicates	irregular
heartbeat	and	heart	murmur. If	one	half	of	the	cleft	nose	is	larger	than	the	other,	this	shows
that	one	side	of	the	heart	is	abnormally	enlarged. Arrhythmia
	and
panic	attacks
	may
accompany	this	condition. There	may	be	severe	lymphatic	congestion	caused	by	digestive
disorders	such	as	constipation,	colitis,	stomach	ulcer,	and	so	on. Liver	functions	are
subdued	because	of	large	amounts	of	gallstones	cutting	off	the	blood	supply	to	the	liver
cells. Bile	secretions	are	insufficient. (
Note:
	I	have	personally	seen	clefts	in	the	nose
disappear	after	liver	cleansing.) The	nose	is	bending	toward	the	left. Unless	caused	by	an	accident,	this	asymmetric
shape	of	the	nose	implies	that	the	organs	on	the	right	side	of	the	body	are	underactive. These	include	the	liver,	gallbladder,	right	kidney,	ascending	colon,	right	ovary	or	testicle,
and	right	side	of	the	brain. The	main	cause	of	this	condition	is	an


 job interview. You want the
job very much, and someone might have suggested to you
that you should aﬃr m you’ll be getting the job, making that
your goal. But a miracle work er mak es peace our only goal. What that does is to dir ect the mind to focus on all the
factors that contribute to our peace, and leave everything
else out of our conscious consideration. The mind, lik e the
physical eye, is inundated with so many impr essions at one
time, that a built-in censor mechanism brings focus to our
perception. It chooses what we’ll notice and what we won’t.Making our goal anything other than peace is emotionally
self-destructive. If our goal is to get the job, then that’s ﬁne
if we do, but if we don’t get the job, we’ll feel depr essed. If
we mak e peace our goal, then if we get the job, that’s gr eat,
but if we don’t, we’r e still peaceful. The Course tells us it’s important to set a goal at the
beginning of a situation, or it will seem to unfold chaotically. If our goal is peace, we’r e programmed for emotional
stability no matter what happens. The mind will have been
directed to see the situation fr om a peaceful perspective. If
we didn’t get the job we wanted, it won’t matter so much. We will truly understand that ther e’s something better
coming up soon, or that this wasn’t r eally the perfect job for
us anyway. We will have faith in God. The miracle is that we
will really feel our faith. It won’t just be positive goo thr own
over our pain. Our emotions ﬂow fr om our thoughts, and not
the other way ar ound. Another pr oblem with setting speciﬁc goals is that they
can be limiting. P erhaps we’r e asking for something good,
when God’s will was that we be given something gr eat. Our
looking over God’s shoulder only interfer es with His capacity
to mak e us happy. Once we truly understand that God’s will
is that we be happy, we no longer feel the need to ask for
anything other than that God’s will be done. Once when I was lecturing in New Y ork, a young man
stood up and ask ed me about aﬃr mations. A t that time,
“Hill Str eet Blues” was a popular T.V. show. He said, “I’ve
been writing down ﬁf ty times befor e I go to sleep at night, ‘I
have a r egular part on Hill Str eet Blues, I have a r egular part
on Hill Str eet Blues.’ Ar e you telling me I shouldn’t do that?”
I said, “Y ou can write those aﬃr mations ﬁf ty times befor e
you go to bed at night, and chances ar e good you’ll pull in apart on Hill Str eet Blues because the mind is very powerful. But for all you know, a year will pass, an important dir ector
will be wanting you for the lead in a major featur e ﬁlm, but
they won’t be able to get you because you’r e under contract
for a little part in Hill Str eet Blues!”
The issue underlying our need to tell God what to do is
our lack of trust. W e’re afraid to leave things in God’s hands
because we don’t know what He’ll do with them. W e’re
afraid He’ll lose our ﬁle. If we’r e going to set any goal, let us
set the goal of being healed of the belief that God is fear
instead of love. L et us r emember fr om the Course that “ our
happiness and our function ar e one.” If God is our goal,
that’s the same thing as saying that happiness is our goal. There’s no need to believe that God can’t ﬁgur e out the
details or pr ovide the ways to mak e it happen. 8. GOD’S PLAN
“Only God’s plan for salvation will work.”
Sometimes we car ry an attitude at work because we think
the job is beneath us, or we r esent the fact that other
people ar e the boss and we’r e not. W e’re in a hur ry to get to
the top of the heap. W e don’t r ealize that, as we spr ead
love, we climb naturally. Maybe not most quickly, but
remember the story of the tortoise and the har e. The
tortoise, although he walk ed slowly and steadily, r eached
the goal befor e the quick-footed har e.
