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Sedona Conscious Magazine
S p r i n g Iss u e
2013
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www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
PUBLISHERS Brad and Holly Luky CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Corinne Casazza Michael E. Goldberg
Sedona Conscious Magazine
Dr. Jennifer Howard
S p r i n g Iss u e 2 0 1 3
Indie Lee Carolyn Myss Chris Roe don Miguel Ruiz Jr. Henry Seltzer Christopher Vasey N.D. Susun S Weed Judith Diana Winston Lynn Woodland Graphic design Pickled Pixels Graphic Design Sedona Conscious Magazine does not endorse or guarantee information incudined in either written material or advertisments. All rights are reserved. ©2013 No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written permission by the publisher.
Sedona Conscious Magazine owned by: Four Corners Magazine llc. P.O. Box 3910 Sedona AZ 86340 928.282.7755 fcm@esedona.net www.sedonaconsciousmagazine.com Cover: Cathedral Rockk, Sedona, AZ
Articles 06 Transformational Astrology by Henry Seltzer 11 Archetypes by Carolyn Myss 14 Are You Using Knowledge or is Knowledge Using You? by don Miguel Ruiz Jr. 16 The Seasons of Self: April- Awakening to the Miraculous by Lynn Woodland 19 Living a More Conscious Life by Dr. Jennifer Howard 22 Baked Egg Rolls - a recipe by Corinne Casazza 23 Optimal Detox by Christopher Vasey N.D. 25 The Keeper of the Diary (part 2) by Judith Diana Winston 27 The Spirit of Simples by Susun S Weed 29 Holistic Approach to Healing and Wellness by Michael E. Goldberg
by Yvonne Stepanow
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Transformational Astrology
April 2013
by Henry Seltzer
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he Astrology of March features Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Chiron and Pluto. Mercury is still in retrograde from late February, and only escapes its retrograde shadow on the 6th of April. Therefore the entire month of March will be one that partakes at least to some extent of the usual Mercury Retrograde symptoms of missed connections, communication mishaps and mechanical breakdowns. These interesting phenomena can usually be traced to false assumptions or overlooking something on the part of our own mental apparatus, and do not seem to much affect those persons born with Mercury retrograde natally. Venus, relationship planet and the astrological archetype of beauty and the arts, is also highlighted this month, now in Pisces and there conjuncting Neptune. The March 11th New Moon in Pisces also conjuncts Venus, so that a softer and more compassionate take on inter-personal connection is even more than usual on our minds and in our hearts. Additionally, with the Mercury retrograde period ushering in a more thoughtful attitude, the focus of our meditations will likely be the very nature of our world as a relationship planet, as well as on our various relationships, our soul’s life blood. The same New Moon that features Venus is accompanied by Mars leaving Pisces and entering into its own sign of Aries, there to come into closer and closer conjunction with Uranus as the second half of this month unfolds. This brings a series of sudden surprises and an extroverted counter-point to the internal energy of the Mercury retrograde. The possibility of accidents cannot be ruled out so that it is best to proceed with caution. We might continue our month-long meditation by focusing on the many ways that we bring one-pointed and self-motivated activity to
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the altar that relationship provides. When we more closely look, and look truly, we are able to recognize where indeed the very structure of our lives must radically transform. Meanwhile, Jupiter in Gemini, ruled by both Mercury and, in esoteric terms, Venus, is once again the focus of a yod formation from Saturn and Pluto – as was found at the time of the Winter Solstice on the 21st of December, 2012, and also in the chart for the New Year. Saturn with Pluto represents the radical transformation of structures; our own, and in the life of the surrounding collective. The Jupiter emphasis lends an optimistic air to the proceedings as we continue to explore what we need to do – both individually and as a society – to make the necessary life changes that will enable us to get through this pivotal year, recognizing it as one important turning point of a turbulent decade. Chiron, the Wounded Healer, is also very prominent in this month’s configurations, being increasingly aspected by Jupiter, and by retrograde Mercury as we make our way through March. This indicates a primary focus on the challenges as well as the rewards of this period. We are caught up in a struggle to accept the necessity of massive change. There is also the realization that, as we do go along with the flow of the cosmos working itself out through our lives, our relationships must also undergo continual adjustment and repair. It is important to recognize that change opens the door to healing, and is vital, representing the only way that we will be able to make our necessary transition into wholeness.
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astrology ARIES (March 20-April 19) You are coming into your own, Aries, although you might not yet know it. The recent cosmic emphasis implies that in order that you take full advantage of your opportunities, it is more important than ever that you make fundamental changes in your mission statement. You are in a good place to aim carefully, and it is vital that, as you do, you take inner priorities more fully into account. With Mercury retrograde all month long, this is not the time to push ahead without carefully thinking everything over, and from several different standpoints. You win when you base your thoughts on your deeper feeling level, making use of the powerful intuitive information that currently floods into your being. There, true information is to be found whenever you can make space and allow it to come in. TAURUS (April 20-May 19) It is a brand new world for you, Taurus, as the winter of your discontent begins to fade and you enter into a springtime of renewed opportunity. You are benefiting from recent realizations regarding partnership priorities and how these affect your world view, and, going forward, on your life in general. You are mulling over your actual plans for a more vitalized soul future, but you are still learning how to navigate the incredibly powerful mix of energies that swirl around you. Next month will be a better time to finalize important decisions that are still coming into being – currently stewing in the reflections of a thoughtful March time frame. For now, you do well to continue to watch and wait, and enjoy your growing confidence as well as the trepidation of anticipated new birth. GEMINI (May 20-June 20) This continues to be a powerful and an optimistic time for you, Gemini. You have been in an essentially optimistic place, despite being put through the wringer lately. The transformational beat continues into the heart of yet another intense year. You are coming now to a marked shift in your energies, with your ruler, Mercury, retrograding through your sector of career path and productive works. You are entirely serious about understanding your actual life mission, that which will make you not only successful but also happily so, and now is the time to solidify those gains, as you pause to collect yourself. On into April it will be soon enough you to be pressing ahead with a new mandate for a future that you can not only live with, but for. CANCER (June 21-July 20) It’s an interesting time for you, Cancer. You know you’ve been through something major over these last few weeks, and it is still ongoing, although it might be hard to pin it down exactly what it is. Your emotional center has been rocked; there is an evolution that is taking place within you. The result over this current monthly cycle is a new world view and new vision for where you are potentially heading. A deep exploration has come about without specific planning, as though a hidden passage through the center of the earth had suddenly opened up at your feet resulting in free fall. Where you will land only goddess knows, but it certainly won’t be Kansas anymore, or anything at all like the place where you began. LEO (July 21-Aug. 21) This is an interesting month of introspection, Leo, with the retrograde of Mercury through your sector of personal evolution, and following the intensity of the last days of February when everything seemed to fall apart only to pull together again in new ways. You have been caught up, for many weeks now, in the exploration of your interior process, leading to a better, further, and deeper commitment to yourself. You are beginning to entertain, in a new way, the idea that you include Spirit as a normal part of your waking life. It suddenly becomes important that you allow family and relationship with others to rise nearer to the top of your priority list. You are digging deep over this month and the next, first preparing, as you refine your purpose; and then, finally, as you are ready, to act.
