1. Art and Diseño

EARTH STAR
FEB / MAR 2015
CONSCIOUS LIVING IN THE 21ST CENTURY
A GLIMPSE INTO
THE AFTERLIFE
RETURN OF THE
DIVINE SOPHIA
DECLUTTER
YOUR HOME
FOREVER
ANIMAL WISDOM
5 LENSES THAT WILL
SHIFT YOUR MOOD
Contact Christopher for a remote Divine Healing session
by phone or Skype.
http://www.christophermacklinministries.com
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FEBRUARY / MARCH 2015
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FEBRUARY / MARCH 2015 EARTH STAR
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...EARTH STAR
CONTENTS
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2015
ON THE COVER
27 Animal Wisdom
What We Do to Animals We Do to Ourselves
by Dr. Linda Bender
30 Return of the Divine Sophia
The Circle Convenes
by Tricia McCannon
41 Declutter Your Home Forever
A Psychiatrist’s Surprising Tricks
by Melva Green, MD
49 A Glimpse Into the Afterlife
by Annie Kagan
61 5 Lenses That Will Shift Your Mood from
Pissed To Blissed
Page 30
by Bob Sima
FEATURES
12 Down To Earth Astrology
Cover Art
by Jean-Paul Avisse
by Tim Gunns
16 R.E.S.P.E.C.T.: Find Out What it Means To You
by Dr. Denee Jordan
\
22 The Causes of Antibiotic Resistance,
And How to Fix It
by Dr. Joseph Mercola
For further information,
contact
Prestige Art Galleries,
3909 W. Howard, Skokie,
IL 60076. (874) 679-2555,
www.prestigeartskokie.com
32 How Immune Decline Hastens Aging
by William Faloon
38 Don’t Throw Out Those Old Electronics
They Could Be Valuable
by Eric Bradley
Page 61
44 Put Your Whole Self In
by Temple Hayes
52 The Alchemy of Self Healing
by Jeannine Wiest
56 The Gentle Way of the Heart
by Anders Nilsson
59 The Love Spell Traditions
Love Potions
by Sarane Alexandrian
Jean-Paul Avisse
.
For a free color brochure,
please send a S.A.S.E.
DEPARTMENTS
5 Up Front
18 Book Reviews
Page 49
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EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2015
www.earthstarmag.com
Earth Star Up Front
Thinking ABOUT EXERCISE CAN HELP KEEP MUSCLES TONED AND STRONGER
or some people, having the discipline just to make it to the gym
is half the battle in staying fit.
But new research suggests that the simple act of thinking about working out
without actually doing it may be enough
to tone muscle and even promote muscle
growth.
Researchers from Ohio University
discovered this after testing the power of
intentional thought on a group of volunteers. Two groups of participants were
given wrist casts for four weeks, immobilizing the use of one hand, with one of
the groups told to sit and think intensely
about working out for 11 minutes daily,
five days a week.
Individuals in this group were
specifically told to devote all their mental energy toward imagining flexing
their arms, while the other group was
given no specific instructions. At the
F
end of four weeks, all participants from both groups
were analyzed for muscle
growth and atrophy.
Based on this assessment, it was determined
that the exercise-thinking
group had twice the
amount of strength as the
non-thinking
group,
demonstrating the power
of mind over matter in
achieving physical results.
“What our study suggests is that
imagery exercises could be a valuable
tool to prevent or slow muscles from
becoming weaker when a health problem limits or restricts a person's mobility,” said Brian Clark, author of the study
and professor of physiology and neurosciences at the Ohio University Heritage
College of Osteopathic Medicine.
The takeaway, then, as explained by
the study’s authors, is more one of recognizing the interconnected nature of
the body and the brain, which are merely
two components of a single entity that
requires the full function of both in
order to manifest properly.
—Natural News
Research Yields Gasoline from Sawdust
esearchers at KU Leuven’s
Centre for Surface Chemistry
and Catalysis have successfully converted sawdust into building
blocks for gasoline. Using a new chemical process, they were able to convert
the cellulose in sawdust into hydrocarbon chains. These hydrocarbons can be
used as an additive in gasoline, or as a
component in plastics. The researchers
reported their findings in the journal
Energy & Environmental Science.
Cellulose is the main substance in
plant matter and is present in all nonedible plant parts of wood, straw, grass,
cotton and old paper. “At the molecular
level, cellulose contains strong carbon
chains. We sought to conserve these
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chains, but drop the oxygen bonded to
them, which is undesirable in highgrade gasoline. Our researcher Beau Op
de Beeck developed a new method to
derive these hydrocarbon chains from
cellulose,” explains Prof. Bert Sels.
“This is a new type of bio-refining,
and we currently have a patent pending
for it. We have also built a chemical
reactor in our lab: we feed sawdust collected from a sawmill into the reactor
and add a catalyst—a substance that
sets off and speeds the chemical reaction. With the right temperature and
pressure, it takes about half a day to
convert the cellulose in the wood shavings into saturated hydrocarbon chains,
or alkanes,” says Bert Lagrain.
“Essentially, the method allows us
to make a ‘petrochemical’ product
using biomass—thus bridging the
worlds of bio-economics and petro
chemistry,” he adds.
The result is an intermediary product that requires one last simple step to
become fully distilled gasoline,
explains Sels. “Our product offers an
intermediate solution for as long as our
automobiles run on liquid gasoline. It
can be used as a green additive—a
replacement for a portion of traditionally
refined gasoline.”
But the possible applications go
beyond gasoline. “The green hydrocarbon can also be used in the production
of ethylene, propylene and benzene—
the building blocks for plastic, rubber,
insulation foam, nylon, coatings and so
forth.”
“From an economic standpoint,
cellulose has much potential,” says
Sels. “Cellulose is available everywhere; it is essentially plant waste,
meaning it does not compete with food
crops in the way that first generation
energy crops—crops grown for
bioethanol, for example—do. It also
produces chains of five to six hydrocarbon atoms—light nafta, in the technical
jargon. We are currently facing shortages in this because it is becoming
quite difficult and more expensive to
distil these specific hydrocarbon chains
from crude oil or shale gas. In time,
hydrocarbon derived from cellulose
may provide an alternative,” says Sels.
“Our method could be especially
useful in Europe, where we have little
crude oil and cannot easily produce
shale gas,” concluded Sels.
—LaboratoryEquipment.com
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2015
EARTH STAR
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FEBRUARY / MARCH 2015
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Earth Star Up Front
Roaring Fir es Help Reduce Blood Pr essur e
real fire is not only the heart of
the home—it’s good for your
health too.
Scientists have discovered a link
between a burning fire in the hearth and
a “significant” reduction in blood pressure. Flickering flames, combined with
the crackle and roar of burning logs,
possess a hypnotic calming effect. Fires,
he discovered, also “cement” a bond
between individuals sitting next to them.
Christopher Lynn, the biological
anthropologist behind the study, said the
discovery of fire by early humans not
only helped them cook and stay warm
but will have encouraged their 'social
behaviour’.
The study by University of
Alabama study may also go a long way
to explaining the recent surge in popularity of wood burning stoves, whose
sales have risen 300 per cent in recent
years.
“For early humans, fire extended
the day, provided heat, helped with
hunting, warded off predators and
insects, illuminated dark places, and
facilitated cooking,” said Dr Lynn,
adding: “The hypnotic influence of
watching campfires also provided a
A
social nexus and
relaxation effects that
could have enhanced
social
behaviour.
Calmer, more tolerant people would
have benefited in
fireside interactions.”
Dr Lynn asked
226 adults to watch a
video of an open fire
with sound, and without, and also compared to a blank
screen. They were tested for blood pressure, their susceptibility to hypnotism
and how social they were as a result.
The study in the Journal of
Evolutionary Psychology found : "Fire
with sound consistently produces reductions in... blood pressure, and reductions
grow stronger with... exposure.
“Findings confirm that hearth and
campfires induce relaxation as part of a
multi sensory, absorptive, and social
experience.”
Dr Lynn concluded that the relaxing
and hypnotic effects of fire could also
help individuals bond.
“Although the importance of
controlled fires in human evolution is
indisputable, the relaxation aspect had
remained uninvestigated.
“As our ancestors sat around hearth
and campfires, they may have experienced secondary relaxation benefits,
particularly in the dark when other stimuli were limited and firelight was the
only thing to see well or focus on.
“[Even today] campfires are still
used as social pivots in modern societies, even when other forms of light,
warmth, cooking, and predator avoidance are available.”
—The Telegraph, UK
Decoding Blue Light’s Mysterious Ability To Alter Body’s Natural Clock
study funded by the National
Institutes of Health is unraveling the mystery of how blue
light from residential and commercial
lighting, electronic devices and outdoor
lights can throw off-kilter the natural
body clock of humans, plants and animals, leading to disease.
Exposure to blue light is on the
increase, says chemist Brian D.
Zoltowski,
Southern
Methodist
University, Dallas, who leads the study,
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“Protein : Protein interaction networks
in the circadian clock.”
At the right time of day, blue light
is a good thing. It talks to our 24-hour
circadian clock, telling our bodies
when to wake up, eat and carry out
specific metabolic functions.
In plants, blue light signals them to
leaf out, grow, blossom and bloom. In
animals, it aids migratory patterns,
sleep and wake cycles, regulation of
metabolism, as well as mood and the
immune system.
But too much blue light throws
biological signaling out of whack.
“As a society, we are using more
technology, and there’s increasing evidence that artificial light has had a negative consequence on our health,” said
Zoltowski, an assistant professor in
SMU's Department of Chemistry.
“Our study uses physical techniques and chemical approaches to
probe an inherently biological problem,” he said. “We want to understand
the chemical basis for how organisms
use light as an environmental cue to
regulate growth and development.”
The lab studies a small flowering
plant native to Europe and Asia,
Arabidopsis thaliana. The flower is a
popular model organism in plant biology
and genetics, Zoltowski said.
Although signaling pathways differ in organisms such as Arabidopsis
when compared to animals, the flower
still serves an important research purpose. How the signaling networks are
interconnected is similar in both animals and Arabidopsis. That allows
researchers to use simpler genetic
models to provide insight into how
similar networks are controlled in
more complicated species like
humans. —Phys.org News
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2015
EARTH STAR
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Earth Star Up Front
Scientists Discover Vast Under g r ound Ocean
fter decades of theorizing and
searching, scientists are reporting that they’ve finally found a
massive reservoir of water in the Earth’s
mantle—a reservoir so vast that could
fill the Earth’s oceans three times over.
This discovery suggests that Earth’s surface water actually came from within, as
part of a “whole-Earth water cycle,”
rather than the prevailing theory of icy
comets striking Earth billions of years
ago. As always, the more we understand
about how the Earth formed, and how its
multitude of interior layers continue to
function, the more accurately we can
A
predict the future. Weather, sea levels,
climate change—these are all closely
linked to the tectonic activity that endlessly churns away beneath our feet.
This new study, authored by a range
of geophysicists and scientists from
across the US, leverages data from the
USArray—an array of hundreds of seismographs located throughout the US
that are constantly listening to movements in the Earth’s mantle and core.
After listening for a few years, and carrying out lots of complex calculations,
the researchers believe that they’ve
found a huge reserve of water that’s
located in the transition zone between
the upper and lower mantle—a region
that occupies between 400 and 660 kilometers (250-410 miles) below our feet.
As you can imagine, things are a little complex that far down. We’re not
talking about some kind of water
reserve that can be reached in the same
way as an oil well. The deepest a human
borehole has ever gone is just 12km—
about half way through the Earth’s
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EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2015
crust—and we had to
stop because geothermal energy was melting the drill bit. 660
kilometers is a long,
long way down, and
weird stuff happens
down there.
Basically,
the
new theory is that the
Earth’s mantle is full
of a mineral called
ringwoodite.
We
know from experiments here on the
surface that, under
extreme pressure, ringwoodite can trap water.
Measurements made
by the USArray indicate that as convection
pushes ringwoodite
deeper into the mantle,
the increase in pressure
forces the trapped
water out (a process
known as dehydration
melting). That seems
to be the extent of the
study’s findings. Now
they need to try and link together deepEarth geology with what actually
happens on the surface. The
Earth is an immensely complex
machine that generally moves at
a very, very slow pace. It takes
years of measurements to get
anything even approaching useful data.With all that said, there
could be massive repercussions
if this study’s findings are accurate. Even if the ringwoodite
only contains around 2.6%
water, the volume of the transition zone means this underground reservoir could contain
enough water to re-fill our
oceans three times over. I’m not
saying that this gives us the perfect excuse to continue our
abuse of Earth’s fresh water
reserves, but it’s definitely
something to mull over. This
would also seem to discount the
prevailing theory that our surface water arrived on Earth via a
bunch of icy comets.
Finally, here’s a fun thought that
should remind us that Earth’s perfect
composition and climate is, if you look
very closely, rather miraculous. One of
the researchers, talking to New Scientist,
said that if the water wasn’t stored
underground, “it would be on the surface of the Earth, and mountaintops
would be the only land poking out.”
Maybe if the formation of Earth had be
a little different, or if we were marginally
closer to the Sun, or if a random asteroid
didn’t land here billions of years ago…
you probably wouldn’t be sitting here
surfing the web. —Extreme Tech
www.earthstarmag.com
Earth Star Up Front
THE BRACELET THAT TURNS YOUR ARM INTO A TOUCHSCREEN
rom Apple’s forthcoming smartwatch to the Fitbit, there is fierce
competition to get consumers
hooked on wearable devices.
And soon there will be a bracelet
that turns your skin into a touchscreen
using a tiny built-in projector.
Wearers of the of the Cicret bracelet
will be able to check an email or watch
a film that’s projected onto their forearm, and control the picture by using
their skin like a touchscreen.
The makers of the device, who are
currently raising money to put it into
production on their website, say it can
do anything a phone or tablet can, allowing wearers to read emails, surf the web,
watch videos, play games and even
make phone calls without relying on a
conventional screen.
A tiny projector in the bracelet
will cast an image onto the skin then
eight long-range proximity sensors
will detect every swipe, tap and
pinch.
The bracelet will also contain a
USB port and accelerometer as well
as supporting Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
While it will be made so it can sync
with an iPhone, it's designed to be a
stand-alone device.
A promotional video suggests that
the bracelet will spring to life with the
flick of a wrist and could be used to
answer a phone call.
Guillaume Pommier, who founded
technology company Cicret with Pascal,
his software developer father, told
MailOnline: ‘We plan to put a 3G card
[in the bracelet] to allow calls.’
He explained that the device may
use a new technology that allows SIM
details to be put into the hardware,
instead of requiring its own SIM card.
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Cicret projects emails, videos and games onto skin
•
Concept Cicret bracelet is designed to replace a smartphone or tablet
•
Using a projector, it could project a screen onto the forearm
•
An array of eight sensors will allow a wearer to manipulate the ‘screen’
•
Bracelet could be used to watch films, write emails and make phone calls
•
Prototypes due to be unveiled and bracelet could hit shop shelves in June
•
It’s likely to cost £300, come in two sizes and a choice of 10 colours
It’s still in development, but a
working prototype is due to be unveiled
in a few weeks’ time and Mr Pommier
hopes that the bracelet could be on the
shelves by June next year.
It is likely to cost around £300 on
its launch and will come in 16GB and
32GB models as well as a choice of 10
colours.
Mr Pommier, who is from Paris but
lives in Leeds, said: ‘The Cicret bracelet
is a revolutionary device which could
completely change how we access information.
‘The applications for the bracelet
are vast—it will be able to do anything a
phone or tablet can do but without the
need for a hard screen.
‘Not only is it more portable but it’s
also more ecological too because it is
the screen part of tablets and phones that
is hard to dispose of.
‘The amazing thing is that we
haven't invented anything new - we just
combined two existing technologies to
create something really special.
‘We think the bracelet will revolutionise the technology world.’
—Daily Mail, UK
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2015
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Earth Star Up Front
Light-Emitting e-Readers Before Bedtime Can Adversely Impact Sleep
se of a light-emitting electronic
device (LE-eBook) in the hours
before bedtime can adversely
impact overall health, alertness, and the
circadian clock which synchronizes the
daily rhythm of sleep to external environmental time cues, according to
researchers at Brigham and Women’s
Hospital (BWH) who compared the biological effects of reading an LE-eBook
compared to a printed book. These findings of the study were published in the
Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences on December 22, 2014.
“We found the body’s natural circadian rhythms were interrupted by the
short-wavelength enriched light, otherwise known as blue light, from these
electronic devices,” said Anne-Marie
Chang, PhD, corresponding author, and
associate neuroscientist in BWH’s
Division of Sleep and Circadian
Disorders. “Participants reading an LEeBook took longer to fall asleep and had
reduced evening sleepiness, reduced
melatonin secretion, later timing of their
circadian clock and reduced next-morning alertness than when reading a printed book.”
Previous research has shown that
blue light suppresses melatonin, impacts
the circadian clock and increase alertness, but little was known about the
effects of this popular technology on
sleep. The use of light emitting devices
U
immediately before bedtime
is a concern because of the
extremely powerful effect
that light has on the body’s
natural sleep/wake pattern,
and may thereby play a role
in perpetuating sleep deficiency.
During the two-week
inpatient study, twelve participants read LE-e-Books
on an iPad for four hours
before bedtime each night for five consecutive nights. This was repeated with
printed books. The order was randomized with some reading the iPad first and
others reading the printed book first.
Participants reading on the iPad took
longer to fall asleep, were less sleepy in
the evening, and spent less time in REM
sleep. The iPad readers had reduced
secretion of melatonin, a hormone
which normally rises in the evening and
plays a role in inducing sleepiness.
Additionally, iPad readers had a delayed
circadian rhythm, indicated by melatonin levels, of more than an hour.
Participants who read from the iPad
were less sleepy before bedtime, but
sleepier and less alert the following
morning after eight hours of sleep.
Although iPads were used in this study,
BWH researchers also measured other
eReaders, laptops, cell phones, LED
monitors, and other electronic devices,
all emitting blue light.
“In the past fifty years, there has
been a decline in average sleep duration
and quality,” stated Charles Czeisler,
PhD, MD, FRCP, chief, BWH Division
of Sleep and Circadian Disorders.
“Since more people are choosing
electronic devices for reading, communication and entertainment, particularly
children and adolescents who already
experience significant sleep loss, epidemiological research evaluating the
long-term consequences of these
devices on health and safety is urgently
needed.”
Researchers emphasize the importance of these findings, given recent evidence linking chronic suppression of
melatonin secretion by nocturnal light
exposure with the increased risk of
breast cancer, colorectal cancer and
prostate cancer.
—MyScienceAcademy.com
World’s First Climate-Controlled Domed City To Be Built In Dubai
ubai has announced plans to
build the first climate-controlled city on the planet. The
area, constructed
under a huge glass
dome, will accommodate the world’s
largest
shopping
center, over 100
hotels, and a wellness district for
medical tourists.
The city of
Dubai is the most
populous in the
United
Arab
Emirates, and the
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EARTH STAR
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second-largest emirate by territorial
size. Though it is a popular tourist spot,
many are deterred from visiting due to
the city's scorching heat, with temperatures reaching 113 degrees Fahrenheit
(45 degrees Celsius) in the summer.
UAE Vice President,
Prime Minister and
Ruler of Dubai Sheikh
Mohammed confirmed
plans for the world’s
first temperature-controlled city, named ‘Mall
of the World,’ in early
July, 2014. The city will
be made “to enhance
Dubai’s tourist infrastructure as soon as possible,” the Sheikh said.
—RT.com
www.earthstarmag.com
Earth Star Up Front
The Healing Code: A New Frontier In Restoring Health And Preventing Disease
hen Dr. Alexander Loyd, a
Naturopathic Doctor with a
PhD in psychology, discovered an unconventional method to permanently heal his wife’s struggle with
clinical depression, little did he realize
at the time that it would be one of the
most powerful healing modalities ever
known. Thousands have benefited from
the technique, including terminal cancer
patients and those struggling with
autoimmune disorders, cardiovascular
disease or even illnesses which have no
known cure. Best of all, the healing
code is simple to use and only requires a
few minutes a day to complete.
A case in point of the seemingly
incredible healing capacity of the codes
is Dr. Ben Johnson, a cancer specialist
who used the method as a last resort
after being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig
disease, a disorder with a high mortality
rate without any known cure. After
struggling with the disease for over a
year, Dr. Johnson was completely symptom-free within three months of following the protocol.
Although simple to perform, the
code is a powerful healing tool, as it
addresses the root cause of over 95 percent of all disease: stress. Research
institutions such as Stanford, Harvard,
the Mayo Clinic and the Centers for
Disease Control (CDC) confirm that
chronic stress is one of the leading causes
of illness.
Not to be confused with reiki,
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Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) or
chakra healing, the codes use four specific energy points on the body to deactivate the underlying stress signal of
“dis-ease,” while literally turning on the
immune system.
At first glance, skeptics might dismiss the codes as “New Age” nonsense
due to the simplicity of the protocol. But
Dr. Christopher Hegarty, best-selling
author and consultant to more than four
hundred Fortune 500 companies,
asserts:
“For many years I was a writer for
Alternative Medicine Magazine, among
others. I have SEEN IT ALL when it
comes to natural health. I have not just
tried the techniques and products; I have
interacted with the creators and developers personally. I have researched, tested, interviewed clients exhaustively to
determine what is the truth versus hype.
