.” And you appeal to divinity, and you then create the opening in
a very yin inner psychic posture of allowing God to reveal. This is very well
known, of course, in the 12-Step program, which is worldwide. Through
studying medita tion, we become conscious and aware of God’ s will for us.
That’ s a supplication; that’ s an acceptance. Spiritual ef fort is not wasted.
When we talk about supplication, we talk about surrendering your life to
God. When we speak of prayer, we speak of devotion—acts of devotion
like pleading with God, asking to be led. There’ s a great deal of information
that is accumulated over the centuries on how to facilitate the emer gence of
this capacity to be with the presence of God. There’ s also the inner pathway
of knowledge. Of course, what the books I’ve written have to do with is
sharing knowledge that would be propitious and help the person to unveil
the inner state, which stands waiting. The inner state stands waiting—all
you have to do is remove the blocks to the awareness.
Therefore, the information I give tries to undo the blocks just through
knowledge. It’s really the pathway of self-knowledge. And of course,
specifically the thing that stands in our way is the ego. Consciousness
research has to do with discerning that exact nature of the ego through
comprehension of how it works and how it originated. You can begin to
relinquish it. The first awareness we try to make is to realize that there’ s a
difference between perception and essence. Of course, Descartes pointed
that out centurie s ago. There is the world the way you see it, and therefore,
how you perceive it and how you think about it is your opinio n. And then
there’ s the world the way it actually is, which is independent of what you
think about it or how you label it or what your opinion is.
The spiritual work is to try to transcend perception and begin to
experience the essence of things. I think the calibrated scale of
consciousness speeds that up tremendously once you’ve learned  how to useit. Even if you look at a few lists of the calibrated levels of various things in
our world, you begin to intuit it. You go, “Aha!” Underneath the sheep’ s
clothing is what’ s really  there. Inside the Trojan horse you begin to stop
falling for the facile and foolish. And of course, we live in a media society
in which  perception eclipses everything—how a person looks on stage, et
cetera. People are very impressed by that rather than by the quality and the
substance of the speaker.
• • •
When a major catastrophe comes about, I’m concerned with the
psychological and emotional suffering of people who are in that situation,
and I pray for the relief of their anxiety and fear, because even if the crisis is
always the same, depending on the circumstances, people think that it’s
different. Actua lly, an acute crisis is always the same no matter what the
occasion is. Shock and surprise,  disbelief, and in the middle of it, you really
don’t think, you don’t really get upset about it until it’s over. A crisis is so
fast in its onset,  unexpected, it’s over before you know it. Then very often
comes the fear—it’ s surprising  the fear doesn’ t come up until the whole
event is over. And then there’ s a quick rerun and the fear comes up at the
rerun; at the time of the accident, there wasn’ t any fear. You handle the
energy of the emotion. You handle the energy and not the quality, the
energy of it.
All you have to do is surrender  to the emotion, to the energy itself, and
let go of resisting the energy—the energy will take care of itself. Don’ t
forget that you have also the wisdom of the collective unconscious. If you
don’t remember how to handle something, the collective does, because
mankind has lived through an innumerable number of crises. And in the
collective aware ness and consciousness of mankind are all the tools you’ll
need. You surre nder into your humanness, and we often do that when we
pray for God. That’ s all we do—we just suddenly come into the wisdom,
accept the wisdom of the collect ive consciousness of all of mankind, which,
of course, over the millennia has learned how to handle every crisis that’s
imaginable.
Don’ t resist the emotion and instead say, “Of course you’re going to be
upset. Of course you’re going to be worried. Of course you’re going to say
to yours elf, ‘Oh, what are we going to do now?’ Of course, you’re going togo into a panic.” Let it be okay to have those emotions. Those are just
natural responses. They’re just part of humanness. You don’t have to label it
that you are responding that way. It’s humanness  that’s responding that way.
The average human will go through a period of dismay, panic, fear, and
then, of course, they will start making plans and discussing in their own
mind what reparative steps they’re going to take to ensure survival now that
they’ve, say, lost their job.
Otherwise, what happens is one of these phases becomes protracted. You
get stuck in grieving, or you get stuck in fear, or you get stuck in
resentment. That’ s not due to worry, fear, or anger. The problem  there is one
of stuckness: why are you unwilling to move on?
I would point out to a patient, “Well, what are you getting out of this
constant resentment?”
The patient would say their wife has left them or their boss has fired
them or somethi ng, but they’re milking it. I wanted them to see that they’re
milking it. I would tell them, “Well, that was a couple of years ago. It’s time
to get over it.” That they’re milking it, feeding off of it, and they’re using it.
They begin to see that they are indeed propagating the resentment
themselves.
In our present society, the competition is for victimhood. It’s almost
hilarious how people want to rush onstage to tell you how they’re the
victim. And they’re almost in competition to see who’ s the most wronged.
Who’ s the most wronged gender  or race or color? Who’ s a victim  of money,
social position, politics? Every body’ s out there in the competition to see
who has been the most wronged.
It’s like a moral competition. Who’s the most wronged here? Is it the old
people or the young people? The Republicans or the Democrats? Who’ s
getting the biggest part of the wrong? It’s almost comical when you see it.
Everybody just loves to rush on television and say how they’ve been
wronged. That’ s narcissism—to milk everything for all you can get out of
it. And then when you finally see it for what it’s worth, and you see it
through the viewpoint of the self-feeding of narcissism, you only feel sorry
that people got stuck in it. It’s one thing to, as a passing phase, milk a crisis
for all it’s worth, but then there’ s a time to get over it. What you want to do
is help people get over it and move on in life.MOVING T O THE CONSCIOUSNESS LEVEL OF HOPE
Dr. Haw kins says that problems are not handled on the level at which
they seem to be occurring, but on the next higher consciousness level. Here,
he’ll tell us why.
Grief can’t be handled on the level of grief. You look at the levels of
consciousness and you see where you’re at, and then you move up. From
grief or resentment or something like that, you can move up to acceptance
and stop personalizing it. It’s not you; it’s the nature of life. It’s the nature
of proto plasmic life. It’s the nature of human life. It’s the nature of life in
this country at this time. The employment rate has nothing to do with you
personally. These are all personal phenomena. You learn to sort of
generalize it, and not take it personally and move up to the next level of
consciousness, which is hope.
When you lose one job, instead of dismay, anger, resentment, and
depression, you move up to neutral. You move into thinking, So I lost this
job—so what?  You look at job listings, and there are lots of jobs. You walk
down the street, and there are a lot of jobs. The town I live in, you can walk
down any street in the business district and you’ll see help wanted signs.
Right in the middle of the great unemployment crisis, there’ s help wanted
signs in practically half the stores. Everybody wants help. People don’t
want to work those hours, or for that kind of money, or under those
conditions. But if you let all that go, you’d be happy to walk down the street
and make good money every single day washing windows. You just see that
it’s not really a financial problem, but it’s one of choice that you really
don’t want to move to the level of window washer. You want  to do


