Medical Hyponosis

Victor Hugo colourfully explains that “Suggestion consists in making a small incision in the spirit of another into which we insert our own idea”. The choice of the word “incision” illustrates very well that we forcefully penetrate the other, and moreover this is done in order to place something there that does not come from him; our own idea. That is far from being harmless, as we generally believe. In this way, during a session, the hypnotist can suggest to the subject that he is cold, that he is either tired or very fit, that he sees a bright light, and so on, and the subject will feel and see everything he is told. Unable to resist the suggestions, he will somaticize what is proposed to him. The information received by his spirit is transmitted to his brain, which in turn modifies the sensory and organic functions to the desired state.

Something similar happens sometimes on a smaller scale when, for example, we start to feel tired and out of sorts after several people have remarked that we do not look well!

It is the possibility of modifying the body’s organic functions according to the idea one has of them that is used in medical hypnosis. Several physical ailments can be treated in this way: migraines, indigestion, eczema, allergies, high blood pressure, arthritic pains, and so on. By suggesting a different organic function to the spirit of the patient, we can exercise an influence on him so that he obtains relief from disagreeable symptoms, and in certain cases, complete recovery.

Hypnosis is also used to treat psychic problems such as anxiety, fears and phobias; impatience, aggression, lack of self confidence; dependency on tobacco, alcohol, food (bulimia), or on different drugs. The suggestions made to the spirit will redirect the behaviour of the subject towards a more positive conduct. This is because his thinking and actions will be guided towards the new ideas implanted in him. For example, the suggestion “I no longer have a craving to smoke” will replace the old idea “a cigarette makes me feel good”. Since the goal of medical hypnosis is positive we tend to believe that the method is also. But is it really?

THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND OR THE SPIRIT?

According to the medical field, hypnosis acts on the brain, or more precisely on the part of the brain harbouring the subconscious mind. This part of the brain is described as the reservoir of all our resources of knowledge. It would also be the centre of creativity, imagination and would constantly react to what our senses perceive.

This type of definition does not apply to the brain but to the immaterial spirit that animates the body and uses the brain. The latter is but a tool at the disposal of the spirit. It resembles a high performance computer in the hands of its user. But in the same way as a computer is completely void of creativity, imagination, and so on, so also is the brain. The spirit, on the other hand, possesses all of these faculties and constantly uses them throughout the course of its activities. The brain does nothing but put everything into a concrete form in the coarse material world.

It is damaging to consider hypnosis as acting upon the brain and not on the spirit because we lose sight of an essential point. The spirit is, in fact, the seat of the free will. Therefore, it is only when the spirit uses its free will that it can progress and advance inwardly, because it then experiences everything it does fully.

Speaking Event in Sweden

Mr Vasey will give a lecture in Stockholm, Sweden where he will discuss the existence of elemental beings - such as elves, nixies, and gnomes - using the knowledge contained in The Grail Message as his foundation

Thursday 18th November 6.30 pm
Gnomes, Elves, Nixies, … a Worldwide knowledge
Bygdegården

Anna Whitlock

Eriksbergsgatan 8B, Stockholm

Choice of Name and Prenatal Education, Part 2

Is there such a thing as prenatal education?

The knowledge of the cosmic Law of the Attraction of Homogeneous Species also allows what we generally call “prenatal education” to appear in a new light and helps us to understand what really happens in the process.

The proponents of this “education” think it is possible to decisively impress a child even when it is still in the mother’s womb. One could form character traits through appropriate means or bring qualities to unfold, which would otherwise not develop or at least not to the same degree.
A foetus is aware of external stimuli and reacts to them – this is a fact that has been proved by numerous experiences. For example, a child can recognise a certain piece of music, which was regularly played to it during pregnancy.

The so-called prenatal education uses predominantly the senses of hearing and touch. It is assumed that if we speak or read selected texts to the foetus, if we sing to it or let it listen to music, this positively influences the child and enhances the development of its hearing abilities or also its musicality.

If through repeated gentle pressure of her hand, the mother lets the foetus feel that a peaceful, protective atmosphere is around it, then this devotion is expected to strengthen the child’s self-confidence and its sense of inner security.

As has already been depicted in this series, the child’s spirit remains in the immediate vicinity of the mother-to-be during the pregnancy and “bathes” in her aura, as it were. As a consequence, the child sympathises with the emotions of the mother – for instance the joy she feels on a walk in nature or when listening to a piece of music, but also her sorrow or fear. Therefore, mothers would be well advised to avoid unpleasant, distressing impressions and to seek only that which is uplifting and beautiful and natural. For in this way, the child also receives impetus for its sense of beauty, for happiness and confidence in life.

Nonetheless, one should not conclude from these contexts, as do the advocates of “prenatal education”, that the basis of a strong and balanced character is actually decisively formed by the behaviour of the mother during pregnancy.

Although it offers positive impulses, prenatal education in reality does not cause any fundamental change in the spirit of the child. Here something else comes into play, namely the Law of the Attraction of Homogeneous Species once again: If the mother listens to a lot of music during pregnancy or perhaps even plays music herself, then through her own musicality she can attract a spirit which has the same qualities. Yet she does not really change the nature of the child. The child brings along its own musicality.

If the mother’s behaviour were really to decisively determine the abilities and characteristics of the child, it would be highly unjust, because then we would all actually be the victims of circumstances. The Laws of Creation do not permit such a thing. Every person harvests what he himself has sown. The life which we are allowed to or indeed have to lead is essentially always the result of our own endeavours.

Naturally, all the efforts of a mother during her pregnancy to live in peace and harmony, so that her child can develop in an unspoilt and beautiful atmosphere, are also to be welcomed all the same. Every mother should be encouraged to adopt such an orientation. But the key opportunity for her does not lie in the “prenatal education” of a soul already incarnated, but is presented to her way beforehand: in the choice of the soul which attaches itself to her as child.

Choice of Name and Prenatal Education

The choice of first name – pure coincidence?

We do not normally concern ourselves especially with our first name. We are used to it and we use it without thinking much about it. Often, however, our parents have pondered for a long time before they gave us that name. Do such considerations make sense? Do first names have a deeper meaning, can they be suitable or unsuitable, or is it all just the same whether someone is called Francis or George, Isabella or Suzanne?

Looked at cursorily, it could be assumed that first names are chosen randomly, just to name a young person somehow. In reality this is not the case, however, because every first name holds a particular power and corresponds to the personality of the one who bears it. Neither does the choice of name happen by chance, but the decision of the parents is controlled by the cosmic Law of the Attraction of Homogeneous Species.

A name for the “vibration”

Everything in our surroundings – be it stones, plants or artificially made objects, display certain characteristics. Colour, form, composition and material – they all enable us to distinguish things clearly from one another. We humans sense the particular “vibration” or “energy” which goes out from something.

Also, each tone has its particular “colour”, a radiation of its own. By naming an object we are unconsciously impelled by the power of the attraction of similar species to choose a suitable designation, thus to use sounds, the qualities of which correspond to the concerned item.
Thus names and designations for things are not chosen randomly, they are not arbitrarily interchangeable labels, rather each designation expresses something, it “vibrates” in a similar way as an object and possesses a certain “colour”, “energy” and “power”.

The same also goes for the name of a person. It denotes the person’s particular nature, which manifests in his radiations. The personal qualities of a soul are expressed in the name.
The fact that the choice of first name is usually made before the birth of the child does not contradict this reality. The parents can already sense the child’s radiations during the pregnancy, since the spirit has become attached to the mother long before the birth.

Everyone has most likely experienced the close relationship to one’s name. For instance, we immediately feel deeply agitated when our name is mispronounced and correct our conversation partner if this should happen repeatedly.

For parents, the particular individual significance of each first name is easy to recognise. They need only imagine exchanging their children’s names and they will already sense the discordant tones – and not only for reasons of habit: name and child simply do not harmonise any more.

