earth staarth sta rr - earth star magazine fm08-01-76.pdf · feb/mar 2008 eearth staarth starr...

FEB/MAR 2008EARTH STAREARTH STAR

INTIMATE WISDOM

CONSCIOUS LIVING IN THE 21ST CENTURY

FINDING HAPPINESSBREAST AND PROSTATE CANCER RISK

WHY LESS IS TRULY MOREFINDING HAPPINESS

SCIENTIFIC METHODS TO REDUCEBREAST AND PROSTATE CANCER RISK

WHY LESS IS TRULY MORESCIENTIFIC METHODS TO REDUCE

GREGG BRADEN2012

GREGG BRADEN2012

www.earthstarmag.com FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008 EARTH STAR 3

4 EARTH STAR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008 www.earthstarmag.com

ON THE COVER

12 Scientific Methods To Reduce Breast and Prostate Cancer Riskby William Faloon

16 Finding Happiness Why Less is Truly Moreby Michael Gellert

22 Intimate WisdomBoosting Your Vibe for Sacred Loveby Karinna Kittles-Karsten

29 Choice Point 2012Our Date With The Window Of Emergenceby Gregg Braden

FEATURES

18 Down To Earth Astrologyby Tim Gunns

38 Becoming Aware of Becoming Awareby Jim Self

40 Vision Tipsby Rosemary Gaddum Gordon, D.B.O., M.A.

49 The Movie Mysticby Stephen Simon

66 Mystical StonesSiberian Blue Quartzby Robert Simmons & Naisha Ahsian

DEPARTMENTS

5 Up Front

36 Yoga Listings

41 Green Living

46 Calendar of Events

51 Directory of Professional Services

68 Book Reviews

72 Classified Marketplace

EARTH STARCONTENTS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

Cover Art by Susan Patricia

Susan Patricia fell in lovewith silk painting while inMexico, and has beenteaching and developingher technique ever since.Her use of French dyesgives her tropical images avibrant color and style.Susan handpaints herimages on tightlystretched, clean whiteChina Silk. Her forms areshaped with gutta, a rub-ber cement-like substancewhich encloses herimages before paintingbegins. Her style and tech-nique create a colorful andluminous effect.

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FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008 EARTH STAR 5www.earthstarmag.com

Earth Star Up Front

G e r m a ns t a r t u pL o r e m o

AG debuts its con-cept car at theupcoming GenevaMotor Show.“Loremo” is derivedfrom “low resistancemobile,” andembodies the com-pany’s philosophy ofefficient transporta-tion that consumesminimal resourcesduring both produc-tion and operation.In practice, this means lightweight, aerodynamicvehicles with phenomenal fuel efficiency.

The Loremo will be offered in two models, theLS and GT. The LS is powered by a 20 hp, 2-cylin-der turbodiesel, while the GT gets a 50 hp, 3-cylin-der unit. The GT will go from 0-62 mph in 9 sec-onds, but the real strength of the Loremo is fuel effi-ciency—the GT consumes only 2.7 liters per 100km, while the LS needs only 1.5 liters/100 km.According to my calculator, the LS will go over 150miles on a gallon of diesel!

Light weight and low drag are the watchwords for Loremo—the LS weighsonly 990 lbs.

According to Loremo, the LS will be priced at about $13,100, while the GTwill sell for less than $18,000. The company calculates the all-in operating costs(depreciation, maintenance, insurance, fuel) of the LS model over six years to bea parsimonious 23 cents per mile. Unfortunately, the Loremo isn’t scheduled forproduction until 2009.

The concept is refreshingly simple: make an ultra-efficient car that’s light, has exceptionally low drag, and sips diesel witha small engine. This is the Loremo AG, a car that is a combination of innovative technology and back-to-basics thinking. To beshown at the upcoming car show in Geneva, this German creation claims a fuel economy of 157 mpg with no fancy hybrid drivetrain, fuel cells, or plug in paraphernalia. Weighing less than a thousand pounds, the sporty rear-wheel drive 4-seater is designedto be maximally aerodynamic. the Loremo sports a modest 2-cylinder, 20 hp turbo diesel motor, has a top speed of 100 mph,and does 0-60 in ten seconds. If that sounds like less than elite performance, the anticipated $13,000 price tag should put it in abit more perspective.— I4U News

LOREMO Debuts 150 mpg Concept Car in Geneva

A happy heart just might be a healthier one as well, new research sug-gests. A study of nearly 3,000 healthy British adults, lead by Dr.Andrew Steptoe of University College London, found that those

who reported upbeat moods had lower levels of cortisol—a “stress” hor-mone that, when chronically elevated, may contribute to high blood pres-sure, abdominal obesity and other problems.

In the study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology,women who reported more positive emotions had lower ‘blood levels’ oftwo proteins that indicate widespread inflammation in the body. —Reuters

LLiigghhtthheeaarrtteedd Folks Healthier

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EARTH STARThe Leading Magazine for Holistic Living

in New England

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERSNaisha Ahsian • Gregg Braden • William Faloon

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Volume XXXl, No. 180 — February / March 2008

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Earth Star Up Front

A Brazilian berry popular in health food contains antioxidants thatdestroyed cultured human cancer cells in a recent University of Floridastudy, one of the first to investigate the fruit’s purported benefits.A study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry,

showed extracts from acai (ah-SAH’-ee) berries triggered a self-destruct responsein up to eighty-six percent of leukemia cells tested, said Stephen Talcott, an assis-tant professor with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

"Acai berries are already considered one of the richest fruit sources ofantioxidants," Talcott said. "This study was an important step toward learning what

people may gain from using beverages, dietary supplements or other products made with the berries."He cautioned that the study, funded by UF sources, was not intended to show whether compounds found in acai berries

could prevent leukemia in people."This was only a cell-culture model and we don’t want to give anyone false hope," Talcott said. "We are encouraged by the

findings, however. Compounds that show good activity against cancer cells in a model system are most likely to have beneficialeffects in our bodies."

Brazilian Berry Destroys Cancer Cells in Lab

N anosolar coatings are as thin as a layer of paint and can tranfer sun-light into power quite efficiently. Imagine the possibilities, from solarcoated shingles to solar lined windows to solar powered cell phones

and ipods. Solar powered buildings and homes might just become standard inthe future thanks to this innovative technology by Nanosolar Inc. The almightydollar will launch these thin-film solar cells into worldwide applications thanksto the fact that it's actually cheaper than burning coal. The underlying technol-ogy for these solar cells is nothing new, having been around for decades, butNanosolar has created the actual technology to manufacture and mass produce

the solar sheets. The solar cells are producedby a solar printing press of sorts rolling outthese aptly named PowerSheets rapidly andcheaply. The machines apply a layer ofsolar-absorbing nano-ink onto metal sheetsas thin as aluminum foil reducing produc-tion costs to a mere tenth of current solarpanels and at a rate of several hundred feetper minute. The first commercial cells forconsumer use are scheduled to be releasedthis year.Cost has always been the burdening factor

weighing down the mass application of solar technology at nearly $3 per watt.In order to compete with the energy produced from coal solar has been in needof finding a way to shrink its costs down to $1 per watt. Nanosolar's cells useabsolutely no silicon as is the standard for current solar production and the effi-ciency of the PowerSheet cells are competitive with the traditional systems aswell. The golden kicker, the cost to produce these solar coatings is a mere 30cents per watt!! — Environmental News Network

Nanosolar:Nanosolar: Power To the People YOGA StretchesHeart-Health

Yoga induces a feeling of well-being in healthy peo-ple, andcan reverse the clinical and

biochemical changes associated with

metabolic syndrome, according tostudies from Sweden and India.Metabolic syndrome is a cluster ofheart disease risk factors such as highblood pressure, obesity and high bloodsugar. —Reuters

R estful sleep may keep type-2 diabetes at bay. University of Chicagoresearchers say slim, healthy, young adults deprived of sleep’sdeepest stage, or slow wave sleep, developed insulin resistance, a

trait linked to type-2 diabetes, after just three nights.The effect, according to their study, published in the Proceedings of the

National Academy of Sciences, was comparable to gaining twenty to thirtypounds. —Reuters

Deep Sleep Sweet

8 EARTH STAR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008 www.earthstarmag.com

Earth Star Up Front

T ata Motors Ltd., India’slargest truckmaker, unveiledthe country’s cheapest car,

pricing it at 100,000 rupees ($2,500) asit aims to convince the nation’s forty-five million motorcycle riders to tradeup to four wheels.

Ratan Tata, seventy, the company’schairman, displayed the Nano at theDelhi auto show in January. The com-pany will also offer more expensiveversions with features such as air con-ditioning and will start sales later thisyear, he said.

The Nano will cost almost half asmuch as Suzuki’s Maruti 800, thecheapest car currently on the market.

Tata said the car will be powered bya two-cylinder, 623-cc engine mountedin the back, with 33 horsepower, andcan seat four to five people. It will

meet all safety requirements in India, he said. The Nano will get an estimated twenty kilometers on a liter of gasoline (forty-seven miles per gallon) and a diesel version will follow.

The car has four doors, a single long windshield wiper, one side-view mirror on the driver's side and a manual 4-speed trans-mission. The car has been tested up to a top speed of 105 kilometers an hour (65 mph), Tata said. —Bloomberg

TATA to Sell Nano Car for $2,500

A study in a recent issue of Arthritis & Rheumatismsuggests turmeric, one component of curry spice,almost completely prevented joint swelling in rats

with arthritis. Other studies have suggested that the spicecould protect against diseases such as heart disease, cancerand Alzheimer’s, a degenerative brain disease that afflictsnearly five million people in the USA.

Rates of Alzheimer’s in India are about four times lowerthan in the USA, says Gregory Cole, a researcher at theUniversity of California-Los Angeles. His studies suggestthat curry contains a powerful substance that might protectthe brain from damage that leads to Alzheimer’s.

For centuries, doctors trained in Ayurvedic medicine, a tra-ditional medical system in India, have turned to turmeric totreat inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, says JanetFunk, a researcher at the University of Kansas. In the USA,many people with arthritis take over-the-counter supple-ments that contain curcumin, the active ingredient inturmeric.

Curry may also offer some protection against cancer.“Indians eat from 100 to 200 milligrams of curry every day,and that might be enough to prevent cancer,” says Aggarwalof the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University ofTexas.

The curcumin in curry seems to shut down genes that triggerthe development and the spread of breast cancer, animal stud-ies in Aggarwal’s lab suggest. And a preliminary human studysuggests curcumin supplements might—in a handful ofcases—be able to stabilize pancreatic cancer, he says. —AFP

CCuurrrryy Could Protect Against Heart Disease, Cancer and Alzheimer’s

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008 EARTH STAR 9www.earthstarmag.com

B ritain unveiled plans last month to generate enoughelectricity through off-shore wind farms to powerevery home in the country by 2020, increasing pro-

duc-tion more than sixty-fold and changing the look of itscoastlines.

Britain’s wind-swept coasts and shallow waters are idealfor offshore turbines, but wind generated power currentlyaccounts for less than two percent of its energy generation.

Business secretary John Hutton said the governmentplanned to reach the target through a fourfold increase in theamount of space off Britain’s shores allocated for wind farms.

The move would change Britain’s coasts, Huttonacknowledged, but said the need for energy self-sufficiencyleft the country no choice. He said the plans would depend onenvironmental impact studies. “But if we could manage to achieve this, by 2020 enough elec-tricity could be generated off our shores to power the equiva-lent of all of the UK’s homes,” Hutton said in a statement.

The British Wind Energy Association, a trade body thatrepresents the country’s wind and marine energy industries,welcomed plans for more offshore wind farm sites, but it saidit would be difficult to raise Britain’s wind power productionfrom half a gigawatt currently to 33 gigawatts by 2020—theequivalent of the energy now consumed by every Britishhome. Eight gigawatts’ worth of wind generation projects arealready planned, but the group said the limited supply of tur-

bines meant the amount of wind energy produced. by 2020would likely be closer to 20 gigawatts.

“We’d really be struggling from a ‘Where can we get theturbines?’” point of view, the association’s economics directorGordon Edge said.

Environmental campaigners welcomed the plan, but somenoted that wind generated power is expensive. Wind power-generated electricity is currently costlier to generate than itscoal- or gas-generated counterpart.

Massive new offshore wind farms, such as the 1 GigawattLondon project planned for the Thames estuary in the country’ssoutheast, are due to go online by 2014. According to the BWEA,the country is on track to overtake Denmark as the world’s largestgenerator of offshore wind power next year. —UJNews

Britain's Goal To Build Enough Wind Turbines To Power all its Homes Earth Star Up Front

1 0 EARTH STAR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008 www.earthstarmag.com

Earth Star Up Front

N eck pain may seem to stem from a sin-gle action—an awkward sit-up, turn-ing your head to see merging traffic.

But for recreational athletes or civilians pursu-ing a fitter life, these injuries usually stem inpart from longer-term neglect.

The culprit, says Dr. Stephen Rice, direc-tor of sports medicine at Jersey ShoreUniversity Medical Center in Neptune, N.J., issometimes a poor fitness strategy.

“Many, many people focus [their work-outs] on the muscles in the front of their bod-ies,” such as those in the chest, shoulders, absand biceps, Rice says. But developing those“mirror muscles” while ignoring the musclesthat support the spine and torso pulls the bodyoff its preferred balance point on the spine.

“Your head weighs about the same as ahoneydew,” Rice says. “If it tilts forward, evenfive degrees, that is a lot of added pressure.Your head won’t fall off, but you will use mus-cle to hold it up.”

In proper standing posture, Rice says,“you could drop a plumb line from your ear-lobe and it would hit your shoulder, hip, kneeand ankle.” In such alignment, the craftilydesigned spinal column will support much ofthe body’s weight.

To protect the neck from injury, isometricexercises help build strength.

Do two sets of six to eight reps, twice aweek, of the following, placing your hand onyour head to provide moderate resistance:

Lower chin to chest (hand on forehead).Raise chin toward ceiling (hand on back of head).Ear to each shoulder (hand on side of head).Turn head to each side (hand on chin).

Also, slow, light stretching through a normalrange of motion helps loosen the neck before aworkout. (This is a rare exception to the don’t-stretch-a-muscle-that-hasn’t-been-warmed-uprule. If anything hurts, stop immediately.)

To self-treat minor strains, rest until itfeels better, then try simple stretches (such asthe ear-to-shoulder move without resistance).Again: Keep movements slow and painless.

If pain is severe or persists for more than aweek, see a doctor. Once healed, regularlystretch the chest and shoulder muscles—toencourage torso balance—and work on thatposture: shoulders down and slightly back,head approximately vertical, core firm. —Washington Post

A Heads-up for NNNN eeee cccc kkkk PPPP aaaa iiii nnnn Sufferers

L.A. PANEL ADOPTS PET LAW URGED BY BOB BBOB BARKERARKER

U rged on by retired The Price is Right host Bob Barkerand a throng of supporters, the Los Angeles CityCouncil has taken steps to require spaying and neuter-

ing of most pet cats and dogs by four months of age. So much applause erupted when Barker stood to endorse

the idea that council President Eric Garcetti urged just a quickclap because time for public comment was limited. .

Barker :replied:“ C o u n c i l m a nGarcetti, that’s themost beautifulsound I’ve heard inmonths since I left‘Price is Right.’”

Barker notedthat for decades, heclosed his show byurging viewers tohelp control the petpopulation and thatthe audience wasfilled with peoplewho had worked onthe problem foryears.

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008 EARTH STAR 1 1www.earthstarmag.com

C ancer patients could havetheir disease diagnosed withmicrophones after scientists

discovered that cells “scream” whenexposed to infrared light.

Researchers at ManchesterUniversity in the UK have found thathuman cell samples produce a dis-tinctive noise when heated with aninfrared lamp.

Doctors hope to use the noise pro-duced by cancer cells to developaccurate diagnostic techniques with-out the need for painful surgery toobtain tissue samples.

Prostate cancer, for example, canbe notoriously difficult to detect,even with surgical biopsies, whileblood tests can give ambiguousresults.

Dr Peter Gardner, the analyticalchemist who led the research, saidthat with a technique called photoa-coustics, cells could be taken fromurine samples instead and testedusing a microphone.

But he warned that it could be upto ten years before such a testbecomes readily available.

He said the sound made by can-cer cells was subtly different fromthat made by healthy cells, “like atuba in an orchestra being horriblyout of tune”.

More than thirty-five thousandcases of prostate cancer are diag-nosed in Britain every year. It causesten thousand deaths annually, makingit the second most common cause ofcancer death after lung cancer. —UK Daily Telegraph

MIKES Pick Upthe Soundsof CANCERCANCER

Earth Star Up Front

www.earthstarmag.com1 2 EARTH STAR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

Scientific Methods To Reduce

Breast And Prostate Cancer Risk

By William Faloon

www.earthstarmag.com FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008 EARTH STAR 1 3

Failure to understand thebasic cause of a diseasecan negate the effectsof well-meaning pre-vention strategies. At

any given time, popular myths sur-round the real causes of human dis-orders.

While you may have heard allkinds of reasons why increasingnumbers of people are contractingcancer, the underlying cause (thatfew doctors address) is the agingprocess itse1f.

One reason this fundamentalcause has been neglected is that upuntil recently, there was little onecould do to protect against thisproven risk factor.

In this article, we are going toexplain how aging increases cancerrisk and what you can do to protectagainst this pathological phenome-non.

Why Aging Cells Are So Vulnerable

An article published in the NewEngland Journal of Medicine titled“Roads Leading to Breast Cancer”provides a great one sentence expla-nation of why aging cells are vulner-able to cancer. Here is that sentence:

“Cancer results from the accumula-tion of mutations in genes that regu-late cellular proliferation.”

In this one sentence, you have justlearned why people contract morecancer as they grow older. To clarifythis further, please understand thatevery time a cell divides, slightmutations occur to the genes thatregulate cellular proliferation.Furthermore, mutations to geneshappen in response to direct insultfrom ionizing radiation. The longeryou live, the more gene mutationsyou encounter. Once too many regu-latory genes become mutated, cellslose normal regulatory control andcan turn into cancer cells.

So a basic prevention strategy isto do something about the genemutations in your cells that makeyou more vulnerable to contractingcancer with each passing day. Theencouraging news is that this is nowpossible with a very simpleapproach.

Restoring Healthy Gene Function

In recent years, a multitude of stud-ies have shown cancer risk reduc-tions of fifty percent and greaterbased on higher vitamin D status.People with higher vitamin D levelshave sharply lower risks of cancersof the breast, prostate, colon, esoph-agus, pancreas, ovary, rectum, blad-der, kidney, lung and uterus, alongwith non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma andmultiple myeloma.

What has fascinated us most,however, is that vitamin D protectsagainst cancer by enabling people toregain control over the genes thatregulate cell proliferation.

Vitamin D has an effect on atleast two hundred human genes.Many of these genes are responsiblefor regulating not only cell prolifera-tion, but differentiation and apopto-sis as well. Here are simple defini-tions of these cellular processes:

Proliferation: Uncontrolled celldivision (cancer cells are character-ized by rapid and uncontrolled divi-sion).

Differentiation: Process that cellsundergo to mature into normal cells(uncontrolled reproduction of imma-ture cells is a defining feature of can-cer).

Apoptosis: Natural termination ofdefective cells (cancer cells are resis-tant to natural destruction, makingthem difficult to eradicate).

With less than optimal vitamin Dstatus, the expression of the genes

that regulate the three critical pro-cesses above becomes defective.This means these regulatory genescan no longer maintain healthy cellu-lar function (including programmedtermination). The result is sharplyhigher cancer risks, as the lack ofvitamin D negatively impacts geneexpression that controls prolifera-tion, differentiation, and apoptosis ofour cells.

So for only pennies a day, wecan all achieve optimal vitamin Dstatus and help our cells regain con-trol over genes that protect us againstcancer. For the first time, humanscan exert a significant degree of con-trol over a lethal aging process, ie.gene mutations that are the underly-ing cause of cancer itself.

Breakthrough StudyDocuments Effectiveness

of Vitamin DWhile numerous studies show peo-ple with higher blood levels of vita-min D have lowered cancer risk,what had been lacking was a double-blind, placebo-controlled study thatspecifically measured the effects ofhigher-dose vitamin D supplemen-tation (with calcium) on cancer inci-dence in humans. This is the kind ofstudy that conventional medical doc-tors insist on seeing if they are tobelieve a nutrient (or drug) reallyprovides a health benefit.

In a breakthrough report, theeffects of administering 1,000 IU aday of vitamin D (with calcium) wasevaluated in 1,180 postmenopausalwomen living in the Midwest.

After four years, the risk of con-tracting any cancer was sixty percentlower in the vitamin D (and calcium)group, compared with the placeboarm of the study.

The scientists then performed aneven more detailed analysis of thedata. When excluding cancers diag-nosed in the first year of the study,which would have included pre-existing cancers present at the time


participants began taking vitamin D,they found an astounding seventy-seven percent reduction in cancerincidence in the group receivingvitamin D, compared with placebo.(Interestingly, in a third arm of thisstudy in which the participantsreceived calcium but no vitamin D,the cancer risk reductions were notas significant.)

What this means is that if allAmericans began taking just 1,000IU of vitamin D each day (with cal-cium), as many as three-quarters ofall cancers could be prevented in justfour years.

Not Good Enough! While a sixty to seventy-seven per-cent reduction in cancer incidence inresponse to taking a moderate doseof vitamin D is impressive, it’s notgood enough for us! It would beabsurd to ignore the “other” docu-mented factors that increase the inci-dence of cancer in aging people.

We are going to talk a lot aboutspecific breast cancer-preventionstrategies in this article. Please keepin mind, however, that the sameapproaches that reduce breast cancerrisk also lower rates of other com-mon cancers, including cancer of theprostate gland.

Studies that look at human pop-ulations (epidemiological studies)have consistently shown that whatwe eat affects our cancer risk.Women who eat red meat sufferhigher breast cancer rates, whereasmen who eat red meat have greaterprostate cancer rates. It’s not a coin-cidence. The same carcinogeniceffects that red meat inflicts in breastcells occur in prostate and other cellsin the body.

In one of the better documentedstudies overseen by researchers atprestigious American universities,postmenopausal women in Chinawho ate a Western-style diet (whichincluded beef, pork, and desserts)were sixty percent more likely to

develop breast cancer than those eat-ing a diet based on vegetables andsoy. Even more startling was thefinding that in women who contract-ed estrogen receptor-positive breasttumors, those who ate the Western-style diet experienced a ninety per-cent increased risk!

So what does this tell us whensomeone says that women should nottake natural estrogen and pro-gesterone because of fears of breastand other cancers? It tells us that weshould not worry so much about nat-ural hormone balancing, and shouldfocus on the thousands of dangerouscalories we are putting into our bod-ies each day.

Don’t expect the government towarn you about the carcinogeniceffects of common foods. Intenselobbying efforts by the food industryhave resulted in the government per-petuating the myth that a “balanceddiet” is healthy. The hard facts pulledfrom hundreds of published studiesare that government-sanctionedWestern diets are killing us in manyways, including sharply increasingincidences of breast, prostate, andother cancers.

Consuming more plant-derivedprotein, phytonutrients, and omega3fatty acids in place of meat, high-fatdairy, and sugary foods is a goodway to cut back on the foods thathave been shown to increase breastcancer risk.

How Cruciferous Vegetables Protect Against

Breast Cancer There are certain fruits, vegetablesand plant extracts that have beenshown to protect against breast, pros-tate, and other cancers. Scientistshave identified compounds in cru-ciferous vegetables (broccoli, cau-liflower’ Brussels sprouts, cabbage,kale) that specifically neutralize dan-gerous breakdown products of estro-gen that promote cancer growth.Cruciferous vegetable compounds

also help neutralize the many car-cinogens we are inevitably exposedto each day.

One of best studied cruciferousvegetable compounds is calledindole-3-carbinol, or I3C for short.

Women seeking to restore youth-ful hormone balance should makesure to obtain enough I3C from theirdiet or by taking standardized sup-plements. The reason for this is thatI3C increases levels of a cancer-pro-tective estrogen metabolite (2-hydroxyestrone, or 2-OHE), whilesuppressing a dangerous estrogenmetabolite (16 alpha-hydroxye-strone, or 16-OHE) that promotesbreast and other cancers.

To emphasize the critical impor-tance of I3C (and its related com-pounds), please understand thataging women still produce estrogen,and that the estrogen they supple-ment with can follow two primarymetabolic pathways in the body. Ifwe convert estrogen to 16 alpha-hydroxyestrone, then we increase therisk of breast and other cancers. If onthe other hand, we convert estrogento 2-hydroxyestrone, then wedecrease our risk for breast and othercancers. I3C can readily be obtainedby eating lots of cruciferous vegeta-bles and/or taking the proper amountin supplement form.

To confirm the theory that cer-tain estrogen metabolites can con-tribute to cancer, researchers ana-lyzed data gathered from over tenthousand Italian women over morethan five years. The objective was todetermine how dietary and hormonalfactors influence breast cancer risk.They found that women were muchless likely to develop breast cancerwhen they had higher levels of 2-hydroxyestrone. This same findinghas been shown in additional studiesof different populations.

The toxic estrogen metabolite 16alpha-hydroxyestrone acts as abreast tumor promoter. By contrast,estrogen metabolized via the 2-

Continued on page 42


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L iving near a busy highway maybe bad for your heart. Long-term exposure to air pollution

from a nearby freeway or busy road canraise the risk of hardening of the arteries,which can lead to heart disease andstroke, German researchers reportedrecently.

“The most important finding of ourstudy is that living close to high traffic, amajor source of urban air pollution, isassociated with atherosclerosis in thecoronary arteries—the blood vessels thatsupply the heart,” Dr. Barbara Hoffmann,who led the study, said in a statement.

“This is the first study to actuallyshow a relationship between long-termtraffic exposure and coronary atheroscle-rosis,” said Hoffmann, of the Universityof Duisburg-Essen in Germany.

The study was published recently inCirculation, an American HeartAssociation journal.