The Healing Code is the easiest and
most effective 'do-it-yourself' healing
technique I have ever found! It works
consistently, predictably, and quickly on
a wide range of issues. In other words,
ITS THE REAL DEAL!”
Dr. Loyd describes the basic
method of using the codes in “The 6Minute Antidote to Stress”:
First, choose which health issue
you would like to heal. Then, bringing
the fingers together into a beak-like
point for each hand, position the fingertips over each of the following healing
centers for 20 seconds each, cycling
between the locations for a total of 6
minutes.
1. Directly over the Adam's apple.
2. Half an inch above and behind
both temples.
3. The spot between the bridge of
the nose and the eyebrows.
4. Bottom back corner of the jawbone on both sides of the head.
Always use the codes in a private,
quiet space where you can relax without
interruption. “Aim all five fingers of
both hands at the healing centers listed
above for the amount of time indicated.
The fingers need to be 2 to 3 inches
away from the healing center they’re
aiming at.” Repeat each session three
times per day.
The full protocol, complete with
case studies, can be found in Dr. Loyd's
book, The Healing Code.
—Natural News
Iceland Ice Tunnel to Open This Year
he ice tunnel being
constructed
in Langjökull glacier, Iceland, is set
to open in 2015. At
300 meters, the
man-made ice tunnel will be the
largest in Europe
and among the
largest in the world.
Sigur-ur
Skarphé-insson,
who is heading the
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project, told visir.is that 25,000 to
30,000 tourists are expected to visit the
tunnel next year. The tunnel is 500
meters long and takes visitors 30
meters down into the glacier. Visitors
will be able to view exhibitions and
dine inside the tunnel and it will be
possible to book the area for special
events such as weddings.
The tunnel will be open eight
months of the year and according to
Sigur-ur they will be following movements in the glacier daily to ensure
safety.
—Iceland Today
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2015
EARTH STAR
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february - march 2015
esthetic sensitivity is heightened as earthy Venus conjuncts mysterious Neptune
on February 1st, in 07°
Pisces, when it may be possible to transform dreams into reality.
However, judgment in business or partnership matters may be somewhat below par,
while caution is advised in financial matters.
A
Share your progressive new ideas with
friends and colleagues as the full moon culminates on the 3rd, in 15° Leo, as they could
provide the emotional and moral support you
may be seeking. Avoid hasty actions around
this juncture.
On the 6th the sun moves into a precise opposition to Jupiter, a cosmic augury to avoid
impulsiveness or squandering valuable
resources under this highly exuberant influence. Act only after careful deliberation, as
you may be inspired to tackle projects that
you normally wouldn’t consider.
After Mercury stations Direct on the 11th, in
02° Aquarius, mental processes emerge from
the recent fog and begin to accelerate. Any
sudden bursts of inspired thought should be
recorded for later reference. Move ahead
with plans or projects now, but continue to
refrain from making snap decisions, as
there's a tendency towards impatience and
impulsive behavior. Nonetheless, communications are now getting back on track.
February’s new moon occurs on the 18th, in
the last minute of the last degree of Aquarius—
29°59'. This progressive Aquarian lunation
cycle favors planning for the foreseeable
future, and the setting of realistic, attainable
goals. Intuition is greatly enhanced now, so
make time for quiet contemplation, to envision
the future you want to manifest.
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EARTH STAR
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The sun slips quietly into Pisces later on the
18th (till March 20), heightening our intuition and psychic faculties. Tune in to dreams
and meditations for guidance or inspiration
during the next four weeks. Explore the
power of prayer. Balance what you put “out
there” in helping others with some quality
quiet time spent by yourself.
In addition to seeding a new lunar cycle of
growth and development over the next twenty-eight days, yesterday’s Aquarius New
Moon also heralds the Chinese New Year of
the Goat (or Sheep) which officially begins at
sunrise on the 19th. Unlike the high-spirited,
energetic Horse year, Goat years tend to foster more peaceful, mild-mannered, indeed
rather sheepish or shy behavior. Gentleness
and compassion are hallmarks of the Sheep.
The most feminine sign in the Chinese zodiac,
the Sheep’s nurturing influence stimulates
the creative side of our natures, producing an
atmosphere in which the arts and imagination
can thrive. While an instinctual desire to
coexist peacefully with both friends and enemies alike can lead to greater harmony and
understanding. Wars or conflicts often end in
a Goat year, when the voices of moderates
and doves of peace can be heard more clearly
above the strident cries of the hawks.
Nevertheless, people are more easily led or
discouraged when the Sheep is in charge;
don’t allow anyone to pull the wool over your
eyes, or blindly follow a particular path or line
of reasoning just because the herd does so.
Mars’ entry into Aries later on February 19th
provides a powerful energetic stimulus to
begin new projects during the next six weeks.
The red planet in its fiery home sign engenders forceful self-expression, heightened
competitiveness, and a driving urge to
accomplish something...anything!
Venus leaves the water world of Pisces and
joins the sun and Mars in fiery Aries later on
the 20th (till March 17th), when creative
artistic pursuits are favored. Emotions are
more aggressively expressed with Venus in
this ardent sign, and new romantic ties may
be impulsively entered into. Curb a tendency
toward self-centeredness in relationships, or
spending your hard-earned money in haste.
Gender planets Venus and Mars align in conjunction on the 21st, promoting harmony
between, and among, the sexes. Indeed, love
may bloom, for those available, and passions
will be on the rise. This alignment is favorable for most forms of creative self-expression. However, spend wisely, and resist an
urge to splurge.
The sun squares Saturn on the 23rd, when the
flow of vitality we receive from the sun can be
restricted by Saturn, bringing temporary frustrations and impatience, so you may need to
exercise a greater measure of self-discipline
around this juncture. This somewhat heavy
aspect can illuminate personality flaws, perhaps to show where work needs to be done.
Duties and responsibilities can seem onerous
now. Don’t expect any favors from your boss,
teacher, or other authority figure just now,
either. However, do persevere, as achievement
will come through hard work, persistence, and
disciplined effort. To lift your spirits, meditate
on something cheerful or inspiring.
Mars trines Saturn on the 25th, when ambition is stimulated, and hard work and purposeful action win the day. Act on business
or career options now. Do work requiring
physical stamina.
When the sun makes its annual conjunction
with Neptune later on the 25th, in 07° 16'
Pisces, wander through your personal “field
/www.earthstarmag.com
Down To Earth Astrology
of dreams” regarding ambitions or career
direction. Intuitive insights are possible,
though it may not be easy to distinguish
between genuine higher inspiration and the
murmurings of the subconscious mind.
A sudden fortunate opportunity could occur
when Jupiter trines Uranus on the 3rd; at the
very least, prospects should look brighter.
Fresh input stimulates change, and future
plans may require some adjustment. An innovative solution to a quandary could be found.
Earthy Venus conjuncts electric Uranus precisely on the 4th, in 15° Aries, when business
or social connections may be made, or severed, quite unexpectedly. The urge to socialize
is strong now, so be sure to get out and network—have some fun! Consider investment
options.
Don’t sweat the details around March’s full
moon on the 5th, in 15° Virgo. If you’re well
organized and focused, much can be accomplished now. New information may come to
light that could facilitate progress at work, or
a breakthrough that allows a personal project
to quickly reach fruition.
When the sun sextiles Pluto later on the 5th,
corporate enterprise and joint financial concerns are emphasized and, in general, supported. Find creative ways to recycle or
reuse discarded items or resources.
Daylight Savings Time Begins at 2:00am
on March 8th so remember to turn your
clocks forward 1-hour.
Action planet, Mars, forms a precise trine to
Jupiter on the 9th, a generally favorable
planetary auspices under which to initiate
new activities or ventures. Progressive career
opportunities may present themselves; however, be discerning. A good physical workout
will help to reduce any stress that may
develop.
Expect the unexpected when Mars conjuncts
Uranus on March 11th, as shocking revelations or surprising events are possible around
this period. Seize the initiative in business or
career matters, though avoid acting rashly or
rushing into new ventures or alliances without fully assessing all the ramifications.
Mars also squares Pluto on the 11th, when a
“hair-trigger” or “short fuse” tendency
www.earthstarmag.com
exists. Under this volatile alignment, potential exists for angry outbursts and accidents,
so remain calm and in control of your
actions. Ambition is aroused, while power
struggles and intimidation may prevail.
Sexual desires can also increase. However,
with positive use, the intense energies of this
transit can enable you to completely transform some aspect of your world.
Mercury heads into dreamy Pisces on the
12th (till March 30), when unconscious
desires are powerfully stimulated, while
intuitive abilities increase. Maintain contact
with reality now as discerning fact from fantasy could prove challenging;
Saturn, planetary ruler of career and lord of
karma, stations Retrograde on the 14th, in
05° Sagittarius (till August 1). Take the time
during this period to review your professional
or educational ambitions; if necessary, seek
vocational guidance. Issues from the past
could resurface for resolution. Much personal growth can occur now from acknowledging, then releasing, fears, and what you once
considered to be limitations.
Uranus squares Pluto precisely on March
16th for the fifth such alignment since June
2012, presaging a protracted period of radical change, extreme behavior, political
upheaval, and an acceleration of geophysical
turbulence around the planet. Disruptions in
daily life and routines can become more
commonplace.
After Venus enters its primary home sign of
Taurus on the 17th (till April 11) money, possessions, and personal values are highlighted. Treat your home to a few new indoor
plants. Resolve to get outdoors more often,
to ground yourself.
Practice creative imagery techniques on the
18th when Mercury conjuncts Neptune. It
may not be easy to separate reality from illusion just now. Begin a dream diary.
March’s new moon arrives on the 20th, in
30° Pisces, and is also a total solar eclipse. In
the coming weeks, the quest for emotional
and spiritual harmony and understanding
could receive a higher priority, while creative artists may find fresh inspiration. This
is a good time to begin a dream diary, or
journal.
Spring arrives with the vernal equinox on
March 20th, as the sun makes its grand
entrance into tropical Aries—the first zodiacal sign—where it will remain for the next
thirty days, invigorating humankind, animal,
and plant alike, prompting mother nature to
spring forth into life, causing the sap to rise
and new growth to begin in earnest. Spring is
the season of initiation, pulsating with the
vibrant energy and vigor of Mars—ruler of
the dynamic sign, Aries—and filled with the
impetus for new beginnings. As with New
Year’s Day, consider what you want to
accomplish in the next twelve months and,
with increased determination, go after it!
Energetic activities have greater appeal and
are more readily pursued.
Constructive progress can be made towards
career or educational goals as the sun aligns
in a flowing trine with Saturn on the 25th.
Advice from an elder, a mentor, or authority
figure could prove helpful. Being both practical and creative achieves best results now.
Seek ways to revitalize financial or business
practices when Venus trines Pluto on the
30th, while greater harmony in all partnerships and key alliances is possible now. An
intense relationship could begin for some.
Be sure to note all the good, daring new
ideas that come to mind once Mercury enters
Aries later on the 30th (till April 14).
Communications are direct and to the point,
and feathers are easily ruffled.
Mars enters Taurus on the 31st (till May 11)
so expect to encounter “bullish” behavior
during the next six weeks. Money making
ventures or fund-raising activities are supported now and could, with perseverance, be
very successful. Indeed, your determination
to succeed is very strong now, and you are
unlikely to be swayed from any task or project that you undertake. Your values and priorities may be changing, which in itself may
provide the incentive to make positive
changes in your life. Form alliances with
like-minded individuals and groups that
share your values and principles.
Following is a general overview of how the
planetary trends for February/March, 2015
apply to each sun sign. If you know your rising sign (Ascendant), read that, too, for additional insights.
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2015 EARTH STAR
13
Down To Earth Astrology
Aries
(March 20—April 19)
You’re brimming over with creative ideas for
advancing personal goals in February, and
keen to implement your ambitious plans without delay.
And after Mercury stations Direct on the 11th, and once
Mars, your sign’s ruler, enters Aries on the 18th, you will
get the cosmic green light to proceed. Until then, continue
to review both the personal and professional possibilities.
During March, and indeed throughout the spring, it will be
full steam ahead, as the new moon-solar eclipse, together
with the vernal equinox, and an innovative and riskinspiring Mars-Uranus conjunction (11th), energize your
solar first house of personal initiative and drive to propel
you rapidly towards your objectives.
Taurus
(April 19—May 20)
While you may be keen to make headway—
and you will—towards your career goals, and
to maintain your focus on professional activities during
February, there is also an underlying and almost irresistible impulse to continue with some progressive
changes within your domestic environment which began
last year, perhaps an expansion, restoration, or redecoration project, with which you feel inspired to continue. Or
the deepening of a family connection, from which you
derive great comfort and satisfaction. You may also feel
drawn to revisit elements of or events from your past,
perhaps in search of meaning, rhyme and reason, and to
place them into context with your world today.
Gemini
(May 20—June 21)
The need to communicate your ideas and
novel notions far and wide continues from last
year, even though your ruling planet, Mercury,
remains in retrograde until the 11th. Indeed, this has only
given you pause perhaps to reevaluate the direction your
narrative should take, as you look to the future filled with
renewed hope and optimism. There are professionals
within your circle now that could be instrumental in
propelling you to new levels of career achievement, so
take time to assess the possibilities available to you from
such individuals, once identified, then determine the best
win-win scenario from which all parties may benefit. Your
creative ingenuity can take you far now, and throughout
the spring, so have a game plan in place in order to
maximize your opportunities.
Cancer
(June 21—July22)
It may be possible now to bring some
measure of stability to your financial
situation, and a careful reassessment of your priorities
can help. Your values may have changed in recent
years, allowing greater clarity and insight into how
14
EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2015
any new funds or resources might be best assigned to
meet your current needs. For perhaps the first time in
a while you feel inspired to look to the future with
greater hope and optimism, which simply in and of
itself can foster opportunity where before little
appeared possible. Such is the power of faith, and a
positive attitude. During March, career options
become more plentiful, so remain alert, and receptive.
One opportunity in particular could offer you a longterm, or permanent, position.
Leo
(July 22—August 23)
Spare a thought for the significant others in
your life that do much to lift your spirits in
times of need, for one or two of them may have some
useful information or feedback to send your way,
that might have a positive bearing on a personal
project close to your heart. Your creative enterprise
could open new professional doors for you now, and
throughout the spring, though you may also have to
shoulder a great deal more responsibility. Indeed,
broadening your horizons will be a major theme in
the coming months, and with lady luck on your side
for the time being, you may need to be very careful
what you wish for!
Virgo
(August 23—September 23)
Libra
(September 23—October 23)
Activities with others increase during
February, when work might also be more
demanding. Not that you’ll complain, as whatever
takes you out of yourself, or even your comfort zone,
for a while will likely be viewed as a welcome respite
from concerns closer to home. The time is drawing
nigh when you may finally be able to break free from
past constraints, so be sure to keep your dreams and
hopes for the future alive and vivid in your
imagination. The spring months will likely be a time
of regeneration and renewal for weary Virgos, when
some exciting and positive changes can take place,
that lift your spirits, and enhance your prospects…
just what the doctor ordered!
There are one or two important objectives
you’ve set yourself over the past year that
may now have you burning the midnight oil to work
out a feasible strategy for attaining at least one of
them while the topic or notion is still trending. Never
fear, once Mercury resumes direct motion on February
11th you might surprise yourself with the clarity of
thought you’ll be able to bring to bear on the subject.
This would also be an appropriate juncture at which to
come to terms with a particular health issue that may
www.earthstarmag.com
Down To Earth Astrology
have impacted your self-esteem in some way. You
could make some stimulating new friends with whom
you share a common interest, so be sure to accept any
social invitations that may come your way.
Scorpio
(October 23—November 22)
While your thoughts may be focused on your
future goals and ambitions, there may be
more pressing issues closer to home that require your
attention in February. Indeed, family matters may be
taking up a good deal of your time and energy these
days, and yet, despite the added responsibility, you find
a measure of personal satisfaction in being of assistance
to your nearest and dearest. During March, or in early
spring, an unexpected and perhaps rather appealing
work opportunity could come your way, one that might
also add significantly to your income should you chose
to accept it. With your domestic commitments now
diminishing, this might be the ideal time to refocus on
some of your personal objectives.
Sagittarius
(November 21—December 21)
With the hustle and bustle of the recent
Holiday season now receding in the rear
view mirror, many adventurous Sagittarian natives may
by contemplating a getaway vacation to a distant locale
for a spot of R & R., or perhaps to get some respite from
ones responsibilities for a while. Activities around the
home may have kept you busy of late, but now the
emphasis begins to shift towards doing something more
personally fulfilling with the increase of energy you
experience as spring approaches. And there’s precious
little more satisfying to a Sagittarius than to broaden
your horizons, through travel, a new hobby or interest,
or making stimulating new acquaintances with people
of a different culture or background. Alternatively, you
may decide instead to retreat to your ivory tower and
save your money for that proverbial rainy day.
Capricorn
(December 21—January 19)
With the excesses of the Holiday season now
behind you, bringing stability to your financial
situation will likely be more of a priority during February.
And in so doing you will also derive greater peace of
mind. There’s nothing like a balanced budget to lift one’s
spirits, except perhaps an unexpected windfall, which is
certainly possible during this forecast period, most likely
in March. There could be some excitement and changes
around the home as spring approaches; you may be
seeking to make better use of your living space, create an
efficient work area for personal projects, or simply have
a clear out of unnecessary clutter. All of which would be
in the spirit of spring.
www.earthstarmag.com
Aquarius
(January 19—February 18)
An innovative idea for expanding your
business operations, or creative way to increase
your work efficiency, may be suggested by someone
within your inner circle of friends and confidants in
February, which might help to expedite the
attainment of an important goal. Perhaps a novel
way of applying an untapped talent of yours to
generate more income, or of utilizing your
experience or expertise in some field you had long
considered ploughed over, but may now consider recultivating, re-seeding, as you seek ways to increase
your financial harvest. Throughout the spring
months, brainstorm with partners, friends and
colleagues for creative ways to position your
business so it can thrive in a changing marketplace.
Pisces
(February 18—March 20)
If you think that you’re becoming even
more psychic and intuitive than ever these
days, you are not mistaken. Indeed, it may seem
scary to realize how good at “second guessing”
you’ve become. Perhaps you might apply this
burgeoning talent in an innovative and practical way,
one that could bring about new work opportunities,
and eventually help you to increase your income.
You may feel drawn to somehow make your mark on
the world in some lasting and meaningful way—
reflecting how your values and priorities have
changed in recent years. What may also have
changed is your willingness, indeed, your keenness,
to act unequivocally for something in which you
strongly believe, and which somehow may be of
benefit to society.
Tim Gunns is an astrological consultant,
conference coordinator and producer,
and formerly program director of the
Los Angeles Conscious Life Expo, and
the national Whole Life Expos.
Tim prepares personalized no-nonsense interpretations of Natal Horoscopes ($40), Future Forecast Transit
Reports ($75 for 1 full year), and Relationship Compatibility
Reports ($45). Shipping is free. Send: Name (as you'd like it to
appear on the chart), Date of Birth, Time (as close as possible),
Place of Birth (city/country, etc.) for each person, and your return
address, phone# and check to: Tim Gunns, c/o 110 Hilltop Drive,
Waynesville NC 28786. 828-452-7885. Consultations by
phone may also be scheduled. Payment can be made via Paypal
to [email protected] http://www.earthstarmag.com
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2015
EARTH STAR
15
R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
Find Out What It Means To You
By Dr. Denee Jordan
e’ve all heard it, “You have to love
yourself before you love anyone
else.” Actually, this isn’t true. In
fact, most of us love other people
much more easily than we love
ourselves. Frequently, we even love our pets more easily. However, though we can love others without loving
ourselves, the truth is our relationships are much healthier when we do. We can’t feel true contentment unless
we learn to love, and even more importantly, respect
ourselves. When we do not respect ourselves, it manifests in all of our relationships. It can manifest as irritability, hyper-sensitivity, or being overly critical of
other people. All of our interactions are distorted to a
certain degree, but it is our own happiness that is impacted the most.
Respect is considered a key element in any loving
relationship, including self-love. Self-respect, however,
is a learned skill that many people are never taught. We
W
16
EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2015
are taught that we should have self-respect, but not how
to get it. Too frequently the belief is that we can earn
self-respect by making enough money, pleasing others,
getting promoted, losing weight and so forth. In actuality,
the opposite is true; self-respect is the precursor to success. So how do we learn to respect ourselves if we are
not yet, in society’s terms, beautiful, fit, talented, or
wealthy?
It is no small feat to be a surviving Human Being in
our present society. In fact, it is amazing! Nobody but
you knows what your experience has been. Gaining
self-respect involves recognizing the effort you have put
into living your life, no matter your present circumstances- acknowledging all of the time and energy you
have spent struggling, loving, hurting, suffering, discovering, working, succeeding, failing, and feeling frustration, joy and disappointment in order to be alive in the
present moment. Notice that there is no mention of
culling only the ‘good’ parts of your life for examina-
tion. All of your life has had value!
