 al and how we can move
beyond the limitations, concepts, and stories created by the mind. If we wake
up an d drop our usual habits of con sidering ourselves as finite, localized
beings, the potential exists in each on e of us to be one with our very true
nature, or quoting Huxley, to be one with the Mind at Large.”
— D R. M ENAS C. K AFATOS,  New York Times  bestselling author
and Fletcher Jones Endowed Professor of Computational
Physics, Chapman University
“Deepak Chopra’s wonderful book Metahuman  points the way for all of us to
realize our full potential by showing us how to shed the constraints that hold
us ba ck from a life f illed with love and self-worth. I applaud how he roots his
recommendations in the latest research. As always, Dr. Chopra has written a
book filled with insight, an indispensable aid for anyone striving to have a
happy and fulfilled existence.”
— L EONARD M LODINOW,  bestselling author of Elastic:
Unlocking Your Brain’s Ability to Embrace Change
“This book  distills decades of personal practice and breadth of study, and boils
it all down to this: we are more than w e think, more even than the universe
itself, bec ause the universe is only one expression of the fundamental,
grounding, metahuman source that emanates, nurtures, and transcends us
all. The book reads as though an old, wise friend, away traveling for years,
collecting adventures and stories, comes home.”
— N EIL T HEISE, M. D.,  Professor of Pathology, New York
University School of Medicine
“ Metahuman  is a powerful wak e-up call! Brilliantly merging scientific and
holistic insights, Deepak Chopra allo ws us to go beyond illusory mental
constructs to witness reality without limits. Only then can we reach our full
potential!”— D R. L ARS B UTTLER,  cofounder and CEO of the Artificial
Intelligence Foundation
“Deepak Chopra reveals a fresh w ay of approaching special states of
consciousness and gives us new i nsights into ancient ideas in the
contemplative traditions. Highly recommended.”
— B ERNARD J. B AARS, P H. D.,  former Senior Fellow in
Theoretical Neurobiology, the Neurosciences Institute, San
Diego, California
“In Metahuman,  D eepak Chopra ex poses us to a new and exciting reality,
where we are all infinitely free to crea te the lives we yearn for. There is no
better guide to lead us to this phenomenal way of being.”
— B RUCE V AUGHN, CEO,  Dreamscape Immersive; and former
Chief Creative Executive at Walt Disney Imagineering
“For over thirty y ears, Deepak Chopra has been educating us on th e
extraordinary potential of the human being, focusing initially on our capacity
for ex ceptional physical and mental he alth, and then for spiritual wellbeing. Metahuman  t ake s us beyond health and wellbeing—and all such concepts of
the m ind—to a life based on our very own nature and that of the universe:
existence itself.”
— P AUL J. M ILLS, P H. D.,  Professor and Chief, Family Medicine
and Public Health; Director, Center of Excellence for Research
and Training in Integrative Health, University of California,
San Diego
“Reading Metahuman  is not just about  waki ng up, it is to wake up. I t is the
GPS for realizing your full potential. You need it, I need it, and we all need it
if we are to live on t his planet without destroying it and ourselves. The key is
in us—it is  us. And Deepak Chopra tells us how to reach it.”
— E RVIN L ASZLO,  author of Science and the Akashic Field  and
Reconnecting to the Source
“Deepak Chopra and I have had our differences on a few scientific issues, but
the one thing that I’ve always admir ed about him is how he applies the
methods and findings of science to soc ial progress, especially to help people
improve their lives. We all want to lead  happy and meaningful lives, but how? Metahuman  is  Deepak’s answe r to this deepest of all personal questions. I
learned something new in every chapter toward this important end. You will
be enlightened by the research and wisdom he brings together.”
— M ICHAEL S HERMER,  publisher of Skeptic  magazine;
Presidential Fellow, Chapman University; and author of
Heavens on Earth
“In public  health, we look for ways to m ake the healthy choice the easy choice. Metahuman  does this by mapping a direct path to a state of focused
awareness and to self-regulation mechanisms, based on growing evidence
from min dfulness research at Brown. This has the power to help thosesuffering from stress lower their blood pressure as well as reduce their risk
for anxiety, depression—even loneliness.”
— B ESS H. M ARCUS, P H. D.,  Dean, Brown University School of
Public Health
“Drawing upon examples ranging from medical science to parable, Deepa k
Chopra il lustrates how, like virtual reality technologies, the human mind
paints a layer of imagination atop of the physical world.”
— D. F OX H ARRELL, P H. D.,  Professor, Digital Media and
Artificial Intelligence; and Director, MIT Center for Advanced
Virtuality, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
“Reflecting on neuroscience, physics, cosmology, and anthropology—
everything from the molecular-level se nsitivity of our senses to an octopus’s
emotions—Deepak Chopra explains ho w the world of our experience is an
inner construct and not the thing in itself. In so doing, he offers a path
through modern life, guiding us to put suffering in perspective and perhaps
gain some control over it.”
— G EORGE M USSER,  author of Spooky Action at a Distance  and
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to String Theory
“It ta kes courage to  bridge the gap between hard-core ‘western’ science and
eastern es oteric quasi-mystical traditio ns. There is no one better equipped to
construct such a bridge than the erudite Deepak Chopra, who transmits the
‘wisdom o f the east’ to his audience. The result is this highly readable book
that w ill s timulate r eaders’ curiosity about human existence and the nature of
reality.”
— V. S. R AMACHANDRAN,  Professor of Neuroscience,
University of California, San Diego
“This book contains the quintessence of Deepak Chopra’s teachings. Everything comes forth from a conscio us source; our own consciousness can
link us back to it, if only we cease to separate ourselves from it. Chopra’s
argument is fluent, scientifically well-informed, and persuasive, as well as
eminently practical, with detailed instructions. How refreshing!”
— R UPERT S HELDRAKE, P H. D., biologist and author of Ways to
Go Beyond and Why They Work
“ Metahuman  is  a reflective deconstruction of the everyday experience of
reality, away from the physical and t oward the mental and metaphysical. Here Deepak Chopra aptly explores the  evolution of consciousness and charts
a path for humans to become liberated and limitless.”
— M ICHELLE A. W ILLIAMS, S C. D.,  Dean of Faculty, Harvard T.
H. Chan School of Public Health
“In Metahuman,  Deepak Chopra gives us a beatifically written understanding
of his views on consciousness, the universe, the body, and the mind. This
book is a t remendous resource—not only for providing a direct path to attain
true reality but, importantly, for enabling a healthier, more wholesome life.”— R ALPH S NYDERMAN, M. D.,  Chancellor Emeritus, Duke
University; and Director, Duke Center for Personalized Health
Care
“This book is a manual for living as nature intended us to, and it can’t be read
soon enou gh. Deepa k Chopra’s clarity a nd gentleness, and his ability to reach
people—despite the  maelstrom of nons ense and confusion we find ourselves
immersed in today—probably make h im one of the most important people
alive.”
— B ERNARDO K ASTRUP, P H. D.,  author of The Idea of the
World
“Deepak C hopra’s prose is a work of a rt, an inspired vision of the life of th e
mind and what it means to be human  and beyond. Science will continue to
explore th e true origins of consciou sness, but until we have definitive
answers, t his book provides practical tools for increasing human well-being. Even redu ctionists like myself will fi nd much to enjoy in Deepak’s latest
contribution to the philosophy of mind.”
— H EATHER B ERLIN, P H. D., M. P. H.,  Assistant Clinical
Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine
at Mount Sinai
“Integrating recent discoveries in neuroscience, endocrinology, and
psychology, Deepa k Chopra demonstrates in concrete terms how
reduction


 continues to be. On waking up, you see your
true nature clearly, and then a new life begins. For Today
Taking a moment or two, l et your mind roam across some
things you can recall from your past—memories of early
childhood, your parents, birthdays, school, your first kiss, some
things t hat are  sad, and so on. It doesn’t matter what you choose
to see. Now ref lect on the one thing they all have in comm on. You
were there. You are the nonchange in the midst of change. Now
you know your true nature. Everything else is window dressing. YOUR EXPERIENCE:

 DAY 25

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

 DAY 26

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

 DAY 27

Suffering comes to an end when we no longer fear
impermanence. As long as we have a stake in the illusion,
we will suffer. Children are eager to explore the world, and they love how
everything is changing. But at the same time a child wants the
security and safety of hom e. This balance becomes harder to
maintain as an adult. Change becomes threatening when there’s
no one at home to promise s afety and security. One way to hold
anxiety at bay is to pretend t hat “I,” the ego-personality, is stable
and reliable. “I” has a stake i n the world, something to maintain. The ego  builds itself up by every kind of clinging—to pleasure,
fantasy, wishful thinking, outworn conditioning, old memories,
and false beliefs. All t hose things are imperma nent, so it doesn’t work to build a
self wit h them as a foundation. Fear of change departs only when
you base your life on the true  self. As you wake up, the transition
from ego to true self happens naturally. For Today
The bes t way to feel safe is when you take safety for gra nted
without worryi ng about it. Consider the commercials you see on
television for life insurance, pharmaceuticals, retirement homes,
and burglar alarms. They offe r reassurance by first bringing up the
fear tha t you are not secure a nd safe. The tactic works bec ause we
don’t really take our personal security for granted—we push
anxiety out of sight instead. To feel how real, unshakable security feels, stop reading for a
second. Then start reading again, and stop again. In the pausebetween readin g these words, you took for granted that yo u know
how to read. T here’s no underlying anxiety about this—yo u know
it for certain—and the same is true for dozens of things you know
how to do. Thi s is how it feels when you are truly secure  without
hiding f rom underlying anxie ty. When you wake up, you will take
for gran ted tha t you have alw ays existed and always will. On that
basis, you are a gain like a child, free to explore the world and safe
from fear because you are at home always, inside yourself. YOUR EXPERIENCE:

 DAY 28

Freedom is the natural state of existence, knowing that we
are aware here and now. Virtual reality isn’t reliable when it comes to lasting happi ness,
security, fulfillment, love, and other things we cherish. Some
people enjoy very few of those things, and even when we get more
than our