The necessity of accord between the person and his name is naturally also true for twins. Although they are very similar physically, twins have two different spirits. Both have their own path in life behind them, which led them through the former incarnations, both have developed their own personality and both therefore need “their” names. The example is shown in the following true-life story:

A woman gave birth to twins and told the midwife the names she had chosen for the two girls. But she noticed to her great dismay from the wristbands when the daughters were brought to her that the names had been mixed up: the firstborn – she should have been called Maria – bore the name of the second-born, Emma, and vice versa. The mother immediately asked that the error be corrected. It was pointed out to her that the children were already registered with these names and that the mix-up would have no consequences anyway, since they were both her daughters. The mother would have nothing of this and, appalled, vigorously insisted that the record be corrected. Finally she was told that this would be done – for the relief of the mother, but also for the benefit of both girls.

Under the child’s pressure …

In view of the great importance of the name, it was customary in some cultures to leave the choice to the priest or shaman. Nowadays, in most cases the parents determine their child’s first name. Nonetheless, the choice of name is not made arbitrarily or by accident, but it is subject to pressure of the child’s radiation. The child’s spirit is connected with the little body developing in the mother’s womb and it radiates in its own way and thereby also has a steering influence on the parents, it guides their thoughts in a certain direction and ultimately determines the choice of name. The name is thus in accord with the child’s radiations, it suits the child.

Thus it can also happen that parents who already had a first name in mind before the pregnancy suddenly change their mind, because they come to the conclusion that the name really does not “suit the child”. Others, who for a long time could not think of a suitable name for their child, suddenly perceive with all clarity what he should be named. Often parents also experience that despite intensive pondering, no suitable name for a boy comes to mind and they can only think of girls’ names, and then it turns out that in fact a girl is born.

The fact that a child sometimes bears the same first name as one of the parents likewise does not contradict the lawfulness in finding the name: As was already made clear in part 3 of this series, the Law of the Attraction of Homogeneous Species determines that human spirits with a certain like-mindedness can come together in a family. The similarity of a name can bring this to expression.

How can the changing trends in the choice of first names be judged, thus the fact that in every generation there are always very popular names and that names which have hardly been used for decades suddenly become the vogue again for a time? Also this supposed fad is based on the Law of the Attraction of Homogeneous Species. It is reflected in the particular style of each epoch in the social and historical context, which always attracts a certain type of human spirits and this also comes to expression in the frequently used first names.

The choice of the forename is therefore not left to chance, but it is subject to the Law of the Attraction of Homogeneous Species. Our name reflects who we are. Its vibration is a valuable help for our life on earth. It helps us to awaken our own powers.

Speaking Events in the USA

Christopher Vasey will deliver three workshops in Maryland, USA on naturopathy, health, body, mind and spirit, using the knowledge contained in the Grail Message as his foundation.

Dates and Times:

Wednesday, October 27, 2010 ~ 7 PM
Slayton House / Wilde Lake Community Center

10400 Cross Fox Lane

Columbia, MD 21044

Thursday, October 28, 2010 ~ 7 PM
The Common Market

5728 Buckeystown Pike, Unit 1-B

Frederick, MD 21704
Tel: 301-663-3416

Friday, October 29, 2010 ~ 7 PM
Silver Spring Civic Building at Veterans Plaza

One Veterans Place

Silver Spring, MD 20910
Tel: 240-777-5300

Saturday, October 30, 2010
Blackrock Center for the Arts
12901 Town Commons Drive
Germantown, MD 20874

Hope to see you there!

Being Vegetarian, Part 2

Adaptation to change

The question of meat-eating is different for a born vegetarian, living in a country where by tradition meat is not consumed, than for someone who becomes a vegetarian. In the first case, the body is accustomed to functioning without animal flesh for generations and is able to provide adequate blood radiations from other types of foods. The spirit is therefore well adapted to the body, though it should be noted that vegetarian nations are more prone to dreaming and meditating than meat-consuming nations.

In this second case, the people who decide to stop eating meat, had done so for decades and inherited a physical body that was accustomed to eating meat for generations. The suppression of meat cannot therefore be easy. They generally face a problem of adaptation to their new way of life.

The process is similar to that of a smoker who decides to stop this habit. The body no longer receives the nicotine that stimulated the organ functions prior to quitting smoking. The organs then slow down their activity and cannot accomplish the work expected of them. Consequently problems arise: headaches, lethargy, constipation, nervousness, etc. A general malaise also sets in.

Since meat is a type of food rather than a drug, its suppression does not cause acute disorders. In fact there may not be any visible problems for weeks or months thereafter. On the contrary, those who effect the change generally feel better and more energetic. However, problems arise with time.

Initially the body succeeds in maintaining a correct blood radiation because the meat consumed in the past exerts its influence for a while. Since the body does not have any substitute element at its disposal to replace what it found in meat, the composition of the blood and its radiations will be modified. It can then no longer offer a good connection to the spirit, which cannot penetrate the body and manifest with the same force and intensity as before. A certain distancing and pondering sets in. This state, however, only manifests very progressively and for this reason it often goes unperceived until being clearly present. Therefore it is not attributed to the suppressing of meat, that would have occurred quite a long time before.

A person in this situation does not enjoy life as he should. The aim of human life is indeed to give the spirit the opportunity to experience on the earthly plane, and develop the faculties entrusted to it by the Creator. These experiences must be intensely lived according to the spirit’s wishes. In order to feel and to act efficiently, the spirit must be correctly linked to the body. This is not the case for those who eliminate meat consumption. The “lack of presence” of their spirit does not allow them to fully experience their lives. Events glide past them without touching them. Moreover, the decrease in their inner zeal leads to lethargy and lack of interest in external issues, which they actually avoid due to their additional sensitivity. They therefore miss a great deal of experiences and must subsequently make up for lost time.
Should meat be eliminated from the diet or not?

From a spiritual viewpoint, it is not recommended to eliminate meat from the diet of one used to it. By so doing the body is deprived of the possibility to offer a vital link to the spirit through blood radiations. Should meat then continue to be a part of our diet? If so, in what quantity? There is no single answer for everyone as it depends on the one concerned. If a person is too attached and inclined towards materialism, it is necessary to reduce the amount of meat consumption in order for him to open himself more easily to spiritual matters. On the other hand, whenever one “drifts” or “floats” too much, meat consumption should be increased in order to bring him back to reality. These measures can be alternated over time.

Changes can be effected either in the quantity taken at a meal (to be increased or decreased, as necessary), or the frequency of servings (meat consumed daily or every other day). The choice of animal flesh is also important. Red meat contains more toxins and grounds us more than white meat (veal, poultry, lamb) and fish.

The need for meat varies from one individual to another and from one epoch in the evolution of man to another. Needs were greater at the beginning of human history than they are in the present time. Then, the incarnating spirits needed very strong blood radiations that would firmly anchor them in gross matter, which was very alien to them and which they were penetrating for the first time. Now, needs differ in our materialistic world. A reduction in the consumption of animal flesh and a transition towards a more vegetarian diet would be desirable. However, such a transition should be progressive. It cannot be achieved in the course of a single earth-life but must be stretched over several generations.

Upcoming Talks

I will be giving two English language talks this Autumn in Europe. Details are as follows:

Iceland
Thursday 30 September 8 pm
Gnomes, elves, gods of Antiquity … myth or reality?
Radisson Blu Saga Hotel, Room Yade
V/Hagatorg I REYKJAVIK
Participation IK 500.—


Scotland
Saturday 16th October 3 pm
Gnomes, elves, nixies … a worldwide knowledge
The Town House - INVERNESS
High St, Inverness IV 1JJ
Admission £ 3.—

Hope to see you there!

Being Vegetarian, Part 1

Is animal food necessary for our health?

Vegetarianism is a diet based on plant products: vegetables, fruits, and grains. It completely excludes animal flesh, that is to say meat, processed meats, fish and seafood. But it allows animal products that do not contain flesh: eggs and dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt).
Some diets are even more restrictive: veganism and fruitarism disallow animal flesh and animal by-products. The difference between these two diets is that veganism puts the emphasis on vegetables, grains and legumes, while fruitarism stresses fresh and dried fruits along with oily seeds and grains.

