Christopher Vasey's Blog

Medical Hyponosis

2010-11-09T08:23:00.000-08:00

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

2010-10-18T07:22:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-14T05:49:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-29T06:53:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-17T14:01:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-14T05:52:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-31T06:13:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-25T07:43:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-19T05:52:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-04T05:45:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-28T14:31:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-21T05:19:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-13T05:59:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-22T07:57:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-09T06:13:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-01T06:11:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-25T05:32:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-18T15:12:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-04T06:46:00.000-07:00

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.

Gnomes, Elves, Gods of Antiquity, a Universal Knowledge, Part 2

2010-04-28T05:56:00.000-07:00

Universal knowledge of elemental beings

These beings have been described worldwide in similar terms, considered in connection with the same natural elements, and placed within a hierarchy at the summit of which there is not a single god but a group of gods.

Testimony to the existence of a dozen main gods is found not only in Greek, Roman or other European mythology, but is also found to varying degrees in Africa, Asia, and America.
Such conformity is amazing. Beyond the variations due to the differences of culture and environment, the conceptions and descriptions match in an astonishing manner. Where can this unanimity come from?

There are two hypotheses. The first one considers all the knowledge about elemental beings as a human invention that is propagated all over the globe. The second approach considers the fact that since so many peoples worldwide have believed in the existence of elemental beings and could depict them in a similar manner, it means that they all – no matter where they lived – saw the same thing and could thus describe a similar reality. There was therefore no transmission of an imagined conception but the development of a knowledge based on personally lived experiences.

Of these two hypotheses the first is the least plausible. It is a well-known fact that information transmitted by word of mouth and through intermediaries gets rapidly distorted.

In addition, at the time when these transmissions were supposed to have taken place natural obstacles such as oceans, high mountain ranges, and deserts were almost insurmountable barriers. Besides, a very strong missionary zeal would have been necessary to propagate that knowledge all over the world.

A knowledge for all times

According to ethnologists and historians, one of the characteristics of peoples believing in the existence of elemental beings is precisely the absence of a missionary spirit.

The fact that the belief in the existence of elemental beings is uniformly spread, not only in space but also in time, gives more credence to the second hypothesis.

Indeed, this belief has been alive since the earliest human history. It begins with the worship of nature spirits, the traces of which are found in cave drawings dating over 25,000 years ago. It continues with the worship of ancient gods in Mesopotamia (5 BC), in China and Persia (4 BC), in ancient Greece and Rome, as well as with the Aztecs and Incas (14th/15th century AD), with North American Indians (17th/18th century AD), up to the present day when animistic beliefs are firmly rooted in a sizeable portion of the world’s population.

What an extraordinary long life for a belief considered erroneous and stemming from human imagination!

Why not accept that these folktales and legends are founded on truth, that they were originally based on lived experiences and direct contact, and therefore that the elemental beings really exist?

Gnomes, Elves, Gods of Antiquity, a Universal Knowledge, Part 1

2010-04-21T08:55:00.000-07:00

From time immemorial, human beings, both children and adults, have been seeing elemental beings and relating their encounters to those around them. These narratives, which went beyond the ordinary, have been preserved and handed down from generation to generation. Over time – and often with a lot of distortions – they became folktales and legends of various peoples.

They tell of peasants whom these elemental beings guide as to the best time to plant, of shepherds who are helped to find their lost herd or to watch over them, of miners being shown where to dig, of fishermen directed to where to spread their nets, of mountain dwellers and seamen who are warned of the imminent arrival of an avalanche or storm.

They also tell of elemental beings teaching people new ways to utilize what is found in their natural environment: where to find a spring, which medicinal plants to use in taking care of various ailments, how to forge metals, what clay to use to obtain better pottery, which vegetal fibres to use in weaving.

The main elemental beings described in these narratives are gnomes, giants, elves, sylphs, water sprites and, less often, salamanders.

The main task of these beings is not rescuing or advising human beings but to take care of Nature itself, that is, to form, bring it to life and to organise it. They are active in one aspect or another depending on their kind.

Gnomes work with everything relating to the soil, that is, earth, stones, and rocks. Giants form the mountains, valleys, and caves. Elves look after the growth of flowers and plants, while sylphs animate and direct winds, clouds and storms. Water is the sphere of activity of water sprites: springs, streams, rivers, lakes and seas. Salamanders are in charge of everything relating to fire: fireplaces, forges, volcanoes, “will-o’-the-wisps” and so on.
Folktales and legends

In the folktales and legends the elemental beings are described as having a height and a size adapted to their task. Gnomes are stocky and dense like the rocks and the earth; water sprites are fluid and supple like the liquid element, and the giants are large like the mountains and plains they shape.

But the elemental beings in contact with matter are not the only ones in existence. All the folktales and legends also describe different groups of elemental beings standing a little higher than these, directing and coordinating their activities; and higher still a smaller number of elemental beings of a superior kind who are at the top of the whole hierarchy. The latter were considered by various peoples as the most powerful and the highest, and as such were venerated as gods.

These are the well-known deities of Greek and Roman mythology: Zeus, the god of the sky and all meteorological phenomena; Hades, the god of the underworld; Poseidon, the god of the sea; Artemis, the goddess of the hunt; Demeter, the goddess of vegetation; Hephaestos, the god of fire and crafts; Aphrodite, the goddess of love, beauty and fertility. The unanimity and universality of these tales and legends is surprising. Human beings all over the world and through the ages have indeed come in contact with elemental beings.

In the Jungle of Diets, Part 2

2010-04-07T06:18:00.000-07:00

It’s not just about weight!

Although most diets aim at weight reduction or loss, many are also used as therapies. The body may not only be overweight from excess fat, but a profusion of waste materials can accumulate in tissues and organs without causing an increase in weight. To that extent dieting can make sense for rheumatism sufferers or sufferers from cardiovascular disorders and other diseases.

In a rheumatism sufferer for example, such a diet will be low in proteins to avoid an influx of uric acid and urea, which cause inflammation and blockage of the joints. In people with cardiovascular disease the choice is a diet low in fats to reduce cholesterol intake and prevent blood thickening and deposits in the arteries (arteriosclerosis). In cases of eczema acids are to be restricted, in oedema salts, and sweets in acne.
Purpose of dietetic treatment

In contrast to diets, nutritional therapies aim to rectify nutritional deficiencies, that is they aim to replenish vitamins, trace elements, amino acids, and so on, the lack or deficiency of which caused the disease in the first place. Any organism depends on a steady supply of nutrients for its proper function and growth. While temporary shortages are mostly without significant effects, chronic deficiencies can cause considerable damage.

Nutritional therapies are arranged to remedy missing nutrients in the body. Vitamin C deficiency for example is treated with citrus fruits. Mineral deficiency can be helped by vegetables and dairy products, which are foods high in minerals.

But sometimes it is not enough to just use certain foods, one must increase their consumption substantially in order to supply the adequate amount of a certain nutrient. A protein diet, which consists mainly of meat, fish, eggs and dairy products, can be used to remedy protein deficiencies. For osteoporosis a diet rich in dairy products (cheese, cottage cheese, yoghurt and so on) can be recommended, which assists calcium and vitamin D absorption. In certain cases it would be a good idea to add nutritional supplements to the diet and increase the vitamin and mineral intake. So for instance wheat germ is useful to increase supply of vitamin E, brewer’s yeast for the B vitamins, Spirulina for amino acids and linseed or rapeseed oil for vitamin F.

Which diet do I require?

Every diet should have a certain therapeutic goal. It does not any make sense to try a diet simply because it is praised in the media or it was recommended in a book, or because it is in fashion at the time or has helped another person.

The right diet or nutritional therapy should exactly correspond to the needs of the individual. Professional dietary advice is important, because there are manifold interactions in the body, so that what is intended to help may in fact cause harm in the end.

If a diet promises a quick result, without the person having to contribute anything, great caution is called for.

In view of the natural law of equilibrium every “one-sided” diet presents an unbalanced eating habit — when the aim is to eradicate an existing imbalance. Diets and nutritional therapies therefore are not part of the normal lifestyle and should not be maintained for too long. Nor is it beneficial to spend one’s life jumping from one diet to another with the aim of doing as many “healthy” things as possible.

Diets and nutritional therapies are temporary aids. During times when we are not on a special diet, we should strive for healthy eating habits which suit our needs. These requirements will naturally depend on our activities and the change of the seasons. When we always adjust ourselves to these conditions we thereby obey the law of balance – and, literally speaking, nourish ourselves in a balanced way.

In the Jungle of Diets, Part 1

2010-03-31T08:38:00.000-07:00

Central to all natural processes is the law of balance. It operates in the greatest as in the smallest. It ensures that stars and planets stay their course in exact orbits, by keeping their forces in balance, and on the atomic level it brings about equilibrium of forces of protons and electrons.

The law underscores the balance that occurs everywhere between giving and taking. The amount of air we breathe out corresponds to what we inhale. Blood pumped by the heart into the arteries cannot exceed the volume flowing back in the veins. The activity during the day must be compensated by a suitable period of rest, and in walking we keep our balance by compensating the movement of one leg with the other.

The law of balance also covers the nourishment of the body. Here it is necessary that a balance exists between what the body consumes, in the way of foodstuffs, the activity demanded of it, and what it eliminates as waste.

Our health depends on this balance, which has to be achieved over and over again, because we occasionally consume more food than we use or vice versa. The balance is ordinarily restored from one day to the next. But there are people in chronic imbalance, either out of a habit of eating too much, more than what the body would need, or eating too little.

In the case of overeating, illness follows from accumulation of waste products in the body. In the reverse situation malnutrition is caused by a deficiency of nutrients. In both cases the therapy must begin with the eating habits of the individuals affected to restore the lost balance.

How do diets work?

Diets are restrictive regimens where one or several foods are renounced. How severe the restriction is depends on the goal in mind. If the aim is to relieve the body it may be enough to consume less amounts of food than usual. For a profound correction the food intake needs to be less than the demand. Only by depriving the body of what is necessary for it does it commence to draw on the surplus resources stored in the deep tissues. This way the strain is relieved and finally disappears.

The most austere diet is fasting. Nothing but water is permitted. Burning up reserves and waste is at its utmost because the body receives no nourishment. But such fasting should never be done on a whim.

Monodiets are slightly less restrictive, because – as the name implies – only one food item is permitted. This can be consumed at every meal. Among the best known monodiets are grape diet, vegetable juice, macrobiotic rice, lemon juice, and maple syrup diet.

In addition to fasting and the monodiets there are a number of other restrictive but less austere diets, since various foods are permitted. As long as they are a step back from the usual eating habits they can also be effective. The possibilities are countless. Some diets rely on the number of calories, for example 2,000, 1,500 or 1,000 calories per day. Others cut down on fat, carbohydrate or protein, some have minimal salt intake, a balanced fare and so on.