, the material world tapered of f
into subtler and subtler worlds. Devas had their own lokas, as did the gods
and demons. Ancestors dwelt in a loka set apart for spirits in transition from
one lifetime to the next.
Asita had been raised on this knowledge. He knew also that all these
planes mer ged into each other like wet dyed cloths hung too close on the
line, the blue bleeding into the red, the red into the saf fron yellow. Lokas
were apart and together at the same time. Demons could move among
humans, and often did. The reverse, a mortal visiting the demon loka, was
much rarer.
He plunged his head under the water, then flung it back, sending long
streams dripping from his uncut beard and hair. On days when he needed
food, Asita carried his begging bowl down into one of the villages. Not
even the youngest child was frightened to see a naked old man on the street
with hair and beard down to his waist. Ascetics were a normal sight, and it
was a sacred duty, if a wandering hermit showed up at one’ s door near
sunset, to of fer food and hospitality.
Asita wasn’ t hungry this day, however. There were other ways to keep
the prana,  or life current, going. If he did visit the demon loka, it wouldtake enormous prana to sustain his body. There would be no air for his
lungs to breathe among the demons.
He allowed the brilliant Himalayan sun to dry his body as he walked
above the tree line. Demons do not literally live on mountaintops, but Asita
had learned special powers that allowed him to penetrate the subtle world.
He had to get as far away as possible from human beings to exercise these
abilities. The atmosphere was dense around population. In Asita’ s eyes a
quiet village was a seething cauldron of emotions; every person—except
only small infants—was immersed in a fog of confusion, a dense blanket of
fears, wishes, memories, fantasy, and longing. This fog was so thick that the
mind could barely pierce it.
But in the mountains Asita could find a bedrock of silence. Sitting in
that enveloping emptiness, he could direct his mind, as clean as the flight of
an arrow, to any object or place. It was really the mind that went to the
demon loka, but Asita had such one-pointed clarity that he could travel with
it.
And so it came about that the demon king Mara found himself staring at
a most unwelcome intruder. He glared at the naked old man sitting in lotus
position before his throne. Nothing like it had happened in a long while.
“Go away,” Mara growled. “Just because you got here doesn’ t mean
you can’ t be destroyed.” The old man didn’ t move. His yogic concentration
must have been strong, because his lean brown body, as tough as the sinew
showing under its skin, grew sharper in outline. Mara would have
commanded some lesser demons to torment the intruder, but these hermits
weren’ t so easily dismissed, so Mara bided his time.
After a moment the old man’ s eyes opened. “Y ou do not welcome me?”
His voice was mild, but Mara read irony in it.
“No! There’ s nothing for you here.” The dead and departed passed
through Mara’ s hands, but it displeased him to meet mortals under any other
circumstances.“I didn’ t come for myself. I came for you,” the old man said. He rose
and looked around. The demon loka is a world as varied as the material
world, and it has its regions of greater and lesser pain. Since torment did not
threaten Asita, he beheld only a dense, noxious fog surrounding him. “I
bring you news.”
“I doubt it.” Mara moved restlessly in his seat. As temple paintings
often depict him, his throne was made of skulls. His body was red with
flames spitting around it, and instead of one horrible face he possessed four,
which turned like a weathervane, presenting fear, temptation, disease, and
death.
“Someone is coming to meet you. Soon, very soon,” Asita said.
“Millions have met me,” Mara shrugged. “Who are you?”
“I am Asita.” The old hermit stood up and faced Mara directly. “Buddha
is coming.” This caused a slight tremor, nothing more, to run through
Mara’ s body. Asita noticed it. “I knew you would be intrigued.”
“I doubt you know anything.” Mara wasn’ t simply being arrogant. T o
him, Asita was a blank. There was nothing to hold on to, no ground for
temptation or fear to stand on. “Who picked you as messenger? Y ou’re
deluded.”
Asita ignored this and repeated the word that had made Mara tremble.
“Buddha is coming. I hope you’re prepared.”
“Silence!”
Until that moment Mara had paid as much attention to Asita as to a
small seasonal famine or an insignificant plague. Now he leaped from his
throne and shrank to human size, keeping only one of his four demonic
faces, death. “What if he comes? He’ll abandon the world, just as you did.
Nothing more.”
“If you believe that, then you have for gotten what Buddha can do,”
Asita said calmly.“Really? Look!” Mara opened his mouth, which was solid blackness
behind his fangs. The blackness expanded, and Asita could see the mass of
suffering that Mara embodied. He saw a web of souls caught in turmoil, a
tangle of war and disease and every version of pain that the demons could
devise.
When he felt that the spectacle had had its ef fect, Mara slowly closed
his mouth again, and the darkness receded back inside him. “Buddha?” he
said contemptuously. “I’ll make them think that he’ s the demon.” The
prospect brought a smile.
“Then let me speak as a friend, and I will tell you your fatal weakness,”
Asita said. He sat down in lotus position, folding his legs over each other,
making the mudra  of peace with his thumb and forefinger. “Being the
monarch of fear, you’ve for gotten how to be afraid yourself.”
Enraged by this insult, Mara roared and swelled to monstrous size as the
hermit suddenly faded away. He could feel the possibility of Buddha like
the faintest light before dawn. Still, Mara was blind. He believed humans
would ignore yet another pure soul. This was a mistake. The child on the
horizon would be noticed because what he stood for was destiny.
OceanofPDF.com3
The silk curtains to Maya’ s chamber parted, and Kumbira rushed out. The
only thing she could be grateful for was that no one else knew yet. Her
slippers padded quickly, quietly down the corridor. Night had fallen. The
seventh day of the full moon was rising after the baby prince’ s birth, casting
bars of ghostly light onto the polished teak floors of the palace. Kumbira
paid no attention.
After dinner Suddhodana had retired to the nursery to be alone with his
son. When Kumbira ran in, breathless and speechless, her face wore an
expression he had seen only once before, when his father, the old king—
“No!”
The cry sprang from him involuntarily. Horror chased the gladness from
his heart and clamped tight bands around his chest.
Sorrowfully, Kumbira drew her sari over her head to mask her face.
Tears dripped from her tired eyes.
“What have you monsters done to her?” Suddhodana demanded. He
swept past Kumbira, knocking her to the ground with a glancing blow. At
the canopied bed, the king tore the drawn sheets away to reveal his wife.
Maya looked as if she only slept, but the stillness that claimed her was
complete. Suddhodana dropped to his knees and took her hands, whose
coolness seemed temporary, the kind he could rub away whenever she felt a
chill. Involuntarily he started to rub them now.Kumbira allowed an hour to pass before she crept into the room with a
retinue of court ladies. They were there to console but also to bring dignity.
Grief, like everything else surrounding a king, was a matter of ritual. The
moment Suddhodana consented to leave, attendants were prepared with
ointments, winding sheets, and ceremonial marigolds to adorn the body.
The wailing women were on call, and of course a dozen Brahmins with
prayers and censers.
“Highness.” W ith a word, Kumbira brought all this to the king’ s
attention. Suddhodana looked up blankly. Kumbira waited a moment to see
if she would have to repeat herself. As he gently placed Maya’ s arm across
her chest, Suddhodana shuddered. It wasn’ t just that his wife had often slept
that way, one arm folded across herself, the other across him. It was also
that the king felt a slight stif fness creeping into Maya’ s limbs. T ouch being
the


 at how much emotion they feel at some
point during these exercises. Again, it’s part and parcel of the process—you
are allow ing these trapped feelings to release, but you have to feel them
first.
Step 8. Let’s return to “bright and shiny”  from step 7. Once you have
tapped a few EFT sequences  using the reminder phrase, retest your
intensity. If the compulsion toward your crave object because they are
bright and shiny has gone down to a 2 or below, move on to a different
aspect that’ s enchanting you.
Step 9. You continue this way, performing the EFT basic recipe and
tapping down the points on every aspect that comes up relating to your
craving until all are neutralized  to zero. You’ll see some suggestions for
amping up the craving and testing for intensity in step 1 1.
Note: If you feel suddenly flooded with emotion, keep tapping while
tuned into the feelings; they will pass. When you’re tuned in like this, you
can let go of the words.
Step 10. At a certain point, some people will clear the body feeling, the
feeling of the craving, and then get in touch with a specific memory that
happened much earlier in their lives that is where the core disruption
happened. This means the mem ory is linked to the origins of the craving.
Maybe Sam, in exploring the origins of his cravings and overeating of salty
foods, remembers back to his childhood, when he used to gobble junk food
before his paren ts got home from work. It turns out he had perfectionist
parents who expected far too much of him, and he turned to food to comfort
and insulate himself against the anxiety he felt when his parents were home.
He got approval  from doing what was “beyond his means” but at a cost that
he still is paying off today. How could he clear this? Look for specific
events and apply T ell the Story technique.
Some people won’t remember any specific past event, but the intensity of
the body sensations and feelings are still happening. In cases like these, thememory may be “implicit,” meaning not consciously remember ed. You can
go ahead and make up an event in this case and tap on aspects just as you
would a “real” past event. Y ou are still accessing the core disruption.
Step 11. Maybe you have resolved the feelings. Maybe you just ate the
crave object. Okay, we will take a moment to tap on being okay no matter
what just happened. Beating yourself up hasn’ t worked, so how about
accepting yourself instead?
Even though I just ate the thing I want to get rid of and I can’t stand it,
I deeply and completely accept and forgive myself. (Reminder phrase:
“can’ t stand that I just ate it”)
Even though I feel like I failed, I love myself anyway. (Reminder
phrase: “feel like a failure”)
Even though I feel so much despair and hopelessness because I gave in
again, I love, honor, and accep t myself, even if I never get over this.
(Reminder phrase:  “this despair and hopelessness”)
After giving in to a craving, this could be a point where a tapalong can
allow you an emotional break from the deep stuff—like a wayside rest on
the side of a beautiful winding road with an amazing vista in the distance.
This is an alternative to Gold Standard EFT. Here you talk through your
feelings, whatever comes up. Y ou can customize as you see fit:
Top of head:  I ate the whole darn thing, and I feel like such a failure.
Inside eyebrow:  I was supposed to get over this, not give in to it.
Outside eye:  Will I ever get through this?
Side of eye:  I have no self-control.
Under nose:  I don’t want anyone to know about this. I’m going to keep it a
secret. I’m so ashamed.
Chin:  What if I never get over this?
Collarbone:  I wish I didn’ t feel this way, but I do. Or maybe it just means
the craving is sitting on some pretty big feelings and hurts.Under arm:  Compassion might be more useful here than beating myself up.
I alread y know how to beat myself up. Now, I’m learning self-
compassion. How would it feel to just accept what happened and be okay
with it?
Second sequence
Top of head:  Still, I should be able to get over this. I should. I’m strong
enough. I’m good enough. I’m capable enough. Just not about this. And it
matters so much to me.
Inside eyebrow:  I’m sad that I can’ t seem to do it.
Side of eye: I’m angry that I can’t seem to fix this. I’m mad that the tapping
doesn’ t seem to work … or maybe it’s working too well and bringing up
all the big feelin gs that I didn’ t even know were under wraps …. Maybe
I could give myself some compassion.
Under eye: Compassion? Yeah, right. Here I am tapping to give up the
craving, but I gave into it. If feels so disappointing, like I’ll never get it
right.
Under nose:  But I want to make this change. It’s hard to feel the feelings
that tapping brings up. That’ s what feels hard. But the feelings are
moving through—finally.
Chin:  Am I ready to get over it? Do I really want to? Do I really have to?
What if I have to make changes I’m not ready to make?
Collarbone: And what if I don’t? What if I don’t have to do anything till
I’m good and ready. Even if I never release this craving, I’m still okay,
lovable, worthy, and sometimes even fun and joyful. I’m still a human
being who has value and is worthy of love, including self-love.
Under arm:  What if I could accept myself just as I am, craving and all?
After all, the craving isn’t all of me. It’s just a habit I learned a long time
ago. I’m just unlearning it now.
Top of head:  What if I could accept that I ate the (crave object), even when
I didn’t want to, and it’s still okay? Did I learn to walk in a day? Did Ilearn to talk in a day? I’m just learning a new skill, and I give myself the
time I need to feel my feelings and practice. I honor this process and I
honor and acknowledge my courage, faith, strength, resilience, and
highest self.
Step 12. Back to the main exercise. If you have resolved the feelings,
sensations, resistance, thoughts,  events, relating to the craving, now draw
on all your senses to answer any of these questions that are relevant to your
craving to elicit intensity. This is called uncovering hidden aspects. Tap
down the intens ity on anything that elicits intensity, all the way down to
zero, or until you no longer have any desire for the crave object.
When you put the package in your hand, how much do you want it now
on the 0 to 10 scale?
When you open the package, how much do you want it now?
When you see the contents of the package, how much do you want it?
When you smell the contents of the package, how much do you want it?
When you bring the contents closer to you, how much do you want it?
When you think that you will not get to have the contents of the
package, how much do you want it?
When you are afraid you’ll be deprived or you’re worried about what
you’ll do or who you’ll be without access to the contents of the
package, how much do you want it?
What does this crave object represent to you?
What feelings are associated with the crave object (include positive,
negative, shame, and self-judgment feelings)?
What self-talk is associated with the crave object?
What specific memories are associated with the crave object?
What is this crave object protecting you from? What is it making up for
in your life?
Do the feelings under the crave object remind you of any events in your
life in which you had similar feelings?
What specifically does this crave object give you?If there were a metaphor for this crave object, what would it be?
Step 13. Ask yourself if you are neutral  about the crave object. If so, do
the in situ  test. Put yourse lf in the situation with the crave object, and tap on
anything else that arises until you are fully neutral about the crave object. If
you have a donut craving from a specific store, you will be able to go to that
store and pass it by without any feeling of wanting. If you do have wanting,
tap on that.
Remember to also include tapping for what the object represen ts to you.
Separate the food from the emotion, as I described in Zoe’s case earlier. In
Zoe’s case, the emotional issues under the cravings were positive and
comforting. More often, however, the issues are times in a person’ s life
when he or she has felt scared, alone, helpless, or lost. When the craving is
salty, ask yourself, what does this salt need represent to me? Rubbing salt in
the wound in your life? Sweet cravings? Where do you need more
sweetness, kindness