Previous studies have linked elevat-ed levels of air pollution to an increasedrisk of heart problems, but this is the firstto demonstrate that living near high trafficis associated with coronary atherosclero-sis.

The study looked at 4,494 adults,aged forty-five to seventy-four, in threelarge cities in the industrialized Ruhr areaof Germany.

Doctors examined the participants,looking especially for coronary artery cal-cification, which occurs when fattyplaques forming in the artery wallsbecome calcified, or hardened.

Researchers found that comparedwith people who lived more than twohundred yards from major traffic, thechance of high coronary artery calcifica-tion was sixty-three percent greater forthose living within fifty yards. —Reuters

Toxic TrafficA Highway to

Heart Woe


A Slice of Smallness

The following recollection aboutthe seventeenth century JapaneseZen master Bankei Yotaku has beencalled “The Voice of Happiness”:

After Bankei had passed away,a blind man who lived near themaster’s temple told a friend:“Since I am blind, I cannot watch aperson’s face, so I must judge hischaracter by the sound of his voice.Ordinarily when I hear someonecongratulate another upon his hap-piness or success, I also hear asecret tone of envy. When condo-lence is expressed for the misfor-tune of another, I hear pleasure andsatisfaction, as if the one condolingwere really glad there was some-thing left to gain in his own world.

“In all my experience, howev-er, Bankei’s voice was always sin-cere. Whenever he expressed hap-piness, I heard nothing but happi-ness, and whenever he expressedsorrow, sorrow was all I heard.”

Penetrating What Is

In both Western and Eastern mysti-cal traditions, happiness is lessabout feeling good than about anattitude of acceptance of life theway it is. Happiness comes fromaccepting what is, in contrast to

pursuing what is not yet. It is notdependent on anything except whatis real, and really available. Thephilosopher Alan Watts sums upthis view nicely:

The way of acceptance andspiritual freedom is found not bygoing somewhere but in going, andthe stage where its happiness canbe known is now, at this verymoment, at the very place whereyou happen to stand. It is in accept-ing fully your state of soul as it isnow. . . . The point is not to acceptit in order that you may pass on toa “higher” state, but to acceptbecause acceptance in itself is that“higher” state, if such it may becalled.

Accordingly, mysticism teachesthat the way to experience thishigher state of acceptance is to pen-etrate your life as it is given to youand flow with it. On the one handthis involves making yourself smallenough to penetrate life and let goto its flow. On the other it involvesseeing life as something small andeasy to penetrate and flow with,rather than an overwhelming,insurmountable obstacle.

To penetrate life means to getinto it with a focused power andprecision, like a laser beam. AsThoreau indicated, it means “to live

deep and suck out all the marrow oflife.” If we truly practice hisfavorite principle, less is more,simpler is better, we sooner or latercome upon the subtler principle itreveals: what is, is good enough.Less is more, simpler is betterworks precisely because whateverexists without our inflating andovercomplicating it is goodenough. Zen alludes to this princi-ple when it says, “The beauty of amountain is that it is so much like amountain, and of water, that it is somuch like water.” The Zen poetBasho is a little more cryptic butnonetheless expresses delight inthe world being exactly the way itis: “Coming along the mountainpath, I am somehow mysteriouslymoved by these violets.” Simplystated, life is simply good.

In addition to the basic good-ness of life, these Zen statementsunderscore that life is sacredthough clothed in the profane andthe common; again, Zen is in thedetails. If we don’t penetrate theprofane and common—the ordi-nary mountain and ordinarywater—we risk living only on thesurface of life and missing out onits sacred dimension and beauty.Our most significant momentscome from the small, focused pre-cision with which we can penetrate

The fountain of content must spring up in the mind, and he who hath

so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing

anything but his own disposition, will waste his life in fruitless efforts

and multiply the grief he proposes to remove.

—Samuel Johnson

Continued on Page 62

WHY LESS IS TRULY MORE


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By Michael Gellert

HHaappppiinneessss


As Mars, the enigmatic red planet,has only just resumed forwardmotion after 2-1/2 months in retro-grade as of January 30th, moveahead cautiously with planned

activities and ventures. Don’t jump out there toofar, too soon. Desires and emotions are highlystimulated and it will be all too easy to get carriedaway on a rip-tide of enthusiasm. Above all,remain forthright and accountable in all activitiesthat you engage in now.

A mystery-making conjunction between Mercuryand Neptune occurs on February 2nd, when dreamsand meditations could provide helpful and timelyinsights. Creative imagery practices can also befulfilling now. However, from a purely practicalstand point, it may not be easy to separate realityfrom illusion so avoid signing important papers ormaking important decisions till after the 3rd.

February’s progressive Aquarius new moon on the6th is also an annular solar eclipse, favoring goalsetting, and planning for the future. Be a visionaryduring this inspiration-laden lunar cycle, allowyour creative imagination free rein. Flashes ofpure genius could inspire bold, new objectives.Consider technology upgrades and innovationsthat could help you to be more productive. Lookfor seeds sown now to bear fruit during the sum-mer or early fall.

After two fire-ruled years in succession, theChinese New Year of the water Rat begins at sun-rise on February 7th. Traditionally a year of oppor-tunity and potential gains from well-planned busi-ness ventures, when long-term investment plansare also favored. Rat years can indeed bring suc-cesses, though unnecessary risks should be avoid-

ed. The charm and personality ascribed to the Ratcontribute in no small part to one’s potential forsuccess this year. Water Rat years enhance theintellect and favor creative problem solving.However, be discriminating with what or whomyou become involved. Further your education atevery opportunity.

When the sun aligns in conjunction with mysteriousNeptune, ruler of Pisces, on the 10th, strike a bal-ance between addressing your own needs, and yourobligations to others. Don’t take on more than youcan comfortably handle. Avoid speculation. Workingalone brings greatest satisfaction now.

Fun loving Venus enters the unconventional realmof Aquarius on the 17th till March 12th in searchof exciting, and perhaps unusual, social experi-ences with kindred spirits.

After three long weeks in retrograde and to therelief of many, Mercury, planet of choices anddecisions, resumes direct motion on February18th, in 09° Aquarius, signaling the “all clear” tosign important documents, make travel plans, or tomove ahead with new projects—cautiously at first,as an element of impulsiveness may still prevailuntil the winged messenger gathers forwardmomentum.

The sun glides out of the airy, intellectually stim-ulating environment of Aquarius and enters theethereal waters of tropical Pisces mid-evening onFebruary 18th. During this reflective four-weekcycle, tune in to your dreams and meditations forguidance or inspiration. Balance what you put “outthere” in helping others with some quality quiettime by yourself. Dance, film, and myth can alsohave greater appeal and meaning now.

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A total lunar eclipse occurs at the Virgo full moonat 10:30pm (EST) on February 20th. However,don’t sweat the details. If you’re well organizedand focused, much can be accomplished now. Newinformation may come to light that could facilitateprogress at work, or a breakthrough that allows apersonal project to quickly reach fruition.

In Native American astrology, this is the BigWind Moon, the last full moon of the natural cycle,which means it’s time for spiritual spring clean-ing...allow the winds of change to blow throughyour life, in preparation for the new cycle of growthwhich begins with the vernal equinox next month.

As if emotions were not heightened enough by lastmonth’s total lunar eclipse, sensitivities increaseearly on March 4th when Mars leaves the airyenvirons of Gemini for the watery domain ofCancer (till May 9th). Modulate criticism now, asstrident tones, emotional coercion and brow beat-ing will only drive people into their shells.Disputes or disagreements are best resolvedthrough tact, diplomacy, and a willingness to lis-ten objectively to others’ concerns. Family activi-ties can be a source of great pleasure during thistransit.

Remain calm and in control of your actions whenthe willful red planet, Mars, opposes tiny butintense Pluto late on March 6th, just eight hoursbefore the Pisces new moon, fomenting passionand heightening desire. Not surprisingly then,potential exists around this juncture for angry out-bursts and accidents. Nevertheless, much con-structive work may be accomplished now, throughcooperation rather than confrontation.

The new moon on March 7th in 18° of Pisces isalso an annular solar eclipse and portends a four-week period in which open, sensitive communica-tions could very much help to not only clear theair or dispel the fog, but contribute to healingsome old wounds or rifts. This is a time for shar-ing your fears and philosophies, dreams and cre-ative visions with those closest to you.Perceptions will be sharp...perhaps scarily so. Theirony is, however, that, with all of this additionalpsychic input, discerning fact from fantasy could,itself, pose a significant challenge.

Slow down the tempo of life a little duringthus lunar cycle, which affords us opportunitiesfor reflection, to take a look back at the past, evenwhile revising one's wish list for the future.

The sun makes its annual conjunction withUranus, planet of innovation, on the 8th.Investigate new technology or computer software,particularly to increase work efficiency.Revolutionize business or career strategies toincorporate new and improved methodologies.Research spiritual “technologies” with which youresonate. Above all, allow your creative self-expression free rein.

Mercury leaves progressive Aquarius and entersthe more reflective realm of Pisces on March 14th.Intuitive and telepathic abilities increase duringits transit through this perceptive sign, and yet,discerning fact from fantasy could prove challeng-ing. Maintain contact with reality now.

The vernal equinox occurs early on March 20th(EST) signaling the long-awaited arrival of spring,as the sun makes its grand entrance into tropicalAries—the first zodiacal sign. As with New Year’sDay, consider what you want to accomplish in thenext twelve months and, with increased determi-nation, go after it!

Around the time the full moon culminates in02°Libra on the 21st the need for self-expression,and “space” within relationships becomes of para-mount importance. Watch out for emotional fire-works for a few days either side of this lunation.

Loving Venus trines amorous Mars on March 26thand romantic overtones can permeate the day.Seek funding for a creative project dear to yourheart. This harmonious alignment between thegender planets is also favorable for most forms ofcreative self-expression.

A jarring square between the sun and Mars occursovernight March 29-30th, bringing the month to aclose on a somewhat frenetic note. Nonetheless,creativity can provide a most satisfactory outletfor these energies. Be aware in and of all that youdo around this highly energized juncture, as prob-lems could arise from impulsive, aggressive orinconsiderate behavior. Extra patience or restraintmay be called for now, Try not to take yourself tooseriously. Lighten up!

Following is a general overview of how the planetarytrends for February/March, 2008 apply to each sunsign. If you know your rising sign (Ascendant), readthat, too, for additional insights.

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DDoowwnn TToo EEaarrtthh AAssttrroollooggyyAries (March 20—April 19)

Now that Mars, your energetic sign’s ruling planetis now moving forward through the zodiac once

again, you will notice a quickening in the pace of events in theweeks ahead. With the red planet in Gemini and your solarthird house, your mind may be especially active, but withMercury still in reverse till the 18th, it may not be easy to findthe right words to fully express yourself until later in themonth. Nonetheless, getting together with friends andcollaborators can be particularly stimulating now. Yourprofessional prospects look particularly good with both Venusand Jupiter moving through the upper portions of your solarchart through mid-march. On March 4th, Mars moves intoCancer and your solar fourth house, stirring up emotions andincreasing activity around the home. Dreams and meditationscan be a source of inspiration during March, when guidanceand direction can be more readily intuited.

Taurus (April 19—May 20)

Broadening one’s horizons may be a popularnotion now among Bull-clan members. Whether

it’s by going back to school or blazing a trail to distant climes,you’ll want to feel like you’re in charge of your life and willwork hard to manifest your goals. A creative project couldbenefit from what you learn or hear during February, whileyour finances may receive a welcome boost from a new pro-fessional or career opportunity that promises to open newdoors for you. Don’t be shy about blowing your own trumpetin appropriate situations while lucky Venus, your sign’s ruler,crosses your Midheaven and moves through your solar tenthhouse (Feb 17-March 12) of worldly attainment, especiallysince Mercury moves direct on March 18th, opening up com-munication lines and focusing one’s intellect. Put some seri-ous energy into future planning during March, and formulatea progressive, expansive strategy for attaining your goals.

Gemini (May 20—June 21)

An active, expansive period characterizes themonths ahead for many Twins-clan members,

when much can be accomplished, and financial interestsadvanced. Learning lessons that you, indeed, need to learn area snap now—whether academic, or experiential—and oppor-tunities to do so may seem to occur with alarming frequen-cy…but that’s because you’re ready to tackle them now. Youknow how the school of life works. And in so doing, muchpersonal growth occurs. Once Mercury, your ruling planet,resumes forward motion on February 18th, your agenda canbe pursued with greater confidence and focus. The presence ofenergetic Mars in your sign till March 4th provides an addi-tional sense of determination, while enhancing your self-awareness. An opportunity to advance your career or a profes-sional objective may arise in the weeks following March’sPisces new moon (7th), when your earning potential may belinked to your ability to visualize exactly what you want, or totrusting your intuition.

Cancer (June 21—July22)

While your dream life may continue to be particu-larly animated and colorful throughout February, it’s

the waking world of shared resources, mutual assets, and taxes thatcould have your attention. Strive for clarity in all financial matters.Breathe new life into your money-making mojo. One or two ofyour more progressive ideas may have traction and could take youplaces. You communicate with authority now, and are perceived asthe voice of experience. Great benefits can come from a businesspartner, or from some kind of formal alliance. Issues of a ratherintimate nature may arise, most likely for resolution this time.Nonetheless, opportunities for a passionate interlude exist, partic-ularly through mid-March. A partner, friend, or significant othermay encourage you to broaden your horizons, or to further exploreyour potential. Be tactful and diplomatic with allies and associates,avoid locking horns.

Leo (July 22—August 23)

If you’re looking for work there’s a distinctpossibility that you could land a dream assignment

during this forecast period, one that offers you both financialstability, and creative license to do things your way. So be sureto remain alert to any and all opportunities. You may considerforming an alliance or partnership with friends or anorganization in order to pursue a creative project. Indeed, yourservices or special talents appear to be much in demand thesedays. However, you gain most by being cooperative andadaptable. Trust your instincts during March where love andromance are concerned, don’t rely solely on intellectualreasoning. A chronic health issue could benefit from a novelapproach, treatment or therapy throughout this period.

Virgo (August 23—September 23)

This is likely to be a busy time for manyindustrious Virgin-clan members, when your

services or experience may be much in demand. Take everyopportunity to advance your career or professional prospects,except at the expense of your self-respect. There may be anumber of new employment opportunities coming your way inthe weeks following February’s Aquarius new moon (6th);consider the merits of each carefully before making yourdecision. Research alternative treatments or therapies for anyhealth problems giving cause for concern. Begin a new healthand fitness regimen, it will help offset all the stress and strainyou’ve been under keeping up with all the work on your plate.A new partnership opportunity could be offered to some inMarch. However, the stability and potential for success of suchan alliance may depend on your level of adaptability andemotional security.

Libra (September 23—October 23)

You may be feeling emotionally stronger andmore loved than you have in years, with the

presence of Venus, Jupiter and Pluto in your solar fourth houseas this forecast period begins. Let your creative light shinenow, and in the weeks ahead. Your imagination could opendoors for you. You feel more outgoing from mid-February on,


DDoowwnn TToo EEaarrtthh AAssttrroollooggyyand less inhibited by emotional constraints. Make an effort toget out with friends more often, you’ll be glad you did. Youringenuity and adaptability on the job can make working withyou seem like fun to colleagues. However, be careful not toruffle any feathers of superiors in early March, when yourconfidence levels and assertiveness soar. With tact anddiplomacy you could not only avert a sensitive situation butmake substantial professional inroads as a result of yourefforts. Begin a new health and fitness regimen. An innovativeprogram combining exercise with a healthy diet might also beemotionally nourishing.

Scorpio (October 23—November 22)

The onslaught against your emotional sensitivitiesmay seem almost overwhelming at times, as the

pace of life and flow of events perceptibly quicken. And espe-cially so now that action planet, Mars, your sign’s co-ruler, isonce again moving forward through the zodiac. With the focusof current planetary activity in Aquarius and your solar fourthhouse, it tends to indicate that you’re in the midst of an emo-tional renaissance. It may be, too, that one or two of your inno-vative ideas grow legs and take off in entirely unexpecteddirections, bringing a great sense of satisfaction. DuringMarch, don’t be surprised if you feel like escaping to a distantlocale, where you can forget the routine and mundane for awhile, and get some much-needed perspective on your life.But if you want to feel really great, express your own uniquebrand of creativity at every opportunity.

Sagittarius (November 22—December 21)

If tensions exist within a primary relationship, try anew approach to handling the matter. Sometimes

it’s necessary to rise above a situation in order to more clearlyview the big picture. Where finances are concerned, don’t be apushover for a domineering partner. Use your resources wisely.An opportunity to earn more money is a distinct possibilitywhile lucky Venus remains in your solar second house (till Feb17). Even so, giant Jupiter, the greater planet of good fortune,will remain in your second sector of personal income for mostof the year, ensuring that you will always have your financialneeds met. Furthering your career or professional ambitionswould be an appropriate use of any excess funds. Just be sure tokeep something in reserve. Some Archer-clan membersconsider investing reserves in renovations for their home, orperhaps in moving to an entirely new location. Your emotionalstate may dictate which option you take.

Capricorn (December 21—January 19)

If you’ve been experiencing a surge of power andassertiveness lately, chalk it down to Pluto's

presence on your solar ascendant. It’s been hovering in this keyarea of your chart since the last week of January, and willremain in close proximity till mid-June, before crossing backinto Sagittarius for one final fling. Lucky Venus and Jupiter alsocurrently occupy your solar first house, along with Pluto,enhancing your charisma and charm. Your financial affairsappear to be on the upswing, following February’s Aquarius

new moon (6th) in your solar second sector, breathing new lifeinto your money making efforts in the weeks that follow. Venusin this sector from February 17 through March 12 brings anelement of good fortune which could further add to your cashflow. A professional objective can be attained by revising yourgame plan, and formulating a new success strategy.

Aquarius (January 19—February 18)

The sun is rising on a personal New Year forAquarians, with February’s new moon (6th)

occurring in your solar first house, with Mercury,Neptune, and later, Venus, close by, adding drive andenthusiasm to your efforts at self-improvement. Payattention to your intuition where finances are concernedand follow your instincts and gut feelings to the pot ofgold. With surprising Uranus residing in your solarsecond house, to be joined there by Venus later in thisforecast period, money making opportunities could arisewith little fanfare, so be on the lookout, especiallytowards the end of March. A Pisces new moon on March7th in your solar second sector continues the positivefinancial trend, and in the coming weeks it may bepossible to open up an entirely new revenue stream. Justbe sure to set aside funds for that proverbial rainy day.

Pisces (February 18—March 20)

Wander through your personal field ofdreams, to reconnect with the wellspring of

inspiration that flows freely when you’re feelinggrounded and secure. It can also help to settle anyemotional turbulence you’ve been experiencing thesepast couple of months, since Mars entered Gemini andyour solar fourth house. Vision questing would be anappropriate use of the planetary potential at this time,so tune in to and energize your vision and hopes for thefuture. Consider connecting with individuals or groupsthat share your interests and professional objectives, asthe help of others could be invaluable to you now.Pursue your personal agenda in March, when theplanetary influences support your efforts to make newinroads towards personal goals.

Tim Gunns is an astrological consultant, conferencecoordinator and producer, new age market and speakerconsultant to the entertainment industry, and formerlyprogram director of the national Whole Life Expos.

Tim prepares personalized no-nonsense interpre-tations of Natal Horoscopes ($40), FutureForecast Transit Reports ($75 for 1 full year),and Relationship Compatibility Reports ($45).Shipping is free. Send: Name (as you'd like it toappear on the chart), Date of Birth, Time (as

close as possible), Place of Birth (city/country, etc.) for each person,and your return address, phone# and check to: Tim Gunns, c/o110 Hilltop Road, Waynesville NC 28786. (310) 281-7882.


During the first encounter with a potentialpartner, the only thing we want to know iswhether we will vibe together. And weinstantly know if we do or not. We willwalk away thinking, I love this person’s

vibe, I don’t like this person’s vibe, or I’m not sure aboutthis person’s vibe.

Why? We may or may not be aware of it, but we are really

tuning in to see if our physical chemistry, our thoughts,and so on are on the same frequency as this person.

Our vibe is actually our vibration, our current ofenergy that we exude from within ourselves to others.When we meet a matching vibration, we feel excitement,harmony, relaxation, and happiness. When we meet amismatched one, we feel exhausted, bored, irritated, andconfused. We also may meet a middle-of-the-road matchthat tilts slightly to one side or the other, causing us tofeel both some excitement and some confusion. Theseare the connections that tend to take longer to figure out.

We are always creating a reality for ourselves basedon the energy frequency we emit. Our vibration can beconsistent or can fluctuate, depending on our thoughts,our emotional mood, the state of our health, the food wehave eaten, and the exercise we have done. Our field ofexperiences in an intimate relationship proceeds from

our consistent or fluctuating vibrations and the respons-es to these vibrations from our partner or potential part-ner.

If you are seeking a sacred relationship or want toenhance the one you already have, one of the quickestand most effective skills you can learn is how to boostyour vibration. What you are about to discover is how toraise your personal vibration to the right frequency tohave the love you want in your life. To boost your over-all vibration, we will address your mental, emotional,and physical vibe.

How Open and Positive is Your Mind?

Mental VibeOur beliefs are fundamental to having great love in ourlives. Now let’s take a deeper look at our beliefs to seehow they are creating our current vibration for sharing anintimate relationship.

What have you imagined for yourself in love? Whatdo you believe about love? Do your beliefs and imagina-tion match your experience of love today? If not, whynot?

Imagine for a minute or two what you want to expe-rience in love. You may even want to write down whatyou are imagining. Can you envision for yourself an

BoostingYour Vibe for

By Karinna Kittles-Karsten

LLOOVVEESSaaccrreedd


emotionally nurturing, generous, and fulfilling relation-ship? A sexier, more passionate relationship? A mentallyand spiritually stimulating and inspiring relationship? Aheart, body, and soul Sacred Love relationship? Nowclose your eyes and visualize it.

Once you have opened your mind to a bigger visionof love, your energy vibration rises, and your receptivityto those experiences increases.

To keep our energy moving in an increasingly posi-tive vibration, we have to address our underlying beliefsabout love. We can get stuck in our negative thoughts:“My partner will never give me the love and intimacy Idesire,” “I’m not good enough for the relationship I wantor have,” “I’m not in the right town or at the right placein my life for the right relationship,” “All relationshipsare difficult,” or “There are no good men or women outthere.”

What kind of vibration would these ideas emit fromyou? You have probably guessed the answer: negativevibrations.

Let’s change these thoughts to ones that will createthe vibrations that will give you what you really want.

Examining Your Beliefs

Purpose:Examining your beliefs about love can help you discov-er why you attract certain experiences, both positive andnegative, in love and intimacy.

Practice:Right now I would like you to take an exam. Take outyour journal and examine your beliefs about love.

Write down the most positive belief that you haveabout love. Skip down the page, leaving some space.Now name the most self-defeating belief you have aboutlove.

Our beliefs about love are reinforced all around us.How are your beliefs being reinforced in your life rightnow? In the first section, write down how your positivebeliefs about love are being reinforced in your life.

Now, in the second section, write down how yournegative beliefs about love are being reinforced. Noticewhich belief has more reinforcements in your life.

When love is not adding up to what you want, thenmore of your focus is on your negative belief system.This negative viewpoint creates a negative vibrationalfield for you in love, which can bring you great frustra-tion, disappointment, and discouragement.

The more positive your thoughts, the more positivethe field of experiences that you are creating. As you increase your positive thoughts and beliefs, youwill begin to change your vibrational field for the better

and see more love and loving people coming into yourlife. More potential partners and loving experiences inyour relationships will magically begin to appear.

Your challenge is to begin to sharpen your focus onyour best beliefs about love and look for signs that rein-force them. Think of couples you know who are creatinga great relationship. Read inspiring love poetry out loud.Tear out photos from magazines that inspire you to greatlove and make a vision board to put up on your wall orinside your closet door. Watch movies about great love.Notice a passing conversation of people expressing loveto each other. Take note of the ways that people aredemonstrating their love to you every day with a compli-ment, a call, a hug, a gift, a loving gesture, or an intimateexperience.

As you increase your positive vision of love, youhave to choose better ideas and beliefs to think, say, andhold dear. Doing so will help you move toward what youreally want for yourself in love: a truly satisfying rela-tionship.

How Light is Your Heart?

Emotional Vibe A fascinating scene depicted in ancient Egyptian art is“The Weighing of the Heart.” In the Egyptian Book ofthe Dead, a deceased Egyptian stands at his judgmentbefore a huge scale. On one side of the scale is his heartplaced in a jar. On the other side of the scale is a feather.All those around him wait to see if his heart is lightenough for him to enter heaven.

If you were to be judged right now, would your heartgain entrance into heaven? Would your heart be light asa feather? Heaven and great love are synonymous. Weuse the term “I’m in heaven” when our heart is light-meaning when we are happy and having a wonderfultime, as well as when we fall in love.

The relationship between a light heart and the lovewe want is apparent in the attractive appeal of a sense ofhumor. I hear from women over and over that one of thequalities they find most appealing in a man is a sense ofhumor. And the same holds true for many men. We lovesomeone who will make us laugh, who can help us for-get about our tough days and life challenges and justhave a good time. .

A consistently heavy heart, which either shuts usdown or brings out volatile emotions, is a turn-off. It putsa halt to moving into more intimate territory with some-one we love. What causes heaviness and volatility areunresolved emotions that block us from enjoying life andexperiencing the intimacy we want. Past heartbreaks andphysical/emotional traumas can prevent us from havingan open and light heart and from fully enjoying the love


that we desire. Although we long toexperience love—even great love—we may be sending out the oppositesignal time and time again with aheavy heart vibration.

Our emotional frequencyobjective is to remove these barriersfrom our heart by releasing oldemotions like pain and regret. If wehave had a heavy heart for anextended period of time, it is impor-tant to seek the help of a therapist orcounselor to address our emotionalpain. But generally, we ourselvescan restore emotional lightness withlaughing, being positive, practicingmeditation regularly, and forgivingourselves and others.