Take obesity, for example. In today’s society, most
overweight people feel badly about themselves because
of a perceived notion that they are somehow ‘lesser
than’ because of their weight. They try all kinds of diets
to shed pounds and beat themselves up when they gain
them back, sinking lower and lower into self-disrespect.
What a tremendous shift there would be if, on the other
hand, they were to add up all the pounds they had lost
and gained, the money they had spent on weight-loss
treatments, the time spent worrying, feeling isolated and
depressed and said to themselves, “Wow! I am amazing! How wonderful that I can invest all of that emotion, energy, and time into trying to feel better! I have
actually demonstrated tremendous ability!” The selfrespect they would gain with that recognition would be
the impetus for true, lasting change. Remember, selfrespect precedes success!
Self-respect requires that we give ourselves credit
for our efforts, without exception. One might say, “Yes,
but I know better.” Knowing is not enough; we only do
what we have learned. If we had learned better, we
would have done better. We need to be honest about who
we are and accept ourselves as completely as possible,
including the things we think are ‘wrong’ or ‘bad’. We
might hear, “That’s crazy! If I accept myself, nothing
will change.” Though it may seem counterintuitive, finding the value in respecting ourselves even for the ‘bad’
choices we may have made paves the way for positive
change. Respecting ourselves does not necessarily
mean that everything is the way we want it; it is a decision to accept and honor ourselves as we are so that we
can move forward positively!
Finding love or self-respect doesn’t necessarily
involve changing anything in your life right this minute.
It involves finding the courage to give yourself credit for
all of the remarkable effort you have put into living,
regardless of your present circumstances; knowing that
you have done the best you could have done based upon
what you have learned up to this point. Ready to
change? Try coming from a place of self-respect and
self-acceptance first. It will make all of the difference,
because it is true that other people will not treat us any
better than we treat ourselves. We attract people into our
lives who mirror our perception of ourselves. Give
yourself respect, compassion, and gratitude this
Valentine’s Day, and it will be returned.
Dr. Denee Jordan, PSY.D
is a licensed Clinical
Psychologist
and
Marriage and Family
Therapist and the founder
of Already Well, a progressive approach to treatment
that works on the premise
that no matter your present circumstance, you are
already well. Today she
serves as Mental Health
Services Director for the
Exceptional Children’s
Foundation
in
Los
Angeles, CA.
http://www.AlreadyWell.com
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2015
EARTH STAR
17
Winter Reading
Co-creating at Its Best
A Conversation Between
Master Teachers
By Dr. Wayne W. Dyer and Esther Hicks
In this awe-inspiring book based on a live
event in Anaheim, California, Dr. Wayne W.
Dyer sits down with Esther Hicks and the
wise Collective Consciousness known as
Abraham. Wayne asks all the questions he
has accumulated from his more than 40 years
of teaching others about self-reliance and
self-discovery, and Abraham delivers the
answers we all need to hear. If you’ve been
wondering why we experience pain and hurt,
why we don’t always get what we want and how we get disconnected
to Source, which is always with us, Co-Creating At Its Best will give you
the way back to Source, to clarity, and to pure, positive energy.
Hay House. Hardcover, $14.99.
Crystal Prescriptions volume 3
Crystal solutions to electromagnetic
pollution and geopathic stress,
An A-Z guide.
By Judy Hall
This third A–Z directory by the author of The
Crystal Bibles explores the effects of electromagnetic field (EMF) pollution and geopathic
stress (GS) on health and well-being, and the
dis-eases and healing crystals associated with
them. Including 20 crystal portraits, the directory assists in identifying the right crystal for
your needs whether it is for personal energetic
support and healing for EMF and GS effects,
or environmental protection against electromagnetic and geopathic
stress. With practical applications, the directory also includes essential
information on keeping your crystals working for you.
O-Books. Paperback, $14.95.
The New Heaven
And The New Earth
By Imre Vallyon
In The New Heaven and the New Earth, the
completion of his trilogy with Planetary
Transformation and The New Planetary Reality,
Imre Vallyon explains the inner causes of the
coming planetary changes (the New Heaven)
and how the changes will play out in real-world
events (the New Earth), depending on
whether humanity responds to them correctly
or not. To help humanity respond correctly, the
author provides not only esoteric knowledge and understanding from his
direct perception of Higher Reality, but also practical meditation techniques aimed at raising Consciousness. The New Heaven and the New
Earth also contains a 30-page glossary of spiritual terminology and a
Sanskrit language pronunciation guide.
Sounding-Light Publishing. Paperback, $15.95.
18
EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2015
Your Yin Yang Body Type
The Korean Tradition of
Sasang Medicine
By Gary Wagman, Ph.D., L.Ac.
In this book, Dr. Gary Wagman explores the 4
major body types of the ancient Korean art of
Sasang medicine, providing two different selftests to determine your type. He explains the balance of Yin and Yang energy within the organs for
each type and how this underlies your emotional
tendencies and health patterns. With a strong
spleen and weaker kidneys, for example, the Yang type A person will
be inclined to anger and susceptible to urinary complaints. Offering stories from his Sasang medical practice, as well as his own healing, the
author shows how organ excesses and deficiencies are often the culprit in emotional and psychological issues and how addressing these
energetic imbalances can bring about lasting change.
Healing Arts Press. Paperback, $19.95.
Collecting Feathers
Tales from The Other Side
By Daniela I. Norris
In Collecting Feathers, former diplomat,
turned inspirational writer and speaker
Daniela I. Norris blends pitch-perfect storytelling and a keen spiritual awareness to
bring us a beautiful and haunting set of tales
from the beyond. A feast for the heart, mind
and soul, each story is layered with unfolding
intrigue, and each one will stay with you long
after the pages have been turned.
Soul Rocks Books. Paperback, $12.95.
Personal Transitions
Beyond the Comfortable into the Real
By Steve Ahnael Nobel
Personal Transitions is a practical and engaging book based on a fusion of spirituality,
myth, story, case studies, practical exercises,
visualization and meditation. It includes various transition stories such as: near death
experiences, accidents, prison, war, psychological breakdown, and various awakening
experiences. The basic premise of this book is
that awakening and growth tends to happen
in two ways: firstly by following our heart and
intuition and expanding into new adventures;
and secondly through experiencing times of great uncertainty,
chaos, and crisis. During such times life may seem to make little or
no sense. When life shifts, either through personal volition or otherwise, we are helped to gain a new perspective and live from the
heart rather than the head.
Findhorn Press. Paperback, $17.99.
www.earthstarmag.com
Winter Reading
The Journey to Inner Power
Self-Liberation through
Power Psychology
By Shai Tubali
If we could take the most intense and penetrating look into our psyche and strip away the layers, what would we find at our very core? Could
we find the key to psychic heath that unlocks our
full creativity and potential? Working with hundreds of people around the world, therapist and
author Shai Tubali came to realize that it was
power that drove the human psyche: the primal
urge for power, the loss of power, and the entangled and confused
desires to regain power in our lives. Tubali created ‘psycho-transformative processes’ to enable the men and women he worked with to
uncover these hardest, hidden and most denied parts of the self, and
then guided them to transform these parts into a source of true, revitalizing inner power. The Journey to Inner Power sets the reader on this
challenging new path to self-knowledge and self-liberation.
Change Makers Books. Paperback, $20.95.
Let There Be Light
Experiencing Inner Light Across the
World’s Sacred Traditions
By Arthur B. Stein and Andrew Vidich
Let There Be Light celebrates the splendor of radiant
Light that has been known, embodied and taught by
mystics, saints and sages over the millennia. Readers
at every level will enjoy this book for its insights and
message of hope: Light is available to all who seek it
with humility and grace. One common thread among
great teachers, sages and practitioners of spiritual
traditions is that Inner Light and enlightenment can
be most directly accessed by going within, utilizing meditation, prayer and
other contemplative practices. Let There Be Light contributes to thoughtful questioning, appreciative listening, and openhearted dialogue.
Integral Horizons. Paperback, $20.00.
Sky People
Untold Stories of Alien Encounters
in Mesoamerica
By Ardy Sixkiller Clarke
Dr. Ardy Sixkiller Clarke, author of Encounters With
Star People, vowed as a teenager to follow in the
footsteps of two 19th-century explorers, John L.
Stephens and Frederick Catherwood, who brought
the ancient Maya cities to the world’s attention. Dr.
Clarke set out on a seven-year adventure through
Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico, collecting stories of encounters, sky gods, giants, little
people, and aliens among the indigenous people.
She drove more than 12,000 miles, visiting 89 archaeological sites and
conducting nearly 100 individual interviews. The result is an enthralling
series of unique, original, true stories of encounters with space travelers,
giants, little people, and UFOs. Sky People may very well change the way
you perceive and experience the world.
New Page Books. Paperback, $17.99.
www.earthstarmag.com
Lyme Coinfections
Anaplasma, Babesia, and Ehrlichia
By Stephen Harrod Buhner
Distilling the latest scientific research on Babesia,
Ehrlichia, Anaplasma, and Lyme disease, Stephen
Buhner examines the complex synergy between
these infections and reveals how they can go undiagnosed or resurface after antibiotic treatment. He
explains how these organisms create cytokine cascades in the body—essentially sending the immune
system into an overblown, uncontrolled inflammatory response in much the same way rheumatoid arthritis or cancer can.
He explains how natural methods not only complement conventional
Lyme disease treatments involving antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals but also provide relief when other forms of treatment have failed.
Healing Arts Press. Paperback, $19.95.
Rising in Love
My Wild and Crazy Ride to Here and
Now, with Amma, the Hugging Saint
By Ram Das Batchelder
Rising in Love tells the story of the author’s
extraordinary spiritual awakening in America
(which included meeting an angel), his discovery of Amma (the living Guru known in the West
as “the Hugging Saint”), and the 27 amazing
years he has spent in quest of Enlightenment as
Amma’s devotee, most of that time in India. The
book is a multi-faceted diamond. It is a suspenseful psychological thriller, a page-turner
from the outset—yet there is also much humor in the narrative, and at
times reads like a comedic novel. From another angle, it is a story of
profound healing from delusion, drug addiction and despair into a joyous and beautifully fulfilled life, and as such it is a ray of hope for all
who suffer from addiction or mental illness of one kind or another.
O-Books. Paperback, $29.95.
Listful Thinking
Using Lists to Be More Productive,
Highly Successful and Less Stressed
By Paula Rizzo
What do Sir Richard Branson, Martha Stewart,
Sheryl Sandberg, Ellen DeGeneres and
Madonna have in common? Each is a list maker
and history shows us that change creators
make their to-do lists and check them often. A
recent survey by the career website
LinkedIn.com found that 63% of all professionals frequently create to-do lists. If you’re part of
the 37% and feel like you’re chasing your own
tail, author Paula Rizzo, a top national TV producer, delivers the solution. You can still find time to relax, read a good
book, enjoy your hobby and do the things you love. Listful Thinking
shares secrets, time-saving tips and the fine art of getting it done.
Viva Editions. Paperback, $15.95.
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2015
EARTH STAR
19
The Multidimensional
Traveler
Finding Togetherness, or How I
Learned to Break the Rules of
Physics and Sojourn Across
Dimensions and Time
By Khartika Goe
The Multidimensional Traveler is an inspiring journey that awakens readers to worlds
beyond physical limitations. In addition to
illuminating the existence of vast multidimensional realities, it provides specific
examples of adventures through time,
space, and the universes. Freed of limitation, you are initiated into the lost knowledge of multidimensional travel. It gradually expands readers’ consciousness so that you, too, may
begin the awesome journey of discovering what lies beyond your
physical body. Through discipline and practice, each of us can regain
the ability to travel wherever—and whenever—we wish!
The Making of a Mystic
Writing as a Form of Spiritual Emergence
By Paddy Fievet, Ph.D.
A “modern mystic,” public speaker and teacher,
author Paddy Fievet reveals her dramatic spiritual transformation in her new book, The Making of
a Mystic. Delving into Fievet’s riveting memoir,
readers discover the modern mystic within themselves as they learn how to use writing to connect with Spirit and realize their own sacred life
stories. A gifted intuitive with a Ph.D. in
Metaphysics, the author illuminates a path to
divinity and self-empowerment. While engaging
with the author’s experience, the reader will journey along with Paddy
to the center of his or her own heart, recognizing Divine Love in self,
others and nature. The Making of a Mystic guides the reader through
the deeper meanings of mystical connection, as discovered through
explanations of mysticism that are pertinent to everyday life.
Cloverhurst Publications. Paperback, $14.95.
New Page Books. Paperback, $16.99
Crystal and Stone Massage
Energy Healing for the Vital
and Subtle Bodies
By Michael Gienger
In this full-color illustrated guide, Michael
Gienger, along with contributors Hildegard
Weiss and Ursula Dombrowksy, details the energetics and healing properties of more than 50
crystals and gemstones for use in massage. The
book explains how to select the proper crystal or
stone to aid healing of a specific condition as
well as for relaxation and stress release. It illustrates specific massage techniques with crystal
wands, crystal spheres, and polished stones that best utilize the crystal or stone’s properties and shows how to perform a full-body massage that works on several levels—physical, ethereal, mental, and spiritual—depending on how the crystals are applied.
Healing Arts Press. Paperback, $16.95.
New Life Stories
Journeys of Recovery in a Mindful
Community
By Hilary H. Carter
Suffering comes in many forms. From depression to
alcoholism, from drug addiction to sudden bereavement, from abuse to burnout, from social anxiety to
relationship issues and more. In the hills of northern
Thailand is a unique and exciting mindful recovery
community where people from all over the world can
learn to discover a new life through the practice of
mindfulness. In this book, ten of the residents of the
New Life Foundation share their own stories, demonstrating how they
have benefited through the practice of mindfulness. Their fascinating truelife narratives demonstrate that however far we fall, there is always hope
and the opportunity to learn and grow from our experience. Royalties from
this book will be donated to New Life.
AYNI Books. Paperback, $19.95.
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Switch On
How To Ignite Your Creative Spirit with
the New Science of Breakthrough
By Nick Seneca Jankel
Switch On is a comprehensive life philosophy
for how to thrive in the world by using creativity to
break-through any problem, whether feeling
stuck at work, in relationships, or with a business challenge. Based on twenty years of pioneering research in disruptive innovation, leadership, and transformation, Switch On launches
Breakthrough Biodynamics, an elegant and
groundbreaking integration of major advances
in neuroscience with priceless teachings from
the great wisdom traditions.
Watkins Publishing, Ltd, Paperback, $14.95.
Animal Wisdom
Learning from the Spiritual Lives of Animals
By Linda Bender, DVM
How is it that pets are able to travel thousands of
miles through unknown territory to reunite with
their beloved humans? How can dogs detect cancer with up to a 98 percent accuracy rate, and
foresee epileptic or diabetic seizures in their owners? How do animals seem to know an earthquake is coming long before the world's best
seismologists? In Animal Wisdom, veterinarian
and animal advocate Linda Bender offers a wealth
of amazing stories and research-based evidence
indicating animals have deeply perceptive—even extrasensory—abilities.
She shows us that animals are extremely perceptive, intuitive, and psychic and provides step-by-step practices for honing your natural ability
to communicate with them, so that you too can learn to understand
their urgent messages about peace, happiness, and the future of the
planet. Animal Wisdom is for animal lovers and anyone who seeks a
deeper, more spiritual connection to these beautiful creatures.
North Atlantic Books. Paperback, $18.95.
www.earthstarmag.com
Experiences From the Light
Ordinary People’s Extraordinary
Experiences of Transformation, Miracles,
and Spiritual Awakening
By Keidi Keating
Experiences From the Light shares more than 50
fascinating stories of extraordinary, true-life
adventures of light, including spiritual awakenings, near-death experiences, unexplainable synchronicities, and stories of love and heart It sometimes seems that the world in which we live is
falling apart. We are experiencing more turmoil
than ever before and desperately seeking a light
in our lives. Experiences From the Light will teach you to have faith in
your life situations, warm your overwhelmed heart, remind you to look
for the signs that the universe provides, and awaken you to new and
bright possibilities.
New Page Books. Paperback, $15.99.
Life Without Elgar
A Tale of a Journeying Soul
By Ann Merivale
During a regression to find out the reason for the
unusual emotional attachment that she’d had since
the age of sixteen to Sir Edward Elgar, Ann Merivale
was astounded to find herself in the life of Helen
Weaver, his first fiancée. One year on, a series of letters between Edward Elgar and Helen Weaver started writing themselves in her head. Gradually, and on
the advice of colleagues, she decided that this
“imaginary correspondence” should form the middle
section of a book devoted to her personal experiences. It has the dual
aim of introducing spiritual subjects to musical people who are unfamiliar with them, and introducing Elgar to spiritually minded people
who know little or nothing about him.
6th Books. Paperback, $16.95.
Return of the Divine Sophia
Healing the Earth through the Lost
Wisdom Teachings of Jesus, Isis,
and Mary Magdalene
By Tricia McCannon
Called through her dreams by the Priestesses
of Isis, Tricia McCannon set out on a spiritual
journey into the Mysteries of the Goddess.
After a fateful encounter with a high initiate of
the ancient Fellowship of Isis, she began
researching the history of Judaism and
Christianity to find out how and when the
Divine Feminine became lost. She discovered
a forgotten age when the Creator was honored as female and humanity lived in peaceful societies completely
free of war. She shows how we can return to an age of peace and
celestial light if we work to bring the masculine and feminine energies of the world back into balance. Through her story and her indepth research, McCannon takes us on a journey to awaken the creative power of the Divine Feminine within each of us.
Bear & Company. Paperback, $20.00
www.earthstarmag.com
The Heart of the Hereafter
Love Stories from the End of Life
By Marcia Brennan, Ph.D.
The Heart of the Hereafter can help to serve as a
life review for the living. The stories can change
not only how we view the end of life, but how we
view life itself, and thus how we actively live our
lives, particularly when we encounter the part of
ourselves that is nothing but love. This book features a moving selection of poetic and visual artworks that are based on the author’s experiences
as an Artist In Residence in palliative medicine at
the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Emphasizing
mystical and spiritual themes, the stories showcase the different types of
love that emerge both in life and at the end of life. By engaging these
themes, this book sheds valuable light on both the promises and the
complications associated with constructing an ars moriendi, or guide to
the art of dying, in our contemporary world.
Axis Mundi Books. Paperback, $14.95.
Metagenealogy
Self-Discovery through Psychomagic
and the Family Tree
By Alejandro Jodorowsky
and Marianne Costa
In Metagenealogy, Alejandro Jodorowsky and
Marianne Costa show how every individual is
the product of two forces: the imitating force,
directed by the family group acting from the
past, and the creative force, driven by the
Universal Consciousness from the future.
Interweaving examples from Jodorowsky’s own
life and his work with the tarot, psychoanalysis,
and psychomagic, the authors provide exercises, visualizations, and
meditations to discover your family’s psychological heritage and open
yourself to the growth and creativity of Universal Consciousness. By
understanding your family tree and your place in it, you open your ability to heal the ancient struggle between the repetitive forces of the past
and the creative forces of the future.
Park Street Press. Paperback, $29.95.
Squaring Circles
By Carolyn Mathews
Free spirit Pandora is shaken by the sudden
death of her mother and her discovery of a
secret half-brother from across the Atlantic.
When her mother’s grave is disturbed, she
turns detective and finds herself drawn into a
world of intrigue, centring round a devious
couple’s plot to exploit a healing circle for their
own ends. Her partner Jay’s collaboration with
an attractive singer and her own encounter
with an old flame add to the confusion. Will she
succeed in her quest to bring equilibrium to
her life, and the lives of those she loves, or will
the decisions she and Jay make set them up
for more heartache?
Roundfire Books. Paperback, $16.95.
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The Causes of
Antibiotic Resistance
and How to Fix It
By Dr. Joseph Mercola
ollectively, microorganisms outweigh
the human population by 100 million
times. They’re all around you, and inside
you. Your gastrointestinal tract alone
houses some 100 trillion bacteria.
The microorganisms in your gut, commonly
referred to as your microbiome, are responsible for
about eighty percent of your immune system function,
and these gut bacteria outnumber your body’s cells by
about ten to one.
As noted in the featured Frontline documentary, The
Trouble With Antibiotics, American farmers routinely
use antibiotics to make their livestock grow bigger,
faster (in addition to preventing disease caused by
cramped, filthy quarter, and an unnatural diet). After
decades of this practice, antibiotic-resistance in humans
has risen substantially.
C
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We’ve also come to realize that, scientifically, we’ve
barely scratched the surface with regards to everything
there is to know about bacteria; how they work, and why
we might actually need them.
Far from being a scourge, bacteria of all kinds serve
important roles in human health. It’s a double-edged
sword. On the one hand we need bacteria; on the other,
when our microbiome becomes unbalanced, it can kill us.
Microbes Rule...
For example, it is microbes in the soil that are largely
responsible for plant growth and nutrient uptake. Adding
plant nutrients without regard for nourishing these
microbes is a recipe for crop failure in the long-term.