The Hay diet belongs to this group. Here all foods are allowed, but may not be consumed together. Protein and carbohydrate foods are eaten at different meals. Lunch for example could be a fare of raw and cooked vegetables and a starchy food like potato, cereal or pasta. Dinner on the other hand might be raw and cooked vegetables with a protein of choice (cheese, meat, fish or egg). Separating foods simplifies and shortens the alimentary passage and digestive period considerably, which in turn shortens the absorption of nutrients from the partially digested food. The diminished assimilation is able to stimulate the body to break down surplus deposits.

Do We Choose Our Family?, Part 2

2010-03-23T05:56:00.000-07:00

The law of reciprocal action

Everything that emanates from the human spirit, whether in the form of intuition, thoughts, words, or deeds is in fact a seed which reacts on its environment and marks it with an indelible stamp.

A spirit sows the expression of its will, that is, it takes decisions with the help of its free will. Are these decisions good or bad?

The spirit will find the answers to this question sooner or later through the Law of Reciprocal Action, which ensures that every cause is attended by its corresponding effect. We can also say that it “makes him reap what he sowed”, as expressed in the biblical passage “You reap what you sow.”

The identical corresponding reaction always present between the seed and the harvest ensures that one who had imbibed and developed noble qualities in a previous incarnation will also find himself in situations whereby he will be adequately compensated in a later earth-life. In the same vein, one who indulged in violence and oppression will eventually be a victim of such. The spirit who consciously lives through the consequences of his previous deeds will learn to appreciate the difference between good and bad decisions, which latter he may decide to get rid of. Thus, a number of circumstances determine the incarnation of the spirit in a young body. These circumstances are provided not only through the educational, professional, cultural, or political environment in which the child will develop, but also through the family circle. Indeed, as a result of their personality, social status, place of residence, and so on, the parents provide the conditions necessary for numerous experiences needed by their child. There is also another aspect of the Law of Reciprocal Action which aims not only at giving an opportunity to assess former decisions but also to atone and compensate for any wrongdoing resulting from these decisions. Actors from previous earth-lives must therefore meet again to make amends on the one hand and grant forgiveness on the other.

The meeting of people linked by karmic threads can occur in various circumstances and social environments, but the family circle proves to be most ideal. The love that naturally blossoms between family members – parental love for the child and filial love for the parents – is a powerful help for inner change and forgiveness. Those concerned need not, at the present time, be conscious of their past lives or be aware of their past relationships, that is, if they had been parents, neighbours, colleagues, and so on. Only the present time matters and it suffices that in reacting to events they modify their behaviour and inner stance positively so that atonement and forgiveness follow their actions. Through their combined workings these Laws ensure no arbitrariness when placing children in their parents’ homes.

Choosing our family

The incarnation of a spirit is an indication that its sojourn in the beyond has momentarily reached its term and it becomes necessary for it to pursue its developmental journey on earth to avoid stagnation. Based on the karmic threads and the personality of the soul concerned, the Laws guide it to the precise place suitable for it and to the parents it deserves. The number of eligible parents is not unlimited since very many specific factors must be taken into consideration.

A spirit is not in a position to freely decide which parents to choose so as to satisfy his likes and dislikes. More important factors which affect the overall development of the spirit are decisive and they exclude his personal wishes. The Laws ensure strict observance of these factors.

Parents whom we “reap” are the fruits of our past decisions and their resulting karma. There is a choice in that sense, albeit an indirect one since the choice depends on the decisions rather than their results: the parents correspond to the karma in question. There is therefore no conscious and thought-out decision as alleged by the expression “I have chosen my parents.”

In any case the workings of the Laws follow the greatest wisdom and total justice. Every child always gets the parents it deserves and the parents the child they need for their experiencing on earth.

Do W Choose Our Family?, Part 1

2010-03-16T07:46:00.000-07:00

A number of people claim that we choose our parents. However, many parents and children faced with recurring conflicts really wonder if they had indeed chosen each other or whether their being together is a product of chance. Since we are endowed with free will, can we really choose which family to belong to?

Some children are very grateful for the parents they have because of the love and care they enjoy from them.

Some others, however, are resentful as their parents have many faults and exhibit character traits and upbringing principles which strongly inconvenience them in their childhood and youth, and sometimes mar them for life.

On the other hand, some parents suffer a lot from their children’s behaviour. Often, either parents or children ask themselves questions like: Why do I have such children? Why do I have such parents? Or, still, spitefully “What did I do to deserve this?”

The latter question clearly reveals that the protagonists sense that to a certain extent they must have made a decision at some point in time that led to their present situation. In actual fact the composition of a family does not depend on chance but on the workings of two important Laws: The Law of Attraction of Homogeneous Species and the Law of Reciprocal Action. Our former deeds and past decisions determine our present family.

The law of attraction of homogeneous species

Science, in its materialistic approach, states that genes determine the entry of a new member into a family and that its personality develops from the genetic baggage of the parents. The child has therefore no choice in the matter and its development is a function of the coming together of genes from the mother and the father.

From the spiritual viewpoint man is not only a physical body but an immaterial spirit incarnated into one. The spirit pre-exists the body and is just one of the numerous other spirits still in the beyond striving to incarnate on earth in order to pursue their development and mature. So, among all these spirits in the beyond which one will eventually incarnate in the little body growing in the womb of an expectant mother?

The Law of Attraction of Homogeneous Species actually does the selection and ensures that similar kinds attract each other and come together.

The spirits of the parents attract in accordance with what emanates from them. The radiations of their spirits will have a well determined “colouring” reflecting their weaknesses and qualities, as well as their character. Among all the spirits ready to incarnate they will selectively and strongly attract the spirit with a similar colour; in other words, the one who possesses a combination of characteristics closest to theirs. It is the reason why children have so much in common, whether good or bad, with their parents. The similarity in character is due to the attraction of what is spiritually homogeneous and has nothing to do with genes.

There is a simple explanation to that fact. A gene, which is a particle belonging to gross matter, can only transmit hereditary characteristics of the same species of physical matter, such as the colour of the eyes, the shape of the face, and so on. It is incapable of transmitting immaterial and psychic characteristics because they are of a different species from it. The Law of Attraction of Homogeneous Species would prevent that from happening since it upholds the attraction of similar species only. Consequently there is no spiritual heredity, unlike physical heredity which certainly exists. As a matter of fact, no gene responsible for psychic heredity has ever been found in spite of extensive research in that field.

The workings of the Law provide tremendous help as parents understand children with whom they have affinity. For example, a child with musical talent will blossom forth with parents who appreciate music rather than with those who have no interest and cannot therefore provide him with the necessary support.

Affinity between parents and children due to faults and weaknesses is also of great help as these shortcomings can be a foil to the child. The suffering caused by their manifestation can spur the child to strive in a radically opposite direction.

How do we Manage the Water Needs of our Body?, Part 2

2010-03-09T13:51:00.000-08:00

Thirst

Thirst is the body’s alarm that goes off when it starts running out of water. It not only incites us to drink, but to drink enough in order to correct the hydrous deficit.

Some people admit to not feeling a thirst sensation and consequently drink very little. Quite often this results in them not drinking in spite of the thirst signals emitted by the body, which in turn begin to manifest in an increasingly discreet manner and end up almost completely disappearing.

Thankfully, as with all physiological functions, a dormant thirst sensation can be reawakened. It is sufficient for such a person to force himself to drink normally, even if he does not feel the need. After a few days he will then notice, with surprise, how thirsty he is in spite of all that he drinks!

What should we drink?

The ideal drink for human beings is water, as it is the only one offered by nature. In order to drink approximately two litres a day it must taste good. Tap water is usually good, but if this is not the case there are three possible solutions.

Water filters can be used that rid the water of excess chlorine and other impurities. Also filling a jug with water and leaving it in the refrigerator will evaporate the chlorine and give the water a better taste.

The third solution consists of drinking bottled spring water or slightly mineralised mineral water. It makes no difference if the bottled water is still or sparkling; it is simply a question of personal taste. It can likewise be drunk cold, warm or hot.

It is preferable physiologically to spread our water consumption over the day rather than to “fill up” once or twice a day. In this latter case the volume ingested in one single lot would be too great. It is normal to drink a little at meals because it helps to humidify and dilute dry foods, but the larger part of drinking liquids should be done in between meals.

The rule of thumb: “drink every time you feel thirsty” is therefore relevant and the best way to follow this remains by drinking water!

How do we Manage the Water Needs of our Body?, Part 1

2010-03-02T04:49:00.000-08:00

Contrary to popular belief, the body is not a composite of solid organs in which fluids circulate but rather a composite of fluids in which solids can be found. The adult human body consists of 70% water; a newborn is 80% water; and a 4-month-old fetus is 93% water. Most of our organs are composed of about 75% water, the brain with the highest percentage at 83%. The skeleton on the other hand holds the least at 22%. The fluids in the body are held separately and distributed throughout different chambers or layers situated more or less deep within. The fluid that is closest to the surface is the blood. It circulates inside vessels and represents approximately 5% of body weight. Directly beneath the blood is the extracellular fluid, of which the lymph is a part. As its name indicates, it is found outside and bathes the cells, filling the tiny interstices that separate them. Its volume is equivalent to 15% of the body’s weight. The deepest chamber holds the intracellular fluid, which is found inside the cells. Although each cell is extremely small in volume, added together they constitute a very large volume: the intracellular fluid represents 50% of body weight. The liquid components of our body are the connecting link between our cells and the outside of the body. They carry nutrients and oxygen to the cells and in turn take away the toxins that these produce. Without water, our body could not function. The organism’s water needs
We eliminate approximately 2.5 litres (L) of water daily: 1.5L of urine, 0.5L of perspiration, 0.5L through the lungs (in the form of vapor) and through the intestines.