This would be a good time towrite out what can make your heartheavy and some of the ways youcan lighten your heart now. You canalso use practices such as LettingGo of Your Ghost Stories AroundIntimacy, and Emotional Alchemyto support you in transforming aheavy heart into one “as light as afeather.” By developing a light heartyou raise your emotional vibration.Your light heart can support you inhaving more fun, joy, and creativityin developing a passionate, lovingintimate relationship.

How Energized andReceptive is Your Body?

Physical VibeLastly, we are going to address thephysical energy vibration that weshow up with for love. Our bodiescarry an energy that is made up ofwhat we put into our body, whatexercises we do, how quickly andeasily we release stagnant energy,and how we exchange energy withothers.

We can clear out our old, toxicphysical energy by eating cleansingfoods like fresh fruits and vegeta-bles. We can also nourish what theancient Taoists refer to as “chi,” orvital energy, in our bodies through

Metaphysics & Mysticism ClassesClasses will be held every Wednesday of the month 7:30 to 9:00 pm

(except the fifth Wednesday); second Saturday and fourth Sunday 2:00 to 4:00 pm,at the Johannes Kelpius Lodge AMORC, 13 Clevemont Avenue,

Allston, MA 02134. All are welcome.

For further information call

617-782-4333or visit: www.rosicrucian.org/local/ab/johanneskelpius.html

Discuss the teachings, meet Rosicrucian students and learn about the Rosicrucian Order AMORC.Classes are open to all and are held every Thursday from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm

and every second Saturday of the month, 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. (Lodge Closed for August)at the Johannes Kelpius Lodge AMORC, 13 Clevemont Avenue, Allston, MA 02134.

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Radical Honesty: How To Transform Your Life By Telling the TruthAn Evening with Brad Blanton and Anne Bryer

Thursday, March 6, 2008, 7:00 – 9:00pm, $8Brookline High School, 115 Greenough Street, Brookline MA

To Register or for more info call 617-730-2700 or online atwww.brooklineadulted.org


daily physical exercise and other chi-enhancing prac-tices such as, Qigong, Yoga, hiking, and dancing. Ourphysical energy plays a large part in our love frequen-cy. Our physical energy frequency attracts our partnersto us and brings forth our experiences in love and inti-macy.

The art of ecstatic and sacred sexuality is aboutenergy exchange. This is one of the great teachingsthat the ancient Chinese love masters imparted. Themore awakened we are to our own energy, the clearerour energy becomes. The greater our ability to moveenergy through our body and our partner’s body, themore ecstatic, healing, and empowering our sexualitywill be.

Thus, our objective for love and intimacy is toraise our body’s energy level to a clearer, higher fre-quency so that we can have more fulfilling intimacyand sexuality.

Love Vibrations Exercise

Note: This is an exercise from Fit for Love, which is amindful movement practice that I developed in theprocess of working with many clients and studentsover the years. Its purpose is to support the students’intimate journey of moving out of their heads and intotheir hearts and bodies in order to experience real inti-macy. Drawing from the principles and exercises ofTai Chi, Qigong, Yoga, and Kung Fu, this movementpractice can profoundly boost your physical vibration,which in turn will improve your love life. You will findseveral other exercises like this throughout the book.

Purpose:Vibration is the sensation of energy flow. By activat-ing the energy flow of love in our bodies, we can letgo of our bodies’ resistances and experience the great-est sensations of love. Love Vibrations attract the flowof love more fully into our lives.

Practice:• Begin in standing position. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, and bend the knees slightly. • Smile. Begin to shake. Feel your body loosen andbecome free as you shake. • Breathe in and make the sound “hawww.” This is theheart sound, which awakens the love energy and sendsvibrations of love through the body. Feel the shakingrelaxing the body and eliminating stress and tension. • Circle the pelvis as you shake. First circle in onedirection and then in the other direction. Feel yourselfopening up energy in the pelvis. • Stir the love vibrations into the pelvis by making the



OUR DATE WITH THE WINDOW OF EMERGENCE

CHOICE POINT

BY GREGG BRADEN

2222000011112222

OUR DATE WITH THE WINDOW OF EMERGENCE


As they hear 2012 predictions, manywonder if there is any scientific evi-dence. Gregg Braden explores thepossibility that 2012 will bring areversal of the Earth’s magnetic poles

and what such a reversal may mean for the largestpopulation the world has ever seen. In the followingessay, using the Maya’s incredible accomplishmentsand predictions as a starting point, he probes whatwe know today, looking for scientific evidence thatthe planet’s magnetism will reverse and thatsunspots or sun storms signify a coming change.Braden draws from physical evidence, quantum the-ory, and historic trends to gauge the likelihood ofmassive destruction or the emergence of an empow-ering new reality in 2012. After weighing the evi-dence, the choice, he says, is ours.

Does the ancient Mayan calendar hold the secret to anepic event that will occur within our lifetimes? If so,does that event hold the key to our future, and perhapseven our very survival? A growing body of evidence sug-gests that the answer to these questions is, Yes. Now wemust ask ourselves, Why?

Why did an advanced civilization suddenly appearover fifteen hundred years ago with the most sophisticat-ed galactic clock known until modern times, build a mas-sive civilization focused on expansive galactic cycles, andthen disappear? Why does their calendar, which coincideswith the five thousand years of recorded human history,end on such a precise date—a date within our own life-time? What is the significance of the winter solstice onDecember 21, 2012? To answer these questions, we mustcross the traditional boundaries that have separated sci-ence, religion, spirituality, and history and marry thesemany sources of knowledge into a single new wisdom.When we do, something remarkable begins to happen.

The Mayan Mystery

The Mayan civilization is an anomaly in the traditionalview of history and culture. Archaeological records showthat the first Maya “suddenly” appeared over a millenni-um and a half ago, in the remote areas of what is todayMexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, Guatemala, and parts ofHonduras and Belize. What sets the Mayan civilizationapart from other cultures during the same period is thatthe Maya appear to have arrived with an advanced tech-nology already in place, rather than evolving their tech-nology over a long period of time, as we would expect.Although there are many theories, no one has solveddefinitively what is called the “Mayan riddle.”

In his exploration of this ancient mystery, authorCharles Gallenkamp summarizes the irony of the Mayanpresence: “No one has satisfactorily explained where orwhen Mayan civilization originated or how it evolved inan environment so hostile to human habitation.” Heelaborates on how little we actually know about ourancient ancestors, observing that whatever it was that ledto “the sudden abandonment of their greatest cities dur-ing the ninth century AD—one of the most bafflingarchaeological mysteries ever uncovered—is still deeplyshrouded in conjecture.”

While experts may not agree on precisely why sucha powerful civilization seems to have disappeared, theycan’t argue over the marvel of what it left behind. Andany discussion of Mayan accomplishments mustacknowledge what is arguably the single most sophisti-cated artifact of all: their unsurpassed calculation of cos-mic cycles and time. Before the twentieth century, theMayan calendar appears to have been the most sophisti-cated method of tracking galactic time. Even today,modern Maya keep track of galactic time, as well as localtime, using the system that experts such as Michael D.Coe tell us has “not slipped one day in over twenty-fivecenturies.” In addition to tracking familiar solar andlunar cycles, the five thousand-year-old Mayan calendarappears to track something even more surprising: therare celestial alignment of our solar system, our sun, andour planet with the center of our galaxy—an event thatwill not happen again for another 26,000 years.

The key to the Maya’s “galactic timer” was a 260-day count called the tzolkin, or “Sacred Calendar,” whichwas intermeshed with another 365-day calendar calledthe “Vague Year.” The Maya viewed these two cycles oftime progressing like the cogs of two wheels, turninguntil the rare moment when one day on the SacredCalendar matched the same day on the Vague Year. Thatrare and powerful day marked the end of a fifty-two-yearcycle and was part of an even greater expanse of timecalled the “Great Cycle.” According to this explanationand the tradition of the Mayan priests themselves,records indicate that the last Great Cycle began inAugust of 3114 BCE—the approximate time of the firstEgyptian hieroglyphics—and ends in the near future, inthe year 2012 CE. Specifically, the cycle ends onDecember 21, 2012, when our sun will move into directalignment with the equator of the Milky Way galaxy.

Scientists acknowledge that this galactic alignmentwill occur and that the Mayan calendar marks the event.The question most often asked is simply, What does itmean? There are those who discount the phenomenon aslittle more than an interesting oddity that we will belucky to see during our lifetime. Others suggest that theclose of the Great Cycle marks the convergence of rare


cosmic processes, with implicationsthat range from joyous to frighten-ing.

Dr. José Argüelles, an expert inMayan cosmology, suggests that thefirst years of the new millennium arepart of a subcycle that began in 1992,marking the emergence of what hecalls “nonmaterialistic, ecologicallyharmonic technologies . . . to com-pliment the new decentralized medi-archy information society.”

Using the same information, oth-ers warn that the end of the Mayancalendar coincides with celestialevents that may hold profound, andeven dangerous, consequences forlife on Earth as we know it. An elec-tronic magazinebased in India,for example, car-ried an article inthe March 1,2005, edition,describing theresults of theH y d e r a b a dComputer Modelfor a polar shiftto coincide withthe calendar’send-date. Thefrightening head-lines stated,“Computer mod-els predict mag-netic pole reversal in Earth and suncan bring end to human civilizationin 2012.” The article also described aworse-case scenario of what a worldwithout a magnetic field could mean.

While there are many ideas ofwhat we may expect as the end-dateof the Mayan calendar draws near,most people feel that something isgoing to happen—the question is,What? What were the Mayan time-keepers trying to tell us about a datethat none of them would even live tosee? Because 2012 is only a fewshort years away, and happens tocoincide with unprecedentedchanges happening in our solar sys-

tem, a growing number of scientistssuggest that it is in our best interestto understand what the Mayan time-keepers were trying to tell us.Perhaps the best way to discoverwhat we don’t know is to take a lookat what we do know.

Earth’s Magnetism:A Sure Thing?

When we think of things that are cer-tain in life, we tend to count themagnetic fields of our planet amongthose certainties. For as long as any-one living today can remember,every time we have looked at the

needle of a compass, the tip of theneedle has pointed in the same direc-tion—“up there,” toward the magnet-ic north pole of the Earth. And whilewe tend to think of Earth’s north andsouth poles as a sure thing, the reali-ty is that our planet’s magnetism isanything but certain.

We know, for example, thatevery once in a while somethingtruly mind-boggling, almostunthinkable, happens. For reasonsthat are still not fully understood, ourfamiliar north and south poles tradeplaces—the magnetic field of theEarth does a complete flip-flop.Although polar reversals are rare in

the history of civilizations, the geo-logic record shows that they happenroutinely in terms of Earth’s history.Magnetic reversals have already hap-pened 171 times in the last seventy-six million years, with at least four-teen of those reversals occurring inthe last 4.5 million years alone.

And while they are definitelycyclic, the reversals appear to vary intime, making the time of the next onean uncertainty. There are symptoms,however, that precede the flip-flops,such as abrupt changes in weatherpatterns and a rapid weakening ofthe planet’s magnetic field—both ofwhich are happening right now. It isthe appearance of these symptoms

today, and thefact that we are“overdue” for apolar shift, thathas led a growingnumber of main-stream scientiststo suggest that weare in the earlystages of justsuch a reversal.

In July2004, the NewYork Times tookthe possibility ofEarth’s magneticreversal seriouslyenough to dedi-

cate an entire portion of its Sciencesection to describing just what amagnetic reversal is and the possibleimplications of one taking place. Thearticle stated “The collapse of theEarth’s magnetic field, which bothguards the planet and guides many ofits creatures, appears to have startedin earnest about one hundred andfifty years ago.” There is little doubt,at least in the minds of some scien-tists, that the reversal has alreadybegun.

Geologic measurements do, infact, show that Earth is decliningfrom a peak of magnetic intensitytwo thousand years ago and that the

2 8 EARTH STAR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008


values have steadily dropped to apoint thirty-eight percent lower nowthan then. Measurements takensince the mid-1800s further supportthe fact of the magnetic decline,showing that planetary magnetismhas lost seven percent of its strengthin the last one hundred years alone.Even though the symptoms of apolar reversal are present, they maynot be easily recognized for a num-ber of reasons, including theassumption that the reversal ofEarth’s magnetic fields happens as along, slow processoccurring at a con-stant rate.

New interpreta-tions of the evidencepresent a strong casethat something elsemay be happening. Itmay be that the morethe field weakens, thefaster it weakens. Andif this is the case, pastreversals may haveoccurred much fasterthan we currentlybelieve. In the remotenorthern latitudes ofSiberia, for example,wooly mammoths,believed to have beencaught in a polarreversal during the last ice age, havebeen found frozen in midstride, withtheir last meal still in their mouths—proof that the abrupt climate changeaccompanying such a shift can hap-pen really fast!

In 1993, Science News pub-lished a study describing how “thetask of finding an accurate reversalrecord seems to be all the more diffi-cult because the magnetic fieldweakens considerably when itswitches direction,” just as we arewitnessing today. The questionremains, Just how weak does thefield become before a reversal?While the answer to this question isnot certain, what we do know is that

such monumental events don’t justhappen by themselves on Earth.They appear to be linked to eventshappening to our celestial neighbors,and possibly even the entire galaxy.

Our Sun: The QuietBefore The Great Storm

Since Galileo’s first telescopesallowed astronomers to observe theheavens, European astronomers haveknown that our sun experiences reg-ular cycles of intense magnetic

storms—sunspots—followed by pre-dictable periods of quiet. Thesecycles have been observed on a reg-ular basis since 1610. Since themeasurements began, twenty-threecycles of sunspots, averaging elevenyears each, have occurred, with thelast beginning in May of 1996.Precisely when the most recent cyclewould end was a mystery—that is,until the spring of 2006, whenNASA reported the event thatastronomers had been waiting for.On March 10 of that year, thesunspots and solar flares suddenlystopped, and the sun became “quiet,”signaling the end of the currentsunspot cycle. The quiet, however, is

misleading. The end of one cycle is the indi-

cation that a new cycle—and newstorms—is beginning. What makesthe coming cycle so different is thatthe strength of the sunspots observedfrom 1986 to 1996 suggests that thenext cycle will be one of the mostintense ever recorded. “The nextsunspot cycle will be thirty-fifty per-cent stronger than the previous one,”says Mausumi Dikpati of theNational Center for AtmosphericResearch (NCAR) in Boulder,

Colorado. David Hathaway, of

the National SpaceScience and TechnologyCenter, agrees and sug-gests that the sunspotscreated in the previouscycle are expected toamplify themselves and“reappear as bigsunspots” in the newcycle. If so, the solarmagnetic storms will besecond in intensity onlyto those of 1958, whenthe aurora borealis illu-minated the night sky asfar south as Mexico. Atthat time, however, wedidn’t have our currentcommunications tech-

nology, such as satellites, that can bedisrupted by such storms. While thepredicted intensity of the new solarcycle would normally be of concern,it becomes even more significantwhen we consider the projected datefor the most intense portion of thestorm—the solar maximum. Basedon the 1986–1996 cycle, NCAR’sDikpati places the projected date forthe solar maximum at 2012, coincid-ing with the Mayan calculations ofour sun’s galactic alignment.Because this phenomenon has neverhappened with the population andtechnology that we have today, no oneknows for certain what effects thesesolar storms may have on our future.

Continued on Page 67


Intimate Wisdom... Continued from page 25

“hawww” sound and focusing yourattention on the pelvis. Smile andbreathe. • Bring the arms up. Shake faster.Smile, breathe, and continue to makethe “hawww” sound. • Bring the arms down, and shakefaster. Send the sound “hawww”down through the pelvis and the legs.Then send the sound up the bodytoward the crown of your head asyou move the arms upward. • Repeat three to six times. • Start to slow down.

Notice the pleasant vibrations inyour body. The body is vibratingwith heart energy. This exerciseopens and awakens your physicalenergy for love.

Transforming Negative Emotions That Block Intimacy

Our ability to create a successfulrelationship has a lot to do with ouremotions, which we can address invarious ways, including throughmental, spiritual, and physicalavenues. Let’s explore our emotionsand how we can transform them tocreate the love that we want.

Confronting Our Ghosts of Intimacy

When we hold onto our fears and oldnegative emotions concerning rela-tionships, it is challenging to be fullypresent for intimacy. We seek diver-sions to prevent ourselves frombeing really open and available forlove. Work, television, children,housework, and exhaustion are someof these prime examples that cankeep us from finding a great relation-ship or strengthening our currentrelationship. The following practiceswill aid you in letting go of yourrelationship fears and negative emo-tions, allowing you to claim the rich

rewards of great love and intimacy.

Letting Go of Your GhostStories About Intimacy Mental and Spiritual Practices toTransform Negative Emotions thatBlock Intimacy

We all have different make-upsthat draw us to specific practices andactivities at different times. The fol-lowing practices offer several possi-ble ways you can confront and clearyour own ghost stories and intimateemotions in the way most appropri-ate for you. As you practice the exer-cises detailed here, you will developan intuitive feel for the methods thatbenefit you most. Choose the exer-cises that most resonate with you.

Getting Your Ghost StoriesOut of Your HeadMost of us have a ghost story thatholds us back from experiencing thelove that we desire. Take out yourjournal and write out your ghoststory, or stories, that still haunt yourexperience of love and sexual fulfill-ment today. Take about twenty min-utes, or as long as you need, to dothis exercise. Read your words aloudand acknowledge the feelings thatsurface about your ghost story.

Making Your Ghost StoriesDisappear To make our ghost stories disappear,we first have to give ourselves per-mission to let go. Often, we don’trealize that we are holding on to ourstories, because they provide us afalse sense of safety. That’s why wecan get into a pattern of hashingthem out over and over again andresisting letting them go.

Now, close your eyes and askyourself: am I ready to let go of thisstory? Your mind may immediately say yes,but move your awareness down toyour heart and ask your heart thesame question, then do the samewith your body. If you feel resistance

in any area, ask that part of yourself,"What do you need from me to letgo?" If the answer is, for instance, "Ineed you to forgive yourself," thendo that. If the answer includes seek-ing something from someone else—such as an apology, love, or physicalcomforting—there is no guaranteethat will be possible. Instead, givethese things to yourself. Apologizeto your heart, comfort your bodywith a bath or a massage, and 'be lov-ing toward yourself. Once yourwhole self has given you permissionto let go, it is much easier for yourghosts to move On. Make them van-ish by transforming them intoempowering love lessons.

Finding the Love Lessons in Your Ghost Stories to Enhance Intimacy Now that you have explored yourghost stories and given yourself per-mission to let go, you are ready tocast your intimate history in a posi-tive light. In your journal, I want youto write out how this intimate historyhas shaped you for the better. Takefifteen minutes to do this exercise, oras long as you need.

Here are some questions you shouldask yourself:• What are the love lessons and

skills that my ghost stories have given me?

• Have they given me better discernment?

• Have they helped me develop healthier boundaries?

• Have they made me choose a part-ner more carefully? • Have they helped me discover

another person’s blind spots or challenge areas more quickly?

• Have they helped me avoid a dis-aster?

• Has my history given me better emotional skills to communicate my truth in a loving way?

• Has my intimate history given methe courage to become more lov-


ing toward myself and others? • How has my intimate history pre-

pared me to create and share the love I desire?

Look at your old ghost story andthe new story you have just written.Your story is the way you choose tosee it. It is time to move past yourfears with a new courage to love.

Fire Ritual Rituals have been utilized by everyculture throughout human history tohonor and support change and cele-brate the moment. The following fireritual is designed to help you let goof the ghost story or stories that haveheld you back from intimacy.

In many ways fire is the perfectsymbol for this ritual because it is aliteral and figurative representationof burning our old stories into ashes.When we do this, we purify our heartand mind. At the same time, we areable to ignite the flame inside us andopen ourselves up to even greaternew experiences of intimacy andlove.

Light a fire. It can be a candle, afire in a fireplace, or a fire pit in yourbackyard.

Make an intention to releaseyour old intimate ghost stories. Placethe paper that you wrote your oldstories on in the fire and let it burn.Allow this ritual to signify the lettinggo of your ghost stories that areholding you back from intimacy.

Now take your rewritten inti-mate history and place it next to yourheart. See it as the gift and opportu-nity that your experiences in intima-cy have brought you. If possible,walk in a circle around the fire. If itis not possible, walk in a circle infront of the fire. (This circle signifiesyour “Love Wheel of Fortune” turn-ing again.)

Bring the gifts from this ritualinto a new, fulfilling experience ofintimacy. You may choose to honoryour rewritten story by keeping it ina special box. You can place this box

in your bedroom to inspire positiveenergy in your love life, or you canchoose to discard the story by burn-ing it in the fire as well.

Letting go of your ghost storiesby transforming them and thenreleasing them in a fire ritual can bea very emotional process. You mightwant to go for a walk, exercise, dosomething fun, or even celebrate insome way afterwards.

Emotional Alchemy

Removing our emotional armoringmay require deeper support beforewe can fully release our capacity toinvite fulfilling love and intimacyinto our lives. Long-held emotionsand subsequent reactions that haveinhibited intimate connection mayrequire us to take a deeper look intoour hearts and bodies.

We can carry our emotions aboutintimacy not only in our mentalthoughts but also in our hearts andbodies. The openness in our heartsand the ease in our physical bodiesreflect the emotional memories andpatterns that we have held over time.Our level of emotional and physicalopenness shows up in how weexpress ourselves intimately. Thefollowing practice is designed toalchemize deep intimate emotionsand enable us to express and receiveemotional intimacy.

First I will explain the emotionalcenters that are central to workingwith this Emotional Alchemy prac-tice.

Emotional Centers The understanding of the mind-bodyrelationship is one of the fundamen-tal arts that the ancient Chinese lovemasters studied to enhance their skillfor achieving health, vitality, and theability to love well. What they dis-covered was that our emotions origi-nate and tend to be stored in specificareas of our body. These specificareas are called energy centers.

When we have an abundance of spe-cific positive emotions attributed to aspecific energy center, that area ofour body is more open, and energyflows from and to it in a healthy way.The area of our life connected to thisenergy center feels good and func-tions optimally.

For instance, if we feel an abun-dance of love in our hearts, ourhearts are healthier and more open.We attract and enjoy more love inour lives. When we have an abun-dance of specific negative emotionsattributed to a specific energy center,that area of our body is more closedoff. Energy has a difficult time flow-ing from or to it, and we may evenfeel pain or very little sensation inthis area of our body. As a result, thepart of our life that is connected tothat specific energy center functionsless efficiently. For example, if wehave felt emotionally heartbroken bya person in our life and have not fullyresolved and let go of that story, wetend to not open up our hearts as eas-ily to new intimate experiences andmay have trouble expressing love ina healthy way. In turn, it becomesdifficult to experience satisfyingemotional relationships.

We will explore energy centers andthe movement of energy throughoutthis book for the purpose of enhanc-ing our experience of love and inti-macy. There are many energy cen-ters, such as the third eye (psychic)center, located at the mid-eyebrow,and the spiritual center, located at thecrown of the head. However, in thispractice of Emotional Alchemy, wewill focus specifically on our explo-ration of the two primary energy cen-ters that relate to love and intimacy:the Heart and the Sexual Palace.


HEART CENTER

The Heart is located in the middle left side of the chest,and for the purposes of this practice, this is the Heart’senergy center. (In other practices, you may be asked tofocus on the Heart Center by bringing your attention tothe area between the breasts.) This center encompassesthe physical Heart and controls the circulation of bloodthrough the veins and arteries. It is also the emotionalcenter of love, joy, and self acceptance. Connectingmindfully with our Heart Center can increase our passionand our loving feelings.

SEXUAL PALACE

Taoists refer to our sexual region as the Sexual Palace. Apalace is a place of beauty, lavish splendor, and sensuouspleasure. Our sexual center is the sacred home of pleas-ure and joyous experiences within our bodies.Acknowledging our sexuality as a sacred palace can helpus regain a healthy sexual connection and enhance sen-sual feelings of pleasure.

For women, the Sexual Palace area begins at themidpoint between the ovaries and includes the internalsexual organs, such as the ovaries and the uterus, as wellas the external female genitalia. For men, this area beginsat the pubic bone and contains both the external malegenitalia, such as the penis and scrotum, and the internal

prostate gland. Choose the emotional center that is most appropriate

for you to reflect on at this time. Focus on the Heart orthe Sexual Palace to resolve the emotions that are block-ing the flow of intimacy in your life. Later, when youhave deepened your ability to sink into the method, youcan add both the Heart and Sexual Palace into one alche-my practice.

This exercise will enhance your positive emotionstoward intimacy that will in turn support a healthy, sexyand loving relationship. By taking your time to reflectand transform the emotions in each emotional center youwill build confidence in your ability to move throughyour emotional intimacy thresholds to experience theintimacy that you desire. The same preparation is utilizedfor both practices. Each practice begins with an emo-tional purpose. Instructions follow afterward. I will startby guiding you through the alchemy to Open Your Heart.

Emotional Alchemy Deep Emotional Practices That Transform NegativeEmotions That Block Intimacy

Preparation:• Find a quiet place to meditate. • Sit with a straight back either on the edge of a chair or

cross-legged on the ground. • Touch the upper palate of your mouth with your

tongue. • Rest your hands palm-side down on your knees. • Smile inwardly. • Feel your mind and body relaxing.

Open Your Heart

Purpose:Open your Heart to intimacy. Clear away insecurities andheartache. Access greater passion and love.

Awareness Instruction:• Close your eyes. • Feel your smile flowing to your Heart. (Location: in

the middle left side of your chest.) • Observe the Heart. • Be aware of how your Heart feels. • Notice if you have feelings of impatience, insecurity,

inadequacy, hurt, or heartache. You may feel impatient about finding the right part-

ner, insecure about being lovable, or inadequate aboutyour skill as a lover. You may feel emotionally hurt orhave an old heartache that hasn’t gone away. Take amoment to be present with your emotions. As you bringyour awareness to them, feel the emotions begin to dis-


solve as you give your loving atten-tion to them.