In recent years, we’ve also started to gain a greater
understanding of the role gut microbes play in human
www.earthstarmag.com
health and disease—and it’s a very significant one.
We’re also seeing that indiscriminately killing bacteria in an effort to achieve cleanliness and health comes
at a steep price. In fact, antibiotic resistance has quickly
turned into a worldwide health threat of massive proportions.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC), two million American adults and
children become infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria each year, and at least 23,000 of them die as a direct
result.
Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, better
known as MRSA, alone kills more Americans each year
than the combined total of emphysema, HIV/AIDS,
Parkinson’s disease, and homicide.
The victims include young, otherwise healthy people, raising suspicions that the MRSA infections originate from the food they eat. Drug-resistant tuberculosis,
urinary tract infections, and gonorrhea are also on the
rise.
As reported by Frontline, researchers have found
that people living close to confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) also suffer drug-resistant infections at
much higher rates than others, again suggesting that
antibiotic-resistant bacteria originate from large-scale
agriculture.
We’ve Wasted One of Medicine’s
Most Important Tools
What we’re seeing is the evolution of bacteria—and
we’ve catalyzed that evolution. As it turns out, the use of
antibiotics in agriculture breeds these hardy bacteria
very efficiently. Over time, microorganisms have
learned to teach each other how to outsmart the best
pharmaceutical drugs we have to offer, and they are winning the battle.
Many experts have issued strong warnings, saying
that we are quickly reverting back to the pre-antibiotic
age when some of the most important advances in
modern medicine—intensive care, organ transplants,
care for premature babies, and surgeries—will no longer
be possible.
We’re already very close to the end of the road
where ALL antibiotics fail, and once that happens, it will
be the end of modern medicine as we know it. Common
illnesses such as bronchitis or strep throat may turn into
deadly sepsis.
Surgeries previously considered low risk or “routine,” such as hip replacements, might suddenly be too
risky without antibiotics, and complex surgeries like
organ transplants may not be survivable anymore.
One of the most prestigious research hospitals in the
US recently struggled with an outbreak of a highly lethal
antibiotic-resistant superbug called Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)—a bacterium that has
developed resistance to multiple drugs. KPC is not alone
in this feat.
A 2013 paper by the Center for Science in the Public
Interest (CSPI) titled “Antibiotic Resistance in
Foodborne Pathogens,” report that between 1973 and
2011, there were 55 antibiotic-resistant foodborne outbreaks in the US, and more than half of them involved
pathogens resistant to five or more antibiotics.
How Did This Epidemic of Antibiotic
Resistance Occur?
Antibiotic overuse and inappropriate use in medicine is
one factor. As much as half of all antibiotics used in clinics and hospitals are inappropriately used. But the routine use of antibiotics in agriculture is likely at the very
heart of the matter.
www.earthstarmag.com
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2015 EARTH STAR
23
First of all, agriculture accounts for about eighty
percent of all antibiotics used in the US, so it’s really a
primary source of antibiotic exposure. Second, it is the
continuous use of low dose antibiotics that really allows
the bacteria to survive and become increasingly hardy
and drug resistant.
At present, 24.6 million pounds of antibiotics are
administered to livestock in the US every year for purposes other than treating disease, such as making the
animals grow bigger faster. When eating meat from
antibiotic-treated animals, you consume low dose antibiotics. For example, eighty different antibiotics are
allowed in cows’ milk!
Treated animal products may also be contaminated
with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. According to the US
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 22
percent of antibiotic-resistant illness in humans is in fact
linked to food. In the words of associate director of the
CDC Dr. Srinivasan:
“The more you use an antibiotic, the more you
expose a bacteria to an antibiotic, the greater the likelihood that resistance to that antibiotic is going to develop. So the more antibiotics we put into people, we put
into the environment, we put into livestock, the more
opportunities we create for these bacteria to become
resistant.”
In the featured documentary, researchers using state
of the art genome sequencing were able to compare
E.coli samples found on supermarket meat with E.coli
samples collected from patients with drug-resistant urinary tract infections. In this way, they were able to
genetically link more than 100 urinary tract infections to
tainted supermarket meat products...
Avoiding antibiotic-resistance is but one of several
good reasons to avoid meats and animal products from
animals raised in confined animal feeding operations
(CAFOs). This is partly why grass-fed and grass-fin-
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EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2015
ished antibiotic- and hormone-free meat is the ONLY
type of meat I recommend—again because it is repetitive low-dose exposure that allows bacteria to adapt and
develop strong resistance. Most Americans eat meat
several times a week, and that kind of exposure can add
up.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA),
meanwhile, has known for more than twelve years that
routine use of antibiotics in livestock is harmful to
human health, yet it has taken no meaningful action.
Promptings to voluntarily reduce usage has not resulted
in positive change. On the contrary, the most recent FDA
report shows that antibiotic usage actually increased by
sixteen percent between 2009 and 2012, and nearly seventy percent of the antibiotics used are considered
“medically important” for humans.
Another contributing factor is the genetic engineering of our foods. As Jeffrey Smith explained at a recent
GMO Summit, it’s possible that GMOs from food can
transfer genetic material to your normal gut bacteria,
conferring antibiotic resistance and turning them into
superbugs. GMOs have been scientifically proven to
activate and deactivate hundreds if not thousands of
genes, and we have no idea about the risks associated
with this, as no one has studied it.
What’s the Solution?
The impending superbug crisis has a four-prong
solution:
• Improved infection prevention, with a focus on
strengthening your immune system naturally. Avoiding
sugars, processed foods, and grains is foundational for
this. Adding in traditionally fermented and cultured
foods is equally important, as this will help optimize
your microflora
• More responsible use of antibiotics in human
medicine
• Limiting use of antibiotics in livestock animals,
along with a return to biodynamic farming and a complete overhaul of our food system
www.earthstarmag.com
• Innovative new approaches to the treatment of
infections from all branches of science, natural as well
as allopathic. Fortunately, Mother Nature gives us a cornucopia of botanicals with inherent antibiotic activity
that does not promote resistance like antibiotic drugs do.
Natural compounds with antimicrobial activity include:
What You Can Do Right Now to Avoid
Promoting Antibiotic Resistance
When it comes to avoiding antibiotic-resistant disease,
one major key is to keep your immune system healthy
and strong. This is primarily done through lifestyle
choices such as proper diet, sleep, stress management,
and exercise. In terms of diet, remember to opt for whole
organic foods, raised without antibiotics and preferably
locally sourced.
Optimizing your own immune system function will
help keep you safe from developing a potentially lethal
infection in the first place. I also urge you to consider the
following strategies, which will help curtail the spread
of antibiotic resistance in general. While the problem of
antibiotic resistance needs to be stemmed through public policy on a nationwide level, the more people who
get involved on a personal level, the better.
Such strategies include:
• Use antibiotics only when absolutely necessary. For example, antibiotics are typically unnecessary
for most ear infections, and they do NOT work on viruses.
They only work on bacterial infections, and even then,
they’re best reserved for more serious infections.
• Avoid antibacterial household products, such
as antibacterial soaps, hand sanitizers, and wipes, etc., as
these also promote antibiotic resistance by allowing the
www.earthstarmag.com
strongest bacteria to survive and thrive.
• Properly wash your hands with warm water
and plain soap, to prevent the spread of bacteria. Be
particularly mindful of washing your hands and kitchen
surfaces after handling raw meats, as about half of all
meat sold in American grocery stores is likely to be contaminated with pathogenic bacteria. Avoid antibiotic
soaps that typically have dangerous chemicals like
triclosan.
• Take common-sense precautions in the
kitchen: Kitchens are notorious breeding grounds for
disease-causing bacteria, courtesy of contaminated meat
products, including antibiotic-resistant strains of E-coli.
To avoid cross-contamination between foods in your
kitchen, I suggest adhering to the following recommendations:
• Use a designated cutting board, preferably
wood, not plastic, for raw meat and poultry, and
never use this board for other food preparation,
such as cutting up vegetables. Color coding your
cutting boards is a simple way to distinguish
between them
• To sanitize your cutting board, be sure to use
hot water and detergent. Simply wiping it off
with a rag will not destroy the bacteria
• For an inexpensive, safe, and effective kitchen
counter and cutting board sanitizer, use 3%
hydrogen peroxide and vinegar. Keep each liquid in a separate spray bottle, and then spray the
surface with one, followed by the other, and
wipe off
• Coconut oil can also be used to clean, treat,
and sanitize your wooden cutting boards. It’s
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2015 EARTH STAR
25
loaded with lauric acid that has potent antimicrobial actions. Olive oil is another alternative.
The fats will also help condition the wood
• Purchase organic, antibiotic-free meats and
other foods. Reducing the spread of antibiotic-resistant
bacteria is a significant reason for making sure you’re
only eating grass-fed, organically-raised meats and animal products. Besides growing and raising your own,
buying your food from responsible, high-quality, sustainable sources is your best bet, and I strongly encourage you to support the small family farms in your area.
Dr. Mercola is the founder of the
world’s most visited natural
health
web
site,
http://www.Mercola.com. You
can learn the hazardous side
effects of OTC Remedies by getting a FREE copy of his latest
special report The Dangers of
Over the Counter Remedies by
going to his Report Page.
Who Is Putting Up ‘Interceptor’ Cell Towers?
ysterious “interceptor” cell
towers in the USA are grabbing phone calls—but
they’re not part of the phone networks.
And, two experts told VentureBeat
today, the towers don’t appear to be
projects of the National Security
Agency (NSA).
The towers were revealed by Les
Goldsmith to Popular Science last
M
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EARTH STAR
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week. He’s CEO of ESD America,
which builds the super-secure
Cryptophone 500 for clients that need
the military-grade security and can
handle the phone’s estimated $3,500
price tag.
In the course of testing the phone,
Goldsmith’s team discovered the existence of phone cell towers that intercept a call and hand it off to the real
network—allowing the
tower to listen in or load
spyware to the mobile
device.
These do not appear
to be local police with
portable “Stingray” celltracking devices because
many are apparently
fixed sites associated
with U.S. Government
facilities. Experts cited
in the article do not believe the NSA is
responsible though it would be hard
for them to be certain of this. Note that
there may be many more than the 19
shown on the map in the article, as
someone traveling from Florida to
North Carolina with a high security
Cryptophone 500 was alerted to eight
interceptions along the way.
— Venturebeat.com
www.earthstarmag.com
Animal Wisdom
What We Do to Animals
We Do to Ourselves
By Dr. Linda Bender
rior to the Industrial Revolution, humane
and human were just two different
spellings of the same word. To be humane
in the Humane Society–sense meant the
same thing as being human. It’s probably
no accident that we began to need a separate word to
describe the compassionate treatment of animals around
the time we invented the sweatshop. We started confining people to factories and treating them like commodities before we got the idea of doing it to chickens. We
denied the dignity of the human laborer before we
denied the dignity of the plough horse. We began thinking of “pets” as consumer goods only after we had come
to conceive of ourselves and our fellow humans as mere
consumers. Nowadays we have to add an “e” to connote
what the word “human” is supposed to mean: someone
who demonstrates that he or she has a soul by treating
other souls with respect and consideration.
P
www.earthstarmag.com
The word “humane” conveys a sense of honorable
conduct: the obligation of the strong to care for the weak
or, as Buddhists teach, the duty of higher beings toward
lower beings. I’m all for honorable conduct if it gets the
job done, but I believe that, in the final analysis, it doesn’t. To be humane sounds like more of a nicety than a
necessity. The chainsaws and bulldozers of necessity
make short work of a nicety like saving the spotted owl.
In so far as the fate of animals depends on our adding an
“e” to human, they will continue to be victimized.
Mahatma Gandhi said that “the greatness of a nation
can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” This
is what makes respect for animals not just a nicety but a
necessity. A society in which animals are oppressed and
exploited, their dignity denied and their lives deprived of
meaning, is as miserable for its human citizens as it is
for the animals. Why? Because what we do to animals,
we do to ourselves. When we eat the flesh of an animal
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2015
EARTH STAR
27
who has been pumped full of antibiotics and hormones
and subjected to constant stress, all of those toxins
become part of our own bodies. When we destroy animal habitat, we destroy our own habitat as well. When
our treatment of other living beings is dominated by
economic expediency, humans, too, are cruelly treated.
When we can no longer see the hurt in a neglected animal’s eyes, we have become hard-hearted toward our
own pain.
On a spiritual level, the belief in animal inferiority
has infected hu- mans themselves with an inferiority
complex. We can’t look down on animals without also
looking down on those aspects of our nature that we
have in common with them. The spiritual pecking order
that places us above the animals places us below the
angels, so we tend to conceive of spiritual betterment as
becoming more angel like. Hierarchical spirituality values objectivity over feeling, abstraction over sensation,
achievement over pleasure, the universal over the personal, the mind over the body. It encourages top growth
at the expense of root growth. Unable to reach deep into
the earth, where our nourishment lies, we become
parched and desiccated. We also become incurably lonely—
alienated not just from the Earth and from our fellow
creatures, but from the parts of our own being that lie
south of the neck.
Because hierarchical spirituality places God, the
Source, at the very top of the pecking order, for many
believers “God” seems unreachably remote. Whether we
conceive of God as literally living in Heaven or not, he
(or she) might as well be there for all the hope we have
of direct contact. The belief that our Source is somewhere “up there” leads to the belief that we have to get
“up there” to connect. Many people conceive of this
happening in the afterlife. The Earth is just a place of
temporary exile where one proves one’s worthiness to
go to the place where the Source of all exists. If we
regard the Earth as just a transient residence, it’s hardly
any wonder that we turn it into a slum.
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The hierarchical view that holds humans inferior to
angels and animals inferior to humans is based on a
faulty premise. All of God’s (or whatever name you
choose) creations are perfect, and it is impossible for
one perfect thing to be inferior to another perfect thing.
All the creatures of the Earth have lives of meaning and
purpose, aside from the values we place on them. Now
more than ever, the nonhuman beings that share the
Earth with us have been entrusted to our care. How we
value all life forms and how we treat them are true measures of our humanity.
We also have trouble accepting ourselves. We see so
much room for improvement in ourselves that we have a
hard time believing that we are lovable.
This is why the need between animals and humans
is mutual. They need us to protect them and we need
them to help us to feel happier.
We can’t make ourselves happier by directly emulating animals, because our nature is different from
theirs in some fundamental ways. But when we love animals and form close bonds with them, some of their happiness rubs off on us. To watch them enjoying their lives
makes us smile. Their good moods are infectious. Their
affection for us has the power to reach the place in us
that feels unworthy of being loved, and in feeling how
they love us, we can feel how God loves us too.
If we are open to it, an even deeper rapport becomes
possible. We can come to share their thoughts, feelings,
and perceptions, to look at the world through their eyes
and see what they find so good about it. In this way, animals can become our spiritual teachers. Animals have
taught me to perceive the connectedness of all living
things and to experience for myself the joy they experience in this connectedness. They have taught me to
accept the limits of my own understanding and to relax
into the mystery of existence. They have taught me how
to be less afraid of death, and less afraid of all the other
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things that are not under my control. They have taught
me how to lighten up and enjoy the pre ent moment.
Most of all, they have taught me how to find repose in
the certainty that I am loved.
You might be wondering how this is possible.
Animals can’t talk, so how can we know what they’re
thinking and feeling? When I say that animals experience everything in the world as a part of God, the
Source, how in the world do I know that? When shamans
say that animals give their lives willingly so that others
may eat, how do they know?
Animals are able to communicate telepathically.
People have this ability too. In fact, it is often animals
who awaken it in us. Intuitive ex- changes between people and animals were the norm throughout most of our
time on the planet. (They are still the norm in the few
animistic cultures that remain on Earth.) What we now
call extrasensory perception (ESP) used to be an everyday occurrence. People took it entirely for granted that
you didn’t need to exchange words in order to communicate thoughts and feelings. It stopped being the norm
because we talked ourselves out of it around the same
time we talked ourselves out of believing that animals
had souls.
The inability to recognize a soul when we see one is
what causes our inborn telepathic powers to go on the
blink. If we persist in ignoring our intuition long
enough, it eventually atrophies to the point where it is no
longer abel to discern. But this is easily remedied. When
we start to pay attention again, our telepathic ability
comes back, good as new.
You don’t have to take my word for it. Scientific
research has demonstrated what I am saying to the satisfaction of all but the most hardened skeptics. You can
reengage with universal reality, the universal mind,
where all creation is inseparable— the reality in which
animals exist. In that reality, we are able to hear the
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silent universal language of animals and engage in inner
conversations with them. You don’t need to believe in
advance that it is possible, for you will be able to judge
this from your own experience.
Dr. Linda Bender has worked for over 14 years as a doctor
of veterinarian medicine, often from the frontlines and in the
trenches, around the world to rescue wildlife while advocating
for endangered species and their habitats. She also started
one of the first Pet Therapy programs in Cincinnati as part of
their state mental health program. She has now dedicated her
life to educating and advocating on behalf of animals around
the globe. She has become a leading voice for those who are
voiceless, and is founder of the non-profit charity From the
Heart and author of the book Animal Widsom: Learning from
the Spiritual Lives of Animals. Her work has been endorsed
by Dr. JaneGoodall, Deepak Chopra, Rupert Sheldrake and
many more more. http://www.lindabender.org
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2015
EARTH STAR
29
Return of the
Divine Sophia
The Circle Convenes
By Tricia McCannon
ebruary 2nd. Brigit’s Day. I could just
make out Shasta’s cottage against the
gloaming indigo sky as I parked on the
dead-end street leading to her house.
Tonight was the first meeting of the sacred
Circle, and as I made my way slowly up the shadowed
walk onto the wide wooden porch, I could feel my heart
beating in my chest. I opened the front door to see the
merry crackle of a winter’s fire and several women seated in a circle on the floor. They looked up as I entered
and smiled. I took my seat quietly on the large open
cushion waiting for me, feeling the deep magic of the
house enveloping us in its arms.
As the ladies began to introduce themselves I
learned that these were intelligent, articulate women
who ranged from homemakers to international directors
of companies. Shasta greeted us warmly. “Welcome to
the Circle of the Goddess. Tonight we begin a journey in
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to the heart of the Mysteries. The Goddess teaches a
path that all life is sacred and that the intelligence that
moves through the Universe moves through each of us
as well.
“Throughout the centuries the Goddess has been
known by many different names. In Christianity she is
called Mary, the great Mother of Compassion. In
Judaism she is known as Sophia, the Goddess of
Wisdom. In India, China, and Japan she is Lakshmi, the
Mother of Generosity. She is also Sarasvati, the Goddess
of Creativity; Durga, the vanquisher of demons; Parvati,
the Mother of the Universe; and Kali, the Great
Transformer who rules the cycles of death and rebirth.
These are only a few of her many faces.”
Shasta looked around the circle. Our eyes were wide
with wonder. I had never even heard of most of these
goddesses.
“Honoring the Goddess was the first theology of our
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ancestors. They believed that the Creator of the Universe
was female, but people have forgotten who she is and the
world has fallen out of balance. Our path is about
remembering her place in Creation and restoring balance to the world. In the end this path is also about discovering the divine spark within every creature and
within every one of you.” Her words fell into a deep
place within me.
“The Goddess gives birth to all that lives, and she
takes back into herself all that ever was in the cyclical
patterns of life and regeneration. We women have all of
the same characteristics as the Goddess—we bleed, we
give birth, we tend to the dying, and we celebrate the
many natural transitions of life.
“In Egypt she was known as Isis. Her husband was
Osiris. She was a sister, daughter, mother, wife, widow,
and queen. Isis became the savior goddess whose cunning and insight helped rescue Egypt from 350 years of
darkness.”
Our faces were rapt with attention. “Isis lies within
every woman, and every woman is Isis, for we each have
the potential to experience all of these aspects of ourselves. Isis established the first Mystery Schools in
Egypt, which taught that it is the balance between the
male and the female that brings us to mastery. If we neglect either side of our natures we cannot achieve it.” The
light from the fire danced across her face as we drank in
her words.
“For more than 7,000 years Isis was worshipped in
temples across the world. And for the past two millennia
she has continued to be honored as Mary Magdalene,
another widow married to a great world savior.”
A collective gasp echoed through the room. Mary
Magdalene? What did she have to do with Isis? “Mary
the Magdala, or Mary the Great, was trained as a
Priestess of Isis in the temples of Egypt. The knowledge
of who she really was, the female equivalent or partner
of Christ, was forced to go underground by the patriarchy, although Jesus had called her ‘The Apostle who
knew the All.’” The entire room seemed to be holding its
breath.
Shasta resumed, “We will speak more of these subjects in the months to come, but tonight we begin our
year of study on the Eve of Candlemas, one of the eight
High Holy Days of the year.” Shasta passed candles
around the circle. “In the Celtic world February 2nd was
the Festival of Brigit, a Triple Goddess with three major
forms—the maiden, the mother, and the crone. Brigit
governed the arts of healing, knowledge, agriculture,
and smithcraft, and she was also the patron goddess of
writing. Her temples at Kildare in Ireland had clear-running springs and a fire that was constantly maintained in
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the temples by the priests and priestesses. This fire was
dedicated to truth, illumination, and knowledge.”