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VIRGO (Aug. 21-Sept. 21) This is quite a time you are having here in the first few months of 2013, Virgo. Now, with six planets in your relationship sector, including Mercury in retrograde, you are deeply committed to partnership concerns, and also to refining and reformulating your viewpoint on life and love. This is a time of plumbing your spiritual depths, and regarding relationship, of both rampant confusion and also the discovery of ethereal beauty emerging, unannounced, between the lines of everyday occurrences. You could also be discovering that you just can’t push the river, but must let it roll on with a life of its own to which you are merely witness. Even though tempting, you might need to put the attractive magnet of outer world pursuits on hold this month as you sort things out.
LIBRA (Sept. 22-Oct. 22) You are seeking fulfillment amidst the ordinary, Libra. You are making a breakthrough to new levels of understanding, of yourself and of where in the world your life could be heading, although the details are more than a bit confusing, mystical and vague. Since Mercury is also retrograde until the first week of April, when you take into account the period of the retrograde shadow, it may be best not to try too hard. You win if you can wait to forge ahead with plans until you have a good sense of what you really want, down within the deepest centers of your being. One stage of this evolving process, when significant others enter even more into your picture, takes place with the Full Moon in your sign during the last week of March. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) This is an important time, Scorpio, when you are continuing to explore your inner world, and when you have also been feeling your way into a better relationship with your own personal power. When you think that you have the capability of exerting the most control is when, paradoxically, you have the very least. Over the course of this current month, your self-expression and creativity is blazing up in a new fashion that takes your deep unconscious process into better account, recognizing that at base, not everything you do is fully conscious. You are on the way to affirming your path forward in a very different way, one that rather than the misplaced conditioning of an era that has lost its relevance to your present understanding, takes soul purpose more firmly into account. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 20) You are on a roll, Sagittarius, but it is not all easy. As an intense winter makes way for spring via the dynamic transition point of the recent February 25th Full Moon, you are even more greatly focalized on important interpersonal connections. These include relationships with significant others, and also those with home, family and tribe; where you find that you are reviewing and renewing your priorities. There might be a better way forward than you have previously attempted. This is correlates as well to the psychological basis of your security, and you might find that in the course of these investigations you are discovering what makes you tick, deep down inside. As you do, you gain a better grasp on a top-to-bottom integration that brings you into closer connection with others and ultimately, with yourself. CAPRICORN (Dec. 21-Jan. 19) This is an interesting time for you, Capricorn, especially for learning new things about yourself. A tremendous transition period has been underway for many weeks, affecting how you see yourself moving forward into the uncertainty of a changed and changing world, and you remain in the thick of it. There is a way that you have never fully explored what might be termed soul purpose to the depth that you are exploring it now. You are refining your perception of what this means in terms of life direction and how you can best respond. With Mercury currently retrograde, it isn’t the time to push the river. The moment for more concerted action will come mid-April. For now, it makes for the perfect time to write down your observations or to discuss them, and to quietly watch and wait.
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AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 17) This is an important time of transition, Aquarius, as you more fully explore public persona and simultaneously your role as a creative and free individual. You are examining your position through the wrong end of a telescope, looking in a new way at the details of how you live your life, and it becomes an excellent time to journal or to meditate on these observations. You are very much in the physical world, and yet not really of it. While still remaining the proving ground of practicality, your world has turned into a symbolic statement of how you connect with others around you, and with your own inner universe. You see both these ideas in a kind of double-vision that will drive you mad if insist on simple logic rather than choosing a mystical approach, and simply enjoying the ride. PISCES (Feb. 18-March 19) This is a powerful time for you, Pisces, one of meditative reflection and self-definition. With the timing of the recent very intense Full Moon in your opposite sign from the last week of February, and the simultaneous retrograde of Mercury through your identity sector, you have turned an important corner. While still engaged with the world, you are spending a large amount of your time simply thinking and feeling. There is a way that you are becoming more aware that, along with recognizing scholarly sources of information, there are vast realms of knowledge concealed within the intimations of your almost entirely unconscious deep intuition. Although you are gaily participating, socially interacting, this void of profound silence within you might be the one thing that is really worth a listen.
Henry Seltzer, transformational astrologer and creator of the TimePassages astrology software, is based in Santa Cruz, California. An extended look at this month’s star signs and a variety of astrology reports are available on his website. Henry also offers life enhancing private astrological counseling. Call him at 831-425-3686, or visit his website at www.astrograph.com.
Earth-Keeper WESAK Gathering
4-Days May 24-26 Scottsdale, Arizona May 27 Sedona, Arizona www.Earth-Keeper.com www.SedonaConsciousMagazine.com
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"Life is an archetypal magic carpet ride through endless adventures meant to teach us about the hidden truths of life and our place in the cosmic scheme."
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Excerpt
Arche Types
spirituality
by Carolyn Myss
If I said to you, “See that man over there? He’s my Hero,” or “That woman is the Perfect Mom,” I know without a doubt that you would understand exactly what I was communicating to you about two people you had never met.
ith just three words— Hero and Perfect Mom—I would have awakened in you two complete archives of myths and symbols that you automatically associate with those terms. In seconds, these two people would cease to be strangers, as your psyche wrapped them in stories, fairy tales, and your own memories. The man would instantly take on the appearance of a super-strong Hero able to face any adversary. Despite knowing nothing else about him, you would instantly trust him. After all, Heroes don’t betray the women they’re sent to rescue—at least not in the fairy tales we know and love, right?