The arguments put forward by vegetarians against meat consumption are numerous. They are derived from such various fields as anatomy, medicine, dietetics, ethics and economics. The main argument, however, is that meat would not be good for our health. The toxins in meat would burden the body: tissues would be attacked and organ functions hampered. Our bodies, therefore, were not really meant to digest meat correctly and especially to expel its toxins. In the long run the entire organism would fall ill.

Since good health is invaluable, these few points could be considered enough good reasons to renounce meat. However, they concern only the physical body, whereas there is more to a human being than his physical body. Man is an immaterial spirit incarnated into a physical body. This completely changes the facts of the problem. The consideration of the physical body alone gives a fragmented vision of reality. In order to have an overall view of man and adequately answer the question “should meat be eaten or not”, it is necessary to take the spirit into consideration as well as its interaction with the physical body.

The spirit and the physical body are two very different species. The former consists of spiritual substance, originating in Paradise, while the latter is made of gross matter from the earthly plane. Consequently they cannot come into contact with each other without an intermediary, which is the blood, or more precisely the radiations of the blood, thus remaining bound during the period of incarnation, as explained in the Grail Message…

Just like any other material object, the blood emits radiations. These are more etherised than the blood itself, and their consistency is closer to the densest radiations emanating from the spirit enveloped in its coverings. Together, these radiations constitute the link between the spirit and the physical body. This link is also the bridge through which information between the spirit and the body is mutually transmitted.

The blood composition determines the characteristics of this bridge of radiations. The composition, and consequently the radiations of the blood, depend on whether it is rich in certain substances or not. For instance, the blood of an anaemic person who lacks iron will radiate differently from that of another with a normal iron level. The blood composition itself depends, to a large extent, on nutritional substances provided by the diet. As with any other food, meat plays a role therein.
Meat and blood radiation

Meat is generally considered as a symbol of strength and as strength-giving. In medicine it is known to induce the body to produce blood, and in natural therapies to help the spirit to incarnate. These three outlooks perfectly supplement each other. A high meat consumption makes the body produce more blood. Therefore the blood volume increases a little in heavy meat-eaters. Because of the greater force of attraction caused by this increased blood volume, the spirit will be bound more intimately to the body. A qualitative aspect is also taken into account. The “animal energies” generated through meat give special characteristics to the blood, favouring the bond between the spirit and the animal part of the human being: the physical body.

Inversely, the blood volume decreases in people who either abstain from meat or eat very little of it. Their blood characteristics will also be less animal. As a result their spirits will be less closely linked to their bodies.

The above statements can easily be observed in daily life and will be illustrated for clarity.
A heavy meat-eater has “a lot” of blood, which makes him look congested and red. His face easily turns crimson. Being strongly anchored in his body, he is interested in everything physical. Drinking and eating are very important to him. He prefers manual and heavy labour to intellectual activity, and the mundane over speculation. He is enthusiastic, zealous, and enterprising. This can give him a harsh, rude side, even aggressive and violent. These extreme effects of meat were well known in the past. In order to prepare soldiers for battle, they were overfed with meat. This rendered them fierce in battle or in other words, eager, furious and unrelenting in combat. This same technique is still used with hunting dogs and falcons which are fed large quantities of meat in order to give them a “taste of flesh” and through this stimulate their hunting instincts.

Light meat-eaters on the other hand are generally pale in complexion. This pallor betrays a “lack” of blood. Deprived of a strong bridge of radiations, their spirit is not as closely linked to their bodies. The connection is more or less distended and as popular saying goes, these people are “not really there”, they “float” and are in “another world”. They prefer to reflect, dream and meditate rather than to act. The lack of connection with gross matter distances them from physical activities and they particularly do not like to eat; for them, eating is more a burden than pleasure. They are generally calm, gentle, peaceful, even passive, because they lack much strength and stamina.

Who Comes into the World?, Part 2

The inequality of births

If we start out from such a “pre-existence of the soul”, then the next question to arise is how the inequality with births is to be judged. Why, for example, do some children have to suffer severe illness, but others do not? Is there no justice in life?

There is much debate on this issue, but there are only two possible conclusions to be drawn: one either concludes that indeed many “innocent children” have to undergo unjustified suffering – or one accepts that there is a hidden lawfulness, which ensures that the “child is matched with the family that is right for it”.

When we start from the assumption that the whole of Creation is borne by the love and justice of the Divine Will, then only the second answer can give us a correct foundation for further deliberations. Following this train of thought, no human being can be considered innocent when “coming into the world”, but he must be “bringing” something with him that gives rise to the circumstances of his birth. He must therefore have acquired certain strengths and weaknesses earlier on, that is, he must have sown a “seed”, which he is now “reaping” through the conditions of his birth.

‘Earlier on’ – does that mean: in some past earth life?

Memories from former lives

Today many people already believe in reincarnation, but what is often raised as an argument against repeated earth lives, is that nobody can remember a former earthly existence. This is erroneous, however. There are in fact quite a number of children who are able to talk about events in a previous life. These children are usually younger than four years old when they quite spontaneously begin to tell their parents or siblings “about before”, about their previous name, about the house where they lived, their family back then or about certain persons. Such children might talk about major events often more than once, such as a wedding, an accident or illness, because they still remain deeply moved by the experiences.

One might dismiss these testimonies as products of child fantasy, but in reality there is more to it than that. The Canadian research scientist Ian Stevenson (1918-2007) examined hundreds of these reports systematically and in great detail. He visited the localities of which the children had spoken, collated the information given by eyewitnesses and conducted frequent interviews with the children themselves. He finally came to the conclusion that these descriptions must be true. The children really could remember previous lives.

Sometimes the identification of the child with its former self is especially strong. Such children then speak with longing of past times, have the desire to return to the place of their previous life, to meet up with their parents again or want to be called by their “proper first name”.
If they are then actually taken to the place where they had spent their former life, they are able to find their way home through a maze of streets. They recognise members of their former family or neighbours and can point out structural alterations that were made to the house.

Naturally, these are exceptional cases, which presuppose that a person was reborn very soon after his death. But one cannot take that as the rule.

The actual ego of the human being

Let us begin by assuming then that every human being entering the world already carries the sum of his experiences from past earth lives within him – even where he does not consciously remember them.

This now raises the question: What actually is this human core of being, his personal ego, which now has to reap all what he has sown in a former life – in the form of health or illness, a happy or unhappy fate? What is the personal ego which the parents did not create nor produce, but in reality only accept into their circle with the newly born child?

This ego is the spirit of the human being.1 This spirit originates in another, non-material plane of Creation. It is the centre of our consciousness, from where come all the spiritual abilities such as the free will, the perception of what is good and just or the sense of beauty. We human beings are spirit; the physical brain on the other hand is only a tool, which is at our disposal for our life in the earthly world.

It is therefore quite rightly said: “I have a body!” Whereas it would be wrong to say: “I have a spirit”. We do not have a spirit, we are spirit and as such we incarnate into a body. The expression “to incarnate” – “to enter into the flesh” – expresses very accurately what takes place: the spirit enters into a body which has been prepared for it, but it, nonetheless, remains a separate entity from the body.

From this point of view the fertilising of the egg receives a quite different meaning. It is not the life of a new spirit that begins with procreation, but only the development of a child’s body, that is, the material covering into which the spirit incarnates and which it will leave again at death.
Therefore, it is not new life that is created with human reproduction, but rather a new cloak, which, in a transient world, is able to hold fast for a time something which is immortal. Spirit – that is the living human being. The body is animated by the presence of the spirit.

Who Comes into the World?, Part 1

There is somebody there!

Something is developing in the womb of the expectant mother during the nine months of pregnancy. Initially nothing is visible; the woman does not yet feel the growing body and knows only indirectly that something is going on inside her.

But this all changes when suddenly this “something” begins to move and react to various stimuli. What was hitherto merely “organic” is soon felt to be a little living being with its own personality. There is somebody there!

This impression grows stronger the closer we are to the hour of birth. A being who himself feels, perceives, reacts, wants something! Someone who will later on shape his life according to his own wishes.

