action,” as Lao-tzu expresses it in this verse. It’s performing
without action! Apply this way of seeing everything in your world: Tasks will be
simplified, your performance level will increase, and the pressure to be
better than others by using superior hardened strength will cease to be a
factor. You’ll naturally incorporate the wisd om of peaceful harmony that’s
found in the martial arts by letting the efforts of others become a source of
your own power. Your softness will override the hardness of others. This principle is clearly seen when you look at great champio ns as they
perform their chosen activities. The greatest golfers are effortless in their
swing. The most successful ballplayers run, jump, throw, catch, and shoot
with a softness that seems to stupefy most observers—they don’t use force,
nor can they find words to descr ibe how they do it. The most talented artists
dance softly, without effort; paint quietly, without force; and write easily,
without struggle, by allowing the words to come to them. As Lao-tzu
reminds you, 43rd Verse these are rare beings who live the master ’s way. These sages “obtain the bounty  of this world,” which is availab le to you,
too. As I contemp late Lao-tzu’ s counsel, he urges me to offer you
encouragement to apply the spirit of the watercourse way that’s found in
this 43rd verse of the T ao Te Ching:
Introduce a soft, nonaction style to your life. Practice the way of nonaction, or performing without effort. By letting go
of your inner drive to push ahead, you’ll see that you ironically do better
than when you tried so hard. In your work, become more tolerant in your
drive to achieve by softening your attitude and behavior. You’ll see that
customers and larger opportuni ties are attracted to you. Why is this true?Because you’re allowing  the perfect flow of the Tao, like the great gray
heron lets the tide recede in order to reveal the nourishment he needs to
live. Notice how your life changes as you change the way you look at it. Practice perform ing without effort in other areas of your life, too. For
example, some marathon runners say that they’ve learned to relax and stop
pushing, letting their legs, arms, and torso simply be as their bodies begin
experiencing extreme exhaustio n with only a few miles to go. They report
that when they shut down the mental interference and instructions, they
magically cross that finish line. Soft always has its place, for it is the
watercourse way... the way of the T ao. Encourage desir es to fr eely flow in your imagination. Consider what you’ve wanted to have in this life as if it’s behind a locked
door. Examine what you’ve been telling yourself about the prosperity,
superb health, good luck, business success, or wonderful relationships
you’ve craved—that no matter how hard you’ve tried, it’s all come to
naught. Then imagine yourself flowing like water through the barrier of that
locked room. Do it softly, gently, and silently in your mind. In other words,
just spend some time getting used to practicing the watercourse way of the
Tao. As you allow softness to be part of the picture of your life, the hard way
will soften. Begin to exercise this kind of effortlessness in all areas of your
desires. According to Ralph Waldo Emerson, “It is the condition of
Inspiration—marry nature, don’t use her for pleasure.” I urge you to
consider this kind of marriage. Do the T ao Now
Have a day of silence. Don’ t speak aloud to anyone; instead, just observe
and see if you can be in a state of softness without telling yourself or
anyone else what to do. Gently  consider the powerful words of Herman
Melville, who once said that God’ s one and only voice is silence. OceanofPDF.comOceanofPDF.com44th Verse
Which means mor e to you,
you or your r enown? Which brings mor e to you,
you or what you own? I say what you gain
is mor e trouble that what you lose. Love is the fruit of sacrifice. Wealth is the fruit of gener osity. A contented man is never disappointed. He who knows when to stop is pr eserved fr om peril, only thus can you
endur e long. OceanofPDF.comLiving by Knowing
When to Stop
The 44th verse tells you that changing the way you prioritize your life
ensures a fruitful one. I call it the “Enough is enough” section of the Tao Te
Ching. When you update your view of the most important things in your
life, the world around you is going to seem very different. Lao-tzu is urging
you to look into your heart and examine what is truly important. Earlier verses of the Tao Te Ching counsel that the essential mission of
your life is to go back to (or get to know) your originating Source before
physical death. In other words, you don’t have to die to make the return
trip! It’s not only possible, but essential, to feel your connection to the Tao
while you’re still alive. Knowing when to stop is part of the path leading you to your essential
self, where the need for fame and possessions is nonexistent. You see, it’s
not the things or even a desire for recognition that keeps you from a living
connection to the T ao—it’ s your attachment to them that gets in the way. So
shift the importance you’ve placed on success or belongings, which has
obscured your connectedness to the Tao. Begin to note the senselessness of
demanding more, exhausting yourself in pursuit of what keeps you trapped
in a vicious cycle of “striving and never arriving” or trying to find
fulfillment. This verse implores you to know when to stop. I’m sure that you can easily see people in your environment who spend
their entire lives seeking more of everything—more possessions, money,
recognition, awards, friends, places to go, substances, food—you  name it. If
you live with this same philosophy, you’ve signed up for a life of frustration
and dissatisfaction because the search itself becomes your jailer. It’s easy to
see then why Lao-tzu advises that what you gain is far more trouble than
what you lose! When you prioritize your life, you’ll find that love and a
feeling of abund ance are not only what you desire, but these two principles
are insta ntly available because you’ve changed the way you look at the
world. From this new perspective, you’ll feel totally loved and wealthy in
all ways.I realize that Lao-tzu is again speaking in what seem to be paradoxical
words. But he’s coming to you from the perspective of having changed the
way he looked at things, and noting that what he looked at changed. He
now sees love and wealth everywhere—yet he knows intuitively that he can
never possess them by chasing after them, since they’ll always remain just
outside of his grasp. And so he looks at the Tao and sees that the Great Way
keeps nothing for itself, is willing to let go of its life-giving essence, and is
desirous to share  with all. When you give of yourself, asking nothing in
return and withdrawing your need for recognition, you’ll experience more
contentment. The fruits of wealth and love are seen right there before you
when you simply stop the chase. The beauty of the wisdom in this 44th verse is that you give away your
attachment to things or ways of being, which is what I mean by knowing
when to stop. If the chase is wearing out your health, stop! If the chase is
wreaking havoc on your relationships, stop! If the chase is exhausting you,
stop! If the chase is keeping you from enjoying your life, stop! When you
know when to cease and desist, you’re protected from all of those perils,
and you’ll enjoy a long and contented existence connecting with the T ao. The following is what Lao-tzu asks me to offer you as a means for
implementing this teaching:
Make your r elationship to the T ao your top priority. Prioritize your life by making this the essential and foremost
responsibility you have. Your primary relationship needs to be with
yourself, not your family, business, country, culture, or ethnicity. Affirm:
The number one priority in my life is my relationship with my Source of
being. Go there first, before any other considerations, and you’ll
automatically discontinue demanding more of anything else. You’ll begin to
emulate the T ao ef fortlessly, living heaven on earth. Practice knowing when to stop. Alert yourself to recognizing when it’s a good time to stop demanding,
chasing, talkin g, walking, working, sleeping, playing, shopping,
complaining, striving, and so on. By practicing cessation, you’ll move into
prioritizing what’ s important in your life in that moment. Is your business
doing well? Let it stop growing. Is your stomach full? Quit eating rightnow. Do you have enough money saved? Give some of it away, without
taking deduction s or asking for credit for your generosity. The more you’re
attached to needing and wanting and possessing, the more you lose in your
relationship to the Tao. But when you know the time to


