SuperBrain Yoga

SuperBrain Yoga: A simple exercise to help sharpen our minds

Yoga for Brain Power

Superbrain Yoga as seen on CBS2- Los Angeles, USA.
Short video with Neurobiologist, MD Doctor, teacher....

This simple two-minute exercise is based on touching accupuncture points to assist left and right brain transitions to help sharpen the minds of children and adults. Research has been done with troubled kids and seniors alike, with positive results.

http://www.pranichealing.com/video/superbrain-yoga-workout-improve-brain

I'm doing this with my son, who has been diagnosed with Aspberger's. He takes SATs tomorrow, we'll see if it does any good.

Master Choi Kok Sui, who is promoting this concept with his book on the subject, is also the same one recommended by one of the EFT docs who spoke about tricks to assist low energy folks.

Hydrogen and Hydrogen Peroxide

I'm winding down on my writing. I find it more difficult than earlier. Members of my healing group asked me not to share stories from our classes. Ok. So I went outside the group, to the net, which led to rambling trails. I'll share some of the insights when my verbal mode kicks back in again. It's gone now. Something's happening but I don't know what. Reiki II has led to some heavy transitions and amazing revelations. The feedback, however, is inconsistent, confusing me. I tend to grow quiet, non-verbal, when I'm confused. Even this post is hard to write.

So on to a totally unrelated topic: Hydrogen and Hydrogen Peroxide

I have been experimenting with hydrogen in drinking water for about nine months, now. We built a simple electrolyzer to add hydrogen to three gallons of well water I keep in the refrigerator. I drink 8-16 ounces three times a day. I've found direct benefits such as stronger nails and a tingling response in my body that feels good to me, but tangible effects are difficult to find and measure. Hydrogenation seems to make liquids, such as reconstituted fruit juices, taste better too. Plants are affected, but not measurably so. The whole family supports the effort so we'll keep it up.

Someone sent me a reminder about the health benefits of hydrogen peroxide, which is another element of the hydrogen experiments. Due to my non-verbal disability, I'll share much of what she wrote, lightly edited:

"Peroxide was invented during WWI. It was used to save and cleanse the needs of our troops in hospitals. Please think about this."
Here are some of the tips from a doctor's wife:
"1. Take one capful ... and hold in your mouth for 10 minutes daily, then spit it out. No more canker sores, and your teeth will be whiter without expensive pastes. Use it instead of mouthwash.
2. Let your toothbrushes soak in a cup of peroxide to keep them free of germs.
3. Clean your counters and table tops with peroxide to kill germs and leave a fresh smell. Simply put a little on your dishrag when you wipe, or spray it on the counters.
4. After rinsing your cutting board, pour peroxide on it to kill salmonella and other bacteria.
5. I had fungus on my feet for years until I sprayed a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water on them (especially the toes) every night and let dry.
6. Soak any infections or cuts in 3% peroxide for five to ten minutes several times a day. My husband has seen gangrene that would not healwith any medicine but was healed by soaking in peroxide.
7. Fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water and keep it in every bathroom to disinfect without harming your septic system like bleach or most other disinfectants will.
8. Tilt your head back and spray into nostrils with your 50/50 mixture whenever you have a cold, plugged sinus. It will bubble and help kill the bacteria. Hold for a few minutes, and then blow your noseinto a tissue.
9 If you have a terrible toothache and cannot get to a dentist right away, put a capful of 3% peroxide into your mouth and hold it for ten minutes several times a day. The pain will lessen greatly.
10. Put half a bottle of peroxide in your bath to help rid boils, fungus,or other skin infections.
11. You can also add a cup of peroxide instead of bleach to a load of whites in your laundry to whiten them. If there is blood on clothing, pour it directly on the soiled spot. Let it sit for a minute, then rub it and rinse with cold water. Repeat if necessary.
12. I use peroxide to clean my mirrors. There is no smearing.
With prices of most necessities rising, I'm glad there are ways to save... in such a simple, healthy manner!"

I did the mouth-hold for ten minutes this morning. It has the same effect and feel of the expensive tooth-whitening strips that are saturated with hydrogen peroxide. Thanks for these tips!

The World's Prayer

I used to love the Lord's Prayer. I often sung it silently to myself at night for comfort sometimes accompanied by soft grateful tears. But in the last many years, I stopped. I guess I'm less moved by thoughts of temptation, trespasses and debts, and seek more the wellspring of universal wonder.

So last week, the song came back to me, wakening me from my sleep. The tune was the same, the words different. I sensed other languages singing it too. It rang in my head for hours, forcing me finally, around 4:30 a.m., to get up and type the words out, so I could finish my sleep.

Please know that I really have no delusions of grandeur here. These words ring simpler than my poetry would.

Now I sing this in the shower, the car. For the first time, yesterday, I recited it aloud to someone outside my family circle. Halfway through I stopped. I developed a tingling sensation, head to toe, as if something awakened every cell of my body. The woman I shared it with, Janet, said she felt a simliar sensation.

So, after taking time to retreat internally for a little while, I feel moved to share again. It's Lent, a fine time for a new World's Prayer. This one's for everybody:

THE WORLD’S PRAYER

Oh Source of all Creation
Let the world know thy name
We feel your power
In darkest hour
On earth, throughout every nation

Your love transcends, unites all life
to bring us highest good
from humble appreciation.
Let Universal Wonder
enlighten all your people

For Now is the Kingdom and the Power
Within and around us
Forever (and ever)
We thank you,
Amen

followup:

"Amazing Grace" performed in the beautiful arena in Pula, Croatia, one of the most well-preserved Roman coliseums in the world. The four male singers in the group called 'Il Divo' are from four different countries and come from four different musical disciplines but have discovered a new unity of purpose. 'Il Divo' in Italian literally means a male (singular) 'prima donna.' They are: American tenor David Miller; Swiss tenor Urs Buhler; Spanish baritone Carlos Marin; and French pop singer Sebastien Izambard. This group was initially brought together in 2004 by the infamous Simon Cowell after intensive worldwide auditions. The virtuoso blending of operatic techniques with both romantic and popular tradition has taken the world by storm. They have sold over 22 million albums, the first three of which were 'Il Divo', 'Ancora,' and 'Siempre,' the last two translated into English are 'Again' and 'Always.'Lastly, the group decided to work with only one producer, a longtime collaborator named Steve McCutcheon (aka Steve Mac). A musical genius, Mac is able to create beautiful orchestrations by experimenting with differing styles and arrangements.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1785324681?bclid=1338935106&bctid=1913313052

5 Tibetan Rites of Rejuvenation

I am ready to add a little yoga to my regimen and was piqued by last week's post where Dr. Robbins recommended Master Choa Kok Sui and these yogic exercises for increasing energy. I found a website from LifeEvents in Chaing Mai Thailand which has been practicing and teaching the same 5 Tibetan Energy Rejuvenation Exercises he recomended. Other sites claim these "rites" will help you look younger, sleep more soundly, relieve medical problems such as arthritis and other aches in your spine and joints, improve your memory, your strength and your sex life, as well as double or triple your energy and sense of well-being.

You can buy their books, but the whole routine is available online and described below. Rich and I did the whole routine, our first time, in 15 minutes, completing two or three sets of seven. Once a day, at least six days a week is the minimum recommended.

A cool simple animation: http://www.lifeevents.org/5-tibetans-energy-rejuvenation-exercises.htm
a more expanded description: http://www.mkprojects.com/pf_TibetanRites.htm

Here's how LifeEvents describes the exercises:

"The 5 Tibetans represent a great way to keep your body in shape when you have limited time for a physical workout or limited space for a complete yoga routine. You can easily do the exercises in the space at the foot of the bed in most hotel rooms. We use the 5 Tibetans as a warm up for our morning yoga or body workout.

The entire series of movements may be performed 2 to 3 times per day. As with all forms of holistic body work, sunrise and sunset are great times to be honoring your body with physical work. These are the best times to start your practice, but you may work them into your schedule as you see fit.

You want to work toward performing each of the movements 21 times. Start slowly, then build up each day... try to break it down into 3 sets of 7 repetitions with a pause between each set. Once you've achieved 21 repetitions of each exercise, you don't need to go on to more repetitions. These exercises are for restoring energy, not necessarily building strength. If you feel great after doing 21 repetitions of each movement, feel free to add another session later in the day to perform another set of 21 repetitions each.

We recommend a specific breathing pattern to follow with each exercise. If you feel tired or light headed while performing these movements, make sure you are not holding your breath.

