Category Archives: Body, Mind & Spirit

Questions Abound over Efficacy of Flu Vaccines

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Analysis Finds Flu Vaccine Efficacy Lacking, as Flu Vaccines are Suspended Across Europe and Canada

By Dr. Mercola

With flu season just around the corner, health agencies are telling Americans to just “get your flu shot,” assuring everyone that it’s safe and effective. Many, like MedicineNet.com,1 chalk up any and all safety concerns as “myths.”

“It’s the time of year when you should be thinking about flu vaccinations for yourself and your family,” they write. “Some people, however, decide not to get the flu vaccine and put themselves and others at risk of getting sick just because they believe long-held myths about the vaccine.”

Myths? I think not.

Vaccine Claims are Not Based on Science-Backed Medicine

Story at-a-glance

  • A recent review found that flu vaccines may not offer protection as previously thought. The elderly, in particular, do not appear to receive measureable value from the flu shot. Trivalent inactivated influenza vaccines also didn’t offer much protection to children over the age of seven
  • While infants and young children are at greatest risk, no one is exempt from the potential serious complications of flu vaccination, one of which is Guillaine-Barre syndrome. Early symptoms of GBS include sudden muscle weakness, fatigue and tingling sensations in the legs, eventually ending with either partial or total paralysis
  • A unit of U.S. drugmaker Johnson & Johnson, recently suspended delivery of their seasonal flu vaccine, Inflexal V, destined for Italy and other European countries, after discovering “problems” with two of 32 lots
  • Two weeks ago Italy banned the sale and use of four flu vaccines manufactured by Novartis, following the discovery of white particles in the vaccines. Over the next two days, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, France, Germany and Canada also suspended use of Novartis’ flu vaccines
  • ACIP recently changed their recommendation on Tdap during pregnancy. According to new recommendation, a Tdap booster vaccine is to be given to pregnant women during each consecutive pregnancy. The vote was unanimous despite the fact that neither safety nor efficacy data exists for women given multiple consecutive Tdap vaccinations during every pregnancy.

to read the rest, go to:    http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/11/06/flu-vaccine-efficacy.aspx?e_cid=20121106_DNL_art_1

TIps on Meditating

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Life Is Best Lived Proactively

Posted: 11/06/2012

The demands of daily life often require too much of us, and I’ve noticed how many of us try to meet those demands as though our reserves are endless. But they aren’t.

Our energy, our mental focus and our sense of balance need time and space to replenish themselves. Most importantly, we need a daily quiet space to process. Many people don’t take any quiet time for themselves until they fall ill, or until their life is a mess; by then the window for a proactive approach has passed.

We need a daily quiet space to process our experiences and to find meaning, direction and inner peace. Some people process quickly, their minds well-practiced in the art of emotional intelligence, their experiences are met with perspective. Others process slowly or perhaps not at all proactively, absorbing and hoarding their experiences without perspective like the proverbial bathtub that fills with water. Without taking quiet time to process and gain insight, the water overflows and you become a reactive mess of anger, frustration and victimhood.

There isn’t a a natural time in our waking hours when we can be quiet, notice and allow insight to bubble up from within. There are simply too many distractions. You have to deliberately carve a place for quiet in the midst of your busy days. Quiet, oddly enough, requires emotional maturity, a deliberate choice, and discipline. Our minds can be like children that continually crave excitement, distraction and needless input. They need to be told “no,” at least twice daily, and for 30 minutes each time.

If you have a hard time making time to meditate or process, remember that this quiet time is not time to do nothing. It’s time reserved for a very empowering activity.

In order to live life proactively, you have to take time to to tune in and let go. Ironically, you need to pull back and close your eyes in order to see things more clearly. Like the tide that rolls in and then retreats, like nature that blooms and then withdraws, we must also recognize that as we take time to flow forward, we must also take time to retreat. Your retreat helps to ensure that what’s next will be more fruitful and enjoyable.

Motherhood and age have given me the gift of being an early riser. I enjoy waking up in the wee hours of the day, well ahead of everyone else. At four or five in the morning, I tiptoe through my still quiet house, my boys and dogs lost to their dreams — unaware that I’m up and about. The phone doesn’t ring, and nature lies quiet beneath the still, shining moon and stars. No one needs me at this time of day, and I’m grateful to be awake in the stillness.

What to Do With the Quiet.

1. Begin With Gratitude. Though a quiet walk can sometimes be just as beneficial, I find that meditation is a powerful protective practice. Morning is my favorite time to meditate. Sometimes I begin without moving out of bed, thanking God for the many blessings in my life, one at a time.

2. Make Sure You Have the Right Setting. Other mornings, concerns tumble over in my mind like whitewater over river rocks, and I have to get up and move downstairs for a change in energy. Life always looks better once I get into the half-lotus position. Lying in bed somehow keeps the thoughts endlessly circling.

3. What to Do When Your Mind Is Busy. My goals for meditation differ from day to day. Ultimately I’d like to have a quiet mind, a serene sense of inner peace and a clear sense of direction. Some days, those things come more naturally than others. Some days, thoughts and concerns present themselves to me, nudging me for their attention. So some mornings, the goal is clarity. Concerns pulling at your mind are not worries to be watered with emotion, but elements of life that need to be figured out. Use them as the basis for your morning meditation, by transforming them onto a path of spiritual awareness. Rather than feeding your concerns with worry or trying to suppress them, ask God what you need to be aware of, what you need to learn in order to heal and move beyond the situation. Be prepared to take responsibility.