Consider the archetype of the Perfect Mom. You don’t need to meet the woman I’m speaking about to flesh out an idea of her in your imagination. The words Perfect Mom pack a powerful punch, especially in our society, where we have commercially enhanced this archetype beyond its already deeply rooted sentimental meaning. The instant someone tells you that a woman is a Perfect Mom, you immediately picture a great cook with a charming, well-ordered home, who helps her kids with their homework, attends all their sporting events, listens to their problems, hosts sleepovers with their friends—and bakes brownies. Even if the words Perfect Mom bring up painful associations with a not-so-perfect upbringing, you still have the projection of the ideal Mother figure firmly planted in your psyche. So how do those words—Hero and Perfect Mom—communicate so much visual, emotional, intellectual, and mythic
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information to us? They carry the power they do because they are archetypes, psychic power patterns in the unconscious mind. Although archetypes are collective symbols that everyone in the culture shares, they can also speak to us individually, as personal archetypal patterns that are the foundation of our beliefs, drives, motivations, and actions, organizing and energizing all our relationships in life. Archetypes are the power images we identify with as children. The Athlete or the Artist or the Actor or the Princess or even, sad to say, the Victim or the Vampire represents a complex of stories and myths that we somehowimagine happening in our own life. We are drawn to movies, books, and video games with characters that represent our power images. Little girls dress up as Princesses and Wonder Woman, little boys as Batman and Warriors. Archetypal identification begins early. The ten archetypal patterns that reflect the power trends of our times are: the Advocate, the Artist/Creative, the Athlete, the Caregiver, the Fashionista, the Intellectual, the Queen/Executive, the Rebel, the Spiritual Seeker, and the Visionary. They all embody the primary power issues that define women today, including their underlying struggles with personal empowerment. Ten years ago, the list of defining archetypes would have been different, and it may change again ten years from now. But in the world as we know it today, the modern woman is likely to consider herself a Professional, or if not a Professional then someone looking for her place in the world. Today’s woman is also likely to see herself as a Caregiver, whether or not she is a mother. Her Caregiver may have a rebellious streak, simply by virtue of adapting to life in a world so
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vastly different from the one in which previous generations of women lived, or she may be a woman in whom the Rebel is a full-time force. In addition to reflecting contemporary power themes, the ten archetypes embody the more pressing personal challenges facing women today. Women in particular face the challenge of developing an inner sense of power and personal identity. Without that essential core of self-esteem, you will be unable to hear your intuitive guidance. You won’t trust the Intellectual in you as it engages with new ideas. You will tune out the Fashionista archetype when it sprinkles your imagination with ideas about creating a new line of clothing or jewelry. You will dismiss the intuitive instructions or suggestions as if they were a bad dream, with a thought like I could never do that. What if I fail? or some other excuse coming from low self-esteem. Few forces in life have the positive authority of genuine selfesteem, or the negative effect of a lack of self-esteem. Archetypal patterns filter into every aspect of your life. Your archetypes influence your spending habits, how you shop, and what you buy or not. They influence the quality of your relationships, and who you are attracted to and why. And they influence recurring issues: arguments you seem to have over and over, difficulties at work that keep cropping up, and other patterns that repeat themselves. Anything that repeats is a clue to what archetypes are operating in your life. You identify your archetypes in your stories, your patterns, your fears, your talents—all the things that are constant in your nature. What would you say is “typical” of you? How do other people describe you? (If you’re
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up for it, ask your friends for help with this. You would be surprised by what you can learn about yourself.) The more you know about how archetypes work, the more easily you can observe their influence on your thoughts, your attitudes, your behavior, and your personal myths and symbols. Once you connect with an archetype that you know is genuinely you, it will inspire you to find out about other archetypes that may be influencing your life. Connecting with an archetype is a bridge to your true Self, to who you really are. You are far more than your personality, more than your habits, more than your achievements. You are an infinitely complex human being with stories and myths and dreams—and ambitions of cosmic proportions. Don’t waste time underestimating yourself. Dream big. Use your archetypes. If you’re an Artist, make art. If you’re a Visionary, imagine something the future needs, then join forces with an Entrepreneur to make a venture out of it. Use the energy of your archetype to express the true reason you were born. Life was never meant to be safe. It was meant to be lived right to the end. There are inner riches awaiting you in the archetypal domain. Life is an archetypal magic carpet ride through endless adventures meant to teach us about the hidden truths of life and our place in the cosmic scheme. This excerpt is taken from the book Archetypes by Carolyn Myss. It is published by Hay House and available online at: www.hayhouse.com
fun
Natural Mood Lighting Clementines are for Lovers: Natural Citrus Candle Sans Wax
With Indie Lee
Why burn toxic synthetic materials, or exorbitantly priced soy and bees wax, when the perfect citrus mood-lighting is sitting in your compost?
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You need: 1 Clementine and Olive Oil 5
How to make it: 1. Cut clementine in half. 2. Carefully peel skin off as a whole. 3. Twist the inside into a wick. 4. Fill with a bit of olive oil. 5. Light and enjoy!
*Indie Tip: Cut a small design in the top half of the peel to make a creative candle lid!
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Are you using knowledge, or is knowledge using you? by don Miguel Ruiz Jr.
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began my apprenticeship into my family’s tradition in San Diego, California, when I was fourteen years old. My seventy-nine-year-old grandmother, Madre Sarita, was my teacher and the spiritual head of our family. She was a curandera, a faith healer who helped people in her small temple in Barrio Logan, a neighborhood in San Diego, with the power of her faith in God and love. Since my father was a medical doctor, the juxtaposition of the two forms of healing allowed me to see our tradition through different points of view. Though she spoke no English, my grandmother gave sermons and lectures across the country. My apprenticeship began with translating my grandmother’s lectures from Spanish to English. For many years, I awkwardly stumbled over her words, and my grandmother would just look at me and laugh. One day, she asked me if I knew why I stumbled. I had all sorts of answers: you are speaking too quickly, you don’t give me a chance to catch up, some words don’t have a direct translation. . . . She just looked at me silently for a few moments and then asked, “Are you using knowledge, or is knowledge using you?” I looked at her blankly. She continued, “When you translate, you try to express my words through what you already
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feature know, what you think is true. You do not hear me; you hear yourself. Imagine doing the same thing every single moment in life. If you are looking through life and translating it as it goes along, you will miss out on living it. But if you learn to listen to life, you will always be able to express the words as they come. Your knowledge has to become a tool that you will use to guide you through life but that can also be put aside,. Do not let knowledge translate everything you experience.” I nodded in response, but it didn’t dawn on me until many years later what my grandmother was truly talking about. Throughout life, we constantly narrate, or commentate on, everything we do, say, see, touch, smell, taste, and hear. As natural storytellers, we continuously keep the plot moving forward, sometimes missing millions of subplots that are developing on their own. It is like taking a sip of wine and saying, “It’s a bit dry; it has definitely aged well, but I can taste the bark. I’ve had better.” Instead of simply experiencing the joy and flavors of the wine, we are analyzing the flavor, trying to break it down and fit it into a context and language we already know. In doing this, we miss out on much of the actual experience. This is a simple example of how we narrate life—explaining it, but, more importantly, justifying and judging it. Instead of taking an experience for what it is, we create a story to make it fit our beliefs. During Madre Sarita’s talks, I had to completely shut down my thoughts, because if my mind’s commentary got in the way, I would miss out on her message. With this simple process, my grandmother showed me that if we only see the world through the filters of our preconceptions, we are going to miss out on actually living. After much practice, I eventually learned to close my eyes, shut out the world that existed outside my head, and translate every single word she said accurately. Seeing beyond our filters—our accumulated knowledge and beliefs—does not always come naturally. We have spent years growing attached to them in various degrees, and they feel safe. Whatever we become attached to can begin to shape our future experiences and limit our perception of what exists outside our vocabulary. Like blinders on a horse, our attached beliefs limit our vision, and this in turn limits our perceived direction in life. The stronger our level of attachment, the less we can see. Think about your set of attached beliefs as a unique melody repeating itself in your mind. In a way, we are constantly trying to force our melody—the one we have become accustomed to hearing—onto other melodies, without realizing that
often the melody is not our own, and perhaps it’s not even the one we want to be playing. If we continue playing only what we know, never opening ourselves to listen to the other songs flowing around us, we are letting our attachment to our particular melody control us. Instead, choose to listen to other melodies playing. Perhaps you will contribute to them, adding a harmony or a bass line and just seeing where the music takes you. By letting go of your attachment to what you think the melody should be, you open yourself to the potential to create a unique and beautiful song of your own composition or a collaboration that can be shared with others. Excerpted from The Five Levels of Attachment: Toltec Wisdom for a Modern World by don Miguel Ruiz, Jr. © 2013 Hierophant Publishing, distributed by Red Wheel/Weiser. Now available at Amazon.com and BN.com.
don Miguel Ruiz, Jr is a Nagual, or a Toltec Master of Transformation. He is a direct descendant of the Toltecs of the Eagle Night lineage, and is the son of don Miguel Ruiz, author of The Four Agreements. He lives in Sacramento, California with his wife and two children.
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t h e
s e a s o n s
Self
o f
April: Awakening to the Miraculous by Lynn Woodland
The Spring Equinox, the official beginning of spring, happened in the third month of March, marking the point where, for the first time in six months, light and darkness are equal.