Tibetan Rejuvenation Exercise Movement #1
Sufi Whirling, Whirling Dervish, Memories of the Grateful Dead in Concert, Having fun like a 3 year old
Rite 1: Stand upright, extend your arms at shoulder level away from your body and spin clockwise (if looking at a clock face on the floor). Keep your eyes looking immediately in front of you, do not focus on any one point, let your vision blur as you spin. Turn up to 21 times or until you feel unstable or dizzy.

Breathing: breath in and out of your stomach. An opera singer, stage actor/actress or yogi experiences the benefit of breathing from this point of the body. When you stop spinning, breath even more deeply from your stomach until your head stops spinning and your balance returns to normal.

Tips and Recommendations: Work your way up to 21 spins. Speed is not so important, just try to spin 21 times and stop.


Tibetan Rejuvenation Exercise Movement #2
Leg Raises, Bending at the Waist, Tummy Tucks
Rite 2: Lay down on your back with your arms to your side, palms up, keep your legs straight, begin your inhalation, raise your legs off the ground until as high as possible and pick your head off the ground, bending your neck with your chin falling toward your chest. Begin your exhalation and return to laying flat on the ground. Repeat up to 21 times.
Breath In: Raising your legs and head
Breath Out: Lowering your legs and head
Tips and Recommendations: When starting out, bend your legs until your stomach strengthens. Place your hand palm down, under your buttocks to support your lower spine if you feel discomfort. As you progress, straighten your legs and try to raise and lower them at the same speed. Once you have worked up to 21 repetitions, try to move at a nice steady rhythm without stops.

Tibetan Rejuvenation Exercise Movement #3
Morning Neck Warm-up, Hotel Pillow Recovery Posture, Camel Asana in Yoga

Rite 3: Kneel with your legs together, arms extended, palms of your hands on the side of your thighs, drop your chin to your chest, begin your inhalation, raise your head and lean back, move your hands to the back of your thighs and let them drop lower and support your weight, crane your head and neck backward, relax your lower spine. Begin your exhalation, start to come forward back to kneeling position with your head back up in the straight position. Repeat up to 21 times.
Breath In: Going backward
Breath Out: Coming forward
Tips and Recommendations: When you start this exercise, use the weight of your head to come forward instead of forcing your chin to your chest with your muscles. When you lean back, avoid craning your neck, simple let it drop with its own weight. Eventually, you can bring your shoulder blades towards each other when your in the back position. Keep a steady movement while going backward and forward. Keep your eyes open to keep your balance. Later, try the movement with your eyes closed to feel the difference and see if you can relax even more in the backward position.

Tibetan Rejuvenation Exercise Movement #4
Table Posture, Wrist warm-up and Neck agility

Rite 4: Sit on the floor, legs a little less than shoulder length apart, arms to your sides with hands extended flat on the ground and fingers pointed forward, drop your head toward your chest, begin your inhalation, raise your buttocks off the ground while bending your knees, shift your weight to your arms/hands and legs/feet, continue to raise your buttocks until your truck and thighs are parallel to the ground, let your head fall back. Begin your exhalation and return to sitting position with your head dropped forward. Repeat up to 21 times.
Breath In: Raising off the ground
Breath Out: Returning back to sitting position
Tips and Recommendations: When you begin this exercise, just try to get from the starting to ending posture. It's easier to do it than read about it. In the beginning, you might not be used to your body weight on your wrists. Doing some wrist warm-ups before you begin can prevent discomfort. Once you have worked your way up to 21 repetitions, try to perform the movements without stopping.

Tibetan Rejuvenation Exercise Movement #5
Inverted-V, Yoga Cobra to Downward Dog
Rite 5: Get down on the floor on your hands and knees (in push-up position) with hands and legs a little less than shoulder's width apart. Begin your inhalation, come up on your toes with weight in your arms, straighten your legs, arch your back, lean your head back, do not let any of your body touch the ground except for your toes and hands (Cobra in Yoga). Begin your exhalation, bend at the waist, bend your knees, push your buttocks up into the air, make an inverted V shape with your legs and arms straight, tuck your chin toward your chest (Downward Dog in Yoga), try to put your feet flat on the ground. Begin your next inhalation and repeat up to 21 times.
Breath In: Raising hips up into an ^ shape - downward dog.
Breath Out: Hips down & head coming up into cobra.

Tips and Recommendations: In the beginning, you will need to find were to place your hands and feet to make a complete inverted-V shape. You may do this exercise for years and never get your feet flat on the ground (a symptom of western living and always sitting in a chair). Once you've worked your way up to 21 repetitions, work on keeping a steady rhythm while going in and out of each position.

Finishing Posture Recommendation
After Exercise 5, lay flat on your stomach with your arms stretch out from side to side. Keep your chin on the ground and close your eyes. Feel you heart pumping and blood circulating through your body. Wait until your hearth beat and breath returns to normal. Turn your head to once side and take a few deep breaths. Relax for 1 minute.

If you want to buy the books, here they are:

The Five Tibetans: Five Dynamic Exercises for Health, Energy, and Personal Power
by Christopher S. Kilham ISBN 0892814500
Order online at Amazon.com for only $9.95 (98 pages.)

Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth
by Peter Kelder and Bernie S. Siegel ISBN 038549162X
Order online at Amazon.com for only $10.36 (128 pages.)
Description: Legend has it that hidden in the remote reaches of the Himalayan mountains lies a secret that would have saved Ponce de Leon from years of fruitless searching. There, generations of Tibetan monks have passed down a series of exercises with mystical, age-reversing properties. Known as the Tibetan Rites of Rejuvenation or the Five Rites, these once-secret exercises are now available to Westerners in Ancient Secret of the Fountain Of Youth.

Why we resonate with dolphins

Dolphin playing with ring, my digital manipulation from photo my sister Audrey took last week

This post is by one of my favorites, Lynne McTaggart. www.theintentionexperiment.com

"Recently, I read about a Newcastle University study showing that cows given names produce far more milk than unnamed animals. The researchers, who studied 516 cows, found that those cows given personal identities – a name like Daisy, say – produced up to 454 more pints of milk a year than cows that remained anonymous.

This especially interested me, mostly because it seemed to be a revelation to the researchers that cows would be happier and more relaxed when given a little bit more one-to-one attention. It was almost shocking to them that cows would have an interior life.

I’ve been watching a series on TV called the Secret Life of Elephants. The show follows groups of elephant families in Northern Kenya at Samburu National Reserve and covers the work of the world-renowned elephant expert Iain Douglas Hamilton and his Save the Elephants team. Most notably, the show allows us to be witness to the emotional and social complexities of an elephant’s world – the breadth of their emotional landscape, the intricacies of family life.

The show’s remarkable camera work reveals evidence of the complicated grieving mechanism elephants undergo when a member of the family dies, or the rest of the family’s jubilation when their matriarch mates with the toughest elephant on the reserve. Primarily, it bears witness to the love and closeness of an animal family.

The surprising part of the film and indeed the Newcastle study isn’t that cows respond to being fussed over, or that elephants display an array of emotions, but that human beings find this in any way unusual.

Copious research shows not only that animals are far more sensitive than humans in almost every way, but also that animals appear to have a profound effect on human beings – in improving their health.

I’ve just got back from a Transformational Leadership Council meeting in Hawaii and perhaps the most remarkable part of our trip was our 12-year-old daughter’s session swimming with dolphins. Her elation afterward may have been emotional – she’s a great animal lover and this has been a dream of hers for many years – but I believe it also was physiological.

In studies of human and dolphin interactions, it’s been found that dolphins have profound effects on human beings. For instance, dolphins produce brainwave changes in humans in their company. David Cole, computer scientists at Fort Myers, Florida, fascinated by the possibility that dolphins might have a profound physiological effect on humans, developed a neuromapping electroencephalography (EEG) instrument to study the neurological effects on the human brain of close contact with dolphins.

In his research Cole found that after swimming, touching, playing or diving with dolphins, a participant’s dominant brainwave frequency slows significantly from a beta frequency (the state of ordinary consciousness) to something resembling an alpha state, the brainwave frequency of light meditation or dreaming. He also found that the brain hemispheres synchronize, so that the brainwaves emitted from both the left and right hemispheres are in phase (peaking and troughing at the same time) and of similar frequency (speed).

This is precisely the type of left-right brain synchronization that occurs in like monks and other experienced meditators after a long session of meditation.

Other evidence shows that the production and uptake of the brain’s neurotransmitters are strengthened by dolphin contact.

Although some scientists believe the positive effects have to do with chemical changes in cells caused by the sound waves emitted by dolphins, this may not be the whole story. Many behavioral and electrophysiological changes have been observed in people exposed to dolphins at much further distances.