“May God’s will be done” is the same thing as saying,
“May I become the best that I’m capable of being.” As we
grow in personal statur e, we gr ow into a mor e responsible
energy. People will want  to hir e us, to work with us. Our
progress will occur easily. Our success will be an eﬀortlessaccomplishment. Things will just happen. You can have a
great resume, but if you have a r otten personality, the going
will get r ough for you somewher e down the line. A good
resume can get you an important interview, but you won’t
get the job unless they lik e you. Much of today’s psychological orientation is brittle. It’s
brittle because everyone is trying so har d, and we’r e all
trying so har d because we think we have to. The way of
surrender is lik e letting God be the sculptor, and letting
ourselves be the clay. In the sculpting classes I took in high
school, we had to spray the clay with water each day or it
would get too dry to work with. That’s how we have to be for
God: malleable, lik e moist clay. If we’r e rigidly attached to
getting something, including getting things to work out the
way we think they should work out, we ar e not r elaxed. W e
then have very little r oom for spontaneous insights. We never r eally know why we’r e going someplace. I have
made what I thought wer e professional contacts that tur ned
out to be personal contacts, and vice versa. In God’s world,
there’s only one work going on, and that’s the pr eparation
of His teachers, those who demonstrate love. A ccording to
the Course, the Holy Spirit uses any situation given to Him
as a lesson in love for everyone involved. But we have to be
willing to give up our attachment to a particular outcome in
a given situation. W e might see a certain pr oject as a
vehicle for making money, for instance, and then feel
disappointed if it doesn’t. W e feel confused because we
thought we wer e following the Holy Spirit’s guidance in
making the eﬀort. But it could be that the r eal purpose of
that particular pr oject was not to mak e money at all. W e do
not always know at the time why the Holy Spirit dir ects us
as He does. The miracle work er’s function is mer ely to follow
instructions in a desir e to serve God. Our compensation,materially and emotionally, will ar rive in God’s own time and
way. One of the r easons we’r e always trying to contr ol the
results in life is because we think the universe, when lef t to
its own devices, is chaotic. But God is the ultimate or der. He
is the principle of constantly e xpanding love in action, in all
dimensions, for all life. His power is thor oughly impersonal. He doesn’t lik e some people mor e than others. He works lik e
a computer. Trusting God is lik e trusting gravity. These ar e important points to r emember :
1. God’s plan works. 2. Yours doesn’t. As stated by the Course, “I need add nothing to His plan. But to r eceive it, I must be willing not to sub stitute my own
in place of it. And that is all. A dd mor e, and you will mer ely
take away the little that is ask ed.” It’s not our job to ﬁgur e
out how to accomplish God’s purposes on earth. That’s not
help; it’s interfer ence. It is mer ely our job to so deeply align
our hearts and minds with His spirit within us, that our lives
then become involuntary instruments of His will. Insights
occur. Situations shif t gear. Our eﬀorts to consciously contr ol
the unfolding of good does not pr oduce good so much as it
brings forth a slightly less tainted brand of human
wilfullness. I have hear d it said that living out of our vision is mor e
powerful than living out of our cir cumstance. Holding on to a
vision invok es the cir cumstances by which the vision is
achieved. V ision is content; material cir cumstances mer e
form. I have a friend who is running for political oﬃce. Having been in politics for many years, his tendency is tothink that his political success depends on


from th e perspective of the m ind, however, there is good-bad, like-
dislike, love-hate. Hence, in the Book of Genesis, it is said that Adam
and Eve were no  longer allowed to dwell in “paradise” when they “ate of
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. ”

This sounds to me like denial and self-deception. When s omething
dr eadful happen s to me or someone close to me — accident, illn ess, pain
of some  kind, or death — I can pr etend that it isn't bad, but the fact
r emains that it  is bad, so why deny it. Y ou are not pretending anything. Y ou are allowing it to be as it is, that’ s
all. T his “allowing to be” takes you beyond the mind with its resistance
patterns that create the positive-negative polarities. It is an essential
aspect of for giveness. For givene ss of the present is even more i mportant
than for g iveness of the past. If you for give every moment — allow it to
be as it i s — then there will be no accumulation of resentment that needs
to be for given at some later time. Remember that we are not talk ing about happiness here. For example,
when a loved on e has just died, or you feel your own death app roaching,
you cannot be happy. It is impossible. But you can  be at peace. There
may be  sadness and tears, bu t provided that you have reli nquished
resistance, underneath the sadness you will feel a deep serenity, a
stillness, a sacred presence. Thi s is the emanation of Being, this is inner
peace, the good that has no opposite. What if it is a si tuation that I ca n do something about. How can I allow
it to be and change it at the same time. Do w hat you have to do. In th e meantime, accept what is. Since mind
and resistance are synonymous, acceptance immediately frees you from
mind do minance and thus reconnects you with Being. As a result, the
usual eg o motivations for “doing” — fear, greed, control, defending or
feeding the false sense of self —  will cease to operate. An intelligence
much greater than the mind is now in char ge, and so a dif ferent quality of
consciousness will flow into your doing. “Accept whatev er comes to you  woven in the pattern of your de stiny, for
what could more aptly fit your needs. ” This was written two thousand
years ago by Marcus Aurelius, one of those exceedingly rare humans
who possessed worldly power as well as wisdom. It seems that most people need to experience a great deal of suf fering
before they will relinquish resistance and accept — before they will
for give. As soon as they do, one of the greatest miracles happens: the