With reference to the “new life” which is brought forth, every birth appears as a miracle. But there are also questions arising which must not be circumvented: Where does this being that has just “entered the world” come from? Is it a part of its parents? Have they really created it?
Of course, the parents have contributed something to enable the child to be there, but this contribution is quite clearly a material one only: egg cell, sperm and other substances have, during the gestation period, contributed to form the body of the newly born child. But the child also has its own character, its own will, and its own personality.

Do these also originate from the parents?

The answer to these questions depends on whether one regards the human being as something completely of the “flesh” or whether one recognises his essence as being non-material, that is, whether or not one attributes the psychic properties to a non-material soul, which takes possession of the body during its “earthly sojourn”.

The great religions all presuppose a non-material element in the human being. In the biblical account about the Creation it is clearly expressed that the human being was “formed from the dust of the ground”, but that this materially formed body then had “the breath of life breathed into his nostrils” (see Genesis 2, 7).

It is not just religious traditions but many observations of children also tend to confirm the “dual nature” of the human being – physical body and living soul. When, for example, a baby begins to move its hands, one has the impression that it is trying to master a new “instrument”. It is as if the living soul is consciously trying to “get a grip” on the body. The newly born also display their own pre-formed personality very clearly by their wishes or in expressions of discontent.

Our language gives expression to this intuitive knowledge that the human soul already existed before birth. When it is said that “the mother has brought her child into the world”, then this presupposes that the soul of the child does not originate from this world.

When it is likewise said that somebody is “a born poet” or that he “has a certain gift”, then this points to abilities which this person “has brought with him” into this life.

Furthermore, the well-founded assumption that the soul has existed already before birth also finds expression in the common child’s question: “Tell me, Mummy, where was my little brother before he came to us?” For a child, it is quite clear that nobody can suddenly appear out of nowhere.

The stork and science

The story of the stork who brings babies also points out in a metaphorical way that every child already existed in “a far distant world” before it came to the family.

A sober scientific observation will, on the other hand, recognise the “origin of life” in the fusion of sperm and egg. Non-material or spiritual connections remain beyond the grasp of science and are therefore not considered, since they cannot be verified using scientific methods. If we follow this reasoning to its final consequence, we are left with the premise that every child must be considered as having issued from its parents; that is, that the parents “give life” to their children. Consequently, they would be ultimately responsible for all the talents and shortcomings of their children as well. Naturally, many mothers and fathers feel very uncomfortable with this train of thought. Who, in all honesty, can claim for himself the role of “Creator”?

Many a mother struggles to “come to grips” with the way the child comes into the world through her. What exactly is her contribution to enable the little body take on form inside her? Which thoughts, words or acts have an influence upon the development of the child? It is noteworthy that the mother does indeed offer the possibility for procreation but this then proceeds on its course without her knowledge and assistance, as do the further multiplication of cells and the development of organs. The duration of the pregnancy, too, is, in normal cases, not influenced by the woman and the birth is triggered without any conscious impetus coming from her.

All of this shows that the idea that we human beings are giving life to our children is incorrect. We can make a birth possible, we can fashion good earthly and spiritual prerequisites, but the coming to earth of a human being, the incarnation, proceeds on a course, which to the greatest extent, cannot be influenced by our will.

The human soul has existed already before its birth, but through a pregnancy it has been given the opportunity to attach itself to a physical body and thereby to “animate” it.

The Influence of the Blood on our State of Being, Part 2

The effects of heavy metals and additives

Certain substances that alter our blood composition and our state of being come from air and water pollution. These are heavy metals, such as lead, just to name one among many. Others belong to food additives.

Besides the long term physical symptoms of lead poisoning, it also brings on depression, alters the memory and the ability to concentrate, causes nightmares and provokes hallucinations. A person whose blood contains too much lead is prone to false perceptions, that is to say, he sees and hears things that do not exist. The lead levels, along with the levels of other toxic metals is generally much higher in delinquents. It goes without saying that lead can not be held responsible for the reprehensible acts committed by prisoners. Lead does not turn one into a criminal but, by altering the composition of the blood, it does contribute to clouding our perceptions and judgement.

Around the middle of the last century, a new and unusual behaviour started showing up in some young people. These children are hyperactive. They are unable to sit still, they are continually moving about and touching everything. Their ability to concentrate is very weak and they are easily distracted. They are not able to follow through with anything, often changing their activities without finishing any of them. They are not only a concern for their surroundings but also for themselves because they are incapable of integrating. This unhealthy state of hyperactivity is due to a food additive: phosphate, and would disappear if the phosphate was removed from the child’s diet.

New therapeutic possibilities

The knowledge of this unrecognized connection that the blood plays between the body and spirit opens the door to new therapeutic possibilities and allows a completely different orientation of treatment towards the problems concerning psychic balance. These treatments react on the spirit by means of the blood resulting in the spirit having an unaltered perception of reality.

Disturbances, depression or distress can all be treated by supplying the blood with the elements it needs and by eliminating those that are in excess.

There are many ways to alter the composition of the blood. We can remedy deficiencies through diets that are adapted to the needs of the person being treated, as well as by using food supplements containing the necessary vitamins and minerals needed for recovery. When it is a question of cleansing the blood, we can use toxins draining methods and we can neutralize and eliminate toxic metals with the help of specific trace elements. Of course, these methods do not alter the spirit per say, but help it to transform itself. They render its state in a way that better enables it to control its different states of being towards development in life.

The Influence of the Blood on our State of Being, Part 1

Hypoglycaemia and distress

When our blood sugar level is normal the spirit feels "good in its skin", we are energetic, dynamic and engaging. But whenever the glycaemia drops, the person feels exhausted and unwell. Not only is his energy gone, but also his view of the world is altered. His recent rose coloured world becomes grey or even quite black. A person in this state of hypoglycaemia becomes anxious and is afraid of all kinds of things that are not perceived as frightful by others. Simple questions become serious problems to resolve, if not mountains to climb.

And then, just as suddenly as his outlook became darkened, very rapidly- by balancing his glycaemia – his perception of the world will be just as beautiful and simple as before.

Another well-known situation that alters a person’s state of being by modifying the composition of the blood, is the one prompted by the consumption of alcohol. When someone drinks too much and becomes drunk we say, «he is not in his right mind». But not being in one’s right mind simply means to perceive and to act differently than usual, or in other words; with a different awareness of reality. This awareness is again slowly altered as the level of blood alcohol decreases, therefore when the blood composition returns to normal.

Vitamin and mineral deficiencies in the blood

The nutritional discoveries show us daily how the presence or absence of a vitamin or a mineral alone can influence our outlook on the world.

A study made with volunteers who were fed a balanced diet but that was completely deprived of vitamin B1 showed that at the end of three months, all of the volunteers had become irritable, depressed, and worried that something terrible was going to happen to them. Some of them even felt that life was no longer worth living and contemplated suicide.

The experience ended after six months without informing the volunteers of the outcome in order to avoid the placebo effect with the reintroduction of vitamin B1. Within a few days the volunteers returned to being joyful and clear headed. They were friendly, cooperative and full of initiative.

Magnesium is also a very educational example. A slight magnesium deficiency causes irritability, nervousness, sensitivity to noise, over excitement and anxiousness. A greater deficiency can be even more disturbing, so much so in fact, that the subject is disorientated, incredibly agitated, boisterous, aggressive and subject to hallucinations. This irritable and violent behaviour will quickly disappear as soon as the organism is supplied with the missing magnesium needed to re-establish a normal blood radiation.

Celebrity Cult, Part 2

Two sides of the coin
Just as the power of a thought-centre can help a human being to success, and if need be turn him into a big star, it can also cause him problems. The thought-centres nourished by thousands or millions of admirers can exert considerable pressure on the star and may influence him in a way that is not very constructive.

If the “image” of a star is formed naturally in the course of his career, then the picture the public has of him is more likely to correspond to his true personal characteristics. He will then feel the power of the thought-centre as useful, since it supports his efforts and broadens his potential.