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e’ve entered the season where light is on the rise, growing stronger every day, and it can’t help but touch us all and get our energy moving, even if we don’t consider ourselves terribly attuned to nature, even if we never garden, even if it’s still Minnesota-cold out (as it is where I live). When light is rising, we know it in our bones. At the very least, we find we don’t need our Seasonal Affective Disorder lamps as often and notice our houseplants going wild. Every year this time, the presence of light awakens us in any number of obvious as well as deep, primal ways. Of course, the true rebirth of light happened at the winter solstice, the darkest day of the year. Yet, winter light is a quiet power, both dormant and pregnant, like the time after conception but before birth. Spring, on the other hand, is for “hatching.” Easter brings with it a riot of candy eggs, baby animals, and Jesus rising from the dead, as Christian symbol-
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ism blends with earlier, earth-based, traditions of the solar sun being on the rise. This energy of birth and beginnings is exciting, fresh, and a bit fragile. There’s an openness and child-like innocence to it; a sense of the world being new and that anything is possible. What better time to consciously cultivate this energy of excitement, fresh perspective, and willing suspension of disbelief, not as a naive first step on the way to a painful crash, but as a creative force? What better time to open ourselves to miracles? If the pure presence of spring isn’t enough to open your jaded mind to the possibility of miracles, try wading into some of the mind-boggling findings of relativity theory and quantum physics over the last century. Science is now showing us a remarkable new definition of reality in which time and space aren’t fixed, matter isn’t solid and the very nature of matter changes according to the expectations of those observing it. We’re seeing that consciousness in and of itself has the power to affect the physical realm and that minds are joined beyond the limits of time and space. To quote one of the pioneers of
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inspiration quantum physics, Erwin Schrodinger, on the nature of consciousness, “the overall number of minds is just one.” (A good starter book on new science is Taking the Quantum Leap, by Fred Alan Wolf.) But this article isn’t just about the mysteries of time, space and matter. It’s an opportunity to explore and experience these mysteries first hand. It’s an invitation to suspend disbelief, allow your mind to be boggled and take a leap out of the box of what you think you know because what follows is an exercise in miracle-making. Going back to Erwin Schrodinger’s idea of “One Mind” and combining that with mounting evidence of the mind’s power to affect matter (on this, check out physicist Helmut Schmidt’s research with random events generators, for starters), and then throwing in what we’re beginning to know about the flu-
idity of time and space (thank you, Einstein), take a little leap of imagination and consider that, simply through your intention to do so, you could connect with every other mind who has read, is reading, or will read this article. Imagine that, beyond the illusionary limitations of time and space, together we could (perhaps have already?) form a powerful, synergistic force of Mind capable of moving proverbial mountains of matter. (Why not? It’s been documented that prayer said anonymously, sight unseen, on another’s behalf has a statistically relevant, positive impact on physical health. Check out the book, Healing Words, by Larry Dossey, M.D. for more on this.) So, if you’re still with me, stop for a moment and really imagine this. Envision your mind joining with the minds of all who have read, are reading and will read this article. Imagine
Lynn Woodland is creator of The Miracles Course, and author of Making Miracles—Create New Realities for Your Life and Our World, from Namaste Publishing. Email her at lynn@lynnwoodland.com with your comments and to receive a free video download on the New Prosperity. More at www.LynnWoodland.com.
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us joining in a common intent that every reader now experiences something miraculous this month. (What’s “miraculous?” I think of it as something better than we expected, perhaps didn’t believe to be possible, always win/win, and often showing up through serendipity rather than effort.) As your mind follows along here, already you’ve become more than a passive reader—you’ve entered the process and begun to reshape matter, starting a healing ripple for yourself and countless others you will never know. Picture this joined consciousness as clear, beautiful, and only positive—an ocean of pure potential having the power to do great good and incapable of doing harm. Imagine that beyond time and space we’ve formed a synergistic, onlyfor-good, creative force, ready to be directed. You can add your own mind power to this in any way your imagination might suggest: aim a beam of light from your heart to this collective pool and see it grow brighter; hold a heart-felt intention that these many others who you’ll never know now receive whatever highest good best serves them; or simply think and say this to yourself. Imagine you believe this is true even if you don’t. The power of our consciousness magnifies whatever we give consistent attention to so simply holding in mind an imagined reality is akin to planting a seed. Bringing it to mind repeatedly provides the sun and water that nurture its growth. Now, all that’s left is to have faith. Faith means expecting success and seeing signs of it everywhere and in everything. It’s not a matter of hoping and wishing, which keeps our attention focused on something that isn’t here yet. “Faith” is when we’re so certain the future will unfold perfectly, we feel no need to be attached to it at all. Consequently, faith keeps us very present and at peace in the moment. Once we’ve stopped trying to worry the future into being, the miraculous present happens, with grace and serendipity. Instead of looking for signs of your success, which is tinged with an attitude of prove-it-to-me doubt, this month practice finding signs of success. It’s a little like being on an Easter egg hunt. You know without any doubt the eggs are out there. Some may be so obvious you’ll practically step on them, while some you might have to peek behind bushes and rocks to uncover. Play lightly with the possibility of miracles this month and see what shows up when you least expect it!
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Living a
guiding light
More Conscious An excerpt from Your Ultimate Life Plan: How to Deeply Transform Your Everyday Experience and Create Changes That Last, by Dr. Jennifer Howard.
Life
by Dr. Jennifer Howard
When you’re living a more conscious life, you’re being with yourself and for yourself deeply, moment by moment.
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hen you’re living a more conscious life, you’re being with yourself and for yourself deeply, moment by moment. No matter how attractive quick and easy solutions seem, lasting change can’t happen in the time it takes to deliver a pizza. It takes time, attention, and commitment to address and heal the layers of who we are and grow in consciousness. So, what is conscious living? To be conscious means to observe what’s present, and implies being awake or awakening to your deeper truth, an inner realization, or circumstance. Living a conscious life means having the willingness, curiosity, and courage to stay present to your thoughts and feelings, to the meeting point of body, emotion, mind, and spirit. It means staying present to the impact you have on others and your environment, as well as the
choices available to you. To live a conscious life—to be awake and aware—is to be gloriously alive! We experience life in degrees. You can choose where to place your attention and intention, creating a life that feels better than it does now. You can grow, change, and deepen your ability to navigate life. You can expand and illuminate your experience of consciousness. You can mature toward greater integration and wholeness. From the deepest sense of ourselves, our inner life longs to be experienced, understood, and validated. It’s rich with nuance and complexity, and meant to be sipped and savored. It’s not meant to be swallowed a week at a time, controlled by our past programming and endless “to do” lists. Slow down, take a deep breath, and truly feel life. Every moment, even a painful one, contains gifts of wisdom and joy if we’re willing to remain conscious. Living consciously includes uncovering, grieving, and working through your historical childhood difficulties, along with the programming they created. It’s your job to return
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Dr. Jennifer Howard is a licensed psychotherapist, energy healer, and spiritual teacher. She’s the author of Your Ultimate Life Plan: How to Deeply Transform Your Everyday Experience and Create Changes That Last, Huffington Post blogger and the host of the weekly radio talk show, A Conscious Life. Visit her website, www.DrJenniferHoward.com, for meditations, articles, and free gifts.