 e  h u g e  m i s t a k e s  t h a t
a f f e c t  o u r s e l v e s  a n d  o t h e r s  f o r  y e a r s  o r  e v e n  a  l i f e t i m e ;  f o r
t h o s e  o f  u s  w h o  c a n ’ t  g e t  o v e r  o u r  f e e l i n g s  o f  g u i l t  a b o u t
t h i s  o r  t h a t.  L i k e  p r o d i g a l  s o n s,  t h o s e  o f  u s  w h o  h a v e
d e v i a t e d  m o s t  f r o m  l o v e  a r e  n o t  r e l e g a t e d  b y  G o d  t o  t h e
p e r i p h e r y  o f  m e a n i n g.  Q u i t e  t h e  o p p o s i t e ;  t h e  F a t h e r  o f  t h e
p r o d i g a l  s o n  d i d n ’ t  r e j e c t  h i s  s o n  b u t  r e j o i c e d  t o  s e e  h i m
c o m e  h o m e.  O u r  m i s t a k e s  a r e  s o m e t i m e s  w h a t  i t  t a k e s  t o
m a k e  u s  h u m b l e,  a n d  t h a t ’ s  w h e n  w e ’ r e  m o s t  o f  u s e  t o  H i m.
T o  G o d  w e ’ r e  n e v e r  d a m a g e d  g o o d s.  H e  t u r n s  o u r  s c a r s  i n t o
b e a u t y  m a r k s.

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I  f o u n d  t u r n i n g  f i f t y  h a r d e r  t h a n  I  e x p e c t e d  i t  t o  b e.
S o m e w h e r e  a r o u n d  t w o  o r  t h r e e  m o n t h s  b e f o r e  t h e  b i g
d a y,  I  s t a r t e d  t o  b e  h a u n t e d  b y  m e m o r i e s  o f  a  y o u t h  n o w
i r r e v o c a b l y  o v e r.  A s  m u c h  a s  I  t o l d  m y s e l f  t h a t  f i f t y  i s  t h e
n e w  f o r t y,  w h a t  I  r e a l l y  w a n t e d  i n  m y  h e a r t  w a s  t o  h a v e  t h e
o l d  f o r t y  b a c k.  I  h a d  w a k i n g  n i g h t m a r e s  o f  b l a z i n g
m e m o r i e s — t h i n g s  I  h a d n ’ t  h a n d l e d  w e l l,  s t u p i d  c h o i c e s  I
h a d  m a d e  a n d  c o u l d  n o t  m a k e  o v e r,  c h a n c e s  I  t h o u g h t  w e r e
n e v e r  m o r e  t o  b e  r e t r i e v e d.  G r i e v i n g  t h e  g l o r y  o f  m y
y o u n g e r  y e a r s,  I  h a d  t o  f a c e  m y s e l f  a n d  a l l  t h e  p a i n  t h a t
c o m e s  w i t h  i t.
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t h i n g,  b u t  n o t  t o  w o r r y — a l l  o f  a  s u d d e n  t h e  a n x i e t y  w o u l d
l i f t.  A n d  i n d e e d  t h a t  i s  t h e  w a y  i t  h a p p e n e d  f o r  m e.  S i t t i n g
a t  a n  o u t s i d e  c a f é  l a t e  o n  t h e  n i g h t  o f  m y  b i g  f i v e - O,
l o o k i n g  u p  a t  t h e  E i f f e l  T o w e r  l i t  u p  a g a i n s t  t h e  s k y,  I  f e l t
t h e  p a i n  l i f t.  I n  a n  i n s t a n t,  i t  w a s  a l l  o k a y.  I  k n e w  t h e  s u n
h a d  s e t  o n  w h a t  w a s  n o  l o n g e r,  b u t  I  h a d  a  s e n s e  t h a t
s o m e t h i n g  n e w  w o u l d  n o w  d a w n  t o  t a k e  i t s  p l a c e.
G i r l f r i e n d s  h a d  t o l d  m e  t h a t  t h e  f i f t i e s  a r e  g r e a t  b e c a u s e
y o u  d o n ’ t  c a r e  a n y m o r e  w h a t  o t h e r s  t h i n k.  I  d o n ’ t  k n o w  i f
t h a t  w i l l  b e  t r u e  f o r  m e,  b u t  I  d o  k n o w  t h a t  I ’ m  n o t  w h o  I
u s e d  t o  b e.  F i f t y  i s  a s  d i f f e r e n t  f r o m  f o r t y  a s  f o r t y  i s  f r o m
t h i r t y  a n d  t h i r t y  f r o m  t w e n t y.  W i t h  t h e  c o m i n g  o f  f i f t y,  o n e
m a k e s  a  t r a n s i t i o n  a s  f u n d a m e n t a l  a s  t h a t  o f  p u b e r t y.  I  h a v e
s e t t l e d  i n t o  t h e  p a r a d o x  o f  m i d d l e  a g e.O n  o n e  h a n d,  I  f i n a l l y  h a v e  s o m e  s e n s e  o f  w h a t  I ’ m


 Clinical research on the identified hidden ener gy patterns, or
psychiatric discipline at least essays a
paradigm. Such an insight can bypass the
physiology of the nervous system and the
attractors (which had been postulated by
somewhat lar ger view of man than other
artificial dichotomy between subject and
holistic functioning of the human the advanced mathematics of nonlinear
traditional medical fields.
object, transcending the limitedor ganism resulted in the development in
equations) behind apparently random
Regardless what branch of inquiry one
viewpoint that creates the illusion of
the 1970s of the new science of natural phenomena. Computer graphics
starts from-philosophy, political theory,
duality. The subjective and objective are,
13
14
in fact, one and the same,10 as can be
map of the fields of human
Attractors
discoveries of Einstein, Heisenber g, Bell,
demonstrated without resort to nonlinear
consciousness, is known as attractor
Attractor is the name given to an Bohr and other great innovators, our
equations or computer graphics.
research. It is concerned with the
identifiable pattern that emer ges from a
model of the universe expanded rapidly.
By identifying subjective and objective
identification of power ranges of ener gyseemingly unmeaningful mass of data.
Advanced theoretical physics
as the same, we are able to transcend the
fields utilizing critical point analysis.1 1
There is a hidden coherence in all that
demonstrated that everything in the
constraints of the concept of time, which
(Critical point analysis is a technique
appears incoherent. This inner coherence
universe is subtly dependent upon
by its very definition is a major hindrance
derived from the fact that in any highly
was first demonstrated in nature by
everything else. 14
to comprehension of the nature of life,
complex system there is a specific critical
Lorenz in studying computer graphics
The classic Newtonian four -dimensional
especially in its expression as human
point at which the smallest input will
derived from weather patterns over long
universe is often described as a giantexperience. If in actuality the subjective
result in the greatest change. The great
courses of time. The attractor pattern he
clockworks with the three dimensions of
and objective are one and the same, then
gears of a windmill can be halted by
identified is now quite famous as space manifesting linear processes in
we can find the answers to all questions
lightly touching the right escape
"Lorenz's Butterfly."
time. If we look at an even simpler
by merely looking within man himself.
mechanism; it is possible to paralyze a
Dif ferent types of attractors are denoted
clockworks we will notice that some
By simply recording observations, we
giant locomotive if you know exactly
by dif ferent names, for instance, strange
gears move slowly and ponderously,
can see a grand picture emer ge, one that
where to put your finger.)
attractors. But most important to ourwhile others move very rapidly, with tiny
predicates no limitations to the extent of
Nonlinear dynamics enables these
research is the discovery that some balances twirling about as escape
further investigation.
significant patterns to be identified in
patterns are very powerful and others are
mechanisms seesaw back and forth. T o
All of us have available to us at all times
complex presentations, even when they
much weaker. There is a critical point
place pressure on one of the lar ge moving
a computer far more advanced than the
are obscured by incoherence or sheer
which dif ferentiates the two distinct gears would have no ef fect on the
most elaborate artificial intelligence mass of indecipherable data. It
discovers classes. This phenomenon is parallel and
mechanism; however, somewhere there is
machine-the human mind itself. The the relevance in what the world
discards corollary to the high and low ener gy
a delicate balance mechanism at which
basic function of any measuring device is
as irrelevant, using an entirely dif ferentbonds in the mathematics of the chemical
the slightest touch stops the entire device.
simply to give a signal indicating the
approach and totally dif ferent methods of
bond.
This is identified as the "critical point"
detection by the instrument of slight
problem resolution from the ones the
where the least force exerts the greatest
change. In the experiments to be world is used to. 12
Fields of Dominance
ef fect.
described, the reactions of the human
The world conventionally assumes that
A field of dominance is exhibited by high
Causality
body itself prow isle such a signal of
the processing of problems requires
ener gy patterns in their influence over
change in conditions. As will be seen, the
starting from the known (the question or
weaker ones. This may be likened to (33)W ithin the observable world causality
body can discern to the finest degree the
conditions) and moving on to the
the coexistence of a small magnetic field
has conventionally been presumed to
dif ference between that which is unknown (the answer) in a time
sequence within the much lar ger field of a giant
work in the following manner:
supportive of life and that which is not.
following definite steps and logical
electromagnet. The phenomenological
A Æ B Æ C
W e should not be surprised at this.
progression. Nonlinear dynamics moves
universe is the expression of the (34) This is called a deterministic linear
Living things all react to what is life-in the opposite direction: from the
interaction of endless attractor patterns of
sequence-like billiard balls sequentially
supportive and what is not; this is the
unknown (the non-deterministic data of
varying strengths. The unending striking each other. The implicit
fundamental mechanism of survival. the question) to the known (the
answer)!complexities of life are the reflections of
presumption is that A causes B causes C.
Inherent in all life forms is the capacity
It operates within a dif ferent paradigm of
the endless reverberations of the But our own research indicates that
to detect change and react correctively,
causality. The problem is seen as one of
augmentations and diminutions of these
causality operates in a completely
Thus, trees become smaller at higher
definition and access rather than of
fields, compounded by their harmonics
dif ferent manner:
elevations as the oxygen in the logical sequence (as in solving a problem
and other interactions.
A
B
C
atmosphere becomes scarcer. Human by dif ferential equations).13
Critical Point Analysis
protoplasm is far more (31) sensitive than
But before we attempt defining the↓
↓
↓
that of a tree.
questions of this study further, let us
The traditional Newtonian concept of
A Æ B Æ C
causality (see below) had excluded all
The methodology, proceeding from the
examine some of the material we have
From this diagram we see that cause
such "non-deterministic" data because it
study of nonlinear dynamics, which we
introduced in greater detail.
(ABC), which is unobservable, results in
did not fit into its paradigm. W ith the
employed in this work of developing a
(32)
the sequence AÆBÆC, which is an
15
16
in fact, one and the same,10 as can bemap of the fields of human
Attractors
discoveries of Einstein, Heisenber g, Bell,
demonstrated without resort to nonlinear
consciousness, is known as attractor
Attractor is the name given to an Bohr and other great innovators, our
equations or computer graphics.
research. It is concerned with the
identifiable pattern that emer ges from a
model of the universe expanded rapidly.
By identifying subjective and objective
identification of power ranges of ener gy
seemingly unmeaningful mass of data.
Advanced theoretical physics
as the same, we are able to transcend the
fields utilizing critical point analysis.1 1
There is a hidden coherence in all that
demonstrated that everything in the
constraints of the concept of time, which
(Critical point analysis is a technique
appears incoherent. This inner coherence
universe is subtly dependent uponby its very definition is a major hindrance
derived from the fact that in any highly
was first demonstrated in nature by
everything else. 14
to comprehension of the nature of life,
complex system there is a specific critical
Lorenz in studying computer graphics
The classic Newtonian four -dimensional
especially in its expression as human
point at which the smallest input will
derived from weather patterns over long
universe is often described as a giant
experience. If in actuality the subjective
result in the greatest change. The great
courses of time. The attractor pattern he
clockworks with the three dimensions of
and objective are one and the same, then
gears of a windmill can be halted by
identified is now quite famous as space manifesting linear processes in
we can find the answers to all questions
lightly touching the right escape
"Lorenz's Butterfly."time. If we look at an even simpler
by merely looking within man himself.
mechanism; it is possible to paralyze a
Dif ferent types of attractors are denoted