Where a “star image” is, however, artificially created, the one concerned will in time feel it as something foreign, with which he cannot fully identify. He may feel restricted by this image, as if pressed into an ill-fitting mould, from which he will have a great deal of trouble freeing himself. The incessant inflow of new energies, produced by the admirers of the artificial “ideal”, holds him under the pressure of this form and forces him to adjust to the pre-formed image. Thus there are stars who have suffered their whole life under a certain enforced role. And many have a problem to remain themselves, and not be crushed by the ideal they are supposed to embody. In this way it can happen that a star can change from a person manipulating the masses to one manipulated by them.

The influences of thought-centres, as they develop with the celebrity cult, can also affect the admirers, who do remain connected with the centres. They often lose a part of their personal independence and freedom of choice under the influence of certain perceptions. Sometimes this influence is so large that the celebrity is finally imitated: The admirers dress like him or her and do their hair the same, adopt the same attitudes, use the same language, show similar preferences, and so on. Through this wrong identification they lose a part of their individuality. They stop developing their own personality and copy an imaginary pre-formed “image” that is subject to laws and rules imposed by others.

Why do we seek idols?

The meaning of his existence lies for each human in developing his spiritual abilities, becoming conscious of himself, and finally returning fully conscious to Paradise, his spiritual origin. For us it is therefore a matter of progressing from an unconscious to a conscious state. In this we are subject to the Law that the less conscious always imitates the expression of enhanced, higher consciousness. This serves us as a model and helps us through awakening slumbering abilities to become more self-conscious.

However, the principle of emulation has justification in the development of the human spirits only at the beginning. In becoming increasingly conscious we must decide by our free will the form we will give our own development. Each individual developing his abilities in his own way enriches mankind, whose wealth results from the diverse contributions by each member of the community.

What takes place on the scale of the development of mankind reappears on the small scale of individual human life. The child - which as yet is not in charge of its free will - possesses the imitation instinct in order to develop. Taking the parents or others in its surroundings as model, it learns and makes progress. At the end of youth, however, imitating should stop. Equipped with free will, the young adult can decide for himself what direction and which goals he wishes to attain. He can of course still be motivated by the examples of others, but he should not be content with simply imitating these uncritically.

This fact also shows the natural limitations to the adulation of stars: An “absolute fan” no longer lives his own life. In an extreme case, the highs and lows in the life of the idol become more important than the actual developments in his own life.

It is quite legitimate to value a personality for what he offers in his activity, and it is in the nature of the human being to look for useful examples that can stimulate his own conscious development. However, it is always a mistake to turn another human being into a “demi-god”. This can block not only the “fan”, but — by way of the power of the thought-centre — also the “star” in his personal development. The enthusiasm of the masses is always accompanied by a loss of individuality.

In addition, the worship of the “gods” of the stage, screen and sport and so on is also in principle out of place, as soon as a human being strives for something higher and more perfect. For the only perfect goal for our inner orientation can only be He, of Whom the first Commandment reminds us: “I am the Lord, thy God! Thou shalt have no other Gods but Me!”

Celebrity Cult, Part 1

Power of the crowd

During a political rally, the speaker climbs on the podium, snatches the microphone and addresses the crowd. The latter, at first only in anticipation, soon begins to nod in agreement, applauds, finally becomes “inflamed” and rises up to proclaim their approval with enthusiasm. The “current” sometimes flows so well between the audience and the speaker that by the time he has them “in his palm” he can manipulate the masses as he sees fit — for good or ill, as history teaches. The variety of individual opinions goes out the window. As if under a spell, the crowd suddenly stands “as one man”.

How is such a thing possible? Looked at superficially, it might be assumed that the speaker possesses abilities surpassing those of the crowd. Actually, however, his own power is of no account, being no greater than those of his listeners. If he is able to dominate the crowd it is because he - usually subconsciously - uses the power of his audience for his own purposes.
This process is readily explained by the concept of “thought forms”.

Our thoughts do not exist in the material sense, since they are neither visible nor tangible. In the otherworldly, fine-material domain, however, every thought takes on a form as soon as it is sent out by the individual. The form corresponds to the thought content and achieves greater power the more intensively it is felt and the more frequently it is “nurtured”. The fleeting form arising from a superficial thought therefore dissolves and vanishes quickly again, since it is not sustained by any power. On the other hand, recurrent, perceptive or emotional thoughts develop powerful forms. These influence the surroundings, and always also the person from whom they originated. Every human being remains connected with his fine-material products.

Thought forms are never alone, however. According to the law of the attraction of homogeneous species, they group - according to similar kind - into grid-like thought-centres. The power of such a thought-centre is enormous, because it encompasses the totality of individual thoughts of similar kind. The power grows with the number of people attached and the intensity of the perceptions, all of whom “energize” these thoughts.

During an address, the speaker therefore forms with the assistance of the thought energy of his listeners a powerful thought-centre, on which he lavishes fine-material energy through personal persuasiveness. He may also make use of certain slogans. The influence or resonance of such thought-centres on the thinking of the crowd can finally become so great, that deeds arise from it, which the individual of himself would never have achieved. Similar fine processes happen with a so-called “star”.
Becoming a star

In the case of movie or pop-stars and other idols, thoughts are not concentrated on a political ideal but on a person. This focus can follow from a natural development or also the result of a purposeful action.

In simple terms one can distinguish two types of “stars”: To the one group belong those who gradually became famous on the basis of their talent, and throughout their career show qualities, for which they are respected or admired. The thought centres connected with them have formed slowly and are borne on the waves of enthusiasm aroused along the way in the public.

To the other group belong “stars” with whom the thought centre does not accompany the development of the career as a natural consequence but precedes it. The artist concerned becomes a “star” due above all to an “image” artificially created for commercial reasons and whose pulling power is usually supported by intense marketing campaigns.

Such “manufactured stars” are no rarity today. Television programmes, newspapers, magazines, posters, movies or videos lend themselves exceptionally well to calling a certain picture to mind, “preserving” the “image” of the star and inciting the public to ever new raptures.

Naturally, the “star image” must correspond to some need of the public, must fulfil an ideal, a dream, a longing. Otherwise, the thought-centre would receive no inflow of energy. There is not only the ideal image of the star, who embodies all that is superlative and succeeds in everything, but sometimes it is also the abnormal, outrageous, the provocative that - especially in the eyes of the youth - seem “ideal” in a star.

In whatever way a man becomes a star, he is surrounded by the “aura” of a powerful thought-centre, which raises him above his peers. Not for nothing is there a saying of the “star” which has arisen and shines upon the masses.

"The Whey Prescription: The Healing Miracle in Milk", Excerpt, Part 2

Here are four of its main healing properties.

• With the lactic acid present and that produced by the lactose it contains, whey stimulates intestinal peristalsis.
  The muscles responsible for intestinal peristalsis can be stimulated in two ways. There is the mechanical way: This is caused by food fiber (wheat bran, oat bran, cellulose contained in fruits and vegetables) filling the intestine, which reflexively triggers the peristaltic process. Then there is the chemical way: This is caused by the presence of specific stimulating substances (the active substances of various medicinal plants or, in the case that concerns us specifically, the lactic acid of whey).
  Rather than having a purgative effect, whey is a quite gentle laxative. It is effective in the case of intestinal sluggishness as well for both occasional and chronic constipation. It has even sometimes provided excellent results in cases where the intestines have been exhausted by overuse of purges and harsh chemical laxatives.

• Regenerating the Intestinal Flora
  The lactose content of whey inhibits the presence of bacteria that causes putrefaction and encourages the functions performed by the beneficial bacteria. By helping the intestinal flora regenerate, whey has a beneficial effect on the digestive process. When intestinal flora is partially destroyed or imbalanced, the transformation of food is poorly achieved, which can cause a number of chronic digestive disorders. Taking whey regularly can cure these problems and restore normal digestive function. The stools reacquire their normal consistency (neither too hard as is the case with constipation or too soft as occurs with diarrhea) and lose their foul odor. Flatulence and bloating also disappear. Lactose is the nourishment of choice for the beneficial bacteria of intestinal floras, because it allows them to reproduce and multiply much more easily. It is therefore particularly useful to consume whey at times when the microorganisms of the intestinal flora have been destroyed, for example when antibiotics have been taken.