It is imperative that this considerable fluid loss be compensated with an equivalent intake in order for the body to continue functioning. The law of equilibrium, which governs every physiological phenomenon, demands it. Just as periods of activity must be balanced with rest periods, burning energy with equivalent nourishment, and so on, so too, must fluid elimination be compensated through water intake.
Where does our organism find the 2.5L daily water needs? Some water is contained in food (approximately 1 litre), the rest in drinks (1.5 litres). These numbers correspond with eating generous portions of fruit and vegetables due to their rich water content. However today, in general, our nourishment consists mainly of foods poor in water content: grains and meat. Also, they contain too much salt and are filled with toxins, which only increase the need for water. In fact, the more waste there is to eliminate, the more liquid support is necessary for the elimination.
Taking the different factors into account, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends an average daily intake of 2 litres of water.
How does our personal fluid intake compare with the 2 litres? Is it less or more? Or does it correspond with this figure?
In order to know one must measure each volume of fluid intake during the day. The intake can vary from one day to the next, therefore it is a good idea to take these measures over three or four consecutive days. An important point: water and herbal teas (unsweetened) count for a full measure but it is not the same for coffee, tea, chocolate and commercial drinks, as well as wine and beer, which count as only half measures. These latter drinks are not as hydrating as the first set due to their high content of sugar, alcohol and other substances. A portion of the liquid they contain is used to neutralise and eliminate the undesirable contents. Dehydration
Because man, at least in the Western world, has abundant water always at his disposal, he does not realise how brief is the time that can elapse between not drinking and dehydration and death.
It is calculated that grave dehydration problems arise after 3 days of total deprivation and death results 3 or 4 days later. People lost in the desert or shipwrecked, trapped miners, reach this point of no return. Besides such extreme cases, there is also chronic dehydration where the water deficiency is never severe enough to become critical but suffices to cause health problems.
What happens when the body does not receive sufficient fluid? First of all the blood loses volume. It is constantly filtering its water content to the kidneys, the sweat glands and the rest of the excretory system. Its volume cannot, however, diminish very much. The body then reacts by drawing fluid from the extracellular matrix. The blood volume is restored but the extracellular liquid is reduced, affecting efficiency of the exchange between the blood and cells.
In order to remedy the extracellular fluid deficit, the body draws fluid from inside the cells, which in turn dehydrate and diminish in function. The body becomes deprived of water within the deeper and deeper layers.
Two major resulting metabolic disturbances will occur and originate from all the troubles of dehydration. The first is a slowing down of enzyme activity. Enzymes, which are responsible for all biochemical reactions within the body, work less efficiently when the organic fluids are thick and viscous. Energy, hormone secretion and reparative substance production, all necessary for proper functioning of the organism, decline rapidly.
The second major disturbance is an autointoxication of the organism. Toxin excretion continues but with a reduced amount of fluid. Urine becomes thick, sweat more concentrated and stools are drier. Under these conditions toxic elimination is forcibly less efficient.
Specifically, chronic dehydration can cause the following: fatigue and listlessness (through the slowing down of enzyme production), constipation (stools become dry and hard), digestive problems (through insufficient fluid to produce digestive secretion), hypotension (through lack of blood volume), gastritis and stomach ulcers (mucus deficiency that protects the gastric lining), respiratory problems (through the drying up of mucus), eczema (skin eruptions due to sweat that is heavily concentrated), cystitis (heavily concentrated urine leading to micro-lesions, which allow bacteria to grow). Excess weight can also result indirectly from dehydration. Some people confuse thirst with hunger. True, eating can get rid of thirst because of the fluids in foods, but this fluid intake is accompanied by a calorie intake that in the long run leads to weight gain.
An overweight person should therefore drink a lot more water to curb false hunger sensations, but large fluid intake also forces the body to burn calories.
Fatigue and a lack of energy remain one of the biggest symptoms of dehydration. Resurgent energy and liveliness is the first effect to manifest in someone who starts to drink sufficiently.

The Spiritual Consequences of Tobacco Consumption, Part 2

2010-02-22T09:15:00.000-08:00

The dangers of addiction

When a person decides to reach for and smoke a cigarette, he will feel a more or less significant effect. For example, he will feel calmer. In this way he “learns” that it is possible to achieve this goal without an inner, spiritual effort. This would not be a major problem if it occurred only occasionally. But a pleasant and comfortable experience is something one wants to have again, and so the smoker soon reaches for the cigarette at every opportunity, very often even unconsciously. And in so doing, the spirit becomes less and less accustomed to reacting out of an impulse of its own will to maintain or restore the inner balance or, as the case may be, to rediscover what is its task. The less the will is active, the weaker it becomes, and soon the smoker finds it exceedingly difficult to remain calm without resorting to the use of nicotine. He needs it and cannot manage without it. And this is what we call “addiction.”

It is important to point out that it is the spirit above all that becomes addicted, not the body. For the spirit is the only living entity in a human being that has the ability to perceive consciously. And it is the spirit — and not the body — which suffers, feels discomfort, perceives lack of something, or feels a sense of inner dissociation. The body and the brain merely transmit the sensitive information of the pain to the spirit. The normal functioning of the body may be disrupted by a drug, but the experience of addiction occurs in the nonmaterial realm of the real self. The spirit yearns for the drug in order to experience the desired state. It binds itself through its own volition to the means of addiction.

The propensity for smoking (or consuming other drugs) is not automatically eliminated with the death of the physical body. Not by chance do clairvoyants who have contact with the other world give account of departed souls who remain "earthbound" through their propensity. The avid desire to smoke holds them near those who can still succumb to this urge, and they try to satisfy their craving through the feelings of a smoker who is still in flesh and blood.

Moreover, the fact that this addictive behavior rests in the psyche and not in the physical body explains why it is so difficult to give up smoking as long as there is not an absolutely serious and firm resolution of the will based upon knowledge. External aids may be able to support the spirit’s efforts. However, they do not render the spirit more active.

Conversely, some smokers experience little or practically no unease and can stop smoking without problems as soon as the appropriate impulse of will comes from the spirit. In this case, the body begins to produce those substances again that, up to this point, were being replaced by the drug.

Some people become addicted to tobacco in a surprisingly short time. Others can indulge heavily in smoking without developing an addiction rightaway. This, too, has to do with the previous spiritual development of the person concerned, perhaps also with the past lives on earth. A smoker who dies and does not manage in the beyond to free himself of his propensity will come with this “predisposition” into a new incarnation on earth — and as soon as the opportunity presents itself the tendency will manifest again.

Tobacco consumption thus has consequences for the spirit! Through the blood radiation, nicotine allows the smoker to experience a state of relaxation and well-being. This “comfortable” path, however, endangers his spiritual development. Knowledge of these connections should induce the smoker to free himself of the smoking habit.

As we have seen, the blood radiation can be influenced and altered not only from “without” but also from “within.” In order to free oneself of the cigarette habit, it is necessary to bring about a change in this radiation — not with nicotine, but through the power of the spirit.

Photo by Flickr user Vanessa Pike-Russell

The Spiritual Consequences of Tobacco Consumption, Part 1

2010-02-17T07:42:00.000-08:00

Unknown in Europe before the end of the 15th century, tobacco was introduced from America by Christopher Columbus after he discovered the new continent in 1492. Being a rare and therefore precious product, tobacco was initially primarily used for medical purposes, for example as a herbal infusion.

The cultivation of tobacco spread first in Spain and Portugal, then into the rest of Europe. As demand grew, tobacco was soon being cultivated on a large scale, beginning in 1520 in North America, the Antilles and Cuba. Selective breeding finally yielded a variety adapted to the European climate, the cultivation of which began around 1560.

At that time tobacco was mainly snuffed as a fine powder, so that it was absorbed through the nasal mucous membrane, or else it was consumed as chewing tobacco. Pipe, cigar or cigarette smokers were quite rare. The ubiquitous cigarette of today did not exist before 1674. It appeared about two centuries after tobacco was introduced to Europe, and at first was rolled by the smokers themselves. Production on an industrial scale only began in 1842, and helped not only to make it available but contributed considerably to the popularity of tobacco. The number of smokers then rose spectacularly, first in Europe and soon worldwide. In France, for instance, annual cigarette production was around 7 million in 1860, but by 1893 (only 33 years later!) it had climbed to a billion, and by 1960 to 50 billion. After peaking at 97 billion in 1991, production still amounted to as many as 83 billion cigarettes in 2000.

Initially, tobacco was a rare and valuable commodity, but today, it is commonplace and its consumption is considered quite normal, having a universal appeal that is rather surprising. In contrast to other drugs that tend to be limited to certain regions or particular segments of the population, tobacco use does not know any such limits. Tobacco is consumed by the most primitive tribes as well as by people in the most modern cities, by men and women alike, regardless of educational standing or religious orientation, by adults as well as youngsters.

The bridge between spirit and body

As it is with most drugs, nicotine — a component of tobacco — does not only have physical effects. The "internal high" that the smoker seeks from smoking not only manifests in the body but also touches on the psyche, more precisely: his spirit.
The question is: How is it possible that a material substance like nicotine can affect the non-material spirit?

Naturally, the spirit cannot be influenced directly by nicotine molecules. There has to be a “connecting element” between body and soul* — and this "element" is the blood, more precisely: the radiation of the blood. The blood, this “juice of very special kind” in the words of Goethe, emits radiations or vibrations which in fineness and frequency resemble those radiations emanating from the outermost covering of the soul, or “astral body”. It is the similarity of these radiations that forms a “bridge” of resonance between the physical body and the soul, across which all information “circulates” between the material and nonmaterial realms. In this way the spirit is fully connected to the body during its incarnation on earth.

The blood radiation is dependent on the composition of the blood. Any change in this is bound to influence the condition of the soul as well. Let us take some examples. It is well known that a drop in the blood sugar level (hypoglycaemia) evokes a feeling of uneasiness; a lack of vitamin B1 leads to a state of anxiety; excessive lead in the blood triggers depression, etc. Thus it is easy to understand that nicotine changes the blood radiation, and consequently the condition of the smoker’s soul. Via the blood radiation (and in turn, followed by a similar radiation process via the finer cloaks of the soul) the spirit, too, is indirectly influenced by the effects produced by nicotine.

Now it could appear as though we were defenceless against all earthly influences which can reach us through our blood radiation. This is not the case. For the spirit likewise exerts its influence on all bridges of radiation, but from “within”.

It is well known that we can change our emotional state or soul condition by an effort of will. By pulling oneself together, one can become more cheerful if depressed, more even-tempered if excitable, more focused if distracted, more confident if one is despondent. In such a case, the volition of the spirit exerts a pressure — first on the finer coverings around the spirit, and subsequently also on the physical body. This pressure in turn causes the production of hormones and other secretions which change the composition and thereby the radiation of the blood. As a result, the spirit is soon "immersed" in radiations of a corresponding nature and experiences a correspondingly different emotional state.

If, for example, a person seeks calm, his body will produce endorphins as a result of the pressure exerted by his spirit. With increased vigilance of the spirit the cortex of the adrenal glands will produce adrenalin. Naturally, such processes take place unconsciously.

Drugs are not substances absolutely foreign to the body — even if it could not use these — but they come very close in their activity to endogenous substances, produced by the organism itself. So similar even, that they can replace the body’s own substances. The unusual effect of drugs stems from the fact that they mimic in an exaggerated manner the particular effect of a substance normally produced by the organism. Thus morphine, which is extracted from the opium poppy, is very similar to endorphins, which are endogenous hormones. Cannabis resembles a biocatalyst that is secreted by the brain. And nicotine, in turn, corresponds to acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter, which partly ensures that messages can be transmitted from one nerve cell (neuron) to the next.

So, in a stressful situation, a state of restlessness or fear, there are two ways of restoring inner composure: either through an act of will which follows an impulse from the spirit and causes corresponding secretions in the body — or by tobacco and nicotine consumption which brings an artificially induced state. The choice is ours.