	was	conducted	using	nonsense
words. Children	from	Japan	were	shown	a	poem	in	Japanese	and	other	words
that	formed	nothing	but	nonsense. They	could	easily	pick	out	which	one	was
the	poem. Then	the	same	words	were	shown	to	Western	kids	who	only	spoke
English. Strangely,	they	also	showed	an	ability	to	pick	out	which	words	were
a	Japanese	poem	and	which	ones	were	nonsense. How	did	they	do	it? It	was
as	if	they	picked	this	knowledge	out	of	thin	air—or	as	we	would	say	out	of
the	field. Does	the	field	know	Japanese? Maybe	it	knows	a	lot	more. Albert	Einstein
himself	said	that	when	he	plunged	deep	into	the	laws	of	nature,	he	was	trying
to	figure	out	how	God’s	mind	worked,	which	is	the	same	as	saying	that
creation	has	a	mind. I	think	it	does,	and	so	did	Baba. Your	intelligence	is	the
same	as	cosmic	intelligence. The	eye	keeps	fooling	you	into	thinking	that	the
world	is	huge	and	you	are	small. But	Baba	never	stopped	trying	to	get	me	to
stop	believing	my	eyes. There	was	once	a	great	teacher	who	had	many	devoted	followers. One	day	a
young	man	came	to	him	feeling	very	dejected	and	said,	“You	are	so	far	aboveme	that	I	can	never	rise	that	high. Lying	in	bed	at	night,	I	think	of	Jesus	and
Buddha	and	all	the	great	masters. How	can	anyone	as	weak	as	me	find
enlightenment?”
The	teacher	thought	for	a	moment	and	said,	“You	see	yourself	as	small	and
weak	because	you	look	with	physical	eyes	and	not	the	eyes	of	the	soul. I	see
the	light	in	you,	and
	it	is	the	same	light	that	was	in	Jesus,	Buddha,	and	all	the
saints. Today	it	may	be	a	small	light,	but	its	size	doesn’t	matter. Your	light
makes	you	one	with	the	enlightened. Just	keep	working	until	your	full	glory
fills	the	world.”Out	of	My	Way! B
aba	was	serious	about	taking	me	on	a	search. It	was	starting	to	feel	like	a
safari. We	trudged	uphill	and	down	without	saying	a	word. I	got	the	idea	that
he	wanted	me	to	think,	so	I	ruminated	until	I	got	sick	of	that. “What	are	we
doing?”	I	blurted	out. “What	do	you	think	we’re	doing?”	he	asked. I	wiped	the	sweat	from	my	eyes	and	looked	up	at	the	blazing-hot,	clear	blue
sky. “We’re	not	looking	for	a	rainbow,	that’s	for	sure.”
“Don’t	get	irritated,”	said	Baba. “Let’s	look	for	something	easier. How	about
God?”
“God?”	That	was	a	word	Baba	hardly	ever	used. “Why	do	you	think	God	is
easy	to	find? Most	people	think	just	the	opposite,”	I	said. “That’s	because	God	has	done	such	a	good	job	of	obeying	us. Long	ago
people	turned	to	God	and	said,	‘Get	out	of	our	way,	we	know	how	to	run	the
world,’	and	so	he	did. God’s	not	getting	in	the	way	anymore.”
“Baba,	you’re	saying	particularly	strange	things	today,”	I	said. “You	think
God	left	because	we	asked	him	to?”
“Without	a	doubt. I	told	you	that	you	could	change	the	world. God	wouldn’t
have	left	the	scene	if	that	weren’t	true. He	would	have	stayed	around	and	run
things	himself.”
“So	he’s	really	not	here?”
“I	didn’t	say	that. It	was	almost	impossible	for	him	to	find	a	way	to	leave. Then	he	came	up	with	something	clever. He	vanished	without	vanishing.”
Instead	of	marching	on,	Baba	came	to	a	halt. He	produced	a	small	clay	jar
filled	with	water. He	handed	it	to	me	and	watched	while	I	gulped	it	down. “Don’t	you	want	any?”	I	asked. “No,	I	want	the	jar	empty.”	Baba	took	it	from	my	hands. “Take	a	closer	look.You	see	the	clay	walls	of	this	jar? And	you	see	the	space	inside?”
Suddenly	he	took	a	rock	clenched	in	his	other	hand	and	smashed	the	jar	to
bits. “Have	I	smashed	the	space	inside?”	he	asked. “No.”
“Now	you	see	where	God	went. He	may	have	erased	the	visible	evidence	that
he	was	ever	in	this	world,	but	he	is	just	as	present	as	the	space	inside	this	pot. Everywhere	you	look	is	a	space	for	spirit. God	is	letting	us	make	all	the
decisions	because	nothing	we	do	can	take	his	spirit	away.”
“Do	people	have	to	believe	in	God?”	I	asked. “It’s	a	choice,”	said	Baba. “We	all	want	to	keep	running	our	own	lives,	and
some	people	feel	better	with	God	by	their	side,	while	others	feel	better
thinking	they	are	totally	on	their	own. But	that	doesn’t	mean	you	made	God
disappear. He	just	disappeared	for	you. The	divine	plan	could	be	working	just
fine,	but	you	wouldn’t	know	it.”
W
HAT
	I	L
EARNED
Baba	was	showing	me	something	about	who	runs	the	world. If	God	is	running
it,	he	must	be	doing	it	with	us	or	without	us. If	without	us,	then	there’s
nothing	for	people	to	do,	really,	but	worship	the	Almighty	and	hope	to	please
him	(or	her). But	if	God	is	running	the	world
with
	us,	we	need	to	step	up	and
take	our	part	seriously. Baba	believed	that	there	is	a	divine	plan,	but	God	isn’t	showing	us	the
blueprint,	much	less	himself. So	how	are	we	meant	to	cooperate	with	his
plan? Baba	taught	me	that	God	is	here	in	spirit. When	I	contact	my	spirit,	I
am	helping	the	divine	plan. Creation	keeps	going;	it	didn’t	happen	just	once. When	I	have	a	creative	idea,	God	is	having	it	through	me. God’s	work	is	not
like	a	final	blueprint	that	no	one	is	allowed	to	touch. “If	you	really	want	to	see
your	maker,”	Baba	said,	“become	a	maker	yourself. It’s	like	catnip. God
won’t	be	able	to	resist	helping	you.”
The	more	you	stretch	your	mind	into	the	unknown,	the	more	help	your	soul
will	offer	(this	whole	book	is	one	long	mind	stretch,	and	I	hope	you	will
receive	a	flood	of	spiritual	help	from	now	on). I	have	learned	to	live	by	apiece	of	advice	I	read	many	years	ago:	“Start	a	great	project,	and	with	the	first
step	you’ll	be	amazed	at	the	invisible	forces	that	will	come	to	your	aid.”	What
this	means	is	that	when	you	have	a	new	thought,	you	are	actually	causing
invisible	forces	to	go	on	the	alert;	they	notice	you	and	try	to	help. Your	choice
is	either	to	block	them	or	to	go	with	the	flow. Here’s	what	it	takes	to	go	with
the	flow. A	Game	Plan	for	Accomplishment
Focus	on	what	you	want	to	accomplish,	let	it	sprout	and	grow	in	your	mind. Ask	y


 on managing the neuroinflammatory responses
to concussion may prove to be a tangible target since it is hypothesized that these delayed secondary effects may be the primary source of long-term neural damage. There are promising data to suggest that manipulating neuroinflammation can be used as treatment strategies to manage the long-term deficits produced by a concus -
sive injury. 151
However, the use of general anti-inflammatory drugs such as nonsteroidal anti-
inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) will not serve as a magic bullet  for this type of injury. Rather, it seems that a tailored drug that targets the inflammatory and metabolic
cascade that follow a concussion when given at particular temporal intervals will
likely be useful in treating the complexity of the inflammatory response to concus -
sion. DMSO, an efficient anti-inflammatory agent, may become a treatment of choice as we review its properties as a neuroprotective agent. 157 DMSO in Basic Neuroprotection
DMSO IN BRAIN CONCUSSION
DMSO may be an ideal agent to treat the metabolic cascade that often follows the
rapid acceleration and decelerations of brain concussions. 155,157
Glutamate is an amino acid in the brain that functions as the principal excit -
atory neuronal neurotransmitter. During excitatory neurotransmission in the healthy CNS, glutamate is briefly released at a high concentration into the extra -
cellular space where normal physiological levels are maintained by reuptake of glutamate through neuronal or glial glutamate transporters. When excessive extracellular glutamate accumulates in the synaptic space after brain traumatic injury, it causes a significant increase in Ca
2+ influx into neurons, thereby trig -
gering neuronal excitotoxicity. Traumatic injury to neurons can produce disas -
trous results when the excessive release of intracellular glutamate concentrations overload the synaptic space. Moreover, many glutamate-induced CNS neurode -
generative disorders, such as epilepsy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, brain isch -
emia, and traumatic brain injury, are reported to associate with the dysfunction of glutamate excitotoxicity. 158
When primary hippocampal cell cultures exposed to toxic levels of glutamate
were given DMSO at clinical doses, DMSO was shown to suppress, in a rapidly reversible manner, excessive calcium influx into cells and channel opening of the ionotropic receptor channels NMDA and AMPA, which are known to be activated by glutamate during brain trauma due to the development of oxidative or metabolic stress. 54
Moreover, this excitotoxic  process by glutamate, which can damage or kill neu-
rons, was reported to be blocked by DMSO. 54
The treatment of brain edema after MTBI presents a challenge for many clini -
cians. Considerable animal and human studies indicate that DMSO can quickly lower edema and ICP following severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). 41,43–45,61,159
These findings suggest that DMSO at lower doses than those used for severe, closed head injury may be beneficial to mild brain trauma. This concussion is supported by the pharmacological properties of DMSO, including its antiedema property, its potent diuretic action, its anti-inflammatory properties, and its increase of cere -
bral perfusion. 160 Moreover, its blocking effect of excessive glutamate, sodium, and
calcium entry into cells and efflux of potassium ( Figure 8. 3) that can induce cyto -
toxicity demonstrates that it can therapeutically target the biochemical cascade described in animal and human brain following MTBI (concussions) or severe TBI. 50,51,54
DMSO COMBINED WITH A GLYCOLYTIC INTERMEDIATE
Because brain injury can lead to an impairment of mitochondrial oxidative phos -
phorylation with the loss of ATP as well as to the formation of cytotoxic free radicals,
de la Torre and his group161 reasoned that combining DMSO with an intermediate
of anaerobic glycolytic metabolism, fructose-1,6-diphosphate (FDP), might be more
useful than either drug alone in preventing the neuronal and energy compromise associated with severe, concussive head injury in a mouse model. 161158 Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) in Trauma and Disease
FDP is an intermediate of anaerobic glycolytic metabolism and has been shown to
restore the activity of the Embden–Meyerhof pathway and oxidative phosphorylation
when administered during prolonged hypoperfusion states. 162 FDP can also inhibit
oxygen-free radicals, stimulate anaerobic glycolysis, and increase the production of ATP, the main energy fuel of cells and neurons. 163 It is this activity by FDP that may
limit injury to the brain following ischemic-hypoxia. 163
The combination of DMSO + FDP to treat experimental brain trauma in mice thus
seemed a reasonable option to prevent or restore loss of ATP in ischemic brain cells while simultaneously reducing progressive cerebral edema caused by the injury. 161
Consequently, it was believed that FDP would act primarily to protect ischemic brain tissue from energy substrate depletion, a common outcome after brain trauma, while DMSO would act to stabilize cell membranes from excess free radical formation and abnormal Ca
+ entry into cells while reducing ICP by improving CBF. 160
Both FDP and DMSO have each been reported to be useful when administered in
head injury42,45,61,163 or cerebral ischemia in animals or humans. 159,163,164 FDP has been
shown to prevent the ischemic-induced loss of ATP and accumulation of intracellu -
lar Ca2+ in experimental animals, possibly by stimulating glycolysis while inhibiting
gluconeogenesis. 164 The administration of FDP during brain ischemia would seem to
be particularly useful, since it readily crosses the blood–brain barrier (arias) and can yield twice as many moles of ATP as glucose. 164
In an experiment to test the synergic potential of DMSO-FDP, male CD-1 mice
weighing 22–29 g were restrained and their heads were positioned under a head injury apparatus with their chins resting firmly on a flat surface at the base of the apparatus. 161 The apparatus consisted of a 25 cm long glass shaft held vertically by
clamps on a ring stand and a tubular lead cylinder weighing 40 g. The lead cylin -
der was allowed to drop 20 cm through the shaft onto the center of the head, thus creating an 800 g/cm force injury on the cranium. An imaginary line was drawn coronally just anterior to the ears in order to create a consistent injury site on the animal’s head. This head injury mouse model has been previously used to screen the effectiveness of potential pharmacological agents after brain trauma. 165 FDP was
given at 350 mg/kg in a 10% solution, and DMSO was administered at 1 gm/kg in a 28% solution both intravenously via the tail vein. All mice were pretested on the string prior to head injury, and all were able to
grasp the string for a 90 s trial period and to travel with ease from the center of the string to one of the end posts holding the string. The extent of motor deficits reflected by the reduced ability of mice to remain gripping the string after head injury has been shown to be inversely proportional to the increased severity of the head injury. 166
Following head injury, testing showed 11 of 12 mice treated with DMSO + FDP
retained sensory function as compared with 5 of 12 mice given vehicle nontreatment, 8 of 12 treated with DMSO only, and 7 of 12 treated with FDP. 161 The combination
of DMSO + FDP significantly protected mice from motor deficits after injury, as
indicated by an increased mean grip test score (76. 3 s) shown by this group 1 h after
head injury when compared with vehicle nontreated (5. 8 s), FDP-treated (20. 8 s), and DMSO-treated (19. 6 s) animals. The pattern of protection continued for at least 2 h after head injury, with all groups showing some improvement over the previous grip 159 DMSO in Basic Neuroprotection
test taken 1 h after head injury. However, the only significant protection after 2 h was
observed in the group treated with DMSO + FDP. Two hours after head injury, the group treated with FDP + DMSO had a mean grip test score of 86. 5 s, which was significantly better than from the DMSO only (33. 8 s), FDP only (24. 3 s), and vehicle nontreated groups (12. 2 s). 161
This study was the first to demonstrate that the combined DMSO + FDP given to
mice that have been subjected to a moderate 800 g/cm concussion head injury can significantly modify the sensory-motor deficits, incidence of mortality, and histopa-thology. DMSO + FDP appeared superior in reducing the trauma-induced neurologi -
cal deficits and fatal outcome to either agent administered alone. Besides the improved sensory-motor function of mice treated with DMSO + FDP,
a possible fringe benefit to the head-injured brain where inadequate cerebral perfu -
sion is expected may be the ability of these two agents to allow RBCs to maintain their deformability. Under normal conditions, RBCs with a 7–8  µm diameter can
squeeze through capillaries that are 3–5  µm wide so that oxygen can