Another possibility suggested by dolphin researchers is a process called ‘resonant entrainment’, a situation analogous to when one tuning fork hits a pitch, causing nearby tuning forks to vibrate at the same frequency. And we know that bottlenose dolphins produce low-frequency electromagnetic and scalar (or standing) waves.

In the Hello Dolphin Project in Florida, researchers used special sensor and recording equipment to record all signals emanating from dolphins. They then also recorded the brainwave frequencies of the children participating in the study.

When the dolphins were present, the scientists recorded an electrical, magnetic and acoustical extremely-low frequency signal of about 16 Hz in nearly three-quarters of all the trials.

Here’s the amazing part of the story. After the children interacted with the dolphins, their brainwaves had made profound shifts to a predominant frequency near 16 Hz – exactly the frequency of the dolphin signal.

The researchers concluded that dolphins simultaneously emit acoustical, electrical and magnetic fields, and that after first sensing electrical fields from humans, the dolphins then attempt to communicate using the same frequencies (in the human brainwave band of 6-30 Hz). In other words, they both communicate with us and then ‘correct’ us.

We feel better around dolphins because they ‘remind’ our bodies of our ideal frequencies.

It is we who should feel better if cows deem us worthy of a name. "

*********************************

Barbara J. Semple

I’ve been blessed to swim in the wild with dolphins as well as with humpback whales a number of times. I have also experienced time including a glorious hug from a dolphin at Ocean World in the Dominican Republic. (Truly amazing, by the way.) What I know about these beloved cetaceans is that they are super-conscious beings of great intelligence and love. They have to be to have the abilities to “correct” my brain functions by their presence. They breathe voluntarily, whereas as humans we breathe involuntarily. When a dolphin wants to die it can simply close its blow hole, stop breathing and die. And, does it really die as do we really die?

I, too, debated whether to go to Ocean World and pay for an experience with a captive dolphin. I chose to go to the dolphin experience consciously bringing my light and love to the dolphin to uplift it. To my surprise, the dolphin knew exactly what she was doing - both being in captivity and “obeying” her trainer’s commands, AND carrying on a telepathic conversation with me in which she said: “I am fine. Do not worry about me. There are people here I can help everyday. I am right where I need to be.”

Since everything is part of the Unified Field, and the physical realm is the part where beings participate in the expansion of consciousness and unconditional love for the benefit of the whole Field, then maybe dolphins and whales in their apparent struggles are really calling us to be more loving and compassionate in all of our thoughts, feelings and actions. Unfortunately sometimes some humans need the messages, visual and such, to be terrible in order to finally and continually choose love and compassion in all things. I bless the dolphins and whales for their conscious service to humanity. Thanks for this opportunity to share my thoughts. Many blessings.

*************************

Denise Herzing,Ph.d. Wild Dolphin Project, http://www.wilddolphinproject.org/dev/index.php“In their world, on their terms.” A wonderful adventure swimming with dolphins, with an international researcher…

EFT and low energy blocks, causes and cures

Deep Canyon Sighs, by Adele

Another pathway that connects all this esoterica together has to do with Gary Craig's EFT: Emotional Freedom Technique. Today, while thinking about what I wanted to post, I ran across this discussion on Low Energy Blocks, Causes and Cures. http://www.emofree.com/Cases/clients.htm The intelligent responses from dozens of practitioners of varying modalities were inspirational. I recommend that everyone become familiar with the basic techniques which Craig offers in a free quick download http://www.emofree.com I have invested in the complete EFT coursework series to complement the other modalities I am exploring. It is wonderful how well they integrate synergistically, as many related ways of viewing a human being and treating their symptoms. This is a long post, but I highlighted the text to speed your way through a goldmine of new ideas:

"Don Flory discusses a dilemma faced by many tapping practitioners--namely, he gets good results most of the time but experiences a block for clients with "low energy." I, too, have noticed this and have some comments to make. But first, here is Don's discussion.

Hi Gary!
At this point in my work with my psychotherapy clients, friends, and family, I have come to expect that any negative state or belief will clear with tapping. I am sometimes disappointed, but more often, I am surprised as another still untested condition responds.

One big exception to this picture is low energy. Tapping for low energy seems to help prepare a person for rest, and sometimes when you relieve negative conditions a person feels energized. But I don't think I have seen tapping increase the energy of a person with chronically low energy. I am currently up against this issue with one of my clients. He has a life time history of depression, but his exhausted energy state dates back to a concussion. He is quite responsive to treatment, and we have successfully improved many issues in his life; but we have not affected his chronic exhaustion (in spite of which he cranks out a lot of creative work). We devoted two sessions to the trauma of the concussion and the devastating losses that occurred as a result of it; and we seemed to have really cleared up the trauma. But the low energy remained. Naturally, depression goes along with this low energy, and we have managed to considerably lighten his mood during various sessions. But the low energy always remains, and his depression returns. Tapping several times a day at home for months also seems not to have helped.

I have come to think that tapping reduces high energy negative energy states -- emotion, pain, dysfunction, memory, belief -- but it does not ADD energy or eliminate the cause of low energy. I have almost conceded the low energy problem to those who work with physical illness.
I am writing this, Gary, because I want to know what experience you and others have had with low energy states. Are there some tricks I don't know yet? Or is this perhaps an outer boundary to the area of human misery helped by tapping?

GC COMMENT: First, I've witnessed many people whose energy RISES as a result of tapping. This is unmistakable and I suspect many other practitioners have noticed it as well--including Don. This is to be expected, of course, because our emotional conflicts (until they are relieved) are a big time drain on our resources. Thus when tapping relieves our fears, guilts, angers, etc., the resultant freedom shows up as elevated energy--a lighter psyche and a "bounce in our bippy". Witnessing this is one of the joys we are privileged to experience.

But Don is talking about a different class of "low energy" client--one where, no matter what you do, their lethargic state persists. I've seen a handful of cases like this and heard of others. Sometimes tapping elevates their energy for a little while but, inevitably, the previous lethargy returns.

Don's client had a concussion. Could that be the cause? Might there be some form of brain malfunction that limits this client's energy? Is low energy caused by medical factors like this? Or is it caused by emotional unrest or toxicity? Who knows? I am unaware of *any* healing discipline that reports consistently good results in this area.

Since the practice of medicine is well beyond my training, I will leave the possible medical causes to those that are qualified in that area.

However, I would certainly play emotional detective in such cases and look for emotional causes. With Don's client, though, looking for emotional causes seems like a dead end because he says..... "We devoted two sessions to the trauma of the concussion and the devastating losses that occurred as a result of it; and we seemed to have really cleared up the trauma. But the low energy remained."

The fact that the low energy remained is, to me, evidence that we have not yet smoked out the true emotional issue. It may have nothing to do with the concussion trauma. Instead, it may be a grievance he may not want to release or a guilt that he thinks deserves punishment. I'm speculating, of course, and maybe I'm wrong. But as long as the low energy persists, I would be inclined to assume it has emotional causes and keep digging. Would I ultimately be successful with the low energy? Maybe....but maybe not. However, even if I "fail," the worse that would happen is that the client would experience even more emotional healing. Some failure!!

The EFT Course persistently persuades you to be persistently persistent. There are great benefits in doing this and a single success from "going the extra distance" will make a believer out of anyone. Sometimes we get too close to our own cases and a fresh perspective is called for. Part of being intelligently persistent is to call in another practitioner who will come in at a different angle. I have experienced many cases where a previous practitioner was stubbing their toe and my "fresh angle" on a given problem was enough to create relief.

The other area I would explore would be that of toxicity. We dump massive amounts of garbage into our systems daily. The preservatives, pesticides and other foreign chemicals that we ingest or place on our bodies act as non-stop insults to those frail little sacks of skin within which we live. In addition, we are bombarded with daily mega-doses of electromagnetic radiation (TV's computers, etc.) that interfere with our energy systems. It's a wonder that we have any energy at all.

Proficient muscle testers can sometimes locate offending substances and this is certainly a worthwhile pursuit. But I would start with a diet of strictly organic foods (without known offenders such as sugar, wheat, corn, caffeine, tobacco & alcohol). Two or three weeks of this "clean diet" is likely to increase one's energy simply because it lightens the body's load. I would also keep my distance from TV's, computers and other electronic devices.

That being said, low energy remains a problem area for tappers and requires our persistence. It is also a remarkable opportunity to enhance our skills. Those who learn to handle the difficult or the "impossible," become the standard setters--the masters in this field.