 Robert T. Sanders for his tireless efforts in the past five years at getting my v iews on
chronic dehydration to be heard by the people he thinks might wish to help in its spread.
I would also like to thank all of those who  have been exuberant supporters and have encouraged me to continue
and not get tired. Finally, I would like to thank Mrs. Dorothy Heindel for her editorship of all of my manuscrip ts and
books.
F. Batmanghelidj, M.D. February 1995
Introduction
DON'T TREAT  THIRST WITH M EDICATIONS
The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them."
-Albert Einstein
In December of 1990, Dr. Louis Sullivan, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, reported a rise of 11 percent
in the cost of providing health care to the nation. This cost is estimated to reach $1.6 trillion by the year 2000 and to
consume 28% of the GNP b y the year 2010, if allowed to continue the present trends.
The Washington Post, in one of its recent health care analyses, has estimated the 1994 health care costs w ould
reach $1,029.6 billion. Of this amount, $934.8 billion is personal health care costs incurred by the public. Th e federal
government is sa id to be responsible for only $94.8 billion of expenditure. However, this vast expenditure becomes
taxable income for the 9.5 million people employed  at present in the health care system in America. It is dear that
the government stands to gain from the rise in the health care costs o f the nation. Thus, there exists a conflict of
interest betwee n the needs of the public and the intention of the government to preserve its income base.
In light of this understanding, we can see why the government would not be interested in taking steps to reduce the
health care
costs of the American people, even though they are by now aware of the basis of the problem. It becomes obvious
that the people are responsible for their own health. They have to protect themselves from commercial
considerations of the health care operators and the government that wishes to maintain health care costs at present
levels.
You see, the health care crisis of America that will bankrupt the nation if permitted to continue in its present trend, is
not caused by th e way it  is operated. Nor is it entirely the result of greed-based pricing. It is caused by a most
primitive mistake in the basic premise in the science of physiology that is foundation to all medical and scientific
knowledge of the human body. It is caused because the public and the prof essionals don't yet  know when th e
human body is thirsty fo r water!
This situation does not need to remain, or become as desperate as it seems. Very extensive clinical observations
on dyspeptic pain and evaluative research into the physiology of chronic pains sh ow a simple and fundamental
solution to the health care problem of the nation is available. The beauty of this solution is that it is entirely science-
based. It involves a new physiologic understanding of the human body. Th e new information about the human body,
as you must have guessed  from the title of the book, follows.
WHY "MEDICI NE" DOESN'T CURE DISEASE
Medical professionals of today do not understand the vital roles of water in the human body.
Medications are palliatives. They are not designed to cure the degenerative diseases of the human body.
In this book, we will discuss the role of water in the body and how a brief understanding of this topic can transform
the health needs of our society. We will learn how p reventive medicine can become the main approach to health
care in any society. In this book, and in the discussions that follow, the hero is water. We will look at every
explanation with the view that water is the primary substance and the leading agent in the routine events that take
place in the human body. With the primary role of water in mind, we will look at som e disease conditions. The
missing role of water in physiological situations that will eventually become disease conditions will be discussed.
In the "diseases" that will be discussed, a possible initial role of water metabolism disturbance will need to be
excluded before we assume these conditions to have been caused through other processes. This is the true
meaning of a preventive approach to health care. We should first exclude the simpler causes for disease
Emergence
in the body and then think of the more complicated. The simple truth is that dehydration can cause disease.
Everyone knows that wat er is "good" for the body. Th ey seem not to know how essential it is to one's well-being.
They do not know what happens to the body if it does not receive its daily need of water. After  this short book is
read, you will have a clearer understanding of this issue.
The solution for prevention and treatment of dehydration-produced diseases is wat er intake on a regular basis. Th is
is what we will define in this book We will discuss why, i n a majority of case s, the conditions that will be mentionedare to be viewed  as dehydration-produced disorders. If, by the simple intake of an added amount of water every day
you can get better, you will not need to worry. You  should seek professional help if the adjustment to dietary needs
of your body does not help and a medical problem continues to trouble you. What is offered is the needed
knowledge for disease prevention and cure of dehydration diseases.
At the end of the book, when the relationship of chronic dehydration and disease emergence has become clear to
the reader, information will be provided on the needed adjustments to daily water intake, and the complementary
diet to prevent "dehydration diseases," o r even cure them, if a totally irreversible situation has not developed.
THE BASICS
When the human body developed from the species that wer e given life in water, the same dependence on the life-
giving properties of water were inherited. The role of water itself in the body of living species, mankind included, has
not changed since the first creation of life from salt water and its subsequent adaptation to fresh water.
When life on land became an objective for advancement beyond the immediate vicinity of water supply (even
beyond amphibian life)—the stressful adventure beyon d the known boundaries—a gradually refined body water-
preservation system had to be created for further species development. This process of temporary adaptation to
transient dehydration also became inherited as a well-established mechanism in the human body and is now th e
infrastructure to all operative systems within the body of modern humans.
For the earlier water-dwelling species, adventure beyond their known boundaries would constitute great stress,
because they would dry up. This "stress " would establish a domin ant physiology for crisis management of water. In
the now "stressed " humans, exactly the same translation and the physiology of crisis m anagement of water
becomes established. The process primarily involves a strict rationing of the water "reserves" of the body. It is
assumed that water supply for the immediate needs of the body will be limited. Management of the available
reserves of water in the body becomes the responsibility of a complex sy stem.
This complex m ulti-level water rationing and distribution process remains in operation until the body re ceives
unmistakable signals t hat it has g ained access to adequ ate water  supply. Since every function of  the body is
monitored and pegged to the flow of water, "water  managem ent" is the only way of making sure that a dequa te
amounts of water and its transported nutrients first reach the more vital organs that will have to confront and deal
with any new "stress."  This mechanism became more and more established for survival against natural enemies
and predators. It is the ultimate operative system for survival In fight or flight situations. It is still the operative
mechanism in the competitive environment of modern life in the socie ty.
One of the unavoidable processes in the body water rationing phase is the com plete cruelty with which some
functions are monitored so that one structure does not receive more than its predetermined share of water. This is
true for all organs of the body. Within these systems of water rationing, the brain function takes absolute priority
over all the other systems—th e brain is l/50th of the total body weight, but it receives 18-20 percent of blood
circulation. When the "ration masters" in charge of body water reserve regulation and distribution become more and
more active, they also give their own alarm signals to show that the area in question is sh ort of water, very much like
the radiator of a car giving out steam whe n the cooling system is not adequate for the uphill drive of the car.
In advanced societies, thinking that tea, coffee, alcohol, and manufactured beverages are desirable substitutes for
the purely natural water needs of the daily "stressed" body is an elementary but catastrophic mistake. It is true that
these beverages contain water, but what else they contain are dehydrating agents. They get rid of the water they are
dissolved in plus so me more water from the reserves of the body! Today, m odem life-style makes people
dependent on all sorts of beverages that are commercially manufactured. Children are not educated to drink water;
they become dependent on sodas and juices. This is a  self-imposed restriction on the water needs of the body. It is
not generally possible to drink manufactured beverages in full replacement of the water needs of the body. At the
same time, a cultivated preference for the taste