Clearing Your Heart EmotionsPractice:• Breathe into the Heart and exhalethe Heart sound quietly: “haawww.”This sound can resolve an oldheartache or release very immediatefeelings of insecurity. This practicecan also boost openness, self-love,and the ability to more easilyexpress love to another. • Release the deeper emotions ofimpatience, insecurity, inadequacy,hurt, or heartache from your Heartand mind through the sound. • Breathe naturally for thirty tosixty seconds while smiling intoyour Heart. Feel the Heart deeplyrelax. • Repeat three to nine times. • Experience for several minutesyour Heart growing lighter. Feel thepositive emotions of self-love aswell as passion and love for othersbuilding in your Heart.

Be aware of any feelings thathave arisen and been cleared in thisHeart-Opening alchemy process.Note for yourself what you feelright after the exercise and thenthroughout the day. From just tenminutes of practice, you can contin-ue clearing emotions even hourslater.

Clear Your Sexual PalaceEmotionsBegin with the Emotional Alchemypreparation instructions.

Purpose:This practice will help you attunewith your Sexual Palace. Clear awayshame, fear, hurt, and betrayal.Enhance your experience of pleas-ure.

Awareness:• Close your eyes. • Feel your smile flowing into yourSexual Palace. (Location: mid and

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lower pelvic region.) • Observe your Sexual Palace andbe aware of any negative emotionsthere, such as guilt, shame, fear,hurt, or betrayal. Perhaps you carryshame for expressing your sexualself or guilt for experiencing pleas-ure, or perhaps you judge yourselffor a past sexual experience. Youmay also feel hurt from or fear of asexual betrayal. • Remain objective and compas-sionate toward yourself as youbecome aware of these emotions.

Clearing Your Sexual PalaceEmotions Practice:• Breathe into your Sexual Palacearea. • Exhale the Sexual Palace soundquietly: “heee.”• Feel the sound releasing the nega-tive emotions of shame, guilt, fear,hurt, or betrayal from your SexualPalace.

• Repeat three to nine times. • Rest and breathe naturally intoyour Sexual Palace. Observe what istaking place there. • Now smile and connect to the pos-itive feelings of pleasure and creativ-ity in the Sexual Palace. Do this forseveral minutes.

Be gentle with yourself as youclear your Sexual Palace emotions.Long-buried emotions may surfaceeven hours later. Hug yourself, loveyourself, and, at your own pace, con-tinue to create inner sexual harmonywith the help of this alchemical sound.

Fit For Love

Many people gravitate to physicalmovement to help them processemotions. These Fit for Love exer-cises are designed specifically tohelp you easily dissolve your emo-tional and physical resistance to inti-


macy in order to enjoy greater sexual pleasure andreceive more emotional love. You can practice them onyour own or with a partner.

Fit for LovePhysical Practices to Transform Negative Emotions ThatBlock Intimacy

Sensual Body Flow Exercise

Purpose:Sensuality is a natural attribute that can make us feelmore harmoniously connected to our bodies. This move-ment allows us to awaken and nurture our sensual, sexu-al body essence with love.

Practice:• Begin in standing position with the feet pointed

straight ahead, hip-width apart, and arms down at yourside.

• Bend into the knees slightly, and make a figure-eight with the hips.

• Practice the figure eight several times prior to beginning the full movement.

• Once you are comfortable with the figure-eight movement, inhale and turn your waist to the left.

• Lift the right arm up from your side and across in frontof your body at a sixty-degree angle.

• Then continue to move the arm straight upwards overthe head .

• Exhale. • Simultaneously, make the figure eight with the hips as

you slowly guide the hand down the center of your body, grazing your face, throat, chest, and torso.

• Repeat with the left arm. • Inhale and turn the waist to the right. • Lift the left arm up and across the front of your body

at a sixty-degree angle and then upwards over the head.

• Exhale. • Begin the figure eight with the hips.

Now,

• Draw the heavenly energy down through your sensualbody as you slowly move your hand downward.

• Feel the sensuousness of your hand grazing your face,throat, chest, and torso.

• Feel love from nature nurturing your sensuality. • Sink into the sensuousness of the movement. • Repeat five to ten times.

Opening to Infinite Love Exercise

Purpose:Infinite love is available to us in every moment. We justhave to remember to open up to it. In this movement, wetake a moment to open and receive the infinite love ofnature and the universe.

Practice:• Start in standing position with the feet pointing straight

ahead, hip-width apart. • Bring the hands palm-side up beside the hips. • Then circle the hands backward so that the fingertips

are pointing behind you. • Now circle your hands and arms forward, and cross the

elbows in front of the heart. Tuck the buttocks in and slightly arch the back.

• Open your arms to the infinite universe. • Open to infinite love; breathe it in. • Take three to six deep breaths.Now,• Slowly come back to a straight, standing position. • Bring the feet together. • Using your hands, draw the energy down to your navel. • Circle the energy under the navel. • Digest the love and breathe easily

Sexy Serpent Exercise

Purpose:The serpent is a sexy, powerful creature. Throughout his-tory in many of the world’s ancient and contemporarytraditions, the serpent has symbolized healing, transfor-mation, and enlightenment. This movement allows us theopportunity to tap into our sexy nature and transform ourbodies for physical love.

Practice:• From standing position bring your legs together and

place your hands in a “V” position in front of the Sexual Palace. The fingertips of both hands point downwards, touching one another, while the palms remain open. Take a moment to recognize that your sexuality is sacred.

• Bend your knees and begin to move your hips to one side while your anus—with the hands still in prayer position—move to the other side. Continue to move your hips back and forth at the same level while youranus and hands “snake” upwards toward the sky.

• Once the arms are above the head, draw in the heavenly energy by breathing in.

• Bring your hands down the same way you brought them up, as you begin to “snake down.” The hips


, Ph.D.

move to one side, while the armsmove to the other side as you snake down toward the earth.

• See if you can snake down close to the earth, then come back up toa standing position with the legs and feet together.

• Place the hands in a prayer position in front of the sexual center.Breathe in and out of the Sexual Palace. Smile.

Excerpted from Intimate Wisdom: TheSacred Art of Love by Karinna Kittles-Karsten, published by iUniverse.

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AllstonRock City Body40 Penniman St., Allston, MA 02134617-782-4410 – www.rockcitybody.comYoga for all levels and stages of life.Certified Kripalu instructors. Theraputicyoga, Pilates, Belly Dance, Massage.

ArlingtonThe Arlington CenterChip Hartranft, Director369 Mass. Ave., Arlington, MA 02474781-316-0282 – www.arlingtoncenter.orgPowerful integration of movement & mindfulnesswith Chip; also Kripalu, Iyengar, Ashtanga,Vinyasa, Kids Yoga, Yoga-Sutra, meditation, t’ai chi, Pilates, dance; wellness: massage, psycho-therapy, acupuncture, ayurveda, yogatherapy, feldenkrais.

BostonYoga in the Financial DistrictBronwen Murphy, experienced & creativeteacher, welcomes students of all levels,147 Milk St., (Harvard Vanguard)most Weds & Thurs 5:30pm-7:00pm617-661-1779 for information,877-439-5465 to register

BridgewaterCenter for Stress Management/ Maha Yoga Center, Diane Lagadec4 Central Sq.508-697-3273 and [email protected] & Ashtanga Yoga, Teacher Training,Meditation, Massage., Thai Yoga Massage,Shiatsu.

BrightonAyurvedic Rehabilitation CenterLoretta Levitz103 Bennett Street, Brighton, MA 02135617-782-1727ayurvedicrehabilitationcenter.comAyurvedic yoga, adapted yoga.

CambridgeDahn Yoga & Healing1110 Mass. Ave., Harvard Square617-576-9642www.dahnyoga.comharvardsquaredahn@hotmail.comMeridian stretching, core strengthening,breathing postures, meditation, Qigong,acupressure healing massage & mind-bodyworkshops. Private Intro sessions $20.

FraminghamCenter for YogaLisa A. Megidesh, MS, RYT, director393 Worcester Rd.508-620-YOGA (9642)www.centerforyoga.usHatha, Kundalini, Meditation, Reiki Trainingsand healing sessions.

Bikram Yoga Framingham855 Worcester Rd., #18 Trolley Square508-820-9642www.YogaFramingham.comIntro-special: 2 classes for $10.Beginning Yoga Series.

HamiltonIron Crow Yoga StudioMary Hunt, Director161 Bay Road (Rte 1A N.) Hamilton, MA978-468-3390 - www.ironcrowyoga.comAstanga/Vinyasa/Power yoga/Pilates,Teacher Training

Manchester, MA(North Shore) — Kim ValeriYogaspirit StudiosP.O. Box 2337, S. Hamilton, MA 01982978-927-0099 -www.yogaspiritstudios.comYoga Teacher Certifications, CT, MA, ME, NH.

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PeabodyAlternative Therapy Center of PeabodyDeborah Kako, M.Ed., LMHC,24 Main Street, Peabody, MA978-532-7440 - [email protected] Beginner & mixed levelsKripalu-certified RYT, Art Therapy, Psychotherapy,Expressive Therapy, Body Image Work, Yoga &the 12 Steps, Yoga Therapy.

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SouthboroughAcara Yoga Studio, Gail D. Walsh, director11 Main St, Southborough508-259-2847 – [email protected], Kripalu, Kundalini, Svaroopa, TM Yoga, Pilates.

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Becoming Aware of


There is occurring a shift in consciousness—ashift in the perception of how the worldexists. Many feel that something is not right,that something has been lost.

In our rush to create more; the bigger house, better car,more salary, we have actually created less. We have cre-ated less time to spend in our bigger house, less time toenjoy our family and friends, less opportunity to enjoythe sunset and the beauty that surrounds us. But what isreally concerning most of us, whether we are aware of itor not, is that we have been losing ourselves. More, big-ger and faster at the end of the day is less-than or notenough. We are disconnected from what nourishes us.We are physically sick, emotionally unhappy, mentallyexhausted and spiritually unclear as to who we truly are.

However, this is beginning to change; more of us arebeginning to shift. We are beginning to remember who

we are. We are recognizing this imbalance and askingourselves what is important. What makes me happy? Theanswer is not about having more of the world outside buthaving more of the “me” within. In our rush to the top,we have allowed parts of ourselves to become unimpor-tant. We have traded respect for competition, kindnessfor advantage and giving for taking. We have lost trackof our “Inner Guidance” which always takes us to ahigher, more vibrant place. This higher place is wherecooperation, support and understanding create trust,friendship and compassion.

This Shift is occurring within the Hearts of humanity.Millions are beginning to consciously awaken and theyare finding a new passion within. They are passionatelyrecognizing that who they are counts. I AM valuable,important and significant! I matter and I have a contri-bution to make. This passion is what is awakening andigniting within each of us.

By Jim Self

BECOMING AWARE


This shift is occurring across the world, in every townand village, in the Hearts of each child, woman and man.Whether the issue is feeding the poor, healing the sick,building community or nurturing the earth, there is agrowing awareness. There is an awakening, a shift inconsciousness. A connection is being made, one heart toanother. In this connection of caring, sharing, giving andreceiving a spark within the Heart ignites and grows.This awakening consciousness has no limits. It is a shiftthat is taking us all into a higher dimensional awareness,a higher, more aligned way of life. We are becomingaware of becoming aware.

From One Way of Life Toward Another‘

This shift is not only altering our consciousness, it ischanging the world around us. A shift, by definition, isthe movement away from one point toward another. The3rd dimensional world as we have known it, is crumbingaround us. The old ways were designed by governmentsand corporations to support and provide well being to itscitizens. These ways no longer work. All of these sys-tems are deteriorating; governmental, legal, health,social services, education, food quality, political, mone-tary, protection of the environment, etc. All are broken.

When we look a little deeper, however, there exists a newpassion. Individuals, groups, and companies offer newideas which clean the earth, recycle waste and createnew power sources. More companies offer employeeownership, day care, equal pay and much more. The cre-ation of Heaven on Earth is unfolding.

We are at the beginning of this new way of life, not theend. Each one of us has to awaken. We each have tomake the shift within. Many have awoken, more areawakening and many still are asleep. But not for long.We will each experience becoming aware in uniqueways. For some it will be powerful and alive. For othersit will be slower and more cautious. But we will all walka common path.

Allow me to offer you an exercise that will rapidly takeyou down this path, interrupting your 3rd dimensionalhabits and assisting you to remember who you are.Create a list of words, words that make you feel good.Words that you would like to be known by in your world.For example: insightful, kind, respectful, purposeful,gracious, gratitude, integrity, dignified, caring or helpful.Make it a long list, choosing words that will help youremember yourself. It is within the words that you willawaken.

Next pick four or five of those words that make you feelespecially good as you experience them. Take one wordeach day for a week and BE that word. Demonstrate thisword in every situation you experience. Notice how itmakes you feel. Notice that when you become intention-al about being the word, you feel more alert, aware andin the present “Now” moment of time. In other words,you are in charge of yourself on your terms. And yes,you will forget at first. No problem, simply smile andbecome the word once again. One word of caution, how-ever: This path generally leads to feelings of certainty,well being, command and Happy.

There is a shift… and the shift is within you.

Jim Self is a gifted speaker and teacher, founder ofNorthern California’s Avalon Institute and director ofthe Mastering Alchemy Program. His work is in co-cre-ation with Archangels, Ascended Masters and Teachersof Light. Jim is presenting Free Evening Classes and theseminar, Creating the Personal Power Field around thecountry and in Boston- Northeast in March. Jim is alsocurrently presenting 14 FREE tele-classes. For informa-tion and to register: http://www.masteringalchemy.com. Email us for a list of words to Become:[email protected]

Please see ad on page 9 and the Calendar of Events.


The range of discomfort from dry eyes cango from mild to extreme. The eyes can beburning and red, or gritty like they are fullof sand, or they may over-water, so tearsare constantly flowing down the cheeks.

The causes are numerous, from lack of blinking, poornutrition and allergies, to drug side effects, hormonalimbalance and auto-immune disease.

Tears are necessary for the health of the cornea, the frontsurface of the eye. They lubricate, nourish and clean it.Our tears are not just salty water, they consist of threelayers. The outermost surface is a fatty layer that pre-vents the moisturefrom evaporating. Itis secreted by glandson the back of theeyelids. Then there isthe salty, watery layerthat comes from agland behind theouter brow. The layernext to the cornea is amucous layer thatallows it to be “wet-ted.” If there is aproblem with any of these components we get dry eyes.

If you have dry eyes, no matter what your diagnosis—and it is advisable to get one—you might consider someof the following suggestions:

Increased Blinking: Some people don’t blink enough.The ducts that bring the watery layer to the eye need theaction of the blink in order to transport the fluid. Asksomeone to count how many times you blink in a minutewhile you read, watch TV, work on the computer or justhave a conversation. If it is less than twelve times, exper-iment with increasing your blinks. If your eyes feel drybecause you haven’t blinked for a while, try Big FatSqueezes to generate some moisture. (If you wear con-tact lenses, wait until you remove them.) Bring yourcheeks up towards your brows for two seconds then relaxthem and open your eyes up really wide for two seconds.

Do this about five times and notice if you have moremoisture in your eyes. If you don’t, repeat the five times.If this doesn’t produce more tears, check with your doc-tor.

Eye drops can be both soothing and therapeutic. Be sureto get the ones without preservatives and avoid the kindthat promise “to get the red out”. The latter reduce thecirculation to the front of the eye and over time, make theeyes drier.

Diet and supplements: These can also make a big dif-ference. Sugar, alcohol and caffeine tend to dry the eyes.

Essential fatty acids(EFAs) such asevening primrose oil,flaxseed oil and cold-water fish oils areneeded for the pro-duction of the fattyouter and the waterysecond layers of thetears. Vitamins A andC are vital for thehealth of the mucouslayer. Being well

hydrated is also vital. Someone who had suffered withdry, red eyes for years in spite of blinking, emailed me aninteresting recipe which is working well for her. Sheadds one teaspoon of “high quality” sea salt per quart offiltered water. She drinks six, eight ounce glasses of itwarm every day, especially on rising, and she takes atablespoon of flaxseed oil daily. She now experiencesless redness and irritation with an increase of tear flow.She’s delighted.

There is much information online about dry eyes. Don’tlet your eyes remain so unhappy, do something to helpthem feel better.

Rosemary Gaddum-Gordon, D.B.O., M.A., Holistic VisionImprovement, Cambridge, MA: (617) 354-8360, and Eliot,ME: (207) 439-9821, www.visioneducators.com.

VVII SS II OO NN TT II PP SSBy Rosemary Gaddum Gordon

D.B.O., M.A.

DDRRYY EEYYEESS ARE UNHAPPY EYES


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hydroxyestrone pathway does notexhibit estrogenic activity in breasttissue. Additionally, a form of thisless active estrogen metabolite isbelieved to prevent the formation ofblood vessels necessary to feedgrowing cancers, thus helping toarrest tumor growth.

This delicate balance of estro-gens is crucially important for men’shealth as well. In a study that exam-ined the ratio of estrogen metabolitesrelative to prostate cancer risk, ele-vated levels of 16 alpha-hydroxye-strone were linked with an increasedrisk of prostate cancer.

Fortunately, the cruciferous veg-etable compounds (such as I3C) areeffective in shifting estrogenmetabolism to the more beneficialpathway, thus reducing levels oftoxic 16 alphahydroxyestrone andincreasing levels of protective 2-hydroxyestrone. This beneficialmodulation of estrogen metabolismhas been correlated with reduced riskof breast and other cancers, includ-ing cervical, prostate, and even headand neck cancers. Cruciferous veg-etable compounds thus play an

important role infighting cancer.

The CancerPrevention

Potential of Soy The latest studyshowing a remark-able ninety percentreduction in estro-gen receptor-posi-tive breast cancers inwomen who con-sumed lots of veg-etables and soy (inlieu of a Western-style diet) providespersuasive evidencethat compoundsfound in soy indeedhave a breast cancer-preventive effect.

For the pastdecade, a controversy has raged overwhether people can reduce their riskof cancer by increasing their con-sumption of soy foods or soy supple-ments. In response to the debate, anumber of studies were initiated inthe 1990s to ascertain soy’s effectson human health.

Over the past few years, theresults of these studies began to bereleased. While ignored by the main-stream media, the startling findingsindicate that prostate and breast can-cer risk could be cut in half if peopleonly consumed more soy.

Isoflavones derived from soyhave shown great promise in provid-ing natural protection against multi-ple types of cancer. Isoflavones arephytochemical constituents of soy,with two of the best known beinggenistein and daidzein.

The isoflavones are believed toexert a number of positive biologicaleffects on the human body, and manypractitioners of integrative medicine(and even a small but growing num-ber in mainstream medicine) nowbelieve that consumption of soy andisoflavones can reduce the risk of

many chronic diseases, includingcancer, heart disease, and osteoporo-sis.

Studies conducted in Asia foundthat Asian women, who consumemany more isoflavones thanAmerican women, have significantlylower risks of developing breast can-cer. Because some studies haveshown that a diet high in soy andgenistein can protect against mam-mary, colon, and skin tumors, itseemed reasonable to think that soycould also help prevent human can-cers and, in particular, breast cancer.Yet many mainstream medical prac-titioners remain skeptical that some-thing as “simple” as soy could havesuch a profound effect on humanhealth.

Soy, Estrogen, and Breast Cancer

Some in the medical establishmentbelieve that soy isoflavones have norole in preventing serious diseasessuch as cancer. Others believe thatsoy isoflavones should not be usedas nutritional supplements becauseisoflavones act as natural estrogensand could cause many of the sameproblems—such as increased risk ofstroke—that synthetic estrogens arenow known to cause.

In fact, soy isoflavones do notsimply act as “natural” estrogens.Soy isoflavones are correctly classi-fied as selective estrogen receptormodulators. Due to their uniquemolecular structure, soy isoflavonescan act as either estrogen receptoragonists or receptor blockers. Withthis ability, soy isoflavones arethought by many to confer the bene-ficial effects of estrogen without itspotentially dangerous side effects,especially in hormonally sensitivetissues found in both the breast andendometrium.

Numerous studies show thepotential benefits to women ofincorporating soy in their diets tohelp prevent breast cancer. A land-

Cancer... Continued from page 14


mark 1991 casecontrol study ofwomen in Singapore, involving twohundred case subjects and four hun-dred and twenty control subjects,found that women with the highestconsumption of soy-based productshad a markedly decreased risk ofdeveloping breast cancer. An evenlarger Japanese case-control study in1995, involving 1,186 subjects and23,163 controls, also showed thatwomen with increased tofu (soybeancurd) intake had a significantlydecreased risk of developing breastcancer compared with women whoconsumed small amounts of soy-based products such as tofu. Finally,a very large population-based,prospective study of Japanesewomen aged forty to fifty-nine foundthat women with the highest intakeof soy isoflavones reduced their riskof breast cancer by up to fifty-fourpercent compared with women withthe lowest intake of soy isoflavones.

Despite the evidence-basedresearch showing soy isoflavones’preventive effects on breast cancer,along with epidemiological studieshighlighting the much lower rates ofbreast cancer among Asian womenwho consume significant amounts ofsoy-based products, some doctorsstill caution women against usingsoy-based foods and supplements.They contend that because soy iso-flavones have been labeled ·as estro-gen “mimics,” they could potentiallyworsen or even cause breast cancer.With the current knowledge that soyisoflavones act as selective estrogenreceptor modulators and are not sim-ply estrogen “mimics,” these argu-ments do not hold up.

In addition to being a chemopre-ventive supplement for breast cancer,soy isoflavones are also thought tobe effective in warding off othertypes of cancer that afflict women,including endometrial cancer. Arecent case-control study reportedthe effects of soy isoflavones andother phytoestrogens on the risk of

developing endometrial cancer. Thestudy compared five hundred womenaged thirty-five to seventy-nine whodeveloped endometrial cancerbetween 1996 and 1999 with fourhundred and seventy age- and ethnic-ity-matched controls. As in studiesexamining the effects of isoflavoneson breast cancer, this study showedthat women with a higher intake ofsoy isoflavones had a significantlylower risk of developing endometrialcancer. Even more interesting wasthat the levels of isoflavones neededto provide protection againstendometrial cancer were found to bemuch lower than the amountbelieved necessary to protect againstbreast cancer.

Soy Counteracts ProstateCancer in Men

Studies have shown that soyisoflavones can help protect menfrom prostate cancer by slowing andeven preventing the disease. Prostatecancer is the most common cancer inmen and the second leading cause ofdeath from cancer (after lung cancer)among men. As is the case concern-ing breast cancer in women, largeepidemiological studies have shownthat Asian men who consume largeamounts of soy-based foods have asignificantly lower incidence ofprostate cancer, compared with theirWestern counterparts.

Researchers found that soybeanproducts, as well as other East Asiandietary staples such as fish and tofu,were associated with a decreasedrisk of prostate cancer in Japanesemen. Specifically, men who con-sumed the greatest amounts of soy-beans and tofu were forty-seven per-cent and fifty-three percent less like-ly, respectively, to develop prostatecancer than those who consumed thesmallest amounts. Furthermore, inmen who consumed the greatestamount of the fermented soybeanproduct natto, the prostate cancerincidence was reduced by a remark-

able seventy-five percent.Finally, in a case-control study

published in January 2004, Japaneseresearchers sought to ascertainwhether a high serum concentrationof phytoestrogens reduces the risk ofprostate cancer. The researchers col-lected lifestyle information andserum samples from more than four-teen thousand Japanese men in 1988-90, who were tracked until 1999.Phytoestrogens and sex hormonesstored in serum were measured in2002, and fifty-two case subjects andone hundred and fifty-one controlswere identified. This study clearlyestablished that elevated serum lev-els of all three phytoestrogensassessed-genistein, daidzein, andequol-imparted a strong protectiveeffect against prostate cancer. Menwith the highest circulating levels ofgenistein, daidzein, and equolreduced their risk of prostate cancerby sixty-two percent, fifty-nine per-cent, and sixty-six percent, respec-tively.

Soy can be added to one’s diet inmany ways, and it is increasinglybeing used in breast health dietarysupplement formulas.

Why Fruits are Important The body is bombarded with car-cinogens on a daily basis. These can-cer-causing agents include pesti-cides, over-cooked food, alcohol,food additives, tobacco, fungalmutagens, and industrial pollutants.While avoiding carcinogens is dif-ficult, it may be possible to mitigatetheir lethal effects by providing thebody with a specific plant extractthat facilitates the detoxification andremoval of these dangerous sub-stances from the body.

A compound called D-glucarateis found in grapefruit, apples,oranges, broccoli, and Brusselssprouts. D-Glucarate has been shownto protect against cancer-causingagents by supporting detoxificationand removal of dangerous chemicals,


and also by protecting against themutating effects that these carcino-gens induce on cellular DNA.

There are several mechanisms bywhich the body detoxifies itself. Oneway of guarding against toxic over-load involves a pathway ofdetoxification in the body wherebycarcinogens are combined withwater-soluble substances, thus mak-ing them more easily removed fromthe body. This process is called glu-curonidation, and D-glucarate hasbeen shown to support this importantdetoxification mechanism.

How Does D-Glucarate Work?D-Glucarate functions by inhibitingthe dangerous beta-glucuronidaseenzyme, thus protecting the critical“glucuronidation” detoxificationmechanism. One example of theimportance of glucuronidation canbe seen in the risk factors for breastcancer. Excess levels of 16 alpha-hydroxyestrone and the beta-gluc-uronidase enzyme are associatedwith an increased incidence of breastcancer. D-Glucarate is thought todecrease estrogen levels by affectingestrogen’s elimination.

Normally, estrogen is conjugatedwith glucurate in the liver(glucuronidation), and then excretedin the bile. A bacterial enzyme in theintestine called beta-glucuronidasecan break the estrogen-glucuronidebond, allowing estrogen to be reab-sorbed. D-Glucarate works at thisstep by inhibiting beta-glu-curonidase. Blocking this enzyme isthought to decrease the amount ofestrogen that is reabsorbed and thusto lower circulating estrogen levels.