Shasta lit her candle and then touched the flame to
the candle next to her, passing the light around the
Circle. “Brigit’s symbols are the sacred flame of illumination and the waters of eternal healing, symbols that
were also sacred to Isis. Tonight we light these candles
for them—for Brigit, Isis, and Mary Magdalene, the hidden brides whose light must be rekindled in the world.”
I reflected on how Brigit’s holiday fell in the winter
season of greatest darkness. She was the bringer of hope
and light. Perhaps now, when the world has forgotten the
light of the feminine face of God, we could help her
return.
Shasta was speaking. “We light candles to Brigit to
affirm that despite the seeming darkness we believe light
and love and truth will return and that all the people of
the Earth will one day awaken from their spiritual slumber.” It seemed to me that our tiny flames symbolized the
hope of women everywhere that there would soon come
a time when women were not beaten, marginalized, or
oppressed, a time when the light would dawn once again
for women across the world, and with it healing would
come to the Earth.
Tricia McCannon is a renowned clairvoyant, teacher, and
mystical symbologist. She is the author of three books,
Dialogues with the Angels, Jesus: The Explosive Story of the
30 Lost Years and the Ancient Mystery Religions, and Return
of the Divine Sophia. She has been a featured speaker at conferences in the United States, England, and Europe and has
appeared on radio and TV shows, including Coast to Coast
AM and Whitley Strieber’s Dreamland. The director of the
Phoenix Fire Lodge Mystery School, she lives in Atlanta,
Georgia. http://www.triciamccannon.com
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2015
EARTH STAR
31
How
Immune Decline
Hastens Aging
By William Faloon
his has been an incredible year of scientific achievement. Even the lay public is
coming to the realization that profoundly
extended health spans may be just around
the corner.
A concern expressed by our older members is
whether they can remain alive long enough to benefit
from the upcoming biomedical revolution. These health
activists want to determine their areas of vulnerability to
ensure they’re not overlooking a validated way to stave
off disease, aging, and death.
Our work involving longevity research dates back to
the 1960s. This has enabled us to gain exclusive insights
into what causes people to die—people who otherwise
take exceptionally good care of themselves.
A sad example of mortality vulnerability occurred in
January 2014. That’s when one of our pioneer members
died at the young age of 92. His intellectual contributions, spanning many decades, helped us survive withering governmental assaults aimed at censoring our abili-
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ty to disseminate lifesaving information.
I can’t stop thinking that we were only weeks away
from potentially saving him. I don’t want this same fate
to befall other Life Extension® members.
We’ve talked before about the lethal impact of
immune senescence. It occurs when our aging immune
system fails to protect against cancers/infections, and
instead generates excess inflammatory reactions that
attack every cell in our body.
What virtually no one understands is how aging
accelerates immune decline and what must be done to
reverse this lethal trend.
The most common afflictions associated with normal aging are atherosclerosis, cancer, and Alzheimer’s
disease. What few doctors know is that all these illnesses are related to immune senescence.
In people over age 65, the top ten causes of death
include pneumonia, influenza, and sepsis (systemic
inflammation caused by severe infection).1 Immune
senescence is a major cause of all these maladies.
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As winter sets in, the term
“immune system” is liberally tossed
around as people seek to protect
against viral infections. What the
public does not yet understand is
what causes our immune system to
fail as we age.
respond to new infections and malignancies.
To make matters worse, excess
numbers of senescent memory cells
provoke undesirable inflammatory
reactions that are thought to underlie
most age-related diseases including
atherosclerosis, cancer, and dementia.
To put this in simplistic terms,
if we are to protect against the ravages of immune senescence, we need
to increase our numbers of naïve cells
(“virgin” immune cells), while reducing numbers of surplus senile memory cells.
Why Young Children Catch
So Many Colds
Young children get lots of colds.
Some suffer as many as eight to ten
each year before age two.
The reason youngsters suffer
more colds than older children and adults is because
they haven’t built up “immunity” to cold viruses. But
what does this immunity really mean?
When one is exposed to an infectious agent, the
body creates and maintains “memory T-cells” that provide a degree of immunity to the same infection. This
works magnificently well in our first four to five decades
of life. But then something happens that leads to the
downward spiral of immune senescence.
Too Many “Memory T-Cells”
Memory T-cells form when our immune system successfully eradicates an invader. They remain in the body
and are ready to instantly respond when that same bacteria, virus, or cancer cell reappears.
One would think it desirable to have lots of memory
T-cells. The problem is that memory T-cells only work
against prior infections. As we age, we collect excess
numbers of memory T-cells and produce fewer critically
important naïve T-cells.
The term “naïve” may not sound like something
beneficial as it relates to immune function, but it is. A
naïve immune cell is one that has not been activated by
an antigen (a substance that provokes an adaptive
immune response). Since it is “
naïve” (not yet exposed to an
antigen), naïve immune cells are
primed to effectively respond to
new infectious agents and malignancies.
Once exposed, naïve immune
cells become memory cells or
plasma cells specific to the original antigen. As our internal reservoir of naïve immune cells is
decreased, we have less ability to
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“
Importance Of “Functional”
Natural Killer Cells
The first line of defense against virus-infected28-31 and
cancer cells is our natural killer cells. Young individuals
have high levels of functional natural killer (NK)
immune cells, but this declines with aging.
In elderly subjects, decreased NK cell activity is
associated with an increased incidence and severity of
viral infections such as shingles, influenza, and
cytomegalovirus (CMV).
Shingles occurs when our immunity to dormant chickenpox viral infection declines. It manifests as an
extremely painful skin lesion that can last for months.
Influenza, commonly called the flu, is a virus that
inflicts its lethal effects mostly on the elderly, who represent the largest portion of the population that suffers
immune dysfunction.
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a chronic infection that, as
you’ll discover later in this issue, may contribute significantly to degenerative disease. About 90% of older people showed history of CMV
infection on lab testing compared
to about 60% of the general population. Increased prevalence of
CMV in the elderly is thought to
lead to decreased immune surveillance.
Natural killer cells originate in
the bone marrow (like other
immune cells) and go through a
maturation process that enables
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2015 EARTH STAR
33
them to participate in early control of microbial infections and cancers.
Healthy NK function is critical in eliminating transformed cancer cells. NK cells are also involved in the
elimination of senescent cells that otherwise cause
chronic inflammation.
The age-related decrease in functional NK cells is
likely to have wider implications for the health of older
adults than currently understood by the mainstream. If
an aging person is to better manage debilitating and
deadly infections and malignancies, maintaining youthful NK function is critical.
© Nucleus Medical Art, Inc / Phototake
Consequences of Immune Cell Exhaustion
Over the course of our lifetime, our immune system
becomes “exhausted.” What this refers to is the excess
accumulation of worn-out memory T-cells and reduced
production of vital naïve T-cells.
As people accumulate exhausted T-cells, an adverse
consequence is these senile memory cells emit proinflammatory cytokines that exacerbate chronic inflammatory conditions. Individuals with higher levels of
exhausted immune cells suffer greater mortality.
The deficit of naïve immune cells combined with
over accumulation of exhausted memory cells decreases
the efficacy (antibody response) of vaccinations.
Exhausted memory T-cells are associated with
increased inflammation. Inflammation is associated
with increased risk of coronary heart disease, impaired
vascular function, vascular inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction.
An accumulation of exhausted T-cells has been seen
in persons suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis (an inflammatory disease of the
spine).
Compelling evidence points to the accumulation of
senile (exhausted) T-cells as a factor that accelerates a
broad array of age-associated diseases.
“We conclude that chronic heart failure patients show a
higher degree of immunosenescence than age-matched
healthy controls. T-lymphocyte differentiation and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels are increased in patients with an
advanced clinical status and may contribute to disease
impairment through a compromised adaptive immune
response due to accelerated aging of their immune system.”
“In elderly subjects, decreased NK cell activity has been
shown to be associated with an increased incidence and
severity of viral infection, highlighting the clinical
implications that age-associated changes in NK cell
biology have on the health of older adults… Evidence
has emerged that has shown that in addition to eliminating transformed cells, NK cells are involved in many
other biological processes such as immune regulation,
antimicrobial immune responses, and the recognition
and elimination of senescent cells… Thus, the decrease
in NK cell function that accompanies physiological
aging is likely to have wider implications for the health
of older adults than originally thought.”
Reference: Aging Research Reviews-May 6, 2013. “The
Impact of Aging on Natural Killer Cell Function and
Potential Consequences for Health in Older Adults.”
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EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2015
Reference: International Journal of Cardiology-July 1,
2014. “Immunosenescence and Inflammation
Characterize Chronic Heart Failure Patients With More
Advanced Disease.”
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More T-Helper Cells Needed
T-helper cells identify and tag
invaders for elimination by the
immune system.
Regulatory T-cells tell the
immune system that its job is finished
and it’s time to stop the attack. A normal balance involves having at least
one to four T-helper cells for each
regulatory T- cell (regulatory T-cells
are sometimes called suppressor Tcells).
As humans age, there is an inversion in the T-helper/regulatory T-cell
ratio. What this means is that too many regulatory Tcells form while T-helper cell counts drop, resulting in
there being more regulatory T-cells than T-helpers. The
T-helper/regulatory T-cell ratio can be considered to be a
predictor of mortality. People with low T-helper counts
and higher regulatory T-cell counts die sooner.
Cancer patients often present with a low Thelper/regulatory T-cell ratio. Some studies show that
tumor cells secrete chemicals that turn up regulatory Tcell formation in order to prevent the immune system
from attacking cancer cells. Cancer chemotherapy dramatically lowers T-helper counts.
To combat immune senescence, it is critical to
reverse the inversion of the T-helper/regulatory T-cell
ratio. This means boosting T-helper counts while lowering regulatory T-cells.
HIDDEN EFFECTS OF NATURAL KILLER
(NK) CELL SENESCENCE
Natural killer (NK) cells are best known for their impact
on reducing the incidence and severity of viral infections.
Overlooked are studies showing vibrant NK function is crucial for the immune system to recognize and
eliminate
unhealthy/infected
cells and dysfunctional (senile)
cells. A pathologic consequence
of too many senile cells is tissue/organ damage and chronic
inflammation.
Senile (senescent) cells
reside in a state of irreversible
cellular paralysis. Your body
wants them to die and disappear,
but they linger on for dangerously long periods. While these
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senile cells contribute nothing to
healthy function, they remain metabolically active, secreting an array of
dangerous growth factors and proinflammatory cytokines.
Functional NK cells can eliminate senile cells before they buildup
to lethal levels. When NK cells are
hampered by aging, however, they are
less able to remove deadly senile cells
from our bodies.
As NK cells themselves
become senescent in older people,
there is increased reactivation of
tuberculosis and viral illnesses (such
as shingles and CMV), slow resolution of inflammatory
responses, and increased incidence of bacterial/fungal
infections and malignancies.
It is likely that the senescence of NK cells has wider
implications on the health of older adults than originally
thought. NK cell senescence thus represents a dagger of
vulnerability that predisposes us to premature suffering
and death. It must be reversed to avert degenerative
disease.
Reversing Immune Senescence
Immune senescence is a prime cause of debility and
mortality.
Fortunately, discoveries in recent years have been
shown to help reverse the immune dysfunction that
plagues virtually all aging humans (and cancer patients).
Here is a summary of the six underlying causes of
immune senescence described in this article:
•
•
•
Decrease in naïve immune T-cells needed to
fight new invaders.
Increase in exhausted memory T-cells that cre
ate chronic inflammatory reactions.
Decrease in functional natural killer (NK) cell
activity.
• Thymus gland atrophy that
reduces T-cell function and
numbers.
• Too many regulatory T-cells
and a reduction in T-helper
cells.
• Excess production of inter
leukin-6, a cytokine that pro
motes inflammation.
The good news is that there are
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EARTH STAR
35
proven ways to counteract all six
factors involved in senile immune
dysfunction.
Most Life Extension members
already take zinc and DHEA.
There is evidence that these supplements can at least partially
restore thymic function vital to
transforming immune cells produced in bone marrow to mature
T-cells. DHEA also helps suppress deadly interleukin-6.
A breakthrough in combatting immune senescence has been found in a medicinal
plant called cistanche that has been used extensively in
China to treat the “ailments of aging.” Until recently,
doctors would not have understood how cistanche
reverses some of the underlying causes of immune
senescence.
Supplementation with cistanche has been shown to
increase naïve T-cells and natural killer (NK) cells while
decreasing memory T-cells and pro-inflammatory interleukin-6.
One of the characteristics of people who live over
100 years is a low level of interleukin-6.
A prime reason for the severe immune disorders suffered by the elderly is the marked decrease in naïve Tcells and functional natural killer cells, with a concomitant increase in memory T-cells. Cistanche reverses
these pathological trends that characterize immune
senescence.
One way cistanche functions is by restoring the progenitors of peripheral naïve T-cells, which explains the
increase seen in these vital cells in response to cistanche. Animals supplemented with cistanche have
increased life spans, as would be expected by a compound that counteracts immune senescence.
Cistanche is one of the most popular Chinese herbal
medicines and is listed in the Chinese herbal pharmacopeias as having “anti-aging” properties.
One reason the Chinese saw
such impressive therapeutic
results is that cistanche restores
one of the most prominent bone
marrow biomarkers of immune
cell formation called stem cell
antigen-1. Senile bone marrow
loses its ability to produce fresh
naïve immune cells, which are
launched into the bloodstream to
differentiate into mature naïve T
and natural killer cells. Bone
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EARTH STAR
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2015
marrow stem cell antigen-1 represents the body’s main source of
naïve T-cells in the blood.
Cistanche appears to have a rejuvenating effect on the bone marrow, something that is now only
possible using very expensive
recombinant drugs.
There are other factors that
weaken immune function in the
elderly that cistanche has been
shown to counteract. These will
be described in depth in an article
appearing in this issue.
Perhaps the most exciting finding was an open-label
pilot trial of elderly people that combined a low-dose of
cistanche (100 mg) with zinc, vitamin E, vitamin B6,
fucoidan, and coenzyme Q10. Not only were markers of
immune senescence reversed, but the test subjects
reported improvements in quality of life, such as not
“feeling tired all the time.” This makes sense in light of
the multiple adverse effects immune senescence inflicts
on the body, which includes increased levels of frailty.
MOST PEOPLE DON’T GET ENOUGH ZINC
Immune cells are produced in the bone marrow and programmed into functional T-cells by our thymus gland.
Profound shrinkage (atrophy) of the thymus gland
occurs with aging and in the presence of nutrient deficiency—especially zinc.
Zinc supplementation in old animals stimulates thymus gland growth and increases youthful thymic functions critical to healthy immune regulation.
In older adult humans, zinc deficiency is rampant.
One reason for this is that the government’s minimum
recommended daily allowance for zinc is only 8 to 11
mg. Yet 35 to 45% of people over age sixty don’t even
get half of that.
Optimal levels of supplemental zinc is around 30 to
50 mg a day, so it is easy to see
why even people taking basic
RDA-potency vitamins are woefully short of this critical mineral.
Scientists now believe that zinc
deficiency plays a direct role in
the aging of the immune system.
The hormone DHEA is also
important in maintaining youthful
thymic function.
Zinc and DHEA are remarkably low-cost dietary supple-
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ments, and the fact that most
people are deficient in one or
both of them helps explain the
epidemic of degenerative disease that occurs as human’s age
past sixty years, which is when
immune senescence significantly manifests. As you’ve been
reading, however, more than just
zinc and DHEA are needed to
ward off immune senescence.
How To Take Advantage of Novel Immune
Restorative Technologies
Unlike prescription drugs or even certain dietary supplements, cistanche does not cost a lot. It has been added to
the most popular nutrient members now take to bolster
immune function (Reishi). Virtually every person over
thirty-five should add this cistanche/Reishi immune protection duo to their daily regimen.
Another supplement to consider for short-term use
is enzymatically modified rice bran, which has been
demonstrated to have overwhelming benefits in boosting
natural killer cell activity. The problem we have with
this supplement is its high cost. What we are going to
suggest, and will provide a rationale for, is for members
to take this enzymatically modified rice bran for only
four months out of the year.
We believe the substantial boost in natural killer cell
activity will help eliminate virus-infected cells, premalignant cells, and senile cells that linger in the body and
emit constant streams of pro-inflammatory cytokines.
An underlying cause of aging is the accumulation of
senile (senescent) cells that fail to undergo apoptosis
(natural cell cycle destruction). An increase in natural
killer (NK) activity can help purge the body of these
unwanted senescent cells. You’re also going to learn in
this issue of Life Extension magazine why removing
cells infected with the CMV (cytomegalovirus) can
result in a meaningful extension of the healthy human
life span.
To further restore a more youthful immune profile,
we’re recommending that members go on a sixty-day
course of an over-the-counter drug called cimetidine.
This can be purchased at pharmacies at very low
cost. We suggest that most people take 800 mg of cimetidine each night for sixty consecutive days to reduce
excess regulatory T-cell counts and increase T-helper
cell counts. Regulatory T-cells sometimes turn off the
immune system before immune eradication of virusinfected cells and tumor cells occurs.
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We think this sixty-day cycle of
cimetidine should be considered
a few times during the year, but
do not take it all the time. We
don’t have the data yet to support everyday use of cimetidine
in protecting against immune
senescence, but there is compelling evidence for shorter-term
use. Cimetidine is approved by
the FDA for use in heartburn
sufferers (The brand name of
this drug is Tagamet®.)
A trial was done on colorectal cancer patients who
used 800 mg a day of cimetidine for one year. In these
patients, cimetidine demonstrated significant survival
benefits—84.6% of the cimetidine/fluorouracil group
were alive after ten years compared to only 49.8% of the
control group (given fluorouracil alone).
Life Extension has recommended cimetidine to certain cancer patients since 1985, and the most robust benefits have been shown to occur when cimetidine is
administered prior to surgery and other immunosuppressive cancer therapies.
We urge readers to get on a sixty-day cycle of cimetidine now to bolster defenses against immune senescence and winter infections.
Reprinted with permission from Life Extension Magazine,
http://www.lef.org.
William Faloon is Vice-President of the Life Extension
Foundation.
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37
Don’t Throw Out Those
Old Electronics
They Could Be
Valuable
By Eric Bradley
he old electronic gadgets gathering dust
in your attic might be technologically
obsolete, but they still could have value.
Vintage consumer electronics have
become collectible as the generation that
grew up with these items waxes nostalgic for their
youth.
Not every out-of-date electronics device is worth
money, of course, but certain calculators, computers,
telephones, video games, electronic kids’ games, calculator watches and more can fetch anywhere from a few
dollars to a few hundred dollars on eBay. Rare models
can be even more valuable—an Apple-1 computer from
1976 recently sold for $671,400 at auction.
This could be the right time to sell. Once it becomes
widely known that electronics from the 1970s, 1980s
and in some cases even the 1990s have value, people
will start digging these things out of their attics and selling them on eBay in greater numbers, which could
undercut prices.
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Helpful: eBay is the best place to sell most collectible consumer electronics, but a bricks-and-mortar
auction house can be better for the rarest and most valuable items. Germany’s Auction Team Breker is the
leader in high-end vintage electronics auctions
(http://www.Breker.com).
To have significant value, vintage consumer electronics generally must be in working order, have all their
parts and not be heavily worn or damaged.
To find out whether your old electronic items have
value, check on eBay to see what items are going for.
Check “completed listings” to see what items have actually sold for.
Here are examples of electronics worth listing for
sale…
PERSONAL COMPUTERS
Apple-1 computers can bring hundreds of thousands of
dollars, as mentioned above, but the odds of finding one
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JCE model ALK-1—a 1970s calculator featuring a red
LED display—recently sold for $365 on eBay. It’s not
uncommon for working 1970s-era calculators with red
LED displays to bring $100 or more.
Busicom 141-PF was the first commercially available
product to include a microprocessor, the Intel 4004,
when it reached the market in 1971. One recently sold
for $19,200 at auction.
Casio FX-10, offered in 1974, was Casio’s first scientific calculator. It typically sells for $40 to $50 on eBay.
COMPUTERIZED KID’S TOYS
of these are slim—only six working models are known
to exist. But other old computers may have collectible
value, too.
MITS Altair 8800 from 1975 was the first personal
computer to sell in significant quantities. It can bring
$10,000 to $12,000 at auction.
Apple III in 1980 was the young company’s first significant failure. The design of the case took priority over
technical features, including the lack of an internal fan,
which led to overheating. It sells for less than $1,000.
Macintosh 128K from 1984—the original Mac—often
sells for $200 to $300 on eBay.
Apple iMac G4 from 2002–2003 (pictured at top) can
sell for $200 to $300 or more on eBay, even though it is
neither new enough to effectively surf the –Internet nor
old enough to be considered truly vintage. The G4 is
desired because of its stylish and distinctive design—a
dome base and thin arm support a flat screen. Some buyers
use these so-called “flowerpot Macs” to store and play
their digital music.
CALCULATORS
An out-of-date electronic calculator
might seem like one of the dullest
items imaginable, but notable models
are collected, often by engineers and
other
math-minded
types.