to your blocks, those stubborn problems that keep you from experiencing your wholeness and embracing your potentials. As you identify and heal them you create change. This opens the door to the emergence of your real self. You might be thinking, “Grieve my childhood difficulties?! Is that even possible? Won’t that take forever? Why should I go through all that effort? What problems will it solve?” To understand why it’s needed, let me ask you a few questions: Are you living the life you’ve always dreamed of? Often, from a young age, we have an idea of the kind of life we want to live. We have specific goals in some areas, others we paint with broader strokes, and some goals change with time. Do you feel your life expresses your deepest desire? Are
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you moving toward your greatest vision of life? Are you the person you want to be? When you reflect on who you’re being in life, you may discover you’re suppressing important qualities and traits while expressing others that don’t feel like the real you. Are you being your authentic, empowered self much of the time? Is there a persistent complaint, pain, or longing in your life you’ve yet to heal? Sometimes, no matter how much we work on ourselves, we encounter the same inner obstacles again and again. Are you living and feeling fulfilled by your deepest mission in life, serving others, and making a difference? We’re here to contribute to the world in our own unique
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One realizes that all of existence is a manifestation of consciousness; that ultimately everything is made out of consciousness. —A.H. Almaas
way. Sometimes that contribution makes big waves, and sometimes our expression of service is quiet, subtle, or deeply personal. Each is as important in its own way. Are you making the difference you know you can? Are you satisfied and fulfilled in your relationships? This is an area in which we often compromise, give in to resignation, and feel we’ve gotten the best we can get. Are you frustrated and unfulfilled in your personal and professional relationships? Is your work aligned with your life-path, and are you satisfied with your progress? Are you doing what you’re burning to do? Does your professional life (your job or your business) express who you authentically are in the world? Are you achieving the results you want? Living a conscious life changes your everyday experience in measurable ways. You’ll find greater ease, resilience, contentment, and success. As you learn to be present to physical sensations, emotional feelings, and thoughts, you’ll develop ego strength, and move more comfortably with the ups and downs of life. You’ll be well on your way to walking the conscious life path, embodying greater freedom and happiness. You’ll relax into the most subtle and profound realms of awareness, the inner silent still point in consciousness— the silence that feeds body and soul. Father Thomas Keating, in his book Invitation to Love, said, “Silence is God’s first language; everything else is a poor translation. In order to hear that language, we must learn to be still and to rest in God.” Conscious Living 2.0™ practices can lead you into wisdom and inner silence. Some might call this opening more fully to God, Wisdom, or unified consciousness. I like to call it “enlightening-ment,” meaning that for most of us enlightenment is not a destination or graduation into a permanent higher state of consciousness, but a moment-by-moment experience
constantly fluctuating between degrees of wholeness and limited consciousness. Once we’ve experienced and embodied this enlightenment, whether for a moment or more, the time spent in this impersonal state, stillness, spaciousness, silence, or wholeness leaves its mark on us forever. You probably know what I mean, and can feel it as you read. When we travel that territory, our capacity grows. We’re a little more relaxed and a little less fearful, more compassionate toward ourselves and others. We’re more attentive to our lives and the still small voice within. In the book Buddha Standard Time, Lama Surya Das defines enlightenment as a “deep flash of awakening to the knowledge that we are much more than our time and spacebound material selves living in a material world. Some people awaken to enlightenment by Grace, seemingly without effort, but most of us stay obsessively stuck in the past or the future, running our mental trains backward and forward in that track every minute of the day.” Yet, he goes on to say, “Each moment is intersected by a realm of infinite spaciousness and timelessness, known in Tibetan as shicha, the Eternal Now.” It’s possible to be excited about life, even on a bad day, when you’re doing what you came here to do! Fulfilling your mission—the one unique to you—is possible; I’m doing it, and I’ve helped many others do it too. You can feel happier than you ever thought possible!
Reprinted, with permission of the publisher, from YOUR ULTIMATE LIFE PLAN: HOW TO DEEPLY TRANSFORM YOUR EVERYDAY EXPERIENCE AND CREATE CHANGES THAT LAST © 2013 Dr. Jennifer Howard. Published by New Page Books a division of Career Press, Pompton Plains, NJ. 800-227-3371. All rights reserved.
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nourish
Baked Egg Rolls by Corinne Casazza
These egg rolls have so much taste and crunch, your guests won’t suspect they’re healthy! The dark sesame oil and fresh ginger combine to really increase the flavor profile.
Don’t worry about putting the egg rolls together, the egg roll wrappers have instructions on the back complete with a diagram. These are a foolproof appetizer!
• In a large non-stick skillet or wok, cook the chicken over medium high heat until cooked through. Drain and set aside. 1 pound ground chicken 2 cups grated carrots ¼ cup sliced leeks 1 ½ cups drained bean sprouts 1 cup chopped bok choy 3 garlic cloves crushed 1 T fresh ginger grated ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional) 2T reduced sodium soy sauce 2T dark sesame oil 2T cup dark brown sugar 1T pus 1t corn starch 20 egg roll wrappers
• In the same skillet heat the sesame oil add carrots, leeks, bean sprouts, bok choy and garlic. Cook over medium heat until cooked through. Add chicken back to the skillet. • In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon of water with soy sauce, brown sugar and pepper flakes if using. Whisk in the corn starch. Pour into chicken/vegetable mixture and toss well. Remove from heat. • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. • Place one egg roll wrapper on work surface. Spoon a scant ¼ cup chicken/veggie mixture in the middle of the wrapper. Fold both sides toward the center and roll tightly. Use water to keep the seam closed. Place on non-stick baking sheet with seam side up. (Note: egg rolls can be frozen at this point). • Repeat the process for the remaining mixture. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes, turning halfway through.
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natural health
Detox optimal
chapter 4
By Christopher Vasey N.D.
Christopher Vasey, N.D., is a naturopath specializing in detoxification and rejuvenation. He is the author of The Acid-Alkaline Diet for Optimum Health, The Naturopathic Way, The Water Prescription, The Whey Prescription, and The Detox Mono Diet. He lives near Montreux, Switzerland.
The Different Illnesses Caused by Colloidal and Crystalline Toxins. Simply knowing that diseases are primarily due to the accumulation of toxins in the body is a good thing on its own. However, it is even better to know how to tell the difference between those diseases that are caused by colloidal wastes and those created by crystalline wastes. So what do we need to learn in order to best apply this knowledge? The first step consists of observing what excretory organ is most affected by the disease. Overloads of one kind of waste will target very specific excretory organs. The other eliminatory organs will be spared completely as they do not handle the waste products in question. For example, an excess of colloidal wastes can overwork and make several of the excretory organs that handle these toxins sick; such as the liver and the intestines. But the effects of this overload will have no bearing whatsoever on the organs that eliminate crystalline wastes from the body: the kidneys and sudoriferous (sweat) glands. This is why, when the liver and intestines are afflicted, we are seeing evidence of a colloidal disease (as these organs specialize in the elimination of colloidal wastes). When the liver or sudoriferous glands are suffering from illness, we are seeing signs of diseases caused by crystalline wastes (as these are the organs that are intended to eliminate crystals from the body). The second way to tell what kind of illness is present-colloidal or crystalline--consists of observing two symptoms: discharge and pain. DISCHARGE Colloidal wastes contain a certain quantity of water and are discharged from the body by the respiratory
tract (in the form of colds, bronchitis, and so on), by the sebaceous glands (whiteheads and oozing eczema), and the intestines (in the form of stools). Crystals are basically hard, dry wastes. When there is an excess amount of crystalline waste in the body, they form deposits in the tissues. For example, these deposits can appear in the joints (arthritis), in the skin (eczema), on the walls of the blood vessels (arterioscleroisis), or in the kidneys (kidney stones). PAIN When an excess of crystal toxins exists, they will compress the tissues, rub against them too energetically, or outright injure them. Crystals are hard and have an angular structure with sharp edges. When they remain stagnant in the body they easily injure the cells by scratching, pricking, and piercing them. At the onset, they will be perceived only as an irritant. Over time, lesions will occur. The inflammation of the tissues makes them extremely sensitive and all the more receptive to pain. Conversely, colloidal wastes do not possess any of these effects whatsoever and do not cause pain. Their lack of structure sharply reduces any possibility of tissue injury. Being soft and malleable, they do not change the shape of the tissues with which they come into contact, and do not tear or injure them like crystals. To the contrary, they change shape to adapt to that of their environment.