Here are many suggestions on low energy from our members:

FROM JANE HOLMES-ROUGHTON
Based on personal experience I would second your suggestion about exploring toxins as a cause of the low energy/depression. I've told you of my history of finding--once I had cut out wheat from my diet--that if I then ate wheat, within 30 minutes I would be plunged into depression, along with which there was very low energy. I would then treat the problem, using an algorithm of Roger's [Callahan], and within 30 minutes these Siamese-twin problems would be gone. Roger had a special way of testing for sensitivity, which I'm sworn not to reveal. But Jimmy Scott also has a method of testing and also of treating allergies which he has described down to the most minute detail in his book called (I think) "Treating Your Own Allergies." The method will also predict which allergies can be successfully treated by his method.

What was, and still remains, incredible to me, is how taking in the offending substance can totally change one's perceptions of optimism or pessimism, of futility or hope, without *anything* else in one's life changing to affect those, just the toxin intake.

It's a sacrifice to give up cookies and cake, great French bread, and all the other things that are made with wheat flour, but it's even more of a sacrifice to give up optimism, energy, and enjoyment.

FROM MARK LANGER DC
Re: Don's client with low energy following a concussion - your points on toxicity are well taken. This person also might do well to be examined by a chiropractor or osteopath who specializes in cranial adjusting. Brain injury following a closed head trauma such as a concussion is often aggravated by restriction of normal cranial movement which in turn disrupts the flow of cerebrospinal fluid. This chronic CNS stress could definitely lead to a low energy state.
I'd be happy to assist Don in finding a craniopath in his area if the client is interested in following up on this.

FROM CATHERINE DRISCOLL
Had a thought on this. What if this patient has a virus that is causing the low energy? Could he be tapped for a virus? Even if there isn't a muscle tester or dowser to hand, it would be worth tapping for it. I treated one lady with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome two weeks ago, and I dowsed to find out what to tap on. Sure enough, I was told that she had a virus. There is much medical evidence linking Chronic Fatigue in with both viruses (2) and pesticide poisoning. Maybe the patient picked something up when in hospital for concussion (One study said that a high percentage of German patients leave hospital sicker than when they went in!)

FROM THOMAS WEIL:
Note--He uses the term MPT for Meridian PsychoTherapies, which is a catchall term for EFT and its many cousins.

My name is Thomas Weil, and I work as psychotherapist in Germany. My general orientation is Transactional Analysis (TA) which I am using with an integrative psychotherapeutic framework. In several workshop I also was trained in EFT and other MPR approaches which I like to connect with TA. And I have remarkable results since 10 month.

The problem with patients, which are suffering under a loss of energy I also observed. The usual way to work with MPT [Meridian PsychoTherapies] sometimes didnt have the usual success. Coming from my transactional frame of reference I understand human personality as a set of subpersonalities, what we call ego states (for example: the introjected parents, the regressed children - i.e. different fixated developmental states of me, past life states or other live states). An inner schizoid process as a result of complex trauma is responsible for the personality splitting.

If someone is coming with low energy first I am looking the usual way as you did, Don [Flory]: How can I help, that the missed energy can emerge using traditional therapeutic work and MPT. If there is no sufficient change, then I change my focus by looking on the subpersonalities. The subpersonlality the patient is mostly identified with coming to therapy sometimes is not the subpersonality, which has the real power. So secondary my question is: Who within the whole system of inner subpersonalities has the energy, if my observable patient has not ? Who is the secret chief ?

I introduce this towards my patient with words as "If you dont have contact to your energy, look inside yourself, asking yourself WHO has the energy ? And let me know the first name, which is coming up from your unconscious - doesnt matter if this make sense to you or not."

Then I ask my patient for permission to treat this secret chief. If the patient is willing to do so, I let him to be identified with this secret chief. And afterwards I treat this subpersonality as new patient in my office using traditional psychotherapy and of course MPT. The goal of this work is to help the subpersonalty becoming a friend of my biological patient. In order to reach this goal mostly tapping on the traumata of this supersonality is necessary.

Then I change back to my original = biological patient working with him on the acceptance of this new friendship. Muscle Testing can be used in order to check, whether the acceptance is there. Otherwise this can be treated by MPT. My observations are: If the secret chief becomes a inner friend, then the biological patient and the subpersonality is becoming a new powerful team - i.e. my patient has his energy back.

If you like to use this technique I would be interested very much on your experiences.

FROM DENISE WALL
In regards to low energy, I have learned some interesting info from a book called "Solved: The Riddle of Illness", by Langer and Scheer. This paperback covers the complexities of the thyroid in health matters and it lists 64 possible symptoms that can, depending on their grouping, look totally unrelated to each other. I have also learned, the hard way, that internists do not interpret thyroid lab workups in the way that an endocronologist might. It is amazing to me how many mistakes are made in diagnosis. Some interesting questions can be raised about emotional reasons for thyroid disorders that run in families!

Maybe this spin will be helpful to the difficulty of tapping with low energy folks. I now ask for TSH levels and an antibody panel to be run for those who are exhausted with odd symptoms, like muscle aches, sinusitis, uneven sleeping patterns, can't ditch colds, headaches, neuralgia, digestive disorders, constipation, allergies that don't respond to NLP intervention or tapping....then refer to endocronologists if the levels are elevated even slightly.

FROM ERIC ROBINS, MD
Very interesting discussion of low energy states. I agree that emotional conditions present a huge drain on energy, and therefore the detective work is essential.
In addition, I would like to offer several other remedies for low energy. I might give my credentials in this as not only being a physician, but also a Pranic Healing instructor. For many years I was chronically run down and depleted. Dealing with a number of emotional issues didn't seem to help improve my condition. It was not until I learned about Master Choa Kok Sui (founder of Pranic Healing) and some of his energetic techniques that my life was turned around.
The first technique that I was taught was a set of powerful yogic exercises called the "Five Tibetan Rites of Rejuvenation". These are presented by several books currently out on the market. Master Choa has made a few small modifications in these exercises which increase their efficacy, and has given us permission to include these in our upcoming book. A book is already on the market entitled, "The Ancient Secrets of the Fountain of Youth", by Kelder. For most people (80-90%), these exercises will double or triple their energy level. Most people will also notice that their sex drive, or libido goes up massively. I'm not sure whether my wife loves or hates the person who told me about the exercises.

A second technique is called the Mentalphysics exercises, which is a set of yogic exercises described by Edwin Dingle. The Mentalphysics organization in Joshua Tree, CA publishes a booklet on how to do them. The exercises in their original form are somewhat energizing, however they can take about 45 minutes to complete. Master Choa has made major modifications to these exercises, so that they can be done in less than 10 minutes with a very powerful energizing effect. I'm not talking about some temporary energy boost like you get after downing a cup of coffee, I'm talking about a smooth increase of energy that lasts all day.

Increased energy to exercise, increased mental alertness and acuity, more stamina in all areas of life. I believe that this is the crown jewel of all energizing yogic exercises in the world.

A third recommendation is for clients to take "salt baths". We recommend putting an entire container of salt (26-28 oz.) into a tub of warm water. Add about 7-8 drops of lavender oil. Soak up to your head for about 20 minutes. Then rinse off in the shower. These baths pull off negative diseased energy, leaving a person feeling quite energized. The proof is in the pudding, but we have had literally hundreds of students notice major improvements in their energy level.

There are a number of little known about food supplements that are also quite energizing. All of these will be included in our upcoming book entitled, "Ultimate Healing---What They Forgot to Teach Your Doctor in Medical School".

FROM ROLLAND FELLOWS
I had a couple of thoughts to share. First I assume that the cases being talked about you have explored how much sleep, rest and exercise a person get. Some of my clients report who report difficulties with their energy do not understand that their lifestyle is burning them out. If they are suffering burnout it can take months for their system to recover. Living in Austin, Texas a high tech mecca I regularly encounter people where I recommend rest as more important than therapy. For most of them it comes as a shock. I find that a lot of people are not in tune with the consequences of their behavior on their energy.

The second thought comes from talks with a colleague about neurofeedback. He pointed out to me that if you have ever suffered from depression certain of your brain waves patterns are permanently slowed. Most of our work therapy work has to do with slowing down peoples thoughts and feelings because they are too anxious, tense or angry. He suggested that neurofeedback was the best way to restore this brain wave activity. I assume that the sense of energy would return with the increased brain wave activity.

This friend was kind enough to give me a neurofeedback session. Even though I had had an exhausting week, I felt peaceful and excited after the session. I have wondered if that one session gave me some renewal of energy and creativity.