	(or	a	little	more	or	less,
depending	on	the	size	of	the	banana)
Stir	the	banana	into	the	chickpea	flour	and	mix	in	the	sesame	oil. Apply	an	even	layer	to	your	face
and	neck,	leaving	it	on	for	15	to	20	minutes	while	you	relax,	before	rinsing	off. SHIFT	9:
Nourish	Strong,	Healthy
Hair	and
Nails
All	of	the	changes	you’ve	made	so	far	to	your	diet	and	self-care	routine	will
result	in	stronger,	more	naturally	beautiful	hair	and	nails. Like	your	skin,	the
strength	and	vitality	of	your	hair	and	nails	is	a	reflection	of	all	that	is
happening	inside	your	body,	and	there	are	many	ways	to	nourish	them	both
internally	and	externally. How	to	Grow	Healthy	Hair	from	the	Outside	In
If	you	want	strong,	healthy	hair,	it’s	essential	to	nourish	the	hair	follicles	that
grow	your	actual	hair	strands. Go	ahead	right	now	and	touch	your	scalp	with
your	fingers. Give	yourself	a	little	head	massage. It	feels	good,	right. Your	scalp
is	rich	in	nerves	and	blood	vessels. Get	familiar	with	touching	your	scalp	more
than	just	when	you	are	shampooing. It	likes	it	and	will	respond. Every	part	of
your	body	needs	love	and	attention	to	flourish,	and	that	includes	your	scalp. If
you	want	lovely	hair,	you	have	to	give	some	love	to	your	hair. This	includes
attention	from	your	hands,	not	just	from	products	you	buy. In	all	areas	of	life,
love	can’t	just	be	bought. Fluctuations	in	hormones	and	nutrition,	as	well	as	your	good	old	genes,	can
influence	the	quality	and	thickness	of	your	hair. The	dietary	advice	in
Pillar	1
,
Internal	Nourishment,	will	help	you	grow	more	beautiful	hair	over	time. However,	there	are	also	manual,	external	methods	that	you	can	combine	with
your	dietary	shifts	to	help	create	beautifully	healthy,	shiny	hair. Incorporating
these	methods	from	the	outside	and	the	inside	will	help	you	grow	the	beautiful
hair	that	is	your	birthright. Here	are	some	of	the	most	effective	ways	to	externally	nourish	your	hair. WASH	LESS	OFTENUnless	your	hair	is	incredibly	oily,	it	doesn’t	need	to	be	washed	every	day. Washing	a	few	times	a	week	will	keep	your	hair	clean	but	prevent	overdrying,
allowing	more	time	for	the	natural	oils	in	your	hair	to	moisturize	down	to	the
tips	of	your	strands. SCALP	MASSAGE
This	is	a	fantastic	and	highly	effective	way	to	stimulate	your	hair	follicles	and
foster	healthy	new	growth. This	can	be	incorporated	easily	into	your	daily
routine	as	part	of	your
abhyanga
	practice	(see
this	page
). When	you	are	doing
your	daily	oil	massage,	be	sure	to	take	a	few	minutes	to	massage	the	coconut	oil,
sesame	oil,	or	specialized	herbal	formula	oil	into	all	areas	of	your	scalp	to	help
stimulate	circulation	to	your	hair	follicles. If	you	want	to	add	a	few	drops	of
essential	oil	specifically	for	the	scalp-massage	part	of	your	treatment,	a	few	that
are	extra	stimulating	to	your	hair	follicles	include	lemon,	peppermint,	lavender,
basil,	and	rosemary	pure	essential	oils. Just	adding	a	few	drops	into	the	oil	will
suffice. (If	you	are	new	to	these	oils,	and	especially	if	you	have	sensitive	skin,	be
sure	to	check	with	your	dermatologist	or	test	a	tiny	area	to	see	if	they	irritate
your	skin. ) SOFTENING	HAIR	SCALP	TREATMENT
This	is	a	great	treatment	to	do	once	a	week	to	help	heal	and	nourish	your	hair. It’s	easy	to	make	and
use	as	part	of	your	hair-care	routine. Lavender	is	healing	and	nourishing	and	has	been	known	to
relieve	tension	and	headaches	when	massaged	directly	into	your	scalp. Olive	oil	makes	your	hair
incredibly	soft	and	will	improve	the	elasticity	of	your	hair	shaft	and	protect	against	breakage. ⅓	cup	cold-pressed	olive	oil
10	to	12	drops	lavender	essential	oil
Warm	the	olive	oil	in	a	pan	over	the	lowest	setting	possible. Turn	off	and	remove	from	heat	and	then
add	the	lavender	oil. Combine	well	and	massage	the	warm	mixture	into	your	scalp. Twist	your	hair
into	a	bun,	cover	with	a	shower	cap,	and	relax	for	20	to	30	minutes	before	shampooing. Use	Natural	Bristles
Brushing	your	hair	with	a	natural	bristle	brush	can	help	stimulate	your	hair
follicles	and	produce	more	natural	oils	that	lubricate	your	entire	head	and	all
your	beautiful	hair	strands. Start	from	the	top	of	your	head	and	work
systematically	down	the	length	of	your	hair. Gently	work	out	tangles	rather
than	being	aggressive;	you’re	not	plowing	through	an	overgrown	hiking	trail. Avoid	breakage	by	being	patient	and	using	even	strokes. Deep	Clean
It’s	important	to	occasionally	deep	clean	your	scalp	from	any	dirt	and	oils	that
can	build	up	and	block	your	hair	follicles. Try	periodically	using	a	cleansing
shampoo	made	from	natural	ingredients	or	applying	an	apple	cider	vinegar
rinse. Apple	cider	vinegar	is	an	excellent	rinse	to	use	occasionally	to	remove
impurities	from	hard	water,	accumulated	sebum,	and	waxy	buildup	from
products. Pour	the	apple	cider	vinegar	over	your	moistened	scalp	in	the	shower,
massage	it	in	for	a	couple	of	minutes,	and	rinse	very	well. Then	proceed	to
shampooing	and	conditioning. You
are
	rinsing	it	out	fairly	quickly,	but	as	your
scalp	can	absorb	so	much,	it’s	a	great	idea	to	try	to	source	organic	vinegar. Vinegar	can	also	help	balance	the	pH	of	your	hair,	which	affects	the
appearance	and	overall	health	of	your	hair. The	strands	of	your	hair	are	made
up	of	keratin	protein. When	the	pH	of	your	hair	is	properly	balanced,	your	hair
will	be	a	sealed,	flat	cuticle	layer	on	the	outside	of	the	strand,	which	makes	your
hair	more	shiny	and	bouncy. If	your	hair’s	pH	is	imbalanced	from	lots	of	heat
or	chemical	treatments,	your	hair	will	look	dull	and	frizzy	and	become	brittle
and	susceptible	to	more	breakage. Try	the	following
pH-Balancing	Hair	Rinse
once	every	six	to	eight	weeks	or	so	(depending	on	your	hair	type),	or	whenever
you	feel	excessive	buildup	in	your	hair. Don’t	do	it	too	often,	however,	or	it
will	dry	out	your	hair. PH-BALANCING	HAIR	RINSE
Apple	cider	vinegar	is	fantastic	for	restoring	your	hair’s	pH	balance	as	well	as	helping	remove	any
product	residue. Rosemary	helps	stimulate	the	scalp	and	promote	hair	growth. 1	cup	organic	apple	cider	vinegar
15	drops	rosemary	oil
¾	cup	warm	water
Combine	the	ingredients	and


’ll get my package, I’m sure.” When I told people
that Dr. Dyer had sent me a video, everyone said, “That time you
were lucky to get your package. But this time you won’ t get it
because they’ll open it and won’ t give it to you.” Oh, Eykis must
come here to make a list of worries such as if they arrest my son
on the street and take him to the front, if today is our turn to be
killed by Iraq bombs, or if I won’ t get my package!! “Layla, I got it at last,” I told my sister and kissed the box. “Open it,” people said. “No, after eating cake,” I said…. [Mariam descri bes her emotions after examining all the
contents. She closes her letter with the following:]
“Listen, everybo dy, let’s hear his voice. Okay? Suppose that he
is here….”
We listened to you on the tape: “Either get out there and take
charge of your life and be a responsible person and make thingshappen or be one more of the kids in the orphanage…. I have
found that anything is now possible for me…only because I
believe I can do it. My work really reflects the notion that you
become your expectations. Whatever you expect to become…”
What a good night it was. I never forget it. It was two in the
morning. “OK, guys, go home. I have to wake at 5:30 A.M.”
“No,” they say, “we haven’ t seen such a happy face, such a
real, genuine laughter, such sparkling eyes for many years.”
My brother -in-law: “I bet you don’t sleep tonight and read the
letter over and over and listen to the cassettes.”
Thank you for making some moments of my life, moments to
remember. I enclose some pictures. Please send pictures as much
as you can. The more the better. Is it the disease of more? Descartes, “I think, therefore I am.” Mariam, “I have a letter from
Dr. Dyer, therefore I am!” Very grateful to you for sending me the
book and also wish you Happy Holidays. Love, Mariam
We can begin to fathom the potential magnificence of seeing the oneness
of it all, withou t threatening our individuality. We can allow ourselves to
feel genuinely connected, knowing that our thoughts, feelings, and behavior
impact on everyone, even on those whom we have never seen. Each of us is
a whole composed of an endless number of particles of life, and each of
those life particles going inward continues ad infinitum. The reverse is true
as well, when we shift from the microscopic point of view to the telescopic
and see ourselve s as part of one life-form in a larger and larger being which
is onene ss. The great parable on this subject is Gulliver ’s Travels, wherein
being a Lilliput ian or a Brobdi ngnagian is a matter of perspective. Let’s
take another look at the entire business of oneness and how it applies to
your individual body. GETTING A CLEAR REFERENCE TO THE WHOLE