The reason why people often opt for a drug which is known to be harmful is that it always appears easier to “consume” an external aid than to make the personal effort. To restrain oneself, or to do something of one's own will in order to achieve a goal, requires personal effort. Self-exertion is certainly beneficial to the development of the spirit and unfolding its innate abilities, for the spirit unfolds by activating a volition, just as a muscle gets stronger through exercise.

For this reason, resorting to the use of the drug nicotine exhibits a certain indolence or lack of willpower and self-confidence. Ironically, this is the exact opposite of those qualities the advertising industry uses to make smoking “glamorous”. Generally speaking, the smoker is portrayed, as everybody knows, as an active, decisive, strong-willed and self-confident person.

Illustration from a manuscript compiled under the direction of Leonhart Fuchs (1501-66)

Eating in Season

2010-02-09T06:33:00.000-08:00

Nowadays most fruits and vegetables are on offer throughout the year. Since everything is available at any time, we are loosing the concept of eating according to the season. Some even find it difficult to name typical spring vegetables or to indicate when exactly the strawberries are in season. Nonetheless, it would be better for our health to eat in accordance with the season.

When is a food in season?

Nature offers us a variety of plant and animal foodstuffs, but not all at the same time. The offer differs from season to season, therefore we speak of “seasonal foods”. It is, however, not that every foodstuff belongs to the one season – spring, summer, autumn or winter – but that it has its specific season, a certain period when it comes to full ripeness and is at its peak for consumption.

For example, the apricot season lasts only a few weeks, as this fruit gets overripe very quickly and then decays. Drying, though, can extend its season.

Grains such as wheat, have a longer natural season. Mature wheat, harvested in summer and stored in good conditions, can be enjoyed over the entire winter and up to the next harvest. Wheat therefore has a year-round cycle, retaining its qualities and its vitality all through.

Eating according to need

There is a wise correlation between what nature offers seasonally and our bodily requirements. Nature gives us the necessary food exactly when we need it most.

In broad terms, the following foods are available during the year: in spring, at the time of awakening and renewal, nature makes a variety of young shoots available – dandelions, greens, lambs lettuce and so on. Fast-growing, vital or also vitamin-rich plants aid the human body, with its intensified activities typical for this season, and they also satisfy the increased vitamin requirements after winter, when mainly long-lasting, vitamin-deficient foods are available, because at this time of the year almost no fresh foodstuffs are available.

From spring onwards, proteins are also available in greater quantities. Hens lay more regularly again, the cows calve and suckle. The supply of protein-rich foods such as eggs, milk and meat grows, meeting the increased protein demands during the hot, sunny months. The days lengthen, we work longer hours and tissue metabolism is thus also higher.

During the warmest time of the year, nature also offers the juiciest vegetables; cucumbers, tomatoes, melons. They help to meet the greater fluid demands conditioned by the high temperatures. Summer is also the time of energy-rich fruits that are easily digestible in the severe heat.

In September and October with the return of cooler days, the food needs to be more enriched, so that the body can better withstand the onset of winter. At this time more concentrated foods are available: cereals, pulses, chestnuts, nuts and so forth. The vegetables suitable for the cold season – carrots, beetroots, celery – are less juicy, just as the fluid requirements of the body are reduced.

In winter, the cold compels people to live on a high calorie diet, provided by foods that are suitable for storage: potatoes, cereals, pulses. We obtain vitamins from stored fruit and vegetables, dried fruits (sultanas and apricots) are also a good source. Preserving suitable food for winter is justified, natural and also provides consistent seasonal nutrition. Animals do the same – bees keep honey for winter, squirrels store nuts, and so on.

If the climate conditions – sunshine, temperature and so on – were to be unchanged throughout the year, then our physical needs would also remain the same and nature would provide us with a constant selection of foods. This is the case in tropical areas near the equator, where nature minimally changes the food supply throughout the year.

Benefits of seasonal food

There are two main reasons why it is advantageous for us to eat in season. On the one hand, because the foods are ideally suited to the organic requirements of the respective season; they comply with the seasons and we can maximize the benefit from them. On the other hand, foods during the time of full ripeness offer the most nutrients – vitamins, trace elements and so on.

A food out of season lacks energy, it is inferior. Moreover, such foodstuffs are often imported from far away and are treated with preservatives or cultivated in unnatural ways. All this reduces its essential quality.

To eat foods in season as much as possible is exceptionally beneficial for good health. In this way we enjoy the best of what nature makes available, and at a time when we most need it.

Being Vegetarian, Part 2

2010-02-01T12:18:00.000-08:00

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.

Being Vegetarian, Part 1

2010-01-26T15:16:00.000-08:00

Is animal food necessary for our health?

Meat consumption is steadily increasing. From 20 Kg per person annually in 1850, it rose to 40 Kg in 1900, 60 Kg in 1950 and up to 110 Kg in 1996. According to some vegetarians, meat is responsible for numerous ailments and should definitely be excluded from our diet. What are the reasons? Are these reasons sufficient to identify the problem?

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.

Medical Hypnosis

2010-01-20T06:43:00.000-08:00

Victor Hugo colorfully 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.

Creation vs. Evolution: A Mistaken Contradiction, Part 2

2010-01-12T11:58:00.000-08:00

The Key: A Broader Approach
In spite of appearances, Creationism and Evolutionism are not irreconcilable because their elements of truth are not at the same level. In fact, the Creationist refers to the creation of souls while the Evolutionist refers to the physical bodies in which souls incarnate.

For the sake of simplicity we will limit ourselves to animals and human beings. The creation of the animal species followed by that of Man, as described in the Bible, and on which Creationists base their arguments, concerns the animating core of these creatures, that is, the animal soul (souls of dogs, horses, apes, etc.) and the human spirit. They were all created by God, each with its own characteristics.

Now, the human spirit needs a physical body in which to incarnate and sojourn on earth just as the animal soul also needs a body of dense gross matter for the same purpose. But where were these vessels on earth? At the beginning they were not available on planet Earth and needed to be formed.

These vessels were not formed simultaneously as a group but rather developed one after the other through a process of evolution spanning eons, as precisely emphasized by the evolutionist approach.

A Lengthy Evolution of the Physical Bodies
The most basic animal soul incarnated in the simplest animal body comprising only one cell. In its struggle for survival that specie brought itself to a higher stage and through its multiplication gave more perfected souls the opportunity of incarnation in these improved bodies. These souls in turn brought their bodies up to a higher level thus allowing yet more elaborate souls to incarnate. The process repeated itself until the forming of physical bodies of the great apes in whose bodies human spirits finally incarnated instead of souls of apes.

These apes became eventually extinct. The incarnation of human spirits in their bodies occurred within a very definite period. The great apes under reference had attained their highest stage of development on earth. Though different, their faculties were nearest to those of human spirits still under-developed at that time since they were at the beginning of their evolutionary journey. Thus the most developed of the lower species was able to provide a vessel to the least developed of the higher species. That vessel eventually became more human so that human spirits could incarnate into human bodies and no longer into bodies of apes.

It must be noted that a more developed body, not a different one, is handed down in the evolutionary process. The animating core actually makes the difference. The ape did not hand down a human body but the body of an ape to the spirit. It is only when the spirit took possession of that body and began to utilise it that it finally acquired a human form.

Souls Already Created
The progressive evolution of physical bodies here on earth thus gave the various souls in the beyond the opportunity to gradually incarnate, as and when vessels which they needed to come to earth were formed. Therefore an evolution exists at the level of physical bodies, and not at the level of souls which had already existed as such before their incarnation since they were created by God. They do not, therefore, originate from each other. The soul of an ape cannot develop into a human spirit any more than a human spirit can regress to become the soul of an ape. The Creationists and Evolutionists are not in opposition but are complementary. Man, with a spirit core, is not a descendant of the ape; only his body comes from it.

The Secret of the Blood, Part 4

2010-01-12T11:54:00.000-08:00

"The Secret of the Blood", Part 3

2010-01-05T12:34:00.001-08:00

The Secret of the Blood, Interview Part 2

2009-12-29T14:37:00.000-08:00

"The Secret of the Blood", Part 1

2009-12-18T14:35:00.000-08:00

Creation vs. Evolution: A Mistaken Contradiction, Part 1

2009-12-14T07:09:00.000-08:00

CREATIONISM AND EVOLUTIONISM are two different ways of explaining the manifestation of living organisms on earth: plants, animals, and human beings. To date, both have caused numerous conflicts between their advocates, as they were presented as mutually exclusive. These conflicts are, however, not necessary as the two concepts are in reality complementary if they are considered from a spiritual viewpoint.

CREATIONISM

Creationism, which is generally based on the Bible, states that God created every plant and animal and then placed them together on earth. And so, everything came directly from the hand of the Creator.

Indeed, we read from Genesis: “And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit… Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth… cattle and creeping thing… So God created man in his own image.” (Genesis 1, 11-21-24-27).

According to some interpretations of the Bible, Creation, comprising all living things, occurred 4004 years before the birth of Jesus Christ. Since then, plants and animals would have populated the earth without modifications to their shapes and abilities as they were already fully formed from the beginning.

EVOLUTIONISM

Charles Darwin (1809-1882) while studying the shapes of extinct animals preserved as fossils and comparing them to those actually living noted that all animal species appeared as improved variants of preceding ones.

It became clear to him that different creatures did not appear on earth together, already fully formed, but had rather issued from one another. Through the development of its faculties, the simplest creature produced a more elaborate one, which through the same process gave rise to yet another superior to itself and so forth until the appearance of the great apes, and finally Man.

Therefore the various plants and animals known to us today did not exist from the beginning but are the result of a slow process of evolution and development of faculties.

Thus, over millions of years, living species appeared, not simultaneously and fully completed as claimed by Creationists, but successively and gradually perfecting themselves.

THE CONTROVERSY

When Darwin explained his ideas in the middle of the 19th century, the Creationists strongly opposed him. He was indeed challenging the fundamental vision of the world and Man which had hitherto prevailed.

Man was suddenly relegated to the rank of an animal since he was now a descendant of apes. Another implication was that he had not been created in the image of God but in that of the ape. Worse still, if animal species had issued one from the other it meant that God did not create them but that they had created themselves. The conclusion was that God was not the Creator of everything, and perhaps did not exist at all.

For every believer, including the Creationists, challenging the almighty creative power of God is nonsensical; hence the innate rejection of Evolutionism.

The problem, however, is that the evolutionist approach is based on the observation of concrete and incontestable facts leading to the conclusion that filiations and an evolution of species are logical and objective. But how can this impasse be averted?

The Water Prescription, Part 5

2009-11-30T07:21:00.000-08:00

How does this occur?