 What’s “wrong” with that. Can’t it be argued that I am creating this
whole thing for  profit. Doesn’t that render
the whole  thing suspect. Is it your motive to write something so that
you can make a lot of money. No. That’s not why I started this. I began
this dialogue on paper because my mind has been  plagued with questions for 30
years —questions I’ve been hungry —
starving to have  answered. The idea that I
would have all this made into a book came
later. From Me. From You.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: What is the author's perspective on the idea of God speaking to individuals?,
A: The author believes that God does not verbally respond to prayers, but rather through the process of creation and manifestation.
Q: What is the author's motivation for writing this book?,
A: The author's motivation is to answer their own questions and share their hunger for knowledge, not for financial gain.
Q: What is the author's view on the concept of judgment?,
A: The author emphasizes the importance of not judging oneself or others, and encourages readers to focus on accepting and loving themselves and others.
Q: Why does the author believe that people are not experiencing their true potential?,
A: The author believes that people are not experiencing their true potential because they are not willing to accept and live their true nature, and instead choose to deny and condemn themselves.
Q: What is the author's stance on the concept of renunciation?,
A: The author argues that renunciation is not about denying oneself things, but rather about choosing what is in alignment with one's true nature and desires.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>I feel as
though I’ve been struggling for 20 years
just to make ends  meet. And I still have
nothing to show for it. You mean in terms of material wealth? I mean in terms of just some of the basics
that a man would like to pass on to his
children. I  mean in terms of some of the
very simple things a man would like to
provide for his wife. I see. You see it as your job in life to provide
all these things. Is that what you  imagine
your life to be about? I’m not sure I’d state it that way. This is not
what my life is about, but it sure would be
nice if  this could be a by -product, at least. Well, let’s go back, then. What do you see
your life being about? That’s a good question. I’ve had a lot of
different answers to that through the years. What is your answer now? It feels as though I have two answers to
that question; the answer I’d like to see,
and the  answer I’m seeing. What’s the answer you’d like to see? I’d like to see my life being about the
evolution of my soul. I’d like to see my lif e
being about  expressing and experiencing
the part of me I love most. The part of me
that is compassion  and patience and giving
and helping. The part of me that is knowing
and wise, forgiving  and...love. Sounds like you’ve been reading this book! Yes, well it’s a beautiful book, on an
esoteric level, but I’m trying to figure out
how to  “practicalize” that. The answer to
your question that I see being real in my life
is that it’s  about day -to-day survival. Oh. And you think one thing precludes the
other? Well...
You think esoterics preclude survival? The truth is, I’d like to do more than just
survive. I’ve been surviving all these years. I notice  I’m still here. But I’d like the
struggle for survival to end. I see that just
getting by from day to  day is still a struggle. I’d like to do more than just survive. I’d like
to prosper. And what would you call prospering? Having enough that I don’t have to worry
where my next dollar is coming from; not
having to  stress and strain just to make the
rent, or handle  the phone bill. I mean, I hate
to get so  mundane, but we’re talking real
life here, not the airy -fairy, spiritually
romanticized picture of  life you draw
throughout this book. Do I hear a little anger there? Not anger so much as frustration. I’ve been
at the spiritual game for over 20 years now
and look where it’s gotten me. One
paycheck away from the poorhouse! And
now I’ve just lost  my job, and it looks like
the cash flow has stopped again. I’m
getting really tired of the  struggle. I’m 49
years old, and I’d like to have some security
in life so that I could devote  more time to
“God stuff,” to soul “evoluting,” etc. That’s where my heart is, but it’s not where  my life
allows me to go...
Well, you’ve said a mouthful there, and I
suspect you’re speaking for a whole lot of
people when you share that experience. I’m going to respond to your truth one
sentence at a time, so that we can easily
track, and dissect, the answer. You have not been “at this spiritual game”
for 20 years, you have been barely skirting
the edges of it (This is not a “spanking,” by
the way, this is just a statement of the truth.) I’ll concede that for two decades you’ve
been looking at it; flirting with it;
experimenting now and then...but I haven’t
felt your true —your truest —commitment to
the game until just recently. Let’s be clear that “being at the spiritual
game” means dedicating your whole mind,
your whole body, your whole soul to the
process of creating Self in the image and
likeness of God. This is the process of Self -realization abo ut
which Eastern mystics have written. It is the
process of salvation to which much
Western theology has devoted itself. This is a day -to-day, hour -to-hour, moment -
to-moment act of supreme consciousness. It is a choosing and a re -choosing every
instant. It  is ongoing  creation. Conscious
creation. Creation with a purpose. It is
using the tools of  creation we have
discussed, and using them with awareness
and sublime intention. That is “playing this spiritual game.” Now,
how long have you been at this? I haven ’t even begun. Don’t go from one extreme to the other, and
don’t be so hard on yourself. You have
been dedicated to this process —and
you’re actually engaged in it more than
you’ll  give yourself credit for. But you
haven’t been doing so for 20 years —or
anything  close to that. Yet the truth is, how
long you have been engaged in it is not
important. Are you engaged in it now? That’s all that matters. Let’s move on with your statement. You ask
us to “look where it’s gotten you,” and  you
describe yo urself as being “one step away
from the poorhouse.” I look at you  and see
a quite different thing. I see a person who is one step away from the rich  house! You
feel you are one paycheck from oblivion,
and I see you as one paycheck  from
Nirvana. Now much de pends, of course, on
what you see as your “pay” —and to what
end you are working. If the object of your life is to acquire what
you call security, I see and understand  why
you feel you are “one paycheck from the
poorhouse.” Yet even this assessment  is
open to correction. Because with My pay,
all good things come to you —including  the
experience of feeling secure in the physical
world. My pay —the payoff you get when you
“work for” Me —provides a great deal more
than spiritual comfort. Physical comfort,
too, can be yours. Yet the ironic part about
all this is that, once you experience the kind of spiritual comfort My payoff provides,  the
last thing you’ll find yourself worrying about
is physical comfort. Even the physical comfort of members of
your family wi ll no longer be a concern to
you—for once you rise to a level of God
consciousness you will understand that
you are not responsible for any other
human soul, and that while it is
commendable to  wish every soul to live in
comfort, each soul must choose —is
choosing —its own  destiny this instant. Clearly, it is not the highest action to
deliberately abuse or destroy another. Clearly,  it is equally inappropriate to neglect
the needs of those you have caused to be
dependent on you. Your job is to render them inde pendent; to
teach them as quickly and completely as
possible how to get along without you. For
you are no blessing to them so long as  they
need you to survive but bless them truly
only in the moment they realize you  are
unnecessary. In the same sense, God’ s greatest moment
is the moment you realize you need no
God. I know, I know...this is the antithesis of
everything you’ve ever been taught. Yet
your teachers have told you