Calculators in excellent condition
from the 1970s often sell for $20 to
$30, and old, rare or notable examples can bring considerably more.
www.earthstarmag.com
Some computerized toys are starting to be collected by
both toy collectors and electronics collectors.
Texas Instruments Speak & Spell, a popular learning
toy from the late 1970s and early 1980s, can bring $100
or more if it is in excellent condition and in its original
box. Well-used examples with no box generally sell in
the $20-to-$30 range.
Coleco Pac-Man tabletop mini arcade game sells for
$50 to $200, depending on condition.
VIDEO GAME SYSTEMS
AND CAR TRIDGES
Home video game consoles and cartridges from the late
1970s and early 1980s are very collectible. Even some
from the 1990s have value. Extremely
rare games sometimes sell for tens of
thousands of dollars—a game for the
Nintendo Entertainment System
(NES) called Stadium Events has sold
at auction for as much as $41,300. But
even fairly common games often have
value. Many games for the Atari 2600
or NES bring $5 to $15, assuming that
they still work.
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39
Helpful: Old video game consoles
can be difficult to attach to modern
HDTVs, which can make it hard to
confirm that they still work. If you
don’t have an old tube TV, find
someone who does and ask if you
can test your console and games on
it before listing these items for sale.
(Wondering if an old TV is collectible? Vintage sets that have very
distinctive styling can be worth
perhaps $100 to $200, but tube televisions are so heavy and expensive to ship that they can be difficult to sell on eBay. A local
antiques shop that accepts items on
consignment might be a better bet.)
Atari 2600. Working consoles typically sell for $50 to
$150, but values well into the hundreds are possible
when the consoles are in like-new condition. Other early
game consoles from the 1970s and 1980s, such as the
NES, can fetch similar prices.
Jack Bros., a 1995 game for Nintendo’s Virtual Boy
system, sells for $130 used or as much as $400 in excellent condition.
Panzer Dragoon Saga, a 1998 game for the Sega Saturn
console, sells for $300 to $500.
Snow Brothers, a 1991 video game for the NES, can go
for as much as $400.
SONY WALKMAN
A vintage Sony Walkman
played a prominent role in
Guardians of the Galaxy, the
most successful movie of
this past summer. That could
boost the collector’s market
for these portable cassette
tape players. A Walkman in
working condition will generally sell for just $10 to $25,
but models from the 1970s
can bring much more.
Sony TPS-L2 Walkman from the 1970s—the model
featured in Guardians of the Galaxy—can sell for $500
to $1,200 on eBay in excellent condition.
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TELEPHONES
The typical rotary-dial phone from
the 1970s or 1980s is unlikely to be
worth more than $10, if that—but
other phones do have significant
value.
Wall phones in colors from the
1950s and 1960s are hot now and
sell for $50 to $100 or more. A
1964 orange Western Electric (pictured) sold for about $130 on eBay.
Bakelite phones from the 1930s
and 1940s can bring $250 or more
on eBay. An Automatic Electric
AE40 desk phone in a rare mahogany color with gold
trim recently sold for $2,250 on eBay, for example.
ATC Genie rotary-dial phone dates only to the late
1970s but sells for $10 to $30, depending on color and
condition, thanks to its distinctive oval shape.
CALCULATOR WATCHES
Certain digital watches from the 1970s are collected.
Seiko, Casio and Citizen are among the most desirable,
with values typically in the
$30-to-$100 range. Watches
that have either lots of tiny
buttons or a sleek 1970s style
tend to be most prized. Early
calculator watches are particularly collectible.
Casio CD-401 calculator
watch can bring $100 or
more.
Hewlett-Packard HP-01,
considered the first digital calculator watch, can sell for
$1,000 to $3,000. Models that still have their original
stylus, which should be embedded in the watchband,
tend to bring the highest prices.
Eric Bradley is an associate with Heritage Auctions in Dallas,
the world’s largest collectibles auction house. He is the editor
of the annual Antique Trader Antiques & Collectibles Price
Guide and author of Mantiques: A Manly Guide to Cool Stuff
(both from Krause). http://www.HA.com
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Declutter Your Home Forever
A Psychiatrist’s Surprising Tricks
By Melva Green, MD
cluttered home is more than just unsightly—
living in the midst of a mess actually
takes a toll on our mood and our quality
of life. A home is supposed to be a
peaceful, joyful retreat. A disorderly
home instead makes us feel anxious and unsettled. It’s
hard to relax when surrounded by chaos.
Here’s a strategy for decluttering each room in your
house that also can boost your mood…
A
table. Half-completed projects pile up, making it difficult for the family to gather for a peaceful meal.
When the table is cleared, this clutter typically gets
stacked in a corner of the dining room—where it serves
as a mealtime distraction and source of stress, with
potentially significant consequences to our health.
DINING R OOM
The dining room table serves as a multipurpose space in
many homes. It’s a craft table where we pursue hobbies…a library where we read newspapers…a game
room where we play cards with friends…and a workstation where our kids do their homework. (In some homes,
the kitchen table serves this multipurpose role.)
That wide range of uses can lead to a very cluttered
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EARTH STAR
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Distractions in dining
areas increase the odds that
we will overeat because our
minds are not focused on our
meal. And it increases the
odds that we will indulge in
unhealthy comfort foods in
an attempt to make ourselves
feel better.
What to do: Make a list of
each project and activity that
regularly occur on your dining room (or kitchen) table, aside from eating. Purchase
a stackable plastic container for each of these, and label
these containers appropriately. Before meals, put everything on the table into its container, then place these containers somewhere that they cannot be seen from the
dining room.
KITCHEN
Many of us have kitchens that
serve our unfulfilled dreams,
not our reality. They’re
stocked with specialized
cooking tools for making
meals that we never actually
prepare…or fancy glassware
and china for dinner parties
that we never actually throw.
These items don’t just
clutter up our kitchen cabinets, making it hard to find the
things that we do use. They also serve as an unpleasant
reminder of the life we don’t have—the one where we
throw parties and have hours to devote to cooking.
What to do: Imagine that you are going to throw that
fancy dinner party. Write up the menu (this is the first
step to actually having that dinner party), then take out
all the dishes, glassware,
utensils and cooking tools
you would need. Now scan
whatever remains in your
kitchen cabinets with a critical eye. Anything that you
don’t need for your dream
party and that you don’t use
regularly likely is something
you don’t really need in your
kitchen at all.
Donate these unneeded
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items to a secondhand store
run by a charity. Donating
things to a good cause helps
overcome guilt about getting
rid of possessions you paid
good money for but never
used. Plus, your donation
may be tax-deductible.
Helpful: If it makes you anxious to give away things that
you might need someday,
remind yourself that you are
not really giving them away. Instead, you’re trading
them for something better—an uncluttered kitchen
where you feel at peace.
LIVING R OOM
A living room should be a
place for relaxing and enjoying life’s blessings. It should
feature comfortable seating
and decor that makes us feel
joy. Scan your living room
for things that do not serve
this purpose or, worse, that
stand in the way of your
relaxation and joy.
Examples: Is your living
room full of furniture that
looks nice but is not –comfortable? Is there a stack of
magazines blocking your view of pictures of your kids
or grandkids?
What to do: Remove anything from your living room
that doesn’t make you feel relaxed and joyful. Select living room furniture that’s comfortable, not stiff and formal.
STUDY
The study is where we pay
our bills, do our taxes, make
investment decisions and
wade through all the other
important paperwork that
comes into the home. (In
some homes, this might occur
at a desk located in a bedroom or kitchen.)
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The trouble is that many of the responsibilities and
decisions that await our attention in the study are
tedious or, worse, frightening. If this leads to procrastination, we’re likely to end up with a cluttered room
choked with piles of paper.
What to do: Sort all of the paperwork that requires your
attention into 10 stacks. Stack number one is for things
that you can deal with without any anxiety. Stack number two is for things that trigger a very slight twinge of
anxiety…on through stack 10, which is for things that
you’re terrified to confront.
Today, deal with only stack number one…tomorrow tackle only stack two…and so on for 10 days. This
strategy allows us to get through most of the clutter in
our studies—and feel good about having accomplished
so much—before we come to a terrifying task that could
bring our progress to a halt.
It also enforces a slow-and-steady 10-day pace,
reducing the odds that we try to do everything at once—
which usually results in burnout and bad decisions.
BEDR OOM
Clutter in the bedroom can interfere with our ability to
feel at peace, costing us sleep. When we don’t get
enough sleep, it becomes especially difficult to be
happy, healthy and productive.
What to do: Clear all clutter from the bedroom.
Everything that doesn’t absolutely need to be in this
room must go. The only exception is objects and artwork
that give you a sense of peacefulness and love—for
example, your framed wedding photo.
Take special care to clear out anything that causes
your mind to relive old wounds. If your relationship with
one of your family members currently is strained, for
example, temporarily remove photos of that family
member from your bedroom.
www.earthstarmag.com
BATHR OOM
Many of us have bathrooms full of various products that
stoke our insecurities. A jar of wrinkle cream might
remind us that we’re not young anymore. A bathroom
scale might remind us that we’re not as thin as we would
like to be.
What to do: Consider each beauty and grooming product in your bathroom one by one. Do you feel better
about yourself when you use that hair-coloring product?
That skin cream? Or does this product only remind you
of your physical imperfections? Throw away anything
that makes you feel bad about yourself. Such things have
no place in your home.
Melva Green, MD, is a psychiatrist and expert on the A&E
program Hoarders. She is coauthor of Breathing Room: Open
Your Heart by Decluttering Your Home (Atria Books).
http://www.DrMelvaGreen.com
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Put Your Whole Self In
By Temple Hayes
o you remember being a little kid and
dancing to the song The Hokey Pokey,
putting different parts of yourself into it
and then being asked to “put your whole
self in?” Remember how good it felt to
shake your body and turn around? You were present,
alive, and awake! Isn’t that what life is all about?
You put your whole self in! This really is what life
is all about, but why do so few of us put our whole selves
in?
When we are children we innately live in the
moment by putting our whole selves in. I remember a
number of years ago I visited a friend of mine and a four
year old child was there asking me to dance with her. I
got on my knees so we could be closer to the same
height and we proceeded to dance. We were pretending
to be Tom and Sally out for the evening immersed in this
beautiful dance. Each time we completed the song,
Kayleigh would say, “Let’s do it again.” Without hesitation she was putting her whole self in. By this point, my
knees were having thoughts of their own and were long-
D
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ing for this experience to be behind us. The next morning I asked Kayleigh if she would like to play the part of
Tom and Sally and dance some more and she didn’t connect at all with what I was saying. To her that experience
was yesterday. It was not significant any more nor was it
relevant. It was an experience which was behind her.
She had put her whole self in the day before and no
reason to recall it nor relive it again.
This is the way we naturally are destined and
designed to be in our day to day lives. We are literally
meant to go from experience to experience and put our
whole selves in. Yet what happens is most of us are
walking through life disconnected and drained and
rarely present for what is occurring NOW. We are toting
all of the past on our backs and shoulders, recalling all
the Toms and Sallys in our lives who have either
wronged us, or shamed us, or they didn’t do it right. We
are aiming to continue dancing through each day of life
with all this weight on our hearts and mind while not
being able to be truly impassioned and energized in this
day and this moment.
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So what needs to happen for us to make the shift?
Decide now, today, this moment with every encounter
you are going to put your whole self in. If you are at a
restaurant with friends put your phone away, if you are
going on your first date—be you and share who you
really are rather than holding back and editing most of
the things you share, and if you are facing a fear truly
face it rather than replace it and keep walking forward in
the direction of your life.
Put your whole self in. As you get into this practice
and it becomes habit three things will occur.
1) You will have more energy
There’s a story of a guy riding a bicycle up hill and he is
really struggling. What he doesn’t realize is that he is
driving with his brakes on. The energy it is taking for
him to move forward while at the same time “being
locked in place” is likened to a person who wants to
move forward yet is holding on to past sorrow, or the
people they perceived have done harm against them or
energies of regret and disappointment.
2) You will be more empowered
Putting your whole self in the moment requires a practice of being able to say who you are and be what you
feel. If you are committed to being a person who does
not carry around past luggage from yesterday then you
will be able to travel lightly as you go from place to
place and person to person for you are being true to
yourself. Just the simple and profound commitment to
speak and live the real you will change your energy level
dramatically.
3) Freedom is gifted to you and to others
begin to measure it daily in your work, with your families and loved ones, with the moments of silence and
retreat you gave yourself.
Begin this amazing, enlightening practice. Affirm
before every event—I am putting my whole self in and
reflect at the end of the day, did I do it? Did I put my
whole self in? If not, how can I make more of an effort
tomorrow?
This is your moment—begin now. Put your whole
self in! Be Life!
Temple Hayes is the author of When Did You Die? 8 Steps to
Stop Dying Every Day and Start Waking Up (HCI Books) and
spiritual leader of Unity Campus in St. Petersburg, Florida.
She is an internationally acclaimed speaker with a global following and is one of the most respected and authentically
inspiring leaders in spiritual enrichment today. Temple Hayes
also hosts an extremely popular radio show, The Intentional
Spirit on Unity Online Radio. Her new book looks at how most
of us die a little each day and defines the pathway out of that
downward spiral, toward a vibrant, authentic, healthy and
empowered life. http://www.templehayes.com
You are able to truly put your whole self in first and not
wait until you turn yourself around just like the order of
the song. When you put your whole self in and allow
your energy to change which will change your life, an
amazing and incredible thing happens. You feel better,
you like the feelings and thoughts you are having, and
you have people saying to you all the time, “How do you
have so much energy?” The wonder of this is oddly
enough you are able to give the same permission to others in your life. You begin to see them as whole rather
than broken, possible instead of impossible, and life
becomes a new playing field. You wake up one morning
and you are truly free from your own self- bondage.
This inner dialogue moves from being a thought into
a feeling and finally a realization. Your whole self—you
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Natural Treatments for Lyme Coinfections
Anaplasma, Babesia, and Ehrlichia
Natural Healing of Babesia
By Stephen Harrod Buhner
The advantages of natural compounds are fewer side effects in comparison to orthodox medical
drugs, and the production of synergistic effects for a more positive treatment outcome.
—Kaio Kitazato et al, “Viral infectious disease and natural products with antiviral activity”
Each patient carries his own doctor inside him.
—Norman Cousins
T
o effectively treat babesial infections
there are five points to keep in mind about
the parasites.
4. They infect and distort the endothelial cells that line
blood vessels, using them as a niche in which to hide,
and they cluster red blood cells around those sites, which
causes a number of blood vessel and organ problems
from the subsequent coagulation and blockage of the
vessels.
1. They infect red blood cells.
2. They significantly inhibit nitric oxide production in
the body (the body’s main defense against them).
3. They, during all but severe babesial infections, lower
inflammation by preventing the inflammatory Th1
response the body would naturally use to counteract
them.
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5. Studies on the treatment of Babesia infections have
found that a 7-10 day treatment approach is, in half of all
infections, insufficient; treatment must last 30 days or
longer to successfully treat the infection, to prevent
recurrence, and to prevent pharmaceutical resistance
from developing.
That said, babesial infections are highly responsive
to natural protocols. There are many plants that are
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Alchornea Cordifolia
directly effective against the parasites and to which the
organisms do not develop resistance.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The herbs and supplements in this book are not the only
ones in the world that will help. Please use these protocols as a starting place, a guideline. Add anything you
feel will help you and delete anything that you feel is not
useful. Protozoa, when they enter a human body, find a
very unique ecosystem in that particular person. Thus
the disease is slightly different every time it occurs. This
means that a pharmaceutical or herb that works for one
person may not work or work as well for another. There
is no one-size-fits-all treatment that works for all people
in all times and places. Life, and disease, and the journey to wellness, are much more complex and challenging than that. Trust your own feeling sense and pay
attention to what your body is telling you. You are the
best judge of whether something is working for you or
not, whether you need to add something else or not,
whether you are getting better . . . or not.
And now, a few other points that commonly arise:
1. Yes, you can combine a ll the herbs in the l iquid of
your choice. You do not have to take them separately.
2. Yes, these herbs can be taken along with antibiotics.
3. No, the bacteria do not develop resistance to the herbs.
4. Yes, you can take these herbs along with protocols
suggested by other practitioners.
Please be aware that it is common for about half the
people who use an herbal protocol, when they begin to
get better, to be so excited about being themselves again
that they do too much, overexert themselves, and
relapse. This is extremely common (and very under-
standable; it’s tiring being sick for so long). So, please
be very careful once your strength and joy begin to
return. It may seem as if you can immediately begin
exerting yourself as you used to do; however, your body
has been under a long-term stress, its reserves are low. It
will take, if you have been ill for a long time, at least a
year to rebuild.
Part of the function of serious chronic illnesses is to
increase personal awareness. (I know from personal
experience.) There is the life you had before Lyme, there
is the life you have after. It is rarely possible to go back
to being unaware of the impacts of stress on your system, the kind of self-caretaking your body (and spirit)
needs, or the dangers of overextending yourself and your
energy. Ignorance may be bliss (however short that bliss
may be), but awareness is empowering . . . and health
enabling.
Initial Intervention Protocol
The initial intervention rationale, using a natural protocol, suggested for mild to moderate babesial infection,
relapsing or not, entails the following:
1. Antibabesial herbs. The use of anti-babesial microbials that are broadly systemic
2. Organ support and protection. Protecting and
enhancing the function of red blood cells, the spleen,
liver, and the endothelial tissues
3. Immune modulation. Modulating the immune
response and cytokine cascade by decreasing IL-10 and
TGF-beta levels; inhibiting the generation of arginase;
and increasing levels of IL-12, IFN-gamma, L-arginine,
and nitric oxide
4. Specific symptom treatment.
Brucea Javanica
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Sida Acuta
There are thousands of plants that can be, and are,
used in the treatment of disease. These are the ones I
have found effective.
Antibabesial Herbs
The primary antibabesial herbs and plant-derived compounds I prefer, and believe the most effective, are
Cryptolepis sanguinolenta, Alchomea cordifolia, Sida
acuta (or similar species), Bidens pilosa (or similar
species), and the Artemisia species and their constituents
artesunate or artemisinin or artemisone. Some additionally useful herbs and compounds are Brucea javanica,
the homeopathics China 30C and Chelidonium 30C, and
riboflavin (vitamin B2).
Other herbs and herbal compounds active against
babesial parasites are Camellia sinensis (or its constituent epigallocatechin-3-gallate, a.k.a. EGCG),
Allium sativum (and its constituent allicin), Phyllanthus
niruri (also a good liver herb), lactoferrin (colostrum),
Calophyllum tetrapterum, Curcuma xanthorrhiza,
Curcuma zeodoaria, Elaeocarpus parvifolius (bark),
Elephantorrhiza elephantina, Excoecaria cochinchinensis, Garcinia benthaamiana, Garcinia rigida, Lansium
domesticum, Peronema canescens, Sandoricum emarginatum, Shorea balangeran, and the terpene nerolidol
(found in neroli, ginger, jasmine, lavender, tea tree,
lemongrass, and Cannabis sativa) and the berberinecontaining plants such as goldenseal. However, please
note: Berberine plants are not systemic enough to use as
a primary treatment for babesiosis, though they may, in
certain circumstances, work well as supportive therapy.
As well, I do not think garlic (Allium) is systemic and
potent enough to work as a primary treatment for these
protozoa.
Stephen Harrod Buhner is an Earth poet and the award-winning author of ten books on nature, indigenous cultures, the
environment, and herbal medicine. He comes from a long line
of healers including Leroy Burney, Surgeon General of the
United States under Eisenhower and Kennedy, and Elizabeth
Lusterheide, a midwife and herbalist who worked in rural
Indiana in the early nineteenth century. The greatest influence
on his work, however, has been his great-grandfather C.G.
Harrod who primarily used botanical medicines, also in rural
Indiana, when he began his work as a physician in 1911.
Stephen’s work has appeared or been profiled in publications
throughout North America and Europe including Common
Boundary, Apotheosis, Shaman’s Drum, The New York Times,
CNN, and Good Morning America.
http://www.gaianstudies.org
Cryptolepis_buchananii
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www.earthstarmag.com
A Glimpse into the
Afterlife
By Annie Kagan
“The first thing that happens is bliss, at least it was like that in my case.”
grabbed a pen and began writing my brother’s
words as he spoke. Nothing would have been
odd about this had he been sitting next to me or
on the phone. But he was dead. He died three
weeks earlier after being hit by a car. I’d been a
mess ever since, so depressed over Billy’s death I could
barely lift my head from the pillow. But on this day, I
was awakened at dawn by his unmistakable voice calling
my name. “Annie, Annie it’s me. It’s Billy. Get up and
get the red notebook.”
I
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The red notebook he told me to get had been a birthday gift from him the year before. I remember it seemed
strange, his giving me a blank book with an inscription
that read:
“Dear Annie, Everyone needs a book dedicated to
them. Read between the lines.”
As cryptic as it was, I don’t think either of us could
have imagined what it would be used for. But that red
notebook became our book, mine and Billy’s, a record of
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3. As you experience the unconditional love of the
Divine Presence, you begin to feel that way towards
yourself, unconditional.