• Eliminating Excess Water from the Tissues
  Bodily tissues hold a certain amount of fluids that are retained there by, among other things, the presence of salt. Consequently, there is a physiologically beneficial salt content in the body. In certain pathological situations, however, this content can increase, which naturally results in an increase of the amount of fluid that is held. Edemas will appear, often in the legs (particularly around the ankles), the hands (making it difficult to remove rings), and the eyelids. Because this additional water content has caused the tissues that make up the various organs to swell, numerous health problems can result, including high blood pressure, blood or lymphatic stasis, and organ congestion.
  Taking whey, which is rich in potassium, is quite useful in these situations because potassium is the natural enemy of salt and expels it from the body along with the water it has retained. Whey does not create imbalance in the mineral composition of bodily fluids as chemical diuretics can. It expels only excess water the tissues are holding, and not the constituent fluid that is normally present.
  A large fluid elimination is one of he more visible and spectacular effects of the whey cure. The quantities of urine that are eliminated are clearly higher than the quantities of water ingested, especially when the individual has been retaining water.

• Stimulating Toxin elimination by the Kidneys
  The kidneys are among the main organs for the elimination of wastes and metabolic residues. They filter wastes out of the blood and eliminate them in a diluted form as urine. The kidneys are constantly working to maintain the composition of the blood as close to its ideal as possible.
  The wastes eliminated by the kidneys include urea, uric acid, creatinine, salts, and expended minerals. For various reasons however, this elimination can take place in an insufficient manner. Unable to exit the blood, the wastes collect in the body where they can cause various disorders. Gout, for example, is a disease caused by the presence of too much uric acid in the body, acid the kidneys should be eliminating. This disease is displayed by very painful crisis of acute arthritis, generally located in the big toe.
  Other diseases caused by poor renal elimination include rheumatism, osteoarthritis, and some forms of eczema. The kidneys themselves can also be afflicted when wastes collect in their filters.
  During a whey cure, the heightened levels of liquid travelling through the kidney support the transport and elimination of toxins. This cleans out the renal filter, thereby increasing the possibilities for waste evacuation, and allows the wastes carried to the kidneys by the blood to be much more easily and copiously eliminated. The end result is a general cleansing of the entire system.
  Blood analysis after whey cures confirms that the blood has rid itself of numerous wastes. This is also evident by the fact that the symptoms of diseases will diminish in intensity or disappear altogether.

Principal Indications for the Whey Cure

• Antibiotic Treatment
• Bladder Infections
• Blood Viscosity and High Cholesterol
• Constipation or Intestinal Laziness
• Diabetes
• Fatigue, Lack of Energy and Enthusiasm
• Gas and Bloating
• Heart Attack, Brain Congestion
• Hemorrhoids
• High Blood Pressure
• Indigestion
• Joint Diseases
• Kidney Diseases
• Kidney Stones
• Liver Diseases and Insufficiencies
• Muscular Spasms and Cramps
• Skin Disorders
• Water Retention and Edema
• Weight Problems

"The Whey Prescription: The Healing Miracle in Milk", Excerpt, Part 1

What is Whey ?

During the manufacture of cheese, milk is curdled by means of rennet. The milk coagulates and a hard part (casein) and a liquid part (whey, also called lactoserum) appear. Whey is therefore the liquid that escapes from the curd when it is left to drain. It is transparent, yellowish-green in colour, and possesses a slightly tart flavour that is fairly pleasant.

The History of Whey

In 1749 a patient in the city of Zurich, Switzerland, who the medical treatments of the time were unable to cure and to whom the doctors were giving little time left to live, journeyed to the mountain village of Gais (in the canton of Appenzell) and was healed of his disease by drinking whey on a daily basis.

Was this patient aware of the past success of treatments based on drinking whey, the liquid known to the Greek doctors of Antiquity as “healing water”, or had he heard the peasants of this mountainous region talk about whey's healing properties?

We don't know but news of this patient, who had survived despite his doctor's terrible diagnosis, soon spread and numerous disease-sufferers flooded to Gais to benefit in turn from the miraculous healing properties of whey. A health spa was soon created in this tiny village. It was followed by the opening of more than 160 others in Switzerland, Austria, and Germany. These spas were most active in the middle of the eighteenth century and throughout the nineteenth century. The renowned benefits of the whey cure brought emperors, princes, and aristocrats from all of Europe to take the cure in these spas, to be healed of their ailments or simply to improve their general health.

What is most amazing about whey is that its healing properties have been recognized since antiquity and modern scientific research has only confirmed the knowledge of the ancients. The whey cure is used today just as it was twenty-four centuries ago. Few remedies or cures can boast of such a long history and such unanimous agreement about its virtues.

Hippocrates (466-377 BCE), the father of medicine, recommended whey to his patients. Following him, Galen (131-299 CE), another founding father of medicine, advised his patients about the whey cure. For a time he even directed a treatment centre sponsored by the famous school of Salerno at the foot of the “milk mountain” in Italy, between Sorrento and Naples.

The healing Properties of Whey

Whey has numerous healing properties. Contrary to other remedies or foods that act only on a single organ or in a single manner, whey's healing action works in multiple fashions. It acts on the intestines, liver, and kidneys, while encouraging assimilatory and eliminatory functions.

Natural Disasters: How are animals warned?, Part 2

Precognition

Humans and animals usually perceive visual and auditory signals as they are emitted. The event and its perception always happen simultaneously. But in the cases we have been considering, the animals perceived something before the earthquake, storm, or volcanic eruption has occurred.

An earthquake is preceded by a lot of small tremors imperceptible to humans but which animals can detect. But according to specialists, these small tremors happen all the time. They testify to the continual activity of the earth’s crust and rarely signal an earthquake of any significance. Why then do dogs, which like elephants and bats are very sensitive to tremors, howl only before the big earthquakes?

It is also true that storms are preceded by modifications in atmospheric pressure and air humidity ... that could allow some animals to become aware of their arrival. But, here too, such changes take place at all times without necessarily heralding a devastating storm. Why do animals react only when a real storm is approaching?

If it is understandable that an animal endowed with a very developed sense can discern what is not perceptible to others, it does not explain why it can receive a signal before an event takes place. What is this sense that is capable of perceiving what has not yet taken place? This perception can in fact take place well in advance.

In 1738, in Messina, Italy, dogs howled minutes before an earthquake destroyed the town, killing over 50,000 people. In 1910 in Landsberg, Germany, bees abandoned their hives to fly off in the air only minutes before an earthquake. But it was a full half hour before the earthquake that destroyed 20,000 houses in Greece, in 1953, that the stork population in the region suddenly took flight and circled overhead in an unusual manner, squawking aloud. The people were thus alerted and only 27 died.

On March 5, 1977 in Rumania it was one hour before the earth quaked that chickens and cows, by their agitation and attempts to flee their coops and stalls, warned their owners of the approaching danger. In 1969, in Yientsin, China, officials warned the population about an imminent earthquake, two hours in advance, after noticing the agitated behaviour of tigers, pandas, and stags in the zoo.

A day before an earthquake destroyed Orléansville, Algeria, in 1954, a lot of domestic pets had left the town. In Alaska, in 1964, polar bears did likewise, shortening their hibernation by two weeks to escape the earthquake that measured 9.2 on the Richter scale.

Animals are also able to perceive coming dangers that are not directly connected with the forces of nature.

In the United States in the 1960s, a dog-owner was playing cards with friends in a coffee house. Unusually, his dog continually pestered him, whining, agitated and restless. Irritated, he opened the door and let it out. Minutes later the dog got back inside through the window and restarted its merry-go-round. Now exasperated, the owner took the dog outside. He hardly stepped through the threshold when the roof of the building collapsed, burying the occupants.

Likewise in Oviedo, Spain, in 1961, a cart-drawing horse blocked traffic by obstinately refusing to enter a tunnel its master wanted to use. Threats or whips could not make it budge. Meanwhile a huge traffic jam had started to build up behind. Suddenly a thunderous roar drowned the din of the horns and shouts: the tunnel roof had collapsed in a dreadful thud!