4. What to Do When the Mind Is Still Busy. If the answers won’t come, or if perhaps your frustration is too prevalent to let go and open a space for them, try remembering that these thoughts are just thoughts. As they come up, acknowledge them and then let them go. Release them to God, the angels or some other higher power to help release your attachment. As you release them, say a quick prayer to receive the insight and resolution you need. Sometimes letting go is all you need to do.

One morning last week I spent about 30 minutes meditating before I got out of bed. I then went about navigating the morning chaos of making breakfasts and lunches and getting my kids off to school, an exercise that is akin to nailing Jell-O to a tree. When I walked toward my yoga class a few hours later, a man spoke to me just before I got to the studio door. “You’re absolutely serene,” he said. “You have this peacefulness about you that just radiates.” Though it’s not necessary, it is nice when your internal practice shows up on the outside as well.

Making the time to process is a protection exercise for your mind. Without it, you will become overwhelmed and angry, and ultimately feel depressed. Rather than allowing yourself to be harmed in that way, protect yourself by making time to process, and empower yourself to live life proactively.

from:    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/melissa-van-rossum/meditation_b_2072540.html?utm_hp_ref=gps-for-the-soul&ir=GPS%20for%20the%20Soul

Or Bodies as Predictors of the Future

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Can Our Bodies Predict the Future?

Tia Ghose, LiveScience Staff Writer
Date: 01 November 2012
Photo
CREDIT: The Skeptical Inquirer

People’s bodies know a big event is coming just before it happens, at least according to a new study.

If true, the research, published Oct. 17 in the journal Frontiers of Perception, suggests something fundamental about the laws of nature has yet to be discovered.

“The claim is that events can be predicted without any cues,” said Julia Mossbridge, a Northwestern University neuroscientist who co-authored the study. “This evidence suggests the effect is real but small. So the question is: How does it work?”

Other scientists are skeptical of this interpretation, however. They suggest some bias in which studies get published could play a role in seeing an effect where there is none.

Real effect?

Many studies have shown that physical responses including heart rate, pupil dilation and brain activity change between one and 10 seconds before people see a scary image (like a slithering snake). In most of these experiments, frightening pictures were randomly interspersed with more-neutral ones, so that in theory participants didn’t have any clues about which photo would pop up next. But because the finding seemed so unnatural, those studies were understandably met with skepticism.

To see whether the effect was real, Mossbridge and her team analyzed over two dozen of these studies. As part of the analysis, they threw out any experiments in which they saw bias or flaws.

They still found a “presentiment” effect, in which measures of physiological excitement changed seconds before an event. The finding suggests that people’s bodies subconsciously sense the future when something important is about to happen, even if the people don’t know it.

For instance, if you were a day-trader betting lots of money on one stock, “10 seconds beforehand you might predict your stock tanking,” Mossbridge told LiveScience.

The paper doesn’t claim that people are psychic or have supernatural or paranormal powers. Instead, the authors believe presentiment is a real, physical effect that obeys natural laws — just ones that nobody understands, Mossbridge said. [Infographic: Belief in the Paranormal]

Researchers skeptical

But others doubt presentiment exists at all.

While the statistical methods used in the study are sound, that doesn’t mean presentiment is real, said Rufin VanRullen, a cognitive scientist at the Center for Research on the Brain and Cognition, in an email.

“All it means is that there is a statistical trend for scientists who search for these so-called presentiment effects to actually find them,” wrote VanRullen, who was not involved in the study.

Instead, it’s more likely that the experiments are biased, perhaps unintentionally, in a way the study authors missed, Kyle Elliott Mathewson, a researcher at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said via email.

It’s also possible that scores of researchers looked for this result, failed to find it and forgot all about it, added Mathewson, who like VanRullen wasn’t involved in the study. Those studies would never be published, he said, so the overall effect in the published studies would be biased.

According to the researchers, in order for such bias to explain their results, at least 87 other unpublished studies would need to show no effect.

“Between psychology labs and parapsychology investigations, I can imagine this many failed experiments that go unreported easily,” Mathewson wrote.

from:    http://www.livescience.com/24479-bodies-predict-the-future.html

“You Can Heal Your LIfe” Movie

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Here is a new movie that takes off where THE SECRET left off:

“The LAW OF ATTRACTION is just the tip of the iceberg. BOB PROCTOR explains the other 11 Universal Laws: http://www.quantumlaw.info

You Can Heal Your Life is a “The Secret” style movie based on Louise Hay’s teachings about healing and shifting your perceptions (an interesting point of view about the law of attraction applied to health), with the participation of Gregg Braden, Esther Hicks, Wayne Dyer and many others”

And the link:

 

Cancer, Inflammation, Chemo, and Questions

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How Tumors Exploit Gut Flora to Fuel Growth, and the Surprising Finding that Chemotherapy Boosts Resistant Cancer

October 24 2012

By Dr. Mercola

Could your gut flora play a role in cancer growth? According to recent research, the answer is a tentative yes.