If there are any neurofeedback therapists on the list I would like for them to respond to this idea. Also, if I wonder if there are any meridian or chakra techniques that have been shown to elevate brain wave activity.

FROM MARY HAMMOND-NEWMAN
In the model, ENERGETIC HEALING Howard Brockman LCSW, Nancy Gordon LCSW and I have developed we have had great success with chronic depression and chronic low energy. We MMT for current life origins, ancestral origins (genetic energetic lineage) and past life origins (soul energetic lineage) that require healing in order to heal the intended goal ( ie. low energy, depression , etc.) We then use a variety of induction techniques to assist the person in returning to that origin to heal. We then use EFT to clear it. For an on-going discussion of this model tune into enerpsych@postoffice.worldnet.att.net. We are very excited about the results that are being achieved. I will be presenting this model at the EPC conference in Toronto.

FROM ELEANOR BERG
I walked away from this one earlier this evening because my 'Take 'on it is what some may consider way out. Well, so be it. I've walked myself back again because I feel the need present a possility that may not have occurred to you.
Trauma, concussion, appears to be the time when the disturbance began.
Low energy is a symptom, also depression. And there is a block.
I would be considering entity attachment and the need for releasing the entity (ies), usually a bunch clusters.

(Please understand that I am dedicated to EFT, also BSFF. I also use hypnotherapy and since May I have begun combining another technique, which addresses traumas held at the cellular level. Together with this I have been addressing entity attachment. This is gentle therapy and very effective, also fast.)
Entity attachment is not uncommon, as may have been previously thought. It may occur during times of low resistence, stress, traumas, e.g. concussion, hospitalization.
I recommend referring to William Baldwin's work. He has a web site, and his very comprehensive manual is 'Spirit Releasement Therapy', published by Headline Books.

FROM MARTYN LUBERTI, HHP
Although I am a novice with EFT and Craniosacral therapy, I feel compelled to comment on the recent e-mail about low energy with a possible tie-in to a concussion.

Craniosacral therapy works on the basis that the dural tube surrounding the spine and brain will register trauma. Cranial bones do move to the rhythm of the cranial system and injuries can imped normal function with subsequent symptoms. If no cranialsacral therapy has been done since the injury, I would recommend this avenue, particularily since EFT does not seem to be working. As therapists, it is our duty to our clients to be aware when our forms of therapy may not be as helpful as another we do not practice. No one modality is the be all and end all.
This description of this case fits exactly within the realm of necessary cranialsacral work and I recommend that it be suggested.

FROM GINI THATCHER HENGEN C.C.HT.
Just a few thoughts on Don Flory's low energy dilemma-- I've noticed that a few of my clients who suffer from depression also seem to be "hooked" on adrenalin. The adrenalin "rush" keeps them going in order to do creative work or keeps them rushing around finding many reasons and excuses not to do whatever they are resisting. When they come down from an adrenalin high they bottom out and almost cannot function. When I suspect this is the case I gently ask the client to "consider the possibility" that she/he is addicted to the adrenalin rush. I usually do not muscle test this because there is almost always a big "Aha" affirmation from the client. Then we tap on craving the adrenalin rush. I, of course, do not know if this would fit in the case of Don's client, but maybe someone else's low energy client will benefit.

FROM BOBBIE SANDOZ
Re the man whose energy is low, in his case, it must be noted that this happened after the concussion. Thus, sudden toxicity, emotional problems (other than the trauma), etc. are less likely to be the cause than the head injury itself. Some people become psychic after head injuries, others schizophrenic, etc. Thus, we know jostling the head can cause major changes in a person. I suggest he get some intensive sacrocranial work and/or see someone with pranic healing skills.

The fact he has cleared the truma and is high function in spite of the problem implies he is pretty emotionally healthy with a jostled head. When all else fails, it is also very useful to talk to the low energy and let it tell you when it came, why, what purpose, if any, it serves, and what it would take to bring the person back to his former level of energy.

FROM ROBERT SNIADACH, D.C.
One very deep physical, mental and emotional cause of "tiredness dieases" (CFIDS, EB virus, fibromyalgia, etc.) is simply our all-pervasive, condescending western attitude toward sleep and rest. I have met very few adults who actually sleep each night as much as their body requires. And then they wonder why they are tired. It is quite strange. As infants, we are encouraged to sleep as much as possible. It is understood as being beneficial. As adolescents, we are encouraged to take naps; it is understood as being beneficial. As soon as we enter first grade, however, and our little head settles down on the desk for a nap after lunch or recess, that's when the brainwashing/conditioning begins... Get Up! There's work to do! You are in school now, you must conform! You must keep up with everyone else. You must disregard your proper and healthful body signals about sleeping. They are irrelevant!

Of course, this continues throughout schooling, gets especially demanding in college and also early in our working career, when we are trying to make some sort of impression. The result is chronically fatigued systems that cry out for sleep and rest, but are instead fed caffeine, ginseng, nicotine and all the rest of the legal and illegal stimulant drugs. None of which actually give one any energy, BTW, for all they can do is create irritation in the body, and such toxic irritants must be quickly expelled. The expulsion process is internally manifested as increased heart rate, blood pressure, kidney and liver function, nervous system hypersensitivity, smooth muscle contraction, etc. All this "feels" like extra energy, but it is energy being summoned from within to eliminate the toxic garbage, not freely received from without. Thus, further fatigue is always the result. A downward spiral toward disease.

Another point..... it is impossible to oversleep. Your body knows exactly how much recovery time (sleep) it needs every night; it will remain asleep until precisely the moment when it has fully rejuvenated itself. Anything less is detrimental.

So, inquiring into and tapping for the P/M/E aspects of the "gotta give more... gotta work harder, faster, longer" syndrome may result in good progress in all tiredness disease cases.

FROM MARTHA DELAFIELD
Just last night I was working with a client who was complaining of chronic low energy and who, as a result of it, was anxious about being able to handle going back to work full time. We tapped on "blocks to my energy" several times, and that helped some. What really seemed to shift things was when she came up with the setup phrase, "I love and accept myself unconditionally as I more and more easily access my energy" and then we tapped on the "opening more and easily to my energy." She reported feeling, and indeed looked, much more lightened and energetic.
It's been my experience that with folks who are really low energy and/or depressed, focusing on the negative doesn't work nearly as well as focusing on some positive aspect. It's as if their system is stuck in negative mode and needs a light to show them where they can go. This has been borne out many times with my clients--I always start with clearing whatever negative stuff is there, but when we focus on where the client wants to go, and what qualities they think they need to get there, then tapping those "in," then things start to fly.

FROM SERGIO XIMENES
Interesting coincidence. Today, I was reading the manual "Rapid Change Techniques for Emotional Healing", by Dr. David Lake and Steve Wells, when I came upon a paragraph related to the low energy problem, at page 42. First the authors introduce Dr. Michael Gandy's points:
Top of head - On midline, slightly forward of center.Wrists - Both inside and outside - approximately 2-3 inches from the hand crease.Ankles - Inside and outside - approximately 2-3 inches above ankle bone.
And they say:
"We tap on these points with the flat of the hand to be sure of tapping the right point.
........................................................
We often use them whenever tapping using the regular EFT points brings us to a standstill. I (Steve Wells) also tend to use these points when clients experience low energy ("energy sapping") as a result of their problem. Their subsequent aliveness may result somewhat from the increased vigour required in tapping these points. If you use these points be aware that tapping on the top of the head often provokes embarrassed responses from clients which must be paced in your explanation."

One more choice, it seems. As I'm in the final days of a flu, I checked those points and discovered an interesting difference. Using EFT, the common breathing reaction seems to be a quick inspiration followed by a strong exhalation. When I applied Dr. Gandy's technique I noticed, to my surprise, that at the end of it I invariably took a long inhalation, filling almost all the lungs, before exhaling. And this effect continued through time (more than 30 minutes later), something I have not experienced applying EFT.

I wonder if this difference relates to the activation of the parasympathetic system (the relaxation effect brought by EFT, associated with exhalation) and the primary activation of the sympathetic system (the energizing effect Steve and Dr. Lake noticed, associated with deep inspiration). As EFT also brings an increase of energy, sometimes, could it be it is a balanced Yin-Yang technique, and Dr. Gandy's a more Yang oriented technique?