Another peculiar fact: According to witnesses, an hour before the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, hundreds of dogs had gathered to bark at impending death.

Sensible behaviour

Faced with a dangerous situation, to which they are oblivious in part, human beings sometimes exhibit a senseless behaviour. We expect animals to behave the same way, since in spite of a heightened sensitivity to the approach of danger they cannot know its exact nature until it happens.

This senseless behaviour appears, for example, in eels that beach voluntarily before a tsunami, fishes that jump on the river bank to escape an earthquake, or rats that hide inside buildings that will collapse and bury them during an earthquake.

Contrary to such panic-induced behaviour, some animals depart from usual behaviour and react in a way perfectly suited to the danger.

Normally, on sensing danger, a frog would instinctively jump into its pond and hide in the depths. A researcher reported frogs abandoning their habitat stream and moving as far away as possible in order to escape an imminent rise in the water level.

When frightened, cats usually hide under a piece of furniture or in isolated corners of their owners’ homes. But in Fréjus, the cats meowed and scratched frantically on doors and windows, escaping through every available opening, just before the dam ruptured upstream, betraying once again an uncanny prior knowledge.

We rightly marvel at the story of the elephants in Yala Park, Sri Lanka, that sought refuge before the tsunami. According to scientists, it is their sensitivity to low frequencies that allowed them to detect the earthquake hundreds of kilometres away in North Indonesia, and which later caused the destructive wave. It is one thing for the elephants to detect the earthquake, but how did they know they needed to move to higher ground in order to escape the tsunami that would follow from the earthquake? Many will say: “It’s the sixth sense that animals possess”.

What is the sixth sense of animals?

Because the heightened senses of animals cannot fully explain their ability to discern an impending natural disaster, some people invoke a sixth sense attribute.
The sixth sense, if it exists at all, should have the property to detect a natural phenomena, its time of arrival, the consequences on the environment and appropriate reaction to deal with it, and all this well in advance. That would indeed be expecting a lot from a simple sense. There must therefore be something else. But what?

In the Grail Message an altogether different explanation from what we usually hear is given. It is not a question of an anticipated perception but the reception of an early warning given by personified forces of nature or what are called elemental beings.

“The elemental beings know exactly when and where sudden changes in Nature are about to take place, such as landslides, rocks being dislodged from mountains, trees falling, the caving-in of land undermined by water, the bursting of a dam, sudden water eruptions, volcanic and fire eruptions, tidal waves and floods, earthquakes, and everything else coming within the same category, because they themselves are occupied with the preparation and bringing about of such changes, which men call disasters and catastrophes.

“If such a happening is imminent it may well be that an animal or a person approaching the spot is warned by these elementals. They block the way and try, through vehement motions, shouting or sudden impressions upon their feelings, to induce them to return. The animal is startled, its hair “bristles”, and it energetically refuses to continue, quite contrary to its usual behaviour, so that often as an exception even the best-trained animal disobeys its master. This is the reason for the striking behaviour of the animal in such cases. Man, however, does not see these elemental beings and very often runs into the danger, thereby perishing or suffering great harm.” (Volume III, Lecture 5).

The truthfulness of such possible interventions is confirmed in the Bible. An entity prevents Balaam’s donkey from taking his master to the neighbouring tribe. That entity, described as an angel in the account, is not visible to Balaam but the donkey clearly sees it and refuses to move forward. (Numbers 22, 28-34).

The detection of variations in magnetic fields, of ultra or infra sounds, and so on, suggested by scientists is only one of the ways through which animals can become aware of impending natural disasters. Warnings given by elemental beings are another.

Natural Disasters: How are animals warned?, Part 1

Numerous testimonies

In Martinique, in 1902, several days before the eruption of Mount Pelée, all animals, from birds to reptiles, fled the surroundings of the volcano. The people stayed. There was only one survivor out of the 40,000 inhabitants: a prisoner protected by the thick walls of his jail.

In Fréjus, France, in 1959, all the cats deserted their homes before the dam built upstream burst and flooded the lower part of town, killing over 400 people. And in 1999, in the Vosges, before the violent hurricane Lothar hit, with violent winds that felled numerous trees, all the deer had left the thick of the forests to regroup in the open clearings.

On December 26, 2004 the Yala National Park in Sri Lanka was devastated by a tsunami that penetrated up to three kilometres inland and covered an area of 300 hectares. Surging waves destroyed buildings and transformed vehicles into deadly missiles. Although more than 200 elephants and numerous other animals lived in the park, not a single one succumbed to the tidal wave. “No elephant died, not the least hare or rabbit. I think animals can sense disasters coming. They have a sixth sense. They know that something is about to happen”, declared one of the park officials. From a helicopter a journalist sighted the herd of elephants on dry land. The authorities in Sri Lanka confirmed the fact that no dead wild animal was found among the tens of thousands of human remains recovered.

At all times and everywhere in the world such events are related and never fail to fill man with wonder, prompting him to ponder the mysterious faculty that animals possess to have a premonition of such dangers.
The scientific approach

To scientists there is nothing mysterious or inexplicable about animals knowing in advance that a natural disaster is going to take place. Contrary to humans who live in a secure environment, animals live in an environment fraught with a thousand hidden dangers. They are constantly on the alert for predators, to defend their territory and their young, to escape the inclement weather, to find food and so on.

In order to survive the multiple dangers confronting them, animals have developed heightened faculties of perception. In some the sense of hearing is especially refined. The sounds that they are able to pick up are greatly increased towards the high or low end of the frequency spectrum, thus allowing them to hear their enemy “from afar.”

Bats and insects, for example, discern ultra-sounds that are inaudible to humans. Rocks subjected to strong pressures, as it is the case with an impending earthquake, emit sounds of high frequency. That is certainly why shortly before the earthquake that triggered the tsunami of December 2004 thousands of bats were witnessed in Sri Lanka flying away from their deep cave habitats in broad daylight, whereas these animals normally come out only at night.

Elephants, on the other hand, detect infra-sounds. Those of the Yala Park mentioned earlier as having escaped the tsunami probably discerned low frequency sounds emitted by the shifting continental plates, thus allowing them to get to the shelter.

Other animals, snakes for example, are very sensitive to variations in the earth’s magnetic fields, which alter strongly in the hours preceding earthquakes. It would explain why snakes leave their holes before the first tremors to avoid, as has often been observed, being crushed. Chickens, geese and pigeons are also observed to become extremely agitated before earthquakes.

According to some researchers, such panic is due to the ability of these birds to perceive emission of radioactive gases, like radon, which occurs when deep subterranean rock layers, with trapped gases, crack and shift shortly before the earth quakes.

The acute perception of the animals is certainly a part of the explanation of why they foresee danger, but it does not explain all. Two reasons prompt us to think that there must be something else than the sixth sense we speak so much about. Firstly animals react before the event takes place, and secondly they react intelligently in relation to the danger. Let us examine these two elements.

Temperament and Health, Part 2

The Elements

Each temperament corresponds to one of the four elements: Air, Earth, Fire and Water. Sanguine types are mobile and free as the air, melancholic types are reticent and heavy like the earth, choleric types are lively and active like fire and phlegmatic types are peaceful and “calm as the lake.”

To correspond to an element, however, means not merely to have its characteristics, but also to have an affinity with everything of a similar kind. Thus a phlegmatic person likes being on the bank of a stream, by a lake or the open sea. Water therapies, thermal baths or similar treatments have a good effect upon him. Swimming is his favourite physical activity. He appreciates liquid forms of nutrition (soups, semi-solid puddings, sauces) and reacts better to herbal medicines in the form of teas than to dry pills. Of all the different forms of massage, lymph drainage is the most helpful. Sea products like fish, algae, etc., are good for him; the iodine they contain stimulates the thyroid gland and thereby the sluggish metabolism.