awakening of Being-consciousness through what appears as evil, the
transmutation of  suf fering into i nner peace. The ultimate ef fect of all the
evil and suf fering in the world i s that it will force humans into realizing
who the y are beyond name and form. Thus, what we perceive as evil
from ou r limited  perspective is actually part of the higher good that has
no opposite. This, however, doe s not become true for you except through
for giveness. Until that happens, evil has not been redeemed and therefore
remains evil. Through for giveness, which essentially means recognizing the
insubstantiality of the past and allowing the present moment to be as it is,
the mira cle of transformation happens not only within but also without. A silent space of intense presence arises both in you and around you. Whoever or whatever enters tha t field of consciousness will be  af fected
by it, sometimes visibly and im mediately, sometimes at deeper levels
with visible changes appearing at a later time. Y ou dissolve discord, heal
pain, dispel unconsciousness —  without doing  anything — simply by
being  and holding that frequency of intense presence. THE END OF YOUR LIFE DRAMA
In th at state of acceptance and  inner peace, even though  you may not
call it “bad,” ca n anything still come into your life that would be called
“bad” fr om a perspective of or dinary consciousness. Most of the so-called bad things that happen in people’ s lives are due to
unconsciousness. They are self-created, or rather ego-created. I
sometimes refer to those things as “drama. ” When you are fully
conscious, dram a does not come  into your life anymore. Let me remi nd
you briefly how the ego operates and how it creates drama. Ego is the unobserved mind tha t runs your life when you are not present
as the witnessin g consciousness, the watcher. The ego perceives itself as
a separate fragment in a hostile universe, with no real inner connection to
any other being, surrounded b y other egos which it either sees as a
potential threat or which it will attempt to use for its own ends. The basic
ego patterns are designed to combat its own deep-seated fear and sense
of lack. They are  resistance, control, power, greed, defense, attack. Some
of the ego’ s strategies are extremely clever, yet they never truly solve
any of its problems, simply because the ego itself is the problem. When egos come together, whether in personal relationships or in
or ganizations or institutions, “bad” things happen sooner or later: drama
of o ne kind or  another, in the form of conflict, problem s, power
struggles, emotional or physical violence, and so on. This includes
collective evils such as war, genocide, and exploitation — a ll due to
massed unconsciousness. Furthermore, many types of illness are caused
by the ego’ s continuous resistance, which creates restrictions and
blockages in the flow of ener gy through the body. When you r econnect
with Bei ng and are no longer run by your mind, you cease to create those
things. Y ou do not create or participate in drama anymore. Whenever two or more egos come together, drama of one kind or another
ensues. But even if you live t otally alone, you still create y our owndrama. W hen you feel sorry fo r yourself, that’ s drama. When you feel
guilty or  anxiou s, that’ s drama. When you let the past or future  obscure
the p resent, you are creating time, psychological time — the stuf f out of
which drama is made. Whenever you are not honoring the present
moment by allowing it to be, you are creating drama. Most pe ople are  in love with their particular life drama. Their  story is
their ide ntity. The ego runs their life. They have their whole sen se of self
invested in it. Even their — usually unsuccessful — search for an
answer, a solution, or for healing becomes part of it. What they fear and
resist most is the end of their drama. As long as they ar e  their mind, what
they fear and resist most is their own awakening. When you live in complete acceptance of what is, tha t is the end  of all
drama in  your life. Nobody can even have an ar gument with you, no
matter h ow hard he or she tries. Y ou cannot have an ar gument with a
fully conscious person. An ar gument implies identification with your
mind and a mental position, as well as resistance and reaction to the
other pe rson’ s position. The result is that the polar opposites become
mutually ener gized. These are the mechanics of unconsciousness. Y ou
can still make yo ur point clearly and firmly, but there will be no reactive
force be hind it, no defense or at tack. So it won’ t turn into drama. When
you are fully conscious, you ce ase to be in conflict. “No one w ho is at
one with himself can even co nceive of conflict,” states A Course in
Miracles. T his refers no t only to confl ict with other people but more
fundamentally to conflict withi n you, which ceases when there is no
longer any clash between the d emands and expectations of your mind
and what is. IMPERMANENCE AND THE CYCLES OF LIFE
However, as long as you are in the physical dimension and linked to the
collective huma n psyche, physical pain — although rare — is still
possible. This is not to be confused with suf fering, with  mental-
emotional pain. All suf fering is ego-created and is due to re sistance. Also, as long as you are in thi s dimension, you are still subj ect to its
cyclical nature and to the law of impermanence of all things, but you no
longer perceive this as “bad” — it just is. Through allowing the “isness ” of all things, a deeper dimension
underneath the play of opposites reveals itself to you as an abiding
presence, an unchanging deep stillness, an uncaused joy beyo nd good
and bad. This is the joy of Being, the peace of God. On the level of form, there is birth and death, creation and destruction,
growth and dissolution, of seem ingly separate forms. This is reflected


 oranges and bananas should be peeled. Always wash fresh fruit. Dried fruits should be washed in clean, lukewarm distilled water and
soaked overnight in water (little more than to cover). Use the same water and cook in covered saucepan until tender. Dried fruits must be unsulfured. The following fruit recipes are taken from Dr. Max Gerson’ s personal
files. Desserts
Desserts should never replace the meals or juices of the therapy. At the risk of sounding like your mother, we advise to “clean your plate
before dessert, dear!”