Research studies have shownthat D-glucarate inhibits mammarytumor incidence. One study wheresubjects had already had breast can-cer showed that oral D-glucarateadministration resulted in a fifty per-cent inhibition of beta-glu-curonidase, which led to a thirty per-cent reduction in mammary tumor

growth during the promotion stageand a four-fold reduction in theabsolute number of tumors. Anotherstudy showed a more than seventypercent decrease in mammary tumordevelopment in rats exposed to car-cinogens who were also adminis-tered D-glucarate. Still another studylooked at the effects of D-glucarateon the initiation and promotionalstages of mammary cancer. Theresults showed a reduction of twen-ty-eight percent during the initiationstage, while cell replication wasreduced by forty-two percent duringthe promotion stage. Inhibition at theinitiation stage is a very importantpart of D-glucarate’s actions, as itlessens the risk that cancer will evenstart.

Eating lots of the right fruits andvegetables supplies the body with D-glucarate. It is also available indietary supplements designed to sup-port breast health.

How Lignans Protect theBreast and Prostate Glands

A number of published studies indi-cate that dietary lignans may protectagainst cancer by favorably alteringestrogen metabolism, inhibitingangiogenesis, and inducing cancercells to self destruct. The greatestsupport for a role of lignans in cancerprevention has been shown for pre-menopausal breast cancer.

Researchers in New Yorkassessed breast cancer risk anddietary lignan intake in more thanthree thousand women, includingabout eleven hundred patients withconfirmed breast cancer and approx-imately two thousand cancer-freewomen who served as controls.Using statistical analysis, the scien-tists determined that premenopausalwomen with the highest lignanintake had a forty-four percentreduced risk of developing breastcancer.

Scientists in Italy reported simi-lar findings. Their research indicates

that higher blood levels of enterolac-tone—the primary lignan derived bythe body from flaxseed—are associ-ated with a lower risk of breast can-cer. Conversely, the researchersnoted, “values of serum enterolac-tone were significantly lower inwomen who subsequently developedbreast cancer,” leading them to con-clude that the phytoestrogen entero-lactone “had a strong protectiveeffect on breast cancer risk.”

Lignans may also protect againstendometrial cancer, a condition asso-ciated with prolonged exposure tounopposed estrogens. Flax lignansmay offer protection through an anti-estrogenic effect in the body.Researchers in California assessedlignan intake and cancer statusamong nearly one thousand womenin the San Francisco area and deter-mined that women with the highestdietary lignan intake experienced thelowest risk of developing this carci-noma of the uterine lining. The rela-tionship between lignans andendometrial cancer risk reductionwas slightly stronger among post-menopausal women.

Based on a lot of favorable pub-licity, health-conscious people areincreasingly adding flax seed to theirdiet for the purpose of obtaining thebeneficial lignans. Highly concen-trated lignan extracts are also appear-ing in supplements to support breastand prostate health.

Adding Up the NumbersAccording to the scientific data dis-cussed in this article, significantreductions (up to ninety percent) inbreast cancer risk have been foundbased on the types of foods and sup-plements one consumes.

Even further risk reductionsoccur in conjunction with loweredoverall calorie intake. In fact, foreach excess calorie we ingest (andmost of us ingest plenty of excesscalories), our risk for many types ofcancer increases.


In adding up these numbers, itbecomes clear that there are manysteps one can take to sharply reducethe risk of breast, prostate, and othercancers. An evaluation of how cer-tain plant extracts favorably affectestrogen metabolism indicates thataging humans may be able to safelybenefit from natural hormone bal-ancing.

Is Fear of Cancer a Reason to Be Deprived of Hormones?

As women enter the menopausalyears, they face a difficult decision.The body’s natural production ofestrogen, progesterone, DHEA, andother critical hormones needed tomaintain health and vigor rapidlydeclines. While individual effects ofmenopause vary widely, mostwomen suffer because their glandsno longer produce the hormonesneeded to regulate critical physiolog-ical processes. Depression, irritabili-ty, and short-term memory lapses arecommon menopausal complaints,along with hot flashes, night sweats,and insomnia.

Aging men suffer a host of disor-ders that range from unpleasant tolethal in response to testosteronedeficiency and estrogen overload.

Concern about cancer is the pri-mary reason why men and womendo not restore their hormones tomore youthful levels. Like much ofwhat we eat, estrogen and testos-terone affect cell proliferation. Doesthat mean we should shrivel up,degenerate, and die from these sexhormone deficiencies we all face as apart of “normal” aging?

Based on the enormity of thedata showing how people cansharply reduce their rate of cancerand favorably affect estrogen metab-olism in a way that points to cancerprevention, it is difficult to buy intothe argument that natural sex hor-mones should only be enjoyed by theyoung.

Large human population studies

show huge reductions incancer risk, along withspecific protective mech-anisms against estrogen’snegative pathways, whenvitamin D, cruciferousvegetables (13C), soy, D-glucarate, and lignans areconsumed. Dramatic can-cer rate reductions alsooccur when red meat,high-fat dairy, and otherdeleterious foods arereduced or eliminatedfrom the diet.

Misconceptions gen-erated by conflicting stud-ies and media hype havecreated an environment inwhich aging people sufferthe agonies and shortenedlife spans caused by sexhormone imbalances, yetdo nothing to correct thisdue to fear of cancer.When one looks at whatthe real risk factors are, itwould appear that alteringone’s lifestyle at any agewould result in significantcancer reductions, even inthose who properly restoretheir hormone balance toreflect a more youthful range.

During the younger years, whenbreast cancer is virtually non-exis-tent, we enjoy high levels of youthfulsex hormones (estrogen, proges-terone, DHEA, and testosterone). Ashormone levels decline with age,breast and prostate cancer risksincrease. We now know this happensbecause of the accumulation ofmutations in our genes that regulatecellular proliferation. The incrediblenews is that there are low-cost nutri-ents that are proven to favorablyrestore healthy gene function andreduce our risk of cancer in theprocess.

Just think, we have been told allour lives that there is nothing we cando about the genes we inherit from

our parents that predispose us to cer-tain diseases. Yet breakthroughresearch findings indicate that wecan influence our genes to behave ina way that significantly reduces ourrisk of contracting common cancers.Additional scientific findings showhow we can influence estrogenmetabolism in our bodies so that it isprotective against breast and othercancers.

Based on the enormity of thisdata, it would appear that aginghumans can restore many of the hor-mones they need to sustain life—without encountering adverseeffects.

Reprinted with permission from LifeExtension magazine, www.lef.org.


FEBRUARY2/16-2/17: Reiki I Certification with JohnHarvey Gray and Lourdes Gray, Ph.D.,Boston Area. Awaken your healing skillsstudying with the longest-practicing ReikiMaster in the West. Two days of learning,hands-on practice and no cut corners certi-fies you immediately to work on yourself,others and pets. 13.5 CEUs Visa/MC. (603)899-3288 www.learnreiki.org.

2/23: Rings of Oden – New Technology forQuantum Healing (Module I) The Ringscombine Sacred Geometry, DNA Re-Patterning, Crop Circles, and CellMicrobiology concepts as part of a revolu-tionary technology, "Net-Neutral IonicEnergy". Their energy vortex opens stuckareas, increasing light resonance in the body.Unleash the power of this versatile, multi-dimensional new energy source! 9am.-4pm.; Details at www.TheWayToBalance.com;(978) 834-0341.

2/26: Fear & Fearlessness in Times ofChange. Ramsay Raymond, MA, MHCoffers s talk and reflective meditations on thenature of fear and change, and ways of relat-ing to these with courage, compassion, cre-ativity, and connection. 7:00pm-9:00pm,Tues, Feb 26, Center at Westwoods (781)329-0711, www.centeratwestwoods.com..

MARCH3/1: Shamballa Multi-DimensionalHealing Basic Training (2 Days) WithAngela Simms: The “Diamond Frequencyof Shamballa” is a highly refined &Transformational frequency, a very powerfulhealing energy. You will be connected to thisenergy immediately on the first day of the 2day workshop, & become certified by TheFoundation for Shamballa Multi-Dimensional Healing - Certificate is includ-ed. Sat & Sun, $222 at Open Doors, 395Washington St., Braintree, MA, (781) 843-8224, www.OpenDoors7.com

3/1: Reiki Certification. Boston area.Libby Barnett, MSW. 26 years experience..Reiki Energy Medicine co-author. Notebook,pin, certificate awarded. Visa/MC accepted.CEU’s. Call 1-888-REIKI-4-U or (603) 654-2787. Reiki II: 3/2.

3/1: The 7th Path Self-Hypnosis® WithBeth O’Connor (2 Weeks). Come and learn7th Path™ Self-Hypnosis, a powerful newsystem of self-hypnosis that is changinglives around the world. It combines theeffectiveness of self-hypnosis, meditationand spirituality and enables the practitionerto break free of old patterns and bad habitsthat have limited you and held you backfrom success. Learn about it -http://www.the7thpath.com/ Please bringblanket & pillow for your comfort. & SatMarch 15 1030-1:00pm $95 at Open Doors,395 Washington St., Braintree, MA, (781)843-8224, www.OpenDoors7.com

3/6: 7:00pm, Radical Honesty eveningwith Brad Blanton and Ann Bryer in

events workshopsfestivals classes

3/16: The Pat Metheny Trio in concertat the Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square,Somerville. For tickets: 617/508-931-2000or more information, call: (617) 625-4088

Top Photo

CALENDARCALENDAR

Brookline. This lecture will explore ways tobe free from self-judgment, and demonstratehow radical honesty can transform a guard-ed, pre-scripted existence into authentic liv-ing. For more info call (617) 730-2700, orvisit online at www.brooklineadulted.org.

3/8: Experience your Past Lives with JohnHarvey Gray and Lourdes Gray, Ph.D.,Rindge, NH. The same popular seminar Johngave for years at the Maine Healing ArtsFestival and Interface. Two regressions areprovided. Your subconscious selects thedates and places and protects you frombringing back any uncomfortable emotions.$75.Visa/MC. (603) 899-3288www.reiki.mv.com.

3/8: RE Reiki Certification. Wilton, NH.Libby Barnett, MSW. 26 years experience.Reiki Energy Medicine co-author. Notebook,pin, certificate awarded. Visa/MC accepted.CEU’s. Call 1-888-REIKI-4-U or (603) 654-2787. Reiki II: 3/9.

3/9: Learn to See Auras with LourdesGray, Ph.D., CCHT, Rindge, NH. Aurascontain information about physical, mentaland emotional states. We will show you whatto look for, and how to develop your innervision to see auras around people, animalsand plants anytime you wish. The process issurprisingly easy! $125 tuition includespractice CD, manual and your Kirlian photo-graph. Visa/MC. (603) 899-3288www.reiki.mv.com.

3/10: Fit To Light with Margaret Anderson.Come to this class if you’re ready to fightback and tell your body you’re in controlagain. This class gives you the commonsense knowledge of shedding those unwant-ed pounds in combination with the tools tomanifest/attract those results. Meditations,tips and much more. 7:00pm-9:00pm, $35at Open Doors, 395 Washington St.,Braintree, MA, (781) 843-8224,www.OpenDoors7.com

3/14: Reiki I Certification with Pat Iyer (2Days) In Reiki I you will be introduced touniversal life force that channels through allof us and is effective in healing. This methodis the western lineage of Reiki as taught byHayawo Takata. Limit 10 (Space Permitting- Pat’s previous Reiki I students may attendfor a fee of $25.00) Pre-registrationRequired. Nurses CEU’s are available.6:00pm-9:30pm & Saturday, March 15,6:00pm-9:30pm. $150 at Open Doors, 395Washington St., Braintree, MA, (781) 843-8224, www.OpenDoors7.com.

3/15-3/16: Reiki I Certification with JohnHarvey Gray and Lourdes Gray, Ph.D.,Rindge, NH. Awaken your healing skillsstudying with the longest-practicing ReikiMaster in the West. Two days of learning,hands-on practice and no cut corners certi-fies you immediately to work on yourself,others and pets. 13.5 CEUs Visa/MC. (603)899-3288 www.learnreiki.org.

3/15: Exploring the 8th Chakra - Level Iwith Shelly Devine. Your 8th chakra con-tains your sacred contracts. It enables a dis-ciplined spirit to become aware of one’s lifepurpose through the discovery of one’stwelve archetypes, four of which are univer-sal to all human beings. We will explore thedefining of a sacred contract, four universalarchetypes and how to find your eight indi-vidual archetypal patterns. 7:00pm-9:00pm,$45 at Open Doors, 395 Washington St.,Braintree, MA, (781) 843-8224,www.OpenDoors7.com.

3/22: Experience Multi - LevelTransformation: Becoming The Best Youwith Brigitte Novalis. In this workshop,attendees will experience Multi-LevelTransformation, learning how to use focusedawareness and love to find their inner powerso that they can get past the destructive andnegative emotions that hold them back.Following an initial brief lecture, attendeeswill have their energy levels individuallyevaluated by the instructor using dowsing todetermine their starting point. 10:00am-1:00pm, $35 at Open Doors, 395Washington St., Braintree, MA, (781) 843-8224, www.OpenDoors7.com.

3/26-3/30: Mastering Alchemy. FreeClasses - Weekend Seminar with Jim Self.Quiet noise and drama in your life. Mergewith the Soul. Create new sacred geometricenergy fields. Experience fifth dimensionand Simultaneous Time. Learn to think withthe heart and act from the Higher Mind.Create your Personal Power Field. FreeClasses 3/26 & 3/27, Boston/NE. Seminar3/28-30 Nashua NH. (802) 626-9492. FreeDVD,Teleclasses. www.MasteringAlchemy.com.

3/29: Psychic Development, Past Lives, &Angel Workshop with Ross Miller, psychicmedium, regression therapist, healer. In thisunique, experiential workshop you’ll learnhow to identify your guardian angels andspirit guides by name and receive their guid-ance and healing; discover your soul’s lifepurpose; experience two of your past lives;give psychic readings to others in class andmore. Saturday, 10:00am-5:00pm, Newton,

MA. To register for the workshop or toschedule a psychic or past-life reading orhealing in person or over the phone withRoss Miller. (617) 527-3583 or visitwww.TheMysticWay.com.

UPCOMING

4/2: Hypnosis (with EFT) Weight LossGroup with Beth O’Connor (6 Weeks)We will be using hypnosis techniques,teaching self-hypnosis and also EFT (emo-tional freedom technique) - a tapping ofthe energy system. Bring Pillow/BlanketsWednesdays, Apr 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, May 77:00pm-9:00pm, $90 at Open Doors, 395Washington St., Braintree, MA, (781) 843-8224, www.OpenDoors7.com.

4/17: Robert Simmons, author, Book ofStones leads special meditative exercises,discussion on qualities of stones/crystals,correspondences with chakras, lore, histo-ry, and spiritual, emotional/physical heal-ing. Newton Free Library, 4/17, 7:00pm,330 Homer St., Newton, MA 02459, (617)796-1360.


Earth Star Calendar

2/14-3/2: Boston Ballet willopen the second half of its2007-08 season on Valentine’sDay with John Cranko’sacclaimed staging of Romeo &Juliet, at the Citi PerformingArts Center Wang Theatre.Ticket prices range from $25 -$110 and can be purchasedthrough Telecharge at 1-(800)447-7400, or the Boston Balletbox office at (61) 695-6955.


4/26-4/27: Reiki I Certification withJohn Harvey Gray and Lourdes Gray,Ph.D., Rindge, NH. Awaken your healingskills studying with the longest-practicingReiki Master in the West. Two days of learn-ing, hands-on practice and no cut corners certi-fies you immediately to work on yourself, oth-ers and pets. 13.5 CEUs Visa/MC. (603) 899-3288 www.learnreiki.org.

5/3: Reiki Certification. Wilton, NH.Libby Barnett, MSW. 26 years experi-ence. Reiki Energy Medicine co-author.Notebook, pin, certificate awarded.Visa/MC accepted. CEU’s. Call 1-888-REIKI-4-U or (603) 654-2787 Reiki II: 5/4.

5/10: Reiki Certification. Boston area.Libby Barnett, MSW. 26 years experi-ence.. Reiki Energy Medicine co-author.Notebook, pin, certificate awarded. Visa/MCaccepted. CEU’s. Call 1-888-REIKI-4-U or(603) 654-2787 Reiki II: 5/11.

6/7: Reiki Certification. Wilton, NH.Libby Barnett, MSW. 26 years experi-ence. Reiki Energy Medicine co-author.Notebook, pin, certificate awarded.Visa/MC accepted. CEU’s. Call 1-888-REIKI-4-U or 603-654-2787 Reiki II: 6/8.

6/14: Reiki Certification. Boston area.Libby Barnett, MSW. 26 years experi-ence. Reiki Energy Medicine co-author.Notebook, pin, certificate awarded. Visa/MCaccepted. CEU’s. Call 1-888-REIKI-4-U or(603) 654-2787 Reiki II: 6/15.

ONGOINGFood As Medicine Workshop, 1/08-3/08,Sharon A. Kane, Instructor. LiveSuperfoods can repair the intestinal damageassociated with celiac, gluten intolerance,candida, IBS, leaky gut and food allergies.This 8-session course teaches simple tech-niques to create low cost live food at home.Kombucha, kefir, gluten free bread, lacto-fermented pickles. For complete info callSharon A. Kane, (508) 881-5678 or [email protected].

Dreaming High, Dreaming Deep: FindingGuidance & Inspiration throughDreamwork. Six-week course with RamsayRaymond, MA, MHC. Dreams access thefull range of who we are, including our ori-gins, circumstances, and higher potentials.Come explore basic tools and fun ways ofworking with dreams to better understand

ourselves and find direction. 7:00pm-9:30pm, Tuesdays, March 25 – April 29.Center at Westwoods (781) 329-0711,www.centeratwestwoods.com.

Psychosynthesis & Beyond. Tools for theJourney with Ramsay Raymond, MA, MHC& Marsha Showstead, MEd, LCSW. Builda strong inner foundation for life’s journeyand for realizing your higher potentialthrough Psychosynthesis, a holistic spiritualpsychology. Course February 14-March 20.Center at Westwoods (781) 329-0711,www.centeratwestwoods.com.

Reiki Certification, Boston and Wilton, NH.Libby Barnett, MSW. 26 years experience.Reiki Energy Medicine co-author. Notebook,pin, certificate awarded. Visa/MCaccepted. CEU's. Call 1-888-REIKI-4-Uor (603) 654-2787.

Exquisite Energysm for Women. Center,ground, and open to the flow. A nourishing,feel-good event. Cerridwen guides easymovements from qigong and hands-on heal-ing. Second Thursdays 7:30pm-9:30pm,Aquarius Sanctuary, Littleton, MA(978) 486-0248. $20. Call ahead.

Shamanic Drumming Circle, founded1993. Usually Second and Fourth Fridays ofevery month, 7:00pm. Quaker meeting-house, Cambridge. Open to all, but please callfirst for full details and directions. Terrence(978)-952-2704 or Emily (781)-641-3980.

Exquisite Energysm for Healers. Relax andget a dose of the good stuff for yourself. Easymovements from qigong and hands-on heal-ing with Cerridwen. Third Saturdays 7:00pm-10:00pm. Aquarius Sanctuary, Littleton, MA.(978) 486-0248. $20. Call ahead.

Buddhist Meditation Group with PegTravers, Ordained Priest, Buddha Heart USA,Sunday evenings, Haverhill, MA, 5:00pm-6:00pm. Learn and practice the ancient arts ofmeditation, chanting, QiGong, Buddhist Yoga& Reiki. Call the Center for SpiritualDevelopment, Haverhill MA, (978)-372-5173or online @www.uuhaverhill.org/happenings.

Ongoing Classes in ShamballaMultidimensional Healing and Healing Artoffered at the Natick Community OrganicFarm, by Joyce Cerutti. SMH may be thoughtof as an expansion of the energies we know asReiki. No prior attunements necessary. HealingArt classes offered for both individuals andfamilies, combining energy healing and arthealing for greater benefit. Call for dates,times, and further information. Intuitive heal-

ing paintings also available. (508)-380-8273.Workshops for Pain Management andImproved Wellness. Offerings forBodyworkers, athletes, Personal Trainers,Coaches and general pain-sufferers. Checkwebsite: web.maynard.ma.us/biz/bmassage,or call Barry Bailey at (978)-897-0110 forinformation and brochure of current offerings.

The Labyrinth Ladies SpiritualEmpowerment Workshops, go towww.thelabyrinthladies.com for our latestprograms and walks or call (401)-847-6551for more information. Facilitator Trainings,site consultations, workshops for schools,hospitals and businesses.

Drumming Circle with Kristine Malpica(of Imagine Studios) on third Friday of eachmonth. 7:00pm-8:30pm. Center for SpiritualDevelopment, 15 Kenoza Ave, Haverhill, MA.(978)-372-5173.

Christ Church Unity - Experience the heal-ing power of music, prayer and meditation,every Wednesday at 7:00pm. Daily WordDiscusion Sundays at 10:00am. SundayService, 11:00am. Corner of Colchester &Chapel Streets, Brookline, MA 02466. Call(617) 232-4548 for more information orvisit: www.unityboston.org.

Free Energy Healing in Arlington. Johreihealing is available each Wednesdayevening from 7:00pm-9:00pm at 81Cleveland St. in Arlington, MA. Johrei puri-fies the spirit through the channeling ofdivine light, restores inner spiritual balanceand eases physical, mental, & emotional dis-tress. There is no charge for Johrei. Pleasecall (781) 646-0614 for directions or infor-mation on other area locations.

The Constellation Approach – Strengthenthe relationship with your partner, currentfamily, parents and siblings and ultimatelyyour ancestral lineage by connecting withthe Family Soul. Saturday workshops, on-going Learning Programs and private ses-sions offered in the Family ConstellationMethod of Bert Hellinger. Jamy & PeterFaust, facilitators, (617) 484-HEAL (4325).www.ConstellationApproach.com.

Stress Management, Imagery, and a rangeof Reiki programs, with CEUs for nurses,led by holistic nurse educators. Centered inAmesbury, MA with other locations inMaine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.Visit www.LymanCenter.com or call:

4 8 EARTH STAR FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008

Earth Star Calendar

The Deadline for listings in the April / May issue

is March 20th


B efore we look at my favoritefilms from 2007, I have a mes-sage for both the mainstream

film industry and its film critics: Youhave both lost all connection with filmaudiences.

Hollywood has seemingly decided that“quality” now equates with dark, vio-lent, and depressing; consequently, 2007was one of the bleakest years ever forfilm distribution. To make mattersworse, and to illustrate anew the fable ofthe emperor’s new clothes, film criticshave fallen into lockstep with film dis-tributors. As I write this column onJanuary 1, 2008, the film that has gar-nered almost every film critic group’snod as the best film of 2007 is NoCountry For Old Men, which centersaround one of the nastiest, most vicious,and soulless serial killers ever depictedon screen. In the first ten minutes of thefilm, a man is graphically strangledwhile the killer looks positively orgas-mic and then another innocent man iscold-bloodedly shot between the eyes.And then it gets worse…much worse.Nevertheless, the film critic for thePortland Oregonian said this about thefilm: “exact, spare, bloody, dark, andunrelenting, it’s superb.”

Excuse me?

While I respect every one’s right to saywhatever they believe, I also reserve theright to ask, “What are you folks smok-ing”? “Best film” means the one filmevery year that is represented to the restof the world as the premier achievementin the American film industry. Focusingon the craft itself is fine for categorieslike sound editing, costume design, orcinematography, but, when you’re talk-ing about the “best film”, content itselfshould be of paramount importance.

For studios and critics, “superb” and“bloody, dark, and unrelenting” may

belong in the same sentence but, fortu-nately, we in the audience don’t agree.The fall season of 2007 produced theweakest box office results for that periodof time in the last ten years. The filmindustry is quite literally awash in redink. According to a November 26, 2007article in Video Business Weekly, thefilm industry lost a staggering six billiondollars in 2006.

In short, the business model of the filmindustry is broken. Creatively, it’s evenworse. The chasm between the insular,dark, violent, and cynical tastes of moststudios and film critics and the desire ofaudiences to have other choices is nowdeeper than the Grand Canyon.

I also think it would be wonderful, andmore honest, if the Academy (of which Iam a member) changed the characteriza-tion of awards from “best” to “favorite”.Factors such as both the film’s and theindividual’s overall popularity alwaysfactor into Academy voting anyway,whether members want to admit it ornot. Using “best” in regards to the artform of film is not only unfair to all con-cerned but also simply impossible togauge. I have no idea what “best” meansin films. My own list of favorite films of2007 consists of films that personallymoved me, inspired me, and made mefeel better about being human. When wepost these choices on the messageboards for subscribers to the Spiritualcinema Circle, I’m sure our communitywill share some passionate opinions anddisagreements of their own. That’s thefun of it. Let the discussions begin.

Reign Over Me. With bravura perform-ances from both Adam Sandler and DonCheadle, the film is a beautiful paean tothe powers of love, friendship, and, mostimportantly, healing. Sandler, in particu-lar, is brilliant beyond words.Unfortunately, like Jim Carrey inEternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind

in 2004 and Will Ferrell in StrangerThan Fiction in 2006, Sandler is seen as,and I’m afraid somewhat resented for,being a successful broad comedian, andhis incredible performance has beenunjustly ignored.

Enchanted. What a delightful, whimsi-cal, and hilarious film! Putting some ofDisney’s classic fairy tale characters intoa modern day context works so well thatmy whole family just sat there smiling,laughing, and applauding throughout thefilm. Amy Adams’ fairy tale princess,separated from her prince and sent tomodern day New York by an evil queen,is so pitch perfect that we were repeatingher lines for days.

The Great Debaters. A powerful andmoving tribute to the courage of theAfrican-American Wiley College debat-ing team and its coach in 1930s Texas.Denzel Washington directs and stars in afilm that reminds us of what we canaccomplish when we decide that it is we,not the world around us, who define our-selves.