Optimal Detox: How to Cleanse Your Body of Colloidal and Crystalline Toxins by Christopher Vasey, N.D., Š 2013 Healing Arts Press. Reprinted with permission from the publisher Inner Traditions International.
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poetry
Sanctuary by Chris Roe
Shafts of light Through cathedral windows. Dappled shade Upon the leaves Beneath my feet. Bird song In the branches above. In the distance Hind and fawn Cross the forest track. The sweet fragrance of autumn Fills the misty air. A gentle breeze Moving colours To the forest floor. So precious Such beauty, So hard to find Such peaceful sanctuary.
The above poems are from my self-published collection of work, entitled “In Search of Silence” more details of which can be seen on my website at www.silentflightpublications.co.uk
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sacred travels
The keeper of
the diary
By judith diana Winston
Part 2
November 29 It is the six-month anniversary of my being discovered in the desert, but it feels more like a year. Last night I had a very strange experience. During the night I was awakened from a deep sleep, or what felt like a deep sleep, buy a high pitched whirring sound. As I opened my eyes and sat up, I thought Rashid was standing by the side of my cot. I blinked to clear my vision then realized it was not Rashid, but rather a tall figure whose facial features were almost completely hidden by the deeply draped hood of its long dark robes. Only the eyes showed, like two brilliant bus stars in a night sky. The scent of roses filled the air, and although there was no light, the phantom was illuminated by a greenish-gold glow that seemed to emanate from within the col of its robe and surround it like a halo.
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opened my mouth to speak but before I could utter a sound, the apparition put a finger to its lips, signaling silence. It then spoke in a low, clear masculine voice. "I have very little time, so I want you to listen carefully, David. Yes, that is your name, and you are at the center of warring forces that you have no way of understanding at this time. You could say that you are, but a great storm rages around you. For now, you must take what I am about to tell you on faith. You must trust that I am here to help you. Later, you will remember who I am, and all of this will begin to make sense. "It is important for you to know that there exists an ancient drama, older even than Mankind. It is a drama in which you now play a pivotal role. In fact, it is one in which at an earlier time you yourself chose to participate. You have long since forgotten that decision, but it has not forgotten you. How you handle the tasks ahead will determine the future of the Hu-man Race as you know it, as well as that of Planet Earth, itself. "There has been a clamp put on your memory while the warring forces were aligning their positions. That clamp is now being loosened, and you will begin to remember things quite naturally and quite quickly. At first, you may feel overwhelmed by so much information coming back to you at once, but there is a Spiritual Law in place that states, 'We are never given more than we can handle.' I have known you for a very long time and I know how strong you are. Whatever emotions you may experience in the
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coming weeks and months, keep in mind what I have just said." I focused on the Great Crystal and, like a camera coming in for a close-up, saw the Earth growing large before me. It was green and blue and fresh. I saw strange and unusual forms of plant and animal life that have never been seen by present day human eyes. There were giant plants that moved of their own volition and great flying creatures with golden feathers. Their wings spanned twenty feet and glistened in the sunlight as they glided sleekly and gracefully through strangely colored skies. I saw the stuff of myths - giant griffins and winged horses. Before my eyes, great silver spaceships and flying discs were carrying many types of Star Beings, some similar in appearance to those in the room. I saw them land on Earth and materialize whole cities, even instant architectural wonders, out of barren rock. I watched as they transported giant boulders, first by making them weightless, then easily moving them and finally placing them gently and precisely into position. Once in place, the boulders resumed their former massive weight. The Star Beings were able to perform these feats effortlessly by collectively focusing the vast power of both their minds and voices. At times, in order to sound a particular tone, they enhanced their voices by using small machines. During those times, their voices rose in unison to such a high and harmonious level of vibration that they could suspend gravity. They were also able to create extensive rock carvings by projecting an image directly from their minds onto the rough face of the rock. Among the variety of creatures I saw in the crystal were the great apes, those associated with the ancestry of Man. I watched as some of them became illuminated by the glowing light and were transformed, beaching more and more Hu-manlike. I saw other life forms that cam into being in a different wayexactly as they had in my dream in the Arab village. They began as pure light. As time passed, they grew more and more solid, then more and more dense. Eventually, they became humans. I watched as two highly developed civilizations emerged and later, vanished. The first Root Race was destroyed and the second one simply disappeared. This second Root Race, the Lemurians, occupied a magical island-continent located in the Pacific Ocean. Only a very small part of its land mass continued in physical form when the island sank beneath the sea, and most of its inhabitants vanished. The Lemurians were a highly spiritual, proud and beautiful race. They were unique in the history of the Earth, because they had bodies that were never entirely physical in the sense that ours are. They had the ability to transform from an almost-solid state into a state of pure energy—and back again—at will.
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Before the Lemurian civilization ended and its inhabitants disappeared, I saw them encode thousands of tiny "seed crystals" with information- spiritual, historical and technical- that would be helpful to future generations. They were able to program the crystals in such a way that their data would be available in a time-release, energy pattern. Then, according to The Plan, they scattered the crystals over the face of the Earth, insuring that they would be found by future generations. "The Plan!" My mind flashed back to what Zev Moab had told me about a plan laid out for Planet Earth before the arrival of Hu-mankind. Could this be a part of that same plan? I pushed these thoughts away. It was hard enough to keep up with the images flashing in the crystal. I forced my mind to refocus and saw that when the Lemurians' purpose here was complete and their island was about to sink into the sea, they had lifted en masse, with some specific exceptions, and departed the plane of Earth, never again to incarnate in physical form. Those few who chose to remain behind, as guides and guardians for the generations of humans that would follow, established settlements in the mountains of Tibet. Images from the giant crystal faded and I had a moment to close my eyes, but once I opened them, events passed quickly. After a time, the images began to slow down and I was witnessing what seemed like a somewhat familiar scene. It was the civilization of Atlantis with its sophisticated technologies. I saw Beings of the same race as the Twelve sitting with me now. They were Galactic Visitors, Pleiadeans, who were working with the Atlantean priests. They wanted to teach the priests what they knew about Earth's powerful geometric grids and its natural electro-magnetic energy patterns. Before long, the peoples of Atlantis appeared. The general population was made up of many different types of Hu-mans. Some were extremely tall, others exceedingly small. The hues of their skin were as varied as the colors of the rainbow. This was a result of the genetic seeding and intermingling of a great variety of extraterrestrial races. Although the greatest number of them had light skin and red hair, they all blended together into a beautiful medley of color, size and shape. The Atlantean Prince-Priest A-Ta emerged from the crowd. He was wearing robe-like metallic clothing with small crystals woven into the fabric. I realized I had glimpsed him in my longago dream in the village near the Sphinx. He was the one who had floated above the waves and watched in horror as the island of Atlantis disappeared beneath the waves. Now my dream began to make sense—I knew I was Prince A-Ta in that past life.