If I turn my meta phorical micros cope inward and look at a single cell within
the totality that is me, I will find many many cell components, with fancy
names like nuclei, mitochondria, DNA, RNA, centrioles, basal bodies, and
the like. One single cell is a whole, a totality unto itself, and carries withinit all that is required to reproduce the entire organism called me. One of
your cells carries all of you. Assuming we have six billion cells,
theoretically, any of those cells has within itself the capability  of cloning
another whole person. There is also, however, something else that makes up
a cell, something that defies physical explanation and requires going
beyond the physical to the metaphysical. Something that holds that entire
cell together. That something we describe as the source, or as serenity,
harmony, peace, or ease, or as my personal favorite, love. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin put it this way: “Love is the affinity which
links and draws together the elements of the world…. Love, in fact, is the
agent of universal synthesis.” Love or harmony is that immeasurable,
invisible ingredi ent that synthesizes and creates the form which  we call our
bodies and our physical world. When a cell does not have internal harmony or ease, even though all of
the inner parts are there in the proper proportions, that particu lar cell will
behave in a nonharmonious way and affect the entire whole that contains it. Thus a cell with an absence of ease, a diseased cell, is lacking a reference  to
the whole, including itself. A diseased cell lacks internal ease or harmony or
love, or whateve r we choose to call it. That cell has absolutely no reference
to the whole, to the individual person. Consequently, it destroys everything
in its way by refusing to cooperate with the adjacent cell, until it destroys
the whole, and as a result it destroys itself. What I have just described is the working of a cancer within a body. It is
an organism with no reference to the whole, which does not cooperate with
the other cells, and ultimately kills the whole and itself in the process. Because it lacks that reference to the whole, it puts itself on a path toward
its own destruction. Now shift your consciousness with me to the telescope and begin to look
outward from that cell, and imagine the self as one single cell, among six
billion cells in a larger body that we call humanity. The totality that you are
is very similar to the workings of a cell. You have many comp onent parts,
and something mysterious and invisible that holds you together—the same
thing that Teilhard described. Love is your universal synthesizer, if you are
the universe. When you, as one cell, are composed of something other than
that ease or harmony within, you are diseased, and you will react to the
cells adjacent to you in the way that a cancer cell acts towards its neighbors. You will not cooperate; instead you will attempt to gobble up, oraggressively destroy, or insidiously judge your neighboring cells. Thus a
cancer in society is almost identical to a cancer in your body. When an individual acts destructively toward another person it is because
he has no reference to the whole. Without that feeling or belon ging to the
whole, he will act aggressively toward others and in the process end up
destroying the self as well. We begin to see how a lack of affinity for the
total unit or a lack of thinking in terms of oneness can produce a cancer in a
cell, and in society as well. Now let’s turn the telescope up to a stronger focus. Think of the entire
planet which we live on as one cell. I have never read a better  description
than Lewis Thomas’ s in The Lives of a Cell:
I have been tryin g to think of the Earth as a kind of organism, but
it is no go. I cannot think of it this way. It is too big, too complex,
with too many working parts lacking visible  connections. The
other night, driving through a hilly, wooded part of southern New
England, I wondered about this. If not like an organism, what is it
most like? Then, satisfactorily for that moment, it came to me: It
is most like a single cell…. Viewed from the distance of the
moon, the astonishing thing about the Earth, catching the breath,
is that it is alive. The photographs show the dry, pounded surface
of the moon in the foreground, dead as an old bone. Aloft,
floating free beneath the moist, gleaming membrane of bright sky,
is the rising earth, the only exuberant thing in this part of the
cosmos. If you could look long enough, you would see the
swirling of the great drifts of white cloud, covering and
uncovering the half-hidden masses of land. If you had been
looking for a very long geologic time, you could have seen the
continents themselves in motion, drifting apart on their crustal
plates, held afloat by the fire beneath. It has the organized, self-
contained look of a live creature, full of information, marvelously
skilled in handling the sun. How about that? The entire planet as a cell? And why not, when you shift
your perspective to the enormousness of this entire onesong? All of the
characteristics of a single cell, just like the cell that you are, and that cellinside the tip of your nose, and the cell within that cell in the tip of your
nose, and inward, and outward to infinity. It is all one. And what of the cancerous or disharmonious cell on our planet? Take a
look at what we call the nucle ar age. What have we done to our planet? Have we not in fact created weapons that have no reference to the whole, to
our one cell called Earth? Isn’t it working just like a diseased cell, gobbling
up everything in its wake and ultimately destroying the whole and itself in
the process? Should we ever explode one of those devices in aggressive
warfare toward any of our brothers, wouldn’ t we in fact be destroying not
only our neighb oring cells but ourselves and our planet as


2) vajroli mudra (for svadhishthana awakening);
3) the main technique, in which prana and apana* are
unified in the navel area, generating shakti power which
activates the manipura chakra in the spine;
4) manduki kriya, also used to awaken the muladhara. Part 1 Sit in siddhasana and assume chin mudra with the
eyes closed and spine erect. Concentrating on the perineum,
alternately contract and relax it in a comfortable rhythm for
five minutes. Part 2: Contract and relax the lower abdomen, including
the genital area, with full awareness for five minutes, con
centrating on the svadhishthana chakra. Part 3: Inhale deeply. Imagine prana being absorbed
through the throat and flowing down to the navel, and apana
*Two varieties of prana within the body which control respiration and
excretion, respectively. See Chapter V. 117
flowing up from the muladhara chakra to the navel. Slowly
assume inula bandha (Chapter III, p. 90). Hold the breath,
concentrate on the navel, and visualize there the unification
of apana and prana. Continue to hold the breath as long as
possible and then exhale. This cycle should be repeated for
10 minutes. Part 4: Change from siddhasana to Vajrasana and separate
the knees a little. Clasp the hands with fingers interlocked,
close the eyes and be still. Concentrate attention on the tip of
the nose for a while, directing the closed eyes at the same
point. Slightly open the eyes and gaze attentively towards the
tip of the nose. Again close the eyes, maintaining concentra
tion. Repeat the process for ten minutes. After this, return to siddhasana and again repeat part (3)
for 20 to 30 minutes. This is the final stage of this practice. The techniques for Parts 1 and 2 are useful because they
stimulate the two lowest chakras, facilitating the rise of kun-
dalini to the manipura. As stated, Part 3 is the main practice,
as the unification of prana and apana - which may be imag
ined as the vital energy in the upper and lower sections of the
trunk - is the key to awakening the manipura chakra. The effectiveness of the manduki kriya and Vajrasana in
Part 4 in stimulating the manipura is an interesting phe
nomenon. Swami Satyananda explains it by stating that the
manipura is directly connected with the eyes and the feet,
but he gives no details. However, the connection is easily ex
plained in terms of the acupuncture meridians, as follows. The manipura chakra is said to control the digestive
organs; the relevant meridians are the stomach, large in
testine, liver, gallbladder, and spleen. The large intestine
meridian passes beside the ala of the nose, where it intercon
nects with the stomach meridian. The latter starts in the or
bital cavity directly below the pupil, descends the face, the
front of the trunk, and the lateral side of the front of the leg,
terminating at the second toe. The gallbladder meridian
flows from beside the lateral corner of the eye, around the 118
back of the ear, back into the temporal region, then down the
side of the neck, trunk, and leg (lateral to the stomach meri
dian) to the end in the fourth toe. A yin-yang relationship exists
between the spleen and stomach as well as between the
liver and gallbladder meridians; consequently, these com
plementary meridians exert a strong influence on each other. Further, the spleen and liver meridians flow up the medial
side of the leg. All this indicates that the meridians control
ling the digestive organs are closely connected with the eyes,
nose, and legs; and these meridians, as stated above, have a
close relationship with the manipura chakra. Therefore, when the eyes and nose are stimulated through
mental and visual concentration on the tip of the nose in
manduki kriya, this stimulation activates the manipura
chakra through the digestive organ meridian framework. Similarly, through direct pressure on the legs, Vajrasana
stimulates the meridians located in the legs which are related
to the manipura. The following practices of trataka, uddiyana bandha, and
nauli kriya are also recommended as techniques which help
to awaken the manipura chakra. (4 a) Trataka
The following is the easiest and most common of a wide
variety of forms of trataka - the practice of gazing at an ob
ject. In a dark or darkened room sit in siddhasana or some other
comfortable position. Place a lit candle at eye level 45-60 cm. (18-24 inches) away. Relax the whole body with the eyes
closed and spine erect. Once a comfortable position is found,
keep still. Do not move in any way or for any reason
throughout the entire practice. Open the eyes and gaze in
tently at the brightest spot of the flame just above the top of
the wick. With practice, it becomes possible to gaze at the flame for a
few minutes without moving the eyeballs or blinking. Gaze at 119
the flame so intently that awareness of the body is lost. The
gaze should be absolutely fixed on one point. After a few
minutes, the eyes will probably become tired or begin to
water, and then they should be closed and relaxed. Again, do
not move the body, but concentrate on the after-image of the
flame in front of the closed eyes. Hold it just in front of, or a
little above, the center of the eyebrows. When it begins to
fade, open the eyes and again concentrate on the actual
flame. Trataka may be performed by gazing at a variety of objects:
a small dot, the full moon, a shadow, a crystal ball, the nose
tip, water, darkness, an empty space, a shining object that is
not excessively bright, and many other things. If appropriate,
you may concentrate upon an image of your personal deity
or a photograph of your guru's face, while trying to feel his
spiritual presence and grace. The rising sun, one's own im
age in a mirror, or the eyes of another person may also be
used as an object of concentration. These practices should be
done under expert guidance, however, as there are certain
risks involved. Trataka practice can be divided into two categories: ba-
hiranga (outer) and antaranga (inner). The methods men
tioned above are all "outer" practices. Inner trataka is the
practice of inner visualization (for example, of a chakra or a
personal deity), generally performed with the eyes closed. Even if the eyes are left open, the concentration is directed
inward to such an extent that no external objects are per
ceived. Duration: Generally 15-20 minutes is sufficient. This period
may be lengthened considerably for spiritual purposes, or to
correct eye defects. Sufferers of insomnia or mental tension
are advised to practice trataka for 15 minutes before going to
bed at night. Specifically, the best time for trataka is 4-6 A. M.,
after asana and pranayama practice, but it is beneficial at
any time. Preferably, the stomach should be empty as this
facilitates concentration. 120
Precautions: There is no danger in the simple form of
trataka (on the candle flame), but undue strain must be avoid
ed in the beginning stages. The ability to keep the eyes open
without blinking will gradually develop with practice. Benefits: The benefits of trataka are many - physical, men
tal, psychic, and spiritual. Physically, it aids weakness and
certain defects of the eyes, including nearsightedness. It
calms and stabilizes the mind, and provides relief for insom
nia. Furthermore, it develops the power of concentration
necessary for true meditation practice. The eyes are the gates
to the mind; when they are steady the mind itself becomes
steady, and the thinking process automatially ceases as con
centration deepens. Trataka is one of the most powerful
methods for controlling a restless mind filled with waves of
constantly changing thoughts. This control is a prerequisite
for effective spiritual practice. Satyananda does not explain why trataka is effective in
awakening the manipura chakra. However, as explained
previously, the stomach and gall bladder meridians flow
around the eyes, and we can therefore postulate that the
stimulation the eyes receive in trataka is transmitted along
these meridians to the manipura chakra. (4b) Uddiyana Bandha
Satyananda recommends uddiyana bandha (Chapt. III, p. 92), in conjunction with agnisar kriya (Chapt.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: What is the significance of the index finger and the thumb in yoga?,
A:


acture : Miss Hemlata Hegishte stays in
Ahmedabad, She is 56 years old. She is well known social worker of
Guja:rat. She has so far adorned chairmanship or secretaryship of
severaLgovernment or national organisations working in the field of
women's welfare. She got her cramped legs relieved with urine
massage. She w.r:ote in reply to my request the following report of her
experiment:
-EDITOR
"On january 26, 1956 in a car accident both my leg-bones were
fractured. There was a compound fracture about an inch below the
right knee. The left also had similar but ~imple one. Both th~ legs
from thighs to soles were in plaster. After five weeks, plaster was removed, both the legs were found
to be utterly, immobile. They could not be folded even at a slight
angle. The knees pained with the slightest attempt at movement. 238 BONE COMPlAINTS : 239
Doctors opined that the fractures being at the knees it was difficult
to get the legs moving. Left leg could as best move a little beyond
90°, and the right could be even less mobile..
Several visitors would corne to inquireafter my health and would
suggest remedies. Many we're adopted; two of which were
prominent. First, to give steambath to both the legs in the mori1ing
and in the evening. The other, suggested by a well-wishing high
official, was to have auto-urine treatment. He assured with emphasis
that with urine massage both of my legs would be fully mobile~
I, therefore, started massaging with urine (kept ~vernight) for
fifteen minutes daily in the morning; and after about is minutes 1
woufd bathe. As I was frightened with doctor's opinion I followed
the treatment with firm faith. Had any defect remained in the legs. I
would have been inv~lid to do my daily chores. But I am pleased to
report that after 21 days of urine massage the legs. could move
freely. I can sit with folded legs and my heel can touch my thighs. Even doctors were much surprised to are my recovery. I wish others
also are benefited with my experience." 3. Fracture of Leg-bone : Shri Ravi jain is a clerk in the Punjab
National Bank, Civil Lines, Ludhiana. He is godfearing and upright
and takes keen interest in social work. I met him on 14-3-75. I was
informed of his tale of woe about a fracture in his right leg. Despite
foreboding on October 19, 1974 he travelled on a motorcycle with
his friend and at 8 P.M. met with an accident as they were knocked
down by a car that followed. The bones two inches above the ankle
were fractured and his right elbow also got injurd. He was at once
removed to Chandigarh hospital. He right leg was placed in plaster
after operation. For ten days he was in the hospital. In the same
place two elbows injury was healed with application of auto-urine
within one weak. When after 98 days the plaster was removed there were sores on
the leg and it was swollen and immobile. At the suggestion of his
guru Shri Jagdish Mishra he started massaging the leg ·with three-240 : AUTO-URINE THERAPY
month -old urine for twenty minutes daily. Within six weeks he had
75 % recovery -wounds were healed subsided, leg became flexible
and within further two weeks the leg was freely movable. It was
further cleaned and on guru's advice he began drinking urine from
february 1975. This gave his body activeness -and his movement
speed. He can move about the house with crutches. He w'tites in his letter of 17-6-1975. "I have now stopped going
in a rickshaw to my Bank. I take a city bus to work and on return I
walk_home. My movements also are faster now and the swelling too
has considerably reduced." When once he visited Ranian (Dist. Sirsa, Hariyana) for his
brother's wedding he found Shri Naginchandr• }ain walking on
cratches. On inquiry he found that his whole body has swollen due
to defect of the nerves. He could sit or get up with great difficulty. Doctors had declared him as living on borrowed time. Fortunately. he came across a Jain Monk t.-ho inspired him to adopt urine
treatment. He started massaging his whole body with his urine, and
within a few days regained the last strangth of stirring about. Once
he had even a fracture which he cured with wine packs. This
therapy alan~ could being him back from the jews of death. CHAPTER XVII
SOME VIEWS
Experiences ~f Dr. Arjun iingh
Dr. Arjun Sin'g!z is a retired!iub-assistant surgeon of the Punjab
and resides in Ajm~ He is 83 years old. From his experience he
believes, allopathy i.s ~ suppressive method of treatment. Again
allopathic medicineli o n give ri»e to new complaints. To know his
reaction to urine therap I r:net him ()n 12-4-1975.. 1. He was suffering from asthma since 1946, heart disease since
1948, eye trouble since 1955, for year!! pain in knees and shoulders SOME VIEWS : 241
and pyorrhea. Attending to all these comp.laints. with_ we~tem
mecicines he was frustrating. Homoepath Dr. M. 1<. tnadan1 adv1ced
him about urine therapy and he proposed to try it. From 9-9-1973 he began drinking his utine twice or thrice daily
and applying twice to the eyes also. He could not massage with
urine but he· followed the dietetic restrictions. Gradually all-the
complaints were cured. Within a year and a half some of them were
completely cured. Asthma was cured ~0%. He used to have beat
attacks tWice or thrice a month. Nttw they came once in five or six
months. The white leucodermic: spot on 1he tip of his nose has
contracted to a very small size. Soles of feet do not chop of crack. His heavi·ness has also decreased by about 12 lbs, body became
lighter and hance more active. His grand-daughter Tandeep Kaur is of 13 years. She was a
victim of colitis in 1973. For two months she took western
medicines and injections but th~re was no relief. At last for 15-20
da}:S daily twice of thrice urine-drinking restored her to her normal
health. Her niece Manmohan Kaur got her hand scalded with. her tea. Applying. urine twice or thrice at night to the affected part cured it
COI\lpletely. It did not leave even a sign. -EDITOR
2. Shri vijay Kumar Gupta's experience: Shri Vijay Kumar Gupta
(Raipura Road; Civil Lines, Ludhiana) is an elderly advocate of the
punjab High Court and the Supreme Court of India. He is ever eag~r
to help.his fellowmen. I met him on 15-3-1975 to know h1s
observations from years of urine treatment he gave to several
patients. From his narration I found that he follows Shri Raojibhlai
Mar>~ibhai Patel devotedly. He writes on 17 -5·1975 :
"From September 1945. I hav~ been taking active interest and
h?ving faith.in Nature Cure. t haw~ cured many patieRts by this
treatment. Hariyana's Chief r:lectrical Engineer, Shri H. G. Divan,
told me that Dr. Poddar of the Nature Cure Ashram, Jasidih (Bihar) 242 : AUTO-URINE THERAPY
applies to those who agree the treatment of urine therapy. I broke
into laughter and said it is next to impossible to drink urine. In 1972 vacation I went to Jasidih and stayed in the Nature Cure
Ashram for 20 days. Shri Poddar gave me a book on urine therapy,
which made me believe in its proposition. In order to dispel the
inhibition to drinking of urine. and thereby save hundreds from the
diseases, I resolved to drink urine next morning. ·With distaste and
yet prayerful devotion in a morning of the last week of August in
1972. I took my own urine for the first time. It proved natural and
very useful. I was being preyed upon by ulcer in the stomach. Doctor stated th<,rt the cause of this was overwork and tension in the
family. But from my naturopath's point of view, I ascribed my
· ailment to improper food. As a votary of naturopathy I would nvt
accept treatment at the local Christian Medical College nor at the
American Hospital. But for examination. I was kept at the said
hospital, I took nature cure treatment and got