Another questi on that arose was who am I who keeps
noticing all this mental activity? Who am I who can just
watch thoughts come up with a complete sense of
detachment?
I now had two driving forces awaken inside regarding
this new ly foun d voice in my head. One was the desire to
shut it up and the other was the pure fascination and
yearning to understand what  that voice was and where it
came from.I me ntioned that prior to this  inner awakening, my life
was pretty ordinary. I only say that in comparison to
what m y life became. I became a driven human being. I
wanted to know about the vo ice I had discovered, and I
wanted to know who I was—the one inside experiencing
all o f th is. I began to spend h ours on end in the graduate
school l ibrary. But I was not in the economics section; I
was in the psy chology section. There was no way that
others had not noticed this vo ice talking inside. It was so
prevalent that you couldn’t miss it. I scanned through
Freud trying to find the answers to my questions. I read
book after book, but I found  no direct reference to the
voice talking inside—not to mention any reference to the
one who is aware that the voice is talking.
In thos e days, I would talk about the voice to anyone
who would listen. They all must have thought I was
crazy. I remember one encounter with my very reserved,
highly c ultured Spanish professor. I ran into him one day
between classes and excitedl y told him that I had come
to u nderstand what it meant to be fluent in a language. I
explained to him that there was this voice inside your
head th at talks  to you about virtually everything—what
you like  and dislike, what you’re supposed to be doing
right now, and what you’ve done wrong in the past. If
that inner voice could speak in Spanish and you
immediately understood what it was saying, then you
were fluent in Spanish. If, however, the Spanish words
made no sense to you until you did the mental work of
translating them so that the voice would repeat them in
English, then you were not fluent in Spanish. It made
perfect sense—to me. I told him that if I were majoring in
language studies, I would do my doctoral dissertation on
that premise. Needless to say, my Spanish professor gave
me a very odd look, said something very polite, and went
on his way.
I d idn’t  care what he thought. I was on an exploration,
a journey of learning beyond anything I could haveimagined. Every day I was learning so much about
myself. I couldn’t believe the amount of self-
consciousness and fear bein g expressed through that
voice. I t was so obvious that  the person I was watching
inside c ared a great deal about what people thought of
him. This was especially true  of people I knew well. The
voice told me what to say  and what not to say. It
complained inc essantly when  something was not the way
it wanted. If a conversation w ith a friend en ded with the
slightest discord or disagreement, the conversation
would k eep going on inside m y head. I would watch the
voice wishfully  imagine how t he conversation could have
ended on a dif ferent note. I could see how much fear of
rejection and nonacceptance were being expressed
through that mental dialogu e. It was overwhelming at
times, b ut I never lost the perspective of watching a voice
talking inside.  It was obvi ous it wasn’t me; it was
something I was watching.
Imagine if you woke up one  day and a cacophony of
noise was all a round you. You wanted it to stop, but you
had no idea how to stop it. That is the effect the voice
was hav ing on me. One thing was perfectly clear: that
voice had always talked befor e. But I had been so lost in
it th at I  never noticed it as se parate from me. It was like
a fish not know ing it is in water until it gets out. One leap
into the  air and the fish instantly realizes, “There’s a
body of  water down there, an d that is where I’ve always
been. But now I see that I can get out.”
I did n’t like the voice of the m ind talking all the time.
It was just like an irritating n oise that I really wanted to
stop. Bu t it didn’t. For now I w as stuck with it. As it turns
out, however, I had not yet begun to fight.3.
T h e  P i l l a r s  o f  Z e n
M onths w ent by and I was still on my own with my inner
exploration. L ittle did I know that help was about to
arrive unexpectedly.
I had a classma te in my doctoral program named Mark
Waldman. He  was a bright  young man and an avid
reader on a broad range of subjects. Like everyone else,
Mark had heard me talking about my interest in the
voice. O ne day he brought m e a book he thought might
help. The book was entitled  Three Pillars of Zen,  by
Philip Kapleau.
I knew absolutely nothing about Zen Buddhism. I was
an intellectual who didn’t give religious matters a second
thought. I was brought up Je wish, but not very much so.
By the time I r eached college, religion played no part in
my life. If yo u had asked me if I was an atheist, I
probably would  have given you a blank stare. I had never
even thought about it.
I s tarted  leafing through the pages of the book on Zen,
and within minutes it became evident: this book was
about that voice. My heart practically stopped. I had
trouble breathing. This book was clearly about how to
stop that voice from talking. Passage after passage spoke
about quieting the mind. It used terms like the True Self
behind the mind. There was  no doubt that I had found
what I’d been looking for. I knew there had to be others
who had gained the perspecti ve of watching that voice of
the mind instead of identify ing with it. Not only was
there an entire legacy of kno wledge spanning thousands
of y ears that d ealt with the voice, but this book clearlydiscussed “getting out.” It talked about freeing yourself
from the hold of the mind. It talked about going beyond.
Needless to say, I was in awe. I felt a reverence for this
book th at I had never felt fo r anything in my life. I had
been forced to read and study  so many books in school. I
now ha d in my hands a book that answered some real
questions for me, like who a m I that watches that voice
talk. These were questions that I passionately wanted to
know the answers to. Truth is, it was way beyond want.  I
needed  to know these answers—tha t voice was driving
me crazy!
What Three P illars o f Zen  had to say was very clear
and unequivocal. It said to stop reading, talking, and
thinking about your mind, and just do the work
necessary to quiet it down. The required work was
equally unambiguous—meditate.
Before I even knew about meditation, I had tried
sitting alone in order to make  the voice stop talking. But
that ha d never worked for me. With this book, I was
presented a tried-and-true method that had worked for
thousands of others. Simply  sit down in a quiet spot,
watch your breath go in and o ut, and mentally repeat the
sound Mu.  That’s it. Now do that for an ever-increasing
length of time each day. In  Zen, the real work was
generally done in a group setting called a sessin.  In
traditional sett ings, a trained person would walk around
with a kyosaku  stick. If you st arted to sleep or lost focus
in a nother manner, you would get a smack on your
shoulders with the stick. Zen was strict; there was no
playing around. This form of Zen was serious work.
I didn’t have a group or a teacher. All I had was the
book an d a very sincere yearn ing to see if these practices
would t ake me  where I want ed to go. So I started to do
Zen me ditation on my own. At least it was my best
understanding of what Zen meditation is. At first I sat for
fifteen or twenty minutes eac h day. Within a week I built
that to half an hour, twice a day. There were no fireworksor deep experiences. But concentrating on my breath and
the mantra was definitely di verting my awareness from
the incessant chatter of the v oice. If I made the mental
voice say Mu,  it couldn’t say all the crazy personal things
it usually said. I quickly bega n to like the practice. I
looked forward  to the times I had put aside during the
day for meditation.
I w as no more  than a few weeks into my experiment
with Zen meditation when Sh el


 in -
teract, but nevertheless the space in which they appear is the same space.
Likewise, although two characters may never meet, they still share their
being. When we are moved by an image of a child in distress on the other
side of the world, we are, without necessarily realising it, feeling their being
as our own.
     This also explains why we sometimes meet a person for the first time but
feel we are reuniting with an old friend. We do not really meet them; we rec -
ognise them. There is something familiar about them and we feel at ease in
their company. In this case, it is not necessary to know anything about them
as a person to feel that, at the deepest level, we share our being.

In the experience of love, our shared being filters through the otherness of
the apparent other. The name and form of the other ceases to conceal our
shared being and becomes transparent to it. However, many long-term rela -
tionships end in conflict because the interaction of our personalities pro -
gressively obscures our shared being. We fall in love with someone’s essence;
we have to live with their personality.
     When we first meet, we feel our shared essence. That is the experience of
love. It is only later that we encounter each other’s personality, that is, the
layers of conditioning which subsequently veil our shared being. The word
‘personality’ comes from the Latin word persona, meaning ‘mask’, implying
a disguise that covers our real face. Our personalities prevent us from ‘seeing
the original face’ of our companion, that is, from feeling our shared being.
     If we look at whatever conflicts may exist in our own life, and when we
look around us at those that exist between individuals, communities and na -
tions, it is tragic to realise that, at the deepest level, everybody already loves
one another. That is, we all share our being.
151you are the happiness you seek
     Love is the recognition of our shared being. After all, when we love some -
one, do we not feel to a greater or lesser extent that everything that divides
or separates us dissolves? In love, the other is not other. This is true of our
relationship with animals as well as people.
     In fact, we do not  share  being, as if being were an attribute of individual
people. Ultimately, there are no individuals, no separate selves. There is just
infinite, indivisible and utterly intimate being, which shines in each of us as
the sense of ‘being myself’ or ‘I am’, before it is qualified by experience.
     Love is not a relationship between two people; it is the collapse  of rela -
tionship. It is the dissolution of everything that defines a person as a separate,
independently existing entity, and the revelation of the being that we share
with all others. It is the dawn of unity.
     As Rumi said, ‘Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere; they’re in each other
all along’. *

the self of all selves

Love is unconditional. It does not depend on the attitudes, opinions, actions
or behaviour of a person. It is simply the recognition that at the deepest level
we share our being.
     We are not required to like everybody, but we are called to love everybody.
We are called to recognise that their being is our being, that we share our
being, and to act and relate with them in a manner that is consistent with
this understanding. Whether or not we  like someone depends upon the ex -
tent to which our conditioning and theirs are in harmony, but there is no
room for preferences in love.
     Next time a loved one fails to treat us in the way that we would like to be
treated, or says something unkind or disrespectful, we may become aware of
the impulse to react emotionally and to retaliate on behalf of a hurt self. If we
look for that hurt self, we never find it. We may find thoughts, feelings and
actions that arise on behalf of a hurt self, but we never find the hurt self itself.
     When we trace our way back through the layers of thought and feeling
in search of our self, we find only the inherently peaceful and unconditionally
152* Jelaluddin Rumi, ‘The Minute I Heard My First Love Story’ ( 1246 ), The Essential Rumi, translated
by Coleman Barks (HarperOne, 2004 ).the unity of being
fulfilled presence of awareness. The self finds or recognises itself, the self of
all selves, the being of all beings.
     The impulse to react or retaliate on behalf of a hurt self dissolves in this
understanding. We may thank the other in our heart, if not to their face, for
exposing in us the residues of the ego, and welcome the opportunity to
deepen our conviction that we share our being with everyone, irrespective
of what they say or do.
     Whenever we think of, speak to or interact with another person, we should
first feel in our heart that we share our being with them, and then allow our
thoughts, words and actions to be informed by this felt understanding.
     This single understanding would transform relationships between indi -
viduals, families, communities and nations. Imagine what our society would
look like if not only people in general, but the politicians and leaders of our
institutions in particular, understood and acted in accordance with this
simple, universal principle. As Jacob Boehme said, ‘If men would as fervently
seek after love and righteousness as they do after opinions, there would be
no strife on earth’.  *