So whatever our struggles, whatever our truth, whatever darkness we may encounter, Billy wants us to know
that, “The shadow is illusory and temporary. Bliss, ultimately bliss and light, are the truer and stronger reality.”
The World is Your Oyster
my encounters with my dead brother as he spoke to me
about his journey through the afterlife.
Feeling a Divine Presence
When I first heard Billy’s voice, I wasn’t sure if I was
having some sort of strange grief-induced reaction to
make me feel better about his departure from earth. But
as my brother went on speaking, for the first time since
his death I felt happy. I knew Billy was okay as he
assured me, “There’s nothing hard or cruel for me anymore. I’m drifting weightlessly through these gorgeous
stars and moons and galaxies twinkling all around me.
The whole atmosphere is filled with a soothing hum,
like hundreds of thousands of voices are singing to me
but they’re so far away I can just barely hear them. And
although I can’t exactly say anyone was here to greet
me, I feel a Divine Presence, a kind, loving, beneficent
presence, twinkling all around me.”
When Billy was alive, he was far from perfect. My
bad-boy brother did a lot of things that many people
would consider big mistakes. Although the end of his
life was filled with darkness as he battled his addictions
and lost the war, my brother was healed by the light as
soon as he left his body. According to Billy:
A summer thunderstorm woke me in the middle of the
night. The wind battered through the trees, the way it
had for days after my brother Billy died. Unable to fall
back asleep, I was reflecting on how much I’d changed
since then. After months of communicating with Billy
and following him on his journey through the afterlife, I
now believed that other dimensions existed. I’d never be
able to think of life or death, myself, the cosmos or just
about anything else the way I used to.
Soon, Billy’s voice came through the wind.
The world is your oyster
The world is your oyster
And in the oyster shell you will find
Many pearls
Pearls of Wisdom
When I say, “the world is your oyster,” it sounds pretty
good, right? Like all these gorgeous pearls will just be
coming your way and you’ll be living on so-called easy
street. But the saga of the oyster and the pearl is more
1. What lies beyond this world is a realm of absolute
love that reaches far outside the limits of human understanding.
2. Some believe there’s Judgment Day after you die, but
Billy says the opposite. There’s No-Judgment Day.
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complicated than it first appears. The pearl only happens when sand gets inside an oyster and irritates it.
The world is my oyster? Full of irritation? What
kind of blessing is that?
I know. You’d like to just la-di-da through life, easy
does it, instead of being stuck with a sandy oyster
(laughs). If I give you Billy’s prescription for making
pearls, would you like that?
Yes, I know, the irritation doesn’t feel good, but
without it there would be no pearl. Don’t focus too much
on the irritation. Try to relax about the sand. If you deal
with the sand creatively, you’ll have a gorgeous treasure.
To be a pearl maker, your oyster needs a good strong
shell to protect you from a hundred million irritants in
your environment. Your shell helps you tell one grain of
sand from the other. You know which one can become a
pearl and which one isn’t worth the irritation.
If you become a really smart oyster, with a good
shell, you can live life with more abandon because you
don’t have to worry so much about the sand.
“Oh there’s that sand again. This always happens
when I take a big bite out of the ocean. I’ll spit most of
it out and won’t be too concerned about the rest.”
And why don’t you have to be too concerned? Have
you looked inside an oyster lately? It’s soft, fertile and
unformed. The inside of your oyster is your creative
spark, your pearl-making laboratory. Smart people
work in laboratories, right? Well, since you are the
Universe, your laboratory is run by none other than the
Universal Intelligence.
The same Intelligence that grows trees from seeds,
that lets birds fly, that waves the ocean and gives birth
to new stars, that same Intelligence also breathes your
breath, beats your heart and heals your wounds.
How can I say that you are the Universe? Because I
have become as small as the smallest quantum particle,
and as big as the multitude of galaxies that exist in
space. I was always like that, really. I just didn’t know
it. And so is everyone else.
Look at pictures of the Universe. Then close your
eyes and imagine those stars clouds and comets and
galaxies inside and all around you.
When you turn your attention to the limitless, the
irritation seems small compared to the sun and moon
and stars. When you imagine the infinite, you’re
touched by your infinite self.
AnAnnie Kagan is a former New York City based chiropractor
and singer/songwriter. In the late 90’s she left her hectic city
life, and moved to a small house by the bay. While trying to
figure out what to do with the next chapter of her life, her
brother Billy died unexpectedly and began speaking to her
about the afterlife. This profound experience took her on a
journey that changed the way she thought about life, death,
and the universe and resulted in her debut book The Afterlife
of Billy Fingers: How My Bad Boy Brother Proved to Me
There’s Life After Death, http://www.anniekagan.com
Excerpted from The Afterlife of Billy Fingers: How My Bad
Boy Brother Proved to Me There’s Life After Death by Annie
Kagan © 2013 Hampton Roads Publishing, distributed by Red
Wheel/Weiser. Now available at Amazon and B&N.com.
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The
Alchemy
of
Self Healing
By Jeannine Wiest
he question to ask yourself is whose stories are holding you together? Did you
choose those stories or are they your
ancestors’ stories, an inheritance by
default? Are they your childhood shame
stories, your “I am less than” stories, your “otherness”
stories? If your answer is “I don’t know,” the truth is
this: Part of you does know. There may be resistance to
knowing, and in Cranial Alchemy work we honor resistance. But let me repeat: Part of you knows. And that
awareness can lead to relief when you realize that, cellularly at least, you actually do know it all.
The Cranial Alchemy process offers keys to keep
you from being triggered and signposts for tracking the
changes you yearn for in your life, whether those
changes are physical, metaphysical, or metaphorical.
Simply by entertaining the idea that a part of you, in
each moment, knows what you need can be a powerful
first step. Next time you catch yourself saying “I don’t
know,” I encourage you to add “right now.” That’s a truer
statement.
T
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The Alchemy Quiz:
Rate Your Relationship with Your Body
Suffering is optional.
—Buddha
Transforming old, negative stories lodged inside is the
key to bridging the disconnection between your body
and your mind. Creating that bridge will enable you to
create your life, business, and relationship in ways you
might only imagine for now.
Ask yourself eight questions to help you track how
integrated you are with your body at the moment. Your
body is instant messaging you all the time!
• What part of your body do you love without
reservation?
• How long did it just take you to answer question
number one?
• Which of the following best describes how that
loved body part feels?
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A) Flowing like a waterfall, B) glistening like sap on a
tree, C) smooth as a rock, D) sparkling like a crystal, E)
other, please write it in.
•
Now, what body part frustrates you most?
• How long did that question take to answer compared to question one?
• If you could have a conversation with the part
you’re frustrated with to explain your feelings, what
would the conversation sound like? Give a voice to that
part and flesh it out (excuse the pun) with as much
detail as possible. Does it have an accent? (One unforgettable example: a workshop client’s neck had a
French cartoon voice.) Does it have a lot to say or very
little? Give yourself three to five minutes and see what
comes up for you, if anything.
Which of the following fit? A) A loud argument, B)
a tearful monologue, C) it’s lost in translation, D) a gentle whispered hello, how’s it going in there conversation, E) I can’t do this.
• My daily level of stress is: A) Off-the-charts
high, B) medium, C) low, D) stress? What stress?
• If my spine was an animal, I imagine it would
be: A) A quick, gliding fish, B) a buzzing bee, C) a fossilized turtle, D) an octopus, E) other, please describe.
Warning! My tally system is as non-linear as I could create it. The value of this quiz is not in the tallied number
but truly in your experience of the inquiry.
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Tally as follows:
• Ten points for being able to identify a body
part you love without any “buts.” Deduct five points if
you chose your heart. There’s a chance this is a cop
out. Answering “heart” can come from social conditioning, a safe answer that might not allow a more
authentic and unique truth to bubble up. You’ll know
when you re-take the quiz in 30 days. At that point, if
“heart” is your true answer, you’ll get your five points
back.
• If you answered question one right away, 10
points. Less than a minute, five points. Up to five minutes and you’re still not coming up with a part you love,
zero points. (But all that will change after you’ve read
this book.)
• If you were able to easily give a description to
question three, give yourself 40 points. If this was challenging, great. No points, but we’ll work on that.
• Notice whether you jump to an internal part or
an external part. Either way, add five points. The practice
of noticing can be healing.
• Ten points if it took you a long time to answer
this (three to five minutes), zero if you answered right
away, and five points if you had to think for a minute.
• Ten points if you didn’t draw a blank.
• Pretty much everyone taking this quiz is A or B.
Five points for either answer. Eight points for C. If you
answered D, you get 10 points for irony. Employing
your sense of humor while taking a quiz is both healthy
and creative.
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Physical, Metaphysical, Metaphorical—
What is Cranial Alchemy?
• Ten points for any answer and for gifting your
spine with imagery. And if you were a fossilized turtle
spine, there is a self-help exercise for that in Chapter 6.
80 points or over—The Fluid Alchemist
More than most people, you are in touch with your
body, your creativity, and your ability to create. Cranial
Alchemy can help you refine the tools you already have
and will deepen your connection to the metaphorical,
unseen support that surrounds you. You’ll enjoy accessing your internal Direction of Ease so you can create
your life, health, and relationships in a powerful and
juicy way.
40–80 points—The Searcher
You’ve done some inner work but have either a lack
of internal focus or a scattered focus in terms of how you
“show up” for yourself and your projects and maybe
what you believe is possible in your life. You could use
some reliable new tools for whatever transformation you
desire. Realizing that you have a treasure trove to search
inside yourself is key. Pay close attention to the
metaphorical level discussions. Be certain to give extra
attention to those exercises that seem most foreign to
you.
Under 40—The Inner Apprentice
Work with the exercises in this book and watch
yourself grow deep connective roots to the natural
world, as well as gain the knowledge to shift perspective
and calm your nervous system so you can reach your
goals!
Now, put the quiz aside and keep it in a safe place.
You may already have surprised yourself with an answer
or two, which is good. ..We’ll re-visit the quiz in 30
days.
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Cranial Alchemy, the sensory and nature-based system
I’ve synthesized, is partially based on Upledger
Craniosacral Therapy and my experiential discoveries as
a teaching assistant for many Upledger classes. But this
book purposefully focuses not on anatomical terminology but on exercises, stories, and tactile connections.
Cranial Alchemy’s focus is on recalibrating your senses
and improving your relationship to your body to the
point where you trust your body as a wise ally.
Within this book, you’ll be encountering a few technical terms. For example, your reticular alarm system
(RAS) is a key element that aids self healing when lowered. Tip: You’ll be positively lowering your RAS by
doing the exercises in this book and making them habitual. This will likely happen whether or not you understand what the reticular alarm system (also called reticular activating system) is.
Nothing that enters your field of awareness gets past
the RAS. As the body’s gatekeeper, your RAS is the guy
who is holding the velvet rope at a club and deciding
who gets in (your body is the club). How you hold experiences determines, through time, your alarm’s set point
or, in keeping with our club and gatekeeper analogy,
your RAS determines maximum capacity for your body:
who is on the guest list versus who is attempting to
crash.
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Is there an abundance of incoming stressors or an
overload of trauma to handle in your body? Often we’re
not aware of an issue until we can no longer compensate
around it. The Alchemy of Self Healing offers you tools
to keep you connected to yourself, to help you learn to
internally listen in a nature-based practice so that your
alarm doesn’t ring off the charts before you notice a
potential challenge. Instead, the slightest chime of
symptomatic feedback from your body will show up on
your radar to allow you to offer immediate attention.
As you may already have experienced as you took
the quiz, at times internal listening can be daunting. But
once you develop a listening, noticing practice, you’ll
discover internal listening is refreshing. The exercises in
this book, offered sequentially, are your doorways to a
self-healing, daily practice.
In addition to Upledger Craniosacral Therapy, the
influences that have informed the Cranial Alchemy system include concepts I have gleaned from the Four
Winds Inka Medicine Wheel as taught by Lynn Berryhill
and Tomas Bostrom, as well as creative processes such
as those I’ve adapted from Viola Spolin’s theater
games1, key elements of energy healing work I have
of discovering a new perspective (“Wow, great tools,
that theater mirror game dovetailing with mirror neuron
exploration of empathy”) from an old story. (Me at 18:
“Ugh, why do I have to learn theater games? They’re
pointless torture.”) Even 40 years later, it is possible to
reframe anything.
In 30 days you can repurpose old, worn out stories
that are not serving you but remain lodged in your body
as energy. As you work through each of the chapters in
this book, you’ll create a custom practice that works for
you.
As a healing facilitator, I embrace the idea of being
inclusive rather than exclusive, and the work I share with
you is a testament to that way of being. Because the
holistic premise of my work and this book is that everything is connected, I encourage and seek the connectivity in healing and creative modalities. For me, the exponential value lies in where creative modalities and healing bisect, connect, and converge, sans politics. So as
you read, you’ll hear about the luminous energy field
which surrounds your body concurrently with a favorite
qi gong exercise which just happens to help illustrate
that field. Different conduit, same field.
From The Alchemy of Self Healing, © Jeannine Wiest.
Excerpt is printed with permission of the publisher New Page
Books. http://www.newpagebooks.com
studied with animals, sensory musical connections,
Reiki practices, and journal explorations.
In the 1970s when I was studying theater games,
they seemed artificial. I had no use for them and I had no
understanding of their value. All these years later, that
has changed, and in true repurposed fashion, with modifications to the original games as they were taught to
me, they now shine with authenticity and serve as bodybased therapy tools in my work. This is a prime example
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THE
GENTLE WAY
OF THE
HEART
By Anders Nilsson
elcoming more happiness into our
lives is a universal wish that we
dream about when we envision the
future. Unfortunately, our reality is
often quite different. We bounce
between different experiences that seem to be both bad
and good and we are disappointed when happiness is
elusive.
When I was younger I often believed that I was happier in the past than in the present. When a girlfriend
broke up with me and I was in pain, I dreamt about the
good times and I thought that if we only could get back
together again, I would be happy. When I had a serious
illness or was in physical pain, I thought about how
happy I was when I was healthy. Yet in fact, when I was
with my girlfriend or when my body was in good shape,
there was always something else making me unhappy.
We believe that to become happy we also have to
become perfect and live a perfect life. I have noticed that
many look up to spiritual teachers or gurus. We may be
seeking enlightenment somewhere in the future, telling
W
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ourselves that if we could be like them, we would be
happy!
A friend of mine, Anna, has gone through many
challenges in her life including a difficult upbringing
with an abusive father. We have over the years become
close friends and frequently share experiences from our
spiritual journeys. She describes with enthusiasm the
next workshop that will make her feel better and help
her take one more step towards happiness. Directly after
each workshop she feels relaxed and harmonious, but
her normal life catches up with her after a few days and
she tells me with disappointment that nothing has really
changed—she is still the same person. Then, her hopes
arise again with the next workshop.
Rather than striving for happiness in the future or
believing that one day we will become enlightened, we
have the opportunity to change at this particular moment
if we can open our heart towards ourselves and accept
who we truly are.
We ultimately make the choice.
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High and Lows
We have all experienced moments when we felt pure joy
and love. It seems as if time doesn’t exist when we see
the beauty of the Grand Canyon or the Mona Lisa painting. We have a rush of energy when we dance or when
we ski down a mountain, and we get goose bumps along
our spines when we hear beautiful music. Our chests fill
with warmth when we look deep into the eyes of our loving partners. Our hearts are thrilled when we see our
child taking his first stumbling steps.
On the other hand, we have opposite experiences
when love seems to slip away. We may find that life is
passing us by at high speed while we have no real sense
of what is happening or who we are. We become
stressed because we feel the need to fulfill the expectations of others. We are impatient and rush through our
days in order not to miss out in the future, while at the
same time, we feel like victims of circumstances when
something occurs that is outside of our control.
Sometimes when we are torn in our relationships with
our families, friends and co-workers, we are irritated,
angry and have low self-esteem.
We don’t understand why we react, speak, feel or
think in these ways. When someone upsets us, there are
sometimes internal dialogs playing in our minds that
express retaliations or scenarios that we wish we could
play out in order to respond, as if a radio host is narrating our inner feelings and we cannot find the switch to
turn him or her off.
I have a close friend, Charlie, whom I have known
for over 30 years. He is a delightful person with a warm
heart but he sometimes loses himself in emotional intensity and gets distraught when he feels that someone has
treated him unfairly. I remember one evening as we had
coffee together, he told me in anger that his employer
gave raises to co-workers that he, rightly or wrongly,
regarded as equal but none to him. When he told me how
he could get back at his employer by suddenly quitting
his job or giving out sensitive information to the company’s competitor, his “radio host narrator” was in control
and took over his mind completely. Eventually, I calmed
him down and he realized that he was simply going
overboard.
We know that special loving moments do occur and
we wish for more of them in our lives. We try to maintain thoughts and fantasies that give us hope that everything will be fine in the future – when we have more
money to buy a new car or beautiful clothes, or when we
find the lover that fulfills our needs or the perfect job
where our abilities are appreciated.
I got to know my friend Samantha when I moved to
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California over a decade ago. She is driven in her life
and ambitions by nature but she is also a dedicated
mother where she cares for and loves her baby daughter,
Alisa, deeply. Sometimes she loses herself in her frenetic life, coping with being both a successful businesswoman and raising a child as a single parent. When she
is off balance, sometimes she can get obsessed with buying clothes that make her feel better. Her life is focused
on the next sale where she might find a new handbag,
although she already has an abundance of them.
Unfortunately, her happiness “high” doesn’t last very
long after she gets her latest handbag.
When we expect that material things or other external events will make us happier, it often turns out differently and we are left feeling unfulfilled or empty. The
underlying issues that cause our unhappiness are not
resolved and we are back with the original problem. We
also regret what we might have said and done when we
were angry and upset and we wish we could turn back
the clock and change the past.
At some point in our lives there is a breaking point,
when we ask ourselves:
“Why am I in this mess? This cannot be the meaning of my life. How can I find peace from all these
thoughts in my mind and emotions running around in
my body?
Help! I want to get home.”
“Home” is in Our Heart
Home is where we will feel safe and can be who we are.
It is where we are filled with the special moments of joy,
excitement and beauty. In these moments, we perceive
some glimpses of truth, a feeling of love, and a sensation
of oneness within and with all of existence, with no real
experience of time. At home, our critical and judging
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mind is quiet and we are at peace within, simply enjoying that we exist. Your mind fools you into thinking that
happiness comes from the outside in terms of positive
events, appreciation of material possessions and other
people’s love. You believe that happiness is something to
strive for in the future, yet in reality, it is here in this
moment if you choose to open up to who you are.
In my spiritual workshops I guide the participants to
imagine themselves in an empty and dark room during a
meditation. I ask them to recall moments from their lives
when they had feelings of happiness. Many could reexperience these moments when they felt good even
without having the original event that brought happiness
to be repeated. In this exercise, we learned that perhaps
the solution is not on the outside, but within.
Could it be that our homes are really within us?
Home is not a specific place but instead a different level
of awareness that brings a knowing of who we are on a
deep level, not necessarily as an intellectual concept but
more as a sensation or feeling.
The love in our heart is pure and nothing can hurt or
destroy it. However, your mind thinks that you are
imperfect and in need of protection from the outside and
from judgments within. Therefore, you build shields of
armor around your heart, protecting what is pure love
and therefore in no need of protection. As a result, the
pain and misery you feel comes from the armor, not
from any pain in the heart – the pain is an illusion.
of betrayal or to grieve your loss. Here it is important to
practice gentleness and kindness towards yourself and
let everything have its own time. There is no need to
push on one’s spiritual practice when you are in
upheaval but at some point you will know that you are
ready to proceed with devotion on your spiritual path.
The Gentle Way of the Heart means that we strive to
accept and forgive ourselves every moment in our life.
Acceptance of the present moment, of others and ourselves becomes the same as love. Forgiveness is acceptance of the past where we release in the present moment
what was held back from our light within. When we love
there are no barriers towards anything or anyone in our
existence, including all of our own aspects. We become
one. Love has no need to be loved by others and no
expectation that love comes from a divine source outside
of ourselves. We will not find more love by rearranging
the circumstances of our life but by realizing that we are
all the source of love within ourselves and it is available
to us at all times.
With an open heart filled with the divine light, we
can experience the world as a more loving place. All of
this is built on our own perception of the truth, feeling
love and experiencing oneness with all beings in the
world.
Through our hearts, we discover that we all are
expressions of love.
The Gentle Way
To go on a spiritual path to release what is false within
you and move closer to what is true requires constant
work with concentration on your awareness, studies of
spiritual concepts and meditation to elicit the inner experiences. The teaching of The Gentle Way of the Heart is
an approach where you can do the challenging work by
connecting with your own sense of the truth, compassion
and oneness that has always been there and in each step
on the way strive to be open, kind and gentle to yourself
and others. You meet the challenges in your daily life
with one hand in the light of your heart while the other
hand is doing the hard work. This brings gentleness
into your dedicated spiritual practice when it is most
difficult.