FROM TERI HOLTER
The recent posts on low energy have prompted me to write with 2 client stories in which low energy problems correlated with exposure to high Electro-Magnetic Frequency (EMF) exposure in the home environment. In both cases, I took an EMF detector and found levels of 5-13 milligaus throughout their entire condo/apartment units. Anything over 1-2 milligaus is considered problematic, and muscle testing can clearly demonstrate the adverse effect of EMF fields on one's energy flow. In each case, the culprit was a transformer in their alleys. They were able to be helped by using Liquid Needle Bio-Photanicals which use mineral waters charged with correct frequencies to neutralize toxic EMFs and substances as well as to boost the body's own vital life energy, remove energy blockages and rebalance the mind/body system. What was notable about their use of these products compared to that of the general population is that they required higher dosages/more frequent use than the average person due to the frequencies of the product being used up much more quickly.

I also find it interesting that one of these clients had tried numerous things over the years and found little benefit or a diminishing benefit from them. Perhaps they just couldn't hold up against the constant onslant of harmful EMFs. In writing about this, I am reminded about a severely depressed client that I had worked with earlier. She benefited from TFT, but would have to repeat it at least daily. She also benefited from using the Ex-Stress Bio-Photanical, but muscle tested as needing as much as 30 drops at a time, compared to the usual dosage of 5 drops. Now I wonder if EMFs may have been a factor for her as well, or one of the other factors recently offered by others on the list.

In a previous post on this subject, Dr. Robins suggested use of salt baths. Bio-Photanicals are also available as a body soak to add to the tub. Besides the inherent benefits of their mineral salts content, they are encoded with specific frequencies to actually trigger the release of toxins and then draw them out through the tissues. This results in a safer and more gentle means of detoxifying than any other method as it spares the kidney and liver from an excess burden and avoids autointoxication risks from toxins re-circulating in the bloodstream and organs. More info can be found on Bio-Photanicals at www.dnrinc.com or I'd be happy to share more of my experiences for anyone who'd like to email me at RadBalance@aol.com

A last case of interest on the low energy topic is of a client who was a "frequency blocker" due to a horrific history of abuse. She benefited from TFT, but her numbers would go down very slowly, and we always had to deal with Psychological Reversal. She said she could always tell when the treatment was starting to work because she would feel tingling and energy movement in her limbs and would end up feeling a "buzz" by the end of the final round. I never thought of her as a low energy client, but this is an example of energy increasing in someone used to not letting in much energy from outside of herself.

FROM SANDRO DE ROSA, MD, MAP
One way of increasing one's energy supply is taught in the analogic psychology school here in Italy. The main principle behind it is to instinctively buy an object you have never had before and invest it with the sense of an "emotional battery". (Like Jung's symbols acting as energy switches). Alternatively one can set up an NLP anchor, instead of buying the "battery". Then one must do things one would never do (in order to break the bonds). That means do things you consider foolish like going on roller coaster rides or striking up conversations with complete strangers if one is shy, or saying "no" when you are used to saying yes even if you don't like to, or dressing like a clown and acting foolishly in public if one is a pinstripe and bowler-hat type.
The essence is that the chosen activity must be one that causes embarrassment, or nervous tension, or fear even, and that one does it as a gift to his "battery" to charge it up. So that prior to the act he could say "I'm doing this for you" and after "I did this for you", you meaning the battery. When the person has carried out a series of such acts, which ideally ought to be legal (if they're not, then go do them in a state or country where they are, the idea is to go against your own limits not those of the community you live in. As an example if smoking hashish is spooky to you, it's certainly not legal in the USA. It can spook you legally in Holland, though) and not too dangerous (you make your own judgments about that).

After 60-100 such acts, the person can then discharge his battery by asking it to convert this emotional energy so stored into "life energy", alternatively one could use EFT to channel the fear, embarrassment etc. caused by each act from it's high-energy "negative" state, to a balanced one through the tapping. This might all sound pretty risky, but that's where its power lies. These are just concepts, but the school teaches a proper method which uses these concepts (without the EFT bit, that was an idea of mine) to teach people to solve problems like shyness, stuttering, depression, anxiety and what have you. Any adventurous low energy people wanting to try out and report back, might be a good thing.

FROM CATHY RAYMOND
For low energy.....wondering if tapping for any of the following would work.
It's safe to be energetic....(perhaps was this fellow doing something energetic when he received his concussion, and therefore created some fears about feeling energized/energetic). Wonder if he had a parent/teacher that said..."You better slow/sit/calm down, you're going to hurt yourself/somebody"

I'd also try: Even though I don't feel/notice the shifts in my body's energy...Even though I'm not sensing any changes in my body...Even though my mind is responding and not my body...

I've installed belief systems like: I easily notice my changes...
(I learned this one, when a client was stating he didn't notice any changes from the tapping. People around him did. So, the work wasn't as fun for him....this changed after tapping on the problem of not feeling his changes. He was then able to feel and appreciate his own changes).
I wonder if this has something to do with the way we are taught....to look for external signs for validation/approval. Students often learn to rely on teacher's opinions of their work, instead of their own. My guess is that our self-evaluation systems are not fully primed, based on our K-12 educational experience.

All my systems work harmoniously together and give me great feedback about my newly released energy sources...
My body and my mind work seamlessly together...

FROM STEPHANIE ROTHMAN
As you know, I have been around since the very beginning when you took EFT to the Internet and I have been privileged to see a lot of growth, changes, and insights. A couple of things came to mind when I read about the gentleman who couldn't seem to let go of his low energy (which may or may not have been caused by a concussion).

The concepts of secondary gains, payoffs, and unhealthy emotional benefits come to mind. Not having this person in my office (or on the phone), it makes it difficult to determine what's going on with him, but I'd certainly want to check out these possibilities. Is it possible that the client benefits in some way from keeping the lethargy? This can be determined by a) asking the person if this might be the case (your client is sometimes the best detective when it comes to sussing out their own problems/aspects), b) muscle testing (I know a lot of people are not familiar with this and if you want me to, Gary, I'll post some instructions on how to do it). If it is then determined that these secondary gains are indeed the cause, you can release that aspect.
Also, about organic vegetables: I have read (and I don't know if this is true or not), that organic vegetables produce their own natural pesticides (far more than you would get from a regular store bought brand), and you can't wash them off because they are intrinsic to the genetic code of the vegetable. Conversely, store bought brands do not need to produce their own insecticides (a genetic mutation) and any external pesticide can fairly easily be washed off. So for toxin-sensitive folks, organic might not be the best choice. But it seems fairly evident that most anybody can benefit from having a diet low in processed foods. IMHO.

FROM BOB DALEY
I'm responding to Don Flory's plight about low energy and I picked up on your response about toxicity and the need for good nutrition. Since this channel is mind-based it is to be expected that the focal discussion is in that part of the mind/body equation. In my opinion, we should address the body's needs before throwing up our hands. Certainly we all know that all the tapping in the world will not give a car its expected "get-up-and-go" if there's no gas in the tank.

One of the most noteworthy statements from the Dept. of Agriculture is that the iron content of spinach grown in this country has shrunk to 1/70th of what it was 45 years ago. This is due to the changes in farming methods and food processing over the same period. And recently it has been touted by the press that tests of oranges in Southern California have shown that the chemistry used in orchard management has completely eliminated vitamin C from the product. I suspect the orchardists have responded to reverse that result. My point is that given a diminishment of appropriate nutrient in the food chain, we consumers would be driven by our mind/body connections to keep grazing until we manage to satisfy the missing needs and, if we limit our grazing to fast-food stands (or a fast-food mentality in our grocery-shopping) we will be driven to graze ourselves into gargantuan balloons. Think about that as you listen to the National Institute of Health decry the growing obesity stats of the nation. Again, and back to the car, the problem is not with the car but with the quality of gasoline.

Two years ago my son-in-law made it known that his sister in Hawaii had been battling severe depression for several years and was close to suicidal. I sent her a box of products by Cell Tech with a depression-recovery formula espoused by a Registered Nurse. The woman followed through; turned her condition around; went on to re-train herself and graduated from a Cosmetology Program.

I like the saying attributed to Hippocrates (the Father of Medicine): "Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food."

Cosmic Gift for Valentines Day

My painting of Orion from photo Jessi took for www.starpals.org

Sometimes we have to travel to the edge of ourselves to find the center.

BuckGhosthorse, Lakota Medicine Man

The best political, social, and spiritual work we can do is to withdraw the projection of our shadow onto others

Carl Jung

Sent to me by Jude Currivan, PhD:

This Saturday, a rare astrological concentration brings together a number of planets together with the North Node - denoting higher purpose - in Aquarius that energizes and inspires the possibility for transcendental breakthrough in some perhaps seemingly intransigent situations.
We measure our global sense of both space (latitude and longitude) and time (universal time - UT or GMT) from the prime meridian located at Greenwich, England. So we can perceive the collective influence of this momentous astrological event by looking at the alignment from this globally ‘centered’ perspective.