eel	intact,	experiencing	the	world	just	as
before	but	from	inside	a	machine? This	is	a	perfect	example	of	how	we	can	be	victimized	by	our	own
explanations. Awareness	can’t	be	found	in	information. The	fact	that	a	billion
zeros	and	ones	are	loaded	into	a	computer	won’t	make	it	conscious	unless
each	zero	and	one	is	conscious	already,	which	leads	to	the	absurd	conclusion
that	the	numbers	printed	in	a	math	textbook	are	thinking	about	themselves.You	cannot	explain	consciousness	at	any	level	of	nature	without	running	into
the	same	contradiction. So	do	we	have	to	give	up	on	scientific	explanations	or
is	science	ready	for	insights	that	will	force	it	to	explain	Nature	differently? Creative	Leaps
One	property	we	cherish	in	ourselves	is	the	ability	to	create	something	new. We	come	by	this	honestly. The	appearance	of	life	on	Earth	depended	on	the
sudden	ability	of	a	molecule,	DNA,	to	replicate	itself. No	molecule	before	it
had	ever	done	that. We	can	explain	the	evolution	of	the	universe	entirely	in
terms	of	such	creative	leaps,	or	“emergent	properties.”	Before	oxygen	and
hydrogen	could	discover	how	to	become	water,	the	cosmos	had	to	create
atoms,	which
weren’t
	present	at	the	Big	Bang,	and	atoms	had	to	turn	into
gases,	solids,	metals,	organic	molecules,	and	so	on. None	of	these	events	were
simple	combinations	like	pouring	sugar	into	water. The	sugar	may	disappear,
but	if	you	evaporate	the	water	you	find	that	the	sugar	has	remained	intact. There’s	no	new	property	in	sugar	water	that	wasn’t	already	present	in	the	two
components	when	they	were	separate. An	emergent	property,	on	the	other	hand,	is	a	creative	leap	that	produces
something	out	of	nothing. In	spiritual	terms	the	cycle	of	birth	and	rebirth	is	a
workshop	for	making	creative	leaps	of	the	soul. The	natural	and	the
supernatural	are	not	doing	different	things	but	are	involved	in	transformation
on	separate	levels. At	the	moment	of	death	the	ingredients	of	your	old	body
and	old	identity	disappear. Your	DNA	and	everything	it	created	devolve	back
to	their	simple	component	parts. Your	memories	dissolve	back	into	raw
information. None	of	this	raw	material	is	simply	recombined	to	produce	a
slightly	altered	person. To	produce	a	new	body	capable	of	making	new
memories,	the	person	who	emerges	must	be	new. You	do	not	acquire	a	new
soul,	because	the	soul	doesn’t	have	content. It’s	not	“you”	but	the	center
around	which	“you”	coalesces,	time	after	time. It’s	your	zero	point. I	was	recently	reminded	of	just	how	uncanny	this	transformation	is. I
know	a	couple	from	Italy	who	suffered	a	terrible	family	tragedy	two	years	ago
when	their	teenage	son,	Enrico,	killed	himself. He	had	gotten	drunk	with
some	friends,	one	of	whom	started	playing	with	his	father’s	handgun. It	went
off	and	Enrico	was	killed. His	family	was	devastated,	all	the	more	when	it
was	suggested	but	never	proved	that	their	son	had	shot	himself	playing
Russian	roulette. A	week	after	he	died	his	mother	went	into	his	bedroom. She	had	the
impulse	to	pray	for	her	son,	and	as	she	knelt	by	his	bed	she	heard	a	noise. A
remote-control	toy	car	of	Enrico’s	had	fallen	off	the	shelf	for
no
	apparent
reason. It	began	to	run	around	the	floor,	and	the	mother	removed	its	batteries. Still	it	continued	to	run. This	strange	phenomenon	lasted	three	days,	she	toldme. It	was	witnessed	by	the	entire	family,	and	Enrico’s	older	sister,	the	one	he
was	closest	to,	insisted	that	her	brother	was	operating	the	car. She	asked	it
questions,	as	one	would	a	Ouija	board,	and	the	car	would	go	left	or	right	to
signal	yes	or	no. Months	later	Enrico’s	father	happened	to	be	in	India,	and	he	went	to	a
jyotishi
,	or	astrologer. Certain	jyotishis	do	not	cast	your	chart	but	consult
already	written	charts,	many	dating	back	centuries,	that	apply	to	the	person
who	comes	for	a	reading. (This	decision	is	made	according	to	the	time	a
person	appears	and	by	matching	certain	personal	data	with	charts	that	the
astrologer	has	on	hand.) This	was	true	of	my	friend,	who	was	told	the
following	story:	In	his	previous	lifetime	he	had	lived	on	the	west	coast	of
India. He	was	desperate	to	have	a	son,	but	unfortunately	his	wife	was	barren. The	couple	adopted	a	baby	boy	when	suddenly	she	became	pregnant	and	in
time	delivered	a	boy	of	their	own. After	the	biological	son’s	birth,	the	father	began	to	ignore	the	adopted	boy
and	abuse	him. Tormented	by	this,	the	boy	committed	suicide	at	exactly	the
same	age	as	Enrico. The	astrologer	told	my	friend	that	there	was	a	connection
here. The	former	son	was	reborn	as	Enrico,	and	he	committed	suicide	again	to
show	his	father	what	it	was	like	to	lose	a	real	son. Naturally,	my	friend	was
quite	shaken	to	hear	this,	but	when	he	met	me	some	months	later,	he	said	that
the	final	result	was	a	sense	of	peace. He	had	come	to	terms	with	Enrico’s
tragic	death	and	understood	the	karma	behind	it. I	have	no	idea	how	many	readers	will	scoff	at	this	tale	and	how	many	will
consider	it	uncanny	but	possibly	true. To	me,	it	says	a	great	deal	about	how
mysteriously	life	and	death	are	woven	together. They	are	two	aspects	of	the
same	creative	act. Our	brains	are	set	up
to
	operate	in	time	and	space. We	do
not	witness	the	mechanics	of	creation	outside	that	framework. But	the	life	you
are	experiencing	now,	the	one	that	preceded	it,	and	the	one	that	will	follow
didn’t	appear	out	of	nowhere. They	appeared	through	a	continuous,	evolving
consciousness—the	real	you. There	is	a	gap	between	lifetimes	that	we	cannot
observe,	yet	your	soul	keeps	track	of	you	as	you	enter	the	gap	and	reemerge. Consciousness	doesn’t	lose	track	of	itself;	the	zero	point	of	the	soul	is	just	as
capable	of	correlating	events	across	time	and	space	as	the	Zero	Point	Field	is. In	this	story	father	and	son	remained	joined	across	the	gap	between	birth
and	death. They	unconsciously	recognized	each	other,	they	carried	out	a
common	purpose,	and	they	worked	out	karma	together—all	these	things
defied	death. At	the	same	time	their	physical	bodies,	their	private	memories,
and	their	sense	of	identity	were	transient—these	didn’t	survive	death. Nature
is	built	from	the	same	intricate	relationships. The	oxygen	atoms	locked	in	a
water	molecule	or	in	your	brain	are	still	themselves,	but	they	have	learned	to
relate	in	a	totally	new	way,	making	it


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OceanofPDF.com*Calderon’s case is discussed at length by Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D., in the March/April 1985 issue
of New Realities, pp. 9–15. OceanofPDF.com* For a servant to clear the table. OceanofPDF.com* For more information about the survivor personality and the synergy need, write to Al Siebert, P.O. Box 535, Portland, Oregon 97207. OceanofPDF.com<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        Again she asked,
“Do you really believe that. ” And I said, “Y es, I do. ”
“Well,” she said, “I was sitting in the living room. He was late for
dinner, and the town fire alarm went of f. I knew it was about him. I jumped
up, and his voice came to me and said, ‘Do not leave the room for one
hour. ’ So I sat down and waited. When I got to the scene of the accident,
they were just lifting his body out of the car. I thought to myself, ‘If I had
been out here for an hour, I would never have survived. ’”
I worried about her but several months later I mentioned her story in a
conference on drawings, and a physician who was there told me he’d
delivered her child and she had done beautifully. Recently Janet wrote me a
letter, offering her help to anyone in a crisis similar to what she had
survived. This physician also beckoned me over to a corner and told me of a
precognitive experience. While his wife was pregnant she had said to him,
“I must study total communication for the deaf. ” He said, “Honey, why do
you need to do that. ” She said, “I must. ” And of course their first child was
born deaf. So the physician was a believer, but he had motioned for me to
come into a corner to talk about this. I know that finger waggle from manyphysicians. It means, “I agree with you, but I’m uncomfortable revealing it
in front of others. ”
Time after time in my experiences with patients I encounter
unconscious knowledge of the future. One Monday I operated on a man
named Mike, who had a massive hemorrhage from an aneurysm that had
ruptured into his esophagus. It was impossible to stop the bleeding, and he
died. When I talked to his wife, she said, “Y ou know, Sunday we spent the
whole day discussing his funeral and will, and I said, ‘Why do we have to
talk about all this morbid business. ’  And now I know. ”
Several times I’ve found that close relatives knew of a person’ s death
before they had received news of it. My own father, who is now almost
eighty, told me a few years ago that his mother visited him—spiritually—
one day at work when he was a young man. She said good-bye. He knew
she had died, and he grew terribly sad. His co-workers noticed, but he
couldn’ t tell them what had happened because it sounded crazy. As soon as
he got home, the phone rang, and his sister told him their mother had died. Sandy, whom I mentioned in Chapter 4, told me her experience of the
same intuitive knowledge. Her husband, Harry, always drove the kids to
school, but one day all three of them were late getting dressed. He got angry
and left without them, and a few minutes later was killed in an accident. It
seems obvious to me that there was an unconscious awareness in each of
those children that this was not the day to get dressed and go with dad. When Sandy called Harry’ s mother in Maine and started to talk, his
mother said, “Y es, I know. Harry’ s dead. ” When asked how she knew, she
replied, “His father”—who’d been dead a year—“came to me last night and
said, ‘I have to take our son tomorrow. ’” These are the kinds of things that
patients share with me, the privileged listener. They are experiences that can
open a whole new realm in one’ s awareness and belief system. One night, when I was giving a lecture, I had all my notes in front of
me. And yet, as I was giving the talk, I realized that, in a sense, two talks
were being given. In one, I was struggling to follow the outline, but
something else was coming out of my mouth. I realized the other talk was
much better, so I finally just gave in and let it happen. When I came of f the stage, I told Bobbie, “I don’ t know who gave that
talk. I didn’ t. ” The next woman who came up to me said, “I’ve heard you
before, but that was more moving than usual. ” The third person who came
up to me said, “I’m a medium, and while you were reading Lois Becker ’sletter, superimposed over you and staring at the audience was this figure. I
drew him for you. ” And she showed me a picture of my guide Geor ge. The famous psychic Olga Worrell has also described Geor ge and
another of my meditative guides, even including the clothes they wear—
flowing robes and the old Jewish prayer caps. When the emotional and
spiritual mind is freed, the distinctions between the “mystical” and the
“mundane” break down. This experience taught me that the unconscious can take care of
everything, and I don’ t have to prepare for my lectures anymore. Whether
Geor ge exists as a spiritual guide or simply exists inside of me as part of my
collective unconscious or intuition, the power is there for all of us, if we
will let it come through. As Socrates replied when asked if he had prepared
his defense, “What needs to be said will be said. ”
One woman who had breast cancer told me that her family thought she
was crazy. I asked why, and she told me several stories. One was a dream in
which Death came and told her that her husband was going to die
tomorrow. She ar gued with Death and said, “No. Everybody gets two
weeks’  notice. ” Two weeks to the day later her husband died. I told her I loved her and all that she was sharing with me. When we
went out of the examining room, her family was expecting me to say
something negative about their crazy mother. Instead I said, “She’ s
wonderful, terrific. ” That led to a new openness and awareness on the part
of the family, a new willingness to accept her and all that she had shared
with them. Death is no barrier to this intuitive, spiritual consciousness. It continues
after death, and it communicates between the dead and the living. Iris, a
blind diabetic who developed cancer, underwent a similar experience. One
day she called her two daughters into her hospital room and told them,
“Girls, I can see again. My mother and father came for me and held out an
apple. They said when I bite into it I will join them. I told them my
grandson’ s birthday was on Tuesday, and I would join them then. ” She died
after the party on Tuesday. Before she passed away, one of her daughters said, “Mom, if you die I
want to die, too. I can’ t go on without you. ” Two weeks later Iris appeared
to her daughter and said, “Look, I have ten minutes. This is against the
rules. I am in a beautiful place and I am loved. I can’ t be worrying about
you doing something silly. ”As I have opened myself to my patients’  beliefs, I have received many
messages from those who have died. Josie was a wonderful woman who
had given everyone who knew her the gift of love and humor. While at the
hospice, for example, she thought she heard a noise and asked if someone
was at the door. The nurse said, “Oh, I just kicked your bucket. ” Josie
replied, “I’m here trying  to kick the bucket, and for you it’ s easy. ” She was
one of the exceptional people who lived until the moment of death. Josie had asked me to deliver the eulogy at her funeral. I said I would be
honored, but told her I couldn’ t be sure my schedule would permit it,
especially since the funeral would be held in New York. Months before, I
had arranged to be in New York on a certain Friday for a conference. The
only day in the entire year I was scheduled to be in New York. Then a radio
talk show host asked me to speak for an hour at noon on that day, since I
would already be in the city. I agreed, but on the Monday before the show
someone from the station called and said the program had been preempted. I told my wife that Josie’ s funeral would be at that time although she hadn’ t
died yet. On Tuesday evening, Josie’ s husband asked me how to help ease her
passage. She found it hard to leave amid the constant visiting and
expressions of love. I suggested he tell her he loved her, that he and the
boys would