Findings published in the journal Nature1 report the discovery of microbial-dependent mechanisms through which some cancers mount an inflammatory response that fuels their development and growth. These findings provide new insight into how cancer cells can hijack your body’s inflammatory reaction by exploiting microbial-dependent immune cells.

tory at-a-glance

  • Researchers have found a microbial-dependent mechanism through which some cancers mount an inflammatory response that fuels their development and growth. They suggest inhibiting the inflammatory cytokines produced might slow cancer progression and improve response to chemotherapy
  • Probiotics tend to downregulate at least one of several cytokines involved in inflammatory processes, so probiotics may turn out to be an important player in helping to inhibit cytokine production
  • New research shows chemotherapy can damage healthy cells in such a way that they begin secreting a protein that not only protects cancer cells and promotes their survival, but also causes the tumors to be resistant to further chemotherapy treatment
  • Despite the 40-year “war on cancer”, drug-based “advances” are not making a dent in the rise of cancer prevalence, as the conventional approach fails to address lifestyle-related issues such as optimizing food intakes, lack of sun exposure, DNA-disrupting wireless technologies, lack of sleep, obesity, and chemical exposures of all kinds

from:    http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/10/24/tumors-exploit-gut-flora.aspx?e_cid=20121024_DNL_art_1

New Mexico Cuts Philosophical Objections from Vaccine Exemptions

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State Cuts Philosophical Objections from Vaccine Exemptions

By Dr. Mercola

The ethical principle of informed consent means that you have the human right to be fully informed about the benefits and risks of a medical intervention and be free to make a voluntary choice about whether or not to take the risk. The right to make an informed, voluntary vaccination choice for yourself (or your minor child) is an inalienable human right because vaccination, like any medical intervention, involves taking a risk that could cause harm or even death.

There is no guarantee that receiving a vaccine (or any other drug) will not cause a complication and lead to serious injury – or that it will protect you from the disease it is supposed to prevent.

But across the United States, people are fighting for their right to choose not to be injected with vaccines against their will because vaccine exemptions have come  under constant attack.

SUMMARY:

  • State health officials in New Mexico changed the vaccine exemption form so that philosophical objections are no longer an option. The New Mexico Department of Health simply said they changed the form because the prior one allowed for “misinterpretation of the law.” From now on, parents will be required to state their religious beliefs in order to qualify for a non-medical vaccine exemption for their children to attend school.
  • California, Washington and Vermont also recently made it harder for parents to opt out of vaccinations.
  • Those who promote forced vaccination often cite incorrect data as “support,” such as the false statement that recent pertussis outbreaks could be traced back to unvaccinated populations.
  • The right to make an informed, voluntary vaccination choice for yourself (or your minor child) is an inalienable human right because vaccination, like any medical intervention, involves a risk that could cause harm or even death.

For the rest of the story, go to:   http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/10/23/vaccine-exemption-requirements.aspx?e_cid=20121023_DNL_art_2

Soak those Beans…..

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Why You Should Soak Your Grains, Beans, Nuts and Seeds

Soaking Nuts18th October 2012

Guest Writer for Wake Up World

The prevailing nutritional wisdom nowadays is that whole grains and foods made from whole grains are better for you than anything made with refined white flour. But really, this is only a half-truth.What this mainstream nutritional dogma fails to take into account is that unless grains (along with beans, nuts and seeds) are properly prepared, these “healthy” foods can actually wreak havoc on your health.

Grains, beans, nuts and seeds have long been staples in traditional diets throughout the world for a simple reason: They can be stored for relatively long periods of time without going bad. This is because they are essentially all seeds. Each individual seed contains all of the nutrients and enzymes needed to produce a living plant, but remains dormant until the conditions for germination are just right.

What prevents seeds from becoming plants is something called phytic acid, a compound that inhibits phytase, an enzyme involved in the germination process. Phytic acid not only keeps seeds from sprouting — it also helps to protect them from predators. Its enzyme-inhibiting activity blocks digestive enzymes so that seeds stay intact as they pass through the digestive system of animals that eat them.

Phytic acid is considered an anti-nutrient because it binds to minerals like magnesium, calcium, zinc, copper and iron in the intestines, blocking their absorption and carrying them out of the body. Ruminants (cattle, bison, sheep, deer, etc.) are the only animals that possess phytase, which allows them to digest the phytic acid found in the cereal grasses they eat. In humans, consuming high levels of phytic acid — which often happens as part of a “healthy high-fiber diet”— can lead to digestive distress, mineral deficiencies and a whole host of associated maladies. Research has linked phytic acid consumption to anemia, bone loss, tooth decay, depression, compromised immunity and inflammation.

So how can we safely consume phytic acid-containing foods? It’s pretty simple — start the germination process by soaking (or sprouting) them. Soaking grains, beans, nuts and seeds unlocks theirs “life force” and activates phytase, which starts to break down phytic acid, while also freeing up vitamins, minerals and amino acids, making these nutrients more bioavailable. Fermenting grains (think sourdough bread) is another way to reduce phytic acid by essentially “pre-digesting” it.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of commercially available “whole grain” products are made with improperly prepared grains, which is something of a tragedy, considering that most people equate “whole grain” with “healthy.” In the case of someone struggling with digestive problems, for example, a traditionally fermented sourdough bread made with refined white flour is probably a better choice than the whole wheat bread sitting on a store shelf with “high-fiber” and “heart-healthy” claims all over the label.

Cooking alone is not enough to adequately reduce phytic acid content, a fact that our ancestors were well aware of. According to Sally Fallon, co-founder of the Weston A. Price Foundation and author of Nourishing Traditions, “our ancestors and virtually all pre-industrialized people only ate grains that were soaked or fermented.”

In general, the best way to significantly reduce the phytic acid content of grains and legumes is to soak them in a slightly acidic liquid for 12-24 hours and then to cook them. Nuts and seeds contain less phytic acid than grains and beans, and also contain delicate oils that can be damaged by heat, so simply soaking them for 2-12 hours is ideal. Your “slightly acidic liquid” could consist of buttermilk (soured milk) or spring or filtered water with 1 tablespoon of an acidic medium added for each cup. Ideally this acidic medium would be unpasteurized apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.