Juno. A funny, poignant, searingly hon-est, and loving story of a teenager’sunwelcome pregnancy and her searchfor both herself and the most appropriateadoptive parents. Ellen Page is simplybrilliant as the title character and thefilm has much to say about love, life,and responsibility. It also has one of thesweetest and most touching final scenesin recent memory.

Waitress. An offbeat, often hilarious,and sometimes harrowing story about asmall town waitress and her unique tal-ent for baking every kind of pie imagi-nable. Keri Russell achieves superstaractress status with her complex andnuanced portrait of a woman in an emo-tionally abusive marriage that she yearnsto escape. The film is also a loving trib-ute to Adrienne Shelly, its writer/direc-tor/costar who was tragically killed afterthe completion of the film.

By Stephen SimonThe Movie MysticMY FAVORITE FILMS of 22000077


S ince the wild success of TheSecret, dozens, if not hundreds,of filmmakers have been

approaching investors and producers,claiming to have the “next” version ofThe Secret. At the Spiritual CinemaCircle, we have seen the filmed resultsof some of these attempts. Trying to imi-tate someone else’s success, however, iswhere Hollywood itself has gone soawry in the last decade or so. There willbe no “next” version of The Secret, anymore than The Secret itself was the“next” version of What The Bleep Do WeKnow? The next wonderful SpiritualCinema documentary about the humancondition can only come from a film-maker’s unique vision and passion, hav-ing nothing whatsoever to do with prece-dent.

Enter Song of Songs, film makerChris Brickler’s debut film. Passionate,mesmerizing, humorous, and touching,Song of Songs is a paean to love in all itswonderful, messy, and complex glory. Inaddition, film maker Brickler’s back-ground as a musician serves the filmbeautifully, as the music throughout isboth haunting and utterly romantic.Members of the Spiritual Cinema Circlewill receive this film as part of theFebruary 2008 Spiritual Cinema CircleDVD collection (www.spiritualcin-emacircle.com).

What distinguishes Songs from somany other films is its compassion, love,and empathy for those who FALL inlove and then find themselves“bewitched, bothered, and bewildered”by the every day challenges of BEING

in love.The delights at the center of

the film are the filmmaker’sgrandparents, who have beenmarried for sixty-five years, afeat utterly unthinkable evenfifty or so years ago. Heck, peo-ple didn’t even live that longuntil very recently, let alone bemarried for almost sevendecades. Put another way, the seniorBricklers got hitched just after Americaentered World War II and three yearsbefore the first atomic bomb wasdropped. How do you manage to staymarried, and, by the way, very happilymarried, through all the changes thatsixty-five years can bring? Well, just askthe Bricklers and they’ll tell you, withinsight, compassion, and a healthy doseof humor. One of the most touchingmoments in the film occurs when Mrs.Brickler (now in her late eighties) gets avery loving kiss from Mr. Brickler, aftergently chiding him to do so.

Most of the people interviewed forthe film are folks just like all of us whoare either in various stages of relation-ships, or are alone and looking for theirnext partner. The film gently under-scores the point that love is, to all of us,an enduring mystery that reveals more ofitself every day both in our interactionswith others and also in our solitarymoments of reflection. As revealed inthe film, we are always searching forthose answers, knowing full well thateach answer inevitably leads to the nextquestion. Interspersed amidst the variouslove relationships that are explored arethe loving, wise, and insightful observa-tions of relationship guru HarvilleHendrix, whose understanding of thehuman search for love is nothing lessthan inspiring. One of the most movingmoments in the film is when Hendrixobserves that many people run awayfrom relationships when they get chal-lenging, when the going gets very tough.Ironically, Hendrix says, it’s the people

who persevere during those dark timeswho later discover that things get verydark just before they’re about to get somuch better.

It is that sense of optimism andhope that permeates the entire film.Made by a filmmaker who obviouslyfeels a great sense of both camaraderieand compassion with the people in hisfilm, Song of Songs comes along just aswe celebrate Valentine’s Day and we atthe Spiritual Cinema Circle are honoredto present its world premiere in ourFebruary collection of films. See it withsomeone you love…or want to love…orhave loved. And save a special place inyour heart for Grandmother andGrandfather Brickler. If there were acontest for America’s grandparents, Ithink the Bricklers might win in a land-slide….and I for one would love to seetheir victory speech.

Stephen Simon co-founded www.Spiritualcinemacircle.com and producedsuch films as Somewhere In Time and WhatDreams May Come. He also directed andproduced both Conversations With Godand Indigo and is the author of The ForceIs With You: Mystical Movies MessagesThat Inspire Our Lives.

By Stephen SimonThe Movie MysticSong of Songs


directory New England’s PremierProfessional Resource Guide

Astrological Consulting ....................52

Bookstores & Awareness Centers ...52

Centers ...............................................53

Classes ...............................................53

Healing & Bodywork .........................54

Medical Health Care Services ..........56

Metaphysics .......................................57

Psychics .............................................57

Psychology & Transformation .........58

Readings ............................................59

Schools & Institutes ..........................59

categorycategory

Profiles of businesses,centers and individualsthat offer holistic servicesthat nurture and supportthe body, mind and soul.


Enchantments10 Boothbay House HillBoothbay Harbor, ME 04538

207-633-4992Largest New Age Store in New England!We’ve knocked through a wall and dou-bled our space! New coffee, tea anddessert bar with eye-of-newt scones.enlarged clothing section featuringGeetah & Sacred Threads; Celtic &Renaissance-style clothing, including

reversible floor-length capes in velvetand satin; Dirks, knives & swords; Crystalballs and bowls; Scrying mirrors & wic-can supplies; Magic wands; Magic spells;Harry Potter; Candles, candles & morecandles. Eastern incense & NativeAmerican sage, cedar & juniper; Drums& rainsticks; Large variety of pipes &Grateful Dead memorabilia; ExtensiveNew Age/metaphysical book section;300+ tarot decks; runes; Egyptiancanopic jars & statuary; Eastern religiousitems & statuary–Buddha, Ganesh, Quan

Yin; Fabulous fountains & fantasy statu-ary of all kinds; angels & fairies, puppets& dolls, dragons, frogs, & gargoyles;Meyda Tiffany lamps; Hundreds ofchimes; Cards & calendars; Crystals, jew-elry, gems & minerals; Massage & essen-tial oils; Henna; Body jewelry; Tapes &CDs; Psychic readings. Don’t miss oursecond store “Enchantment Too” rightacross the street!!!

Open daily . . . call for hours!Visit our website:

www.enchantments.bz

Serena gives readings that touch your soul.She blends the ancient wisdom of Vedic astrol-ogy with her remarkable intuition to help youuse perfect timing to bring joy and fruition to allareas of your life.

She is highly sought after by celebrities, busi-ness executives, speakers, and authors. Shehas made numerous appearances on TV and

radio and you may have recently heard hername on Coast to Coast AM.

Serena has been gifted since childhoodwith the ability to see many dimensions oflife. She has spent many years in spiritualpractice and enjoys working on her ownhealing and evolvement so that her serviceto others is of the highest quality.

“Serena’s work is extraordinary—astunning blend of mind, heart, and soul,”says Judith Orloff, M.D., author andclairvoyant psychiatrist.

Serena gives readings by telephoneall over the country.

Serena Wright-Taylor310.335.5617

Website: www.vimana.org

Astrologer and Clairvoyant – Serena Wright-Taylor

Astrology and Esoteric Psychology — Monique PommierTwelvefold science of the twelvefold soul,

Astrology illuminates the unique land-scape of a psyche – inner characters anddynamics, gifts and directions – and chartsthe course of a life, timing new developmentsand uncovering their purposes.

As an esoteric astrologer and counselor, Ifocus on the evolutionary meaning of per-

sonal, relational and spiritual challenges, andoffer insights and methods that elicit transfor-mative perspectives and facilitate self-actuali-sation.

By accessing the deeper order of yourlife you gain the freedom to appreciate itscomplexities and the power to participate inyour evolution.

My background includes an MS andPhD in Esoteric Psychology and Philosophy.Jungian psychology, Eastern and Western tra-ditions have been key foundations in myeighteen years of consulting and teaching.

To inquire about services, classes, orpublications, please call:

(617) 524-7072

ASTROLOGICAL CONSULTING

BOOKSTORES & AWARENESS CENTERS


CENTERS

Institute For Personal Development, Inc.A Kriya Yoga Ashram

652 Lafayette Rd. - Hampton, NH 03842-33481-603-929-0303 [email protected] Web Site - http://www.ipdtransform.com

Call toll free 1-888-545-8597 ask for:Kenneth Toy (Swami Jayananda)

Classes, Courses, and Personal Training

Private Residential Retreat & Personalized Programs

Weekends and longer plans available as low as $44 a night

Call for Prices on your personal program

Kriya Yoga is a complete holistic health management system

Uniting Science with Religion

CLASSES

Reiki Healing Connection • phone (603) 654-2787 • fax (603) 654-2771 • email [email protected] • www.reikienergy.com

“My commitment to teach the Usui Systemof Reiki Healing in the authentic, tradi-tional manner inspired me to visit Japanto retrace the roots of Reiki. I am dedicat-ed to teaching this sacred healing art topromote health and conscious living on theplanet. I invite you to give yourself the giftof Reiki. It is an easy, effective way to love,heal, and empower yourself. I look forwardto meeting you and sharing Reiki.”

Boston area classesMarch 1, May 10, or June 14

Wilton, NH classesMarch 8, May 3, or June 7

To register, call the Reiki HealingConnection: 1-888-REIKI-4-U(1-888-734-5448) or (603) 654-2787.Visa/MC accepted. Social Work andNursing CEU’s available. Reiki MasterTraining information avaliable on request.

Southern New Hampshire, New YorkFoundling, and New York ColumbiaPresbyterian. Libby was featured in a Reikisegment for the PBS nationally televisedseries, Body and Soul. For the past sevenyears, Libby has conducted Reiki classes atthe University of Maryland School ofSocial Work and at Kripalu Center forYoga and Health. One of Libby’s currentpassions is teaching hospice staff and vol-unteers. Fueled by Reiki energy, their heal-ing touch is enhanced, affording greatereffectiveness in calming agitation, soothingpain and providing comfort.

In class, a powerful slide presentation cap-tures the essence of Reiki. You hear theReiki story, receive attunements and prac-tice giving and receiving Reiki. You leaveclass with an illustrated notebook, certifi-cate, and pin, fully trained and certified todo Reiki on yourself, family, friends, andpets.

Libby is a gifted, knowledgeable ReikiMaster with 26 years experience. She iscoauthor of Reiki Energy Medicine,Bringing Healing Touch into Home,Hospital, and Hospice - over 55,000 copiessold in seven languages.

Use Reiki to create more joy and ease inyour life. Let Libby’s warm, heart-cen-tered approach help you to take your nextstep toward self-love and inner peace.Reiki brings balance and harmony, sup-porting you doing the work you wereborn to do. Reiki facilitates transitions,promotes creativity and wisdom, andaccelerates spiritual growth, helping youmanifest your magnificance.

Libby has taught medical and nursingstudents at Harvard, Brown, Tufts, andYale as well as staff at MassachusettsGeneral, Beth Israel, Mt Auburn,Emerson, Dartmouth-Hitchcock,

Libby Barnett, MSWReiki Master

“Reiki speaks to our heart and deepens our connection to self and others.”

“Love is the healer and Reiki is love.”

©

HEALING & BODYWORK

Rolfing© is a deep bodywork methoddeveloped by Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D., in the1940's, which frees, releases andreshapes the body to bring it towardsgreater balance and verticality.

Through Rolfing©, body structure isrestored and improved, stress isreduced, and movement becomes morefluid, efficient, and graceful. Freedomand range of movement are enhanced,and breathing becomes fuller and easier.

As out of balance parts of the bodyare brought into alignment, chronicaches and pains often disappear. Gravitybecomes an ally, rather than an enemy; itis no longer an effort to hold oneself up.

In addition to the physical results,clients often experience the release of oldemotional traumas, an enhanced selfimage, increased spontaneity of expres-sion and increased agility to be assertiveand nurturing in relationships.

For information about Rolfing contactthese certified practitioners:

Boston Area Rolfer Group:

Aline Newton, Cambridge: (617) 661-6409

William Redpath, Bedford, Cambridge:(781) 861-0184

Dennis Bailey, Marshfield (South Shore):(617) 472-2699

Garret Whitney, Brighton, Concord, (978) 371-2188

Eric Jacobson, Arlington:(781) 643-6874

Beate Gottschlich, Cambridge:(617) 661-9291

Out of State:Kevin Frank, Holderness, Concord, NH;

Norwich, VT: (603) 968-9585

Rolfing

How we see can be affected byour frame of mind, state ofhealth, and environment . Inresponse to Life we may begin to overfo-cus at one distance and lose clarity atanother, or exhaust our eyes so they can'tfocus comfortably anywhere, or even letone eye drift in and out. These adaptationsmay become chronic. We use muscles tofocus our eyes. You can learn techniquesto relax and coordinate them so that you

can see comfortably and clearly again.Your dependence on glasses or con-tacts can be prevented, eliminated, orreduced. Rosemary draws on her twen-ty years experience and training inorthoptics, the Bates' Method, GestaltPsychotherapy, and Educational-Kinesthetics to form a comprehensiveapproach to vision improvement. Sheoffers individual and group sessions foradults and children.

ROSEMARY GADDUM GORDON,D.B.O., M.A.

CAMBRIDGE, MA(617) 354-8360

and

ELIOT, MENEAR PORTSMOUTH, NH

(207) 439-9821

Holistic Vision Improvement

Rosemary Gaddum Gordon, DBO, MA


HEALING & BODYWORK continued

22 STRAND AND144 STRAND

DNA ACTIVATIONS

Your DNA holds the master plan foryour life purpose and divine potential.Through this sacred process your 22strands of DNA are activated andstrengthened, while unwanted debrisfrom the DNA structure is cleared.YOUR HIGHEST POTENTIALBECOMES YOUR REALITY!

Further benefits include: gained energy,clarity and focus, a stronger immunesystem, the use of more of your brain.Benefits your nerves, blood, skin, mus-cles and respiratory system. This activa-tion helps you to discover new talentsand abilities, releases unconscious pat-terns, facilitates clearing of genetic and

family karmic patterns and enables youto bring in and hold more LIGHT in yourphysical body. This activation is a hugeacceleration step on your personalpath. Also available: Energy Clearing,karmic Matrix, Life coaching and More.

Change your life in ways you have always dreamed! Give yourself the gift of full empowerment and improved health

CLAIRE LUFT - HEART'S SINGINGHEALING CENTER

Woburn, MA 781-281-2888www.heartssinging.com

Services Offered:• Colon Hydrotherapy• I-ACT Certified Practitioners• FDA Registered Instruments• Slow and Continuous Fill (simulatesgravity flow) systems available• Over 20 years of colon hydrotherapy experience• Iridology is the science and practice ofanalyzing the Iris, pupil and sclera of the eyeto determine inherited and accumulatedhealth patterns.

• Herbal/Nutritional Consultation inwhich an herbalist/pharmacist with over 10years of experience creates individualizedcleansing, fasting, and wellness programsusing herbs specified for the client.• 3 and 7 day cleanses• Kidney cleanses• Liver & Gall Bladder cleanses• Weight Loss cleanses• Lymphatic Therapy is a therapy used tohelp move the lymphatic system, an integralpart of our immune system. High-Frequency

and Manual Therapy available.• 10-Day Cleanse Program• 30-Day Detox/Rejuvenation Program

The Natural Path Alternative, Inc.214 Market Street

Brighton, MA 02135617-787-5040

[email protected] Natural Path

Alternative, Inc.

Betty Solbjor has been practicing andteaching Reiki since 1996, and in 2002became a Karuna Reiki® Master, a BachFoundation Registered Practitioner, and wasordained as an interfaith minister. She hasextensive experience using Reiki on bothpeople and animals to gently treat manyillnesses and emotional problems. Reikibrings about a deep sense of relaxation andinner peace. Combined with MagnifiedHealing, crystal singing bowls, and guidedmeditation, a session can help to restorebalance and harmony to body, mind and soul.

Services offered:• Reiki treatment sessions and training

for all levels of Reiki and Karuna Reiki

• Bach Flower Essence® consultationsand creation of custom formulas

• Weddings and other ceremonies

Call or e-mail to schedule an appointmentor inquire about classes.

(781) 258-7712 Waltham, MAemail: [email protected]: www.reikiflowers.comMember, International Association of Reiki

Professionals and Better Business Bureau®,Serving Eastern Masschusetts

Betty L. Solbjor, BFRPUsui Reiki Master

Karuna Reiki® MasterInterfaith Minister

PolarityBody Energy Balancing

deep relaxationphysical well-being

personal and spiritual growth

781-899-7163

Waltham, MA

[email protected]

Colon Hydrotherapy (ColonicIrrigation) in the comfortable surroundings of the Lydian Centerfor Innovative Medicine.

The Center is located inside theProfessional Arts Building ofSancta Maria Hospital.

Joya Z. Baynes• I-ACT Certified• Over 6 years Experience• FDA Approved PPC-101

“The Traveler” Instrument• Closed System

LIFETIME HEALTH & CONSULTING

777 CONCORD AVENUE, SUITE 301CAMBRIDGE, MA 02139

617-710-1337 or [email protected]

A Traveling Colon Hydrotherapist

The Key to Living



John Harvey Gray& Lourdes Gray, Ph.D.

John Harvey Gray has been a ReikiMaster instructor since 1976, activelyteaching and practicing Reiki longerthan any other living teacher in theWest.

He took his entire Reiki training withHawayo Takata, who brought Reiki tothe West from Japan. John has conduct-ed over 850 Reiki workshops, teachingmore than 15,000 students, and wasnamed the 1994 Interface Presenter ofthe Year.

Lourdes Gray, Ph.D., his wife, is aReiki Master instructor certified by John.She brings years of extensive experienceusing Reiki to treat degenerative diseasessuch as arthritis, cancer, HIV/AIDS, aswell as emotional problems.

Questions? Call or write for informationabout workshops or private Reiki ses-sions. Third Degree/Master Instructortraining available.

THE JOHN HARVEY GRAYCENTER FOR REIKI HEALING15 Dolly Lane, Rindge, NH 03461

603/899-3288Register online! www.reiki.mv.com

America’s Most Experienced Reiki Teachers

Read our new book!Hand To Hand

Available now at reiki.mv.com, local bookstoresand Amazon.com

Visa/MC accepted for all courses.

Contact Hours available

Experience colon hydrotherapyin a safe, relaxed environment

using state-of-the-art FDA registered equipment.

Stephanie Dumas,I-ACT certified

Colon Hydrotherapist, Owner

[email protected]

Lexington Medical Building16 Clarke StreetLexington, MA

(781) 860-5116

Cleansing for the body, the mind, the spirit

Keyzom Bhutti, Doctor of TibetanMedicine, corrects any imbalances of thebody and mind using finest qualityMedicinal Herbs—Mineral Supplementsand Moxabustion in some cases.

For information or an appointment call

(617) 666-8635

TIBETAN SCIENCE OF HEALING

Basic Classes (1st Degree) (16.0 CEU credits available.)

• Feb 16-17 Rindge, NH• Mar 15-16 Rindge, NH• Apr 26-27 Rindge, NH

Advanced Classes (2nd Degree) • Mar 1-2 Rindge, NH• Mar 29-30 Rindge, NH

Reiki 2nd Degree Advance Workshops• Feb 9-10 Rindge, NH

Regressions into Past Lives• March 8 Rindge, NH

Learn To See Auras• March 9 Rindge, NH

Nancy Ames, a graduate of the BancroftSchool of Massage Therapy, has been amassage therapist for over 16 years. She isalso a member of the American MassageTherapy Association.

Nancy offers many different styles ofmassage modalities including: relaxing Swedishmassage, therapeutic deep tissue, triggerpoint therapy, myofascial release and Reiki.

Her treatments include luxurious hottowels placed on tight and sore musclesthat help to relieve tension and stress.

Nancy tailors her massage sessionsto meet her clients’ needs.

Visit her on the web at: www.nancyamesmt.com

Or you can email her at [email protected]

Nancy AmesMassage Therapy

481 Great Rd. Suite 9Acton Ma.

(978) 263-6886

“Energyflows where

attentiongoes”



Eric Jacobson, Ph.D.Rolfing® * Craniosacral Therapy

Psychotherapy

Rolfing® produces lasting improvements inposture, breathing, movement, and overallrelaxation. The Rolfer uses manual pressureto help you feel into and let go of rigidities inthe connective tissue that wraps every mus-cle and bone. As you let go the tissuechanges state, becoming more elastic andconductive of energy. This enhances free-dom of movement, sensation, and circula-tion. Rolfing is done in specific patternsthroughout the body to allow a more erectposture, easier breathing, improved bal-ance, and more graceful movement. Thesechanges lead to a more positive self-imageand increased confidence. Once elasticityhas been restored it will remain unless thearea is re-injured subjected to emotionaltrauma or very long-term tension, so thebenefits are relatively permanent.

Other Benefits:Increases ability to sense emotions and other energetic states. Releases negative emotional memories.Accelerates progress in psychotherapy or spiritual practice.Restores flexibility and circulation to scar tissue and joints, both post-injury and post-surgical.

Craniosacral Therapy gently increasesthe mobility of the bones in the head, spineand pelvis. This is especially effective inrelieving cranial compression from headinjuries. Patterns of distress and dysfunc-tion going back as far as birth and child-hood can be treayed. Benefits include relieffrom chronic pain and tension in then head,neck, or lower back, and the release ofnegative emotional memories.

My Background includes training inRolfing with Ida Rolf, and inCraniosacral Therapy with JohnUpledger. I am a graduate of theGestalt Training Center of San Diegoand the Cambridge Family Instituteand have a private practice in psy-chotherapy. I am certified as anAdvanced Rolfer by the Rolf Institute,and have practiced in the Boston areafor the past 35 years.

For free literature or an appointment:

781-643-687410 Ramsdell Court,Arlington, MA 02476

www.eric-jacobson.com

HERBS

Mark LevinEnergy Healer

Certified HypnotherapistReiki Master

Specializes in: Hypnotherapy, Reiki, PolarityTherapy, white light healing, remote healing.

By combining traditional healing methodssuch as Reiki, hypnosis, polarity therapy withhis original white light healing therapy,

Mark Levin was able to create very powerfulhealing processes for hundreds of satisfiedclients both within physical realm of his officeand remotely throughout entire world.

There are many clinically documented cases ofspontaneous healing performed by him.

121 B. Tremont Street, Suite #19Brighton, MA

For an office appointment or to placea remote healing request please call

617-779-8765In urgent cases, please call

617-233-3986

Major credit cards accepted.Devoted to Helping You Feel Better

Hsing M. Wu, M.D. is a visitingprofessor of medicine from theChinese Academy of MedicalScience, Beijing, China. He is aResearch Fellow in pulmonarymedicine at the V.A. MedicalCenter in Boston.

We integrate the Western andthe Oriental Medicine withtheir cultures to help people toget better health rewards and ahappy, long life.

Beacon Medical Center1842 Beacon Street, #207

Brookline, MA 02445

Tel: (617) 731-9130Hsing M. Wu, M.D.

Internal Medicine

INTERNAL MEDICINE

MEDICAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES

George W. Mephis, Ph.D.

George W. Mephis, Ph.D., world-renowned Russian healer and spiritualteacher with 25 years of experience in help-ing people stop smoking, lose weightand achieve freedom from addiction slavery.He has been called The Miraclemakerfor his phenomenal ability to cure incurablediseases. He is the founder of the Hypno-Energetic Movement. This powerful

technique stimulates the brain to pro-duce more pleasure hormones, naturallycreating a positive state of conscious-ness and at the same time erasing thenegative memories related to addictivebehavior. Mr. Mephis helps peoplequit smoking in one session, loseweight and control their appetite,eliminate pain, stress, anxiety,

depression, addictive behavior andvarious other physical disorders ina unique and miraculous way.

George W. Mephis, Ph.D.

Market Street Health214 Market Street

Brighton, MA 02135

617-507-19911-888-464-3363

www.hypnoenergetic.com

SSttoopp SSmmookkiinngg iinn OOnnee SSeessssiioonn && LLoossee WWeeiigghhtt NNaattuurraallllyy


MEDICAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES continued

At M.A.S.H. we feel that complementarymedicine is state of the art health care foryour pet. We offer homeopathy, acupunc-ture, nutrition, chiropractic care, bodywork, physical therapy, and Reiki as partof your pet’s whole health program. Ourcaring staff is dedicated to guiding youtoward total health for your pet.

Now offerinig ozone therapy.

We are truly a whole health center,also offering surgery, diagnostics,vaccination/titering, and x-Rays.

Margo Roman D.V.M. is a 1978 graduate ofTuskegee Veterinary School. She interned atAngell Memorial and was on the teaching staffat Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine. Shestudied homeopathy with Luc DeShepper ofthe Renaissance Institute of ClassicalHomeopathy. Dr. Roman is a member of theAmerican Veterinary Medical Association andthe American Holistic Veterinary MedicalAssociation as well as International VeterinaryAcupuncture Society and MassachusettsVeterinary Medical Association. Dr. Roman hascompleted Tufts Veterinary advanced Herbaland Chiropractic courses.

Homeopathic, Holistic &Traditional Veterinary Medicine

Margo Roman, D.V.M.

(508) 435-4077 or (508) 435-MASH72W. Main St. - Hopkinton, MAEst. 1983

Main Street AnimalServices of Hopkinton

Main St. Animal Services of Hopkinton

Please call for a holistic consultation today!

Your teeth and jaws are an extensionof your brain and spinal cord. Any imbal-ances caused by improper alignment ofthe jaw (commonly referred to as dentalproprioception) can play a major role inall disease and pain. Faulty dental pro-prioception can cause improper neuro-logical feedback to the brain affectingmost, if not all body functions. Temporaryrelief is easy and inexpensive, and canenhance your present treatment whetherit is Chiropractic, Acupuncture,Massage, Physical or Neural Therapy,Pain Management, and TMD/TMJ.There are over 230 positive studies from81 universities in 37 countries involving24 different dental procedures with anastounding 94% success rate. Thisincluded procedures as sensitive teeth,pain control, speed of healing, periodon-tal disease, and others.