 at extracting
juice from grass, greens, and soft fruits. They’re relatively inexpensive. Here are the disadvantages of wheatgrass juicers:
 They’re one-purpose machines that require another
purchase if you want to juice hard fruits and vegetables. Cheaper models have plastic blades, which are inferior (so
be sure to look for machines that have stainless steel
blades). Bottom line: Wheatgrass juicers are a good choice if you
want to do only greens and soft fruits. If you want to have
the option of juicing other fruits and vegetables along with
wheatgrass, put the money toward either the masticating
or the triturating juice machines, which can handle
everything the wheatgrass juicers can, but with many more
options. Juice pr esses
Also called citrus presses, these juicers are designed to squeeze
the juice from oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, lemons, and
limes. These tools range from simple handheld reamers or one-handed lemon/lime presses to powerful electric presses that
will juice dozens of orange or lemon halves one at a time but
quickly and with little effort. Manual pr esses
Glass, ceramic, and plastic juicers are designed to sit on a glass
or bowl or have a reservoir large enough to hold the juice from
one-half lemon or one-half orange. Ceramic lemon/lime presses
squeeze the juice from one-half lemon or one-half lime while
catching and straining the seeds. This type of handheld press is
handy for single drinks. Here are the advantages of manual presses:
 They’re inexpensive and easy to use and clean. They’re easy to store in a drawer. Here are the disadvantages of manual presses:
 Because you’re using manual power to juice, it’s slow and
tedious to do more than two or three citrus fruits at a time. You have to strain out the seeds using a strainer. Electric pr esses
Electric juice presses are powerful enough to press an unlimited
number of citrus fruit halves, and most have a strainer built into
the machine. You position the citrus half onto the cup and
lightly pull down the lever, and the cup spins of its own accord,
pressing the juice out into a jug or glass. Here are the advantages of electric presses:
 You can juice dozens of citrus fruit at a time. The machine parts are easy to clean.Here are the disadvantages of electric presses:
 They’re more expensive than manual presses. They take up more space on a counter. F e a t u r e s  t o  l o o k  f o r  i n  a  j u i c e r
You want to ﬁnd a brand that has as many of the features you
want within your budget. Here are some features to consider
before you make your ﬁnal purchase decision. Simplicity: Easy to assemble and use, easy to clean
My theory is that if you want to enjoy health beneﬁts from
juicing, but you aren’t passionate, keeping it simple is the best
route. If your juicer has only a few simple parts and is easy to
use and clean, you’ll be motivated to use it more often. Keeping the juicing machine on the counter is also essential to
simplicity. A sleek, upright centrifugal machine takes up the
least amount of space, is incredibly fast, and is easy to assemble
and clean. If you’re highly motivated or if you already own a fairly
inexpensive juicer and you want to move up to a machine that
juices grasses and extracts more juice and nutrients, the
masticating or triturating juicers are a better choice. Speed: High speed and variable speed
Masticating and triturating juicers have only one speed: slow
and slower, respectively, which is a health advantage. Some centrifugal juicer models come with variable speeds,
which slow the blades of the spinning basket down for soft fruit
and allow you to gradually increase the speed as you juiceharder fruits and vegetables. The slower the basket spins, the
more juice may be extracted from the fruit or vegetable, so this
is a deﬁnite advantage of these types of machines because it
takes a high speed to juice very hard vegetables like beets. Number and quality of nutrients extracted
Masticating or triturating juicers are generally thought to be
better at extracting and preserving the nutrients. However,
because you have to cut up the fruits and vegetables into very
small pieces, depending on how long they sit out, they may lose
nutrients to oxidation before they even hit the auger. It’s
difﬁcult to detect the actual nutrients in the juice from the
different types of juicers, so you have to rely on the information
provided by manufacturers to compare. Efficiency
You’re making an investment when you purchase a juicing
machine. You want to be sure that it’s efﬁcient in doing the
things that you consider to be important. If possible, get a live
demonstration of the juicer in action. Consider the following:
 The amount of juice extracted: Masticating or triturating
juicers are thought to be better at extracting the juice, but
my experience with a centrifugal juice machine
(particularly with the Breville Juice Fountain Multi-Speed)
is that the pulp is pretty dry if you use the variable speed
function and don’t apply any pressure to the fruit or
vegetable as it passes down the feed tube. External pulp ejection: Unless you only ever plan to juice
one serving at a time, this is a critical feature to any juicing
machine and one that I would not give up. Masticating or
triturating juicers continually expel the pulp, so this isn’t
an issue. Some centrifugal juice machines don’t have a
continual expulsion feature, which slows the process ofjuicing — you have to stop the machine in order to clean
out the basket. Yield of juice and dryness of pulp: If you can get a
demonstration of the machines you’re interested in
buying, you can measure the juice extracted from the same
fruits or vegetables. If the pulp is wet, this is an indication
that the machine is not effective in extracting a high yield
of juice. Size of the feed tube: Masticating or triturating and some
brands of centrifugal juicers have a very small feed tube,
which means the food must be cut into small pieces or
leaves must be fed one by one into the machine. If you
know you want a centrifugal juicer, be sure that the model
you choose has a feed tube large enough to take a whole
apple, orange, or cucumber. This feature makes the
preparation easy because the food doesn’t require cutting
and chopping. Reliability
Like a car or boat or any other tool, you want to have the luxury
of using it for a very long time in order to get the most from
your investment. Consider the following:
 Quality of the parts: The quality of the parts and the
materials used are one indication of reliability. Stainless
steel outperforms and outlasts plastic and is easier to
clean. The other determining factor in assessing reliability
is the size of the motor. Motor size: It takes a considerable amount of power to rip
through tough ﬁbers of vegetables like beets and turnips,
and a juicer with insufﬁcient power will slow down or even
burn out over time, so look for a juicer with the most
powerful motor in your price range.Noise
Some juice machines are extremely loud. Noise is a huge issue
to some people, especially if they live with people who might be
sleeping when they want to juice. Choosing a Blender
Blenders remain a popular kitchen tool and their basic design
has changed very little in the 80 years they’ve been in
existence. They’re very good at what they do, and the only
machine to ever come close to eclipsing their use is the food
processor. Still, for puréeing foods and blending liquid with
fruits or vegetables for a smoothie, blenders are the very best
tools for the job. If you want to buy a blender, this section has the information
you need. Here, I explain the main types of blenders and help
you decide which one is right for you. T y p e s  o f  b l e n d e r s
By far, the most popular of all blenders is the traditional,
upright blender. Limited improvements have been made to that
basic model, but the biggest is the invention of the immersion
blender. Cordless and personal-size blenders have made their
way onto the market, too, but they’ve resonated with a
relatively small number of consumers. T raditional blenders
The traditional blender has a tall glass, stainless steel, or plastic
container, with a lid sporting a hole in the middle. It sits on a
base housing the motor and plug. Blades are attached to thebottom of the container; there may be two or four blades that
do the work of cutting food into small particles. Here are the advantages of traditional blenders for making
smoothies:
 The vortex action means that food is liqueﬁed and
drinkable. You can add softer fruits and vegetables through the
opening in the lid toward the end of the blending. Here are the disadvantages of traditional blenders for making
smoothies:
 Food gets caught underneath the small blades. If not enough liquid is added to the container, the food
may get stuck in the blades and it can’t be processed. Bottom line: Blenders work better than food processors
for making smoothies; they’re inexpensive and reliable. Imm