Choleric people on the other hand are ruled by fire. They are not especially keen on water, but are attracted by everything dry and warm — just like their own element. They prefer physical mobility and the ensuing warmth. As therapy, the sun, hot air (sauna) and warm compresses work well, as do extracting and stimulating applications (mustard poultices), also herbal remedies dry as pills or capsules. Choleric types prefer strongly seasoned and dry, concentrated foods (grilled meats rather than stews, bread rather than porridge). Since muscles predominate with them, massage appeals to them.

Everything connected with air is especially suited to the sanguine type: walks, hiking, changes of location on foot or by bike, activities in the fresh air. Taking in pure air in the country, in the woods or at the seaside, especially where the wind is blowing, works far better than sunbathing or water therapies. Breathing exercises are a joy. Medicinal herbs are best taken in the form of inhalation or steam baths. The sanguine type can manage on very little food, as long as he gets sufficient of the “nourishing” air from his activities, otherwise he is inclined to compensate through over-eating.

Melancholic types have an affinity with the earth element and react well to mud-baths, volcanic earth and compresses made from healing earth. Their nutrition should be rich in mineral salts. Herbal medicine is most suitable in tablet or capsule form. The nervous system being predominant, reflex zone massages are to be specially recommended, as are any and all methods of relaxation. Melancholic people need to get enough sleep. They do not care for calm and repetitive physical activity (like weight lifting), but they like any sports that stimulate with plenty of movement in variety, such as tennis and team games.

This schematic depiction naturally needs to be adapted in practice. A water therapy goes down well not only with phlegmatic people. It can be adapted for the other temperaments. Thus while total submersion in the element (like swimming in the sea) is very beneficial for the phlegmatic, the sanguine will respond better to a shower, the melancholic needs an even less watery application (for example, compresses) and the choleric prefers the hot steam of the sauna.
One further important point to watch out for in therapy is that just as like attracts like, opposites repel. One should therefore not suggest as therapy something that really belongs to the opposite temperament. For example, it would be wrong to forbid a sanguine person any social contact, to counsel a choleric person against any form of physical activity, to confront a phlegmatic type with sports or particularly strenuous massage, or to refuse a melancholic any stimulation (no reading, no amusements, no outings). That would weaken their health.

The connections between temperament, body constitution, element and lifestyle explain why not every treatment has equal appeal for all patients. Warm and dry medicinal herbs like rosemary and thyme, for instance, have a greater effect on the warm and dry temperament of the choleric person, but rather less on the damp and warm temperament of the sanguine person, and little or no effect on the cold temperament of the phlegmatic or the melancholic. Or: Depending on his affinity with the element of water, a stay at the seaside works exceptionally well for a phlegmatic person, but is less beneficial for a melancholic, who might be overly excited by the iodine. Conversely, the reduced oxygen on the mountain height is beneficial for the choleric and melancholic person, but it unsettles the phlegmatic. Sadly, the knowledge of these interconnections has been largely lost. It could be of tremendous help, though not only in therapy but also to get to know oneself better and to achieve more in life, according to one's own temperament and element.

Temperament and Health, Part 1

The human body is made up of four organ systems: the digestive system, nervous system, the musculo-skeletal system and the system of heart and lungs. These systems differ in strength from person to person. One system will supersede the others and in this way influences the physical constitution.

The prominence of one of the systems correlates with the temperament of the person concerned: With a phlegmatic person it is digestion that predominates, with the melancholic it is the brain and nerves, with the choleric person it is the bones and muscles, and with a sanguine person it is the heart and lungs.

Yet the dominance of an organ system does not of itself determine the temperament of the one concerned. There is also a psychic component. Our body constitution and the way we do things are linked. Thus a choleric person possesses a well-developed musculo-skeletal system as well as being active, athletic and enterprising. The organs necessary for physical activity are exceptionally well developed, helping to bring him success in life, but they are at the same time also the most at risk of breakdown from the excessive strain.

In this way the temperaments make it possible to divide humans into four main groups, each having a similar physical constitution and lifestyle, also similar susceptibility to illness and reacting similarly to treatments.

Each temperament has its own distinguishing characteristics. However, every one of us is something of a “hybrid”; in reality the temperaments are never found in their “pure” form. In that respect the following category descriptions overstate the case.

The sanguine type

People with a sanguine temperament in general tend to have strong heart and lungs. The chest cavity is the most developed part of the body. Sanguine types appear solid, broad, tending to stockiness, with short arms and legs. The general impression of their physique is repeated in the different parts of the body: Head and hands are broad rather than long, the cheeks are prominent, with a good complexion.

The heart and lungs, which are intended to facilitate the exchange of blood and air, are always vigorously active. The sanguine person is accordingly mobile, lively, open and sociable. A life enthusiast, who is fond of interaction, enjoys travel and is drawn to all sorts of activities which stimulate the heart and breathing.

Their predilection for social contact and gastronomic pleasures can lead to excessive eating and drinking - especially of stimulating nourishment like red meat, sausage and alcohol. Health problems may well ensue with blood circulation and respiration. The blood thickens and circulates poorly. Heart and circulation illnesses may arise (varicose vein, embolism, high blood pressure, heart attack) and breathing difficulties (lung congestion, asthma).

The melancholic type

People of melancholic temperament have pronounced development of the brain and nervous system. Not being very strong in the digestive region, nor with the lungs or muscles, they are not at all “rounded”. They are tall and slim. The body is frail, the limbs are delicate and the joints may protrude. The head is broad, especially in the area of the brain.

The melancholic type is inclined to be thoughtful, to deliberate and to analyse. This makes him appear reticent, sombre … melancholic. He is nervous and sensitive, impressionable, indecisive, irascible, anxious and stressed, but also lively, with hands and feet never still. He enjoys stimulants — of a physical nature (coffee, tea, tobacco, highly seasoned dishes, and so on), or else the psychological kind, in that he leads a restless kind of life, is very outgoing, and has a flair for lively discussions.

Since the melancholic person has a weak digestive tract, he eats only little, but often and irregularly. He is inclined to abuse stimulants. Fatigue of his nerves can lead to a string of disturbances: nervousness, anxiety states such as stress, depression, neuritis, neuralgia, migraine, insomnia.

The choleric type

Cholerics have a well developed musculo-skeletal system, lending them an athletic stature, with a square face and body. The eyebrows are straight, the gaze penetrating. Voice and demeanour show solid strength.

The passionate nature leaves the choleric person continually active and on the go. He is a great athlete and loves to expend his strength in physical activity — this, for him, is pleasure and challenge. He reacts quickly and prefers action to reflection. If something is going too slowly or his activity is thwarted, he very soon becomes impatient and irate.

Choleric people have a tendency to overindulge in “strong” foods like meat, sausages, cereals, sugar, fats, and for their flagging strength they enjoy using stimulants such as alcohol, coffee, tobacco.

The tendency to over-exertion can cause torn muscles, fractures, tendinitis or trouble with the joints (dislocations, rheumatism, arthritis). The improper diet causes mainly problems with the gallbladder (liver and gallbladder blockages and infections).

The phlegmatic type

A predominant digestive tract gives the person of phlegmatic temperament a long and solid body. He enjoys eating, but his life has little in the way of mobility, is on the slow side and he does not burn off very well what he consumes. He tends toward overweight, and especially because he very easily stores fat. His body seems voluminous, fat and soft; the limbs, however, are more lengthy, but solid and thick, because the muscles are surrounded by fat. The lymphatic system is likewise strongly developed. The lymph abundance adds to the body volume and sponginess of the tissues. Just as the sanguine type derives a reddish tint from his “blood surplus”, so does the lymph give the phlegmatic a pale tint. The phlegmatic type is calm, peaceful and patient, does not readily commit himself to physical activity, but prefers the indoor, sedate life.

Phlegmatic types enjoy eating, with quantity more important than quality. Rich foods and sauces, stodgy puddings and heavy meals, are favourites. The excess does, however, lead to an exhaustion of the digestive glands (insufficiency of the liver and pancreas) and the digestive organs are enlarged (stomach, gallbladder, intestine — constipation). Problems of the lymphatic system such as glandular inflammation, angina, cellulitis also frequently beset the phlegmatic.