Carisolv™ a 5 yr. old gel from Sweden,approved by the FDA(2001) that softens

Dr. Yolin has been trained in thespecialty of Prosthetic Dentistry but doesnot limit his practice. He utilizes hyp-notherapy for dental phobic, cosmeticdentistry, oral devices for snoring andsleep apnea, 28 years experience intreating head/neck facial pain syndrome,metal free crowns wherever possible,and extensive training in dental implan-tology. His treatment philosophy isbased on the fact that at the end of everytooth is a human being and although hefixes teeth, he treats human beings. Andthat will never change.

Call now for a consultationand share the excitement at:

Northeast Dental AssociatesHerbert S. Yolin, D.D.S.

1842 Beacon Street, Brookline, MA 02146

(617) 730-8989DrYolin.com a mercury free office

Herbert S. Yolin, D.D.S.“I am committed to helping people keep all their teeth all their lives.”

Dentistry for the 21st Century — Today!

Gum surgery is history, say goodbye to the drill, the pain, the noise and the needle.

Holistic Dental Practice grows to Biologic and Physiologic Dentistrydecay so it can be scraped out withoutdrilling, causing less pain and discomfort.Add this to Micro-dentistry and AirAbrasion and it becomes true needlefree, mercury free filling procedure.

Dr. Yolin has offered an alternative totraditional periodontal surgery for morethen 15 years and now adds a SoftTissue Laser for enhancing the steril-izing of the diseased gum pockets. Heis a certified member of the Academy ofLaser Dentistry (exam based). Phasecontrast microscopy, bacterial culturesand anti-microbial natural oils are usedin the never ending commitment toavoiding unnecessary gum surgery.

Mercury (Hg) in your saliva fromchewing? Take the chewing test andhave your saliva analyzed for Hg at avery reasonable cost. You may not needthem removed. Defective amalgams areremoved following IAOMT protocol.

Miracle Bite Tabs™ (MBT) &Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT),are used to treat Dental Distress Syndrome(DDS) as written about by Dr. Hans SelyeMD, Dr. Fonder, a dentist, & others.

www.mashvet.com

Christ Church UnityCnr. Colchester & Chapel Sts.

Brookline, MA 02446

Wednesdays 7:00 p.m.Music, Prayer & Meditation

Experience The Healing Power of

Sunday Service 11:00 AMDaily Word Discussion Sundays 10:00 AM

Dec. 23 - Christmas Candlelight Service(at the Longwood T on the Green Line

D Train)

617-232-4548www.unityboston.org

Christ Church Unity

is affiliated with Unity

School of Christianity ,

publisher of the Daily

Word and Silent Unity

METAPHYSICS

Listen to Our Radio Program “Peace Be Still”Sundays 11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m WBIX 1060 AM

PSYCHICS

PSYCHIC READINGS AND INTUITIVE LIFE COACHINGNew Zealand Native, Shannar, has traveled

extensively throughout the world sharing her giftsof the Sacred Language of Light. From a veryearly age Shannar was aware that the otherrealms were contacting and working with her,this began her own spiritual journey into the otherworlds through Clairvoyance/Clairaudience andMediumship for Grief Therapy. Her psychic abil-ity has touched the hearts of all her clients both inthe USA and Overseas and her varied live expe-riences have greatly assisted those that havesought her Life Coaching methods.

The Sacred Language of Light is a very specialtool for resolving our patterns by connecting with thecellular memory and healing the agreements that wemade in this and past lives. The Sacred Language ofLight comes through in the special pieces of sym-bolic art form known as the pictographs. Each pic-tograph is a Star Gate Map into our cellular encod-ings and contains Sacred Geometry, Symbols,Musical Harmonics, Ancient and Star Languages.Shannar is able to speak the Sacred Language,hears the stories in poetry form and performs thepictograph symbols with her hands.

ReadingsLife Coaching

Grief CounselingWorkshops

PerformancesProductsAvailable

For further information:

1-888-394-9099www.sacredlifestyles.com


PSYCHOLOGY & TRANSFORMATION

Read What Former Clients Say About Ross MillerMigraines, a Thing of the Past...“I can’t believe you got rid of my migraines. Atfirst I didn’t believe you when you said it wasdue to a past life when I was a soldier and gotshot in the head. No wonder the doctors could-n’t help me.” —Donna M., Hartford, CT

Depression and Anxiety Attacks Gone...“Dear Ross, I’m going to name my first childafter you. You’ve succeeded where 8 years oftherapists and innumerable pain medicationshave failed. My depression and anxiety attacksare gone, gone, gone. Forever grateful.”—Roz S., Attleboro, MA

Free of Drugs & Alcohol...“Dear Ross, Thank you for helping my daugh-ter get over the breakup of her boyfriend andoff of drugs and alcohol. She’s a completelychanged person.”—Sharon K., Manchester, NH

Anger, Grief & Guilt Transformed...“In the course of one (two-hour) sessionwith Ross, I was able to release and healthe deep, dark feelings of anger, grief, guiltand shame that had their origins in sever-al of my past lives." —Brian D., Cranston, RI

Fybromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Gone...“By the end of the third healing session(0ver the phone), my fybromyalgia,chronic fatigue, and depression werecompletely gone. Thank you, Ross." —Denise F., Hull, MA

Agoraphobia Cured...“A long overdue thank you. My agorapho-bia (fear of being in public places) is com-pletely gone. In addition, I’ve started exer-cising and eating better, and I’ve lost 30lbs.! I owe it all to you.” —Elizabeth S., Worcester, MA

What is Regression Therapy? To go backin time (without the use of hypnosis) to theorigin or root cause of a problem and releaseor heal it. This might entail going back topast lives or earlier parts of your current life.

For the past 25 years Ross Miller has beenoffering the benefits of regression therapy world-wide, helping his clients quickly and easily releasetheir fears, anxiety attacks, depression, anger,physical pain, grief, abuse trauma, addictions,blocked potential, fibromyalgia, stress, chronicfatigue, eating disorders, health problems andphobias. Ross is available for individual or cou-ples regression therapy sessions, psychic and pastlife readings and/or healing by telephone or inperson. (See Directory ad under "Psychics".)

For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call:

Ross Miller1075 Washington St., Newton, MA 02465

(617) 527-3583Email: [email protected]

Website: www.TheMysticWay.com

Therapy Should Take Hours Not Years

Ross MillerRegression Therapist

Let me guide you in life-changingLacanian analytic sessions. Learnmore how to hear your soul speakrather than your ego so that youcan place this deepest knowingat the center of your life.

All life transitions can be addressed, for example:

• Relationship issues• Grief • Loneliness• Anxiety • Depression• Divorce • Career Issues• Trauma • Spiritual Crises• Weight Loss

For a consultation or moreinformation call:

Meg Turner, Ph.D.Licensed Psychologist

Harvard Square

(617) 868-3727

WHAT THE SOUL WOULD SAY IF THE SOUL COULD SPEAKBecome the change

you want to see in the world.

—Gandhi

Become who you are—Nietzsche

PSYCHICS continued

Serena gives readings that touch yoursoul. She blends the ancient wisdom ofVedic astrology with her remarkable intu-ition to help you use perfect timing to bringjoy and fruition to all areas of your life.

She is highly sought after by celebrities,business executives, speakers, and authors.She has made numerous appearances onTV and radio and you may have recently

heard her name on Coast to Coast AM.Serena has been gifted since childhood

with the ability to see many dimensions oflife. She has spent many years in spiritualpractice and enjoys working on her ownhealing and evolvement so that her serviceto others is of the highest quality.

“Serena’s work is extraordinary—a stunning

blend of mind, heart, and soul.” Says JudithOrloff, M.D., author and clairvoyant psychiatrist

Serena gives readings by telephone all over the country.

Serena Wright-Taylor

310-335-5617Website: www.vimana.org

Astrologer and Clairvoyant – Serena Wright-Taylor

Sonny Rose, M.A.Counseling & Psychotherapy

DEEPEN YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS THROUGH TRANSFORMATIVE PSYCHOTHERAPYSonny is available for ongoing client-cen-tered therapy in a compassionate settingwhere you can feel safe without fear thatyou will be judged. Being asked the rightquestions in a confidential environmentcan further enhance your self-knowingand assist you in moving into a state ofjoy. The sessions are available to helpyou process and integrate the beauty ofyour wholeness with respect and honor.

If you are not living the life you preferbecause you feel blocked, are in a transi-tional time, experiencing on-going stressor sadness, emotional numbness, or are

aware of self-defeating patterns, thenyour awareness can greatly motivateyou to deepen the process of self-dis-covery. Working in collaboration withSonny will heighten your experience ofhealing and transformation.

Sonny Rose holds a Master of Arts inCounseling Psychology and has workedwith many diverse groups around theworld. She has worked as an adjunctfaculty member at Lesley University andhas worked in Rehabilitative Medicineat Boston University Medical School.Sonny’s work incorporates many inno-

vative mind/body/spiritual tech-niques which have profound effectsin the process of transformation.

Individual and group work available. Support for people living with cancer.

call for more information.

Sonny Rose, M.A.C.P.

617-492-2224 in Cambridge

and

978-369-7733in Concord


Astrological Charts Books • Music (Metaphysical)Classes & Workshops Incense • Oils • AromatherapyParties & Weddings Crystals • Jewelry • Candles

AURA PHOTOS: face & chakra bodyA READER ON HAND AT ALL TIMES

BY APPOINTMENT: Rev. Barbara E. Szafranski

Classes ongoing weekly. Meditation: Mon, Tue, &Wed, 7:00 to 9:00P.M. Focus on psychic development.Shambhalla’s Healing Ctr. offers Angelic Healing,Reiki, and Energy Work.

Angelica offers a wide variety of bothMetaphysical and New Age gifts. Browse around,enjoy the softness of the Angelic energy. Feel themagic that Angelica of the Angels brings toyou. We have a knowledgable staff to answer anyand all questions and direct you in anyway theycan to help guide you in life.

READINGS ARE OUR SPECIALTYSpiritual Counseling MediumshipTrance Channelling Tarot ReadingsPsychic Readings Telephone Readings

By appointment only.

With The Love of AngelsRev. Barbara E. Szafranski

Gifts of the Spirit7 Central Street, Salem, MA 01970

978-745-9355Open Monday thru Sunday

READINGS

PSYCHOLOGY & TRANSFORMATION continued

Glenn uses an approach that will help you to findyour way free from the areas of your life in whichyou feel stuck or unsatisfied. Isn’t it time youstart living the life you really want?

He offers great knowledge and compassion to hisclients who deal with life transitions, relation-ships, addictions, grief, anger, self-esteem, trau-ma/abuse, self-harmful behavior, divorce, andmental health issues.

Alternative relationships and lifestyles welcome.

Initial consultation free. Sliding Scale Available.

Office in Newton

Group Available

www.GlennBigonet.com

Glenn Bigonet, M.A.Mental Health Counselor

Compassionate Acceptance

(617) 462-6642

Get More Out of Life! More Joy! More Love! More Satisfaction! You Deserve It!

Honoring the power of body, mind, andspirit, CI-MTI’s professional training pro-gram prepares you to enter the massagetherapy profession with confidence.

Our comprehensive curriculum, richin science, communications, business,and practical experience, provides asolid foundation in specialized techniqueto help you address clients’ most com-mon symptoms.

Our dedicated faculty teach with theinsight and passion that come from a

well-developed expertise and love fortheir work.

Our Career Services and PlacementOffice offers you the extensive Cortivanetwork of opportunities and careersupport with personalized attention.

Our in-depth 900-hour program is avail-able in a variety of formats, includinga new one-year option, to accommo-date the busy lives of working people.

Come to an Introductory Workshop toexplore a career in massage for yourself.

Call Admissions at(617) 668-1000www.cortiva.com/mtiLicensed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.Accredited by the Commission on MassageTherapy Accreditation. Financial aid available forthose who qualify.

Create Your Career at Cortiva Institute - Muscular Therapy Institute

103 Morse St., Watertown, MA 02472

SCHOOLS & INSTITUTES

As above... GURDJIEFFSYSTEM OF HARMONIC DEVELOPMENT

Reading • Exercise • Prayer • MusicORDINARY KESDJAN MENTAL CAUSAL

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life’s sacredness, moments likewhen we are somehow mysterious-ly moved by violets.

Penetrating what is thusimplies reaching into the heart ofthe present moment, where all pos-sible satisfaction and promise forfulfillment lie. A twenty-eight-year-old single woman, Jennifer,undertook therapy, as she came torealize only later, to learn to pene-trate and flow with what is. Shebecame depressed in response to anumber of converging factors,chief among which was her long-standing struggle with a weightcondition. Though by no meansobese, she had a large frame tobegin with, and was twenty poundsheavier than she wished. She triedone diet and exercise program afteranother, successfully losing weighteach time, only to put it back onshortly after. Even with the weightloss, she felt she was still tooheavy, and the dietary and exerciseregimen to keep the weight off wasexcruciating for her. She didn’thave an eating disorder, and psy-chological exploration of emotion-al factors underlying her conditionyielded no insights. Her family his-tory had generations of heavy peo-ple.

I referred Jennifer to a physi-cian whose clinical assessment wasthat her body cells were geneticallypredisposed to retaining fat andalso, very likely, physiologicallyconditioned this way by earlydietary and lifestyle habits. Headvised against drug treatment inher case, and together they devel-oped a dietary and exercise pro-gram that she could manage. Yeteven with this, her condition con-tinued to cause her much distress.It was her self-loathing and lack ofself-compassion that made herproblem so weighty. Regardless ofthe progress she made in therapy tounderstand the roots and evileffects of this self-loathing, shealways returned to the fantasy posi-

tion, “If only I were thin.”I concluded that if this fantasy,

a form of resistance, was whatJennifer always fell back into, thenthis was what needed to be pene-trated. We explored what she imag-ined her life would be like if shehad a thin body. She conductedlively discussions between her “fatself” and “skinny self,” and care-fully probed her dreams until therecame one with a wise old woman, afigure symbolizing her deeper per-sonality or self. The woman was,perhaps to be expected, matronlyand, as Jennifer described her,“pleasantly plump.” Accessing andbefriending this inner figurethrough her imagination (a processJung called active imagination),Jennifer had many dialogues withher, both in our sessions and on herown. Such a guiding figure fromthe unconscious is independentfrom the ego, and can thus assumeall the characteristics that an actualguide or teacher would in the outerworld. On one occasion the womantold her that there are things aboutherself that she also didn’t like butcould not change. At a certainpoint, even wise old women justhave to accept who they are andlive with it—that’s how theybecome wise. If Jennifer’s weightcondition was preventing her fromfinding fulfillment, she wouldnever be fulfilled. Coming fromwithin Jennifer herself, this admo-nition had a different effect than ifit had come from me.

Over time the stigma Jenniferattached to her weight began totransform, and as she graduallymade peace with her condition, shebegan to feel good about herselfand all the good things in her life.Coincidentally, it was around thistime that she met the man she even-tually married. In Jennifer’sinstance, less is more did not meanshe should lose weight. It meantthat she should become small psy-chologically, small enough to

accept her weight condition andlive with it. Here, less is more, sim-pler is better implicitly meant whatis, is good enough. For Jennifer,life would not begin “till the fatlady sang.”

* * *

The greater our suffering, thegreater our need to penetrate themeaning it may hold for us. AsNietzsche said, “He who has a whyto live for can bear with almost anyhow.” Often the key to this mean-ing is small, lying in the neglecteddetails of our life histories, the fineintricacies of our inner workingsand feelings, and the subtle factorsthat influence our relationships.Allan, a single man in his mid-for-ties, poignantly illustrates this. Hecame to see me to deal with hisdepression around his condition ofcirrhosis which had developed as aresult of the hepatitis B virus hehad contracted some time earlierfrom a sex partner. The hepatitishad so damaged his liver that hislife had become significantlyrestricted, leaving him fatigued,unmotivated, and often in physicaldiscomfort. Allan’s shame abouthis condition and how he contract-ed it inhibited him from seeingfriends, and his diminished sociallife made him very lonely.Although he was on the nationalwait list for a liver transplant, hediscovered it could have as manycomplications and restrictionsupon his life as the illness itself.

The early part of therapyinvolved an intense process ofgrieving. Allan grieved the loss ofhis health, his youth, the life he hadformerly had, and the future he hadhoped to have. At one point, as ourdiscussions turned toward hischildhood years, I asked him whatsignificance this illness and darkturn of events might have from theviewpoint of his psyche, his soul.What purpose might it be serving

The Way of the Small... Cont. from page 16


him? This was not to suggest a psy-chosomatic origin for his conditionor an unconscious wish or impulseto get sick. The intent was rather toplace the illness into a spiritualcontext that is open to the mysteri-ous significance of things happen-ing together, if not in a cause-effectmanner: what is it about his illnessthat “goes with” the rest of his life?By exploring what role the illnesswas having in his life story, hemight discover the meaning itcould have for him.

Allan revealed a childhood sti-fled by a controlling, narcissisticmother who discouraged his pre-disposition towards the creativearts in favor of more traditional,academic pursuits. He was made tofeel very dependent on the mother,but when his younger sister wasborn and the mother’s attentionsshifted, this dependency was sud-denly prohibited and shamed. Hegrew up emotionally isolated andoften found himself shunned byschoolmates. Allan’s father was aloving, gentle man, but he wasunder the mother’s influence andunable to be an advocate for his sonor to help him take a stand againstthe mother.

In adulthood, Allan carried thisdeeply internalized impression of“I-don’t-count” into his relation-ships and career. He had fewfriends, and mostly short-term andunsatisfying romantic relation-ships. Although he found his careeras a librarian in a university librarymodestly satisfying, it was beneathhis talents and creative interests inpainting, photography, and othervisual arts. When he brought insamples of his work to show me, Isaw he was genuinely gifted. Hehad abandoned his art work a fewyears prior to this for reasons hecould not explain.

In time, by penetrating thesmall and painful details of his lifein a small and painstaking way,slowly and carefully sifting

through them, Allan connected thelife-long theme of being emotion-ally and creatively shut down withwhat the cirrhosis was now doingto him. It was more of the same,but much more dramatic and life-altering. The cirrhosis was only themost recent “installment” of thisexperience. As he began to “own”his own role in shutting himselfdown, and not just blame his par-ents or medical condition, he sawthat he had choices he could bemaking. He didn’t have to respondto the cirrhosis the way he usuallyresponded to diminishing experi-ences, which was by withdrawingand turning against himself. Heopted not to pursue the liver trans-plant and combined a variety oftreatments that arrested the growthof the cirrhosis, thereby raising thelevel of his physical functioningcloser to what it had been beforethe onset of the illness. As he feltbetter, he began to socialize more,to risk more, and to seek a differentquality of relationship than thekind to which he had been accus-tomed. He also began to once againenjoy doing art. Without penetrat-ing the meaning of his illness andwhat his soul wanted from him,Allan might never have been com-pelled to change his old patterns ofdissatisfaction with new ways ofnourishing himself.

To penetrate what is releasesthe potential energy available to usbelow the surface of things, includ-ing the healing or reparative energywithin the body and mind.Penetrating what is pierces themysterious depths within ourselvesand within the world.

Knowing When To GoWith The Flow And

When Against

“All things must pass,” GeorgeHarrison sings. This is one of themost basic and unavoidable truthsof life. Many lament over it, many

avoid and live in denial of it, someaccept it begrudgingly, and a fewbehold it as a vital facet of humanexistence that liberates as well asobliterates. For this beholding to begenuine, however, it must really bean act of not holding—that is, nottrying to possess the things oflife—but instead an act of lettinggo. In order to enjoy them, we mustnot clutch onto them.

The way of the small is, atheart, a surrender to life’s transito-ry quality. Because this involves aletting-go rather than a making-something-happen, the way of thesmall again is, in spite of what wehave said about its practical princi-ples, an artless art, an effortlesseffort. The principles are basicskills, which are largely there tohelp us arrive at the point where wecan surrender to the artless art.After all, we need to have a certainmastery over life to be comfortableenough to let go to the fact thatsooner or later it sweeps away in itsflow everything we dearly hold onto. We need to have what Jungdescribed as a strong and smallego—that is, an ego that is empow-ered but uninflated—before we canconfidently and selflessly let go ofour attachments and schemes.

Not surprisingly, the fluidity oflife is universally depicted in theimage of water. Beginning as earlyas with Heraclitus, whose philoso-phy was encapsulated in the popu-lar ancient saying, panta rei(“everything flows”), life was seenas a river whose waters are foreverchanging. Water is a particularlygood image for the way of thesmall: it follows the path of leastresistance; it can penetrate smallplaces; and it is as much itself in asmall cup or in small particles as itis in a huge lake. Taoism,Confucianism, and Buddhism allemulate the flowing action ofwater, using it as a metaphor toteach us to flow with life as it natu-rally unfolds rather than try to


make it happen according to pre-conceived plans, rules, and expec-tations. Such fluidity involvesspontaneity and a fresh response tothings, and is an attitude or state ofmind before it is an act. The fol-lowing Zen story suggests this:

Two monks, Tanzanand Ekido, were jour-neying in the moun-tains on their way to an e i g h b o r i n gmonastery. At a cer-tain point they arrivedat a stream and weregreeted by a beautifulyoung woman who wasattempting to cross tothe other side. Sheasked if they couldhelp her, for she didnot wish to get herkimono wet. Tanzanpicked her up and car-ried her across. Themountain pathsdiverged and themonks silently wenttheir way. Some hourslater they came to aresting place.

Ponderously, Ekidospoke: “Our orderstrictly forbids bodilycontact with women.How is it you dis-obeyed the rule andpicked up thatwoman?”

Tanzan replied, “Ileft her back at thestream. Are you stillcarrying her?”

The degree to which Tanzanwas strong, small, and able to let go

is the degree to which Ekido wasnot. Tanzan’s approach to life wasas fluid as life itself, as the streamhe crossed. This anecdote is usual-ly referred to as a case study on thenature of attachment and detach-ment. However, carrying our innerand outer attachments lightly andbeing able to let go of them whenlife wants to take them from us isanalogous to going with the flow.

Going with the flow will curi-ously bring you to what T.S. Eliotcalled the “still point of the turningworld.” This involves the experi-ence of not moving at all and ofseeing the world as not moving atall. It is the stillness of the mystic,of the Zen swordsman, of the poetwho hears the voice of heaven ornature whispering into her ear.How can it be that flowing ushersin stillness? Simply put, if you gowith the flow, you are in the flowand moving in sync with it, andtherefore the flow seems to standstill. We are here not speaking ofsociety’s flow, which as Thoreauobserved a century ago is like arunaway train. One has to struggleto find a way to slow down themomentum of this train as it cours-es through one’s life and attemptsto drag one away with it. In otherwords, there are things we shouldnot flow with, for rather than bring-ing us to the still point of the turn-ing world they will take us awayfrom it. Discerning the differencebetween the things we should andshould not flow with is not alwayseasy.

Marjorie, a middle-agedwoman who came for couple thera-py with her husband, illustrates thisdifficulty. The problem for whichthey came initially appeared to beempty-nest syndrome. They wereholding on to their grown daughterin a manner similar to when theywere all still living together, evenafter the daughter had married,moved to another city, and had ababy. They cited traditional soci-

eties and lifestyles as their modelfor how they felt things should be.When their daughter was visitingthem one week, I asked them toinvite her to attend their session.Tears ran down their cheeks as theyheard their daughter tell them howmuch she loved them, but how sheneeded them to get on with theirlives as she had gotten on withhers. To go with the flow in thisinstance meant that this couplewould have to appropriatelychange according to the natural,developmental stage of life theywere at.

Immediately after this sessionit became evident to this couplethat the problems in their own rela-tionship that were masked by theirfocus on their daughter would nowfinally have to be dealt with. Withregard to Marjorie, her sense ofpurpose and achievement in lifewas underdeveloped. An aspiringbusinesswoman, she had fantasiesand ambitions to build a business.However, certain fears she had inpursuing these fueled her resist-ance to let go of her maternal role,a familiar one that could no longerbe central in her life. Grieving theloss of that familiar role and work-ing through her fears allowed her toeventually develop a business.From this she found a new wind inthe second half of life.

Early in this process Marjoriehad a dream in which she wasswimming in the streets of herneighborhood; the streets had beentransformed into canals with flow-ing water. She was surprised at herability to navigate the current. Thisdream reflects the transformationbeing asked of her. The canalspoint to what Jung called the canal-ization of libido or channeling ofpsychic energy. Her unconsciouswas telling her that she needed tochange the way she applied her cre-ative life energy, to trust its flowand her ability to navigate it. Sheresponded well to the dream’s


encouragement.Later in this process, after

undertaking concrete steps to starther business, Marjorie was con-fronted with numerous obstacles,both in the world and within herselfin the form of the fears and resist-ance mentioned above. In our ses-sions she repeatedly expressed awish to give up. At this point shehad a dream which she was againable to listen to and apply. In thisdream she was swimming in thesame canals but upstream against arough current. There was no dangerindicated here, merely difficulty—probably the difficulty of newbeginnings and of persevering. Theprinciple portrayed here was clear-ly active opposition on the ego’spart: the ego has to oppose its owninertia or inclination to go with aflow that would only keep the oldstatus quo in place and lead to nonew developments or growth. Likethe salmon who needs to go againstthe current to return to its place of

origin and give birth, we, too, mustsometimes go against the flow inorder to truly go with it. Life is dif-ficult and we must battle our fearsor laziness, and when others disap-prove of our changes, we must bat-tle their resistance, too. It is impor-tant to know when to go with theflow and when to go against it.Happiness is more often the fruit ofhard work than the result of fortu-itous things that happen to us.