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: e s i W Healing
inspiration
Simples the s p i r i t o f
By Susun S Weed
What is a Simple? A "simple" is one herb used at a time. A "simpler" is an herbalist who generally uses herbs one at a time, rather than in combinations.
Susun Weed, green witch and wise woman, is a teacher with a joyous spirit, a powerful presence, and an encyclopedic knowledge of herbs and health. Ms. Weed's four herbal medicine books focus on women's health topics including: menopause, childbearing, and breast health. www.susunweed.com
Why Use Simples? Most herbalists I have met—whether from China or Japan, Eastern or Western Europe, Australia or North America— use herbs in combinations. Simplers, like myself, don't. Why? Because I believe that herbal medicine is people's medicine, I seek to make herbal medicine simple: as simple as one herb at a time. Because people worry about interactions between the drugs they take and herbs, I keep it simple: with simples, interactions are simple to observe, and simpler to avoid. Because empowerment in health care is difficult, I want to offer others easy, safe herbal remedies: and what could be easier, or safer, than a simple? Simples Make Me Think. When I was just getting started with herbs, one thing that confounded me was the many choices I had when I began to match symptoms to the herbs that relieved them. If someone had a cough should I use garden sage or wild cherry bark
or pine sap or mullein or coltsfoot (to name only a few of the many choices)? One way out of this dilemma was to use them all. I made many cough syrups that contained every anticough herb that I could collect. And they all worked. As I got more sophisticated in my herbal usage, and especially after I completed a course on homeopathy, I began to see that each herb had a specific personality, a specific way of acting. I realized I couldn't notice the individual actions of the herbs when they were combined. It felt daring at first to use just one herb. Would wild cherry bark tincture all by itself be enough to quell that child's cough? Yes! Would mullein infusion alone really reduce a person's asthmatic and allergic reactions? Yes! Would sage soaked in honey for six weeks ease a sore throat? Yes! Each herb that I tried as a simple was successful. They all worked, not just together, but by themselves. The more I used individual herbs the more I came to know them as individuals. The more I used simples, the simpler and more successful
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my remedies became. The more I used one herb at a time, the more I learned about how that herb worked, and didn't work. Simples Are Intimate. When we use one herb at a time, we come to know that herb, we become intimate with that herb. Just as we become intimate with each other by spending time one-on-one, tete-a-tete, simply together, we become closer to the herbs when we use them as simples. Becoming intimate with an herb or a person helps us build trust. How reliable is the effect of this herb? When? How? Where does it fail? Using simples helps us build a web of green allies that we trust deeply. Simples help us feel more powerful. They help abate our fears, simply, safely. Simples Are Subtle. Using one herb at a time gives us unparalleled opportunities to observe and make use of the subtle differences that are at the heart of herbal medicine. When we use simples we are more likely to notice the many variables that affect each herb: including where it grows, the years's weather, how we harvest it, our preparation, and the dosage.1 The many variables within one plant insure that our simple remedy nonetheless touches many aspects of a person and heals deeply. One apprentice tinctured motherwort flowering tops weekly through its blooming period. She reported that the tinctures made from the younger flower stalks had a stronger effect on the uterus; while those made from the older flower stalks, when the plant was going to seed, had a stronger effect on the heart. Simples Give Me Power. Using one herb at a time helps me feel more certain that my remedy has an active value, not just a placebo value. Using one plant at a time, and local ones at that, reassures me that my herbal medicine cannot be legislated away. Using one plant at a time allows me to build trust in my remedies. Using one plant at a time is a subversive act, a reclaiming of simple health care. Combinations erode my power, activate my "victim persona," and lead me to believe that herbal medicine is best left to the experts. From Complex to Simple. Take the challenge! Use simples instead of complex formulae. Let's rework some herbal remedies and get a sense of how simple it can be. The anti-cancer formula Essiac contains Arctium lappa (burdock), Rheum palmatum (rhubarb), Ulmus fulva (slippery elm), and Rumex acetosella (sheep sorrel). Rhubarb root has no pos-
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sible use against cancer; it is a purgative whose repeated use can "aggravate constipation." Slippery elm bark also has no possible anti-cancer properties and has no doubt been added to counter some of the detrimental effects of the rhubarb. Sheep sorrel juice is so caustic that it has been used to burn off skin cancers, but it would likely do more harm to the kidneys than to any cancer if ingested regularly. Leaving us with a great anticancer simple: burdock root. One that I have found superbly effective in reversing dysplasias and precancerous conditions. A John Lust formula for relief of coughs 2 contains Agropyron repens (witch grass), Pimpinella anisum (aniseed), Glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice), Inula helenium (elecampane root), Pulmonaria officinalis (lungwort), Thymus species (thyme herb), (murillo bark) 3, Chondrus crispus (irish moss), Lobelia inflata (lobelia herb). Witch grass has little or no effect on coughs; it is an emollient diuretic whose dismissal from this group would leave no hole. Anise seeds are also not known to have an anti-pertussive effect; although they do taste good, we can do without them. Lobelia can bring more oxygen to the blood, but is certainly not an herb I would ever add to a cough mixture, so I will leave it out here. Licorice is a demulcent expectorant that can be most helpful for those with a dry cough; however, I do use it for a variety of reasons, among them its exotic origins and its cloyingly sweet taste. Lungwort is, as its name implies, a pectoral, but its effect is rather mild, and its place in the Boraginaceae family gives me pause. How much pyrrolizidine alkaloid might it contain? Thyme, and its more common anti-cough cousin garden sage, contains essential oils that could both quiet a cough and counter infection in the throat. A strong tea or a tincture of either could be our simple. Irish moss is, a specific to soothe coughs and a nutritive in addition, would also make an excellent simple. But it is elecampane that I would crown. It is not only a specific to curb coughing, it counters infection well, and tonifies lung tissues. Several small doses of a tincture of elecampane root should quiet a cough in a few hours. Simples are fun. Give them a try.
Footnotes: 1. Among the many variables, I have especially noticed that the tinctures that I make with fresh plants are many times more effective than tinctures made from dried plants. My elders tell me that preparations of common plants growing in uncommon places will be stronger as well. Many herbalists are aware of certain areas of their land that nurture plants that are particularly potent medicines. 2. John Lust. The Herb Book. 1974. Bantam. 3. Note that this formula, as is frequently the case, contains an "exotic" herb which Mr. Lust does not include in the 500+ herbs in his book, nor does he give us a botanical name for the plant, leaving us literally unable to prepare his formula as presented.
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Holistic
wellness
Approach
to Healing and Wellness.
By Michael E. Goldberg
Alternative medicine is based on body’s natural ability to heal and prevent disease.