This beautiful chart (click to view full size) is a helpful quick guide to the ideal soaking and sprouting times for various grains, beans, nuts and seeds. To learn more about traditional methods of soaking, fermenting and cooking grains, I highly recommend reading Nourishing Traditions.

Soaking and Sprouting Times for Grains, Beans, Nuts and Seeds

About the Author

Mina is a natural health enthusiast, avid yoga practitioner and health freedom advocate. She has a passion for discovering and sharing strategies for achieving optimal health and longevity, and has spent the last eight years working in the natural health industry. In addition to researching health and nutrition, writing about the latest happenings in the natural health world and practicing yoga, she enjoys spending time in nature, meditating and making superfood smoothies.

from:    http://wakeup-world.com/2012/10/18/why-you-should-soak-your-grains-beans-nuts-and-seeds/

Neil Kramer — Autodidact

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The Path Of One

– 17/02/2011Posted in: Essays

The world of academia does not resonate too strongly with many who walk the path of conscious and spiritual growth. This is, perhaps, understandable when one considers that many entrenched academic concepts of institutional consensus, received wisdom and logical criteria for truth, can seem rather opposed to the trajectory of authentic conscious deepening. Not only that, but from a shadow perspective, it’s relatively straightforward to hijack the academic edifice. After all, if you can sequester the system, you can effectively steer all those who study under it.

In the West, the academic paradigm is still perceived as the ultimate hub for establishing scholarly credibility and continues to serve as the empirical arbitrator of accomplishment and consensus reality. Here in the US, I have noted that there’s still a great deal of fuss made about sticking Dr. in front of someone’s name. Billboards, TV and radio commercials, books and business cards are plastered with such academic titles. Dr Somebody is wheeled in as a talking head for some garish infotainment show, so as to offer an ‘expert’ view of politics, science, history or whatever. Many people buy it, hook, line and sinker. The alternative community is not immune to such occasional haughtiness either. Someone who got a PhD in Floral Management will leverage their title when publicizing their work in the Mysteries Of The Lost Aztec Kingdom. The irrelevance of their qualification does little to affect the credibility curve in the minds of many.

To put it bluntly, lots of people from many different walks of life believe that academic qualifications = authority. After all, who knows better?

Faith in the academic edifice is beginning to crack in some European countries, most notably England. The grandeur of someone’s bachelors or masters degree, or even doctorate, is not quite what it used to be. This is largely due to the fact that people have realized that the whole process of going to university and getting certain qualifications is getting easier and easier. In addition, the connection between one’s degree and the actual career path undertaken, is becoming increasingly divergent. For the last 40 years, successive UK Governments (Conservative and Labour) have resolutely pursued a campaign of getting more and more people into university and making sure they graduate. The annual charade of ever-escalating school and university pass rates is roundly derided by all with eyes to see. The result? Everyone and their dog has a degree now.

Speaking of declining standards in the US educational system, comedian George Carlin said: “They lower the passing grades so more kids can pass. More kids pass, the school looks good, everybody’s happy, the IQ of the country slips another two or three points and pretty soon all you’ll need to get into college is a fucking pencil.”

Perhaps academia has never quite been the glorious testament to human achievement that it presents itself to be. Even the most serious, free-thinking and well-intended scholars will often find themselves pulled into a vortex of insularity, prejudice and separatist specialization. It is the way of things in academia, particularly if you need approved funding for your work. You have to play the game, or else risk getting sidelined or even booted out. Collectivism is rewarded over independence; compliance over distinctiveness. Of course, this naturally balances out and improves over time, especially as the old guard fade away and the new crowd emerges, amongst which there’s always a healthy sliver of maverick and pioneering attitudes. But it takes a good long while to filter through. In the meantime, in such a rapidly changing and disinformation-saturated world, we cannot rely on academia to assist with our knowing. We have to do it for ourselves.

Dawn Of The Autodidact

An autodidact is someone who is largely self-taught. The autodidactic impulse is often characterized by a commitment in the individual to be a self-directed and life-long learner. There is an inherent appreciation that real knowledge is best transmitted direct to the discerning student, without any requirement for official mediation. Famous autodidacts include: William Blake, HP Lovecraft, Leonardo Da Vinci, Michael Faraday, Joseph Campbell, Nikola Tesla, George Bernard Shaw, Ernest Hemmingway, Frank Lloyd Wright, Edgar Alan Poe, Doris Lessing, Benjamin Franklin, Jakob Bohme, Abraham Lincoln, the Wright Brothers, Walt Whitman, Stanley Kubrick, Frank Zappa, John Cage, Arthur C Clarke, Joseph Conrad and Thomas Edison.

Being an autodidact does not mean having no formal education at all. It simply means that it is not the chief source of one’s learning. In the above examples, as it happens, many actually never did see the inside of a classroom. But even for those who did, they either dropped out, or relegated their formal education to mere background noise, from which their own autonomous learning sprang forth, far beyond the intellectual or temporal reach of any institution.

In my own life, I have routinely acknowledged that the most insightful people I have met have all been autodidacts. In some instances, the breadth and penetration of their knowing totally eclipses any apparently corresponding academic mindset. The opposite side of this equation has also proven true; the professors and Cambridge graduates that I have conversed with, at length, have been some of the least discerning and most blinkered folk imaginable. They particularly mark themselves out in this negative aspect by way of their own claims of achievement and authority. Very disagreeable. Of course, this is purely anecdotal and constitutes little more than a broad generalization. However, it does draw one’s attention to certain facets of the autodidactic method that warrant a closer look.