 and
toddlers go from tears to smiles  and laughter in seconds; they don’ t resist any
emotion. “By the time we  are labeled adu lts, we are so good at suppressing that most of
the time it is totally second nature. W e become as good or better at
suppressing as we originally were at letting go. In fact, we have suppressed so
much of  our emotional ener gy th at we are all a little like walkin g time bombs. Often, w e don’ t even know th at we have suppressed our true emotional
reactions until it is too late: our  body shows signs of stress-rel ated illnesses,
our shou lders are stuck in our ears, our stomach is in knots, or we have
exploded and said or done something that we now regret.”
Hale Dwoskin, fr om  The Sedona Method
When yo u have a negative experience that causes bad feelings, unless you let
go of the bad feeling compl etely, it ends up being pushe d down andsuppressed inside you. Even when you might think that you got something of f your chest, or that the
situation that upset you was resolved, unless you specifically let go of the
negative feeling, it will remain with you, suppressed in your subconscious
mind. “The expression of negative feelings allows just enough of the inner pressure
to be let out so that the remainder can then be suppressed. T his is a very
important point to understand, for many people in society toda y believe that
expressing their feelings frees them from the feelings. The facts are to the
contrary.”
Dr. David R. Hawkins, fr om  Letting Go
So, letti ng of f steam or ventin g isn’ t the answer. That will just add more
ener gy to our already suppressed emotion, because expressed feelings get
suppressed too. Sometimes we also deliberately  repress our bad feelings, and they also are
pushed down into the subcons cious. W e deliberately repress our emotions
when we push aside feelings that make us uncomfortable, like grief and
sadness, or when we stifle feelings like anger. “Suppression is keeping a lid on our emotions, pushing them  back down,
denying them, repressing them  and pretending that they don ’ t exist. Any
emotion that comes into awaren ess that is not let go of is automatically stored
in a part of our mind called the subconscious. A big part of how we suppress
our emotions is by escaping them.”
Hale Dwoskin, fr om  The Sedona Method
Imagine you have a disappointin g experience with a family member or friend. Y our opinion is that the person let you down, and you’re di sappointed in
them. That feeling of disappoin tment remains suppressed withi n you, and the
pressure of the trapped emotional ener gy builds up until some of it has to be
released. The suppressed disapp ointment has to find an outlet to take some
pressure of f the body, so it will find people, circumstances, or e vents that will
disappoint you, enabling some  of its built-up ener gy to be released. This
applies to every negative feelin g that you have ever suppressed, and most of
us have suppres sed the whole gamut of negative feelings. If you’ve felt it,
you’ve suppressed it. If y ou ever fe el annoyed, then you know that annoyance  was already
suppressed inside you. If you didn’ t have it suppressed inside you already, you
wouldn’ t be able to feel annoyed about anything. So, any time you feel
annoyed it’ s the original annoya nce that you felt and suppressed  that’ s coming
out. And it’ s th e case with ev ery negative feeling, whether that be anger,
frustration, irritation, revenge, hate, depression, grief, despair, jealousy, guilt,
shame, impatience, disillusionment, disappointment, aggravation, or being
overwhelmed. U nfortunately, we suppressed many negative feelings as
children because in our innocence they were too hurtful for us to handle, and
then as life went on, it became a habit to push our feelings aw ay instead ofletting them be. So, we’ve likely all had a lifetime of s uppressing or
repressing bad feelings. Y our mind will c over up the true  cause of a bad feeling by using projection to
convince you that your feeling was caused by something in the world. “[The mind] blames events or other people for ‘causing’ a feeling and views
itself as  the helpless innocent victim of external causes. ‘Th ey made me
angry,’ ‘He got me upset,’ ‘It scared me,’ ‘W orld events are the cause of my
anxiety.’ Actually, it’ s the exact opposite. The suppressed and repressed
feelings seek an outlet and utili ze the events as triggers and excuses to vent
themselves. W e  are like pressure-cookers ready to release steam when the
opportunity aris es. Our triggers are set and ready to go of f. In psychiatry this
mechanism is called displacem ent. It is because we are angry that events
‘make’ us angry.”
Dr. David R. Hawkins, fr om  Letting Go
Don’ t yo u feel exactly like a p ressure cooker when a bad feeling like anger
sweeps over you strongly and  really fast? If you know of someone who
suf fers f rom fre quent anger, it m eans that they’ve suppressed a lot of anger,
most likely in th e earlier years of their life. They’re also sure to believe that
it’ s other people or circumstances that bring on a bout of their anger, but most
definitely it’ s their suppressed anger that is the sole cause. “The rea l source of ‘stress’ is actually internal; it is not exter nal, as people
would li ke to believe. The readiness to react with fear, for inst ance, depends
on h ow much fear is already present within to be triggered by a  stimulus. The
more fear we have on the inside, the more our perception of the world is
changed to a fearful, guarded ex pectancy. T o the fearful person, this world is a
terrifying place. T o the angry person, this world is a chaos of frustration and
vexation. T o the guilty person, i t is a world of temptation and s in, which they
see everywhere. What we are holding inside colors our world. If we let go of
guilt, w e will see innocence; however, a guilt-ridden person will see only
evil.”
Dr. David R. Hawkins, fr om  Letting Go
So, when you next experience a negative feeling sweeping over you,
remember that no matter how it might appear to you, you’re experiencing it
because it is alr eady  i nside you—not because an  outside person or
circumstance caused it. Y ou would think we would have worked this out, wouldn’ t you? After all, it’ s
clear from our experience that negative feelings arise from inside  our body. Not one of us has ever walked down a street and had to dodge negative
feelings flying toward us! Y ou’l l never find a negative feeling outside of your
body, or anybody else’ s body. It is our r eaction  t o a per son, cir cumstance, or
event th at is the cause of negative feelings, not the actual person,
circumstance, or event. Honey, I Shrunk MyselfNegative feeling s are ener gized even further when we believe that a negative
feeling is who we are. How can we be a feeling? Y et when we identify with a
feeling, it means we have shrunk our Infinite Self right down, because we’re
allowing ourselves to be ruled by one puny little feeling. “Thoughts and emotions seem powerful because we give the m ener gy. By
letting them rise and fall of their own, they simply move on.”
Kalyani Lawry
“It is not true to say, ‘I am sad.’ W e should say instead, ‘At this moment a
feeling o f sadness is flowing thr ough me.’ If we just let the feel ing of sadness
flow, we  autom atically and unknowingly take our stand in tha t which is not
flowing.”
Francis Lucille, fr om  The Perfume of Silence
Ask yourself: Are you the feeling of sadness, or are you the one that’ s aware
of the sadness? Y ou’r e the one that’ s awar e of the sadness. W ere you here before the sadness came? I’m pr etty sur e you wer e.
W ill you still remain after the sadness leaves? I hope you will still be her e.
W ill you lose a bit of yourself when the sadness goes? I sur e hope not. Y es, you were here before the sadness came, and yes, you’re here after it
leaves, fully intact, because you  are not sadness. Sadness is something you’re
awar e of. It’ s  not at all who you are. Don’ t let a feeling shrink you down to
the s ize of a pea, when you are  the Infinite Being that holds the Universe in
place! “Stop acting so small. Y ou are the universe in ecstatic motion.”Rumi
My teacher suggested that


 Potatoes
potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small onion
yogurt
Peel and cube potatoes. Place in pan with one small onion and enough water to bring to a boil.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        Variation:  Add some or all of the following herbs (optional), letting them infuse: tarragon
(pushed in stalk first); shallots or spring onions, finely chopped; 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and
crushed with the back of a knife; and 1 fresh bay leaf. Orange Vinaigrette
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
4 tbsp. orange juice
1 tbsp. flaxseed  oil
Chop the garlic and parsley, and add to vinegar, sugar, orange juice and flaxseed oil. Yogurt, Garlic and Honey Dressing
6 oz. yogurt
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp. honey
watercress
Mix the ingredients, toss lightly and serve immediately. Garnish with watercress. Yogurt, Herb and Vinegar Dressing
apple cider vinegar
a little water
honey
yogurt
parsley
tarragon
Mix all together. Copyright © Charlotte Gerson, 2007. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any medium, print or electronic without prior written permission from the author. Page 217Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www. thegersonway. comYogurt, Onion and Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing
yogurt
apple cider vinegar
chopped onion
Mix all together and serve with a green salad. Salads
Apple and Carrot Salad
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Serves 2
1 small crisp red apple, grated
1 large carrot, grated
1 green onion, chopped
1 radish, sliced
apple juice
mint
Grate the apple and carrot into a dish and add a chopped green onion and a sliced radish. Pour
over a little apple juice and sprinkle with mint. Serve on a bed of mixed colored salad leaves,
such as radicchio, watercress or parsley. Beet and Waterc ress Salad
cooked beet, chopped
flaxseed oil
watercress
Chop cooked beet and toss in a little flaxseed  oil. Serve with watercress.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: What herbs can be added to the Orange Vinaigrette dressing?,
A: Tarragon, shallots or spring onions
Q: What is the name of the salad dressing used in the Carrot and Orange with Fresh Dates salad?,
A: Not specified in the text
Q: What type of dressing is used in the Cauliflower and Carrot Sauce?,
A: Not specified in the text
Q: What is the cooking time for the Cauliflower and Carrot Sauce?,
A: Not specified in the text
Q: What is the name of the salad dressing used in the Beet Soup?,
A: Not specified in the text
Q: What is the cooking time for the Creamed Beans and Zucchini?,
A: 30 minutes<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Simmer until done. When done, there should be no water left. Mash with enough yogurt to
make smooth. Mashed Potatoes and Chard
1 bunch green (or red) chard
4-5 tbsp. water (or soup stock)
3 large (or 4 medium) potatoes, peeled and cubed
6-8 oz. yogurt
Shred the chard and put in pan. Add water (or soup stock; see “ ‘Special Soup’ or ‘Hippocrates
Soup ’” in Chapter 12, “Preparing Food and Juices—The Basic Rules”) and start to boil. When
boiling, turn down to simmer. Meanwhile, peel potatoes, cube and place on top of the chard. Let
simmer until potatoes are soft and done. Remove water if any remains, and add yogurt. Mash all
together. Add a little more yogurt if the mixture is too dry. Variation: The same recipe can be used with kale. When using kale, strip out central
stems before shredding into pan. Copyright © Charlotte Gerson, 2007. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any medium, print or electronic without prior written permission from the author.Page 266Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comMashed Potatoes Gerson® Style
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces
onion, peeled and chopped small
water
Place potatoes and onions in a pot. Add just enough water to reach the vegetables half-way
up. Cover, bring to boil and simmer until potatoes are cooked. (Most of the cooking water will
probably be gone.) Mash potatoes and onions using some (or all) of the cooking water. If not
enough moisture, add some soup stock  (see “‘ Special Soup’ or ‘Hippocrates Soup ’” in Chapter
12, “Preparing Food and Juices—The Basic Rules”). Variations: Add any herb of your choice, finely chopped. Parsley is very good; mint and
dill will also work. Oven-Browned Potatoes
Preparation time: 5-10 minutes
potatoes
Cut the potatoes like French fries ( or in small cubes, or in thin slices) and brown on an oven tray
in the oven. They will brown at a surprisingly low heat (300 ° F (149 ° C)) if left in long enough. Depending on the variety of potato, they can brown very quickly and puff up at high heat ( 425°
F (218° C)). They can also be browned under the broiler, but watch them to avoid burning. This
is meant to be an occasional treat! Parsley Potatoes
potatoes
parsley, chopped
flex seed oil
Boil several potatoes in their skins until done. Remove the peel and roll in some chopped
parsley after slightly brushing with flaxseed oil. Copyright © Charlotte Gerson, 2007. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any medium, print or electronic without prior written permission from the author.Page 267Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comParsnips and Sweet Potatoes
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Serves 2-4
1 lb. parsnips, cut into wedges
1 lb. sweet potatoes, cut into wedges
sprig of fresh rosemary
Cut the parsnips and sweet potatoes into wedges, leaving the skins intact. Put into a baking dish
with a little water to cover the bottom. Add a sprig of rosemary. Cover and bake in a medium
oven at 325° F (170° C ) until just cooked. Serve with a baked potato. Patate alla Francesca
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
new potatoes
tomatoes, chopped or sliced
fresh rosemary  sprigs
garlic
Bake new potatoes in a covered dish at 300-350° F (149-177° C)  with chopped or sliced
tomatoes,  fresh rosemary sprigs and plenty of garlic. Serve with lemon wedges and a green
salad. Piemontese Peppers
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Serves 2
2 tomatoes, skinned
2 red bell peppers, halved and seeded
2 cloves garlic, sliced
herbs
Skin the tomatoes. Halve the peppers and remove the seeds (but not the stalks). Place the
peppers skin-side down in a baking dish. Place slices of garlic inside each pepper half and top
each with half a skinned tomato. Bake covered at 3 50° F  (180° C) until tender and sweet  (about
1 hour ). Serve hot or cold, sprinkled with herbs. Copyright © Charlotte Gerson, 2007. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any medium, print or electronic without prior written permission from the author.Page 268Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comPotato and Celery Root Lyonnaise
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 1-1/2 to 2 hours
Serves 2
1 small to medium onion, thinly sliced
similar amount of celery root, scrubbed (and, if necessary, peeled) and thinly sliced
1 medium potato, scrubbed and thinly sliced
water
Slice all the ingredients thinly. Arrange in layers (onion, celery root and, potato) in a small
soufflé dish. Add a very little amount of water. Bake for 1-1/2 to 2 hours at 325° F (170° C). The top layer will get crisp while the lower layers should be soft. Serve with green vegetable of
your choice and a salad. Potato Cakes
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves 2-4
1 lb. potatoes
1 large carrot, thinly cut
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 stick of celery, chopped
oats
Parboil the potatoes in their skins until they are hot through  and just beginning to soften