A
lternative medicine is based on body’s natural ability to heal and prevent disease. Alternative medicine is based on the premise that health is impacted by the conscious and subconscious mind, the energy body and the physical body. Thoughts, energy and emotions affect health. They impact the health of the body. Thoughts, energy and emotions drive physical reality toward disease or wellness. Disease or wellness then becomes a choice – much like happiness or unhappiness. So, any approach to healing and prevention that does not deal with energy, thoughts and emotions will not prevent or heal disease. Healing and prevention requires good mental and emotional health as well as physical health. Holistic uses a mind-body-spirit approach to health and wellness and focuses on natural means. Alternative medicine gets to the root causes of disease and tries to eliminate or minimize them. The goal of alternative medicine is to heal and prevent disease. Generally speaking, the root causes of most diseases are stress and negativity, toxicity and vitamin and mineral deficiencies. All of these causes wreck havoc on the body and our immune system and they drain our energy. Alternative medicine works to stabilize the body, conserve and boost our energy and boost our immune system. Alternative medicine works with the energy body—i.e., the energy that infuses each cell of the body. It views the free flow of life force energy and oxygen through the body (through the bloodstream) as critical to good health. This requires us to reduce stress and negativity, achieve and maintain peace of mind and inner peace and raise one’s vibrations. This requires inner
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peace, optimism and happiness. Techniques to achieve these mental and emotional states include Reiki, meditation, yoga, dance, exercise, massage and acupuncture. Good posture is also important. Good posture is critical to the flow of energy and oxygen throughout the body. Alternative medicine views negative energy as the first cause of disease. Most negative energy comes from our own negative and rigid beliefs, negative thoughts and emotions. It comes from ego and from hurting and deceiving others (the energy we generate is the energy we get back). Negative energy blockages and energy attachments prevent the free flow of life force energy in the body. They prevent the high vibrations needed for good health. So, it is necessary to remove these blockages and attachments. This requires meditation, prayer and visualization work. Reiki/energy healing and acupuncture will also help. It requires us to live in balance and harmony and enjoy our lives. It requires us to reduce stress and avoid negative and toxic people and environments. It requires us to avoid conflict and drama and seek ongoing peace of mind and inner peace and to stop negative thoughts. It requires us to focus on what makes us feel positive and happy and not what gets us upset or stressed out. It requires us to focus on our blessings and not on problems and what we want or lack. It requires us to focus on the moment, on tasks and on the details of process and plans – not money, people or things.
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Alternative medicine requires us to focus on a feeling of health and wellness and not illness. Alternative medicine works with the conscious and subconscious mind. Good health and prevention require positive and open beliefs and positive thoughts. This is achieved through meditation - mindfulness meditation, white light meditation and emptiness/zone-out meditation The alternative approach teaches us to be mindful of our thoughts and emotions. It teaches us to move them from negative to positive. Negative thoughts are often caused by rigid and negative beliefs. Many rigid and negative beliefs are held at the subconscious level. They were adopted as part of our response to traumas and life experience. Subconscious and conscious beliefs can be changed to change thoughts and thought patterns. Subconscious beliefs can be changed from negative beliefs to positive beliefs through positive affirmation exercises. Brain chemistry can be adjusted with sound, music, light, and color therapy. Alpha, beta, delta and theta brain wave meditation music with binaural beat will help improve brain chemistry. This will have a positive impact on physical and mental health. Alternative medicine focuses on the need for nutrition for good health. Good nutrition consists of vitamins and minerals that replenish the body. Alternative medicine views food as medicine. The optimal diet in the alternative world is a high
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nutrient diet (mostly fresh, non-starchy vegetables and some Also, holistic research indicates the benefits of taking (i) fruit, berries, nuts and seeds). Fresh vegetables, fruit, berries, antioxidants (Co Q 10, green tea and green tea extract and nuts and seeds have the fiber our bodies need as well. Orresveritrol are good), (ii) adaptogens (such as cordyceps, miganic is best. Some protein is fine, but animal protein should ataki, reishi and shitaki mushrooms -whole or supplements), be limited and organic. You can also get protein from beans, astragalus, (iii) anti inflammatory supplements such as fish oil nuts, seeds, legumes, eggs and fish. At least 80% of your diet and (iv) protein/amino acid supplements. These will help preshould consist of whole, fresh vegetables, fruit, berries, nuts vent and repair the damage to your cells done by oxidation/ and seeds. Green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale free radicals and inflammation and help build more muscle along with beets, broccoli and other fresh whole vegetables tissue, while boosting one’s energy and immune system. help boost one’s energy and immune system. Use super foods When your energy is low, holistic research indicates the such as chlorella, spirulina, wheatgrass and garlic. They help benefits of Echinacea and Siberian or Asian Ginseng, Astragaboost your energy and immune system. lus and Asian Mushrooms and Asian Mushroom supplements or starch, eat whole grains, whole potatoes and whole (i..e, reishi, cordyceps ,shitaki and miataki mushrooms). yams along with whole grain pasta, because they contain fiDrink plenty of filtered water. Some prescribe at least ber and nutrients. The alternative eight, eight ounce glasses of waapproach advocates that we do ter per day. Put fresh squeezed not eat prepared, packaged and lemon or lime in your water. Many junk foods. These foods contain recommend that you boil and filter toxins (chemical preservatives), tap water before drinking it. This refined sugar and sodium. They do is because there are chemicals in not contain much nutrition or fiber. tap water. is a Reiki Master and Life and Health The alternative approach recomReduce your exposure to chemiCoach and Author of The Road to mends that we eliminate or greatly cals in what you wear, what you Healing, Good Health and Wellness reduce our consumption of refined ingest and what you put on your (available on amazon.com, kindle and sugar and starches and eliminate body. Detoxify the body, by purgbarnes and noble.com), End of Mood Disorders (available on amazon.com trans- fats. ing it of stored toxins with milk and barnes and noble.com) and The So, the alternative approach thistle and dandelion and warm Road to Happiness, available for free advocates that we focus on natuwater with fresh lemon and sea at www.theroad2happiness.com and ral, whole food and greatly reduce salt/Himalayan salt. the Facebook Page entitled The Road to Happiness. our intake of processed foods The body needs exercise. So, (because they lack nutrition and get plenty of exercise. At the very contain chemicals). least, walk two to three miles a A multi vitamin is good, but, purday. When sitting for long periods, suant to holistic research, it is not stretch your legs and body and get enough to give you the vitamins and minerals you need for up and move around or exercise. This helps distribute oxygen good health even if you are on a high nutrient diet. This is beand life force energy through your body. cause the nutritional value of fresh and frozen vegetables, fruits Breathe more deeply and take a lot more deep breaths to and berries has been depleted due to depletion of nutrients in draw the maximum amount of oxygen into your lungs. the soil. Alternative medicine views nature as the primary source of Holistic research indicates the benefits of taking good sized prevention and healing. It focuses on reducing our consumpdose of vitamin A, B-Complex, C, D3, E and K1 and K2. Holistic tion of chemicals and boosting our consumption of natural research indicates the benefits of trace minerals supplements. products such as whole foods and herbs. This will help boost You can get trace minerals in liquid, colloidal form. Some of your energy and immune system to heal and prevent disease. the essential trace minerals include iron, zinc, manganese, potassium, magnesium, copper, iodine, selenium, molybdenum, chromium, calcium, sulfur, cobalt, nickel, boron, beryllium, sodium, copper, tin, silicon, vanadium, fluorine.
Michael E. Goldberg
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