Do not eat or use as ingredients in desserts: ice cream, fat, white flour,
baking soda, candy, chocolate, cream, or salt. Have fun! Sugar
Use only brown (Sucanat) or raw sugar, light honey, maple syrup, or
unsulfured molasses. Syrup
Boil 1 1b brow n sugar in 1 quart of water and 1 cup apple juice until
dissolved. Keep in covered jar. Apples, Baked2 medium apples, 1 tsp raisins, and 2 tbsp water. Wash, core, and cut apples in half. Place with raisins in pan or baking dish in oven for about 15 minutes
until done then broil under flame until golden brown about 5 minutes. Apple halves should stay whole. Honey may be added to raisins to taste. Apple and Banana
½ cup applesauce, ½ raw sliced banana, and juice of ½ lemon. Serve raw or place applesauce and banana in covered saucepan  and heat
slowly. Serve with lemon juice. Apple Cake with Maple Y ogurtDAIR Y
1½ lbs cooking apples, 1 lemo n, 1 oz rolled oats, 1 oz oatm eal, 2 oz
sultanas or raisins, 4 oz brow n sugar, 4 oz whole wheat flour, 1 tsp
potassium baking powder, ½ cup fresh apple juice, yogurt, and maple syrup. Put peeled and chopped apples into a large bowl and sprinkle with lemon
juice. Combine rolled  oats, oatmeal, raisins, sugar, flour, and baking powder
and mix well. Stir this mixture into the apples. Pour mixture into cake pan and bake at 350° F for 20-35 minutes or until
lightly browned on top. Serve with yogurt mixed with 1-2 tbsp maple syrup. Applesauce, Cooked
3 medium apples pared, cored, and sliced. Add honey or brown sugar to taste. Put apple slices in saucepan half covered with cold water. Boil until soft, about 15 minutes. Put through food mill and mix with honey.Applesauce, Fr esh
3 medium apples pared, cored, and sliced. Add honey or brown sugar to taste. Run apples through the grinder portion of the juicer. Season to taste and enjoy. Apple Spice CakeYN
Combine: ¼ cup honey or maple syrup, 1 cup fresh applesauce, 1½ cups
oat flour, and ¾ cup whole wheat flour or triticale flour. Sift together: ¾ cup crude brown sugar, a pinch of allspice, a pinch of
mace, ¼ tsp coriander, and 1 tsp Featherweight sodium-free baking powder
d (optional). Add: 2 cups raisins or chopped dates. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Pour into nonstick oblong bake pan. Mix crumb topping and sprinkle on top. Bake at 325° F for 40 minutes or until cake tests done. Serve with a spoonful of fresh applesauce or nonfat yogurt. Enjoy. Crumb T opping for Apple Spice Cake
 cup rolled oats,
  cup maple syrup or honey, a pinch of allspice, and
a pinch of mace. Buzz oats briefly in blender to make a finer flake. Mix spices with oats. Mix in enough sweetener to make a crumbly mixture. Apple Str eusel Pie
One 8” or 9” pie crust (see below), 12 medium green apples sliced thin,
 cup crude brown sugar or ¼ cup honey, 2 tsp. cornstarch or oat flour, 2-3
tsp lemon or orange juice, ½ cup dried currants or chopped dates, plus a
pinch of coriander, mace, and allspice.Combine dry ingredients. Coat apples. Drizzle on honey (if used) and juice. Fill pie crust. Sprinkle on topping. Bake at 300-325° F for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until apples are tender. Crumb T opping for Apple Str eusel Pie
 cup oat flour, 3 tsp crude brown sugar, pinch allspice, and
  cup
honey or maple syrup. Apple-Sweet Potato Pudding
1 tsp raisins, ½ cup bread crum bse, ½ cup orange juice, 1 sweet potato
(boiled, peeled, sliced), 1 apple  (raw, peeled, sliced), and 1 tsp of brown
sugar. Place sweet potato slices in baking dish with apple slices and raisins
spread with bread crumbs, sugar, and orange juice and bake in 350 degree
oven for 30 minutes. Serve hot with 3 tsp buttermilk or yogurt if permitted. Apple T artDAIR Y
½ cup warm water (105-1 10° F), 1 tbsp crude brown sugar (Sucanat), 1
package dry yeast,
  cup churned buttermilk, nonfat yogurt or apple juicef,
½ cup crude brown sugar (Suca nat), 2½ cups oat flour, 1 cup whole wheat
or triticale flour, 9-10 medium apples (Gala, Pippin, and Golden Delicious
are good), 4 tbsp maple syrup, or liquid Fruit Sourceg, 4 tbsp brown rice
syruph, ½ cup date sugar (dried ground dates), 1½ tsp of allspice, and ¼ tsp
mace or coriander. Sprinkle yeast onto warm water  into which 1 tbsp crude brown sugar has
been dissolved. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes or until frothy. Warm buttermilk, yogurt, or juice to 100°F.Add crude brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Stir buttermilk into yeast mix, then add oat flour and beat vigorously. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a stif f dough. Knead on a floured bread board, adding only enough flour to keep dough
from sticking. Knead until smooth and elastic, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Place in a bowl,  cover with tea towel, and let rise in a warm place until
double in bulk, about 1½ hours. Punch down and let rise again. Divide dough in half. On floured board, press each part into a 15” x 9” rectangle. Place on separate nonstick bake  sheets, or regular sheets that have been
thoroughly coated with oat flakes to prevent sticking. Prick surface with fork, leaving ¼" border around the edges. Cover and let rise until doubled, approximately 40 minutes. Quarter, core, and slice apples, arranging each sliced quarter over dough,
as you cut it. Place the flat side down and the skin side up, fanning the slices out
slightly. Leave about a ½" border. Mix maple and brown rice syrups. Using a pastry brush, coat the apples with the syrup. Combine date sugar and spices and sprinkle over apples. Bake at 325°F for 30 minutes or until bread is lightly browned. Serve as is or with a spoonful of nonfat yogurt or yogurt cheese (see
below) lightly sweetened with honey or maple syrup. Note: Non-Gerson family memb ers could enjoy this dessert with a scoop
of nonfa t fruit sweetened frozen yogurt—Cascadian Farm Vanilla (the milk
is organic) or Stars V anilla Bean are two brands enjoyed in moderation. Yogurt cheese  is made by draining non-fat yogurt through a stainless
steel or nylon sieve lined with a cotton tea towel or cheese cloth with a
bowl beneath to catch the whey. Refrigerate and drain until desired consistency is achieved, anywhere
from 2 to 8 hours. A short drainage period will yield a thickened yogurt;
longer periods will produce a cream-cheese-like texture. For our purposes, a
thickened yogurt texture is what we want.Apricots
½ 1b fresh apricots, 1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tsp cold water, and 2
tsp brown sugar. Cut apricots in halves and remove pits. Place in pot with boiling water and cook for 10 minutes. Add cornstarch during last 2 minutes. Add sugar when cool. Banana (Br oiled)
1 banana and 1 tsp brown sugar. Cut banana in half lengthwise, then add 1 tsp brown sugar and a few
drops lemon. Place in pan and broil under low flame for 10 minutes. Serve hot. Banana and Apple