When dehydration causes too much liquid to be removed from inside the cells, the body tries to stop this loss by producing more cholesterol. A higher level of cholesterol effectively enables the cellular membrane to become less permeable, which in turn prevents too great a loss of their fluid. But while this overproduction remedies the ill effects of dehydration, it also has the negative consequence of increasing the cholesterol in the bloodstream.

In such cases, regular consumption of abundant water limits the production of cholesterol. This can be accomplished with no change in diet, because food is not the cause of the overproduction.

Cystitis, Urinary Infections

The harmful influence of liquid deficiency is well known in connection with urinary infections. If the toxins contained in urine are insufficiently diluted, they attack the urinary mucous membranes and create microlesions. These lesions then form entranceways for germs, which settle in the membranes, multiply, and engender painful infections.

Drinking large amounts of water to dilute the urine and ensure that the germs are carried away is thus perfectly justified. But the water also intervenes in another way. The microbes responsible for urinary infections often originate in the intestines. They are microorganisms of the intestinal flora that were originally beneficial, but then mutate and become virulent when intestinal transit is too slow. Subsequently migrating elsewhere in the body, among other destinations toward the nearby urinary tract, these microbes engender infections.

An increased consumption of liquid is thus not only beneficial in the urinary tract, but also at the starting gate for infections: the intestinal milieu (for example, preventing constipation).

Premature Aging

The normal aging process involves a gradual loss of volume of the extracellular and intracellular fluids. As we saw earlier, the body of a newborn child is composed of 80 percent liquid, but this percentage declines to no more than 70 percent in an adult and continues to decline with age. This water loss contributes to the slowing down of exchanges and the loss of volume in the flesh that is characteristic of natural aging.

However, loss of water in the tissues can be intensified and accelerated when the liquid ingested on a daily basis is not enough to meet the body's needs. Older people who do not drink enough aggravate the normal dehydration process that accompanies natural aging. They age much more quickly than necessary, simply because of poor hygiene.

Drinking enough liquid is essential throughout life. Unfortunately, the elderly often do not drink enough, perhaps because they do not always clearly perceive the sensation of thirst.

To avoid dehydration, the body pushes us to drink by triggering a disagreeable sensation: thirst. Theoretically, it should therefore not be possible to become dehydrated. And yet the fact remains that many people do not drink enough.

The Water Prescription, Part 4

2009-11-24T07:22:00.000-08:00

Health Problems That Can Be Caused by Chronic Dehydration

Fatigue, Energy Loss

Dehydration of the tissues causes enzymatic activity to slow down, including enzymes that are active in the production of energy. This production can fall so low in the case of acute dehydration that the individual suffering from it may not even be capable of standing up. He or she remains prostrate and motionless, in a somnolent or even unconscious state.

Although it does not go to this extreme, chronic dehydration nonetheless engenders a sense of chronic fatigue and lassitude. The effect on a person's psychic state is a noticeable lack of enthusiasm while working and a loss of joy in living.

If a person in this situation starts drinking sufficient quantities of water again (the question of quantity is discussed in chapter 6 of my book), his or her energy returns. A generous intake of water retriggers enzymatic activity, hence the return of energy. Regaining strength and energy is one of the effects mentioned by the majority of people who increase their water consumption to bring it back to normal levels.

Constipation

When an alimentary bolus (a mass of chewed food) enters the colon, it contains too much liquid to allow stools to form properly. The excess water is absorbed by the wall of the colon to reduce this content. The removal process continues until the stools acquire their normal consistency, which allows easy evacuation.

With chronic dehydration, however, the removal of liquid can be excessive. As the body is not receiving enough water from the outside, it seeks to obtain it from all possible sources. One of the means it has available is to withdraw it from one part of the body to put it at the disposal of another. In this case, the body withdraws more water from the stools than it would normally. They then become dry and hard and difficult to eliminate.

Constipation caused by chronic dehydration can be corrected only by increasing daily water consumption. The body then ceases to make extra withdrawals of water from the stools, and they regain the necessary moistness to be eliminated normally.

Digestive Disorders

Various digestive disorders can be caused by a lack of water: poor digestion, gas, bloating, pain, nausea, indigestion, and loss of appetite. In fact, the body produces 7 liters of digestive juices daily. In the event of chronic dehydration, the secretions are less abundant, and the digestive process cannot perform properly.

In this case, water should not be consumed during meals but separately, throughout the day, especially thirty minutes before mealtime . An amount of 10 ounces or 3 deciliters at a time would be appropriate . This ensures that the quantity of water available for the production of digestive juices is sufficient.

Gastritis, Stomach Ulcers

To protect its mucous membranes from being destroyed by the acidic digestive fluid it produces, the stomach secretes a layer of mucus. This mucus is composed of 98 percent water and 2 percent sodium bicarbonate. The large quantity of water forms a thick barrier between the mucous membranes and the acids of the gastric juices. Because of its alkaline properties, the bicarbonate that permeates the mucus also neutralizes the acids that attempt to cross this protective barrier.

In a state of chronic dehydration, the stomach does not have enough liquid available to properly manufacture the mucus. Among people who are predisposed to these kinds of disorders, some zones of the stomach do not have a good lining of mucus and thus are poorly protected. These zones can be attacked by the acids, which first cause an inflammation of the mucous membrane (gastritis), then lesions (ulcers).

In such cases, rather than resorting to artificial palliatives, it is preferable to assist the body to produce its own palliative, or protective mucus, by drinking more. A fairly generous consumption of water helps the stomach again produce sufficient amounts of mucus so it can protect its walls from attack.

Excess Weight and Obesity

Those who are overweight are eating more than their bodies are capable of using and eliminating. But why do we have a tendency to eat more than our physiology needs? There are numerous possible reasons, but one of them—thirst—is rarely mentioned.

There are two ways to satisfy thirst: we can drink a lot of fluids, or we can eat foods rich in water. If we opt for the second solution, the body receives the liquids it needs, but it also takes in nutritive substances it doesn't need, which contribute to its weight. More often than we might think, when we are thirsty we make the mistake of eating rather than drinking.

Although the two sensations are distinct, thirst is often confused with hunger. One reason is that eating can soothe thirst. A second reason is that the fatigue that accompanies dehydration is wrongly interpreted as a lack of energetic fuel, that is, sugar. In both cases we are dealing with a false sensation of hunger.

When we confuse thirst and hunger, a vicious circle is rapidly generated, because the more we eat, the greater is our need for water with which to manufacture digestive juices. So the more we eat, the thirstier we become. And because we are already confusing the sensation of thirst with that of hunger, we again eat instead of drink, which only increases our need for water, which is again mistakenly interpreted as hunger.

To break this vicious circle and reduce the quantity of food ingested, water consumption must be considerably increased. If we drink much more than we normally would (more than 2 liters a day), these false sensations of hunger cease. The quantity of food consumed shrinks and adjust to the body's needs.

In addition to the beneficial effect of the reduction of food intake, the overall metabolism is stimulated. This occurs because the rehydration of the tissues retriggers enzymatic activity, and thus the combustion of excess fat as well.

Cholesterol

Cholesterol is one of the body's most useful substances. It is harmful only when present in excessive amounts, and then its greatest threat is to the circulatory system.

Out of the total quantity of cholesterol found in our bodies, one third comes from food, and the body produces two thirds. This production takes place in the liver and intestines. Hypercholesterolemia, the medical term for excessive cholesterol in the blood, can therefore have either an external cause (the foods we eat) or an internal cause (endogenous overproduction).

Among the numerous functions it performs, cholesterol takes part in the construction of the membranes (or walls) of the cells. Its role consists primarily of making them impermeable. The cells' need for cholesterol is constant, so the body produces it constantly. But this production can become excessive under certain circumstances and lead to hypercholesterolemia. This is notably the case with dehydration.

The Water Prescription, Part 3

2009-11-16T06:07:00.000-08:00

Autointoxication

Every day, cells produce wastes and metabolic residues. The essential support medium for evacuating wastes is water: sweat is composed of 99 percent water, urine 95 percent, and exhaled air and stools 80 percent.

When the body does not have the liquids it needs to perform its functions properly, elimination continues, but with a reduced quantity of water. Urination is less frequent and the urine is thicker; sweat is more concentrated; and stools are dry and hard. Under these conditions, toxins are eliminated at a reduced rate. Waste products accumulate in the excretory organs, are deposited on the walls of the vessels, and congest the organs. The content of toxins in the blood and cellular fluids increases. All these factors contribute to the autointoxication of the body, which is considered in holistic medicine as the starting point for every illness.

The situation can deteriorate even further. When the body has been deprived of liquids for a long time, eventually there is not enough liquid to eliminate the toxins the body continues to produce. The toxins then become concentrated inside the body. At this point, the body begins to suffocate in its own wastes; cellular activity comes to a halt, and death follows.

These two situations, enzymatic slowdown and autointoxication, engender all the disorders characteristic of dehydration.

Acute and Chronic Dehydration

Most people don't think they need to worry about dehydration. To them, dehydration is something that happens to travelers in the desert when they run out of water.

But there is a chronic form of dehydration that does not have the sudden and intense nature of the acute form. Chronic dehydration is widespread in the present day and affects everyone who is not drinking enough liquid.

The troubles that result from chronic dehydration are not as pronounced as those created by the acute form. The liquid loss is always less than the 10 percent of body weight cited earlier as the cause of serious physical problems that can threaten a person's survival.

Chronic dehydration is not severe enough to result in death or serious illness, but it is enough to cause numerous functional and lesional disorders that are more or less irritating or painful. These disorders are many and varied, because the lack of water brings about a general weakening of the body's internal cellular environment. Of course, the weakest organs give way first, and these are where the disorders appear.

Here are several examples of the health problems that can result from chronic dehydration of the tissues. These problems can have a variety of different causes, but dehydration is a possible cause of each one.

Photo - Chris Morton

The Water Prescription, Part 2

2009-11-10T08:47:00.000-08:00

What precisely happens when the body is deprived of liquids over a long period?

First, blood volume tends to shrink, surrendering part of its own constituent water to the kidneys, the sudoriferous glands, and the other excretory organs that remove toxins from the body. But blood volume cannot be reduced too much without causing loss of consciousness , as well as problems supplying the cells with the oxygen and nutrients they need.

It is therefore necessary for the body to adjust. As it is no longer receiving water from external sources, it must draw what it needs from the nearest internal source: the extracellular fluid. Unfortunately, this withdrawal means that the cells are no longer surrounded by a sufficient quantity of liquid, and this degrades their functioning so it is intermittent and incomplete.

The situation cannot help but continue to deteriorate, because the blood continues to give an uninterrupted supply of liquid to the excretory organs, forcing the interstitial compartment to give up its water. This reduction of interstitial liquid cannot go on for long without generating new disorders. The thickened interstitial fluid is no longer capable of ensuring that the exchanges between the blood and the cells take place as they should.