The great privilege of the autodidact is that they have a totally free hand to do whatever they want. Nobody can censor, prejudice or divert them from their own chosen areas of study. They can go where they want, when they want. No concept is too far out, no subject is taboo, no creative tangents are considered a waste of time and belief systems are often gratifyingly upgraded or even totally jettisoned. With correct alignment, all this information processing acts as a jumpgate for transmutation into the felt-experience of real wisdom.

Close on the heels of this freedom comes a distinct responsibility: self-discipline. It is incumbent on the independent scholar to hone a range of skills to endow their studies with the integrity, balance and penetration required to formulate empowering knowledge. Specifically – the ability to employ critical reason and discernment; to correlate and corroborate; to weigh any given idea against the consensus reality tunnel and one’s own personal reality tunnel; to use intuition; to watch how a notion moves through our belief systems and intellectual apparatus. What remains? What changes?

Another key difference between autodidacticism and academia is the value placed on direct felt experience. Who can walk the talk? If you physically meet a person, you can tell if they’re the real deal in the space of a few minutes. Even remotely, from just the spoken or written word, you can figure it out with a little heightened sensitivity. Anyone can read books, hunch over a laptop, visit a few temples, libraries and museums. But none of this constitutes real, juiced-up, direct encounter. The autodidact naturally places a far greater emphasis on the practical application of their knowledge than the academic. After all, they’re playing very different games. Self acceptance, rather than group acceptance, brings about a very different arc of learning. It must be said that there are, of course, some fine ground-breaking academics and there are some bloody awful independent scholars. There’s also no reason why one could not be both autodidactic and academic. Rare, but possible. There are many paths.

Creative Epistemology

Ascertaining the truth of a thing is always a strange and slippery business. Terence McKenna used to say that Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein would deal with such problems by saying that something could be “true enough”. One interpretation of this being that if everything is relative, there’s little point in declaring something to be totally 100% true for everyone, in every situation, all the time. I am inclined to agree with this, albeit from an objective standpoint. Subjectively speaking however, we can feasibly say that something is true for ourselves. We can overlay a thing against our inner knowing and feel the essential veracity of it; judge its usefulness as a positive tool for perceiving and articulating our own reality tunnel. To call something ‘true’ in this way, is simply a piece of functional shorthand.

So what happens when the trueness of a thing diminishes? When it became clear that many of Carlos Castaneda’s accounts of his sorcerer’s apprenticeship with Don Juan Matus were factually inaccurate and even total fabrications – it changed the nature of his work for many people. Believers were disheartened. Skeptics were delighted. When I first read his works, it was very pre-Internet, and I had no idea of any of this. I read the classic six books and thoroughly enjoyed them. They spoke deeply to me. I have re-read them many times over the years. To this day, what is remarkable about them is how full of real gnosis they are. Despite the lo-fi anthropological value, I nevertheless find them to be truer than most other texts I’ve ever read. Just how the hell Castaneda came across such fabulous wisdom is still a mystery. Perhaps it was all an intentional double-bluff from the beginning, orchestrated to protect the real source of his teaching? Who knows. I’m just glad he put pen to paper, and decided to share it.

Since the late 1980’s, when I first came across Castaneda, I have had hundreds of experiences that have compelled me to explore the powerful overlay of the imaginal; positioned as it is so provocatively over both the real and the unreal. The further I walk down my own path, the wider I have to set the boundaries for what is real. It works both ways. What was fantasy, becomes actual; what was solid reality, becomes incongruous fakery. 911 being a textbook example. Most people don’t want to seriously study the events of 911, because in the back of their minds, they can feel the latent domino effect of collapsing belief systems. The real story of 911 is so off the map, that even the solemn ramifications of prior-knowledge and high-level treachery, pale compared to the issues of wider reality manipulation. Too weird.

Certainly, as we become more conscious, we become less susceptible to illusion; garbage constructs begin to fade and eventually dissolve altogether, with very little ‘mechanical’ effort from us. Even more significantly, with heightened awareness and a cleaner mental platform, we are able to channel greater resolutions of energy. We can go deeper with our knowing. Deeper into ourselves. Deeper into the universe.

It’s intriguing to watch how a thing can move from one reality filter to another with such fluidity; contravening the human boundaries of truth, belief and existence as if they didn’t exist at all. As I stated in an essay from May 2009, diverting all ones energies into the question of whether a given phenomenon is authentic or fake, may be missing the point. Many of the dozens of phenomenological koans that are routinely investigated in the alternative/esoteric field, go right to the heart of our complicity in the simulated reality construct we labor under. They exist to teach us not to judge whether something is real or not – but rather how it interacts with our own consciousness. As in quantum physics, consciousness itself changes the nature of the thing perceived. We really do have to take a long hard look at the operational value of consensus, received wisdom, peer acceptance and criteria for truth. This plays to the strengths of the autodidact, unshackled as they are from the chains of academic accord or the dreary guidelines of normality.

The real discipline of the independent thinker and the spiritual warrior, lies not in their scholarly capabilities and education, nor even in the anchoring of their knowledge into felt experience – it is in their willingness to transform their own consciousness. To change. This means letting go of things that we think we need, things we have become attached to, things we suspect might even be essential parts of us. More than anything else, it is this clinging to self that prevents us from moving forward. We sometimes forget that we are not the avatar.

The higher aspect of our being, our spirit if you will, never leaves the higher dimensional space. It is not plunged into the 3D as ‘we’ are. It remains effortlessly bulletproof and untainted in its purity, knowing, power and divinity. It is only the avatar that suffers the battle scars of earthly trauma and triumph. Yet this avatar is so lucid, so hi-resolution, so persuasive in its day-to-day consistency, that we forget it’s not actually us. A dream it may be, but one of no more or less reality than a dream from which we awaken in tears of rapture, or sadness, or longing. Undeniably, it moves us deeply.