This does not imply that we lose the ability to recognise behaviour in ourself
or others that does not come from the felt understanding of our shared
being, or to respond appropriately in the face of such behaviour. On the
contrary, we become better able to discern those attitudes and actions in our -
self and in others that are not informed by the knowledge of our shared
being, and we respond accordingly.
     Shantananda Saraswati used to tell the story of an Indian teacher who
was walking in the jungle with his disciples, discoursing with them on the
subject of our shared being. At one point a tiger sprang out of the bushes
and came bounding towards them; quick as a flash, the teacher leapt for
safety at the top of the nearest tree.
     When the danger had passed, his disciples confronted him, ‘How come you
were the first up the nearest tree, when only a few moments earlier you were
telling us about the being we share with all people and all animals?’ The teacher
replied, ‘I know that I share my being with the tiger, but the tiger doesn’t yet
know that he shares his being with me, and so I acted appropriately’.
153* Jacob Boehme, Of Regeneration : vii: 169 (1622 ).you are the happiness you seek
     A response to a situation that is no longer mediated by the sense of
separation will not give rise to conflict and hostility. This will give the
situation the best possible chance of a fair and harmonious resolution for
all parties.
     In time, as the residues of the sense of separation are washed out of the
mind and heart, there is an increase of empathy in our relationships and of
compassion in our behaviour. We then become an instrument of love in
whatever particular field or circumstance we find ourself.

my happiness does not depend on you

This understanding has profound implications for every aspect of our lives,
perhaps none more so than intimate relationships. If we seek such a friend -
ship with the purpose of finding happiness or love, we are placing an im -
possible demand upon our future partner.
     Such a relationship originates from need masquerading as love. If an inti -
mate relationship is initiated for the purpose of putting an end to the sense
of lack or the feeling of loneliness, the sense of lack that initiated the rela -
tionship will remain present in seed form underneath the initial euphoria
and will later make itself known in the form of conflict.
     T o invest another person with the power to make us happy is to set them
up for failure and ourself for disappointment. Sooner or later, usually after a
honeymoon period that may last from a few weeks to a few years, our partner’s
behaviour will no longer conform to our expectations. Being unaware that the
ensuing suffering is entirely our own activity, we will blame the other for it.
     If only one person carries this projection, there is a possibility that the
absence of reaction in their companion will defuse the situation and provide
an opportunity for them to grow in understanding. However, one of the
most common ways for an ego or apparently separate self to perpetuate itself
is through conflict, so it is unlikely that such an approach will be successful,
unless it is coupled with therapeutic intervention. If both parties carry this
projection, the scene is set for inevitable conflict.
     This is not a reason for not seeking intimate relationship. It is a reason
for not seeking happiness  in intimate relationship. Our desire for intimate re -
lationship, or indeed any other object or circumstance, should come from
happiness rather than as a means of acquiring it. The object, activity or
154the unity of being
relationship then becomes the medium through which peace and joy is com -
municated, shared and celebrated.
     This is


	chapter.	Like
academia,	industry	is	also	an	essential	player	in	the	system	of	scientific
reductionism	that	undermines	the	knowledge	we	have	about	dietary	patterns
and	disease.	Industry,	you	see,	loves	to	tinker.	Securing	patents	based	on
details	leads	to	marketing	claims	and,	ultimately,	to	greater	revenues.
In	a	recent	paper
20
	by	several	CLA	researchers	(including	Professor	Dale
Bauman,	a	long-time	friend	of	the	animal	foods	industry),	the	following
sentence	appeared,	revealing	much	about	how	some	industry	enthusiasts	feel
as	we	“tinker”	our	way	to	health:
The	concept	of	CLA-enriched	foods	could	be	particularly	appealing	to
people	who	desire	a	diet-based	approach	to	cancer	prevention	without
making	radical	changes	in	their	eating	habits.
20
I	know	that,	for	Bauman	and	others,	“making	radical	changes	in…	eating
habits”	means	consuming	a	diet	rich	in	plant-based	foods.	Rather	than
avoiding	bad	foods	altogether,	these	researchers	are	suggesting	that	we	tinker
with	the	existing,	but	problematic,	foods	to	correct	the	problem.	Instead	of
working	with	nature	to	maintain	health,	they	want	us	to	rely	on	technology—
their	technology.
This	faith	in	technological	tinkering,	in	man	over	nature,	is	ever-present.	It
is	not	limited	to	the	dairy	industry,	or	the	meat	industry,	or	the	processed
foods	industry.	It	has	become	part	of	every	single	food	and	health	industry	in
the	country,	from	oranges	to	tomatoes,	from	cereals	to	vitamin	supplements.
The	plant	food	industry	got	carried	away	recently	when	another	carotenoid
was	“discovered.”	You’ve	probably	heard	of	it.	It	is	called	lycopene,	and	it
provides	the	red	color	in	tomatoes.	In	1995,	it	was	reported	that	people	who
ate	more	tomatoes,	including	whole	tomatoes	and	tomato-containing	foods
like	pasta	sauces,	had	a	lower	risk	for	prostate	cancer,
24
	supporting	an	earlier
report.
25
For	those	companies	that	make	foods	with	tomato	products,	this	was	a	gift
from	above.	Marketing	people	in	the	corporate	world	quickly	got	the
message.	But	what	they	zeroed	in	on	was	lycopene,	not	tomatoes.
The	media,
willing	to	oblige,	rose	to	the	occasion.	It	was	lycopene	time!	Suddenly
lycopene	became	widely	known	as	something	to	eat	more	of	if	you	don’t	wantprostate	cancer.	The	scientific	world,	investigating	details,	escalated	its	efforts
to	decipher	the	“lycopene	magic.”	As	of	this	writing,	there	now	are	1,361(!)
scientific	publications	on	lycopene	cited	by	the	National	Library	of
Medicine.
26
	A	major	market	is	developing,	with	trade	names	like	Lycopene
10	Cold	Water	Dispersion	and	Lyco	Vit	10%	to	be	used	as	food
supplements.
27
	Judging	by	the	health	claims,	we	might	be	on	the	way	to
bringing	prostate	cancer,	a	leading	cancer	among	men,	under	control.
There	are,	though,	a	couple	of	disquieting	thoughts.	First,	after	spending
millions	of	research	and	development	dollars,	there	is	some	doubt	whether
lycopene,	as	an	isolated	chemical,	can	prevent	prostate	cancer.	According	to	a
more	recent	publication,	six	studies	now	have	shown	a	statistically	significant
decrease	in	prostate	cancer	risk	with	increased	lycopene	intake;	three	non-
statistically	significant	studies	agree;	and	seven	studies	do	not	show	any
association.
28
	But	these	studies	measured	lycopene	intake	from
whole	foods,
namely	tomatoes.	So,	while	these	studies	certainly	indicate	that	the	tomato	is
still	a	healthy	food,
28
	does	that	mean	we	can	assume	that	lycopene,	by	itself,
reduces	prostate	cancer	risk?	There	are	hundreds,	even	thousands,	of
chemicals	in	tomatoes.	Do	we	have	evidence	that	isolated	lycopene	will	do
what	tomatoes	do,	especially	for	those	who	don’t	like	tomatoes?	The	answer
is	no.
29
There	is	no	evidence	for	a	lycopene-specific	effect	on	prostate	cancer,	and
I	seriously	doubt	whether	we	will	ever	have	convincing	evidence.
Nonetheless	the	lycopene	business	is	up	and	running.	In-depth	studies	are
underway	to	determine	the	most	effective	dose	of	lycopene	as	well	as	to
determine	whether	commercial	lycopene	preparations	are	safe	(when	tested	in
rats	and	rabbits,	that	is).
27
	Also,	consideration	is	being	given	to	the	possibility
of	genetically	modifying	plants	for	higher	levels	of	lycopene	and	other
carotenoids.
30
	It	is	a	real	stretch	to	call	this	series	of	lycopene	reports
legitimate	science.	In	my	book,	this	is	what	I	call	technological	tinkering	and
marketing,	not	science.
Five	years	before	the	latest	“discovery”	of	lycopene,	a	graduate	student	of
mine,	Youping	He,	compared	four	different	carotenoids	(beta-carotene,
lycopene	from	tomatoes,	canthaxanthin	from	carrots	and	cryptoxanthin	from
oranges)	regarding	their	ability	to	prevent	cancer	in	experimental	animals.
31,
32
	Depending	on	what	we	were	testing	and	how
we	did	the	test,	single
carotenoids	could	have	widely	ranging	potencies.	While	one	carotenoid	is
potent	in	one	reaction,	the	same	carotenoid	is	far	less	potent	for	another
reaction.	This	variation	manifests	itself	in	countless	ways	involving	hundreds
of	antioxidants	and	thousands	of	different	reactions,	forming	a	nearlyindecipherable	network.	Consuming	one	carotenoid	at	a	time	in	the	form	of	a
pill	will	never	be	the	same	as	eating	the	whole	food,	which	provides	the
natural	network	of	health-supporting	nutrients.
Five	years	after	our	rather	obscure	work	on	these	antioxidants,
32
	a	Harvard
study
33
	effectively	kicked	off	the	lycopene	campaign.	In	my	opinion,
lycopene,	as	a	cancer	fighter,	is	headed	for	an	already	overcrowded	magic
bullet	graveyard,	leaving	behind	a	trail	of	deep	confusion.FRUIT	CLAIMS
The	fruit	industry	plays	this	game	just	like	everyone	else.	For	example,	when
you	think	of	vitamin	C,	what	food	product	comes	to	mind?	If	you	don’t	think
of	oranges	and	orange	juice,	you	are	unusual.	Most	of	us	have	heard	ad
nauseum	that	oranges	are	a	good	source	of	vitamin	C.
This	belief,	however,	is	just	another	result	of	good	marketing.	How	much
do	you	know,	for	example,	about	vitamin	C’s	relationship	to	diet	and	disease?
Let’s	start	with	the	basics.	Although	you	probably	know	that	oranges	are	a
good	source	of	vitamin	C,	you	may	be	surprised	to	know	that	many	other
plant	foods	have	considerably	more.	One	cup	of	peppers,	strawberries,
broccoli	or	peas	all	have	more.	One	papaya	has	as	much	as	four