To remedy this, the body is again forced to find another solution, and begins to draw liquid from the intracellular fluid, withdrawing water the cells normally use when it's available but can do without if needed be. But the rest of their water is indispensable, and if the cells were forced to give it up, it would compromise their ability to function. If the body still does not obtain water from an external source, after taking all the other adaptive measures described, it draws water from this deep level of the body. The water content of the cells then shrinks inexorably, as the body has no other additional area from which it can withdraw water.

Overall dehydration of the body engenders two serious metabolic problems that are the main causes of all the various disorders caused by dehydration: enzymatic slowdown and autointoxication (poisoning by toxins produced within the body).

Enzymatic Slowdown

The role of enzymes is to perform the many biochemical transformations necessary for the body to function. To do this they need, among other things, an environment richly supplied with water.

When the volume of blood and cellular fluids shrinks, the substances normally held in suspension in them become more tightly packed. The body fluids become more highly concentrated, which gives the enzymes an environment poorly suited for their activity, a situation that continues to deteriorate as long as dehydration remains an issue.

At first, the enzymes continue to work, but at a slower pace. Later, this rhythm slows further, and the biochemical transformations become intermittent and incomplete.

Enzymatic slowdown eventually paralyzes all the body's activity, as the production of energy, hormones, reparative substances, and so on necessary for the body to perform properly gradually decreases.

The influence of dehydration on physical abilities has been calculated to a very precise degree in sports medicine. The figures supplied by this research clearly show the speed with which dehydration has an effect on body function. A loss of liquid equivalent to 1 percent of total body weight is enough to diminish the body's working capacity by 10 percent. At a 2 percent loss, this capacity becomes 20 percent less efficient. The reduction in effectiveness continues at the same pace until around 10 percent, the stage at which the dehydrated individual loses consciousness, along with all motor and physical effectiveness.

For a person weighing 160 pounds, 1 percent of body weight is equal to 16 pounds, or 0.7 liter of water, a quantity that is easily lost through the sweat caused by one hour of physical exercise at an ambient temperature of 64 degrees Fahrenheit (18 degrees Celsius). At 82 degrees Fahrenheit, the hydric loss borders on 3 liters an hour, equaling more than 4 percent of total body weight and a 40 percent loss in physical ability.

The Water Prescription, Part 1

2009-11-02T05:45:00.000-08:00

It is said that water is the ideal drink for the human being, and that drinking water is good for one's health. The reasons why this would be the case, however, are rarely stated. As a consequence, water, as a drink, is often neglected as a factor in health.

Who could imagine that fatigue, energy depletion, depression, eczema, rheumatism, high and low blood pressure, high cholesterol, gastric disorders, and premature aging could all be caused by a chronic lack of water in the body? Science has discovered that these problems – and a great many others – can be effectively prevented or treated by correct hydration.

Most people assume they are drinking enough fluids. Certainly they consume copious amounts of coffee, tea, and all sorts of soft drinks, but these beverages are far less effective in hydrating the body than plain water. Furthermore, in today's world, our bodies' need for water is much higher that it once was. Our food is too rich, too concentrated, and too salty, and the use of dehydrating substances such as alcohol and tobacco is very widespread. Stress, overheated and artificially ventilated homes, offices, and stores, air and water pollution – all contribute to our increased need for water.

As a consequence, large numbers of people do not realize they are chronically dehydrated, much less that lack of water is the cause of many of their health problems. There is only one solution: drink a lot more water. But for people to make a permanent change in their habits, they need to know why water is so important. What exactly happens when water enters in the body? What are the health conditions that can be traced to dehydration? How much should we drink, and what water should we choose? Theses are just a few of the many questions answered in this book.

The Harm Caused by Dehydration

Our bodies are constantly dealing with liquid deficiencies.

Every day we expel 2.5 liters of water from our bodies in the form of urine, sweat, water vapor from the lungs, and the liquid contained in stools. When an equivalent intake of water is maintained, the body's hydric budget is in balance. Conversely, if the liquid intake is insufficient, this balance sheet goes into the red, and the process of dehydration begins.

The dehydration of the body can occur quite quickly. Although human beings can survive for a fairly long period without food (more than six weeks, as is shown by certain therapeutic fasts), the same does not hold true for going without liquid. Three days without any liquid, either in the form of drinks or what is bound to solid food, is sufficient to create serious physical breakdowns. Two or three days longer is fatal.

The Mystery of the Blood, Part 2

2009-10-26T09:35:00.000-07:00

The unrecognized role of the blood

The examples given earlier demonstrated what happens in extreme cases, when the organism in its entirety, body and blood, is threatened by danger. The priorities were clear; the body was sacrificed in order to save the blood. The blood, therefore, was more important. Yet a fundamental question begs to be asked: if the body is there to serve the blood, what is the blood there to serve? In fact, if the blood is more important than the body, the element that the blood serves must be more important still. But what is it?

The most important reason why the blood exists is to serve the spirit. The role of the blood is to form a connecting link between the body and the spirit. Without the blood the spirit could not incarnate nor stay incarnated in the physical body that serves as its instrument or tool. The spirit therefore is not connected to the body but to the blood and through it, the body. We can now understand why the body works so vigorously for the blood, that it is even willing to sacrifice itself for the blood. Without the blood there is no connecting bridge and therefore no physical life. If the body is alive it is not because of the blood but because of the spirit connected to the body through the blood.

New therapeutic horizons

The fact that the blood plays the role of bridge signifies that the spirit can be reached through its intermediary. Because food regimes or special diets react upon the composition of the blood, this can change the «spiritual» state of man and alter his state «of being». The many people today who suffer from undefined, yet persistent fears, depression and disturbances can therefore be treated without pharmaceutical remedies that act upon the nerves and the brain, but by returning the blood to its ideal composition. The treatment utilized is simple and natural. It involves giving the blood what it is missing through a food regime and taking vitamins and minerals adapted to each particular case, as well as by purifying the blood through short-term diets and draining techniques (with plants for example). In this way, not only will the body feel better, but also the spirit.

The Mystery of the Blood, Part 1

2009-10-19T05:48:00.000-07:00

The role of the blood is not just to irrigate the tissues. It also forms a connecting link between the immaterial spirit of man and his physical body. This unrecognized role of the blood allows us to better understand ourselves and expands our therapeutic horizons.

What is the purpose of the blood?

It is generally accepted that the role of the blood is to irrigate the organic tissues so that the cells are constantly supplied with oxygen and nutrients. We also recognize the role it plays in evacuating toxins as well as transmitting hormonal messages from one cell to another. Furthermore, we know that the blood plays an important role in the organic defence system.

According to this information the blood is the body’s faithful servant that is used to carry out multiple functions. Hierarchically speaking, the body is held in first place and the blood, with its vital, but nevertheless subordinate role, is held in second place.

But is this true? Does the blood really play a subordinate role?

Upon examination of well know facts we will see that this is not the case.

During a 24-hour period of dialysis we can purify 300 to 400 grams of urea, whereas the single presence of 2 grams per litre of blood is considered very dangerous. Since our entire body only holds approximately seven litres of blood, where do the 300 to 400 grams of urea come from? Evidently it was not stored in the blood since the presence of a few grams is mortal, but it was held back in the body, more precisely in the organic tissues, and could only be returned to circulation through dialysis.

If the body is then sacrificed in this manner and must bear the price of intoxication by the urea in order to allow the blood to maintain a stable composition, does this not signify that the blood is more important than the body, and in this case, is the body not serving the blood?

Blood and deficiencies

The blood’s top position is equally evidenced in the opposite way, when the danger threatening the blood’s equilibrium is not an excess of harmful matter as was explained in the previous example, but is a lack of useful material. Normally the blood contains a certain amount of alkaline substances (calcium, sodium…) that it uses to neutralize acids that endanger its pH level, or in other words, its degree of acidity. When the influx of acid is too much and regular these alkaline minerals become depleted and another defence system takes over: alkaline minerals are taken from different tissues in the body. They are taken from the skeleton, the nails, the skin or the hair in order to re-establish the blood’s pH level.

When the pH unbalance is not resolved, the continual removal of alkaline minerals depletes the body of its mineral composition and transforms it into a real state of ruin: the bones decalcify and become porous; the teeth decay, crumble and fall out; the skin cracks, etc.

Here once again, the primordial importance of the blood is clearly observed by the veritable sacrifice of the body in favour of the blood. In order to maintain an ideal blood composition in alkaline minerals, the minerals are taken from the tissues and the organs even though these can be severely injured.

These two examples are neither exceptional nor unique. The same defence reactions take place when other wastes, besides urea, are concerned and with other nutritional substances.

Contrary to popular belief, the blood is therefore not present to serve the body but rather the body is there to serve the blood.

What is an Illness?, Part 2

2009-10-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

Why do we fall ill?

The role played by toxins and deficiencies

When we understand how the state of the terrain becomes degraded, we also realize that it depends entirely on outside sustenance to build and renew itself. The nutritive substances contained in the foods we eat are used to manufacture cells and body fluids. Our bodies function thanks to them.

Toxins

If the intake supplied by one’s diet is greater than the body’s needs, the body accumulates substances it is unable to use. As the body is forced to store them, they collect in the tissues. This can include chemical or synthetic ingredients in food, such as coloring, preservatives, and so on. Since nature has never provided any instructions to the body for their use, these more or less toxic substances will collect in the tissues and alter the biological terrain in accordance with their specific characteristics.

Even when the diet – the body’s primary source for retaining or restoring health – is adequate, it is still possible for wastes to accumulate in the body. This occurs every time that worry, stress, fear, and so forth disturb the multitude of biochemical transformations that take place in the body – the body’s metabolism. Digestion functions poorly, so the food ingested engender a plethora of wastes, generally designates as toxins. This includes crystals, which, produced by the metabolising of proteins, are acidic in nature and can be hard and painful to excrete; and colloidal wastes, such as phlegm, which are produces by the metabolising of starches and fats and do not generally cause pain.

All of these substances, whether toxic or not, when present in excess amounts prevent the body from functioning properly and are considered to be the primary cause of the deterioration of the biological terrain, and therefore the source of disease.

Deficiencies

There is another major cause for degradation of the biological terrain, one brought about not by an excess of one or more substances in the body, but by a deficiency in a substance it requires to function properly.

A deficiency is a lack of essential nutriments that are indispensable for the body’s ability to rebuild itself and function. Such nutriments include proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, minerals, vitamins, and trace elements. The composition of the body’s internal environment can be maintained only when there is sufficient intake of all the elements it requires. If one of these elements is not supplied in sufficient quantity, there is an immediate slowdown in physical function. When this element is entirely lacking from the diet, the body functions that are dependent on it can no longer be assured. If this state of complete deficiency extends for a prolonged amount of time, death is a real possibility.