Establishing a relationship between the avatar and the higher spirit – who we really are – is what certain occultists call the conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel. Hindu spiritual philosophers consider it as making contact with Atman (cognate with the Greek ‘asthma’, curiously enough, meaning to breathe). It is the Daemon of the ancient Greeks, with which Socrates himself documented his own intimate communion. It is in cultivating this relationship between self and spirit, that we transmute our inner knowing from merely acquiring navigational tools for the avatar, to the extraordinary ascendant journey of spiritualization. It is a natural path; elegant, innate, fulfilling and as real as you can imagine.

* Image: Deer Caller, by Susan Seddon Boulet.

from:    http://neilkramer.com/the-path-of-one.html

It isTime to Label GMO’s Prop 37

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Defeat Monsanto — Vote YES on Prop 37

15th October 2012

By Jack Adam Weber

Contributing Writer for Wake Up World

On November 6th this year all of us that despise GMOs and Monsanto will be waiting with bated breath for the outcome of one single proposition that, if passed, could topple the GMO empire in the United States and trickle down to other countries around the world.

Proposition 37, the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act,

is a citizen generated ballot initiative for mandatory labeling of GMO products in California. If Proposition 37 is voted in, it will:

a) Require labeling on raw or processed food offered for sale to consumers if the food is made from plants or animals with genetic material changed in specified ways.

b) Prohibit labeling or advertising such food as “natural.”

c) Exempt from this requirement foods that are “certified organic; unintentionally produced with genetically engineered material; made from animals fed or injected with genetically engineered material but not genetically engineered themselves; processed with or containing only small amounts of genetically engineered ingredients; administered for treatment of medical conditions; sold for immediate consumption such as in a restaurant; or alcoholic beverages.”

Friends, this is the moment we have been waiting for. This is our most promising opportunity to achieve what we have all been working so hard for, for so long. If we don’t win this, we may never have the chance again.

According to the Organic Consumers Association, we are currently ahead 3 to 1 in California on this vote (passing Prop 37). But we can’t rest easy. Monsanto and other biotech companies know how big this is. Recent statistics show they have already contributed some 37 million dollars to television ads full of misinformation and lies as a last-ditch effort to defeat Proposition 37. They have succeeded with these tactics in the past in other states.

We cannot let them win this time.

Many states have tried to adopt GMO labeling legislation in the past and failed because the legislation was not citizen generated and government officials cowered under threats of a lawsuit by Monsanto. The most recent was Vermont. California is the eighth largest economy in the world, if it were considered a country. Passing this legislation will set a precedent for GMO labeling in other states. Many experts say that if Prop 37 passes in California, GMO labeling might as well be a national law. This is what we want.

Believe it or not, many Americans still don’t even know what a GMO is.

When foods are labeled as GMO, even Monsanto admits it is equivalent to putting a skull and crossbones on it. Sales will plummet; the good word on bad GMOs will spread like wildfire. This is what we want, and now is our chance to deliver the fatal blow to the GMO horror machine.

90% of Americans want GMO labeling. Why don’t we have it? You know the answer—power, greed, money, lies, and corruption at the expense of our health. Let’s all do our part now to make sure the majority of Californians know what’s up. We don’t want Monsanto and friends to have any chance at winning. Here is what you can do; please do this today so that we have as much time as possible for the word to spread:

1. Send an email to everyone you know in California and tell them to vote YES ON PROP 37.

2. Post this on your FB page, along with this link to this article:

  • California friends, please vote YES on Prop 37 this November for the mandatory labeling of GMOs in our food.
  • Please tell all your California email and Facebook contacts to vote “YES on Prop 37.

3) Please join GEM (GMO Eradication Movement).

It is safe to say that the future of food, our own health, and the health of our planet hinges on this vote, now less than one month away. If we don’t win this, we will have lost a crucial chance, and perhaps our last good chance for a while. If we do win this, we will have the biggest party ever!

Please do your part, today. WE need YOU.

from:    http://wakeup-world.com/2012/10/15/defeat-monsanto-vote-yes-on-prop-37/

Dolores Cannon, “Anne”, The Shift, Coming Changes

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Dolores Cannon – In The Midst of Chaos

Dolores Cannon - In The Midst of Chaos AngelicView: Below is an excerpt from Dolores Cannon’s “Convoluted Universe”, Book Three, in which the QHHT (Quantum Healing Hypnosis Therapy) participant, dubbed “Anne”, describes the Human Evolution changes we are experiencing now. Keep in mind while reading this, that this book was published in 2008.

I couldn’t help but to highlight some parts that were especially meaningful to me.

Anne – “There are certain triggers that occur when she meets certain people and associates with others, that work like an unlocking, or opening up. And only when those triggers are set off, do some things become clear to her. It’s like she lives a secret life. And she knows this, not because she has secrets, because there are many things that she doesn’t share. She had to do things by herself for many, many years. But she has understandings that most people don’t, and she’s unable to relate. She knows that’s part of the challenge of this lifetime – to come like this and be alone in some ways, and internally have to keep to herself. It’s like being able to see ahead of time and not being able to say that. It’s very frustrating. Like an understanding of cause and effect from a very young age, and trying to relate to people on their level when she knows better. She knows it’s a constant struggle to pretend she doesn’t see when she does see. There are relationships, lessons to be learned in the process. But it’s also to help, to bring awareness.