We have all encountered difficult times in our lives
due to events that affect us deeply, and may even be heart
wrenching. You could be in the middle of a devastating
divorce, have experienced the profound loss of a dear
one or been fired from your job. At these times you
might think that it is not possible to look for the light
within when you only want to express anger in the face
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Excerpted from The Gentle Way of the Heart Printed with permission of Nordic Light Press. ©2014 Anders Nilsson.......
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The Love Spell Traditions
Love Potions
By Sarane Alexandrian
otions were beverages intended to transform individuals, primarily by making
them fall in love with the persons who gave
it to them. This is why the Greek word
pharmakeia, poisoning (from which the
word pharmacy is derived) was the equivalent of the
English witchcraft. The witches of Thessaly, the first to
enjoy a dreadful reputation, were called pharmakides.
They used plants from the nightshade family with hallucinatory effects, which they harvested during a religious
ceremony in which they left their hair unbound (which
attracted elementary spirits). Medea, the most famous
magician, stripped naked to cull verbena, a plant sacred
to Aphrodite. Belladonna was called “witches herb”
because of its frequent use for potions. Its roots and
leaves caused dizzy spells or frenetic dancing. Henbane
caused temporary madness, and jimson weed caused a
stupor that lasted twenty-four hours, accompanied by
disturbing visions. The berries of meadow saffron triggered a sense of unreasoning terror, and mandrake root,
P
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added as a powder to drinks, caused total imbecility. The
victims of these potions suffered attacks of mental confusion that left them defenseless against any amorous
undertakings.
As magic is based on the law of sympathies and correspondences between beings and things, ingredients
that induced lust through analogy were also placed in
these brews. Cornelius Agrippa, who in 1533 collected a
number of love potions for his De occulta philosophia,
said they were made from the heart and genitals of animals possessing great amorous ardor, such as doves,
swallows, and similar small birds, and the rabbit and the
wolf. Often used was the flesh of a lizard from the iguana family: the stellion. Sometimes a vial containing the
potion would be placed beneath the straw mattress of a
brothel for several days so its potency would be
increased by the fornications performed above it.
Agrippa notes:
Those who wish to make love spells ordinarily hide
or lock away the instruments of their art, their rings,
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their images, and their mirrors in
some evil place, which gives them
their virtue by a venerian faculty.
Jerome Cardan, speaking in
1550 of the love potions of that
era made from cats’ brain, menstrual blood, and hippomane, a
genital secretion from a rutting
mare, noted, “These things disturb
the mind more than compel the
love of the person to whom they
are given.” In fact, these potions
were often responsible for fatal frenzies, and their makers were punished as criminals. The epicurean poet
Lucretius, author of De natura rerum [The Nature of
Things], after drinking a love potion given him by his
mistress Lucilia, committed suicide after the intense
attack of madness it induced. Charles VI died from the
love potion given him by his wife the Duchess of Cleves.
These beverages were thus replaced by powders to cast
on the person who was the target of the seduction, which
was much less harmful; these powders contained the
same ingredients dried and pulverized.
Pierre Le Loyer mentions an affair, when he was a
young lawyer in 1580, that was judged by the
Parliamentary Court of Paris against a young man who,
it was claimed, used powders placed in a scroll of virgin
parchment to attract the love of a young girl so he could
take his pleasure of her. He had caught sight of her in the
street and when she passed by him, he had slipped this
scroll inside her low-cut dress, between her breasts, so
forcefully, that she fell ill from the irritation. The lawyer
for the accused said this was excusable, as he had not
made the victim take anything in her mouth that would
poison her. The young woman’s lawyer protested:
Poison or venom is not only a poisonous potion or
herb or drug that is naturally fatal, and when taken by
the mouth kills the person. Poison is also a love potion,
an herb, a parchment, a letter, or a magic enchantment
that works something against nature.
In his manual, the inquisitor Martin Delrio revealed:
Witches slay with certain fine powders that they mix
into meat or drink, by rubbing over the naked body, or
by spreading them on clothes. Of these powders, those
that are meant to kill are black, the others, which are
only for causing illness, are ash-colored or red. Those,
which to the contrary, are for healing are most often
white.
Powders were also made to compel a young girl to
dance stark naked. The Petit Albert prescribed harvesting marjoram, thyme, myrtle leaves, walnut leaves, and
fennel root on Saint John’s Eve in June, then drying and
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powdering the plants before
straining them through a sieve.
You must blow this powder into
the air of the place where the girl
is, or have her take some as tobacco, and the effect will soon follow.
Potions in powdered form were
commonly used everywhere. In
The Magic Island (in which
voodoo worship is described),
William Seabrook recounts how
Maman Célie came to the aid of
her grandson who had been rejected by the girl he loved.
With a dried, powdered hummingbird, a few drops of the
young man’s blood, flower pollen, and other substances,
she made a mixture she put inside a pouch made from
the skin of goat testicles. This became a powder that the
young man cast in the face of his recalcitrant girlfriend
during a dance. She immediately fell in love with him.
There is nothing surprising about this: a superstitious
individual who finds herself the target of a magic spell
believes that all resistance is futile; and her seducer,
emboldened by this fact, lost all shyness and won her
heart.
Excerpted from The Great Work of the Flesh by Sarane
Alexandrian © 2014 Destiny Books. Printed with permission
from the publisher Inner Traditions International.
http://www.InnerTraditions.com
Sarane Alexandrian was a member of the surrealist group in
Paris in the years directly after World War II. He is the author
of more than 60 books, including novels, a memoir, and studies of occultism, eroticism, and art. He died in Paris in 2009.
www.earthstarmag.com
5 Lenses
That Will
Shift Your Mood
from Pissed
To Blissed
By Bob Sima
The Transformational Troubadour
nger, disappointment, frustration - most
of us spend a lot of our days wrapped up
in these emotions which dominate our
outlook on life. The more we indulge in
these negative feelings, the worse our
lives become. But what if we can go from pissed to
blissed just by taking our cues from music?
As a singer-songwriter who travels the world performing and whose inspiration comes entirely from spirituality, I believe that music can give us new perspectives for transforming our lives. You’ve heard it said that
“music is the soundtrack of your life” which means that
music can be a teacher in our lives. For example, you
might often think that life is piled up against you, but
what if it was “Happening for You?” (http://www.bobsima.com/my-blog/5-lenses-will-shift-mood-pissedblissed/).
Imagine, it’s Monday morning, sun shining, tunes
cranked and you are blissfully driving to the airport to go
after a new opportunity. As you enter the freeway accelerating, you notice that the car is not quite getting up to
speed and you hear the dreaded thump thump thump.
A
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No! This is not happening. Yes, it is happening. Flat tire,
missed flight, opportunity gone.
It’s in these moments that we lose hope. We feel
totally defeated. Why is it so easy for us to get rattled, to
go from blissed to pissed, from serenity to insanity? It’s
simple. It’s our paradigm, our perspective. We view the
events dualistically, as sometimes “good” sometimes
“bad.” We feel good or bad depending on the outcome
without looking at a much grander view, the bigger
picture.
Living this paradigm sets you up for continual disappointment and defeat. It’s time for a new perspective,
a brand new set of lenses. I am not talking about framing things to make them look better, like some sort of
philosophical Photoshop. There is a much more powerful story connected to the soul’s journey.
Here are some New Lenses for you to view your life
experience, based on lyrics from my song “Happening
For You.” After reading these lenses, I invite you to
download the song so that this teaching is activated and
reinforced on each listen.
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Lens #1 - It’s Happening For You: Everything happens
for you, not to you. And it’s all for your highest good.
Try this: take a deep cleansing breath and recall a challenging event in your life. Discern, for a moment, what
value this event added to your life and how it actually
fed your soul in some perfect way that it needed for
ascension.
LYRIC: “...this can’t be happening to me tonight. Well,
it isn’t my friend. It’s happening for you...”
Lens #4 - It’s a Lesson or a Blessing: Label events as
lessons or blessings. It’s a win-win. Try this: go back
and look at some of the events in your life that may have
been traumatic and discern the lesson and/or blessing in
each event. This practice will lead to gratitude, which is
the virtue among all virtues for creating peace and
meaning in your life.
LYRIC: “...lessons and blessings disguised as disaster...”
Lens #2 - Set the Dream, Detach From the Outcome,
Everything is a Miracle: As Einstein suggests, there
are only two ways to live your life. That is, to see nothing as a miracle or to see everything as a miracle.
Choose everything! Events and happenings are one great
miracle; the fact that you are here is miraculous, as the
chances of being born into a body are 1 in 400 trillion.
Try this: take a deep conscious breath and ponder the
events that had to take place to create your soul in this
body to enter the here and now: the chemical reactions,
cells dividing, ancestors, and the myriad of events.
LYRIC: “...lifetimes of memories, rushing rushing
rushing at you.”
Lens #5 - You Are Here to Grow: Many leading
experts in the human potential field firmly believe that
our souls are here to grow and to ascend. In fact they are
under contract! In truth, it’s all about transformation soul transformation through the human vessel. With this
grander view, step back and see the tapestry of your life
taking form within the patterns of behaviors and events.
LYRIC: “...to wake you and shake you, break and
reshape you, into something else entirely brand
new...”
Excerpted with permission
AcousticEpiphany: A SongBlog
from
Bob’s
Sima’s
Lens #3 - Pain is the Great Awakener: Pain is the great
awakener, so have a listen. A pain in your body is telling
you, “Hey look at me. I need some care.” Pain in the
emotional body or soul is talking as well, so have a listen. Try this: next time you are triggered, depressed,
drained, anxious, angry, or hurt, take a deep cleansing
breath when a pain arises and just feel it. Be with it.
Listen to what it is telling you. It is there for your highest
good with a message for you. Breathe, allow, and listen.
LYRIC: “...this pain, this thing is gonna have a talking
to you...”
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www.earthstarmag.com
A Q&A with Bob
Sima
The Transformational Troubadour
How did you become this powerful messenger using
music?
It has been quite a process! All along, these songs have
been spawned out of my spiritual development and consciousness work, which has been a life-long quest and
passion. My passion for this work is the driver and foundation for the music. The songs keep pouring out of me,
as if in some sort of a musical conversation with source
and the divine. My songwriting process has always been
a therapeutic means for me to encapsulate the lesson or
epiphany that I need. They are deeply personal yet, as I
began to share them, I realized that they are universal.
Once I fully recognized this and accepted that this is a
gift I have been given—a useful gift to humanity—I
stepped in and began to fully own the fact that it is my
calling and my purpose. As Gandhi said, “There is a
force in the universe which, if we permit it, will flow
through us and produce miraculous results.” This force
is clearly flowing through me. The energetic response is
released through music. So, in essence, I have been
becoming a messenger all along and I am still in the
process of becoming it. There is so much work to do in
me, which will ultimately be reflected through music. It
is synonymous with the concept that awakening happens
in steps and stages and layers. Everything up to this
point has all been preparation, experience, skills building, closet clearing, shadow work, dream building, and
dismantling that laid the foundation for what I knew all
along – that this powerful force in the form of music
could flow through and benefit humanity.
What is your mission for your music?
My mission is to entertain, educate, and inspire in a spiritually fulfilling way, filling the soul with the needed
fuel for expanding consciousness and transformational
growth. I want everyone to use these songs as tools and
companions for rediscovering and remembering the
depth of love, wisdom, purpose, and meaning that lies
within each one of us for the highest good of the planet.
The world is in the midst of a very big shift right now
and there is a great trance that many of us are in. This
trance is like an “eyes on the prize” scenario. We are a
society driven by media telling or convincing us what
we need and we have become disconnected from the
earth and each other. My mission is to encourage the
trance-end, to stimulate the transcend. There are many
people awakening to this concept, understanding that the
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time is now to fully birth this shift, and I am an active
participant, a peaceful spiritual warrior with a musical
message. Along with the many other spiritual messengers, I believe it is time to bring the light. In short, my
mission is to stir a remembrance of what each soul
already knows for the good of the planet.
What was it like to quit your job and begin serving
and touring full time?
My heart immediately expanded and my soul immediately danced, but (quite honestly) my head took a while
to catch up. I would have done it a long time ago had it
not been for my head, which is probably always the case
with this sort of thing. At this point, almost one full year
away from the “day job,” I can honestly say it was the
perfect time. It always is, of course, as the universe
knows this to be true. But, oh, how wonderful for your
whole being to recognize it as well. That is the true stepping in and stepping up to watch the universe line up and
conspire with you. When you fully step in and get out of
the way, well, that is about the most powerful and most
humbling faith-building exercise one can ever experience.
What are your intentions for your audience?
My intention is to stir remembrance; to inspire and
awaken; to infuse joy; to remind us of the connection to
ourselves, our source, and to each other; and to feel fully
alive and on purpose. I want to encourage a new reverence and sacredness for each other and for life. I want to
accelerate the trance-end and rouse the awakening. I
intend for the audience to be in rapt awareness of their
own and of the collective consciousness that has been
there along. My intention is to provoke things and raise
consciousness so they will take this juicy, new way of
walking the planet into their family, their work, and their
communities.
What is it about your music and performances that
leave people awestruck?
The awe-dience experiences unity in motion, universality in truth, and they feel so connected to themselves and
everyone around them. They are awestruck by themselves and their amalgamation. It truly is awesome to
witness in yourself—and sometimes it just takes something to show us the way. These songs are the expression
of the divine with very little filtering by me. It is pretty
purely divine stuff. So they are awestruck by their own
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response to it, to their remembrances, to their awakenings and epiphanies. Just as I was awestruck when I
wrote down the songs to begin with. They are awestruck
because it’s so simple and elegant—all of it—truth,
awakening, and consciousness. They are also awestruck
that it was an experience of song that took them there. I
have heard people say that they didn’t know music could
do this. They are awestruck by the consistent message
that flows through transcending religions, cultures, and
traditions—all pointing back to consciousness, oneness,
and connection with themselves and others.
What happens with the audience when you perform?
They connect more deeply to themselves and others. It
tickles the soul, scrapes through some crust, wipes off
some dust, peels off some layers, opens up some windows, and awakens them to the possibility that they are
rediscovering the beauty and truth in, around, and
between them. It makes them breathe a little deeper,
makes their load a little lighter, their smile a little more
real, their grip a little looser. They have a profoundly
deep connection with everyone else in the room present
to bear witness to the unfolding of the songs and the
messages and the rhythms and the invisible healings and
happenings. When humans gather with their fully open
hearts and souls to share wisdom (musical satsang, if
you will), shifts happen individually to stir the pond of
the collective. Each individual shares, at least on some
level, in the consciousness movements of the others.
How do you make it an interactive experience that is
different than the typical concert where musicians
are singing to an audience?
My intention is, not only, to connect to the audience, but
to have the audience connect to each other in a safe,
unintimidating, and naturally beautiful way. To connect
first to the audience, I do things a little differently. I
don’t use a standard mic; I wear one. For me, standing
behind a mic feels stationary and stagnant. I want to create a space for movement of expressions, belief systems,
and consciousness. A mic stand also creates an implied
separation—I am the performer; You are the audience. I
wish to initiate a feeling of oneness and us-ness.
I often leave the stage to get closer to the audience’s
energy. Also, the performances are intentionally stripped
down (for most shows) with no band. It’s just me and my
guitar and some sweet sonic effects. I leave the drums at
home and allow the audience to provide the backbeat. I
leave the backup singers back stage and let the audience
join the choir. Then this milieu inspires involvement and
unity, and allows the songs and the messages to stir up
things in them as they are singing the words intentionally.
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There are also physical connections happening at shows.
I often guide the audience into synchronous breathing,
which will lead to a musical meditation, which will lead
to some silence, which often leads to a fully expressive
get-up-and-dance inspired number. All along the audience is invited to connect with those next to them and
around the venue, even if it is just a glace of sacred
acknowledgement.
What and who inspire you to create your songs?
Staring into the trees. A vulture soaring overhead. A
glance into someone’s eyes. Sitting in traffic. Reading a
good book. A phrase in a discussion with friends.
Hearing a powerful piece of music. Watching a good
movie. A quote from Rumi or Hafiz. All of these are
conversations that source is having with me to inspire a
song. I have become a good listener and dictation tool
for source. In short, the natural world, wisdom, and consciousness expansion inspire the songs. That is the
purpose of it all.
What are some of the themes that are prevalent in
your music?
Mostly I write songs that have been personal tools for
me to transcend where I am, awaken further and further,
expand my consciousness, and put an end to the trance
that I have been in. The beliefs that have been holding
me back from fully experiencing this gift of life that I
am. I call that part Trance-End = Transcend. The themes
are all about transformation, growth, awakening, leaning
into life head on and wide open, opening up the windows that have been shut for many years, airing it out,
stepping in, stepping up, stepping out, softening, appreciating, believing, breathing, gratitude, forgiveness, nurturing, witnessing, traveling, harnessing the invisible
power that we all have and we all are. Plus, I write some
songs about “so-called” death, because it is inevitably
the one thing that we can’t not believe, so it gets everyone’s attention. A true trance-ender.
You haven’t had any formal music training, yet you
seem so at home with a guitar in hand. Tell us about
how you FEEL the music.
I feel it because I believe in the endless and limitless
possibilities of the instrument, in spite of having no
training. They say you will see it when you believe it. I
think this holds true with guitar. You will hear it when
you believe it. You will feel it when you allow and are
open to its possibilities. The guitar speaks to me and I
love it so deeply, so it’s a two-way conversation. I love
the feel of the vibrations that reverberate in and around
me; I love its diversity of sound of emotion, of endless
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possibility and wonder. I don’t have any formal training
because it was not meant to be that way. It was for me to
discover and do my own way. I use my own tunings to
create chords that are quite unique and perfectly suited
to be a platform for the messages. I am just open to
receive whatever this magical instrument can bring to
me. The guitar calls forth the words. As a melody develops through my hand on the guitar, almost spontaneously the words start to flow. It is quite a magical interchange, a dance, a give and take.
Do you see yourself more as a spiritual teacher or a
musician—or are you both?
I feel strongly that spirit expresses and “teaches” itself.
We all have an innate ability to discern spirit in and of
ourselves if given the proper conditions. In that, I see
myself—and many others walking this earth—as spiritual messengers, creating the conditions, the setting, the
ambience, and the atmosphere for the culmination of
words and emotions as spirit presenting itself. In this
way, I also feel that since spirit is in us all along, there
really are no teachings—just remembrances. So I create
these songs as tools for setting the conditions for anyone
who listens to discern what they need from them, but
ultimately to grow, to transform, and to expand their
consciousness in spirit. In this sense, I would say I am a
spiritual messenger and, perhaps more descriptively, a
Transformational Troubadour.
Tell us about your Gratitude Concerts.
This is the “mission” part of my work. It is where I get
to give back to the communities who have so graciously
supported my work. After a long weekend of events and
workshops, I usually end up with a free day. That is
when I usually schedule these gratitude concerts. They
are primarily for those who can’t get out to hear me in
venues and such. I serve in correctional facilities, cancer
centers, hospitals through Musicians On Call, schools
for developmentally challenged, retirement homes,
homeless centers, and more. It is always at zero cost to
the service organization and always a joy to give back. I
also donate my time to teach mindfulness through conscious breathwork and meditation to cancer patients and
to inmates in maximum security prisons.
consciousness and creating transformational growth. As
I sit and listen to some of the spiritual luminaries in this
world, I truly feel a kinship with nearly all of them. In
particular, I am drawn to the work of Mooji, Jean
Houston, Thich Nhat Hahn, Eckhart Tolle, Don Miguel
Ruiz, Neale Donald Walsch, Wayne Dyer, Fr Richard
Rohr, Marianne Williamson, and Deepak Chopra.
Where and with whom would you like to see your
music being integrated with ideas of conscious capitalism?
Capitalism and corporations have grown so far beyond
what anyone ever envisioned and can be looked at as
both a blessing and a curse. There are many things at this
moment in history that are not sustainable and are, in
fact, clearly guiding the human race into a direction of
darkness and a state of imbalance. My intention is to
point the music toward corporate leaders who have
resources to influence positive shifts that impact a vast
number of people and communities. This music provides additional fuel for empowerment and taking
action. It can actively resonate through the walls as that
daily reminder – that supporting soundtrack – for conscious business decisions. My charter is to offer a musical conversation that will add entertainment and
poignant punctuation to some of their events and training. I often comment that I would like to sit with the
executives of Walmart, Starbucks, and other major corporations who have the ability to make small yet significantly impressionable changes for the higher good of
society.
AcousticEpiphany: A SongBlog from Bob Sima, The
Transformational Troubadour, is a uniquely inspiring, musically-infused blog. With each entry, this award-winning
singer-songwriter and spiritual teacher weaves a soul-filling
inspired message along with a song (stream or download) to
bring home the message and leave it forever embedded in your
consciousness. The messages are designed to fill the soul,
inspire the mind, and open the heart with topics such as personal transformation; purpose and mission; connection; unity
and oneness; and awakening and consciousness expansion.
Join Bob on this journey of music, wisdom and the path of
transformation. http://www.bobsima.com/my-blog/
Who are some of the teachers you feel are a good
match to collaborate with, possibly infusing your
music into a larger event?
The breadth and depth of my music catalog has come
from many traditions and from some of the planet’s most
influential spiritual messengers. The messages complement just about any event that is geared to expanding
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