In our society of abundance, it might seem difficult to imagine falling ill due to dietary deficiencies, but the truth is it is very possible and even quite easy. The foods available today supply less and less of our body’s needs because they themselves are suffering deficiencies, due to modern farming and husbandry practices. The countless refining processes our food undergoes before reaching the grocery shelves exacerbates the problem.

How do we heal?

The wisdom of the body

Everyone has, at least once, recovered from a disease without taking any medicine, or products containing active ingredients for treating illness. And yet, when someone is sick, the main concern is always to produce medication. This need for a remedy at any cost has been engraved deeply into our brains, as it is commonly accepted that without medicine there is no recovery.

Medications are supposed to contain all the curative powers necessary to restore a sick body to health. And yet, how many patients have recovered their health without taking any medication, either because it was unavailable or because they simply did not want to take medication? And, how do animals cure themselves, since they do not have any medicines naturally available to them? Is there another option?

Natural medicine talks about a “medicalizing” nature or “vital force of the body”. This force cannot be identified with any one organ of the body; its existence is revealed only in the effects of its action. Hippocrates said, “The vital force of the body is the most powerful force of cohesion and action in existence. However, it is invisible to the eye; only reasoning can conceive of it.”

In the healthy state, the physical vital force orchestrates and harmonizes all physical functions of the body. It works constantly to maintain the body in the healthiest state possible.

Cleansing crisis

When confronted by a rising tide of overloads and congestion of the tissues, the vital force does not remain on the sidelines as a passive spectator. It reacts vigorously to restore order to the physical organism so that it can continue – or resume – its normal functioning. All its efforts aim at reestablishing the purity of the biological terrain by neutralizing the toxins found in this internal cellular environment, and expelling waste from the body by means of the various excretory organs. This eviction of toxins from the body often can take a spectacular form. Such events are called detoxification crisis, also known as cleansing crisis, or healing crisis, due to the abrupt intensity of their inception.

Elimination during these kinds of crisis will be made trough the same excretory organs as in condition of normal health, but with greater forcefulness. Colloidal waste will be expectorated trough the respiratory tracts, und urine will be laden with waste. The skin may eliminate waste trough heavy perspiration, pimples, or various forms of eczema. The digestive tract also plays a role by releasing diarrhea, or abundant secretions of bile.

Which excretory organs are pressed into service depends on the nature of the waste and the strength of a patient’s different organs, so there are significant variations from one individual to the next, and multiple possibilities for the localization of disorders. These local disorders are the visible manifestation of the vital force’s defensive reaction as it seeks to correct a much more profound ill: the congestion of the biological terrain.

What is and Illness?, Part 1

2009-10-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

The Importance of the Body's Internal Cellular Environment

It is rare for any person whose health has been compromised to ask himself “Why am I sick? What is really happening in my body?” To the contrary, all of his attention – and that of those around him – is focused on his blatant, disagreeable, or painful symptoms, which are actually just surface manifestations of his deep-rooted illness.

It seems self-evident that the normal reaction would be to make a vigorous counterattack to the assault represented by the illness. As a general rule we behave as if disease were an outside entity independent of the patient, which, by entering the body, suddenly makes the patient sick. From this perspective, we consider the individual stricken by illness to be an innocent victim requiring our assistance because, through bad luck, he or she suffered an unhealthy assault.

The expressions used to speak of illness clearly support this premise. We say the we “fall” ill, that we haven been “stricken”, or that we have “caught” a disease.

According to this hypothesis, taught by allopathic medicine, each “assailant” determines different characteristic disorders. There are, therefore, as many diseases as there are assailants; this is what is known as multiple causes, or plurality of disease. Since there are no common elements among diseases in this corollary, each must be treated with its own specific remedy.

In naturopathy, however, all diseases are considered as different manifestations of a single, common disorder. This common denominator, this profound illness from which all others result, resides on the level of the biological terrain, or internal cellular environment. This terrain consists of all the fluids in the body, including those contained within cells and those in which the cells are bathed, as well as blood, lymph, and cerebrospinal fluid.

The intra-and extracellular fluids, along with the blood, represent 70 percent of the body’s weight. These fluids are crucial, inasmuch as they constitute the environment of our cells. Intracellular fluid fills the cells, gives the body its shape and tone, and allows the exchanges that need to take place between its organs. Extracellular fluid carries oxygen and nutriments to the cells, and carries waste they expel to the excretory organs.

Our cells depend entirely on these fluids. They deliver nutritive supplies (food, vitamins, water, oxygen, and so on), eliminate toxins created by the metabolic process, and transmit messages from one cell to another, ensuring their coordinated and harmonious interaction.

Just as our environment provides conditions that are favourable for health or make us sick, depending on whether or not it is polluted, the environment of the cells plays an influential role in the state of their health. If they are bathing in a milieu that is deficient in oxygen and overloaded with wastes, they will be incapable of performing their tasks properly.

Our body is made up of cells. If these cells are not functioning normally, the entire body will function poorly and enter the state that we call illness.

There is a precise and ideal composition of the internal environment that permits proper functioning of the body. Any major quantitative or qualitative change in these fluids leads to illness. For this reason, the vital force of the body is constantly struggling to maintain the internal cellular environment in perfect balance.

Primarily the body does this by neutralizing and expelling all wastes and toxins that are a consequence of metabolism. This purification is carried out by the emunctory, or excretory organs – liver, intestines, kidneys, skin, lungs – which filter and eliminate waste.

The localization of “surface” disorders depends on the particular weaknesses of an individual’s body. All the body’s organs are immersed in fluids that are overloaded with wastes. They are all irritated and attacked similarly by toxic sludge. The first organs to give way, the first to find this environment intolerable, are obviously those that are genetically weakest or have the greatest demands placed on them. For example, for people whose profession requires them to talk a lot, it would be the throat; for those most often affected by stress, the nerves will give way; miners, painters and others who breathe in dust or noxious gases at their place of employment are likely to have problems with the respiratory tract. The illness is one and the same in all cases, but manifests differently in every individual.

We owe this concept of a single cause for every disease to Hippocrates, known as the father of medicine. In the time around 500 BCE he wrote: “The nature of all illness is the same. It differs only in its seat. I think it only reveals itself in such diversity because of the multiplicity of places where the illness is established. In fact, its essence is one, and the cause producing it is also one.”

Twenty-five centuries later, Alexis Carrel, the 1912 Nobel Prize winner for medicine, stated: “The body is ill in its entirety. No illness remains strictly confined to a single organ.”

Image: 5th century bas relief, said to be of Hippocrates

Food from the native soil, Part 2

2009-10-01T13:52:00.000-07:00

Plant and Soil Affinity

If it is understood that a major part of our diet should consist of foods local to our zone, it is more difficult to see why we should not consume foreign foods that are also grown locally. Is there really any difference between a pear grown locally and one from South Africa, or between French wheat and wheat from America?

Indeed, an analysis of the chemical composition of foods reveals significant differences. The water, protein, fat, cellulose, and mineral salt content of wheat can be as much as doubled depending on its origin. Fruits like apricots, grapes, and so on, cultivated in southern countries are generally sweeter with a higher sugar content than those from temperate zones.

Phytotherapy fully recognises the fact that the chemical composition of plants varies with the soil of origin. Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) from the French Riviera is rich in phenols while thyme from Provence and Spain is rich in linalool and citrals. The essential oil in wormwood from the Paris area contains a maximum of 19.5% of thujol, whereas that of the Alps contains up to 80.6%!

Naturally, these variations in composition lead to very different therapeutic effects. Likewise, foods have different physiological effects depending on their origin. These effects do not manifest immediately but develop over time.

In addition, beyond the chemical analyses that reveal only the material aspect, there are differences in the subtle energies or radiations given off by foods. It is easy to conceive that growing fruits and vegetables have developed within themselves precise energies against existing local conditions (temperature, humidity, rainfall and sunlight) and transmit these energies to local consumers who need them in the same environment. Clearly, foods coming from other regions will develop different energies which are not as beneficial for local consumers.

Influence of Food on Health

The harmful consequences of the consumption of food not originating from one’s native soil are more easily noticed in those who have left their native land to live for an extended period in a different climatic zone. There they consume foods that are of a quite different nature.

At first their health will be relatively stable with the new diet (just like one spending a few weeks abroad on holiday) but with time, especially if they consume only the food from the different environment, their vitality diminishes and their resistance to illness declines. In spite of any efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet they cannot sustain the same energy level and enthusiasm as they possessed on arrival. The local food cannot provide what their bodies need to function properly.

The craving for their native foods will manifest sooner or later in immigrants, and will be more difficult to deal with than other important changes in their living conditions.

In fact, it is significant to observe that their requests from relatives or friends visiting from home are typically for homegrown foods!

Does it mean that, if at all possible, an immigrant should exclusively eat food from his native soil? No. His diet is subject to a double imperative. On the one hand, he should eat local foods which are adapted to local conditions he now inhabits; on the other hand, he should eat foods from his native soil which support the characteristic needs of his body.

The term ‘soil’ should not be taken in a restrictive sense: one can consume foods growing outside of one’s own backyard! Food from one’s own region, province, even from the same geographic or climatic zone of birth offers adequate affinity.

The issues that have historically been faced by immigrants now confront the majority of people, who live in their country of origin, because of the fairly recent development of global trade in fresh foods. Current commercial methods facilitate the importation of foods from distant countries, but generally local foods are also available and should be preferred. With proper care the Law of Affinity will be respected, health maintained and reinforced through a judicious choice of foods.

Photo courtesy Photobucket

Food from the native soil, Part 1

2009-09-28T14:16:00.000-07:00

The foods we eat come increasingly from far flung regions: vegetables from South Africa, fruits from New Zealand, wheat flour from America. How does the diversity of choices together with the constant availability importation brings stack against the consumption of locally produced foods?

Eating Local Food

Hippocrates, who primarily treated his patients by correcting their diet, warned that foods were characterised by their place of origin: “Foods are more or less heavy or light, depending on their place of origin. Therefore it is also necessary to know their land of origin. More recently, the famous physician Paul Carton (1875- 1947) wrote: “To remain within the natural order men must consume foods that are the result of identical and harmonious conditions of sunshine, hydration, invigoration, etc. So it is better to eat foods from our climate and even from our localities as much as possible, since they are fully in harmony with us.

Abd-ru-shin, the author of the Grail Message, wrote: “The earthly body of each human being is in every respect closely linked with that soil upon which he was born. This is in accordance with the Law of Creation governing all matter… Only that part of this earth gives the body exactly what it needs to blossom forth properly and remain vigorous.

That a close link exists between man and the soil upon which he was born is already evident in the multitude of races and ethnicities that populate various regions of the globe. They each possess unique physical characteristics: height, skin colour, shape of eyes and nose… adapted to the living conditions of their environment and beneficial to their health. In each of these regions, Nature offers specific foods to the inhabitants: fatty meats and fish in the Arctic North to help Eskimos withstand the rigorous climate; fruits rich in sugar in tropical zones as energy foods easy to digest in the local heat, and so on.