The river of life is ever-chang-ing. Owning our smallness allowsus to let go in this river and thenreminds us how important it is toempower ourselves to navigate itwhen its current gets rough or turnsagainst us. This empowerment cancome in the form of help from oth-ers, from our traditions of wisdom,or from our dreams, guidinginstincts, and other inner resources.These are like oars that help steerus in the right direction and, if nec-essary, go against the current.Fluidity is not just going with the

flow, as popular culture might haveus believe, but a flexibility to meetlife’s challenges with whateverresponse is necessary.

Excerpted from The Way of the Small: WhyLess is Truly More by Michael Gellert,Nicholas Hays, Inc.

It is not God’s will merely that we should behappy, but that we should make ourselves happy.

—Immanuel Kant


Excerpted from The Book of Stones, by Robert Simmons and Naisha AhsianMMyyssttiiccaall SSttoonneess

Keyword: Psychic awakening,mediumship, mental clarity andinsight, feeling at home on theEarth.

Element: Wind, Water.

Chakras: Third Eye (6th),Throat (5th).

Siberian Blue Quartz isthe name given to acobalt blue laboratory-grown Quartzwhich was cre-

ated first in Russia. It is asilicon dioxide materialwith a hardness of 7. Itscrystal system is hexago-nal (trigonal). Its strikingblue color comes fromcobalt that is introducedinto the crystal-growingsolution.

Even though these stonesare born in the laboratory,many sensitive indi-viduals agreethat Siberian Blue Quartz carries agreat deal of energy. There is noother gemstone that so strikinglyexhibits the Blue Ray as doesSiberian Blue Quartz. These stun-ning gems immediately activateboth the throat chakra and the thirdeye, in a blended harmony that bothawakens the insights of the highermind and facilitates the eloquentcommunication of its knowledge.The Wind element energy of thisstone evokes psychic awakening,and it can be of assistance to thosewho wish to develop the powers ofclairvoyance, clairaudience,clairsentience, prophecy, psychoki-nesis, mediumship and interdimen-

sional communication. For individ-uals who are already well-awakenedin these domains, the stones providea balancing and calming influence,stabilizing the incom-ing energiesand allowing one to remain centeredand clear both during and afterreceiving information from highersources.

Like natural Quartz, SiberianBlue Quartz is programmable, andin this case, the stones ar. predis-posed to the enhancement of psy-

chic abilities. Because of thisattunement, one can get excellentresults when one programs SiberianBlue Quartz for psychic assistance.For example, if one is attempting tolocate a lost object, one can medi-tate with a piece of Siberian BlueQuartz, picturing the object in ques-tion and focusing on the intention oflocating it. Then one can sleep withthe stone, observing one's dreamsfor clues, and one can also go backand meditate with the stone again,paying close attention to whateverimages and impressions may come.The same sort of process canenhance one's results with any ofthe psychic powers.

Siberian Blue Quartz connects

one to the Water element and there-by to the domains of emotion andSpirit. It can be a healing stone forthose who feel misunderstood or ill-at-ease on the Earth plane, or foranyone who feels alienated fromothers. There is both the sense offeeling 'at home' when wearing thestone as well as an energetic conduitof connection to oth-ers in one'senvironment, such that the feelingof being uncomfortably 'different'from others disappears. These

stones illuminate the com-mon humanity we share onthe emotional and spiritualplanes, and they help usremember and communi-cate that truth.

Those who work invarious pursuits demand-ing clarity of mind andstrong powers of in-sightwill find Siberian BlueQuartz to be a useful ally.It is highly recommendedfor those studying science,

mathematics, creative writing, pub-lic speaking, teaching and acting, aswell as those who wish to developpsychic abilities. It can also helpthose desiring to retrieve infor-mation from past lives or who wantto receive messages from their spir-it guides.

Siberian Blue Quartz harmonizeswith Danburite, Amethyst, Moldavite,Oregon Opal, Blue Aragonite,Shattuckite and Phenacite. Its psychicactivations are further enhanced bylolite and Owyhee Blue Opal.

SIBERIAN BLUE QUARTZ

Additional information on stones and theirmetaphysical properties can also be foundat www.heavenandearthjewelry.com,www.thebookofstones.com, or by calling1-800-942-9423.


What Does It Mean?

We know that the sun is goingthrough a magnetic shift, and theEarth appears to be in the earlystages of a polar reversal as well.What do these celestial events haveto do with the Mayan calendar?What does it all mean? These arevery good questions, and they areimportant because the one thing weknow for certain is that all life isstrongly influenced by magneticchanges. There are countless studiesin scientific literature that describehow many species of animals, fromwhales and dolphins to humming-birds and wildebeests, rely onEarth’s magnetic “superhighways”to navigate their way to feeding andmating grounds. While we may notuse these “superhighways” quite thesame way, it appears that humansare no exception.

In 1993, an international teamstudying magnetoreception, theability of our brains to detect mag-netic changes in the Earth,announced a discovery that makes2012, the Mayan cycles, and Earth’smagnetic fields even more signifi-cant than previously thought. Theteam published the remarkable find-ings that the human brain contains“millions of tiny magnetic parti-cles.” These particles connect us,just as they do other animals, toEarth’s magnetic field in a power-ful, direct, and intimate way. Andthis connection carries powerfulimplications. If Earth’s magneticfields are changing in the 2012 timeframe, then we too are affected.

We know, for example, thatmagnetic fields have a profoundinfluence on our nervous systems,our immune systems, and our per-ceptions of space, time, dreams, andeven reality itself. And while thestrength of our planet’s magneticfield may be measured as a generalreading, it varies locally from placeto place. Early in the twentieth cen-

tury, magnetic, ribbonlike patternswere charted and published by sci-entists as a contour map of theworld. The map displays thestrength of the magnetic lines over-laying the continents and shows theplaces on Earth where the people ofthe world experience thestrongest—and the weakest—effects of the planet’s magneticfields. To understand why this isimportant for the 2012 cycle, weneed look no further than con-sciousness itself.

While there is a lot that wedon’t know about consciousness,there is one thing that we are certainof: the stuff that consciousness ismade of is energy, and that energyincludes electricity and magnetism.While the electromagnetic nature ofconsciousness is still beingexplored, it does appear that Earth’smagnetics play a key role in how weaccept new ideas and change in ourlives. If we think of magnetic fields

as a form of energetic “glue,” wecan use this metaphor as a possibleexplanation for why some parts ofthe world, and our own country, areslower to accept change, whileother places seem to jump at theopportunity to try something new.

Our “magnetic glue” modelsuggests that places with strongermagnetic fields (more glue) aremore deeply entrenched in tradition,beliefs, and existing ideas. In placeswhere the fields are weaker, just theopposite is true. In these places,people seem compelled to createchange. Although areas of low mag-netic intensity may be ripe forsomething new, how that change isexpressed is up to those living there.With this in mind, a look at ourglobal magnetic map may help usmake sense of places that seem con-tinuously locked in conflict, as wellas understand why innovation andchange seem to spark in one areabefore spreading to others.

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2008 EARTH STAR 6 7

2012...Continued from page 29


Mayan Calendar

The Mystery of 2012 Predictions, Prophecies

& PossibilitiesBy Various Authors

What Will Happen in 2012? Are we trulycoming to the end of a cosmic cycle? Willthere be an age of awakening, a newstep in human evolution, or even an endto the world we know? For years,archaeologists have known the Mayancalendar predicts this date as the end ofan era on Earth. Yet today, more and more researchers, spiritualexplorers, and even scientists are witnessing signs that 2012 will marka critical shift in the history of our planet. In The Mystery of 2012, youwill discover the startling predictions and revelations of prominentthinkers, including John Major Jenkins, Gregg Braden, Peter Russell,ecologist Joanna R. Macy, and Jean Houston. Whether you are askeptic, a true believer, or simply “2012-curious,” The Mystery of 2012

offers you a thought-provoking and comprehensive exploration intothe possibilities of this approaching landmark in human history

Sounds True. Hardcover, $22.95.

LifeprintsDeciphering Your Life Purpose

from Your FingerprintsBy Richard Unger

LifePrints is a brand new system based on abranch of science known as dermatoglyphics.Similar to palmistry, it derives clues from thederma found upon the hands, in our fingerprints.But LifePrints is nonpredictive, focusing only onwho the subject is at the core of their being, noton divination. LifePrints provides journals andexcersizes to help readers design a life-fulfill-ment formula. By following the easy, step-by-step instructions, read-ers will uncover the challenges they and their loved ones will facealong the path to becoming the human they are meant to be.

Crossing Press. Paper, $16.95.


Nine Designs for Inner PeaceThe Ultimate Guide to Meditating with Color, Shape, and Sound By Sarah Tomlinson Foreword by Dr. Robert E. Svoboda

The tantric art of drawing or painting the ninedesigns known as yantras is an ancient practice ofactive meditation that releases positive healingand centering effects. Nine Designs for Inner

Peace provides readers with easy-to-followinstructions for creating exquisite planetary yantras to access their heal-ing and centering benefits and serves also as an introduction to activemeditation, which focuses the mind while the body is engaged in a med-itative activity. This workbook provides an important resource for activemeditation, a practice revered for its effectiveness in revealing the spiri-tual underpinnings of everyday life.

Destiny Books. Paper, $24.95.

Weather ShamanismHarmonizing Our Connection with the ElementsBy Nan MossWith David Corbin

With the growing consensus that global warm-ing is a fact comes the realization that theincreasingly violent weather we are experienc-ing is its chief manifestation. Through a uniqueblend of anthropological research, shamanicjourneys, and personal stories and anecdotes,Moss and Corbin show how humans andweather have always affected each other, and

how it is possible to influence the weather. They present teachingsdirectly from the spirits of weather that show how our thoughts andemotions affect weather energetics. They also reveal the ceremonial andtherapeutic aspects of “weather dancing,” a practice used to communi-cate with the weather spirits.

Bear & Company. Paper, $16.00.

Serpent of Light Beyond 2012 The Movement of the Earth's Kundalini andthe Rise of the Female Light, 1949-2013 By Drunvalo Melchizedek

In Serpent of Light, Drunvalo Melchizedek explainsand explores how every 13,000 years on Earth asacred and secret event takes place that changeseverything. Mother Earth’s Kundalini energy emergesfrom its resting place in the planet’s core and moveslike a snake across the surface of our world. Once athome in ancient Lemuria, it moved to Atlantis, then to

the Himalayan mountains of India and Tibet, and with every relocationchanged our idea of what spiritual means. And gender. And heart.Drunvalo has been traveling and teaching in the service of higher con-sciousness for more than thirty years. From his early travels to place crys-tals at key spots throughout the Yucatan to his recent experiences in NewZealand, this compelling narrative points the way to our future.

Weiser Books. Paper, $19.95.

Happy For No Reason7 Steps to Being Happy

from the Inside OutBy Marci Shimoff with Carol Kline

In Happy For No Reason, Marci Shimoff revealsthat the secret to experiencing deep and last-ing happiness comes from raising our happi-ness set-point, the genetic and learned ten-dency we have to remain at a certain level ofhappiness throughout our lives. Through aholistic seven-step program, Shimoff combinescutting-edge research in the field of PositivePsychology with practical techniques from many disciplines, plusinspiring Chicken Soup-style stories gleaned from her interviewswith one hundred unconditionally happy people. She demonstrateshow we can incorporate the habits of happy people into our lives toexperience true happiness.

Free Press. Hardcover, $24.95.

Spring Reading Spring Reading


The Martial Arts of Ancient GreeceModern Fighting Techniques from the Age of AlexanderBy Kostas Dervenis and Nektarios Lykiardopoulos

The ancient friezes and decorative motifsof ancient Greece contain abundantscenes of combat. In The Martial Arts of

Ancient Greece, the authors offer closeinspection of these depictions to reveal that they exactly correlate to thegrappling and combat arts as they are practiced today. The depiction ofeach ancient technique is accompanied by sequenced step-by-stepphotos of modern practitioners performing the various stances of one-on-one combat. In addition, the authors explain how the development ofHellenic combat arts was tied at its heart to a spiritual practice. The

Martial Arts of Ancient Greece provides a practical and comprehensiveapproach to the techniques and philosophy of the martial arts of theancient Mediterranean that will be welcomed by modern fighters.

Destiny Books. Paper, $19.95.

Fearproof Your Life How to Thrive in a World Addicted to FearBy Joseph BaileyForeword by Richard Carlson

In Fearproof Your Life, readers will learn the invalu-able tool of reflection, and how reflection can adddepth and security to one's life. Fear is such an over-whelming problem in our culture, but we don't needto be adrenaline junkies. Fearproof Your Life guidesus through a process of how discovering who wetruly are immunizes us from our own fears, as well as

those of others. Bailey takes us through a process of knowing, listening to,and honoring our own unique True Self, of being willing to listen to our truthand act from it, without seeking approval, of being willing to forgive our-selves and others and take responsibility for what we create.

Conari Press. Hardcover, $17.95.

The Art of Conscious CreationHow You Can Transform the World

By Jackie Lapin

In The Art of Conscious Creation, Jackie Lapinoffers seventeen beautifully evoked “Visions for aBetter World,” that the reader can use for visioningor meditating. Included are visions for peace, forleadership, for an abundant world, for health, forhuman rights, for compassion, for the naturalworld, and for humanity. The author urges peopleto become “Actionaries,” blending both vision andpersonal action in the world to effect change. She offers an extensivelist of ideas that readers can use as a starting place to begin their roleas Actionaries in their neighborhood or on a global scale.

Elevate. Paper, $15.99.

Eastern Wisdom For Your Soul111 Meditations for

Everyday Enlightenment By Richard A. Singer Jr.

In Eastern Wisdom For Your Soul, psychother-apist Richard Singer introduces Western spir-itual seekers to this all-inclusive system ofthinking and its life-transforming potential.Keeping his style down-to-earth and dogma-free, he presents a collection of diverseteachings on universal truths contained in thephilosophies of the East. Without advocatingany particular religious practice, Singer pro-vides specific steps for attaining profound awareness and enjoyingunprecedented fulfillment and bliss. A practical tool for personalgrowth and continuous source of inspiration, Eastern Wisdom for Your

Soul offers 111 meditations for real-life application. Grouped togetherin eleven sections, each meditation reinforces a core principle of theEastern perspective on and approach to life.

Dreamriver Press. Paper, $16.95.

Sacred Symbols of the Dogon The Key to Advanced Science in theAncient Egyptian Hieroglyphs By Laird Scranton Foreword by John Anthony West

Using parallels between Dogon and Egyptian wordmeanings to identify relationships between Dogonmyths and modern science, researcher LairdScranton provides a new understanding of Egyptianhieroglyphs as scientific symbols based on Dogoncosmological drawings. In The Science of the Dogon,

Laird Scranton demonstrated that the cosmological structure described inthe myths and drawings of the Dogon runs parallel to modem science-atomic theory, quantum theory, and string theory. Sacred Symbols of the

Dogon uses these parallels as the starting point for a new interpretation ofthe Egyptian hieroglyphic language. By substituting Dogon cosmologicaldrawings for equivalent glyph-shapes in Egyptian words, a new way ofreading and interpreting the Egyptian hieroglyphs emerges.

Inner Traditions. Paper, $18.95.

Acupoint And Trigger PointTherapy For Babies & Children

A Parent’s Healing Touch By Donna Finando, L.AC., L.M.T.

Touch is critical to the development of babiesand children. It establishes both their sense ofself and their connectedness to the rest of theworld. Donna Finando shows that touch is alsokey to restoring health when illness occurs. Asan acupuncturist and massage practitioner,she has found there are many simple ways parents can provide reliefand even healing for many common ailments that afflict children byusing touch therapy. Colds, sore throats, ear infections, constipation,diarrhea, vomiting, and even asthma are some of the common condi-tions that can be relieved by touch therapy. Finando presents an in-depth explanation of each condition, providing information oncausative factors, dietary and behavior recommendations, point tech-niques that can offer relief, and when to seek medical help.

Healing Arts Press. Paper, $19.95.

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Immediately, one link is so clear thatit almost jumps off of the page.

The places in our world with thelowest magnetic intensity, such asthe zero contour line (zero magneticgauss), which runs directly beneaththe Suez Canal and into Israel, areprecisely the places where we see thegreatest opportunities for change.Sometimes the change comes as asmooth transition from one idea tothe next. Sometimes it comes as astruggle. In our Middle East exam-ple, we see the struggle that canresult from the attempt to preserveancient tradition in a place that com-pels change. The low magnetic fielddoes not mean that the change mustbe expressed as conflict; it simplyprovides the conditions for new waysof looking at things. Once again, it isup to those living in these zones ofopportunity how they express thechange that the low fields invite.

A similar zero magnetic contourline exists parallel to America’s WestCoast. Not surprisingly, this is a partof the world that is also known as ahotbed for change, although it isexpressed in a different way than inthe Middle East. Stretching fromsouthern California to northernWashington, this zone of low mag-netic strength is often seen as a realmof new thought and innovation—andwith that innovation, we find leadingideas in science, technology, fashion,music, and art.

On the opposite end of the spec-trum, there are zones of extremelyhigh magnetism where, historically,change comes about slowly overtime, and often as the result of astruggle. In central Russia, for exam-ple, contour values are some of thehighest in the world, with readings atover 150 gauss units. Russia’s recentexperience with the political reor-ganization that coincided with theend of the Cold War is a beautifulexample of how areas with highmagnetic fields tend to cling to tradi-tion and embrace change slowly,

over a long period of time. However,it also shows that once change beginsin these areas, it carries a momentumthat makes itself known in a way thatcannot be missed.

Even without such evidence, weknow intuitively that we are affectedby planetary magnetic forces. Anylaw enforcement officer or health-care practitioner will attest to theintense, and sometimes bizarre,behavior that is seen during a fullmoon. When the magnetic strengthchanges suddenly, it changes the waywe feel, and that change can be dis-orienting if we don’t understand whyit happens. To those who do under-stand, however, such moments canbe a powerful gift—the opportunityto release the patterns of belief thathave caused pain in their lives, hurtin their families, and disease in theirbodies, and to embrace new and life-affirming beliefs. Artists and musi-cians know this and often anticipatefull-moon cycles as periods of greatcreativity. These existing examplesof the connection between con-sciousness and magnetism offerimportant insights into how futurechanges in magnetic strength mayaffect us, as some expect them to,during the 2012 cycle.

Rewriting The Reality Code

Is it possible that by altering the waywe feel about change in our lives, wecan actually transform the way weexperience things, like the frighten-ing predictions of 2012? While thereare a number of new discoveries thatshow us how consciousness directlyaffects our world, they are generallyvariations of the nearly century-oldexperiment designed to determinehow much our beliefs really affectour reality.

In 1909, Geoffrey IngramTaylor, a British physicist, devisedthe famous Double Slit Experimentand began a revolution in the way we

view ourselves in the universe. Thebottom line of his experiment wasthat the mere presence of conscious-ness in a room—people—affectedthe way the quantum particles (thestuff our world is made of ) behaved.

On February 26, 1998, Taylor’sexperiment was repeated by scien-tists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute ofScience. Not only did they confirmthat our world is affected just byobservation, but they also discoveredthat “the greater the amount of‘watching,’ the greater the observer’sinfluence on what actually takesplace.” In other words, the morethose present focused on the experi-ment, the greater the influence theirfocus had on the outcome. And here-in lies the key to understanding whatquantum physics and the Mayan cal-endar may really be saying to usabout our power in the universe.

Our world, our lives, and ourbodies are the result of the quantumlanguage of our beliefs, judgments,love, and fear regarding those things.The same theories that describe ourreality as being influenced by ourbeliefs suggest that if we want tochange our reality, we must changethe way we see ourselves. In 1957,Princeton University physicist HughEverett III carried these ideas onestep further, creating the theory thatdescribes how the focus of ourawareness creates reality.

In a landmark paper that includ-ed his Many Worlds Theory, Everettdescribed simple moments in timewhen it becomes possible to “jump”from one reality to another by creat-ing a quantum bridge between thetwo already-existing possibilities. Hecalled these windows of opportunity“choice points” and described themas the times when conditions make itpossible to begin one path of experi-ence and then to change the outcomeof that experience by changing thefocus of our awareness—our beliefs.

From this perspective, the 2012end-date appears to represent a great



cosmic choice point—the time in thegalactic machinery when all of theparameters fall into place to make iteasier for us to choose a new way ofseeing ourselves in the universe anda new way of being.

Choice Point 2012:Bringing It All Together

Now we have the information, andthe language, that may answer ourquestion as to the significance ofDecember 21, 2012. From the eightthousand-year-old Hindu Vedas andthe five thousand-year-old Hebrewcalendar to the indigenous prophe-cies of Asia and the Americas,ancient traditions suggest that some-thing really big will happen duringour time in history. It is important tonote that there is nothing in any ofthe prophecies that tells us uncondi-tionally that the world itself will endon this date. What they do say is thatthe world as we have known it willenter a time of change on this date.How we respond to that change willdefine how we experience it and ourlives in the next age of our existence.

What sets the Mayan prophecyapart from the general predictions ofother cultures is that it has an expira-tion date that occurs in our lifetime.The last cycle of the intangibleMayan calendar corresponds to aseries of tangible events, some ofwhich are already happening today.Here is what we know for certain:• The end of the Mayan Great Cyclemarks a rare alignment of our planet,our solar system, and the center ofour galaxy—one that will not occuragain for another twenty-six thou-sand years.• On March 10, 2006, a cycle of solarstorms ended and a new cycle began.It is predicted to peak in 2012, withan intensity thirty-fifty percentgreater than previous cycles.• Scientists agree that Earth’s mag-netic fields are weakening quickly,and some suspect that we are in the

early stage of a polar reversal.• Correlations between the magneticfields of the Earth and human expe-rience suggest that it is easier for usto accept change and adapt to newideas in weaker fields of magnetism.• Recent validation of quantum prin-ciples proves that the way we per-ceive our world—our beliefs aboutour experience—strongly influencesour physical reality.

With these facts in mind, theDecember 21 solstice of 2012appears to be a great cosmic windowof opportunity. The opportunity isfor us to benefit from our individualand collective experiences of the pastfive thousand years of history, whilereleasing the destructive beliefs thathave created disease in our bodiesand limited our life span, led to thedifferences that have separated us,justified the great wars of history,and destroyed portions of our world.Such a possibility exists only whenall of the parameters needed for sucha change converge into a single win-dow of time. The 2012 end-dateappears to be just such a time.

If (1) the presence of low mag-netic fields primes us to adapt tochange and accept new experiences,(2) the loss of Earth’s magnetic

shield allows the direct influence ofhigh-energy fields that are normallydeflected to bring change, and (3)both are happening in the generaltime of the twenty-six thousand-yeargalactic alignment, then it is as if thecosmos has conspired to shower uswith the power of what JoséArgüelles called the galactic “syn-chronization beam.” What a rare andbizarre opportunity. How we receivethis opportunity is the choice that weare making today.

In 2005, Scientific Americanpublished a special edition titledCrossroads for Planet Earth, whichidentified a number of scenarios that,left unchecked, hold the potential toend life on Earth as we know ittoday. The point of the issue was thatwhile any one of the scenarios is cat-astrophic, they are all happeningtoday. Clearly the choices of war,depletion of resources, genocide,technology abuse, and fossil fueltechnology are not sustainable foranother millennium. To change theway we live, we must change theway we believe. Such a change canonly come from a powerful andholistic view of who we are in theuniverse. Of the many things that2012 represents, it may offer an



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unprecedented window of preciselysuch an opportunity.

Are we heading toward a time ofunprecedented catastrophe, a thou-sand years of peace, or both? No oneknows for sure. While the solarcycles and magnetic reversals arevery real and have definitely hap-pened in our ancient past, they havenever happened while six-point-fivebillion people lived on the planet,and certainly not with the majority ofthose people dependent upon thetechnology of power grids, commu-nications, computers, and globalpositioning satellites. Just as uncer-tainty accompanies any birth, wesimply don’t know what our birthinto such a monumental experiencemay mean to life, technology, ouremotions, and our bodies.

We do know, however, thatancient humans may have experi-enced similar, though less-intensecycles, some that may have evenoccurred as recently as ten thousandyears ago. While biblical and oraltraditions suggest that such a time iscertainly not “business as usual,” thefact that people lived to record those

cycles tells us that such events aresurvivable. The new discoverieslinking the physics of belief withreality also tell us that how we feelabout our experience has a directeffect upon what we actually experi-ence. For our date with 2012, thissuggests that if we live life focusedupon all of the bad things that mayhappen, we will miss the joyousexperiences that may actually keepthose bad things from happening.

Today, when you ask the Mayandescendants what happened to theirancestors, they will tell the story ofthe generation of timekeepers who,one day, left their temples, observa-tories, and pyramids, walked into thejungles, and simply “vanished,”returning to the place from wherethey had come. Regardless of whattheir story means to us, it is clear thatwhoever those original Maya were,they knew something in their timethat we are just beginning to under-stand in ours. The key to their mes-sage is that their secret was morethan the precise representation oftime on a stone slab. The one pieceof their wisdom that they could not

inscribe into their hieroglyphic mes-sage is precisely the piece that givesmeaning to the end of their cycle.The piece of their wisdom is us andwhether we can embrace the fact thatwe are a family in this world, verypossibly part of a greater family inthe cosmos, and that the “gestation”that José Argüelles describes as ourexperience in history is complete.

From these perspectives, the sol-stice of December 21, 2012,becomes a powerful window for ourcollective emergence into our great-est potential. Such a moment is sorare that we have been preparing forit for over five thousand years, and itwill be another twenty-six thousandyears before the same opportunitycycles around again. As the source ofour light—our sun—moves into per-fect alignment with the center of ourgalaxy, are we ready to receive thegreatest gift of all—the gift of ourtrue selves? The stage is set, thechoice is ours, the cosmos is waiting.Do we have the wisdom to marry sci-ence, history, tradition, and beliefinto the miracle that awaits us onDecember 21, 2012?

Excerpted with permission from The Mysteryof 2012: Predictions, Prophecies, andPossibilities, ©2007 Sounds True, Inc.


Gregg Braden