2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.frIn his research of some insect species, he found
out that, when given abundant food, the insects’
life lasted for 3 -4 weeks, but if the amount of
food was decreased or the insects were forced to
fast, they would stay active and young for at least
3 years. Here’s his conclusion: “Partial fasting
prevents aging. The fasting person is transferred
from mature age to initial postembryonic stage,
he is almost born again.”
Child pointed out that in the organic world re-
juvenation is nothing but a normal cell renewal
process. This process is conti nuous throughout
the life of any organism. Similar research was conducted by the employ-
ees of the Institute of Physiology of the National
Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Through the
introduction of a special dietary regimen, they
Copyright © Vera Giovanna Bani 2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.fr‘rejuvenated’ two -year-old rats to a state typical
for three -months -olds. English biologist Clive
McCay18 achieved a 1.5 -fold life extension in
mice, by means of two days a week without food,
and decreasing food intake by a third allowed the
mice to live twice as long. Interesting experiments on animal rejuvena-
tion were conducted by a remarkable physician
Suren Arakelyan19. According to his data, aged

18 Clive Maine McCay  (1898 —1967) was an American  biochem-
ist, nutritionist, gerontologist, and professor of  animal hus-
bandry at Cornell University  from 1927 -1963. His main interest was
the influence of nutrition on aging. He is best known for his work
in proving that  caloric restriction  increases the life span of rats,
which is seen as seminal in triggering further research and experi-
ments in the field of nutrition and longevity. (from Internet)
19 Suren A. Arakelyan (1928 -2002) was a famous Soviet and Rus-
sian veterinarian. He wrote a book about the  method of medical
Copyright © Vera Giovanna Bani 2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.frhens, who were put through a fast, began to lay
eggs again, began recovering their feather coat-
ing, their voices became higher and younger and
their bodies – more graceful and slender. Here’s
a photograph that Suren Arakelyan has kept
since his experiment. There are two aged layer
hens in his arms. The hens were sisters. One
fasted, the other didn’t. After the photo was
taken, the gluttonous sister lived for only a
month, while the rejuvenated hen lived for six
more years. It was definitely surprising: out of
1000 birds written -off because of their age, 910
laid an egg every day. And not just an egg! The
egg weighed 68 grams, while the one laid by a
pullet weighed only 48 grams. The biochemical

fasting on birds and animal, Budem zhit Trista lyet  (Let's live three
hundred years). Copyright © Vera Giovanna Bani 2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.franalysis confirmed that the quality of the egg was
better, too. There was a fear that hunger will lead
the birds to their death, but they, on the con-
trary, began living much longer: for 18 years, on
average, instead of the 6 allotted by nature. The
species’ lifespan was exten ded threefold. A
chicken named Krasavitsa reached a fantastic
age of 21. Proportionately, for a human this age
would equal 240 – 250 years. After chickens, Arakelyan started working with
bulls belonging to a high -priced breed. Their
youth is short, lasting only four years. And then
they become meat. The bulls went on a fast, but
they took a complex stress -relieving drug. It was
stress -relieving because normal hunger induces
a distressed, restless state in animals. Taking
these substances, the bulls as though didn't
Copyright © Vera Giovanna Bani 2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.frnotice the hunger. This went on for twenty days. The bulls grew thin, having lost 15 -20 % of their
fat mass, but those were temporary losses, the
weight soon came back, and with it came specific
reproductive capabilities. This allows to con-
clude that when fasting is employed during the
month -long rest once a year, bulls’ life expec-
tancy grows threefold! Inability to preserve youth is caused by factors
that interfere with the perfect process of renewal. Any elimination of these interfering factors at
any age leads to a shift – to renewal and youth. However, it should be acknowledged that there
are clear limits to human rejuvenating capabili-
ties. Irreversible changes may occur in the tis-
sues of the human body, and any efforts to elim-
inate them are ak in to efforts to grow a new leg
Copyright © Vera Giovanna Bani 2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.frafter it was lost. Many lower forms of life, and
some of them are very complex organisms, pos-
sess the ability to grow new members or internal
organs (even new heads, brains and eyes); their
rejuvenating capabilities are substantially wider
than those of highly developed organisms. But a
human can be rejuvenated to a greater degree
than we had previously thought. Up until now,
we can agree that the larger is the number and
the degree of pathological changes that have oc-
curred in the human body, the smaller is its ca-
pability of restoring youth. However, I don’t
think that the greatest possibilities of rejuvena-
tion by means of fasting are of interest only to
people of both sexes in their advanced age. Fast-
ing is also extremely im portant to younger peo-
ple as a means of reversing the aging process,
Copyright © Vera Giovanna Bani 2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.fralthough their aging is slowed down. If we can
use fasting to prevent destructive processes in
the vital organs by periodically freeing the or-
ganism of its toxic load and providing these or-
gans with the much -needed rest. then we will be
able to achieve a much more prolonged effect in
aging prevention than in searching for the ways
to rejuvenate the organism. When I began working at the Goryachinsk
health resort, the nurse brought me the case rec-
ords of the patients that were to have an appoint-
ment with me. When I was looking through
them, one drew my attention. The patient was 80
years old, his diagnosis was deforming coxar-
throsis of the hip and knee joints. Well, I was
wondering to myself how he was going to get
there, and what treatment I could possibly
Copyright © Vera Giovanna Bani 2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.frprescribe to him at this age. Subsequently, a slim,
youthful man of about 50 came to me for an ap-
pointment and said that he’d just been swim-
ming in Baikal (it was November) and it was
great. When I asked for his name, it turned out
he was that 80 -year-old ‘grandpa’. My surprise
knew no bounds. I asked him at once, “ What
about your sore joints?” “Oh, I forgot all about
them a long time ago, doctor, and the diagnosis in
my rehabilitation and health resort card form is
there so that I can go to the health resort.” I was
very interested to know how he had achieved
these amazing results in the treatment of his dis-
ease and rejuvenation of his body. Here’s his
story:
“My problems began after I turne d 50, I started
having pains in my hip joints when moving, it
Copyright © Vera Giovanna Bani 2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.frbecame difficult to get up. My knee joints subse-
quently began bothering me, too. I underwent all
kinds of treatment and went to all kinds of health
resorts. Granted, I felt somewhat better after  go-
ing to health resorts, but at some point, the pain
came back. I realized that if I didn’t cardinally
change something in my life, I would become
fully disabled and immobilized. I began collect-
ing information, talking to people with the same
diagnosis, w ho had improved their health by
natural means. At that time, there


(Ready	in	about	10	minutes	|	Servings	3)

Ingredients

1. 1	banana,	sliced

1. 1/2	cup	yogurt

1. 2	cups	milk

1. 2	teaspoons	pure	vanilla	essence

Directions

1. Put	banana,	yogurt,	1/2	cup	of	milk	and	vanilla	essence	into	a	blender. Process	till	the	banana	is	mashed. 2. Add	remaining	milk	and	blend	until	smoothie	consistency	is	reached. 3. Pour	into	chilled	glasses	and	drink	immediately.Banana	Strawberry	Shake
(Ready	in	about	5	minutes	|	Servings	2)

Ingredients

1. 2	frozen	bananas

1. 1	cup	frozen	or	fresh	strawberries

1. 1	cup	vanilla	rice	milk

1. 1	teaspoon	vanilla	extract

1. 2	tablespoons	maple	syrup

1. 1/8	teaspoon	grated	nutmeg

1. 1/8	teaspoon	cinnamon

Directions

1. In	a	blender	container,	combine	ingredients	and	purée	till	your	smoothie
develops	the	desired	consistency. 2. Pour	into	glasses	and	serve	immediately.Apple	Berry	Smoothie
(Ready	in	about	5	minutes	|	Servings	4)

Ingredients

1. 1	cup	apple	juice

1. 1	1/2	cups	lemonade

1. 1	cup	frozen	raspberries

1. 1/2	cup	frozen	strawberries

1. 1	cup	raspberry	sherbet

Directions

1. Add	all	liquid	ingredients	to	the	blender. Then	add	all	frozen	ingredients. 2. Blend	at	mix	setting	for	30	seconds,	then	blend	at	smooth	setting. Blend
until	smooth	and	frothy. 3. Pour	into	prepared	glasses	and	drink	immediately.Berry	Blast	Smoothie
(Ready	in	about	5	minutes	|	Servings	1)

Ingredients

1. 1/2	cup	frozen	strawberries

1. 1/2	cup	frozen	blueberries

1. 1/2	cup	frozen	raspberries

1. 1/2	cup	apple	juice

1. 1/2	cup	nonfat	frozen	yogurt

1. 1/2	cup	ice

Directions

1. Combine	ingredients	in	a	blender	or	a	food	processor	and	mix	until	smooth. 2. Pour	into	chilled	glass	and	enjoy!Peachy	Red	Smoothie
(Ready	in	about	5	minutes	|	Servings	2)

Ingredients

1. 1/2	cup	apple	juice

1. 1/2	cup	nonfat	vanilla	yogurt

1. 1	cup	fresh	peaches,	pitted

1. 1/2	cup	frozen	raspberries

1. 1	½	cups	ice	chips

Directions

1. Combine	ingredients	in	a	blender	and	mix	until	smooth. 2. Pour	into	two	glasses	and	serve.Berry	Vitality	Smoothie
(Ready	in	about	5	minutes	|	Servings	1)

Ingredients

1. 1/4	cup	blueberries

1. 1/4	cup	blackberries

1. 1	banana

1. 1/2	cup	apple	juice

1. 1/3	cup	raspberry	sorbet

Directions

1. Put	all	ingredients	into	your	blender. 2. Mix	until	smooth	and	frothy.Black	Cherry	Smoothie
(Ready	in	about	5	minutes	|	Servings	1)

Ingredients

1. 1/2	cup	yogurt

1. 1/2	cup	frozen	black	cherries

1. 1	teaspoon	honey

1. 1/2	teaspoon	vanilla	extract

Directions

1. Place	ingredients	in	your	blender	or	a	food	processor,	cover	and	purée	until
smoothie	consistency	is	reached. 2. Transfer	to	the	glass,	garnish	with	cherries	and	drink	immediately.Apricot	Orange	Smoothie
(Ready	in	about	5	minutes	|	Servings	2)

Ingredients

1. 1	cup	vanilla	yogurt

1. 1	cup	apricots,	pitted

1. 1/4	cup	wheat	germ

1. 1/2	cup	orange	juice

1. 1/2	cup	ice	cubes

Directions

1. Add	all	ingredients	to	the	blender	or	a	food	processor	and	mix	until	the
smoothie	reaches	the	desired	consistency. 2. Pour	into	tall	glasses,	garnish	with	orange	wedges	and	drink	immediately.Punch	Style	Smoothie
(Ready	in	about	5	minutes	|	Servings	1)