At dawn on 14th February the day dedicated to St Valentine, the patron saint of Love, the Moon in Libra enters the seventh house of relationships. And Jupiter and Mars are aligned in Aquarius in the twelfth house of spiritual transformation. Forty years ago, the intuitive words of a song called Aquarius, brought the dawning of the new age into our collective awareness:

When the Moon is in the seventh house

and Jupiter aligns with Mars.

Then peace will rule the planets

and love will steer the stars

At dawn on 14th February the Cosmos actually embodies this perfect alignment to support our collective manifestation of love and peace and dawning of the Age of Aquarius. The Aquarian chart of 14th February reveals an incredible concentration of cosmic influences blending with the energies of Aquarius in the twelfth house. Expansive Jupiter and energetic Mars are aligned with the higher purpose of the North Node. The presence of Chiron the wounded healer offers us the opportunity to heal the schisms that have separated us for so long. Neptune emphasizes collective humanitarian movements and the co-creation of social justice. And the presence of the radiant Sun enlightens the entire alignment. Mercury also in the twelfth house but just beyond the cusp in Capricorn, allies with transformational Pluto to communicate and anchor the Shift throughout our global structures and institutions. The Moon in Libra in the seventh house emphasizes harmonious real –ationships. Venus in Aries in the first house energizes and empowers dynamic co-creativity. And whilst Saturn the great task master in opposition to Uranus the unexpected awakener is suggesting an ongoing confrontation as the dregs of the unsustainable old paradigm reluctantly give way to the untested hope of the new, their placements in Virgo and Pisces brings practical altruism and visionary inspiration to the transition.

At 7.25am on 14th February – and for the 18 minutes of the alignment, I invite you, in the universal heart, to add your own intention for love and peace and to co-create the dawning of the Age of Aquarius to that of the Cosmos. In whatever way feels appropriate for you, you may choose to align with 7.25am (UT) or 7.25am local time energizing a wave of intention that will surge around the Earth.

Please feel free to circulate this email its cosmic invitation to birth the Age of Aquarius.
With love, joy and gratitude in the universal heart,

Jude
http://www.judecurrivan.com/

Creation vs Reaction

Cover from Kaibab book available on Amazon.

Art by Adele

Today I am headed into Reiki II training. I practiced my sacred symbols, drew them hundreds of time with a calligraphy pen. l thought that is what I'd be blogging about, but instead I am thinking about art, our need to express creativity and respond to it...

A few days ago I sent out this story to help those of us during those times we feel overlooked... or wonder if anyone notices... Thanks to Maggie for sending it to me.

"A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule. A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work. The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32.

When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition. No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars. Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context? One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?"

http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/bell.asp

A talented metal sculptor, Ekaterina, e-mailed me her artist's statement in reply:

This is a great and poignant story. It seems so fitting right now to me.

"I have often asked my self: Is art essential to life, like food, water and shelter is? At first my answer was no. But this did not feel right, because on a feeling level, to me, it feels essential. Then I realized that I was assuming a very narrow description of life as simply existence. When I started to look at life more broadly one of the things that became blatantly evident is that life cannot be stagnant. It seems to me that at the very center of life is the desire to move and evolve. It seems that our very existence depends on our ability to be creative.

This creativity takes many forms, like the sciences, that explore many sides of our existence and evolution. However, to me, it feels like we as a society have put sooo much stock into the tangible that the prevailing tendency is to marginalize the intangible and ethereal. However, my opinion, is that in doing so we are ignoring the very force that drives us. It is like saying the results of creativity are more important than the feelings of the desire to be creative. Both are essential for moving forward. I feels to me that it is these intangible qualities that artists are so often exploring in themselves and sharing through their work.

There are many qualities and truths that simply cannot be explained , yet inspired art can impart a feeling that triggers that exploration and understanding in others. I believe that this is a very crucial part of development both for the individual and society as a whole. Today I believe art is needed more than ever to help bring back a balanced approach to life within our society. "

I replied with the following:

Nicely done, Ekat.

A book I read last year, Converstations with God, featured a wonderful discussion about the concepts of CREATION and REACTION. Notice that the only difference between the two words is where you put the "C" -- Where you choose to See. In all other life forms, Reaction is the driving force. To eat, procreate, sleep and otherwise fulfill basic needs. Action is based out of reacting to basic needs. For many people, as well, their lives are based out of reacting, not creating. And their lives feel empty as a result.

With humanity, creation is the force that distinguishes us from animals or other life forms. We have a need to create, to align with the Universal Energy, to absorb inspiration and express our own residing divinity. We channel something greater than ourselves and learn to love it, crave it and be nurtured by it.

Society has taught us not to say things like that out loud. But things are changing... Some of us are becoming aware of outside forces that are very real. We lose track of time and enter an altered state of consciousness as we create... as we feel the flow... as we transcend.... Society needs this reminder from us.

Because of our creative alignment, we can transcend the problems of our days easier than those who rely on reaction to get by. We can realize how it is that we are magically untouched by the greedy and stupid things going on around us, especially now that we see how much is pushed onto us by the VIPs and trusted powers that be. It's their value system, not ours; their system of Reacting, not Creating. And so Art becomes our salvation, personally and societally.

Letting go to a higher power, a magical transformation, to transcend through the creative process into the divine -- that's the purpose of Art in our Lives and in Society.

And the poet Kaibab, summarized it all with this in a poem he wrote for me nearly three years ago:

A World of Art

I sail on watered words

Sinking as my raft of soft lines

assembles the creative, loaded question,

What is the measure of art to a dying world of make believe treasures?

The way of an artist is not a part time job.

Time is soul food,

and we awake rubbing yesterday's eyes

in a fever of uneasiness,

looking for evasive inspiration.

To create from nothing,

something worth keeping,

is what we call art.

It's not commercial in its primal state,

but the only survival of humanity,

a record of love...through war filled ages.

Bits and pieces of heaven, and wishes,

assembled in spirit clouds,

torture the thunder in the silken shadow

to find a way to some body's distant eyes.

The artist creates a well of water aching to be spread

as nourishment on the world garden,

withering flowers, remembered, not for money,

but because we are amazed.

The world of art beats with a timid confidence,

insane sanity,and terrified insecurity... looking only for a tip of the hat,

a wink in a tear searching for a way

to give itself to the universe.

for more poetry by kaibab visit: www.allpoetry.com/kaibab

Healing Touch for Sciatic Nerve Pain

Today I went in for my Hospital Volunteer credentials so that I will be allowed to use the Healing Touch procedures I learned. In honor of this occasion I pulled up notes from my HT journal from a few months ago, and found this entry which marked the first time I used these techniques on someone in pain other than my husband:

November 25, 2008

My husband and I were awakened at 5:00 this morning with a call from Rick, who worked for us, and was now crippled in pain at Albertson's parking lot. He had gone to a chiropractor the day before for lower-back adjustments who also recommended that x-rays be taken. Rick postponed the x-rays and worked the graveyard shift transporting newspapers. The jarring pain he felt after a sudden twist was the worst he had ever felt in his life. He barely made it to his car before passing out.

I found him 40 minutes later holding the side of his leg, rocking in agony in the front seat of his car. He could not yet be moved. He said he thought he would need an ambulance. I asked if he believed in natural healing and if he would mind if I tried to help him through his pain for awhile until we determined what to do. We may be able to drive him there if he calmed down and felt stronger. He agreed. I asked if it was ok that I touch him. He nodded. I measured the space above him quickly with my hands and felt that his overall energy was strong. I took quick measurements with my pendulum which revealed his lower back and leg to be spinning off axis, leaning left, counter-clockwise. I put it back in my pocket and pulled out the eye pillow which he accepted.

I put my hand over Rick's sacral center and asked him to focus on his breathing while I tried to move the good energy, emanating from his center, to where it hurt. I moved my left hand over his hand which he was using to grab aggressively on his leg. He yanked his hand away moving lower toward his calf to pull his leg upward. I kept my hand lightly, firmly, gently on his thigh. Soon his rocking lessened and I could feel him easing into my hand. After reminding him to concentrate on his breathing, I released my right hand, and snapped my fingers. I was now free to test the pendulum again and see that, as Carl had promised, it had changed to a strong clockwise direction. I shook my free right hand in a pain drain, and brought it upward to receive more energy, then continued with two-handed modulation of energy, keeping both hands in place until I felt some sort of ease, covering areas from lower back to top of the calf.