Because of the link that exists between human bodies and the zone of origin, it would be as ludicrous for an Eskimo in his native land to satisfy his nutritional needs by eating fruits as for a tropical native to feed on fatrich meats essential to Eskimos.

What applies to human beings also applies to animals and even to plants. Each plant thrives in a particular soil and cannot be transplanted to another type of soil because the ‘food’ available therein would not suit it. For instance, azaleas flourish in a soil rich in acidic minerals but wither in alkaline soil.

Image courtesy Photobucket

Acid-Alkaline Balance, Part 2

2009-09-26T07:54:00.000-07:00

Acidosis: a Widespread Problem

Today the vast majority of the populace of the Western industrialized nations suffers from problems caused by acidification, because both modern lifestyle and diet promote acidification of the body’s internal environment.

In general, the current standard diet is primarily composed of acidic or acidifying elements (proteins, cereals, sugars). Alkaline food such as vegetables are eaten in much smaller quantities. Their alkaline content is insufficient to neutralize surplus acids. Furthermore, the consumption of stimulants like tobacco, coffee, tea, and alcohol – every one of which has an extremely acidifying effect on the body – has grown to enormous proportions.

Stress, nervous tension, noise, shortage of time, and other pressures are facts of life today and contribute to increasing the body’s acidification through the physiological disturbances they create.

Physical exercise – which can play an important role in maintaining acid-alkaline balance – is more often than not either insufficient or excessive. In both cases, acidification of the body’s internal environment is the result.

Of all the factors causing acidification the most important is unquestionably the food. The majority of acidosis sufferers can be treated simply by significantly reducing their consumption of acidifying and acidic food and increasing their consumption of alkaline foods.

Acidifying Foods

Acidifying foods are primarily those that are rich in proteins, carbohydrates, and/or fats

Meat, poultry, fish
Cheeses (strong cheeses are more acidic than mild cheeses)
Animal fats such as lard and suet - Vegetable oils, especially peanut oil and oils that are refined or hardened (margarine)
Whole grains and refined grains: wheat, oats, especially millet
Bread, pasta, cereal flakes, and foods with a grain base
Leguminous plants such as peanuts, soybeans, white beans, broad beans
White sugar
Sweets: syrups, pastry, chocolate, candy, jam, fruit preserves
Oleaginous fruits: walnuts, hazelnuts, pumpkins seed
Commercially manufactured sweet drinks, primarily sodas
Coffee, tea, cocoa, wine
Condiments such as mayonnaise, mustard, and ketchup

Acid Foods

This group consists of foods whose alkalizing or acidifying effect depends on the metabolic capacities of the person who eats them.

These foods contain a good deal of acid, hence their taste. The acids in them are weak, however, which means for people capable of metabolizing them properly by easily oxidizing them, they are transformed into alkaline elements and therefore contribute to the alkalization of the body. But for people whose metabolisms cannot handle acids properly, the large quantity of acids contained in these foods is not oxidized, and they thus will have an acidifying effect.

The primary acid foods are fruits, whey, and vinegar.

Whey, yogurt, curds, kefir, small curd cottage cheese
Unripe fruits (the less ripe a fruit, the higher its acid content)
Acid fruits: berries (red and black currants, raspberries, strawberries); citrus fruits (lemons, grapefruit, tangerines, oranges); certain varieties of apples (Winesap), cherries (Morello), plums apricots
Sweet fruits (especially when eaten in excess), melon, watermelon
Acid vegetables: tomato, rhubarb, sorrel, watercress
Sauerkraut, vegetables that have been lactofermented (cultured with Lactobacillus)
Fruit juices, lemon juice (in salad dressing)
Honey
Vinegar

Alkalizing Foods

Alkalizing foods consist primarily of green and colored vegetables (with exception of tomatoes) and potatoes.

Potatoes
Green vegetables, raw or cooked: salad greens, green beans, cabbage, and so on
Colored vegetables: carrots, beets (except for tomatoes)
Corn (kernels or cooked as polenta)
Milk (liquid and powdered form), large curd cottage cheese, cream, butter
Bananas
Almonds, Brazil nuts
Chestnuts
Dried fruits: dates, raisins (except for those that are acidic to taste – apricots, apples, pineapple)
Alkaline mineral waters
Almond milk
Black olives preserved in oil
Avocado
Cold-pressed oils
Natural sugar

Detecting Acidification - Testing pH

How can you tell if you are suffering from acidification? There are several tests that are easy to perform and interpret. The most important is also the most common, the test that measures urinary pH. It consists of measuring the pH of the urine with pH test strips which are strips specially manufactured to make this kind of measurement.

The most simple method consists of holding the test strip in the flow of urine for one or two seconds, just long enough to moisten it. The acid of the urine reacts with the pH paper on the strip, causing it to change color. The paper is then matched to the indicator scale on the color chart. The figure of the corresponding urinary pH is located right next to the color. Remember that it is neutral at 7; at 6.5 and under it is acid; and at 7.5 and above it is alkaline.

A single measurement is not enough to draw any valid conclusions about the state of the internal environment; pH can vary at different times of the day because of activity, meals, physical effort, stress, and so forth. To be truly representative the measurements must be taken several times a day for four to five days in succession.

A pH below 7 in this range testifies to acidic urine. Regular readings indicating acidic urine are an unmistakable revelation that the body’s internal environment is also acidic.

Healing the Problems caused by Acidification

The treatment plan to counter acidification aims first to reduce the amount of acids the body takes in. This is an indispensable step; as long as large quantities of acids are entering the body, all other measures have only a temporary palliative effect. Diet is adjusted so that alkaline foods and drinks predominate over acidifying and acidic foods. Dietary reform is a simple step, but its effect is considerable. Improved oxidation of acids is obtained by introducing or increasing physical activity (walking, sports). Eliminating the acids already present in the tissues is accelerated by consuming medicinal plants that increase the flow of urine (diuretics) and those that enhance the production of sweat (sudorifics).

An additional measure, which has proven to be indispensable in the majority of cases, is to take alkaline mineral supplements, not only to help the body eliminate the acids ingested during the day but also, and more importantly, to facilitate elimination of the acids lodged in the deep tissues of the body.

Alkaline Supplements

The change in diet is primarily meant to deal with the body’s current need for alkaline substances, not for disposing of the previous accumulation of acids. It is therefore imperative to provide alkaline substances in addition to those the body is ingesting through food. This is possible with alkaline supplements, preparations containing the principal alkaline minerals – calcium, potassium, magnesium, and so forth – in a form that is easily assimilated by the body. A good alkaline mineral supplement is pHion Blue.

Taking these alkaline supplements on a regular basis supports the body’s efforts and greatly accelerates the process of deacidification. The supplements also provide quicker relief to the patient experiencing the painful symptoms or harmful disorders caused by excess acids in the body. Thanks to supplements, these disorders diminish, often in a remarkably short period.

Alkaline Supplement Dosage

In contrast to most remedies, alkaline supplements have no fixed dosage instructions. The dosage always depends on the individual, so you are responsible for figuring out which dose is correct for your needs.

To determine the right dosage, it is of fundamental importance to take as much as necessary of an alkaline supplement to obtain a urinary pH reading that falls between 7 and 7.5.

Because many people are unaware of or ignore this rule of thumb they do not gain maximum benefit from this therapy.

Length of Treatment

Alkaline supplement therapies are undertaken for as long as the body needs them to clear up the acidification of its internal environment. This varies from one individual to the next. It can last anywhere from six months to two years, based on the degree of acidification. This may seem like a long time, but it is quit short when you consider that the body was building up these acid waste deposits for a good number of years before any health problems appeared.

The sign that the therapy has reached its goal and can now be stopped is when you have a urinary pH of 7 to 7.5 without taking any alkaline supplements.

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Photo courtesy of FreeFoto

Acid-Alkaline Balance, Part 1

2009-09-23T07:24:00.000-07:00

What Is Acid-Alkaline Balance?

Despite the extreme diversity of substances used by the body to build itself and function, it is possible to classify them in two major groups: basic (or alkaline) substances and acid substances. These two different groups of substances have opposing but complementary characteristics. To be healthy, the body needs both. When alkalines and acids are present in equal quantities the acid-alkaline balance is achieved.

How Acidity is measured?

As the difference between an acid and an alkaline is based on their ability to free more or less hydrogen ions, the unit that measures the degree of acidity or alkalinity of a substance is shorthand for the substance’s potential (p) for freeing hydrogen (H) ions, or pH.

The pH measuring scale goes from 0 to 14. The number 7 indicates the ideal balance between acids and alkaline substances and is known as a neutral pH. The greater potential a substance has for freeing hydrogen ions the smaller is its pH number. The acidity range is from 6 to 0, zero indicating a state of absolute acidity. Conversely, a more alkaline pH is indicated by a higher figure, from 8 to 14, the last figure representing a state of total alkalinity (meaning a state in which no hydrogen ions are freed).

Note that on the pH measurement scale the greater the degree of acidity the lower the pH reading.
The pH of different substances can be measured with a special reactive paper known as litmus paper. When put into contact with a dilution of the substance to be tested, the paper changes color to a degree that corresponds to the degree of acidity or alkalinity of that substance.PH and Health

The body functions at its best when the pH of its internal biochemical environment, measured as a whole, is equal to 7.39, meaning slightly alkaline. The normal range of this optimum pH is very small, from a slightly more acidic reading of 7.36 to a more alkaline reading of 7.42. A reading of anything higher or lower than these figures indicates acidosis (from 7.36 to7) or alkalosis (7.42 to 7.8). If these limits are exceeded, the body can no longer function, and illness appears.

Illnesses caused by Acidification

A surprising number and variety of physical problems and diseases can be caused by acidity. Indeed a triple action can prompt their appearance: enzymatic disturbances, aggressive activity by acids, and demineralization; three factors capable of striking any organic tissue.

Lack of energy: constant fatigue, loss of physical tone and psychic drive, depression
Nervousness: agitation without cause, sensitivity, easily stressed
Conjunctivitis
Inflamed, sensitive gums
Cracks at the corners of the lips
Dental cavities
Attack of diarrhea which expels acids
Rectal burning sensation
Predisposition to intestinal inflammation (enteritis, colitis)
Burning and irritation in the bladder or urethra
Runny nose
Prone to chills
Dry skin
Skin tends to be red and irritated in regions where there are heavy concentrations of sweat (knees, underarms, etc)
Itches
Nails are thin and split and break easily
Hair looks dull and falls out in noticeable quantities
Leg cramps and spasms
Stiff neck
Lumbago
Mineral and calcium depletion of the skeleton
Osteoporosis
Rheumatism
Arthritis
Sciatica
Tendinitis
Migrant joint pains
Etc