1 banana  (peeled  and finely mashed), 1 apple (peeled, cored, grated), and
10 tsp of raisins. Mix banana and apple beating thoroughly with fork or eggbeater. Add raisins and serve. Banana and Figs
1 banana, 3 figs (fresh), and juice of 1 orange. Chop banana and figs fine and mix well with orange juice. Fill orange peel with this mixture and serve. Cherries (Stewed)
½ 1b cherries (washed, stemmed),


 simply, the resurr ection is the overcoming or surmounting of death. It is a reawakening or
a rebirth; a change of mind about the meaning of the world. It is the acceptance of the Holy
Spirit’ s interpretation of the world’ s purpose; the acceptance of the Atonement for oneself. It is
the end of dreams of misery, and the glad awar eness of the Holy Spirit’ s final dream. It is the
recognition of the gifts of God. It is the dream in which the body functions perfectly, having no
function except communication. It is the lesson in which learning ends, for it is consummated
and surpassed with this. It is the invitation to God to take His final step. It is the relinquishment
of all other purposes, all other interests, all other wishes and all other concerns. It is the single
desir e of the Son for the Father. * (MT -68)
AT THIS HIST ORIC time of phase transition, an entire era of human history is
passing away. What this period will be replaced by is complete ly up to us:
things will either get very dark or very light. Accumulated layers of fear—
evidenced politically, economically, and socially—have now reached a
point where they will destroy us if we do not intervene on our own behalf. While free will is always operative, there is a limit beyond which our
wrong-minded attitudes and behavior simply become unworkable. We are
called upon now to be both death doulas to a world that is no longer
working and birth doulas to a world that is struggling to be born. Nothing
less than fundamental pattern disruption will lead to a sustainable future. Many are diagnosed today with an “anxiety disorder.” An anxiety
disorder isn’t just an individual’ s diagnosis, however; it’s the state of the
world today. Looking at this only as an individual’ s problem distracts us
from the larger issue of spiritual suffering, not just on the part of an
individual but on the part of our society. All of us are influenced by the fear-based thinking of the world, but
seeing ourselves as victims of it only perpetuates the insanity. The world issaturated by the ego’s malignant mentality, and without the medicine of
spiritual understanding, it easily crawls into our psyche. There’ s nothing new there. We know what the ego has to say; now it’s
time for the ego to hear what we have to say. Crucifixion allud es to our
madness, and the resurrection is the return of sanity. It is a change of heart
among us so powerful that the world itself will be transformed. The world we live in today is an anxiety disorder, for the very reason
that love does not guide the world. It is not the organizing principle for our
civilization. The ego’s thought system is allowed to run roughsh od over the
human heart, a constant generator of fear and anxiety, and the only solution
to the problem is the dismantling of this thought system. Jesus  is a model
for and guide to right-minded thinking, sending ego thoughts back to the
nothingness whence they came. I have asked audiences around the country if anyone in the room had
either said, or heard a young person say, that under normal circumstances
they would consider having children but that the state of the world today
makes them hesitate. In every audience, a significant numbe r of people
raised their hand. This should not be considered normal. Perhaps if we face
the malfunction ing of the world we have made for ourselves, we might
consider whether God has a better way. Millions of people, perhaps more, have held Jesus at bay because of the
traditional religious constructs that have grown up around him. But as we
take an evolutio nary stride toward an enlightened view of the world, we are
beginning to see him with new eyes. His resurrection is not just some
theological dogma. It is the activation of new life within us. The mind when unaligned with God is the cause of all suffering; the
mind when aligned with Him is the cause of suffering’ s end. Jesus is a
portal to a field of unspeakable love and power. Yet the portal means
nothing if we don’t walk throug h it. The aspiration of the miracle worker is
to lift our consciousness so close to God’ s that we become masters, not
slaves, of the mortal world. We gaze into the eyes of Jesus that he might show us another world. OceanofPDF.comThe Alchemy of Easter
Such is your resurr ection, for your life is not a part of anything you see. It stands beyond the
body and the world, past every witness for unholiness, within the Holy, holy as Itself. * (WB-279)
The meaning of Easter is what happens in any moment when love and
forgiveness overcome the fear -laden powers of the world. There’ s an obvious intensification on the planet now of both darkness
and light, both forces of planeta ry destruction and planetary enlightenment. The question of how to break the chain of darkness could not be more
relevant than it is today. Environmental degradation, rising
authoritarianism, and endless war are the stuff of our collective crucifixion. The air is so saturated with toxicity now that our minds, our bodies, our
entire civilization is feeling the dis-ease. Even those of faith, of serious and
committed spiritual practice, are having to work overtime to keep a
creeping despair at bay. Humanity can’t stop the madn ess, because humanity is the madness. What is needed on the planet now is a collective resurrection, a divine
intercession from a thought system beyond our own. So what will happen now? Will darkness and fear, or light and love, win
the struggle for the future? If we simply give up and surrender, darkness
most certainly will win. But if we stand up and fight back, then darkness
might also win. As long as we fight, then we’re stuck in the fight. Is there
any other option? Interestingly enough, yes. The other option is resurrection, the evolution
of the human race. This isn’t just about Jesus; it’s about us. Resurrection two thousand
years ago was an overcoming by one man; resurrection today is an
overcoming by each of us, and by the entire species. We ourselves must
become the change, and that is the resurrecti on. God cannot do for us that
which He cannot do through us. We must be willing to be reborn into ahigher version of ourselves if we’re to achieve the miracle of planetary
transformation. The world as it now exists is a reflection of who we have
been; the world of the future will reflect who we choose to become. We can