Dolores then asks about relationships, as that was one of the questions of the client. The higher self says that there are more important matters to discuss and then says that once the important matters come to the forefront, these other matters take care of themselves.

Dolores then asks what are the important matters.

Anne – “The matters have to deal with the changes that are occurring at this time. And her role in the process, which requires courage, since it is a role of support and being there when the time is needed for her presence and other’s presence. People who are here for that reason.

There are then a few more questions and answers and Dolores asks this question.

Dexcerpt from Dolores Cannon’s “Convoluted Universe”, Book Three,olores – “I’ve been told a great deal of information, that everything is speeding up, and the vibrations and frequencies of our whole dimension are changing. Is this correct?”

Anne – “Turbulence, much turbulence coming very soon. And there is the need to be very grounded. Much turmoil. There will be need for your stability and all of those who are here, because people will be lost and confused and in much pain. Do you understand?”

Dolores – “By turbulence, do you mean more of the violent Earth changes that have been happening?”

Anne – “Situations caused by humans, and situations caused by the Earth changes. And the coming through of new energies and beings that humans are not accustomed to seeing. This will cause a great deal of chaos, that only those who are understanding what is transpiring, will keep calm and be a reassurance to those in confusion. Remember and just be prepared for that, because it’s very easy to theorize until the situation is in the physical. Then the physical body needs to be prepared to handle the shifts of energy, and the shock that comes with the process of change. One thing is to feel you can understand what is happening. Another is to be in the midst of chaos and keep yourself calm when it’s happening.”

Dolores – “That’s difficult for humans, isn’t it?”

Anne – “It is difficult. And that is a crucial and practical area to focus on at this time, because it is in the physical that you are helping. There are other levels that are helping, but you are in the physical as she is, and other beings are. So in the physical, they could transmit that calm that will be necessary during times of chaos. “

Dolores – “But will they listen to us?”

A-“It is not up to you to decide. It is up to you to make sure you have the tr tranquility and grounded energy for those who want to listen to you. That alone requires  much work in the physical to keep those energies in place, because that’s what you came to do. Anne is very trained, because of her life experiences have required her to maintain a level of calm in the midst of madness.”

A-“That has been a good training ground for her, so that when the time comes, it is not so difficult for her to maintain that calm in the physical. Do you understand? “

D-“Yes I do. I’ve been told that these changes are going to cause a separation into two Earths. The old Earth and the new Earth, as the vibrations and the frequencies increase. It that correct?”

A-“That is correct. There is a different world, if you will, which some souls will remain or choose to live in after the changes. “

D-“You mean to remain with the old Earth?”

A-“Yes, with the world that keeps that level vibration they wish to stay in, and that will be where they remain, or move into. But the new energies will only be livable for those who have worked their own energy up to that vibration.”

D-“But the turbulence you spoke of, will that be on the old Earth?”

A-“It is now as we go through these changes. This is the time of transformation in the next few years, and the outcome has been prophesied by many. I don’t have much to add to that, other than those who are here now need to remember the important role they are playing in the physical before the changes happen, or before the final changes happen. In the midst of the process, there’s a need for those who are here to give assistance. To line up, if you will, as if it were in the military. It’s time for them to show up and be aware that they are being called to be very present and ready. And maintain their ground, because there might be situations in which a soul might be in a crucial point where they could go either/or, vibrational wise. And you may be able to make a different at that time.”

excerpt from Dolores Cannon’s “Convoluted Universe”, Book Three,D-“What do you mean either/or?”

A-“Their spiritual growth may be in a grey area where they may qualify to step up to a higher vibration, if only they have the courage to jump. Or else, they may choose not to, and that is their choice. But your role, if you keep your energy, may be crucial for someone in that situation, because you may be the hand that extends for them to jump.”

D-“Make the jump into the higher vibration. (Yes) But the higher vibration , the new Earth, will not experience this turbulence? (No) It seems as though right now, we are in this part that is experiencing the turbulence.”

A-“It is just the beginning. It has begun, but the chaos has not begun. The chaos, the madness of people running around in confusion, because all their illusions have been shattered. That will be the time of the test of strength that needs to come forth for those of you who are here to help in the process. There will be a time when people are running in the streets confused and in fear, not unlike the hurricane in Louisiana. “

D-“That’s what I was thinking of, the tsunami and the hurricanes.”

A-“But that multiplied worldwide in most cities is a very different scenario.”

D-“Are there going to be similar disasters in many cities?”

A-“Some caused by natural, some caused by those in power who are making every effort to keep things the way they are. They are aware of the changes. They refuse to accept. It’s like a child who doesn’t want to hear the truth. And they refuse to admit they are no longer in charge. So they continue to cling to these ways and may cause more confusion. They feel they may able to slow down the process and maintain a low vibration by keeping fear on the surface. “

D-“They’re trying to install fear in the people.”

A-“Fear has always been in people, because that’s how most, if not all, the societies of this world have functioned for many years. Fear is the way they have maintained power, and almost everyone in this world is in fear. There are different levels of fear, but these changes and the technology that has allowed everyone to communicate freely, have caused a great deal of concern for those in power, because now the fear is vanishing. Many things that are occurring, even the catastrophes, act as a catalyst to bring fear out so it is dealt with. And so it is a cleansing in a way. But those in power don’t want this process to occur, and they prefer to keep a level of fear under the water, if you will. And like a desperate child, they try every tactic they can think of at this time to not let that fear dissipate, because that is what is happening. The fear is dissipating despite what the surface seems to show.”

D-“People are beginning to think for themselves.”