 surrend ering the loss of a seemingly essential
person, object, desire, goal, or q uality, one is actually processing the pain
of disruption of the attachment; the ‘what’ one is surrendering is actually
just the attachment itself. A basic truth to be realized in the process isthat ther e is no possible, actual  source of happiness outside one’ s self.
Loss really brings long-standing illusions to the surface, alo ng with
opportunities to lessen its dominance in the psyche. The eg o has a
multitude of attachments to beliefs, slogans, objects, people, titles,
money, conveni ences, entertainment, furnishings, sentimental tokens,
and mem ories of all the above. The ego/mind cherishes that which is
temporary and transitory becaus e it is valued as ‘special’ and therefore
sees it as a ‘source’ of happiness.
Paradoxically, lo ss is simultaneously freedom and the opening of new
options. Loss services inner adaptations and qualities that represent
opportunities for growth. Simultaneously, the mind regrets and would
like to undo cha nge and return to the comfort of former circum stances,
but evolutionar y development al growth is insistent. Therefore, the
resentment is in having to c hange. Change may be a source of
anticipatory plea sure if it is chosen and a source of resentment if it is
resisted. Attachments are to the present and the anticipated future, as
well as a clingin g to the past. All these positions are illusory fo r there is
never a time ot her than the present moment, and no one exp eriences
either the past o r the future, ex cept in their imaginings and m emories.
The only source of happiness that is realistically based is in the present,
and that which is in the present is not subject to loss.
All forms of l oss are a conf rontation to the ego and its survival
mechanisms. All aspects of human life are transient; therefore, to cling to
any aspect eventually brings grie f and loss. Each incident, howe ver, is an
opportunity to search within for  the source of life, which is ever  present,
unchanging, and not subject to loss or the ravages of time.
Grief or  loss, like any stressful s ituation in life, can be seen as a  valuable
growth opportun ity and a time for reassessment of values and goals. If
this is followed, eventually it i s possible to let go of all atta chments,
including belief systems, and experience the source of happiness that
emanates from within.

Attachments.
Attachment is the process whereby the suf fering of loss occurs,
irrespective of what the attachment is to or about, whether internal or
external, whether object, relationship, social quality, or aspects ofphysical life. The ego perpetu ates itself by its elaborate ne twork of
values, belief systems, and pro grams. Needs thus arise that g ain more
ener gy as they become embellished and elaborated, sometimes to the
point of fixation. The source of pain is not the belief system itself but
one’ s attachment to it and the inflation of its imaginary value. The inner
processing of attachments is dep endent on the exercise of the will, which
alone has the power to undo the mechanism of attachment by the process
of su rrender. This may be subje ctively experienced or contextualized as
sacrifice, althou gh it is actually  a liberation. The emotional pain of loss
arises fr om the attachment itsel f and not from the ‘what’ that has been
lost.
It is  dif ficult at  first to surrender attachments and belief syst ems that
have be en reinforced socially by agreement, such as wealth, success,
fame, beauty, and others. All these represent the same concept that some
kind of an ‘add-on’ to what ‘is’ will bring greater happiness. Aside from
the p rocess of at tachment, the other concomitant to the ego’ s me chanism
is its belief in ‘having’.
Consciousness research reveals that reported degrees of happiness are
concordant with calibrated levels of consciousness rather than with
externals. By consciousness level 540, reported levels of happ iness are
close to one-hundred percent.

The Illusion of Possession: ‘Having’ and ‘Mine’.
Grief ha s to do with loss, and lo ss implies prior ownership and a special
relationship. T he idea of ‘mine’ or ‘my’ denotes a unique
contextualization and meaning that is a product of the ego’ s dualistic
style of mentation by which a separate ‘I’ is magically bonded (in
fantasy) to an ‘it’ or a ‘you’, an d thereby to some quality, posse ssion, or
person. For example, a watch is  merely just an object, but with claim of
ownership, it is now imbued with a unique, special quality called ‘mine’.
What was just ‘a’ watch now becomes ‘my’ watch and thereby magically
transformed. When this is emphasized, it becomes ‘my favorite watch’.
By this process, attachment, control, fear of loss, and sentiment are now
added to the composition of the unique quality of specialness. One can
really see that th e stage is now set for tragedy, which occurs if  a person
thinks th ey have  lost ‘my’ watc h rather than just ‘a’ watch. It becomesobvious that the moment possession and the idea of ‘mine’ are
introduced, bondage arises.
The em otional char ge can be loosened by realizing that ev erything
actually belongs only to God an d that humans only exercise stewardship.
In the world, ownership is a tra nsitory specialness, and value and worth
are only in perception, conceptualization, and legalities.
Accompanying possession are other attachments of the ego, such as
pride, feelings of security, and sensory pleasure. The feeling of happiness
is i nitiated by the satisfacti on of an inner want that releases
neurotransmitters in the brain, such as serotonin and endorphins, that are
the consequence and concomitance but not the source of the experience
of happi ness itself. All sociological/psychological studies of h appiness
confirm that religious or spiritually-oriented people are generally happier
all the time, no matter what the circumstances. (W ellas, 2005).

Pr ocessing out Negative Feelings.
W ith loss, the spiritual proces s of nonresistance and surrendering is
ef fective (however, it is not a suitable process for those emotional states
that calibrate lower than 75,such as depression, guilt, and apathy).A
spiritually-oriented person values all of life’ s experiences and s ees each
one as an opportunity to evolve spiritually. The technique of processing
out involves very simple steps that all depend on willingness  and the
capacity to surrender.

1. Stay with the fe eling and stay focused on it unswervingly. Rea lize
that all pain is d ue to resistance. The suf fering of loss stems from
the attachment and specialness.
2. Be willi ng to become immersed in and surrender to the feelings
without avoidin g them. Notice that they come in waves and that
surrendering to the most inten se waves tends to decrease their
emotional severity.
3. Ask God ’ s help and surrender the personal will to God. (It is helpful
to read the Ninety-first Psalm or other favorite spiritual passages.)
4. Be willi ng to endure and suf fer out the process. If not resiste d, it
will process itself out and come to an end.Although the suf fering of loss is triggered by a specific event, th e painful
emotions of attachment have ac tually arisen from multiple sources over
time, an d there  may be more of it below the surface than was first
suspected. Thus, each loss actually represents all loss, for the experience
is o f loss itself and not just t he specific event that brought it up to
awareness.
A helpf ul source of strength during the processing out of painful
emotions is to identify with all of humanity and realize that suf fering is
universal and innate to the p henomenon of being human and the
evolution of the ego.

Nonattachment versus Detachment.
This is an important distinction, and failure to understand it can lead to
important spiritual error. ‘Detachment’ is an ongoing process that,
unfortunately, can lead to  apathy and emotional flatness,
noninvolvement, and indif ference. It can also result in passivity and loss
of intere st in life. There are misunderstandings of spirituality t hat teach
that even  love is an attachment,  which is a misconception, for love is an
aspect of God; possessiveness is an aspect of ego.
An i ncorrect understanding of the pathway of negation can res ult in the
sterility of the ‘V oid’ or ‘Nothingness’. While the V oid is an impressive
spiritual experience (cal. 850), it is not the Ultimate State, which,
correctly, is that of Allness. Th is arises from a misunderstanding of the
teachings of the Buddha. ‘V oid’ means nonlinear and the absence of
‘thingness’, or linearity. Beyond V