have the overcoming, but not if we hang on to the cross. Whether it be our attachment to the past, or to our addictions, or to our
judgments, or to our victimizatio n, or to our violent behavior—w e can have
those, or we can have a survivable future. Only if we work to rid the
darkness from our own hearts can we become the conduits of miraculous
change. The resurrection  is the revelation of God’ s eternal imprint on every
moment, in every life. It is the potential for light that exists within even the
deepest darkness. It is the reason to hope when all hope seems lost. It is the
possibility for a new beginning that seems impossible when all has gone
wrong. As a principle, resurrection does not require our recognit ion to exist. But as a pract ical reality, it requires our willingness to become fully
activated in human affairs. Salvation begins when we consider the
possibility that there might be better way* (T-22). This opens the mind to
divine illumination, to a new kind of experience we become less and less
willing to deny. At Easte r, we celebrate our ability to rise above the consciousness of
darkness, ignora nce, and death. Something begins to change within us; our
openness to the deeper meaning  of the resurrection opens doors within the
heart. Jesus died, and then he rose. Now it’ s our turn. We too can radically transform. The crucified self can be transmuted
and turned to light. On this day, may we each rediscover at the deepest level
the meaning of “Hallelujah” and the reason to praise God. In the words of the Course, “Let us not spend this holy week brooding
on the crucifixion of God’ s Son, but happily in the celebration of his
release. For Easter is the sign of peace, not pain”* (T -425). The resurrection is a description of how the universe operates, how it
self-corrects, how life always reasserts itself even when forces of death and
darkness have temporarily prevailed. Like a tiny flower growing through
cracks in broken cement, peace of mind can emer ge at last after periods of
grief have ravaged the heart, and people can fall in love despite having
experienced the cruelest predicaments. Time and time again, love reappears
after even the most crushing events. To embrace the resurrection means torecognize what’ s true; it’s the way of the universe that God will always
have the final say. That is why we cleave to God; because we want to transform our own
circumstances and find victory in our own lives. Spiritual realization affects
us physically, emotionally, and psychologically because it


161  strength, joy, and happiness consist in finding out the law of divine
order and right action lodged in your subconscious mind and by
applying these principles in all phases of your life. • He found happiness to be the harvest of a quiet mind
Lecturing in San Francisco some years ago, I interviewed a m an
who was very unhappy and dejected over the way his business w as
going. He was the general manager. His heart was filled w ith
resentment toward the vice president and the presi-dent of the
organization. He claimed that they opposed him. Because of this
internal strife, business was declining; he was receiving no dividends
or stock bonuses. This is how he solved his business problem: The first thing in the
morning he affirmed quietly as follows, “All those work-ing in ou r
corporation are honest, sincere, co-operative, faithful, and full of good
will to all. They are mental and spiritual links in the cha in of this
corporation's growth, welfare, and prosperity. I radiate love, pe ace,
and good will in my thoughts, words, and deeds to my two associates
and to all those in the company. The president and the vice pre sident
of our company are divinely guided in all their undertakings. The
infinite intelligence of my subconscious mind makes all decisio ns
through me. There is only right action in all our business transa ctions
and in our relationship with each other. I send the messengers of
peace, love, and good will before me to the office. Peace and harm ony
reign supreme in the minds and hearts of all those in the com-pany
including myself. I now go forth into a new day, full of faith,
confidence, and trust.”
This business executive repeated the above meditation slow ly three
times in the morning, feeling the truth of what he affirmed. When
fearful or angry thoughts came into his mind during the day, he would
say to himself, “Peace, harmony, and poise govern my mind at all
times.”
 162  As he continued disciplining his mind in this manner, all the
harmful thoughts ceased to come, and peace came into his mind. He
reaped the harvest. Subsequently, he wrote me to the effect that at the end of ab out two
weeks of reordering his mind, the president and the vice presi dent
called him into the office, praised his operations and his n ew
constructive ideas, and remarked how fortunate they were in having
him as general manager. He was very happy in discovering tha t man
finds happiness within himself. • The block or stump is not really there
I read a newspaper article some years ago, which told about a  horse
that had shied when he came to a stump on the road. Subsequently,
every time the horse came to that same stump, he shied. The farmer
dug the stump out, burned it, and leveled the old road. Yet, for twenty-
five years, every time the horse passed the place where the former
stump was, he shied. The horse was shying at the memory of a stump. There is no block to your happiness save in your own thought life
and mental imagery. Is fear or worry holding you back? Fear is a
thought in your mind. You can dig it up this very moment by
supplanting it with faith in success, achievement, and victo ry over all
problems. I knew a man who failed in business. He said to me, “I made
mistakes. I've learned a lot. I am going back into business, and I will
be a tremendous success.” He faced up to that stump in his mind. He
did not whine or complain, but he tore up the stump of failure, a nd
through believing in his inner powers to back him up, he banish ed all
fear thoughts and old depressions. Believe in yourself, and you will
succeed and be happy. • The happiest people
The happiest man is he who constantly brings forth and practice s
what is best in him. Happiness and virtue complement each oth er. The
best are not only the happiest, but the happiest are usually t he best in
 163  the art of living life successfully. God is the highest and bes t in you. Express more of God's love, light, truth, and beauty, and you will
become one of the happiest per-sons in the world today. Epictetus, the Greek stoic philosopher, said, “There is but one way
to tranquility of mind and happiness; let this, therefore, be al ways
ready at hand with thee, both when thou wakest early in the morni ng,
and all the day long, and when thou goest late to sleep, to account no
external things thine own, but commit all these to God.”