Ingredients

1. 10	ounces	apple	cider

1. 4	slices	peach

1. 4	strawberries

1. 1	banana

1. 1/8	teaspoon	cardamom

1. 1/8	teaspoon	grated	nutmeg

1. 1/8	teaspoon	ground	cinnamon

Directions

1. Combine	all	ingredients	in	an	electric	blender	or	a	food	processor. 2. Mix	well	until	smoothie	consistency	is	reached. 3. Transfer	to	the	tall	glass	and	drink	at	once.Chocolate	Peanut	Butter	Smoothie
(Ready	in	about	5	minutes	|	Servings	2)

Ingredients

1. 1/2	cup	soy	milk

1. 1/2	cup	silken	tofu

1. 1/3	cup	creamy	peanut	butter

1. 2	frozen	bananas

1. 2	tablespoons	chocolate	syrup

1. 4	ice	cubes

Directions

1. Combine	soy	milk,	tofu,	and	peanut	butter	in	a	blender	or	a	food	processor. 2. Add	bananas,	chocolate	syrup,	ice	cubes. 3. Mix	until	smooth	and	thick.Pear	Ginger	Smoothie
(Ready	in	about	5	minutes	|	Servings	1)

Ingredients

1. 1	½	cup	pears,	diced

1. 1/2	cup	yogurt

1. 1/2	cup	pear	nectar

1. 1	teaspoon	lemon	juice

1. 1/4	teaspoon	fresh	ginger,	grated

1. 1/2	teaspoon	vanilla	extract

1. 4	ice	cubes

1. A	dash	of	ground	cinnamon

Directions

1. Toss	all	ingredients	into	a	blender	or	a	food	processor. 2. Cover	and	blend	until	thick	and	smooth. 3. Pour	into	a	tall	glass. Sprinkle	the	cinnamon	on	top	and	drink.Pear	Walnut	Smoothie
(Ready	in	about	5	minutes	|	Servings	2)

Ingredients

1. 1	ripe	pear,	peeled	and	quartered

1. 3	tablespoons	lemon	juice

1. 1/4	cup	walnut	kernels,	chopped

1. 1	cup	buttermilk

1. 1	tablespoon	honey

Directions

1. Combine	all	ingredients	and	purée	with	an	electric	blender	or	a	food
processor. 2. Transfer	to	the	tall	glasses	and	serve.Pina	Colada	Smoothie
(Ready	in	about	10	minutes	|	Servings	4)

Ingredients

1. 5	tablespoons	coconut	milk

1. 2	½	cups	pineapple	juice

1. 1/2	cup	vanilla	ice	cream

1. 1/2	frozen	banana,	quartered

1. 1	½	cups	frozen	pineapple	chunks

Directions

1. Pour	all	liquid	ingredients	into	your	blender	first. Then	add	all	frozen
ingredients. 2. Blend	at	mix	setting	for	30	seconds,	then	blend	at	smooth	setting. 3. Pour	into	the	tall	glasses	and	drink	immediately.Cocoa	Pina	Colada	Sm


 of pain in my head. It’ s a sinus headache, and in my case,
self-inflicted. Each night for the past week and a half, I’ve felt as if I was getting
softly choked to death in my sleep and my throat was closing in on itself. Because it is, and because I am. Forced mouthbreathing was very likely
changing the shape of my airways, just as it did with Harvold’ s monkeys.The changes weren’ t happening in a matter of months, either, but days. It
was getting worse with every breath I took. My snoring has increased 4,820 percent from ten days ago. For the first
time that I’m aware of, I’m beginning to suf fer from obstructive sleep
apnea. At my worst, I’ve averaged 25 “apnea events,” meaning I was
choking so severely that my oxygen levels dropped to below 85 percent. Whenever oxygen falls below 90 percent, the blood can’ t carry enough
of it to support body tissues. If this goes on too long, it can lead to heart
failure, depression, memory problems, and early death. My snoring and
sleep apnea are still far below that of any medically diagnosed condition,
but these scores were getting worse the longer I stayed plugged up. Every morning Olsson and I would listen to recordings of ourselves
sleeping the night before. W e laughed at first, then we got a bit frightened:
what we heard weren’ t the sounds of happy Dickensian drunks, but of men
being strangled to death by our own bodies. “ More wholesome to sleep . . . with the mouth shut,” wrote Levinus
Lemnius, a Dutch physician from the 1500s who was credited as one of the
first researchers to study snoring. Even back then, Levinus knew how
injurious obstructive breathing during sleep could be. “For they that sleep
with their Jaws extended, by reason of their breath, and the air tossed to and
fro, have their tongues and palates dry, and desire to be moistened by
drinking in the night.”
This was another thing that kept happening to me. Mouthbreathing
causes the body to lose 40 percent more water. I felt this all night, every
night, waking up constantly parched and dry. Y ou’d think this moisture loss
would decrease the need to urinate, but, oddly, the opposite was true. During the deepest, most restful stages of sleep, the pituitary gland, a
pea-size ball at the base of the brain, secretes hormones that control the
release of adrenaline, endorphins, growth hormone, and other substances,
including vasopressin, which communicates with cells to store more water. This is how animals can sleep through the night without feeling thirsty or
needing to relieve themselves. But if the body has inadequate time in deep sleep, as it does when it
experiences chronic sleep apnea, vasopressin won’ t be secreted normally. The kidneys will release water, which triggers the need to urinate and
signals to our brains that we should consume more liquid. W e get thirsty,
and we need to pee more. A lack of vasopressin explains not only my ownirritable bladder but the constant, seemingly unquenchable thirst I have
every night. There are several books that describe the horrendous health ef fects of
snoring and sleep apnea. They explain how these af flictions lead to bed-
wetting, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), diabetes, high
blood pressure, cancer, and so on. I’d read a report from the Mayo Clinic
which found that chronic insomnia, long assumed to be a psychological
problem, is often a breathing problem. The millions of Americans who have
a chronic insomnia disorder and who are, right now, like me, staring out
bedroom windows, or at TVs, phones, or ceilings, can’ t sleep because they
can’ t breathe. And contrary to what most of us might think, no amount of snoring is
normal, and no amount of sleep apnea comes without risks of serious health
ef fects. Dr. Christian Guilleminault, a sleep researcher at Stanford, found
that children who experienced no apnea events at all—only heavy breathing
and light snoring, or “ increased respiratory ef fort”—could suf fer from
mood disorders, blood pressure derangements, learning disabilities, and
more. Mouthbreathing was also making me dumber. A recent Japanese study
showed that rats who had their nostrils obstructed and were forced to
breathe through their mouths developed fewer brain cells and took twice as
long to make their way through a maze than nasal-breathing controls. Another Japanese study in humans from 2013 found that mouthbreathing
delivered a disturbance of oxygen to the prefrontal cortex, the area of the
brain associated with ADHD. Nasal breathing had no such ef fects. The ancient Chinese were onto it as well. “ The breath inhaled through
the mouth is called ‘Ni Ch’i, adverse breath,’ which is extremely harmful,”
states a passage from the T ao. “Be careful not to have the breath inhaled
through the mouth.”
As I lie in bed tossing and turning, fighting the ur ge to run to the
bathroom again, I’m trying to focus on the positive, and am reminded of a
skull from Marianna Evans’ s collection that of fered a much-needed dose of
hope. •       •       •It was morning, and Evans was seated in front of an oversize computer
monitor in the administrative of fice of her orthodontics practice, about a
half hour west of downtown Philadelphia. W ith white walls and white-tiled
floors, the place looked futuristic. It was the opposite of the tan-stucco
strip-mall blocks with ferns, goldfish tanks, and Robert Doisneau prints of
all the dental of fices I’d been to. Evans, I learned, ran a dif ferent kind of
practice. She brought up two images on a computer monitor, one of an ancient
skull from the Morton Collection, and the other of a young girl, a new
patient. I’ll call her Gigi. Gigi was about seven in the photo. Her teeth jutted
from the top of her gums, outward, inward, and in all directions. There were
dark circles under her eyes; her lips were chapped and open as if she were
sucking on an imaginary Popsicle. She suf fered from chronic snoring,
sinusitis, and asthma. She’d just started developing aller gies to foods, dust,
and pets. Gigi grew up in a wealthy household. She followed the Food Guide
Pyramid, got plenty of outdoor exercise, had her immunizations, took
vitamins D and C, and had no illnesses growing up. And yet, here she was. “I see patients like this all day,” said Evans. “They are all the same.”
And here we are. Ninety percent of children have acquired some degree
of deformity in their mouths and noses. Forty-five percent of adults snore
occasionally, and a quarter of the population snores constantly. T wenty-five
percent of American adults over 30 choke on themselves because of sleep
apnea; and an estimated 80 percent of moderate or severe cases are
undiagnosed. Meanwhile, the majority of the population suf fers from some
form of breathing dif ficulty or resistance. W e’ve found ways to clean up our cities and to tame or kill of f so many
of the diseases that destroyed our ancestors. W e’ve become more literate,
taller, and stronger. On average, we live three times longer than people in
the Industrial Age. There are now seven and a half billion humans on the
planet—a thousand times more people than there were 10,000 years ago. And yet we’ve lost touch with our most basic and important biological
function. Evans painted a depressing picture. And the irony wasn’ t lost on me as I
sat in a sparkling clinic looking at one modern face after another and
comparing them with the ideal form and perfect teeth of Samuel Morton’ s
specimens, which he derided as “Australians and degraded Hottentots.” Atone point I scooted closer and saw my reflection in the monitor glass—that
mangle of disjointed bones, the sloping jaw, stuf fy nose, and mouth too
small to fit all its teeth. Y ou fools,  I imagined that ancient skull saying. And
for a moment, I swear, it looked like it was laughing. But Evans hadn’ t invited me to see her research just to lament the
present; her obsession with tracing the decline of human breathing is just a
starting point. She’d studied it for years, entirely at her own expense,
because she wants to help. She and her colleague, Kevin Boyd, are using
the hundreds of measurements they’ve taken from ancient skulls to build a
new model of airway health for modern humans. They are part of a
bur geoning group of pulmonauts exploring novel therapies in breathing,
lung expansion, orthodontics, and airway development. Their goal is to help
return Gigi, me, and everyone else to our more perfect, ancient forms—the
way we were before it all went haywire. On the computer screen, Evans pulled up another photo. It was Gigi
again, but in this shot there were no dark circles, none of the sallow skin or
drooping lids.