After perhaps twenty minutes of this, I asked if he felt well enough to be moved to the back seat. He said he felt much improved, but still wanted to go to Emergency. I helped him into the back seat and drove, telling him along the way that it was his job to remember to breathe fully from his gut and direct white light, with color tips, toward his pain. I kept repeating "Focus on your breath. See the Light. Everything's going to be alright." I apologized for the rhyme.

Fellow HT student Parke was there to help me with admissions at Mercy! After Rick was situated in his room I asked if he wanted more help with the pain. He enthusiastically thanked me and agreed. We continued with modulation mostly. I observed that one hand on the area seemed less effective, he was more squirmish, than if I used two. I would later observe this affect on myself when working on the headache that seemed to result from this exertion.

Rick cried to God for help, so I offered to pray with him, as I continued modulation, pain drain and ultrasound techniques -- now with less effort and more conscious instinct since I had gained experience working on my husband and his broken clavicle the past several days. In the prayers, aloud, I added positive affirmations including thanks for helping us find the energy to ease Rick's pain.

After pain medication was installed and his wife arrived, I waited for my husband to pick me up. The poor guy had been driving around with his arm in a sling, delivering the rest of Rick's route. I felt surprisingly good, for a while, tingling with love and confidence. Later I would learn that I should have used some self Chakra reconnection, instead of basking in the glow. I threw myself out of balance for several hours afterward, to the great disapointment of my family, until I took the time to realign myself and drain the negative energy I had absorbed. I laid on the floor in the living room, feeling like I was coming down with the flu.

Good lesson: Start with a self chakra connection on dry land (2 x for me) and finish with slow loving modulation and a pain drain in the shower. You'll be yourself by the time you're through.

Bliss in Hyperspace

The few days after describing my bliss, in the 21 Day post, were quite blase in comparison. I became disappointed in myself, wanting to feel the peaceful high as a constant in my life. I woke up at 3:30 this morning unable to resume sleep, so I asked for a meditation, asked to meet my spirit guides, and was met with dull silence instead. I held my hand over my heart and noticed that the space between felt heavier, kind-of metallic, and the space inside drawn tight.

Did Buddhist monks ever feel this way? You think of the Dalai Lama's face lit with some soft knowing smile, placid and meek. Only recently have scientists discovered the source of that smile. Sixteen years ago, his Holiness invited a neuroscientist to prod, electrify and sensor his eight favorite Ngyingmapa and Kagyupa meditators at a lab at the University of Wisconsin.

Everybody expected that the monks wired brains would slow down to a pretty alpha state of consciousness, slow and steady, while they concentrated on unconditional love. Instead after just 15 seconds, the EEG monitors noted an increase in brain activity during meditation. Bursts of high gamma-band activity grew to unprecedented levels, higher than ever predicted. Dr. Richard Davidson and his colleague reported these Buddhist monks showed "the highest measures of gamma activity ever recorded among people who were not insane." "The heightened state also produced permanent emotional improvement, by activating the left anterior portion of the brain -- the portion most associated with joy. The monks had conditioned their brains to tune into happiness most of the time." *

Unprecedented bliss.

Well, there's a great reason to get meditating!

If you need another reason, don't let the quiescent smiles fool you into thinking that these pacifists hide behind simple minds. Did you know that meditation can help you reduce or reverse the aging process of your brain? In 2000, Sara Lazaar, at Massachusetts General Hospital mapped the brain regions that are active during simple meditation, comparing real devotees with the more ordinary among us. She discovered an increase in signalling in neural structures that equated to mega-brain exercise during meditation. The cortical thickness of attention regions of the brain were actually thicker among devotees of kundalini and Buddhist mindfulness meditations, and increased with practice and age. They were not only more aware of details in hyperspace, with heightened powers of observation, but also operated at peak attention, with greater mindfulness than ordinary folks can achieve without practice in meditation. And their brain-power was getting better with age, not worse.

It appears that scientists have been very busy prodding and measuring psychics as well. Ingo Swann is respected as one of the best remote viewers in the world, even employed by the US government. So, what's up with his brain? Dr. Micheal Persinger from Laurentian University in Canada wired Swann up and tested his skills, which proved true and showed bursts of high beta and gamma activity similar to the Tibetan monks. Through brain monitoring, Persinger saw Swann enter a "superconscious state" that enables him "to receive information impossible to access during normal waking consciousness." He had an unusually large parieto-occipital right hemisphere lobe where sensory and visual input is processed, that allowed him to "see beyond the limits of time, distance and the five major senses."

This is from bonafide laboratory researchers not X-files story writers nor psychic fanatics.

Even med-school graduates are turning on to this. Cancer specialist and psychologist Dr. Lawrence LeShan published research as to how gifted healers work. He discovered that they also enter states of altered consciousness, and visualize themselves as uniting with the person and something often described as "the absolute."

"I'm aware of the process just being beyond me," one healer told him. "My conscious control is completely side-stepped, like I'm standing, watching. Then something else takes over."

Healers describe feeling their bodies change with shifts of energy "suffused with an expanded sense of pure present" and reduced awareness of time and self. "They felt taller, lighter, almost as though they were out of their physical being, engulfed by a sense of unconditional love... , observing themselves as "a kind of core that remains." Many identify with guardian spirits, guides or angels which take over to do the work.

McTaggart says she's encountered two types of healers in her extensive studies. Those who regard themselves as the source of healing and those who channel energy from a greater force beyond themselves. Elisabeth Targ who recruited 40 "healers of every persuasion" for her AIDs project discussed the common thread she discovered among diverse approaches to healing. "Loving compassion or kindness was essential in sending out a positive intention to heal," she said. "But no matter what their approach, most of them agreed on a single point: the need to get out of the way. They surrendered to a healing force... a request (like) 'please may this person be healed' -- then stepped back." Successful healers do not believe they possess the power themselves.

One of the most respected healers, Harry Edwards, agrees that a healer works "by handing over his will and his request for healing to a greater power." It is "as if a blind had been drawn over his normal alert mind," he says. "In its place he experiences the presence of a new personality, one with an entirely new character, which imbues him with a super-feeling of confidence and power."

"The healer may be dimly aware of normal movement taking place around him. If a question is addressed to him about the patient's condition he will find himself able to respond with extraordinary ease and without mental effort -- in other words, the more knowledgeable personality of the Guide provides the answer." Edwards would surrender, drop personal ego, move aside, and merge with the higher entity to become part of a larger whole.

Researchers have also given healers personality tests, of course, and discovered they possess "thin boundaries: open, unguarded and undefended." By contrast, people with "thick boundaries," according to the Hartmann Boundary Questionnaire, are "well-organized, dependable, defensive and... well-armored."

Sharing characteristics with artists and musicians, healers are "sensitive, vulnerable and creative." They "tend to get involved quickly in relationships" and "easily flit between fantasy and reality," sometimes not differentiating well between the two. They do not "repress uncomfortable thoughts or separate feelings from thoughts," and are more comfortable with "using intention to control or change things around them."

This is how researchers and scientists can explain why healers are able to do what they do. They must have the ability to surrender, to give up cognitive control, to channel pure energy. They suspect that "during altered states of consciousness, the body switches off certain neural connections including an area near the back of the brain that constantly calculates a person's spatial orientation." They explain that "during a transpersonal or transcendent experience, the boundary between self and the other blurs." Those poor Tibetan monks, rigged up to the EEGs demonstrate an increased activity in the brain's frontal lobes. Their intense focus "on some other being appears to switch off the amygdala and so remove a neural sense of self," doctors explain.

Which leads me to question why these modest monks are willing to leave their relative seclusion, fly to these universities and hospitals, allow themselves to be rigged and poked and measured? Why, especially, after a few thousand years of secrecy and protection? Why now?

The answer comes from His Holiness the Dalai Lama himself who understands that since the Chinese occupation in Tibet fifty years ago, his days, and those of his holy followers are drawing to an end. He has encouraged a generous spirit of cooperation from his followers and sharing with all those who believe.

This is why we can all learn to open ourselves to something greater than any of us could ever be alone. By their smiling examples these quiescent Buddhists -- who can boil freezing water through the power of their thoughts -- show us, scientifically, that we, too, can be happy most of the time, that we, too, can obtain peak awareness and can even reverse the course of our aging brains. They patiently answer our foolish questions.

All we have to do is surrender.

All we need do is to let go of our ego, get out of the way and welcome the light.

All we need is love.

*PRIMARY SOURCE: Lynne McTaggart, Entering Hyperspace, The Intention Experiment 2008