A-“They are. They are confronting their own demons, if you will, because life is taking them places where they have to see things that other times they haven’t had to deal with. Therefore, their fears, although they are very present, are at least coming to the surface, whereas before, they were not. Therefore, it is a cleansing that, as it continues, will only liberate more and more, which is a process that those in power are very aware of. They want to slow it down, thinking there might be a way to prevent it. So they will push and push to every extreme they can until things get very difficult. And many people will not be prepared for that edge they are pushing for. “

D-“Is the way one of the things?”

A-“The way, absolutely the wars, also their diseases that they scare people with.”

D-“These diseases are not really there, are they?”

A-“They can be if people choose to allow those energies to enter into their body. But for the most part, they are only in the energetic fields. And like anything else that is talked about, or thought about, it can become reality in the physical. “

D-“Yes, if enough people accept it as their reality.”

A-“But the diseases are extremely blown out of proportion, and they are not epidemics as they are portrayed to be. The media and the movies are showing you their desperation as they insist in presenting to the masses information that is completely negative and fear based. Subject matter such as murder, death and betrayal, attacks and such that keep the consciousness focused on these matters, as opposed to portraying in the media images of hope and inspiration. But nevertheless, there are enough of those positive messages being broadcast at this time, that like domino effect, they are no longer stoppable.”

D-“Another fear the government is trying to promote is terrorism.”

A-“Yes. It is just another tool, like the diseases, to find excuses to give people a reason to be afraid and not unify, but not trust that the Government will solve their problems. They are imaginary problems, and in the subconscious, many people are becoming aware of this. They are no longer believing, although many are in the masses. But on their subconscious level, they are beginning to awaken, and the power knows this. That is the reason they are resorting to ridiculous stories that only those who wish to believe, believe in them, because anybody with a logical and reasonable mind could not believe them.”

D-Yes, anybody who thinks for themselves.”

A-“So they are presenting the masses the opportunity to choose, because they are pushing for an edge. And in that way, they are serving a purpose by pushing the edge, so that everybody makes a choice, because this is a time of choice. This is no longer a time of middle round and neutrality. “

D-“You said earlier that we would be here whenever the chaos breaks out. Would this be caused by many of these disasters?”

A-“Disasters and the breakdown of the structures of Government. And the breakdown of the safety net that most people feel they are part of. Such as their Social Security, and their paychecks, and their jobs, and their religious beliefs. Especially if and when ships and/or other things like that begin to become part of the consciousness that many are not prepared for. Therefore, they may run around in shock and confusion, unsure as to what’s real and what’s not. The structure of Government is breaking, and will break even more to a point of chaos. Like a domino effect, like a crumbling. “

D-“If the ships arrive, what would be their purpose for coming?”

A-“They are always here. It is only a time for them to become visible as the permissions open up, because it is a time of, not only free will as there is now, but also a time for others to claim their place in the new world. Not just the humans, but others who also belong here, but are in a different vibration. So partly, it is not that they choose to become visible, it is partly that the energies make them visible.”

D-“I am aware they’ve been here. I’ve been working with them. I know they’re positive. I’ve had no problems with them.”

excerpt from Dolores Cannon’s “Convoluted Universe”, Book Three,A-“But by them becoming visible and part of the consciousness of the people, and the governments crumbling, and chaos, and natural disasters, you can see how the majority of people would be completely shocked. And their religions and their idea of a structured life would be brought down. So now, they would have nothing to cling to. This causes a great deal of fear for those who have not stepped out of their own house. That fear could lead to madness or schizophrenia or other types of reactions. And it is at that time, and that kind of reaction, that will leave people most vulnerable, where you can be of most service.”

D-“Then others like myself and Anne are some of the ones who are here to help?”

A-“The ones who are prepared to see these changes and not crumble in fear will be the pillars on which others will lean when nothing makes sense to them. It doesn’t mean you will provide the truth to them, it just means you are not falling down like they are.”

D-“Because, I was thinking, what can we do when everyone is in chaos?”

A-“When you are not losing your mind and you are calm, it doesn’t matter what you do. People will see that in you and seek that in you, because they don’t know what to make out of what they’re seeing. And you may not know what to make out of what you’re seeing, but you have been prepared. Therefore, you will know and have some sense of trust that things will be okay. You are not crazy.”

D-“Where the others won’t have any preparation at all.”

A-“Exactly.”

D-“You know what I’ve had many, many people come to me for the last two years who are either healers or they’re being told by you, the subconscious part, that they are to be healers. We keep wondering why the world would need so many healers?”

A-“Do you know the population of the planet?”

D-“Yes, it’s quite large.”

A-“That might be one reason why. Also, it is a time that’s very precious for many souls, because of the learning lessons available, as it is an unusual time that this planet has not experienced. Therefore, it is an opportunity to experience a very one of a kind soul journey. And it’s an opportunity to step up in the soul level, experience-wise, because of the challenges it presents. Therefore, many advanced souls are interested in the opportunity for themselves.”

D-“I was thinking if structures do break down, the medical profession would definitely be one of them. Maybe that would be one reason to have healers that can use energy and natural healing.”

A-“There is a time coming when the energy will be high enough that disease will not be as you know it today. And though the help of those healers is definitely needed, there will be a time when those diseases are not going to be anymore. Therefore, the healing is only temporary. The healers will heal when there is a need. If there are no hospitals because everybody has left the city, for example, or maybe it’s drowned, then there are healers available to help. But that is not the only reason they are here. They are here for their own learning purpose, as their own soul is interested in experiencing this shift. “

to read the rest of the interview and for links to the videos, go to:    http://www.in5d.com/dolores-cannon-in-the-midst-of-chaos.html