 the Marrow Channel consists
of the bones, the joints and eve rything which is encased within bone, and
the R eproductiv e T issue Channel consists of the testes and penis in the male
and their corresponding structu res (the ovaries, vagina and cli toris) in the
female. Three more channels de al with the elimination of waste s: the Urine
Channel consists  of the bladder and kidneys, the Feces Channel of the colon
and rectum, and the Sweat Channel of the fat and hair follicles. The fourteenth channel, the Ch annel of Mind, pervades the entire
body; the body i s in a sense the mind’ s special channel. There is  nowhere in
the b ody mind c annot and does not go. T wo more channels are peculiar to
the f emale: the M ilk Channel and the Menstrual Channel, both of which are
secondary to the Sap Channel. The Milk Channel includes the breasts andnipples, and the Menstrual Chan nel the uterus, cervix and vagin a. When all
flows are regular in the vario us channels the or ganism is h ealthy and
therefore happy,  just as when a field is well-watered its crops grow well. Should the circulation in any c hannel become obstructed, nutrients and/or
wastes will accumulate and cau se the bodily equivalent of a flooded field,
yielding imbalance and disease. There are four possible disturbances to
flow in a chan nel: increase or decrease in flow, a “knotted ” condition
(obstruction), a nd deviation of its flow into abnormal spaces. Any
disturbance to a channel’ s flow will disturb V ata. One imp ortant cause of such disturbances is due to the restraining of
the thirteen ur ges, namely the ur ges to: expel urine, feces, and flatus; vomit,
sneeze, belch, and yawn; eat w hen hungry, drink when thirsty, cry when
sad, sle ep when sleepy, pant after exertion, and ejaculate semen when
irresistibly arou sed. Restraint of these ur ges causes V ata to move in an
abnormal direction in these channels, vitiating first the channel involved
and then the en tire system. Other ur ges even though not physi cal reflexes
can still disturb V ata. These include especially the negative mental ur ges
like gree d, sorro w, fear, anger, e nvy, pride, shame, disgust, and t he like, and
ought always to be restrained, though not suppressed.6
S u b t l e  A n a t o m y
T he  h uman body is composed of a  number of intricately interwoven / layers,
like an onion, among which are the changeable body of fluids, including the
tissues and wastes; the relative ly less changeable body of muscles, bones, and
nerves; the subtle body, which is the field of mind; and the causal body. Though
we cannot dissect these “bodies" apart from one another, we call them “bodies"
because in certain ways they beh ave as if they were separate structures within the
unified o r ganism. These layers or Sheaths (kosas) are generated as consciousness
descends into denser and den ser matter, with the subtler Sheaths acting as
patterns for the grosser ones. It is as if each level of or ganization tries to
reproduce the previous level, bu t cannot do so precisely because  of the increased
density of the matter it must work with. The physical body is the Sheath  of Food; it is composed of and  nourished
by t he juices extracted from our food. The Sheath of Prana, the vital body,
connects the Sheaths of Food an d Mind and permits them to operate together. It
is co mposed of and nourished by Prana alone. Prana is “ener gy,” but it is also a
form of matter when viewed in  the context of consciousness. The or ganism’ s
Prana is replenished in two ways: “instantly” in which the lungs during breathing
absorb the Prana found in the air, and “delayed,” in which th e lar ge intestine
absorbs the Prana found in well-digested food. The Sheath of Mind is the astral
body, which is c omposed of and nourished by words, images an d emotions, all of
which are made out of “mind-stuf f,” a very subtle form of matter. The role of the  Sheath of Foo d, in which T amas predominates, is the
stabilization of consciousness,  while the Sheath of Prana, in which Rajas
predominates, is  meant to activa te it. The job of the Sheath of Mind is to mediate
between the other Sheaths to en sure that the Prana and the physical body remain
in ba lance with the mind. Since an excess of either Rajas (overactivity) or T amas
(inertia) will disturb its balance, Rajas and T amas are called the mind’ s Doshas,
and whe n either  appears in exce ss the mind becomes deranged. When the Three
Doshas of the body become imbalanced they can also imbalance the mind; the
mental and physical Doshas inte ract with and af fect one anothe r continuously byway of Prana, t he force which binds them together. Mind, Prana and body are
concurrently and inherently joined together as long as life continues in a body. In th e physical body ener gy and  fluids move through visible cha nnels (like
the nerves and b lood vessels), while in the vital body Prana moves through the
subtle co nduits a nd plexuses called Nadis and Chakras, respectively. The vital or
Pranic b ody exe rts its ef fects by  stimulating the physical channels which flow in
synchrony with its Nadis. The body’ s most important Nadi, w hich is also the
least used by th e average individual, is called the Central Conduit (sushumna). The Chakras are arranged like flowers in a garland along t he thread of the
Central Conduit, which flows w ithin the central sulcus of the spinal cord—or it
would do so if it existed on t he physical plane! More precisely the Central
Conduit flows through the same space which on the physical level is taken up by
the centr al sulcu s of the spinal cord. Since these two structures exist on dif ferent
levels of being they can occupy the same space simultaneously, an impulse in
one often engendering an impulse in the other by resonance. The body’ s next two most important Nadis (ida and pingala) flow in
conjunction with the two nostrils. Most of the time we breathe only through one
nostril, shifting unconsciously from right to left and back every two to three
hours. The left nostril (or rather its Nadi, the pingala) cools and calms the
or ganism, while the right (ida) heats and excites it. Heat expands, and cold
contracts; in the body of a living being heat generally dilates the channels and
cold co nstricts them. These two Nadis govern and maintain the rhythmic
contraction and expansion of the body and its physiology, a heat-cold duality
which fuels the circulation of V ata in the body very much as the dance of hot and
cold air masses fuels the circula tion of atmospheric air. Excess or lack of heat in
the body  obstructs V ata’ s movement and predisposes to disease. Physicians who
use the esoteric form of diagnosis, called “svarodaya” in Sanskrit, detect the
subtle dif ference s in the directi on and rate of flow of the breath in their own
nostrils to indicate the condition of the flow of Prana in their patient’ s Nadis. While most of the Nadis work in consonance with body structur es, Central
Conduit and its Chakras reside in a plane of existence so subtle that the average
human b eing never suspects their presence. The Chakras, which exist in the
Central Conduit, function only when Prana flows through that Nadi, and unless
ener gy is actually flowing throu gh a Chakra it cannot really be even said to exist,
remaining instead in an inactive, potential form. Many sensitive people report tha t they can see “ener gy vortices", “spinning
patterns” and other concentrations of power within the living hu man body. Whileit is true that such flows often exist near in space to the regions were the Chakras
are said to be located, all such flows appear in the layers of the or ganism that are
superficial to the Chakras. Only the most spiritually advance d of beings can
directly perceive the Chakras. The body possesses many pot ential Chakras in whose region varying
amounts of ener gy may concentrate. Six major Chakras are generally agreed
upon, however: at the perineum; sex center; solar plexus; heart; throat; and
between the eyebrows. The ener gy center on top of the head, known as the
“Thousand-Petalled Lotus” (sahasrara) is not a Chakra; it marks the boundary
between the region of the micro cosm


 spr ead, but it is much mor e than a
cocktail spr ead to be br ought out only for canapés and hors d’o euvr es. Use
it as an impr omptu sauce for steamed vegetables, a substitute for
mayonnaise, a dip for raw vegetables, or tossed with rice or whole wheat
br ead crumbs for a healthy stuffing. Once thawed, it ke eps in the
r efrigerator, tightly cover ed, for up to 1 week. MAKES 6 CUPS (1.5 L)
6 heads garlic, r oasted
4 cups (1 L) cooked or canned artichokes, drained
4 tbsp (50 mL) chopped fr esh r osemary
1–1/4 cups (300 mL) olive oil sea salt and fr eshly gr ound pepper

1. Squeeze the s oft caramelized garlic flesh out of the skins into the bowl of
a b lende r or food processor. Add artichokes and rosemary. Ble nd on high,
adding olive oil through opening  in the lid, until soft and creamy. Season to
taste with salt and pepper. 2. Pack into freezer containers in 1-cup (250 mL) measures, leaving a 1-
inch (2.5 cm) headspace. Remove air, label and seal. Freeze for up to 9
months. g r e m o l a t a
Use a thick-skinned lemon vari ety like Eur eka or Bearss for this lemony
garlic garnish. Since you will likely only be using 1 or 2 tbsp (15 or 25 mL)
at a time, you could easily work out how much to make for a year ’ s supply. I
have given the amounts r equir ed to make 1 cup (250 mL), but this r ecipe
may eas ily be incr eased to pr oduce lar ger amounts. Fr eeze in ice cube trays
for 1 tbsp (15 mL) amounts or in 1/4- or 1/2-cup (50 or 125 mL) amounts. MAKES 1 CUP (250 ML)
1/2 cup (125 mL) finely chopped fr esh parsley1/3 cup (75 mL) finely chopped garlic
1/4 cup (50 mL) grated lemon rind
1 or 2 tbsp (15 or 25 mL) olive oil