 the or gans of the body, the conversion of
oxygen and food into ener gy, the heartbeat and circulation of he blood,
the immune system that protects the body from invaders, the translation
of sensory input into nerve impulses that are sent to the brain, decoded
there, and reassembled into a coherent inner picture of outer reality. All
these, as well as thousands of others simultaneously occurring functions,
are coordinated perfectly by that intelligence. Y ou don't run your body.
The
intelligence does. It also is in char ge of the or ganism's responses to its
environment.
This is true for any life?form. It is the same intelligence that brought the
plant into physical form and then manifests as the flower that comes out
of the plant, the flower that opens its petals in the morning to receive the
rays of the sun and closes them at nighttime. It is the same intelligence
that manifests as Gaia, the complex living being that is planet earth.
This intelligence gives rise to instinctive reactions of the or ganism to any
threat or challenge. It produces responses in animals that appear to be
akin to human emotions: anger, fear, pleasure. These instinctiveresponses could be considered primordial forms of emotion. In certain
situations, human beings experience instinctive responses in the same
way that animals do. In the face of danger, when the survival of the
or ganism is threatened., the heart beats faster, the muscles contract,
breathing becomes rapid in preparation for fight or flight. Primordial
fear. When being cornered, a sudden flare?up of intense ener gy gives
strength to the body that it didn't have before. Primordial anger. These
instinctive responses appear akin to emotions, but are not emotions in the
true sense of the word. The fundamental dif ference between an
instinctive response and an emotion is this: An instinctive response
response is the body's direct response to some external situation. An
emotion, on the other hand, is the body's response to a thought.
Indirectly, an emotion can also be a response to an actual situation tor
event, but it will be a response to the event seen through the filter of a
mental interpretation, the filter of thought, that is to say, through the
mental concepts of good and bad, like and dislike, me and mine. For
example, it is likely you won't feel any emotion when you are told that
someone's car has been stolen, but when it is your car, you will probably
feel upset. It is amazing how much emotion a little mental concept like
my can generate.
Al though the body is very intelligent, it cannot tell the dif ference
between an actual situation and a thought. It reacts to every thought as if
it were a reality. It doesn't know it is just a thought. T o the body, a
worrisome, fearful thought means I am in danger, and it responds
accordingly, even though you may be lying in a warm and comfortable
bed at night. Th heart beats faster, muscles contract, breathing becomes
rapid. There is a buildup of
ener gy, but since the danger is only a mental fiction, the ener gy has no
outlet. Part of it is fed back to the mind and generates even more anxious
thought. The rest of the ener gy turns toxic and interferes with the
harmonious functioning of the body.A New Earth
E M O T I O N S  A N D  T H E  E G O
The ego is not only the unobserved mind, the voice in the head which
pretends to be you, but also the unobserved emotions that are the body's
reaction to what the voice in the head is saying.
W e have already seen what kind of thinking the egoic voice engages in
most of the time and the dysfunction inherent in the structure of its
thought processes, regardless of content. This dysfunctional thinking is
what the body reacts to with negative emotion.
The voice in the head tells a story that the body believes in and reacts to.
Those reactions are the emotions. The emotions, in turn, feed ener gy
back to the thoughts that created the emotion in the first place. This is the
vicious circle between unexamined thoughts and emotions, giving rise to
emotional thinking and emotional story?making.
The emotional component of ego dif fers from person to person. in some
egos, it is greater than in others. Thoughts that trigger emotional
responses in the body may sometimes come so fast that before the mind
has had time to voice them, the body has already responded with an
emotion, and the emotion has turned into a reaction. Those thoughts exist
at a pre? verbal stage and could be called unspoken, unconscious
assumptions. They have their origin in a person's past conditioning,
usually from early childhood. People cannot be trusted would be an
example of such an unconscious assumption in a person whose
primordial relationships, that is to say, with parents roe siblings, were not
supportive and did not inspire trust. Here are a few more common
unconscious assumptions: Nobody respects and appreciates me. I need to
fight to survive. There is never enough money. Life always lets you
down. I don't deserve abundance. I don't deserve love. Unconscious
assumptions create emotions in the body which in turn generate mind
activity and/or instant reactions. In this way, they create your personal
reality.The voice of the ego continuously disrupts the body's natural state of
well?being. Almost every human body is under a great deal of strain and
stress, not because it is threatened by some external factor but from
within the mind. The body has an ego attached to it, and it cannot but
respond to all the dysfunctional thought patterns that make up the ego.
Thus, a stream of negative emotion accompanies the stream of incessant
and compulsive thinking.
What is a negative emotion? An emotion that is toxic to the body and
interferes with its balance and harmonious functioning. Fear, anxiety,
anger, bearing a grudge, sadness, hatred or intense dislike, jealousy, envy
all disrupt the ener gy flow through the body, af fect the heart, the immune
system, digestion, production of hormones, and so on. Even mainstream
medicine, although it knows very little about how the ego operates yet is
beginning to recognize the connection between negative emotional states
and physical disease. An emotion that does harm to the body also infects
the people you come into contact with and indirectly, though a process of
chain reaction, countless others you never meet. There is a generic term
for all negative emotions: unhappiness.
Do positive emotions then have the opposite ef fect on the physical body?
Do they strengthen the immune system, invigorate and heal the body?
They do, indeed, but we need to dif ferentiate between positive emotions
that are ego?generated and deeper emotions that emanate from your
natural state of connectedness with Being.
Positive emotions generated by the ego already contain within
themselves their opposite into which they can quickly turn. Here are
some examples. What the ego calls love is possessiveness and addictive
clinging that can turn into hate within a second. Anticipation about an
upcoming event, which is the ego's overvaluation of future, easily turns
into its opposite letdown or disappointment when the event is over or
doesn't fulfill the ego's expectations. Praise and recognition make you
feel alive and happy one day; being criticized or ignored make you
dejected and unhappy the next. The pleasure of a wild party turns into
bleakness and a hangover the next morning. There is no good without
bad, no high without low.
Ego?generated emotions are derived from the mind's identification with
external factors which are of course, all unstable and liable to change atany moment. The deeper emotions are not really emotions at all but
states of Being. Emotions exist within the realm of opposites. States of
Being can be obscured, but they have no opposite. They emanate from
within you as the love, joy, and peace that are aspects of your true nature.A New Earth
T H E  D U C K  W I T H  A  H U M A N  M I N D
In The Power of Now, I mentioned my observation that after two ducks
get into a fight, which never lasts long, they will separate and float of f in
opposite directions. Then each duck will flap its wings vigorously a few
times; thus releasing the surplus ener gy that built up during the fight.
After they flap their wings, they float on peacefully, as if nothing had
ever happened.
If the duck had a human mind, it would keep the fight alive by thinking,
by story?making. This would probably be the duck's story: I don't
believe what he just did. He came to within five inches of me. He thinks
he owns this pond. He has no consideration for my private space. I'll
never trust him again. Next time he'll try something else just to annoy
me. I'm sure he's plotting something already. But I'm not going to stand
for this. I'll teach him a lesson he won't for get. And on and on the mind
spins its tales, still thinking and talking about it days, months, or years
later. As far as the body is concerned, the fight is still continuing, and the
ener gy it generates in response to all those thoughts is emotion, which in
turn generates more thinking. This becomes the emotional thinking of
the ego. you can


then again. You order once. It is the same with the Creative Process.
Step One is simply your step to get clear about what you want. As
you get clear in your mind, you have asked.
LISA NICHOLS
Step two is believe. Believe that it's already yours. Have what
I love to call unwavering faith. Believing in the unseen. How to Use the Secret 49
You must believe that you have received. You must know that what
you want is yours the moment you ask. You must have complete
and utter faith. If you had placed an order from a catalogue you
would relax/ know you are going to receive what you ordered, and
get on with your life.
"See the things that you want as already yours.
Know that they will come to you at need. Then
let them come. Don't fret and worry about them.
Don't think about your lack of them. Think of
them as yours, as belonging to you, as already in
your possession."
In the moment you ask, and believe and know you already have it
in the unseen, the entire Universe shifts to bring it into the seen.
You must act, speak, and think, as though you are receiving it now.
Why? The Universe is a mirror, and the law of attraction is mir-
roring back to you your dominant thoughts. So doesn't it make
sense that you have to see yourself as receiving it? If your thoughts
contain noticing you do not have it yet, you will continue to at-
tract not having it yet. You must believe you have it already. You
must believe you have received it. You have to emit the feeling
frequency of having received it, to bring those pictures back as
your life. When you do that, the law of attraction will powerfully
move all circumstances, people, and events, for you to receive. 50 The Secret
When you book a vacation, order a brand new car, or buy a house,
you know those things are yours. You wouldn't go and book an-
other vacation for the same time, or purchase another car or house.
If you won a lottery or received a large inheritance, even before
you physically had the money, you know it is yours. That is the
feeling of believing it is yours. That is the feeling of believing you
have it already. That is the feeling of believing you have received.
Claim the things you want by feeling and believing they are yours.
When you do that, the law of attraction will powerfully move all
circumstances, people, and events for you to receive.
How do you get yourself to a point of believing? Start make-
believing. Be like a child, and make-believe. Act as if you have it
already. As you make-believe, you will begin to believe you have
received. The Genie is responding to your predominant thoughts
all the time, not just in the moment you ask. That's why after
you've asked, you must continue to believe and know. Have faith.
Your belief that you have it, that undying faith, is your greatest
power. When you believe you are receiving, get ready, and watch
the magic begin!
"You can have what you want—if you know
how to form the mold for it in your own
thoughts. There is no dream that may not come
true, if you but learn to use the Creative Force
working through you. The methods that work
for one will work for all. The key to power lies in
using what you have... freely, fully... and thus How to Use the Secret 51
opening wide your channels for more Creative
Force to flow through you/'
DR. JOE VlTALE
The Universe will start to rearrange itself to make it happen
for you.
JACKCANFIELD
Most of us have never allowed ourselves to want what we
truly want, because toe can't see how it's going to manifest.
BOB PROCTOR
If you do just a little research, it is going to become evident
to you that anyone that ever accomplished anything, did not
know how they were going to do it. They only knew they were
going to do it.
DR. JOE VlTALE
You don't need to know how it's going to come about You
don't need to know how the Universe will rearrange itself
How it will happen, how the Universe will bring it to you, is not
your concern or job. Allow the Universe to do it for you. When
you are trying to work out how it will happen, you are emitting a
frequency that contains a lack of faith—that you don't believe you
have it already. You think you have to do it and you do not believe
the Universe will do it for you. The how is not your part in the
Creative Process. 52 The Secret
BOB PROCTOR
You don't know how, it will be shown to you. You will attract
the way.
LISA NICHOLS
Most of the time, when we don't see the things that we've
requested, we get frustrated. We get disappointed. And we
begin to become doubtful. The doubt brings about a feeling of
disappointment. Take that doubt and shift it. Recognize that
feeling and replace it with a feeling of unwavering faith. "I
know that it's on its way."
LISA NICHOLS
Step three, and the final step in the process, is to receive.
Begin to feel wonderful about it. Feel the way you Will feel
once it arrives. Feel it now.
MARCI SHIMOFF
And in this process it's important to feel good, to be happy,
because when you're feeling good you're putting yourself in
the frequency of what you want.
MICHAEL BERNARD BECKWITH
This is a feeling Universe. If you just intellectually believe
something, but you have no corresponding feeling underneath How to Use the Secret 53
that, you don't necessarily have enough power to manifest
what you want in your life. You have to feel it.
Ask once, believe you have received, and all you have to do to
receive is feel good. When you are feeling good, you are on the
frequency of receiving. You are on the frequency of all good things
coming to you, and you will receive what you have asked for. You
wouldn't ask for anything unless it was going to make you feel
good in the receiving of it, would you? So get yourself on the feel-
good frequency, and you will receive.
A fast way to get yourself on that frequency is to say, "I am receiv-
ing now. I am receiving all the good in my life, now, I am receiving
[fill in your desire] now." And feel it. Feel it as though you have
received.
A dear friend of mine, Marcy, is one of the greatest manifestors I
have seen, and she feels everything. She feels what it would feel like
to have what she is asking for. She feels everything into existence.
She doesn't get caught up in how, when, or where, she Just feels it
and it then manifests.
So feel good now.
BOB PROCTOR
When you turn that fantasy into a fact, you're in the position
to build bigger and bigger fantasies. And that, my friend, is
the Creative Process. 54 The Secret
"Whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall
receive."'
"What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe
that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."
BOB DOYLE
The law of attraction, the study and practice of the law of
attraction, is just figuring out what will help you generate
the feelings of having it now. Go test drive that car. Go shop
for that home. Get in the house. Do whatever you have to do
to generate the feelings of having it now, and remember them.
Whatever you can do to achieve that will help you to literally
attract it.
When you feel as though you have it now, and the feeling is so real
that it is like you have it already, you are believing that you have
received/ and you will receive.
BOB DOYLE
It could be you wake up and it's just there. It's manifested. Or,
you might get some inspired idea of some action to take. You
certainly shouldn't be saying, "Well, I could do it this way,
but man, I would hate that." You're not on the right track if
that's the case. How to Use the Secret 55
Action will sometimes be required, but if you're really doing
it in line with what the Universe is trying to bring to you, it's
going to feel joyous. You're going to feel so alive. Time will
just stop. You could do it all day.
Action is a word that can imply "work" to some people, but in-
spired action will not feel like work at all. The difference between
inspired action and action is this: Inspired action is when you are
acting to receive. If you are in action to try and make it happen,
you have slipped backward. Inspired action is effortless, and it
feels wonderful because you are on the frequency of receiving.
Imagine life as a fast-moving riven When you are acting to make
something happen it will feel as if you are going against the current
of the river. It