.01.03.008 116 232.23
Pumpkin.067.038 1.08.14 2.30.0025.075.60.003 136 272.55
Raspberries-Blk..15.15.95.30.70.05 08.18.05 127 254 1.50
Raspberries-Red.22.10 1.10.29.75.05.12.20.13 130 260.90
Rhubarb.196.033.512.037.0047.0016.007.014.004 143 286.21
Strawberries.091.052.714.091.026.0044.098.013.004 136 272.50
Tangerines.134.035.423.06.032.0013.0032.0033.007 132 264.65
Tomatoes.30.37 2.20.29.14.03.05.38.89 142 284.80
Watermelon.15.08.65 20.10.06.05.04.14 140 280.40
85 AILMENTS & FORMULAS
NOTE: It is not legal to diagnose and prescribe anything whatever
in case of illness except by a Doctor Licensed to do so. The following
AILMENTS and corresponding FORMULAS are listed here as a
guide for the HEALING PROFESSION and are given for their general
information. While they are based on past experience, they are not
intended to be used as prescriptions.These FORMULAS are the result
of extensive research done by this Author with the cooperation of
R.D. Pope, M.D. The detailed list of the indicated FORMULAS will be found on
pages 80 and 81. Bold type formula numbers are those we have found to be
essential for best results. Regular type numbers have also proven
to be effective. ACIDOSIS:
The toxic condition of the body, usually the result 61 30
of the retention of waste and corrupt matter in the
colon, the natural result of an orthodox diet
consisting mainly of concentrated starches, sugars
and meat. The use of bicarbonate of soda to relieve
this condition is unwise and shortsighted, as this
inorganic material may in course of time lodge in
the region of the brain and damage it. It then may
manifest as a silver-gray crescent in the upper part
of the iris of the eye. To help correct acidosis, read
the chapter on Spinach Juice, page 54. Acidosis may
also result from mental disturbances such as
resentments, worry, anger, fear, jealousy, frustration,
etc. The first prerequisite to help clear up this
condition is to develop a placid mind and to learn
to RELAX! ACNE, Pimples, etc. :
Impurities in the body trying to be eliminated 61 1 55
through the skin. One of the manifestations of
acidosis. We would refrain from using salves and
ointments, drugs of any kind, and X-ray, using
instead natural methods to remove the cause. 86 ADDISON'S DISEASE:
The result of lack of vital organic sodium 3 6 12
principally, and an excess of waste matter in the (Romaine
system generally, affecting the adrenal glands. The lettuce only)
injection of extracts from the glands of dead cattle 25 74 80
cannot cure this condition. We have, however, seen
much benefit derived from a high sodium and low
potassium raw diet rigidly adhered to. Romaine
lettuce is particularly beneficial. See section on this
vegetable on page 46. ADENOIDS:
Inflammation or enlargement of pharyngeal, 61 1
tonsil, or adenoid tissue, due to excessive mucus in
the system and waste matter in the lower intestines,
as a result of drinking cow's milk and eating too
many, starchy and sugary foods. ALBUMINURIA: 61 30 29 1
Albumin present in the urine. 40 59
ALLERGY:
The physical discomfort or irritation due to 61 30 1
excessive retention of waste in the system when food
is eaten which has the effect of stirring up toxins in
the body. Allergy to strawberries, for example, means
that this fruit may stir up poisons which manifest,
sometimes, as hives. ANEMIA:
Deficiency of red blood corpuscles or of the red 61 68 2 28
coloring matter of the blood, caused by prolonged 30 25 29 31
habit of eating foods in which the calcium and other 46 55 48 85
atoms have been devitalized, such as canned foods,
starches, and pasteurized milk. The use of liver
extract, whether orally or by injection, was once upon
a time considered a cure; due to the damage these
extracts do to the kidneys, many victims were found
to develop Bright's disease sooner or later. ANGINA PECTORIS:
Valvular or muscular heart trouble resulting from 61 2 30
impurities in the blood stream, but frequently found
to be the result of gas pressure in the colon. 87 APHONIA:
Loss of the power of articulation in speech. 61 1 48 53
APOPLEXY:
Stroke of paralysis, the result of blood pressure 61 62 2 28
in the brain, caused by impurities in the blood 39
vessels—such, for example, as the inorganic calcium
from eating excessive amounts of starches and rich
foods over a period of years. Impactions in the lower
intestines, with the consequent absorption of toxins
from these, have been found to be one of the
contributing causes. Repeated enemas, daily, and a
strictly fresh raw diet with at least 2 quarts of juices
daily have proved of inestimable value. APPENDICITIS:
Inflammation of the appendix resulting from the 1 2 30 61
excessive accumulation and retention of waste matter
in the colon. The appendix is a gland, the secretion
of which is intended to neutralize excessive
putrefaction and pathogenic bacterial action in the
colon, or large intestine, which might have injurious
repercussion in the small, or digestive intestine. To
avoid unnecessary surgery, satisfactory results have
been obtained by colonic irrigations, where
available, and enemas in any case, at 15 to 30 minute
intervals, until the elimination of waste matter
removed danger and pain. Consult a doctor familiar
with Nature's purpose in furnishing us with this
protective gland. ARTERIES, ARTERIOSCLEROSIS, etc. :
The result ofdeficiency of vital organic calcium 61 2 80 28
and excess of inorganic calcium in the diet causing 55
the blood vessels to lose elasticity and causing blood
to coagulate in the veins. Inorganic calcium deposits
convert the elastic walls of blood vessels into solid
tubes. Nature can remedy this condition, but only
with the utmost and unreserved cooperation of the
victim. ARTHRITIS:
Inorganic calcium deposits in the cartilage of the 22 61 6 37
joints as a result of eating concentrated 30
carbohydrates in excess. See special chapter on this
subject. 88 ASTHMA:
Extreme difficulty in breathing due to raucous 61 11 37 60
accumulation in the bronchial tubes. Victims who 41
have followed Nature's principles have had no
difficulty relieving themselves of this punishment
caused by eating and drinking mucus-forming foods. Once relieved completely of asthma, one can readily
get it back again, if he so desires, by simply eating
plenty of white bread dairy products and drinking
plenty of cow s milk. In fact, almost any kind of
concentrated carbohydrates and dairy products,
cheese, etc., will oblige by inviting this enemy to
return. Allergy tests, drug panaceas, blood and
sputum studies, and environment investigations are
as a rule extremely useful—in making matters worse. The CAUSE of asthma is the presence of mucus. Read the section on Horseradish. ASTIGMATISM:
A disfunction in vision due to the imperfect 1 61 30 50
condition of the eye as a result of vital organic atoms
lacking in the nourishment of the optic system,
accentuated by the presence of waste matter in the
organs and glands directly affecting the eyes. The
liver, the gall bladder, the pancreas, the thyroid, and
the colon are all glands and organs whose inefficient
operation is a direct contributing factor in any
disfunction of the optic system. ATHLETE'S FOOT:
The banquet of ringworms, particularly between 61 30 1
the toes where the piece de resistance is acidity
collecting in our lower extremities when our feet
are deprived of their breathing. Ringworms are
wonderful hosts, collecting guests wherever they
can, so long as the acidity of the feet is kept inside
solid leather shoes preventing the dissipation of the
acid toxins. The answer to their eviction lies in the


 Planner follows a simple pattern: The weekly breakfasts can
be whipped up in less than three minutes, while the weekend breakfasts
such as pancakes or omelets require some preparation and cooking time. The weekly lunches require zero cooking time, and take merely three to five
minutes of preparation time—or if you decide to make your lunch from last
night’ s dinner leftovers, just the time it takes to grab something out of the
refrigerator and a fork. (I always encourage people to make more than they
can eat at dinner so they have the option of leftovers for lunch or the
following dinner.) The dinners are broken up into nine dif ferent categories of familiar foods
with a healthy twist, such as pizza, pasta, soup, salad, bur gers, Tex-Mex
favorites, and stir -fries. There is always something for everyone. Forexample, on pasta night, if you don’ t like mushrooms, you can steer clear of
the Mushroom Stroganof f and dive into Bow Ties with Pesto. Or if on
comfort food night you don’ t care for Macaroni and Not Cheese, you can
settle into Shepherd’ s Pie. To get started, some people like to pick out seven dinners from the first
week, make a corresponding list of groceries, head over to the grocery
store, and get everything needed to last the week. If you don’ t feel like generating your own grocery lists, then let us do the
work for you by visiting www.theengine2diet.com, where we have an entire
twenty-eight-day meal planner with accompanying week-by-week grocery
lists. Some people drool over that kind of direction—during the Pilot Study,
more than half the participants used that plan. Leftovers fr om dinner make a gr eat next-day E2 lunch either
on a bed of mixed gr eens, in between pita br ead, or over br own rice. Personally, I’ve gone several days in a r ow feasting on E2 dinner
leftovers that ar e often better the next day after all the fl avors have
had that extra time to marinate. OceanofPDF.com3
E2 RECIPES
E2 Br eakfasts  / 149
E2 Hearty Cereal Bowls / 150
E2 Saturday Specials / 152
E2 Sunday Morning Pancakes and Muf fins / 157
E2 Fruit and Toast / 162
E2 Easy Lunches / 163
E2 Sandwiches / 163
E2 Wraps and Pitas / 168
E2 Lunch Salads / 172
E2 Dinners  / 175
E2 Dinner Plates / 176
E2 Bur gers / 184
E2 Potato Sides / 190
E2 Pasta / 192
E2 Pizza / 196
E2 Comfort Dinners / 201
E2 Stir -Fries / 208
E2 Big Salads / 212
E2 Soups / 217
E2 Tex-Mex Favorites / 222
E2 Dr essings, Spr eads, and Marinades  / 232
E2 Desserts  / 245
E2 Chocolate Knockouts! / 245
E2 Fresh Fruit and Fruit Bowls / 248E2 Cobblers, Cookies, and Pies / 250
E2 Puddings and Mousses / 255
Growing up, I hated vegetables. The only ones I would eat were peas
and corn. I’d make bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches without the
lettuce and tomato, and double up on the bacon and mayonnaise. But over
the last twenty years, I’ve grown to appreciate and love vegetables, beans,
and whole grains, along with the art of cooking them. To relax your spirit and strengthen your health, following are more than
125 mouthwatering recipes filled with the foods I now love, and love to
serve friends. In fact, every guest who has eaten a plant-hearty meal at our
home or at Engine 2 has declared, “I never knew plant-based food would
taste this good! I’d eat this way if I knew how.”
Well, now you’ll know how. Grab the ingredients, follow the
instructions, and you’re of f to the races with a smile! E2 BREAKF ASTS. Breakfast is my second-favorite meal of the day, right next to dinner. It
comes after a forced fast of six to eight hours (unless you’ve been sleeping
at the firehouse, where more likely than not you’ve been up three times
between midnight and dawn), when the body begins revving up its
metabolic engine. Too many people for go breakfast because they’re in a hurry, don’ t have
an appetite, or are trying to lose weight. But if you skip breakfast, your
body will enter conservation mode and slow down your metabolism in an
attempt to conserve ener gy—a bad move if you’re trying to lose weight. So make breakfast a priority. Some of these recipes require just two
minutes to prepare, roughly the same amount of time that elapses between
the moment we hear the alarm at the station and when we arrive at the scene
of the incident. E2 Hearty Cer eal Bowls
Most of the cereals on the grocery store shelves are loaded with
processed junk and should be avoided—they’re candy in a box. I want youto fill up your morning cereal bowl with whole grains containing little to no
added sugars. Start your day with a bang rather than a misfire! Rip’s Big Bowl
This has been my mainstay breakfast for more than twenty years. I never
get sick of it and no two bowls are ever quite the same, depending on which
fruits are in season and the milk substitute I have on hand. This was also a favorite recipe for most of the E2 Pilot Study
participants. As a seven-year -old daughter of one of the participants said, “I
look forward to waking up in the morning just so I can have my Rip’ s
Bowl.”
Let your appetite be your guide as to the size of your bowl. ¼ cup old-fashioned oats
¼ cup Grape-Nuts or Ezekiel brand equivalent
¼ cup bite-size shredded wheat
¼ cup Uncle Sam Cereal
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal
2 tablespoons raisins
½ handful of walnuts
1 banana, sliced
1 kiwi, sliced
1 grapefruit
¾ cup milk substitute of choice
Toss all ingredients except the grapefruit and milk substitute into a bowl. After cutting the grapefruit in half, use a small, sharp knife to remove the
segments. Add the segments to the top of the bowl and squeeze in the juice. Top the bowl with milk substitute. Variations:
In a pinch, simply add water (the fruits blend with the water and give it a
sweet taste). Add any fresh or frozen fruit, such as peaches, cherries, mangoes,
blueberries, or red grapes. If you want to lower your cholester ol levels even mor e, use
half a cup of oats and omit one of the quarter cups of the other
cereals. E2 Hot Lap Bowl
When Engine 2 pulls up to a house fire, our lieutenant immediately does a
“hot lap”—a 360-degree walk around the structure to determine the scope
of the situation before deciding on a course of action. Experiment with dif ferent ingredients to personalize your bowl and
determine the best plan of attack. 1 cup uncooked hot cereal (see E2-Approved Foods)
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal
2 tablespoons raisins or dried cranberries
1 banana, sliced
½ cup fresh or frozen fruit
½ cup soy milk
½ handful of walnuts
Cook cereal in water according to directions with flaxseed meal, raisins,
banana, and fruit. drizzle with soy milk and top with nuts. Simple Cer eal Bowl
There’ s something really nice about a plain bowl filled with one type of
cereal, whether it’ s Grape-Nuts, oat bran flakes, or plain oats, and a little
fruit. So, bring breakfast down a notch and enjoy the simplicity. 1 cup whole grain cereal (see E2-Approved Foods)
1 banana, sliced, or any other fresh or frozen fruit
½ cup soy milk
Place the cereal in a bowl, and top with fruit and soy milk.Quick Oatmeal Bowl
A warm, healthy breakfast doesn’ t get any easier than this bowl, which I
discovered through an old Canadian triathlete friend named Dan Murray. Dan was one of the best Olympic distance triathletes of the early 1990s; he
was the first man to run a sub-thirty-minute 10K in a triathlon. Now that’ s
quick! 1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup water
1 banana, sliced
1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
Place the oatmeal, water, and banana into a lar ge bowl. Microwave on
high for 2 minutes. Top with molasses and serve. E2 SA TURDA Y SPECIALS
One morning at the fire station, I woke up at seven and saw Derick walk
past wearing just his pants. “Did you sleep with your pants on?” I asked. “Yes,” he said. “I always do when I’m driving.”
“Is that so you’re a little faster to the draw?”
“No,” he said. “It’ s to remind me where I am.”
I know exactly what he’ s talking about. Sometimes you wake up and you
have no clue where you are or what’ s going on. So when that alarm goes of f