1. In a b owl, combine parsley, g arlic and lemon rind. Drizzle ol ive oil over
top, 1 tsp (5 mL) at a time, m ixing and adding more oil just until the
mixture holds together. 2. Fill ice cube t rays or 1/4- or 1/2-cup (50 or 125 or mL) freeze r containers
to within 1/2 inch (1 cm) of the  top. Squeeze out air; leave 1/2-inch (1 cm)
headspace. Seal, label and freeze. Use: Y ou can add frozen Gremolata by the tablespoon (15 mL) to sauces,
soups an d stews as they cook. Thaw and distribute liberally over cooked
vegetables, especially fried potatoes, and poached fish or poultry. Gremolata perks up scrambled eggs, savoury custards and quiche dishes. Fr eezing Garlic
1. Select Equipment:  Se lect suitable-size freezer c ontainers, bags or
Mason jars ( Freezing ). 2. Blanch garlic. S lice or chop, th en spoon into ice cube trays or 1/4- to 1/3
cup (50 to 75 mL ) containers, leaving a 1-inch (2.5 cm) headspa ce. Remove
air, label and seal. Freeze for up to 6 months.O n i o n s
THE CO MMON ONION IS A SINGLE BULB  t hat  belongs to  the lily
family and grows under ground. W ith a long history of use and many
varieties, onions (Allium cepa)  are used in almost every country in the
world. I t could be ar gued that onion and garlic, with their c haracteristic
smell an d flavo ur due to sulph ur compounds, are indispensabl e vegetable
flavourings. Good Pr eserving V arieties
The hun dreds of varieties of onions can be classified into two general
categories: swee t and storage. T he sweet types are mild, sweet and tender,
and are usually eaten raw or lightly cooked. The storage types are more
pungent and flavourful, with less water content, and are perfect for
preserving. Sweet T ypes:  Bes t eaten raw,  they contain more water, which makes them
poor var ieties fo r preserving. Some sweet varieties: V idalia  (aka Granax),
T exas 1015, W alla W alla, Oso  Sweet  (up to 50% sw eeter than V idalia),
Maui Sweets. Storage T ypes:
Bermuda:  Ge nerally sweet and mild; a vailable in the spring; fine fo r
preserving. Some Bermuda varieties: Y ellow B ermuda, White Berm uda,
Red Bermuda. Pearl:  Als o ca lled pick ling onions, they are sweet and mild, and the perfect
size for  pickle recipes; available late summer, early fall. Some Pearl
varieties: Crystal W ax, Barletta, Eclipse.Shallot:  Small, hot and garlic-tasting onions with brown papery skins; often used in preserving. There are several varieties of shallot, red and yellow among them. Spanish:  Lar ge, slightly sweet onions; good preserving varieties; available September to April. Some
Spanish varieties: Red, Candy, Super Star. White:  Clean, tangy flavour, good preserving varieties, often used in salsa recipes. Gr een onions  (also called spring onions) are small, immature onions that have been harvested before
they mature. There are various varieties, usually white or yellow; sometimes red onions are pulled
early. Usually eaten fresh, cooked or raw. Red:  Swe et e nough t o eat raw; some  varieties are classed as Sweet T ypes,
some are more p ungent than others; available March to June. R ed varieties
include Italian Onion, Italian Red Onion, Burgundy, Cr eole Onion, Red
T orpedo Onion;  good for preserving. Y ellow:  Common; often called
cooking onions,  these varieties a re high in sulphur compounds a nd deliver acomplex onion flavour that caramelizes on long slow cooking to become
mild and sweet. Some Y ellow varieties: Buffalo, Early Y ellow Globe. Pur chasing/Storing
1 lb (500 g) yields 2 cups (500 mL) chopped onion. Choose onions that are firm an d dry with a mild odour. The skins should
have a shiny appearance and a papery, dry crackly feel. Onions should not
be w et o r show signs of sprouting or have any soft spots, which are a sign
of rotting. Dark patches on the onions may indicate mould. For preserving,
it is best to buy onions from farm gates and farmer ’ s markets at harvest
time. If purchas ing onions that are sold in a bag, be sure to c heck all the
onions for rotting, sprouting or bad spots. Good W ith
Culinary herbs such as chives, parsley, sage, rosemary, basil,
bay, thyme, chervil, tarragon. Spices such as cinnamon, gin ger, cloves, nutmeg, curry
blends, cumin, coriander, car damom, caraway mustard,
turmeric. Most ot her vegetables and some fruit, such as apples and
pears. Pr eparation
Pearl Onions: Rub the loose skin of f onions. Blanch in boiling water for 1
minute. Immers e in cold water for 1 minute. Drain and pat dry. Slip of f
peels. Canning Onions
Due to the year - round availabili ty of fresh onions and their superior quality
in cooking, I don’ t recommend canning them. However, onions are key
ingredients in chutney, pickles, confit and even marmalade (s ee Roasted
Onion and Garlic Marmalade ).c u r r i e d  o n i o n s
The curr y is mild in this pickle. For a str onger curry taste, grin d the Curry
Pickling Spice fine and add it to the pan without using cheesecloth. I toss
about 1 /2 cup (125 mL) or mor e with r oasted vegetables or steamed
cauliflower. The y can also be added to stir -fried vegetable or meat dishes. The small pearl onions ar e best in this pickle. MAKES 12 CUPS (3 L)
3 lb (1.5 kg) pickling onions (about 10 cups/2.5 L)
4 cups (1 L) hot water
1/4 cup (50 mL) pickling salt
2 gr een bell peppers
3 cups (750 mL) white wine vinegar
1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar
1 tbsp (15 mL) Curry Pickling Spice Blend  (stor e-bought), tied in a
cheesecloth bag
First Day
Peel onions  foll owing instructions. T rim


oneous Zonesbuilding yourself up for those painful ulcers, and living with a lot
of present-moment anxiety. But this is not the opposite of the indi-
vidual who rants and rages. You have the same sentences in your
head that people and things should be the way you want them to
be. If they were, you reason, you wouldn’t feel anger. This is faulty
logic, and eradicating it is the secret to getting rid of your tension. While you will want to learn to express pent-up anger instead of
storing it up, the ultimate goal is to learn to think in new ways that
will not create the anger. Such internal thoughts as: “If he wants to
be a fool, I’m not going to choose to be upset. He, not me, owns his
dumb behavior” or “Things aren’t going the way I think they should. While I don’t like it, I’m not going to immobilize myself. ”
Learning to express the anger with courageous kinds of new be-
haviors that have been discussed throughout this book is your first
step. Then, thinking in new ways that will help you to shift from
the external to the internal side of the mental health ledger, refusing
to own anyone else’s behavior is the ultimate step. You can learn
not to give other people’s behavior and ideas the power to upset
you. By thinking highly of yourself and refusing to let others control
you, you won’t hurt yourself with present-moment anger. Having a Sense of Humor
It is impossible for you to be angry and laugh at the same time. Anger and laughter are mutually exclusive and you have the power
to choose either. Laughter is the sunshine of the soul. And without sunshine
nothing can live or grow. As Winston Churchill put it,
It is my belief, you cannot deal with the most serious things in
the world unless you understand the most amusing. FAREWELL TO ANGER  / 213You may take life too seriously. Perhaps the single most outstand-
ing characteristic of healthy people is their unhostile sense of humor. Helping others choose to laugh, and learning to stand back and ob-
serve the incongruity of almost every life situation is an excellent
remedy for anger. In the scheme of things, what you do and whether you are angry
or not will have all the impact of another glass of water being thrown
over Niagara Falls. Whether you choose laughter or anger will not
matter much—except that the former will fill your present moments
with happiness, and the latter will waste them in misery. Do you take yourself and your life so seriously that you can’t
stand back and view the absurdity of taking anything that solemnly. An absence of laughter is an indicator of pathology. When you tend
to be overly sober about yourself and what you do, remind yourself
that this is the only time you have. Why waste your present being
angry when laughing feels so good. Laughter just for the sake of laughing. It is its own justification. You don’t have to have a reason to laugh. Just do it. Observe yourself
and others in this nutty world, and then decide whether to carry
around anger or to develop a sense of humor that will give you and
others one of the most priceless gifts of all—laughter. It feels so good. Some Common Causes of Anger
You can see anger in operation all the time. Examples of people
experiencing varying degrees of immobility, from mild upset to
blind rage, are everywhere. It is the cancer, albeit a learned one, that
permeates human interactions. Below are some of the more common
instances in which people choose anger. • Anger in the automobile. Drivers scream at other motorists for
virtually everything. Pulse-racing behavior results when214 / Your Erroneous Zonessomeone else is going too slow, too fast, doesn’t signal, signals im-
properly, changes lanes or any number of mistakes. As a driver, you
may experience a great deal of anger and emotional immobility be-
cause of the things you tell yourself about the ways others should
be driving. Similarly, traffic jams are key signals for attacks of anger
and hostility. Drivers yell at passengers and swear at the cause of
the delay. All this behavior is the result of a single thought, “This
shouldn’t be happening, and because it is, I’m going to be upset and
help others to choose unhappiness as well. ”
• Anger in competitive games. Bridge, tennis, pinochle, poker
and a variety of other games are excellent anger inducers. People
get angry at partners or opponents for not doing it right or for infrac-
tions of the rules. They may throw things like a tennis racket because
they made an error. While stomping and throwing equipment are
healthier than hitting or screaming at others, they are still barriers
to present-moment fulfillment. • Anger at the out of place. Many people feel rage at an individual
or event which they consider out of place. For example, a driver in
traffic may decide the cyclist or pedestrian shouldn’t be there and
try to drive him off the road. This kind of anger can be extremely
dangerous. Many so-called accidents are actually the result of just
such incidents in which uncontrolled rage has serious results. • Anger about taxes. No amount of anger will ever change the tax
laws of our country, but people rage just the same because taxes
aren’t what they would like them to be. • Anger over the tardiness of others. If you expect others to
function on your timetable, you will choose anger when they do not
and justify your immobilization with, “I have a right to be angry. He kept me waiting half an hour. ”
• Anger at the disorganization or sloppiness of others. Despite
the fact that your rage will probably encourage others to continue
to behave in the same manner, you may persist in choosing anger. • Anger at inanimate objects. If you hit your shin bone orFAREWELL TO ANGER  / 215hammer your thumb, reacting with a scream can be therapeutic, but
feeling real rage and doing something about it such as driving your
fist through a wall is not only futile, but painful as well. • Anger over the loss of objects. No amount of rage will turn up
a lost key or wallet and will probably prevent you from launching
an effective search. • Anger over world events beyond your control. You may not
approve of politics, foreign relations, or the economy, but your anger
and subsequent immobilization aren’t going to change anything. The Many Faces of Anger
Now that we’ve seen some of the occasions on which you might
choose anger, let’s look at some forms anger takes. • Being verbally abusive or ridiculing a spouse, children, or loved
ones, or friends. • Physical violence—hitting, kicking, slamming—objects or people. Carried to extremes, this behavior leads to crimes of violence which
are almost always committed under the influence of immobilizing
anger. Murder and assaults don’t occur unless emotions are out of
control and anger has led to temporary insanity. Believing that anger
is normal or subscribing to the psychological schools that encourage
you to get in touch with your anger and let it out can be potentially
dangerous. Similarly, television, movies and books which popularize
anger and violence and present them as normal undermine both the
individual and society. • Saying things like, “He infuriates me,” or “You really aggravate
me. ” In these cases you are choosing to let someone else’s behavior
make you unhappy. • Using phrases like, “kill him,” “clobber them,” or “destroy the
opposition. ” You may think they’re only expressions,216 / Your Erroneous Zonesbut they encourage anger and violence and make it acceptable even
in friendly competition. • Temper tantrums. Not only is this a common expression of anger,
it frequently serves to get the tantrum thrower exactly what he wants. • Sarcasm, ridicule and the silent treatment. These expressions of
anger can be just as damaging as physical violence. While the list of possible anger behavior could go on into eternity,
the above examples constitute the most common incidents of anger
as it surfaces in this erroneous zone. The Reward System That You’ve Constructed for Choosing Anger
Getting a grip on lengthening your fuse will most effectively start
with some insight into the reasons for using it in the first place. Here
are some of the psychological motives for keeping that fuse as short
as it is. • Whenever you find it difficult to handle yourself, feel frustrated
or defeated, you can use anger to direct the responsibility for how
you feel to the person or event itself, rather than taking charge of
your own feelings. • You can use your anger to manipulate those who fear you. This
is particularly effective in getting those who are younger, or physic-
ally or psychologically smaller in line. • Anger draws attention and thus you can feel important and
powerful. • Anger is a handy excuse. You can go insane—temporarily—and
then excuse yourself by saying, “I couldn’t help myself. ” Thus you
can exonerate your behavior with out-of-control logic. • You can get your way because others would rather placate you
than have to put up with the angry exhibition. FAREWELL TO ANGER  / 217• If you are afraid of intimacy or love, you can get angry over
something, and thus avoid the risky business of sharing yourself
affectionately. • You can manipulate others with guilt by having