• Summary of steps to happiness
1. William James said that the greatest discovery of the 19th cen tury
was the power of the subconscious mind touched by faith. 2. There is tremendous power within you. Happiness will come to
you when you acquire a sublime confidence in this power. Then, y ou
will make your dreams come true. 3. You can rise victorious over any defeat and realize the cheri shed
desires of your heart through the marvelous power of your
subconscious mind. This is the meaning of whoso-ever trusteth in the
Lord [spiritual laws of the subconscious mind], happy is he. 4. You must choose happiness. Happiness is a habit. It is a g ood
habit to ponder often on Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever
things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever thin gs are
pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good
report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think  on these
things. Phil. 4:8. 5. When you open your eyes in the morning, say to yourself, I
choose happiness today. I choose success today. I choose right acti on
today. I choose love and good will for all today. I choose peace today. Pour  life, love, and interest into this affirmation, and you have chosen
happiness. 6. Give thanks for all your blessings several times a day. F ur-
thermore, pray for the peace, happiness, and prosperity of all m embers
of your family, your associates, and all people everywhere. 164  7. You must sincerely desire to be happy. Nothing is accom-plished
without desire. Desire is a wish with wings of imagination and f aith. Imagine the fulfillment of your de-sire, and feel its reality, and it will
come to pass. Happiness comes in answered prayer. 8. By constantly dwelling on thoughts of fear, worry, anger, hate,
and failure, you will become very depressed and un-happy. Remember, your life is what your thoughts make of it. 9. You cannot buy happiness with all the money in the world. Some
millionaires are very happy, some are very unhappy. Many peopl e
with very little worldly goods are very happy, and some are ve ry
unhappy. Some married people are happy, and some very unhappy. Some single people are happy, and some are very unhappy. The
kingdom of happiness is in your thought and feeling. 10. Happiness is the harvest of a quiet mind. Anchor your thoughts
on peace, poise, security, and divine guidance, and your mind will be
productive of happiness. 11. There is no block to your happiness. External things are not
causative; these are effects, not cause. Take your cue from the  only
creative principle within you. Your thought is cause, and a new cause
produces a new effect. Choose hap-piness. 12. The happiest man is he who brings forth the highest and the best
in him. God is the highest and the best in him, for the kingdom of God
is within. 165  16
Your Subconscious Mind and
Harmonious Human Relations
In studying this book, you learn that your subconscious mind is a
recording machine, which faithfully reproduces what-ever you
impress upon it. This is one of the reasons for the applicat ion of the
Golden Rule in human relations. MATT. 7:12 says, All things whatsoever ye would that men should
do unto you, do ye even so to them. This quotation has outer and inner
meanings. You are interested in its inner mean-ing from the standpoint
of your subconscious mind, which is: As you would that men should
think about you, think you about them in like manner. As you would
that men should feel about you, feel you also about them in like
manner. As you would want men to act toward you, act you toward
them in like manner. For example, you may be polite and courteous to someone in your
office, but when his back is turned, you are very critical an d
resentful  toward him in your mind. Such negative thoughts are hig hly
destructive to you. It is like taking poison. You are actually t aking
mental poisons, which rob you of vitality, en-thusiasm, strength,
guidance, and good will. These negative thoughts and emotions sink
down into your subconscious, and cause all kinds of difficulties an d
maladies in your life. • The master key to happy relationships with others
Judge not, that ye


 yet known what the upper age limit could be under
optimum conditions; but from work with animals, in which it has been demonstrated
that the life period may be doubled, we have reason for believing that this might also be
achieved in connection with human existence. At no time in the history of the human race has there been any nation or any group
that existed on optimum diets. At no time in the history of the human race up to the
present time has it been known what constitutes a normal, scientific dietary intake. In no
period or time in history have we understood the physiology or dietary action of even one mineral such as iron, iodine, or calcium. Since vitamins are a recent discovery, of course nothing has been known in a scientific way about them. As has been shown here, even the persons who have devoted a good deal of time to nutritional affairs have not
had any proper conception of the nutrition of the population as a whole. Individual
workers and individual universities have concentrated on individual parts of the
problem. Williams and Spies have concentrated on vitamin B
1; McCollum and Johns Hopkins
on vitamin A; Steenbock has focused on vitamin D; Sure, Bishop and Evans have given
much of their attention to vitamin E; Sherman has devoted his attention to vitamin G; Hanke, of Chicago University, worked with great enthusiasm on vitamin C; Plummer
did a good deal of work on iodine. Dr. Alice Bernheim worked long and patiently on
calcium. Various workers too numerous to mention have worked on iron. In no case has
a right and proper correlation of all this work been achieved, not even in any branch of the government where such correlation should take place. The only possible correlation of all this new knowledge of nutrition is in the hands of
the man who is engaged in the clinical practice of medicine. The data emanating from the laboratory worker who has no clinical experience are not only likely to be wrong,
but are almost sure to be wrong. An example of this is a new book by an author who is a
Ph. D. but not an M. D. He gives some interesting information in regard to vitamins, but the book is guilty of many omissions; makes wrong statements in regard to the relation
between proper nutrition and heart disease, and in the relation between proper nutrition
and catching cold. This is an example of a scientist venturing beyond his proper field. At the present time some men engaged in the clinical practice of medicine are still
using single synthetic vitamins in the treatment of disease. The synthetics have
potentialities for danger. Since the nature of our dietary sins makes single vitamin