 you are
struggling with yourself. Every  fault you see in them touches a denied
weakness in yourself. Every conflict you wage is an excuse not to face a
conflict within. The path to love therefore clears up a monumental mistake
that millions of people make—the mistake that someone “out there” is
going to give (or take) somethin g that is not already yours. When you truly
find love, you find yourself. Therefore the path to love isn’t a choice, for all of us must find out who
we are. This is our spiritual destiny. The path can be postponed; you can
lose faith in it or even despair that love exists at all. None of that ispermanent; only the path is. Doubt reflects the ego, which is bound in time
and space; love reflects God, eternal divine essence. The ultimate promise
on the path to love is that you will walk in the light of a truth extending
beyond any truth your mind presently knows. I have structured the following chapters to lead the reader anew on the
path to love, from  the first stirrin gs of romance to the final stages of ecstasy. Falling in love feels like an accidental occurrence to many people, but in
spiritual terms it is not—it is the entrance point to love’ s eternal journey. Romance has several distinct phases for us to explore—attraction,
infatuation, courtship, and intimacy—each partaking of a special spiritual
significance. In the dawning of the next stage, romance turns into a committed
relationship, usually marriage, and the path changes. Falling in love is over;
being in love begins. Spiritually, the word being  implies a state of the soul;
it is this state that a couple learn s to nurture through surrender, the key word
in every spiritual relationship. Through surrender the needs of the ego,
which can be extremely selfish and unloving, are transformed into the true
need of the spirit, which is always the same—the need to grow. As you
grow, you exchange shallow, false feelings for deep, true emotions, and thus
compassion, trust, devotion, and service become realities. Such a marriage
is sacred; it can never falter because it is based on divine essence. Such a
marriage is also innocent, because your only motive is to love and serve the
other person. Surrender is the door one must pass through to find passion. Without
surrender, passion is centered on a person’ s craving for pleasure and
stimulation. With surrender, passion is directed toward life itself—in
spiritual terms, passion is the same as letting yourself be swept away on the
river of life, which is eternal and never -ending in its flow. The final fruit of surrender is ecstasy: when you can let go of all selfish
attachments, when you trust that love really is at the core of your nature,
you feel complete peace. In this peace there is a seed of sweetness
perceived in the very center of the heart, and from this seed, with patience
and devotion, you nurture the supreme state of joy, known as ecstasy. This, then, is the path to love outlined in the following pages, although it
isn’t the only one. Some people do not fall in love and enter into
relationships with a beloved. But this does not mean that there is no path forthem, only that the path has been internalized. For such people, the Beloved
is entirely within themselves from the very outset. It is their soul or their
image of God; it is a vision or a calling; it is a solitariness that blossoms
into love for the One. In its own way, such a love story is also about
relationship, because the final realizations are the same for all of us. To
realize “I am love” is not reserved only for those who marry. It is a
universal realization, cherished in every spiritual tradition. Or to put it most
simply, all relationships are ultimately a relationship with God. I wanted this to be a practical work as well as, hopefully, an inspiring one. Each chapter includes exercises (titled “Loving Practice”) that will enable
you to ground yourself in the insights discussed in the text. Following this
comes a love story (titled “In Our Lives”) to amplify the text in a more
personal way. I am involved in all these stories, usually as a sympathetic
listener to friends, patients, and fellow seekers. Sometimes I step beyond
that role to function as counselor or adviser, but I do not set myself up as a
professional therapist. I only want to open the way to insight, acting as its
midwife; it is up to every person to actually give birth. But before embarking on the love stories in this book, let me tell a bit of
my own. Spirit is always leaving clues about its existence, although we may
not be on the lookout for them, and I remember the first clues given to me
by my cosmic grandmother. She was my paternal grandmother, married to
an old sergeant  in the Indian army who had blasted his bugle from the
rooftops the morning I was born. To look at her, this tiny woman didn’ t
appear cosmic. Her idea of contentment was to pat flour dough into
perfectly round bread for my breakfast or to wend her way before dawn to a
dim temple where the thousand  names of Vishnu were chant ed. But one
day, as I sat waiting by the charcoal stove for my breakfast paratha  stuffed
with potatoes and spice, she let me in on a piece of cosmic wisdom. We had a neighbor down the street in the cantonment of Poona, a Mr.
Dalal, whom nobody liked. He was stooped and gray, very thin, and he
greeted everyon e with a sour, pained expression. Curiously, he had a small,
vivacious wife—his exact opposite—who adored him. They were always
together, and if I happened to pass them on the way to school, Mrs. Dalal
would wave to me from underneath her blue sari, all the time keeping aloving eye on her husband, who would be tapping his way down the
sidewalk with his cane. “They are like Rama and Sita,”  my grandmother said admiringly behind
their backs. This I very much doubted, since Rama and Sita were divine
incarnations of man and woman, and the most perfect lover s in Indian
mythology. Whe n Rama strung his bow it caused lightning and thunder,
while Sita was beauty itself. Being eleven and obsessed with cricket, I had
little time for either Rama and Sita or the Dalals, until a shadow passed over
our household. Mr. Dalal lay dying just a few doors away from us. My grandmother paid a visit to his bungalow and came back looking
somber and pale. “Only a few hours,” she told my mother. Small boys can
be callous about death, and I resented Mr. Dalal for the time he had poked
his cane at me and ordered me to pick up a package he had dropped on the
sidewalk. Years later, when I had entered medical school, I realized that Mr.
Dalal had been suffering from angina, and his weak heart had not permitted
him even to bend over. Severe chest pain accounted for the twisted
expression on his face, and now it had brought him to death’ s door. Of course Mr. Dalal’ s dying was the talk of the neighborhood. That day
my grandmothe r informed us that Mrs. Dalal had decided to die in her
husband’ s place. She was praying fervently for this wish. Our family was
stunned, except for my father, who was a cardiologist. He kept quiet, only
assuring us that Mr. Dalal had no hope of recovery from his infarction. A
week later this prediction was confounded when an extremely frail Mr.
Dalal and his wife appeared again on the street. Mrs. Dalal, very much
alive, waved from beneath her blue sari, looking as cheerful as ever, if
somehow changed. My grandmother waited, and only a few months passed before Mrs. Dalal
fell sick. A minor cold turned to pneumonia, and in those days when
penicillin was not so readily available or believed in by common people,
she died, suddenly, in the middle of the night. “Like Rama and Sita,” my grandmother murmured, wearing a look on
her face that could be mistaken for triumph. She described the last scene
between husban d and wife, when Mr. Dalal took off his prayer beads and
laid them  tender ly around his wife’ s neck before she passed. “That is a real
love story,” she said. “Only love can work such a miracle.”“No,” I proteste d, standing impatiently by the stove. “Mrs. Dalal is dead. You call that love, but now they both have nothing.” My father had already
told me, in his measured, clinical voice, that Mr. Dalal’ s survival had been a
fluke, not a miracle. He could be expected to die within the year. “You just don’t understand,” my grandmother reproached me. “Who do
you think gave Mrs. Dalal her wish? When she loved her husband, she was
loving God, and now she is with him. Every real love story is a love story
with God.”
An old woman with a cosmic mind is a good place to begin to talk about