deficiencies impossible, there is never any indication for prescribing any one synthetic vitamin alone. There is never an indication for prescribing thiamin or niacin-amide or
pyridoxine or pantothenic acid by itself. If the natural sources of these elements are used instead of the synthetics, it would be impossible to prescribe them alone, as they do not
exist alone in nature. There is no question but that in a well-nourished body the vitamins and minerals exist
in a certain optimum balance. For instance, a body may be well nourished in every other
respect, but the person may be thrown into a condition of water-logged overweight by taking too much common salt. The taking of salt in excess of the body needs permits too
much sodium in relation to potassium and calcium. This allows the body to become
permeated by water. In such a case the excretion of water is not properly balanced with
intake, and serious disease results. In clinical work, it is not uncommon to see these
water-logged overweight women whose chief dietary sin is too great an intake of
sodium chloride (common salt). The number of persons who may be benefited by the so-called no-salt diet is
enormous. The same beneficial results may be brought about by giving these persons a
salt mixture instead of plain salt, the mixture containing the same relative proportions of
mixed alkaline salts as Ringer's solution. This salt compound, while it contains 70 per cent sodium chloride, also contains calcium, potassium, and magnesium, so that it can
be taken without the mineral balance being disturbed. The pathological condition known as acidosis is due to a reduced alkalinity in the
body. The opposite condition--alkalosis--is not at all uncommon, and is due to too much
alkalinity in the blood, or a preponderance of some particular alkali such as sodium,
calcium, or potassium. In persons eating natu ral foods, these disturbances of mineral
balance never occur. A diet composed of meat, milk, eggs, cheese, whole wheat, honey, and sea food will never produce either alkalosis or acidosis. It is only by the taking of
artificial factory-made foods that these conditions are brought about. Since the preponderance of any one mineral puts the mineral supply out of balance
and disturbs metabolism, it is undoubtedly true that this same sort of a diseased
condition may be brought about by an out-of-balance preponderance of any one
vitamin. Physicians who have prescribed extra large doses of thiamin have noticed
muscular weakness and nervousness afterwar ds. The author was one of the first to
notice that toxic conditions and disturbance of rhythm of the heart may result from
administering vitamins A and D together and alone in too large a dosage. It was found
that large dosage of A and D could be continued in the same patients with complete
freedom from the same symptoms previously experienced if the vitamin B complex
were given also in a large dose along with A and D. Dr. Agnes Fay Morgan of California University has shown that symptoms of pellagra may occur when large doses
of thiamin are given. This is because the B
2 complex is put out of proper relation to the
amount of B 1. A relative B 2 deficiency (pellagra) is produced. In the use of ordinary cod-liver oil, excessive dosages are not common, owing to the
bulk of the dose necessary to produce results. However, since the advent of concentrates, there has been a tendency to over-dosage. This over-dosage when not
accompanied by the vitamin B complex undoubtedly produces some bad effects. To illustrate the increase in the understanding of basic facts in connection with the
problem and the failure in the application of the new facts to the fullest extent in human
nutrition we cite from a recent book which is supposed to be a digest of the new facts on
nutrition. In "Vitamin Therapy in General Practice," by Gordon and Severinghaus, on page 52,
the statement is made that beriberi is not a thiamin deficiency, but that there exists also
a lack of other factors. (True: but does not go far enough.) On page 54 it is stated that heart pain, rapid heart, and difficulty in breathing are very
often cured by the use of vitamin B, if the disease has not gone on to an organic change. Since the term "vitamin B" is used, we may suppose that the author means the whole
vitamin B complex. The description fits that of a beriberi heart and should be treated with B plus other vitamins. On page 55 the statement is made that peripheral neuritis is caused by lack of vitamin
B. The author has found that these cases are more permanently benefited by a
combination of vitamin B with the other vitamins and minerals. On page 56, under a discussion of the polyneuritis of pregnancy, he states that this is a
deficiency condition identical in many ways with beriberi. This statement should be
changed to say that the disease is true beriberi, and that the optimum treatment is not vitamin B alone, but the whole vitamin group, with special emphasis on vitamin B. On page 57, discussing the vomiting of pregnancy, he states that one should think first
of a vitamin deficiency. This statement is true but it does not go far enough. It is
practically always a vitamin deficiency, and is  a multiple deficiency having to do with
both vitamins and minerals. The woman who has vomited a good deal has lost in the liquid vomitus much of her physiological minerals. In this she loses particularly
calcium, and sodium chloride. There must be some replacement of these minerals along
with vitamin treatment in order to handle these cases properly. It should be
remembered, and it is emphasized in this book, that the pregnant woman's needs for
vitamins and minerals are much greater th an the non-pregnant woman's because of the
requirements of the fetus. On page 61 the statement is made that there is dependable evidence that a lowering of
the intake of vitamin B
1 is associated with a general lowering of resistance to all kinds
of infection. This should be changed to read "vitamins and minerals" and not B 1. alone. One of the widespread fallacies connected with the introduction of vitamin treatment
has been the oft repeated statement that niaci n-amide is a cure for pellagra. On page 87
of the book the statement is made that niacin alone can not be considered a cure for
pellagra. It must be supplemented by the use of riboflavin, thiamin, vitamin B 6, and
some of the unidentified principles of the complex, as well as by vitamin C and vitamin A. This statement shows that some improved thinking has been going on in connection
with vitamin treatment, but the statement is not complete. The victim of pellagra also
needs attention to the deficient mineral intake. The author has known victims of pellagra
to go to their grave dosed with enormous doses  of niacin, or enormous